F for Faith

The Bhagavad Gita is a treasure trove of knowledge - all that you need to be is an inquisitive student, because only when the student is ready, the master appears! Join me this month in the 'April A to Z challenge,' as I take you through selected verses of this monumental scripture, and try to decipher the amazing lessons it has in store for us.       

Read E for Ephemeral nature of life here.        

 

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Translation

Krishna says, a person is made of their faith (sraddha); whatever one’s faith is, that they become. 

One’s faith depends on their nature, not on the environment they are in. An inherent sattvic nature brings about faith in the mode of goodness. A rajasic nature brings out faith in the mode of passion. A tamasic nature brings about faith in the mode of darkness, and illusion.

 

The story of Prahalada.

The story of Hiranyakasyapu and Prahalada emphasises how powerful faith in the Supreme is.

Hirayakasyapu was a demon king, egocentric, pompous, powerful and wicked. He hated Maha Vishnu and considered him his enemy. His subjects were forced to chant his name and sing his praise and forbidden from worshipping Vishnu. When his son Prahalada was born, he became a devotee of Vishnu, singing his praise and chanting his name at all times, by the grace of sage Narada.

This angered Hiranyakasyapu and he ordered Prahalada’s death, unbothered by the child’s tender age. He tried poisoning him, getting him trampled under wild elephants, throwing him from the mountains, and finally burning him in a pyre. So strong was Prahalada’s faith in Vishnu that he chanted Vishnu’s name as he went through the ordeals and escaped unscathed each time.

Seething with anger, Hiranyakashyapu demanded to know where Vishnu was. He was sure he could not be defeated by Vishnu for he had the most unlikely boon – he could not be killed by a man or an animal, neither at day nor night, neither outside nor inside the house, by no weapon – making it impossible to be killed in a war.

‘Is he in this pillar?’ he thundered.

‘He is, father. He is everywhere,’ said little Prahalada, with complete faith in Vishnu and unafraid of the demon king.

Hiranyakasyapu broke open the pillar with a strike of his mace and Maha Vishnu sprang out of it – in a form no one had seen before. He took the form of Narasimha, with the face of a terrifying lion and body of a man. He was neither a man nor an animal – he growled fiercely as walked up to the demon. It was dusk, the time opportune, it was neither day nor night. Carrying the demon king to the threshold of his room, when he was neither inside nor outside the house, he put the demon on his lap and with the slightest touch of his sharp nails – needing no weapon – tore open his belly, killing him instantly.

Prahalada’s faith in Maha Vishnu did not dwindle even for a fraction of a second. Shri Vishnu did not break his little’s devotee’s faith either.

                                                                 

How strong is your faith in the Supreme?

Our belief and faith are conditioned by the nature of our soul. If our faith in the Supreme is strong, we can be sure that the one we trust will never let us down.    

 

E for Ephemeral nature of life

The Bhagavad Gita is a treasure trove of knowledge - all that you need to be is an inquisitive student, because only when the student is ready, the master appears! Join me this month in the 'April A to Z challenge,' as I take you through selected verses of this monumental scripture, and try to decipher the amazing lessons it has in store for us.

     

Read D for Determination, Discipline and Devotion here. 

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Translation 

In this verse, Krishna talks about the ephemeral nature of life. Nothing that is born, lives forever. Just like we discard (vihaya) the worn clothes (jirna vasam/vastra) and wear new ones (navani ghrna), the soul takes on a new body (navam deha) after discarding (vihaya) the old one (jirna). 

How long do we want to live? 

Everyone wants to live forever. But every living creature - a blade of grass, a tiny bacterial cell, a bird, animal or a human being - has only a finite time on earth. Krishna tells us that the body is ephemeral, not the soul, for the soul never dies. It merely leaves one body and takes on another. He asks us not grieve for the body that is temporary and instead nourish our soul that lives on forever.  

A story from the Srimad Bhagavatam.

Srimad Bhagavatam narrates the story of Chitraketu, a King who ruled over Surasena near Mathura. Despite having several queens, he was childless. He desperately longed for an offspring and after conducting several rituals, his queen Krtyadyuti was finally blessed with a son. The king and queen doted on the child and were extremely attached to him. But the other queens were jealous of the prince and secretly poisoned him one day. 

The king and queen were devastated and could not get over the loss of their child, crying uncontrollably. Seeing their pitiable condition, Sage Narada decided to bring the soul of the dead child back to Chitraketu. The soul was given the permission to re-enter his body and continue his life as a prince. 

'Which body should I enter, oh, sage?' asked the soul. 'This is not my first birth, I have lived several lives before. I have had a mother, a father, friends and relatives in each birth. These relationships are temporary. They are only bound to the body. The soul has no such bond.' 

Hearing the soul speak thus, Chitraketu understood the eternal truth. He and the queen were able to let go of their attachment to their son and bid his body a farewell.  

Our lifespan is finite. 

This is the only truth, though it is bitter. When our time is spent, we will leave with nothing, neither our body, nor our wealth, nor our relationships. Yet we spend our lifetime acquiring exactly that, which will not accompany us. 

What is it that we should strive to accumulate then? What will we carry with us? Doesn't that make you ponder?   

 

D for Determination, Discipline and Devotion

The Bhagavad Gita is a treasure trove of knowledge - all that you need to be is an inquisitive student, because only when the student is ready, the master appears! Join me this month in the 'April A to Z challenge,' as I take you through selected verses of this monumental scripture, and try to decipher the amazing lessons it has in store for us.     

Read C for Compassion here.

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Translation 

In this verse, Krishna says, that our mind and senses tend to waver all the time - control your mind and senses or they will control you.  An unwavering determination (dhriti) that comes from devotion enables a person to control his mind (manah), life (prana) and senses (indriya).

                     

Why goals don't work?

How often we set goals for ourselves - lose weight, study for a set time period everyday, go for a walk everyday, spend less time on social media, limit unnecessary spending, so on and so forth - but within few days of starting, we are back to square one. Have you ever wondered what went wrong? 

Being determined and disciplined.

The Gita says, unless one is rooted in firm determination and discipline, no goal can be achieved. Any sportsman will vouch for this. An athlete who ran a 100m race in 9.58 seconds and won the race, had practiced running consistently, for 3 hours everyday, six times a week! The mind might have asked him to rest, or have a cheat day, the limbs might have begged to be excused, but he did not let his mind or senses take control, and that showed in the results. We only see the 10 second run, but what we do not see is over 6500 hours of determined effort that went behind it.

                  

A Story from Srimad Bhagavatam.

 

Srimad Bhagavatham tells the story of young Dhruva, the son of King Uttanapada and his second wife, Suniti.  He was merely five-years old when he wished to sit on his father's lap like his step brother, Uttama. His step mother, Suruchi denied him this simple desire, mocking him to pray to Vishnu and be reborn as her son if he wanted to be adored by the King. 

Little Dhruva took her words to heart and set out to the forest to do penance. With great determination and discipline, he meditated on Shri Vishnu for five months, gradually giving up food, water and even restricting his breath. The first month, he ate fruits and berries once in every three days. In the second month, he ate dry leaves, once in every six days. In the third month, he drank only water once in every nine days. In the fourth month, he inhaled air once every twelve days, holding it in. By the fifth month, he had mastered the art of holding his breath completely, standing tall balancing on just the tip of his right toe. Pleased with these extreme austerities and seeing the determination of the young boy, Vishnu granted him the boon of immortality and a awarded him the position of a fixed star in the sky - the Dhruva Nakshatra or the Pole Star. 

                             

Can we be Dhruva? 

The example cannot and does not seek to be replicated. However, it shows us how immense the power of determination and discipline combined with devotion is. The mind may look for reasons to give up, the senses may wander, but with unwavering devotion in the supreme, anyone who can keep them under control, eventually succeeds.  

 

 

C for Compassion

The Bhagavad Gita is a treasure trove of knowledge - all that you need to be is an inquisitive student, because only when the student is ready, the master appears! Join me this month in the 'April A to Z challenge,' as I take you through selected verses of this monumental scripture, and try to decipher the amazing lessons it has in store for us.     

Read B for Balance here. 

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Translation 

In this verse, Krishna says that those who are free of hatred (advesta) for fellow living beings (sarva bhutanam) , those who treat everyone with friendship (maitri) and compassion (karuna) , are the ones dear to him.

Compassion is a rare quality. 

It is not easy to feel the pain and suffering of others as one’s own. We may sympathise with the suffering of others. But compassion is not just sympathy where we feel sorry for someone. We may sometimes understand or feel the pain of others too. But merely showing empathy is not enough. The third step is the most important - putting our willingness to help in action. Unless we take action, it cannot be called compassion.

One may or may not find time to worship, or carry out elaborate rituals. However, if one is compassionate towards fellow living beings, they are already dear to Krishna. It is the true way to show one’s love for God.  

                   

A story from the Mahabharata.

In the Mahabharata we find a story of King Rantideva. He was born in the lineage of King Bharata. He was known for his immense generosity and kindness. He did not believe in hoarding wealth and gradually emptied his coffers helping people in need.

Reduced to abject poverty, he and his family had been starving for 48 days.  On the 49^th day, he received a small quantity of porridge and some water. Just as they were about to eat, three hungry guests, knocked at his door one by one, asking for food. Seeing someone hungrier than him, Rantideva was overcome with compassion and gave them each a share of the food. Later a chandala came crying of thirst and Rantideva parted with the little water that he had.  

Though Rantideva hadn’t eaten or drunk water in days, he happily parted with his food and water out of compassion for the living beings.   

The three guests were none other than the divinities, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva in disguise, testing his courage in adversity. Amply blessed by the gods, Rantideva attained liberation.

                                                                             

Unconditional compassion.

The essence of the story is that compassion should be unconditional. One cannot choose whom to be kind to. Giving only when we have had our fill, is not being charitable. Giving even when one has little, is true charity.   

           Read D for Determination, Discipline and Devotion here.           

 

   

 

 

B for Balance

 The Bhagavad Gita is a treasure trove of knowledge - all that you need to be is an inquisitive student, because only when the student is ready, the master appears! Join me this month in the 'April A to Z challenge,' as I take you through selected verses of this monumental scripture, and try to decipher the amazing lessons it has in store for us.     

Read A for Attachment here. 

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Translation

In this verse, Krishna asks us to stay equipoised or balanced in every situation in life. Having a balanced approach in happiness (sukha) and grief (dukha), pleasant (priya) and unpleasant (apriya) situations, praise (stuthi) and criticism (ninda) , honour (maana) and dishonour (apamana), and treating friend (mitr) and foe (ari) alike,  helps us rise above the agitation of the mind.

                                                                            

Have you observed how the human mind reacts to situations and circumstances? 

When we are happy, or in a favourable situation, or when we are rewarded, or appreciated, we cannot contain our excitement. But if we are in an unfavourable situation, or we are criticised or in grief, our world comes crashing down. Our mood swings from one extreme to the other influenced by our environment.

Everything is cyclic in nature.

Krishna tells us that loss and gain, happiness and grief, praise and criticism and such dualities are sides of the same coin. They are also cyclic in nature, meaning they follow one after another – nothing lasts forever. Happiness does not last forever, neither does grief.

Imagine, if we were served only sweet dishes at lunch, we’d not only tire of it soon but would also not be able to appreciate the taste of sweetness. Just like a good balance of sweet and savoury makes for a fulfilling meal, a healthy balance of good and bad makes for a fulfilling life.   

                                                                              

A story from the Ramayana.

In the Ramayana, Shri Rama shows by his own example how one can maintain a balance in our emotions.

The entire city of Ayodhya had been buzzing with festivities. King Dasharatha had just announced the coronation of his eldest son, Rama, and the subjects could not wait to see him as their new King. The beating of all kinds of drums, blowing of conches and playing of cymbals added to the festive mood. The entire city was decked up like a bride – fresh flowers, mango leaves toran and colourful rangolis lined the streets.

The happiness around, however, did not affect Rama at all. He continued to be his calm self, situated in his yogic state. He was merely carrying out his duties as a son, and sharing his father’s responsibilities. While the excited subjects could not sleep a wink waiting for the night to pass, it was like any other night to Rama.

The next morning dawned soon but brought a news that left the entire city grief-stricken. Rama had been banished to the forest for fourteen years by his stepmother. He had been ordered to leave immediately. The calm on Rama’s face remained as it was the previous day. The news of banishment did not agitate him at all. He bore no ill-will towards his stepmother. All around him, he saw people drowning in a sea of grief, but to Rama, it was just another duty – an order that had to be carried.

Neither happiness nor grief affected Rama. He neither let the joy of coronation affect him nor the grief of banishment.

                                                                              

Is it possible to stay balanced?  

Rama's example shows us how nothing can affect the one who is balanced in his mind. Finding this delicate balance is difficult, though not impossible. What do you think?   

                                                                                          

Read C for Compassion here.