asking the tough question

Verse 4.19: One is understood to be in full knowledge whose every endeavor is devoid of desire for sense gratification. He is said by sages to be a worker for whom the reactions of work have been burned up by the fire of perfect knowledge.

Why is it so difficult to put things into practice? We may theoretically understand so many things and accept them on an intellectual level, but when it comes to the practical application, many of us face a block.

For those who are trying to live a life of simultaneous gratitude and unattachment, this is often a conundrum. When we read bhakti texts like the Gita and hear from those who live such lives, we feel inspired and hopeful. We too can do it! But when it comes to actually putting in all our endeavours and efforts and offering it selflessly to the Divine as a token of our appreciation, something powerful interrupts us. These things can cause us to promptly fall back into our old way of thinking and doing things which is often that of - I perform x activity and expect y result.

One such challenge can come in the form of doubt. When doubt steps in, it can cause us to question what will happen if we let go of our attachment to the results of our endeavour. "Maybe I'll become too spiritual! What if I just stop caring about everything? I want to be normal and if I start actually becoming unattached, I might not be able to relate to others." Such types of conversations can start to take place in our mind.

When these doubts start to cloud our consciousness, it's very easy to become apprehensive. It causes us to become fearful of the unknown - in this case what will happen to us if we actually live a life of gratitude and detachment. Ultimately, it can be a vicious cycle that leads to more doubts and more apprehension.

Ultimately though, the root cause of all these misgivings is fear. The fear that our efforts to express gratitude and appreciation will go unrecognized. Although we may believe in a Divine power and personality who is giving us everything, do we really and truly believe?

The practice of performing akarmic work is more than just attitude. It prompts us to ask the tough questions and really look inside our hearts. Do we have unshakable faith that there is something greater than us and that the Divine is there ready and waiting to reciprocate with us? When we are able to answer that question honestly, irregardless of whether it is a no, yes or somewhere in between, then we can truly start to live a life of gratitude and selflessness.

where have all the saintly persons gone?

Verse 1.36: Sin will overcome us if we slay such aggressors. Therefore it is not proper for us to kill the sons of Dhṛtarāṣṭra and our friends. What should we gain, O Kṛṣṇa, husband of the goddess of fortune, and how could we be happy by killing our own kinsmen?

Where has society's morality gone? That's the question I'd like to begin with today. More so than ever the news is inundated with all kinds of disturbing events taking place all across the world. Where have all the saintly persons gone?

When I mean saintly, I speak according to the definition given in the Gita. A saintly person is one who is virtuous and who treats others with respect and compassion because they see that everything is a spark of God's opulence. By this definition, it is not a quality that is relegated to just a chosen few but actually a quality that all of us should practice.

Such attributes and characteristics do not just appear magically. They must be practiced. In fact, this actually reminds me of one of my favourite verses in the Gita. I know I'm skipping ahead, but consider this a little extra for today! ;) In Chapter 17, Verse 16, Krsna says, "And satisfaction, simplicity, gravity, self-control and purification of one's existence are the austerities of the mind."

I remember exactly where I was and how I felt when I was taught the full import of this verse. I was in Mayapur, India and was sitting in a room with about twenty bhakti practitioners from all over the world. I remember how the teacher emphasized the word austerity in this verse and a light bulb went off in my head. Austerity in this verse means to practice. Austerity implies some level of difficulty and the requirement of great mental determination in order to be successful.

Shocking isn't it? Take just the first quality that is mentioned in 17.16- satisfaction. It means that we need to practice satisfaction, what to speak of simplicity, gravity, self-control etc... This is just mind-boggling to the Western way of thinking, where satisfaction is something you either buy or something that happens at/to you, not something that you actually practice.

Similarly, saintliness is also a quality that must be practiced. But the question can be raised here. How can one practice a quality? Well...it's actually pretty simple. Anyone remember what was mentioned yesterday as being the most important principle of bhakti? Always remember Krsna and never forget him. If we are aspiring to be in this consciousness then we realize that every living entity (please note - not just restricted to humans!) we interact with is also very dear to Krsna and every situation we face is due to the results of our past action.

Hence, we see opportunities to practice qualities like tolerance, patience, detachment, compassion, paying respects to others...all the qualities that make one saintly.

Bhakti teaches us to view things from a different perspective, that of "What can I learn from this moment?" This fuels and can give impetus to our determination to act properly.

It is also important to note that aspiring bhakti yogis don't just practice good qualities to become a good person since that can easily lead one into the trap of becoming proud. "Just see what a great person I am. I'm so patient and tolerant!" :P

No. They see this cultivation of good qualities as being helpful in their practice of bhakti yoga. It's easy to be a nice person, it's harder to see the practice of good qualities as a stepping stone to advancement in bhakti.

The goal of bhakti is not just to be a good person who exemplifies saintliness. The goal of bhakti is to uncover and fan our hidden love for God. How one can do this is coming up in the Gita, so stay tuned!

an introduction

Verse 1.14: On the other side, both Lord Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna, stationed on a great chariot drawn by white horses, sounded their transcendental conchshells.

Here we meet the most important personalities of the Gita - Krsna and Arjuna. In courts and days of old, important personalities would be introduced by the heralding of different instruments. It seems fitting that we meet these two great persons while the transcendental and auspicious sounds of their conches are being reverberated.

As aspiring bhakti yogis, we should offer a great deal of respect and gratitude to Arjuna. It is because of him that we are now the beneficiaries of the transcendental knowledge that is contained in the Gita.

One of the things I appreciate most about Arjuna is his desire to practically understand how to practice bhakti yoga. It is easy to get caught up and revel in the philosophy, but bhakti is about application and practice. Srila Prabhupada, the translator of the Bhagavada-gita as it is, often says, " Bhakti is not for arm chair philosophers."

Thank you Arjuna for being a perfect student and giving us the opportunity to learn from you. Get ready- the Gita is about to begin.

sound

Verse 1.13: After that, the conchshells, drums, bugles, trumpets and horns were all suddenly sounded, and the combined sound was tumultuous.

Sound. It surrounds us wherever we are. As I'm typing right now I'm becoming aware of the hum of the heater, the outside traffic passing by, a door closing behind me and the clacking of the keys as I press down on the keyboard.

It amazes me how "normally" I am so unobservant to the different sounds that surround me. I've become desensitized. For example, when I enter a mall, I don't really notice the music playing in the background unless it's a song I know or a genre of music that's not really to my taste.

In the tradition of bhakti, sound is the basis of everything. In the ancient Vedic text called Srimad Bhagavatam, it is stated that of the five elements, sound (ether) is the first to be created (SB. 2.5.25). The vedic texts also state how one can become freed from illusion through hearing transcendental sound vibration.

Sound can thus serve to liberate and to entrap, it can be positive or negative and have a great impact on our disposition. For serious bhakti practitioners, they channel this powerful impact of sound by chanting (i.e. calling out the transcendental names of Krsna) everyday. In this way a spiritual atmosphere can be created whether one is living in a city or in a cave in the Himalayas.

If you're like me, however, it can be a challenge to chant properly. Chanting is easy, the tricky part is hearing the mantra you are saying. Hearing involves paying attention to what we're actually saying and not getting distracted by the wily ways of the mind.

The actions and habits that we develop in our daily routine seep into our spiritual practice. If one performs their daily tasks with attention, it is often easier for such persons to naturally be attentive in their spiritual practice.

It's my realization for today. I need to pay more attention to what's going on around me. It will serve as practice for what really matters.