Source of Happiness

Aug 21, 2015 @Source of Happiness!  Blog by Neela Iyer 21122 VIEWS 90 COMMENTS Source of Happiness All of us want to be happy. When asked about what he wants in life, every person replies: I want to be happy. We link happiness with material things. We believe that money and relationships are the source of happiness. Definitely, money is essential to fulfill our basic wants and keep us in comfort. We need loving relationships which support and lift us in life. Good health, good looks, power, prestige - all give happiness. But it is short lived. The happiness that comes from all these vanishes quickly and we keep yearning for more possessions, power etc., as others have more than us. When we look around, we see powerful people, many with good health and wealth, others having relationships with many loving people. We find that most of them are always angry and irritated and not happy. The source of happiness is Self. We have to make up our minds to be happy and we become happy. The soul within is Bliss. This bliss is covered with layers of negative emotions and desires of mind. When we shift aside these layers by will and determination, with a smiling positive attitude, we become happy. We all know these truths but generally choose to ignore them. Let us see the story of the happy monk and the reasons for his happiness: Once upon a time, there was a monk in the forest. He meditated sincerely and over a period of time, developed his mind. He freed himself from unwholesome and ugly thoughts and became content and happy. His peaceful nature and friendliness drew others to him and he had several hundred disciples living with him. Most monks in his group were dignified and serious. But there was one monk, though dignified, was always smiling. No matter what happened, he never lost this glimmer of inner happiness. When it was a happy occasion, his laughter rang out merrily. At times the other monks would ask him why he was so happy and smiling. The happy monk smiled more broadly and told them that they would not believe him and if they thought he spoke a lie, that would be a dishonour to his master. Seeing his constant smiling face, his master knew this monk had found the source of happiness within and made him his primary assistant. Once, the entire group of monks went to the city. The King permitted them to live in his pleasure garden for the spring time. When summer approached, the monks got ready to return to the forest. The King was concerned about the health and well being of the leader of the monks as he was now old and not keeping good health. He requested him to stay in the city and send the other monks back. The leader accepted the King’s request and made the happy monk the new group leader and sent them back. The happy monk practiced intense meditation and gained more wisdom and insight in life and reality. His inner happiness always shone on his face. He missed his master and wished to share his new experiences and insights with him. So he went to the city. When he arrived, he sat at the feet of his master. They did not speak much but every now and then the happy monk would say: What happiness! O what happiness! The King came for a visit then. He paid his respects to the old leader. However, the happy monk did not get up and show proper respect to the King. He sat there with a broad smile and kept saying – o what happiness! The King felt angry and insulted. He had the burden of the entire kingdom on his head and was stressed out. Yet he had made time to visit the monk and was not given due respect. He asked the old leader if the happy monk was stupid from overeating and lying around all time. The old leader replied: O King, this man was a mighty, powerful and wealthy King like you. He became a monk and his old happiness is nothing compared to his state of joy now. He used to be surrounded by armed men, who guarded and protected him. Now, he sits alone in the forest with nothing to fear. He has given up the burden of worrying about wealth that has to be protected. He is free of the worry of wealth and the fear of power. His wisdom protects himself and others. He advances in meditation to such inner peace, that he cannot keep from saying: O what happiness! The King understood the message. He stayed with the monks for some time and received advice from them. He was at peace. When we get wealth and power, we fear for their safety and we lose our happiness. The only wealth which increases with time and for which we do not have to fear is the Holy name of God. The source of all happiness is Love of God. Let us do bhakti, the SitaRam Mantra and meditation and live in peace and happiness. From the teachings of Dhyanyogi Omdasji http://www.divineomdasj- isoundmeditation.com/, http :/ /www.divinebrahmnaad.com/

Lord's Promise

The Lord promised " I come into manifest form through my own magical power. Whenever there is a decline of righteousness and a rise of unrighteousness, then I send forth myself as a man among men. For the protection of the good, for the destruction of the wicked, and for the establishment of righteousness, I come into expression from age to age." Gita, CH.4 Shlokas 7&8 Explanation The obvious question arises as to why God has to incarnate on earth? Can't He destroy the wicked and establish 'Dharma' without taking birth in human flesh? Yes, He can. After all, He is Almighty. But if He did that, He would not be able to demonstrate the right way to soul-freedom. Ignorant and misguided souls will not be able to understand the message of Truth due to the negative mental influences created by the wicked people. God, therefore, has to incarnate to uplift, to instruct, to root out negative influences and restore order in the world. Comparison with the Weeds Take for example, your gardens; will the healthy green grass grow if there are too many weeds? Similarly, if there are too many wicked people in the world, will the Dharma survive? As the weeds have to be destroyed in order to have a beautiful lawn, so are the wicked people to be destroyed to put in order all deviations in the practice of Dharma. One person, regardless of how enlightened he is, cannot turn the tide, but a full incarnation of God can, by virtue of His immense divine power. Remember also, incarnations are no threat to those who are on the path of righteousness. God has promised to be their saviour. It is only the wicked people God intends to destroy. Of all the incarnations of God, Lord Krishna's incarnation is unique. The purpose of his incarnation was threefold: to destroy the wicked demons, to take the leading part in the great war fought on the battlefield of Kurukshetra where He sang His divine message of the Gita, and to teach us the power of love and devotion.

Lord Krishna by Gyaan Ranjhan

Tomorrow and day after many Hindus and non-Hindus worldwide will be celebrating Sri Krishna Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, hence I would like to talk about two myths related to Lord Krishna's life. 1. Krishna lustfully played with the Gopis in Brindavan. The first question that must be asked in this context is “What was the age of Lord Krishna at that time?” Was he not a boy of seven? Could there be any trace of passion in Him? It was only the Gopis who could understand the secret of Rasalila (the culmination of highest Bhakti, Atmanivedan or total surrender to the Lord) because only they were qualified for this. From the beginning of His divine birth, Lord Krishna performed miracles because He was the incarnation of the Lord Supreme. For example, He showed Virat Darshan to His mother when He was a baby. He performed a cosmic dance on the head of the most venomous Kaliya serpent. He multiplied himself into countless Krishnas to dance with each Gopi individually during the Rasalila dance. Who were the Gopis? Were they not intensely God-loving beings who saw only Krishna everywhere, and saw themselves as Krishna? The sound of the Murali (flute) could throw them in a state of divine ecstasy or Holy Communion. There was no consciousness of a body and its adornments. Lord Krishna took away their clothes from the shores while they were bathing nude in the river. There is a great philosophy in this. He taught Gopis to have no attachment for worldly things. Forsake all thoughts related to body and sex and attain Immortal Atman. The Gopis showed complete self-surrender (Atmanivedan) in its truest sense, and did not even care for their lives. In order to attain the Lord, one must serve Him like a Gopi, and must adore Him with the mental attitude of a Gopi. The devotee who worships the Lord with the Gopi- Bhava or earnestness of a Gopi, will enjoys permanent bliss. Lord Krishna who incarnated for the sake of eradicating evil and protecting righteousness could not be associated with the sexual instinct or passion towards the Gopis. He is the slave of His devotees. 2.Lord Krishna & His 16,108 wives Once again, the first question that must be asked in this context is “Why did Sri Krishna marry so many women?” Bhaumasura, a wicked and tyrant king had kidnapped and made captive over sixteen thousand princesses by collecting them from the palaces of various kings. Lord Krishna killed Bhaumasura and entered the palace of Bhaumasura. When the princesses saw Krishna enter the palace, they were captivated by the beauty of the Lord, and prayed that He would become their husband. They laid their heart at His feet and Krishna, being omniscient, understood their pure desire and so agreed to accept them as His wives. In the Vedic system, if a girl were touched by a man nobody would marry her. Bhaumasur had already touched them. They, therefore, pleaded with Lord Krishna to marry them. Krishna arranged to marry the 16,108 girls brought from the custody of Bhaumasura. By manifesting Himself in 16,108 forms, He simultaneously married them all in different palaces at the same auspicious moment. The beauty and riches of all the palaces of over 16, 000 queens of Krishna were unparallel. The newlywed queens of Krishna were all manifestations of the Goddess of fortune, Lakshmi, In the Vedic system, a Kshatriya could have more than one wife, and we find many examples of this. (When Krishna accepted wives, he did so in His Lila as a king, or Kshatriya.) Even so, we cannot find anyone marrying 16,108 wives! To satisfy all of His queens, Krishna manifested Himself in multiple forms to reside with each queen, simultaneously! This is but one demonstration of the unique opulence and unlimited potency of Krishna. “Why only 16,108 wives?” Srila Prabhupada would sometimes remark about Krishna’s marriages “Everything and everyone ultimately are His property and He is the ultimate enjoyer”.