5 Habits for a Celibate Monk (Vidyarthi Pancha Lakshana)

1) Kaaka Snaan (bath like a crow)
2) Baka Dhyaan ( Meditate like a Stork)
3) Alpa Bhojan ( Eat only little food)
4) Svaan Nidra ( Sleep like a Dog)
5) Videsh gaman ( always away from home)

1.Kaaka Snan: If you happen to see a crow taking bath, he is super quick. Similarly a celibate should take bath very quickly. Of course that doesn’t mean a celibate should remain unclean. What it means is we should take a good clean bath, but avoid spending a lot of time in the bathroom dealing with our body. Crow’s bath indicates for a celibate life—less time for decorating the body, and more time for nourishing the soul and decorating it with saintly qualities. Life is short.

2.Baka Dhyaan: The stork stands on one leg in a water body just waiting for the fish to pass by. His attention towards his object (fish) is one pointed. For that he is patient and determined. Stork indicates for a celibate a life of one pointed meditation on the ultimate goal.

3.Alpa Bhojan: It means eat only a little food, as much as required for keeping the body and soul together. If stomach is light, one can easily get up in the early hours of the morning and do his meditation. It will also help in dancing nicely in Kirtan. So Alpa Bhojan indicates for a celibate how to avoid laziness on the path of God consciousness.

4.Svaan Nidra: When a person overeats he oversleeps. It also leads to deep sleep where a person goes into deep modes of ignorance. A dog sleeps, but he is alert in his sleep too. Here deep sleep indicates an ignorant stage where a person keeps sleeping even if the world around is in danger. A Hindi saying goes, “Ghode bech ke sona “; paraphrased in English, it means “he has sold all his horses and now he will sleep peacefully.” So a Dog teaches a celibate the principle of balance: sufficient sleep to keep the mind stable and peaceful in awakened state. A celibate should follow the English saying, ” Sleep too much, you become lazy: Sleep too less, you become crazy”

5.Videsh Gaman: Staying away from home means a celibate should not spend too much time visiting his family and friends. His natural habitat is the Guru’s ashram, a home away from home to finally reach back home, the Lord’s abode. So Videsh Gaman teaches a celibate the principle of detachment from enamoring comforts for the body and mind available at one’s parental residence.
So wish you a happy journey on the celibacy express….do not board off at any cost once you have got a confirmed seat.

(Ref: When Good Fortune arises by Gaur Govinda Swami)

source:
5 Habits

#SoulFood# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.7

Sep 27 2016 Tuesday

1. Who is wise in this world?

- He who sacrifices material pleasure for spiritual gain

2. Why is material pleasure not relishable for a wise man?

- Higher Taste!

3. What are lower and higher tastes?

- Pleasure derived from Material enjoyment based on sleep and sex is considered lower. The higher taste is the bliss derived from serving Sri Krsna

4. So someone who uses this human form for material sense gratification is a fool?

- Could say so, material sense gratification is found in all creatures.
Why would a wise man use this rare human birth for the same purpose?

5. What is our real interest?

- Enter a college to graduate out of college! So now that we are in the college of this material world, high time we graduate and go home!

6. Return to our spiritual home?

- Yes back to our spiritual home. Back to Godhead

7. Why do we not remember our goal all the time?
I hear this philosophy so many times, still I forget.

- Lack of focus and enthusiastic endeavour

8. I wish to remember the lord always. How can I do that?

- Always remain connected in service and Nama bhajan
- Nama bhajan must be with attention and faith
- Krsna will help you remember him

9. Any practical tips?

- Sip water and remember, this taste is krsna!
- See the sun and remember, this effulgence is krsna!
- Smell the flowers and remember, this scent is Krsna!
- Feel the moonbeams and remember, this coolness is krsna!
- touch the lotus and remember, this soft beauty is Krsna!

10. Thank you very much.

-Jay Srila Prabhupada!

- Amarnath Dasa

#SoulFood# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.6

Sep 26 2016 Monday

1. What are the 3 material modes in which we work?

- Goodness
-Passion
- Ignorance

2. What are some qualities of the Goodness mode?

- Cleanliness, Austerity, Honesty, Charity, Truth

3. What are some qualities of Passion?

- Aggression, Anger, Lusty pushes, Greedy Impulses, Rat Race

4. What is the problem with rat race?!

- Even if you win, you still remain a rat!

5. Interesting. Ok so now what are the qualities of Ignorance?

- Laziness, Busy doing nothing, Stingy, Procrastination, Attachment to sleep and intoxications.

6. Why is one helplessly dragged and forced to act under these 3 modes?

- Due to our being spiritually weak

7. How to become spiritually strong?

- Develop love for God

8. How?

- To fall in Love, you need to know that person and spend quality time with him

9. Yes you are right. How can we do that?

- To know God,
Hear from his pure devotees
Read books like the Krsna book

-To spend quality time with him

Talk to him with attention and love

10. How can I talk to him privately?

- Your japa beads is your phone
-Prayerful mood is your carrier connection
- 16 digit Mahamantra is God's Personal number

And guess what, He is always available! Just call him and talk to him with attention and love!

- Amarnath Dasa

#SoulFood# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.5

Sept 25 2016 Sunday

1. What are the different types of activities that one can perform?

- Materially Pious, Materially Impious and Transcendental activities

2. What is Materially Impious activity?

- Sinful activity, that which is against the scriptural injunction. This causes Material painful reactions at the present or future and one suffers immensely

3. How about Materially Pious activity?

- Material activities which are in the mode of goodness, characterized by social work with knowledge charity and compassion. This brings in materially happy reactions in the future.

4. So isnt that good?

-Yes it is. However to accept future good reactions, we have to accept another material body. This is the problem.

5. Do we have to accept material bodies even if we perform materially good work?

- Whether good activities or bad activities, material actions bring in material reactions. To accept these reactions in the form of pain or pleasure, we need to take another body

6. Why does one take repeated birth and death?

- One who fails an exam, without studying his books and sharpening the necessary skills, needs to take it again and again.
Similarly one who does not understand the aim of our life, needs to come back again and again to do the needful

7. What is the aim of life?

- We are fishes and Sri Krsna is our blue water. We are out of that water and hence are suffering. Our Aim of life is to come in contact with our source of joy, the blue waters of Sri Krsna

8. How can we approach Sri Krsna?

- Sri Krsna is all pure and if we become all pure, we can return to our eternal home(His eternal residence!)

9. Well I thought, being spirit souls, we are always pure!

- Yes we are always pure spirit souls. But unfortunately at the moment, due to being in this world, we are covered with impure contaminated consciousness which needs to be cleansed.

10. How can we cleanse our consciousness namely mind intelligence Ego and senses?

- Mind(Man) can be purified by 'Man'tra meditation(Japa and Kirtana)
- Intelligence can be purified by reading and hearing Shastras
- Ego can be purified by co-operation and humble service to Vaishnavas
- Senses can be purified by honoring Sri Krsna Prasād!

- Amarnath Dasa

#SoulFood# Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.4

Sept 24 2016- Saturday

1. Whats the source of all suffering?

- Sinful Reactions

2. Why does one face Sinful reactions?

- Sinful Actions

3. Why does one sin?

- Ignorance of what is right and what is wrong

4. What is his idea?

- That which gives direct pleasure to my body and mind is right and that which does not is wrong

5. How does one become ignorant?

- Due to turning one's face away from Krsna.

6. Well how can I understand this?

- Krsna is light, turn away from light and you are in darkness. In darkness you dont see things as they are. Accidently you happen to step on broken glass pieces and bleed. The source of this suffering is being in darkness.

7. Is this body not for enjoyment?

- Yes it is. But seek true enjoyment by serving krsna. Other enjoyment sources are simply mirages for they trick you with temporary pleasure.

8. Did I get this human form due to past actions in past lives!?

- yes you did. Congrats. Now utilise it properly

9. So if I use it properly, can i get a better birth next life?

- Yes definitely. You could even get out of this repeated birth cycle. Aim high my friend!

10. Sounds good. Thank you!
- No problem. All the best. Hare Krsna

- Amarnath Dasa

#SoulFood#- Srimad Bhagavatam 5.5.3

Sep 23 2016- Friday

1. How to develop love for Krsna?

- Increase attachment to the lord by engaging in his service. Accept the favorable and reject the unfavorable.

- Keep conpany of those who pursue this goal and avoid those who are materially motivated.

2. How do purified householders behave?

-They perceive home, wife, children and wealth to be Krsna's property. Hence they deal with them as caretakers and not as sole owners.

3. Does this mean they fail in their duties?

- No.
Realising that all of this belongs to Krsna, they perform their duties with utmost care and concern.

4. Their main focus is self upliftment and Family upliftment through devotional service. To keep this going, they work and collect money.

5. Money and other comforts are never accumulated independent of Krsna's pleasure

- Amarnath Dasa

Srimad bhagavatam 5.5.2

1. Serve Advanced Devotees to get liberated from material bondage

2. How do we recognise Advanced devotees?

- Principle of Equality
- Never agitated by changes
- Peaceful ALWAYS
- Engaged in Devotional service to Sri Krsna
-Free from Anger
- Live simply for others
- No abominable act performed ever

3. How does this service work?

Path 1:Serve them, please them humbly, they will shower profuse heartfelt blessings by which Devotional service will rise, Rise in Devotion leads to fall in material attachment

Path 2: Devotee association leads to Devotional habits.
By their association, knowledge and renunciation would rise leading to auspiciousness

4. What happens to those who dont seek their association?
- Material enjoyment will devour them
Women hunters and Sex mongers eventually go to hell as lust is one of the doors of hellish life

Your servant
Amarnath Dasa

Srimad bhagavatam 5.5.1

1. Only Humans can fully engage themselves and utilise their birth in the lord's service. Other 8 million species cannot, even if they desire.

2. Even stray animals which eat dirt, get sleep and sex. Hence Humans should not make sex as one's goal of life. GOAL IS ONE- DEVOTIONAL SERVICE TO KRSNA

3. How to achieve this goal? Strive with austerity. Material happiness may distract but tolerate and keep practising.

4. Devotional service grants Divine bliss. The bliss that is beyond mere things, the bliss that never ends!

Author: AmarnathDas

BhagavadGita Chapters in 1 line

1. Wrong thinking is the only problem in life.
2. Right Knowledge is the ultimate solution to all our problems.
3. Selflessness is the only way to progress and prosperity.
4. Every act can be an act of prayer.
5. Renounce the ego of individuality & rejoice in the bliss of infinity.
6. Connect to the Higher Consciousness daily.
7. Live what you learn.
8. Never give up on yourself.
9. Value your blessings.
10. See Divinity all around.
11. Have enough surrender to see the truth as it is.
12. Absorb your mind and heart in the supreme lord.
13. Detach from maya and attach to Divine.
14. Live a lifestyle that matches your vision.
15. Give priority to Divinity.
16. Being good is a reward in itself.
17. Choosing the right over the pleasant is a sign of power.
18. Let's go let's move to union with GOD.

If a person comes to Krishna bhakthi and stops adding bad karma, will he be punished for past karma?

COUNSELLING:

A devotee (Name hidden by me) asked like this:

Hare Krishna. My question is if someone has done bad karma before coming to Krishna Consciousness and after that he takes KC very seriously,and tries to never commit mistakes done previously, do he will get reactions of bad karma after this life?

REPLY:

My reply is: Not an immediate YES as clean chit, but, a conditional YES.

What condition?

I will repeat this thousand times in any forum: “Unless we desert all our material attachments, we can not get the suspension of the reactions of our negative karma, and we can not enter into the kingdom of Lord”

So, if we need to get the suspension of the reactions for all our past karma, we should do the following:

1. Chant Hare Krishna as much as possible and try to remain in the thoughts of Krishna all the time. Mechanical chanting rushed to complete the rounds will not help immediately, but, you need to wait till you come to the stage of sincere chanting and thoughts of Krishna.

2. Offer food to Lord and honour them only. Avoid karmic food from outside.

3. Surrender to a guru and offer your respects to him. Be sincere to follow the instructions given by a guru. If your guru is displeased, you can not get excuse from karma. Though you accept a diksha guru, unless you chant and follow all the devotional rules, you can not get excuse from karma and can not go back to Lord.

4. COMPULSORILY follow all the wonderful four regulative principles. If not, no excuse from past sins and can not go back to Lord with indiscipline.
5. Get as much blessings as possible from vaishnavas by offering all the respects and honours to every vaishnava. This will also redduce the severity of reactions of karma.

6. Visit Krishna temples as much as possible and associate more with vaishnavas and do possible services in the temple.

If you follow the above steps for a considerable period of time, say, few years, you should come to the stage of Prema. In this stage, you will see Krishna in everything and everyone and hence you will not have any material attachments. That means, you will not like to grab any material for your pleasure, but, you will use every material in the service of Krishna.

Since you have deserted your material attachments, the karma network can not give you any reactions because, only through the materials and material relations, the Karma network gives punishments and gifts. When we see everything as Krishna and work only for Krishna, then, karma network will be unable to give you any punishments. So, you will get excuse from all your past karma.

This is the reality. Material attachments is called CONTAMINATION or IMPURITY. So, we can not enter into the world of Krishna with contaminations/ impurities and pending karma.

So, everyone of us should aim for material detachments through more attachments with Krishna.

I request all of you to keep this post separately and read many times and store. Because, this is the real and ultimate advice to stop the reactions of our karma. Kindly do not expect any relaxations from this. Because karma network is very powerful and it requires sincere spiritual advancement to succeed this powerful karma network. Only the total surrender to krishna and His prema can do this.

Please keep this in mind and start to take steps for still more development in your spiritual sadhanas and realizations.

All the best.

Handle ur mind

4 kinds of attitude you can develop to handle your own mind:
1) Friendliness: Be friendly with people who are happy. If you are not friendly with happy people, you will be jealous. This is because you think that your enemy is happy, and you cannot tolerate your enemy being happy. So, shake hands with happy people. Such an attitude does a lot of good to your mind.
2) Compassion: Do not be friendly with people who are miserable, instead, have compassion for them. If you are friendly with unhappy people you will become unhappy. And if you become unhappy, you can never help them to come out of their misery. Many people have gotten into trouble by being friendly with unhappy people; both become miserable. It is like a doctor going to a patient who is sick, and the doctor also becomes sick. If the doctor also thinks, ‘How can I alone be healthy? Let me also share the patient’s misery’, then who will help the patient then?So, what should be the attitude with people who are miserable? Compassion, not pity.
3) Happiness: For people who are doing good work or who are successful in the world, you should feel happy as though you are doing it.For example, someone is a good singer, singing and bringing joy to everybody, seeing him you should think, ‘I feel so happy that this person is singing so well, and making everyone happy.’If someone is a good entertainer and he entertains everybody you should feel happy about it. If someone is a great architect and builds beautiful buildings you should feel happy about it. Whenever someone does a good job, share that happiness with them; we need to have this attitude.
4) Indifference: For people who are doing horrible things in the society, destroying themselves, we usually get angry at them. When you are angry, your mind suffers a huge loss. You lose so much energy, you lose your mood, and your enthusiasm. When energy and enthusiasm goes away from you, you become angry and are no better than the other person. You do not know what you are doing. So, what should you do in such a situation? Have a sort of indifference in your mind.For example, there are thieves in the world, they are there, what can you do about them? First accept, be indifferent. However, this does not mean you do not take any action. Your mind is indifferent (unaffected), but you act on it.These are the four attitudes that will help us to save our mind. This is what we need to do, save our mind at all costs.
Sri Sri