Bhukthi , Mukthi and Bhakthi :)

Bhukti (material) and mukti (liberation) desires
with being influenced by the black art of a witch: in both cases one is in trouble. Bhukti means material enjoyment, and mukti means to become freed from material anxiety and to become one with the Lord. These desires are compared to being haunted by ghosts and witches, because while these aspirations for material enjoyment or spiritual oneness with the supreme remain, no one can relish the actual transcendental taste of devotional service.
A pure devotee never cares for liberation. Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu prayed to Kṛṣṇa: "My dear son of Nanda, I do not want any material happiness in the shape of many followers, nor immense opulence in wealth, nor any beautiful wife, nor do I want cessation from material existence. I may take birth many times, one after another, but what I pray from You is that my devotion unto You may always remain unflinching."

Caste System

We learnt The Caste system from Manusmrithi was based on our lifestyle and not by birth. Here is a better expansion.

Panchama Jaathi(Untouchables) One who depends on others for his living.(Parasite)

Sudra One who lives for himself and his family.

Vysya One who makes profit for himself as well as for the person with whom he is trading with.

Kshatriya One who eats after the people under him have eaten.

Brahmin One who first learns and then teaches...

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