Srimad Bhagavad Gita AS IT IS

Bhagavad Gita:   Chapter 6 - Dhyana-yoga

TEXTS 11-12

   sucau dese pratisthapya
   sthiram asanam atmanah
   naty-ucchritam nati-nicam
   cailajina-kusottaram

   tatraikagram manah krtva
   yata-cittendriya-kriyah
   upavisyasane yunjyad
   yogam atma-visuddhaye

 WORD FOR WORD
   sucau--in a sanctified; dese--land; pratisthapya--placing; sthiram--firm; asanam--seat; atmanah--his own; na--not; ati--too; ucchritam--high; na--nor; ati--too; nicam--low; caila-ajina--of soft cloth and deerskin; kusa--and kusa grass; uttaram--covering; tatra--thereupon; eka-agram--with one attention; manah--mind; krtva--making; yata-citta--controlling the mind; indriya--senses; kriyah--and activities; upavisya--sitting; asane--on the seat; yunjyat--should execute; yogam--yoga practice; atma--the heart; visuddhaye--for clarifying.
 
TRANSLATION
   To practice yoga, one should go to a secluded place and should lay kusa grass on the ground and then cover it with a deerskin and a soft cloth. The seat should be neither too high nor too low and should be situated in a sacred place. The yogi should then sit on it very firmly and practice yoga to purify the heart by controlling his mind, senses and activities and fixing the mind on one point.
 
PURPORT by HDG Srila A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupad:

   "Sacred place" refers to places of pilgrimage. In India the yogis, the transcendentalists or the devotees, all leave home and reside in sacred places such as Prayaga, Mathura, Vrndavana, Hrsikesa and Hardwar and in solitude practice yoga where the sacred rivers like the Yamuna and the Ganges flow. But often this is not possible, especially for Westerners. The so-called yoga societies in big cities may be successful in earning material benefit, but they are not at all suitable for the actual practice of yoga. One who is not self-controlled and whose mind is not undisturbed cannot practice meditation. Therefore, in the Brhan-naradiya Purana it is said that in Kali-yuga (the present yuga, or age), when people in general are short-lived, slow in spiritual realization and always disturbed by various anxieties, the best means of spiritual realization is chanting the holy name of the Lord.

                          harer nama harer nama
                          harer namaiva kevalam
                        kalau nasty eva nasty eva
                         nasty eva gatir anyatha

   "In this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy name of the Lord. There is no other way. There is no other way. There is no other way."
 
His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada

Copyright 1983 The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust International. Used with permission.

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Prabhupada Uvacha:
(here's some nectar, sometimes it comes in the form of Srutakirti prabhu's diary, other times from Govinda dasi's diary, Hari Sauri prabhu's Transcendental Diary, Bhurijan prabhu's book, or sometimes from a letter, or other related source, but still nectar...)

Just like Narendra Mullik

A branch of the Krsna consciousness movement began spontaneously in Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1968. One youth had met the devotees in New York City, chanted with them, gone home to Atlantic City, and started all his friends chanting. As a result of his spontaneous attraction to Krsna's name, many devotees joined ISKCON, but he never joined.

Prabhupada asked Brahmananda about that boy, with whom Brahmananda had been in contact from 26 Second Avenue. When Brahmananda explained that the boy could not adopt a Krsna conscious lifestyle, Prabhupada said it reminded him of his own past.

Prabhupada relaxed, leaned back, and gracefully moved his right arm over the top of his head until his hand touched his left ear. He explained that because he had seen so many cheating sadhus as a youth, he had no interest in sadhus as a young man, but his friend, Narendra Mullik, literally forced him to meet Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Maharaja.

Prabhupada concluded, "Although I did not take initiation from my Guru Maharaja for six years after this first meeting, I always thought of him from that first meeting onwards." Then he added, "Just like Narendra Mullik brought me to my Guru Maharaja but he himself could not take his shelter, this boy has brought so many others, but he himself could not join."
 

Prabhupada's mood as he drew the parallel between Narendra Mullik and the Atlantic City boy was attractive, sweet, and mysterious. Hearing him speak made me think about my own case: "Why me and not others?" Many of my friends had begun chanting but then quickly dropped Krsna consciousness for other pursuits. Why? Many were more intelligent and seemed more sincere in their quest for the "truth" than I. Why does one soul stay and another leave?

The Nectar of Devotion describes that devotional service is cultivated through many lives. Each soul has his own unique Krsna conscious history. By the mercy of the Vaisnavas, a soul makes his Krsna conscious start by hearing the holy name, seeing a holy Vaisnava book, taking prasadam, or performing service, even unknowingly, to a Vaisnava. Thus a Vaisnava connects a soul with the Lord's internal energy.

From that point a soul can only move forward. His Krsna conscious credit is eternal and will increase. One soul may be hearing about Krsna for the first time whereas someone else, apparently coming to Krsna consciousness at the same time, may actually be further along the path.

Compassionate devotees should therefore loudly chant Krsna's holy names and distribute prasadam and books as widely as possible, without being attached to the results. Krsna conscious piety will be bestowed on many, many hearts, and when a soul's time comes, his fortune will manifest by attraction to serve Sri Sri Radha and Krsna and Their devotees.

- From the "My Glorious Master" by HG Bhurijana dasa

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Please Chant:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare

Listen to Srila Prabhupad on-line
....a different lecture, morning walk, conversation or class daily.

"Envious Gross Bodily Religions"

>>> Ref. VedaBase => Bhagavad-gita 4.22 -- Bombay, April 11, 1974

Listen to the entire lecture on-line:
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Pradyumna: (leads chanting) Translation: "He who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free from duality and does not envy, who is steady both in success and failure, is never entangled, although performing actions."

Prabhupada:

yadrccha-labha-santusto
dvandvatito vimatsarah
samah siddhav asiddhau ca
krtvapi na nibadhyate

So Krsna is teaching in this Fourth Chapter how to work. Yadrccha-labha. Don't be greedy, so "This man is millionaire, so I have to become a millionaire." Competition. That is material disease. Now there is competition in between the capitalist and the communist. Now the communist or the laborer class men, they are thinking that "Why the capitalist should gain? We must gain. The industry is being conducted by us. The profits shall be divided between us. Why to the capitalist?" So that is not the solution. That is from frying pan to the fire.

Either the world is run on the principle of communistic philosophy or capitalistic philosophy, it will never be happy. Here is the formula, that everyone should be satisfied with the profit that he can easily make. That's all. Yadrccha-labha. Not that everyone will have the same profit.

In material world everyone is working. Somebody is getting per hour thousands of rupees, and somebody is getting not even morsel of food. But still, one has to be satisfied. "Because one is getting thousands of rupees per hour, I will have to get also." No. Then you will never be happy. You be happy what you are gaining. Because everyone is making profit and losing according to his past karma. Purva-janmarjitam dhanam purva-janmarjitam vidya, agre dhavati dhavati(?). This is the shastric injunction.

One man is trying with a little capital to do some business, and within few years he becomes very multi-millionaire. And one man is trying to elevate himself to a prosperous condition, but he cannot get even sufficient food. Why? Purva-janmarjitam vidya purva-janma.(?) One boy is passing examination, standing first-class. Another man, boy, is failing. Everyone is trying. Everyone should try his best, but he should be satisfied with the result which comes without any very much strain, yadrccha-labha. Yadrccha-labha-santustah. That is lacking in the present civilization. Not only at the present moment, because Krsna was speaking five thousand years ago. And before that, He spoke Bhagavad-gita millions and trillions of years ago to the sun-god. This is the way of material civilization or material conditioned life, competition.

The real competition began by being jealous to Krsna. Real competition began. Krsna-bahirmukha hana bhoga vancha kare. Krsna is the Supreme enjoyer. Krsna says, bhoktaram yajna-tapasam sarva-loka-mahesvaram [Bg. 5.29]. So our fall down this I have explained the other day is there when we wanted to compete with Krsna or become Krsna. The jealous, iccha.... Iccha-dvesa-samutthena sarge yanti parantapa. Sarge. Sarge means this creation, this material creation. We have come to this material creation. We do not belong to this material creation, but we have come here.

Just like one does not belong to the prisonhouse, but by his own action he comes to the prisonhouse. He becomes criminal, and therefore he is put into the prisonhouse. By his own activity. It is not that government wants somebody should live in the prison house and somebody should live outside prisonhouse, free. It is not government's desire. [break] ...enjoyment we act sinfully also, vikarma. Nunam pramattah. Because we are mad after sense gratification. But in the human form of life one should be sensible. Therefore the university education, school, college, institution, they are meant for human society. There is no such thing in the animal society. And religion. Religion also meant for human society. Why? Because this life is not meant for enjoying senses like the animals.

continued.......................

Here we are taking a non-sentimental look at "the festive season" where in the name of religiosity millions of innocent animals are slaughtered; where alcoholism and drugs are used by millions in "celebration"; where mindless frivolity, gambling and other time wasting activities are rife; and where numerous unwanted by-products of loose sexual encounters take their conception, to burden society, and add to the social bill the rest of us carry.

Accordingly we must understand what the authorised scripture calls the modes of nature that such "festivities" come under. Factually what value these festivals hold to benefit human society in any way, if any. Also whose "culture" they belong to... (here we use this word culture in its loosest possible meaning).

Ancient solstice meaning

Christmas, ironically, antedates the Nativity of Christ, and December 25th is a fudge. In the third century A.D. the Church fathers chose that day as Christ’s birthday, with good reason. It happens to fall approximately on the Northern Hemisphere’s Winter Solstice, and December 25th (Midwinter’s Day) which has been from time immemorial a day sacred to the rebirth of the light of the sun in the depths of winter.
  This day was the Festival of Natalis Sol Invictus (the Birth of the Undefeated Sun) in ancient Rome. Ancient peoples of the region also commemorated the Babylonian Queen of Heaven, Osiris in Egypt, Dionysus, Helios, Adonis, the Celtic Cernunnos, the Syrian Baal, Attis, Mithras, Balder and the Norse goddess Frey - all celebrated on the ancient Winter Solstice, and mostly solar saviours and dying gods. Most of these deities were given similar titles: the Light of the World, Sun of Righteousness, and Saviour. Among these huge celebrations the optimists within the newly founded Christian Church decided to cash in on the festivities and usurp them for their own end in swinging their influence toward the celebration of Jesus the Christ's birth.

As you can testify, it was a great success for them, so much so that through their zealousness the original events were eclipsed into near oblivion - who of us learned about them at school, or in our religious instruction? No they were purposefully hidden, as has so much been over the past several hundred years by missionaries obviously so inferior that they had to erase all other cultures world wide to have their new cult of Christianity stand alone as "the one true way".

By the way did you know that Santa Claus used to wear green until some advertising materialist decided to change the color scheme on behalf of Coca Cola in the 1930’s? Commercialism at its "best".............

The original nature of the event that has become known as XMAS has been further brought out in the following Xmas pages that reveal how it has degenerated. Get an in-depth view of the origin of Xmas and it's present form at this other Xmas page HERE

All the details of Christmas from different cultures around the world have been compiled by Pip Wilson in his Almanac HERE

The Pope begs for forgiveness for sins that the Church has done against other cultures and religions:
 

St Nick - Santa Claus page

Christmas Catching On in India
Source: http://www.hinduism-today.com/1995/11/1995-11-14.html

NEW DELHI, INDIA, December 24, 2002: A recent New York Times article describes Hindus in India taking to the Christian holiday of Christmas. While devout Hindus never start their day without lighting at least an incense stick and offering prayers to their chosen Hindu deity, come December many begin planning for Christmas. "It doesn't matter if I'm a Hindu. Christmas stands for love, affection, sharing, renewing family bonds. It's a festival for everyone," said one of the Hindus interviewed, as she shopped for tree decorations at New Delhi's upscale Ansal Plaza mall. Not surprisingly are the many echoes of complaints heard in the West about Christmas becoming commercialized. The popularity of Christmas does not extend to the religious themes associated with the festival. It's only Christians who attend midnight church services on Christmas Eve and nativity scenes can be seen only in Christian institutions and churches. For a Hindu perspective during this season of worldwide celebrations, see "source" above for a description of Pancha Ganapati, a modern festival or "Hindu Christmas," that is a time of gift giving and home religious observances honoring a family's love and togetherness, community harmony and cultural celebrations.

This article was by courtesy of http://www.HinduismToday.com/

Little-Known Stories Show Christmas Has Some Contentious - and Pagan - Origins - From the Religion News Service

USA, December 24, 2003: This interesting piece on the origins of Christmas appeared in the Religion News Service and is written by Yvonne Betowt: Did you know Alabama was the first state to declare Christmas an official holiday? That happened in 1836, 71 years before the last state -- Oklahoma -- followed suit in 1907. Christmas is the only legal national religious holiday in the United States. While it has been less than 100 years since all 50 states recognized Christmas as an official holiday, Dec. 25 has been celebrated for centuries by Christians as Jesus' birthday. But until 245 A.D., when a group of scholars tried to determine the date of Christmas, the question had never been addressed, according to a 1995 article by Victor M. Parachin in the Christian Reader. However, the project by the early church theologians was denounced by a church council, which thought it wrong to celebrate Jesus' birthday "as though he were a King Pharaoh." That didn't prevent the scholar-theologians from continuing their quest to determine the day Jesus was born. They originally listed four dates -- Jan. 1 and 6, March 25 and May 20 -- as possibilities, according to Parachin's research.

It wasn't until 349 A.D. that Dec. 25 was formally chosen as Christmas Day by Pope Julius. The date was already celebrated as the Natalis Solis Invicti in honor of the sun god, Mithras, by Roman citizens. They decorated their homes with greenery, exchanged gifts and gathered for festive meals on that date, observed just after the winter solstice. Many scholars believe Pope Julius picked Dec. 25 as Christmas Day to convert followers of Mithras, in addition to providing Christians with an opportunity to celebrate Jesus' birth. Christmas continued, however, to be a contentious issue.

In 17th century England and early America, English Puritans said the Bible offered no clear basis for celebrating Jesus' birth. In 1643, the English Parliament outlawed not only Christmas, but Easter and other Christian celebrations. But by 1660, Christmas had become such a popular holiday, the law was repealed. After the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth, Mass., in 1620, their English misgivings about Christmas celebrations continued. In 1659, people in Massachusetts who celebrated Christmas were fined. The law was struck down in 1681 because the popularity of observing Christmas had grown immensely.

However, Christian groups remained divided over whether Christmas should be celebrated because of its ties to pagan observances. The Lutherans, Dutch Reformed, Catholic and Anglican churches forged ahead with the celebrations while the Baptists, Presbyterians, Quakers and Puritans continued to rail against it. Even today, some Christian groups, including many Churches of Christ and Seventh-day Adventists, do not acknowledge Christmas as a religious observance.

Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami created the modern-day festival of Pancha Ganapati to coincide with the Christmas celebrations for Hindus living in the West. It's a means to participate in the festive season without the trappings of another religion's holiday. Click http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1995/11/1995-11-14.shtml for the details.

This article is by courtesy of http://www.HinduismToday.com/  (24th December 2003)