Sincerity and Consistency

Our neighbours Vidhi and Sushil provided another opportunity to listen to a discourse by ever reliable and affable H G Ramkrupa Prabhuji and this time he covered the eternally relevant topic the purpose of human body.

He started with the legend of Swaymbhu Manu, the progenitor of the current humanity. He lived a life of great opulence, had sons and daughters but as he started getting old, he started thinking whether he used his body properly? This thought drove him to rescinding all his wealth and luxuries and he started in search of seeking the truth, the supreme Godhead! As Swamiji explained that both – thought as well as shock can compel a person to think about the rationale of his very existence.

One of the very unique things he touched was that while Rama all his life behaved like an ordinary man, faced tremendous adversities , Krishna on the other hand lived like God right from day 1, with miracles started happening immediately upon his birth. In a zest, he said that rather than facing troubles, Krishna in fact troubled those who were close to him or loved him – Ma Yashodhara, Gopis and evening his beloved Radha. But they all experienced inexplicable bliss in all these games played by the supreme Godhead.

Swamiji very deftly explained that how the first of grey hair forces the change of perspective. He cited the examples of the eternal beauty Bridgette Bardot ( who confined herself indoor never to come into public view once she noticed grey), King Dashrath, who thought but was the time to handover the reign to Rama and why the first of the grey appear on the ears, because Yama whispers in one’s years that you are a step closer to death and why then people start worrying about the next phase. Swamiji jocularly narrated that how his disciple despite his advanced age managed to have black hair. On being questioned whether he inherited this from father’s side or mother’s side , his answer was that it was neither mother nor father side but peroxide!

He beautifully explained that the body was like a house, when it was locked from inside. However, when it’s locked from outside it becomes a prison.

In another incident related by Swamiji, Sanyasi went to a king and the King asked him as to what he wanted. Sanyasi told the King that he’d take something that actually belonged to the King. Sanyasi said that the Kingdom and its palace belonged to people, his body belonged to family. King was perplexed and Sanyasi finally asked the King to give his ego! Swamiji offered an altogether new perspective of Ego by expanding it to Edging God Out( EGO)! He said that only oneness with Krishna can free a person from ego!

He beautifully explained the legend of Haridas thakur, who was born a Muslim , but found peace in chanting Hare Krishna. People complained to Nawab, who offered him riches to stop chanting Hare Krishna, but he refused. The king ordered him to be punished by flogging his body in each of 22 market places. As they started beating Haridas, there was no change as he was continuously chanting Hare Krishna. The floggers sensed some divine play and they fell at Haridas’s feet begging for their lives as Nawab would get those floggers slaughtered for not killing Haridas. Haridas went into Samadhi and he was thrown into water ( considered inauspicious in Islam) where he continued chanting Hare Krishna and survived unscathed thanks to the Lord’s mercy.

In short, Swamiji tried to drive home the point that adversities test us our faith and those who surrender themselves to the God with sincerity and consistency are never let down.

Like always, it was an ethereal experience listening to Swamiji, chanting the mahamantra and eating delicious Prasadam towards the end.

Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna hare hare

Hare Rama hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare