Kindle Notes & Highlights
Most people are more interested in their nationality, community, society or particular political party, than in their spiritual relationship with God. From identification with one’s community; sect...
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Consequently, one should be more concerned with the purpose of God’s teachings, rather than to be anxious to adve...
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There is no need to be very sophisticated in temporary engagement. All such grand temporary deeds, although perhaps very important for temporary life, have nothing to do with eternal life. Therefore, sanätana-dharma does not refer to any process of religion. It is the eternal function of the soul in relationship with the Supreme Lord. As liquidity cannot be taken from water, heat cannot be taken from fire. Similarly, the eternal function of the soul to please the Lord is inherent in every living entity.
In time, trees grow, branches develop, flowers blossom and fruits appear and then the tree dwindles and dies. Similarly, human beings are born, perform their different activities, reap the results and die. In the past, many great civilizations established prospering kingdoms and their accomplishments were vanquished in due course of time. However, many great saintly persons in the past exhibited wonderful godly character and their qualities and exemplary actions still inspire people today.
“Whatever is produced by the materialist with great pain and labor for so-called happiness, the Supreme Lord, as the time factor, destroys, and for this reason the conditioned soul laments [SB 3.30.2]”.
“The misguided materialist does not know that his very body is impermanent and that the attractions of home, land and wealth, which are in relationship to that body, are also temporary. Out of ignorance only, he thinks that everything is permanent [SB 3.30.4]”. “O you, who believe, let not your riches and your children divert you from the remembrance of Allah [Koran 63:9]”.
A society based on the knowledge that one is spirit and related to God results in a thriving civilization with the highest quality of human culture.
Human society is meant to develop a culture that satisfies the needs of the soul. Under material illusion grand civilizations collapsed due to a vacuum of spiritual values. A civilization detached from God is just like ...
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Finding solutions to the problems of this world lie in inquiring about how to achieve real happiness as a spirit soul in one’s relationship with God.
The tendency to perform religious activities in exchange for material profit and utilize their earnings for worldly enjoyment is deeply rooted in men.
The path of desiring anything beside God is inferior. The path of those who have strong love for the Lord is superior.
Man seeks God according to his state of mind. Some expects material reward from the Lord in the form of achievement of material gain. Others worship God to get relieve from material miseries in the form of sickness, poverty and death. “When trouble touches a man, he cries unto Us. When We solve his trouble, he passes on his way as if he had never cried to Us [Koran 10:12]”. When a person is beyond material pain and gain, he engages in God’s service without aspiring for any personal benefit.
To worship the Lord out of fear of material miseries or out of desire for material gain is not a pure level of worship. A person who takes to religious activities for material gain will never be able to understand God. Even a person who is not greedy for material possessions but attached to improving his material situation cannot deeply appreciate the Lord. Only the worship out of genuine attraction is a real worship.
“Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear [Bg.18.66]”.
When attraction for God appears by a systematic practice, all fears and all materially motivated religious thoughts disappear from the heart.
People desire to be promoted to the heavenly planets because they have no information about the Supreme Lord and His eternal kingdom. Although many scriptures mention the Lord and His abode, due to material desires, the soul’s understanding about God is obscured. Clouded, the intelligence has less power to receive real knowledge about the Lord. As clouds darken the sky and obscure the bright sun from shining; as a dusty mirror cannot reflect a clear image; and as muddy water cannot reflect the visage of one that looks at it, material desires cloud the memory, mind and intelligence.
Material desires obscure the soul’s understanding about God so that it cannot see the glories of the Supreme Lord.
Material desires are like restless and discontented children who are never satisfied.
“Who is more astray than he who follows his lust without guidance from Allah [Koran 28:50]”? “The Supreme Personality of Godhead said: It is lust only, Arjuna, which is born of contact with the material mode of passion and later transformed into wrath, and which is the all devouring sinful enemy of this world [Bg. 3.37]”.
“The gods have no power to relieve or to avert your distress. Those, whom they invoke, themselves seek the way to their Lord. Which one of them shall be the nearest? They hope for His grace and fear His chastisement [Koran 17:56-57]”.
Misguided and blinded by their material desires, the heavenly worshippers do not know how to reach the Supreme Lord.
“Men of small intelligence worship the demigods, and their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the demigods go to the planets of the demigods, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme planet [Bg.7:23]”. “They have taken other gods apart from Allah that they might give them power and glory [Koran 19:81]”.
Material desires delude one’s consciousness. One is unable to deeply understand his relationship with God. Being liberal, Vedic literatures do recommend worship of the gods in some places for the gradual upliftment of those who are still too materially attached. “Men in this world desire success in fruitive activities, and therefore they worship gods. Quickly, of course, men get results from fruitive work in this world [Bg.4:12]”.
While the Vedic system recommends the worship of the gods for one who is too materially attached, they do not encourage it. In Vedic literatures a detailed description is given about the worship of the gods, but the ultimate conclusion of Vedic teaching does not support the pantheism and the polytheism that pervades modern Hinduism.
According to the Vedic system, the worship of the gods is not considered idol worship if it takes into account that God is the Supreme Master of the gods. The worship of the gods is unauthorized if it does not consider the subordinate position of the gods in relationship to the Lord and if it does not follow the regulations given in the Vedic texts.
In India, the system of worship of the gods is not degraded as it was in the time of Muhammad.
Actual attainment of religious activities culminates in the exclusive worship of the Supreme Lord.
However, good work done with the mentality that ‘I am the enjoyer of the fruit of my work’ keeps one from realizing that he is not the doer, the Lord is.
“Not a leaf falls without His knowledge [Koran 6:59]”. “It is out of the fear of the Supreme Lord that the wind is blowing (Taittiréya Upaniñad 2.8.1)”. “By the supreme order, under the superintendence of the Supreme Lord, the moon, the sun, and the other great planets are moving (Båhadäraëyaka Upaniñad (3.8.9)).
One who knows that he is just an instrument of work and the Supreme Lord is the supreme sanctioner is perfect in doing everything. Such a person is never in illusion.
One has to remember to whom the power belongs? Instead of becoming puffed up by the false prestige of thinking himself the doer, he should desire to remain in his actual position as an instrument of the Lord.
All the credit for any wonderful accomplishment must go to God. By such behavior only can one be free from the contamination of material affection and receive the benedictions of the Lord.
One should be introspective and consider whether he acts for God’s honor, or for his own personal advantage.
If one acts for the pleasure of God, one will be satisfied with whatever He ordains. If, on the other hand, there is any self-seeking, one will be troubled and the weight of that hankering will pull him down.
It is how sincerely one follows the instructions of the Lord that determines how much one is firmly convin...
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As the Lord blessed Arjuna with knowledge of detachment similarly Abraham received such knowledge of the soul. This knowledge was able to free Abraham and his family from the misconception that arises from attachment to belonging to a certain family, a religion or nation.
One should be free from all material designations and cleansed of all material contamination. One should be restored to his pure identity as a spirit soul, in which he engages his senses in the service of the Lord who is the owner of the senses. That is called pure service to God [Närada-païcarätra].
Having established their relationship with God, they thought that their relationship with God is more significant than their bodily relationship.
In material consciousness, one’s love is limited. But in spiritual consciousness, one develops a universal affection for all beings. One sees that everyone is eternally related to God.
For one who is too busy with worldly pursuits, it is difficult to understand the Supreme Lord. Genuine inquiry to understand God is beyond fruitive activities, for the sole aim is no longer the achievement of earthly and heavenly happiness. To understand the Lord, one has to first know the difference between matter and spirit.
The Lord asked Adam to not approach the tree otherwise he will run into transgression. By approaching the tree, Adam sowed the seeds for his own suffering. The cause of the distress is forgetfulness of one’s relationship with God. The cause of happiness is to know God to be the supreme. Every living entity is intended to abide by the dictation of God. When the mind is misled, one becomes entangled. For instance, one thinks that he can be happy if he has a very nice car. When the car is smashed in a collision, the mind suffers, and through the mind one suffers. Therefore, Adam’s distress and
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As long as one acts on his own account, he is subject to happiness and distress. If one does everything for the pleasure of the Lord without claim over proprietorship of his activities, one’s action is not faulty.
One should cooperate with the Lord without claiming false proprietorship over anything.
It is very difficult to control the mind and the senses without constantly remembering God.
“Who remembers Allah while standing, sitting and lying on their sides, and who reflect on the creation of the heavens and the earth: “Our Lord! You have not created this in vain! Glory unto You! “Koran 3:191] “Always chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion [Bg.9.14]”.
One, who is without relationship with God, can neither have a steady mind nor peace.
In school, children are taught that everything happens automatically by nature’s arrangement. That everything is executed through the machine of nature. But the laws of nature are the laws of God, for nature cannot work without the touch of God. Rain is evaporated from the oceans, takes the form of clouds, and falls to the ground. The rains then nourish the seeds which produce unlimited varieties of fruits, vegetables and grains. Does this elaborate arrangement happen by chance?
Muslim claim that God is great, but how would He be great if He is without legs, hands and eyes?
God is not a mortal being, nor does He possess a body produced of matter. Some people think that if God has a body, He will be just like an ordinary living being. Not knowing His inconceivable power, such ignorant men place the Lord on an equal level with ordinary men.
“I have fashioned Adam and breathed into him My spirit [Koran 15:29]”. “I am seated in everyone’s heart, and from Me come remembrance, knowledge and forgetfulness [Bg.15.15]”. “The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy [Bg.18.61]”.
