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Compassion and Charity - in Grihastrasram
Hari Saran - Tue, 29 Apr 2003 01:37:29 +0530
Dear ones forgive me but some how it came to me and I don't know how I'm in that mailing list ?
But actually I liked the line of thought:
Compassion and charity in Grahasthashram:
From the life of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati ThakurQUOTE
Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Prabhupada was traveling through Orissa with some
of
his disciples. One day as he was coming back from the Sakshi Gopal
temple,
some beggars asked for alms from the married men who accompanied Srila
Prabhupada, but none of them gave anything. Srila Prabhupada, seeing
this,
stopped, sat down and started to talk about the duties of married men.
During his chat he said: ³If married men think: ŒI must not give any of
my
money, which I consider reserved for Krishna, to the poor and
deprived,¹
then they are really showing symptoms of wretchedness, cruelty, and
lack of
compassion for others. They should not consider that giving charity to
the
poor is a fruitive activity. This kind of mentality will make their
hearts
hard and they will suffer from greed. As a result of this they shall
not
want to spend their money even on the devotional service of the Supreme
Lord, which is the ultimate goal in life. This will invite offenses in
service. To save us from this kind of deceit and sinful concept, Sri
Gaurasundara used to give money and other things to the poor people
during
His pastimes as a married man. The money we have, we have only gotten
by the
Lord¹s grace. If we give some of it to the mendicant poor people, then
it is
not a waste of money rather it is its correct use. Serving prasadam to
others is the necessary duty of every married vaishnava. Even if these
people have become poor by their karma, even so they are still a part
of the
Lord¹s family. Therefore it is definitively the solemn duty of every
honest
married man to help them².
‹ From a reproduction of a conversation with Major Rana N. J. Bahadur,
at
Armadale, Darjeeling, on 14 June 1935. Originally published
in The Harmonist magazine (Vol. XXXI, No.21) on 27 June 1935.
--
Vipin Kumar, M.S., Ph.D.
Professor
Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies
3550 General Atomics Court
San Diego, CA 92121
858-455-3870 (voice)
858-455-3804 (Fax)
www.vkumar@tpims.org (email)
A D R Singh - Wed, 30 Apr 2003 03:59:36 +0530
A devotee must be softhearted enough to attempt to alleviate the pains of others if there are resources to do so. Also it is the dharmic duty of the householder to be charitable to all.
The devotee should be more concerned however, about taking the orders of his guru as the supreme law.
Compassion for other's sufferings is a divine quality. I like those teachings very much, about giving charity etc. I try to practice them myself.
But, it must be remembered that dharma is not the cause of recieving Krishna prema.
Hari Saran - Wed, 30 Apr 2003 10:34:54 +0530
QUOTE
But, it must be remembered that dharma is not the cause of recieving Krishna prema.
QUOTE
This kind of mentality will make their hearts hard and they will suffer from greed. As a result of this they shall not want to spend their money even on the devotional service of the Supreme Lord, which is the ultimate goal in life. This will invite offenses inservice. To save us from this kind of deceit and sinful concept, Sri Gaurasundara used to give money and other things to the poor people during His pastimes as a married man.
In my humble opinion, the idea is to soften the heart , so when the opportunity to serve Sri Guru and Vaishnavas comes across, one’s heart will be naturally inclined to surrender service. With that service attitude full developed in the heart it may helps to open-up the gate's entrance to Prema ; although it is not necessarilly accepted as a method of bhakti but rather as a way or estate of conciousness that helps to gradually move-up towards Visudha-bhakti and so on.
Bhagavad-Gita chapter 16
text 1-3
sri-bhagavan uvaca
abhayam sattva-samsuddhir
jnana-yoga-vyavasthitih
danam damas ca yajnas ca
svadhyayas tapa arjavam
ahimsa satyam akrodhas
tyagah santir apaisunam
daya bhutesv aloluptvam
mardavam hrir acapalam
tejah ksama dhrtih saucam
adroho nati-manita
bhavanti sampadam daivim
abhijatasya bharata
The Blessed Lord said: Fearlessness, purification of one's existence, cultivation of spiritual knowledge, charity, self-control, performance of sacrifice, study of the Vedas, austerity and simplicity; nonviolence, truthfulness, freedom from anger; renunciation, tranquility, aversion to faultfinding, compassion and freedom from covetousness; gentleness, modesty and steady determination; vigor, forgiveness, fortitude, cleanliness, freedom from envy and the passion for honor--these transcendental qualities, O son of Bharata, belong to godly men endowed with divine nature. ys
A D R Singh - Wed, 30 Apr 2003 19:28:00 +0530
Thanks for the explanation.
Your conclusions are absolutely correct.
anjani
Hari Saran - Thu, 01 May 2003 06:26:01 +0530
QUOTE(A D R Singh @ Apr 30 2003, 01:58 PM)
Thanks for the explanation.
anjani
You are very wellcome !
By the way, when will you bless this audience again with such sweet nectars :
http://www.gaudiyadiscussions.com//index.p...st=0&#entry3672ys
A D R Singh - Thu, 01 May 2003 20:17:56 +0530
Dear Hari Saran,
You could also be called Hari Swan das.
You are swan - like.
Which one of the topics did you like.?
Hari Saran - Fri, 02 May 2003 11:27:35 +0530
QUOTE(A D R Singh @ May 1 2003, 02:47 PM)
You could also be called Hari Swan das.
Which one of the topics did you like.?
That could be right but if you take out Hari, so I would be called Swan das; that really fits me. I probably would be the most non-sense swan if I ever would be one.
Back to your work :
QUOTE
These are Kavi Karnapura's visions of the Holi which takes place at the beginning of spring.
Subhag and Bhanu swamis were responsible for the translations of this book :
These are the Swans, I mean Swamis… Who are them ? How they came up with such a nice translations ?
A D R Singh - Sat, 03 May 2003 22:31:47 +0530
A nonsense swan sounds wonderful.
Those devotees are sanyasis from Iskcon.
A D R Singh - Sat, 03 May 2003 22:35:14 +0530
I don't know much about their translating skills. I know Bhanu swami use to live in Madras.
I edited somewhat to allow a smoother flow of words.
Gaurasundara - Mon, 05 May 2003 09:38:38 +0530
They are both good translators.
Hari Saran - Mon, 05 May 2003 11:38:32 +0530
QUOTE
Compassion and charity in Grahasthashram:
From the life of Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakur:
QUOTE
Bhagavad-Gita chapter 16
text 1-3:
Subhag and Bhanu swamis were responsible for the translations of this book:
http://www.gaudiyadiscussions.com//index.p...st=0&#entry3672QUOTE(Vaishnava-das @ May 5 2003, 04:08 AM)
They are both good translators.
Since all this apreciation came about, let's justify it by the inspiration and advice of this particular sloka:
tad-vag-visargo janatagha-viplavo
yasmin pratislokam abaddhavaty api
namany anantasya 'nkitani yac
chrnvanti gayanti grnanti sadhavah
(Bhag. 1.5.11)
" On the other hand, that literature which is full with descriptions of the transcedental glories of name, fame, form and pastime of the unlimited Supreme Lord is a transcendental creation meant to bring about a revolution in the impious life of a misdirected civilization. Such transcedental literatures, even thoght irregulaly composed, are heard, sung and accepted by purified men who are thoroughly honest"
Om tat sat
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami