Listen to Heart: 36. Listen to Heart – Be Learned To Be Learned….

Listen to Heart: 36. Listen to Heart – Be Learned To Be Learned….: Hari Bol.... 36. Listen to Heart – Be Learned To Be Learned…. To become a learned person, one has to learn. Is there any end to le...

36. Listen to Heart – Be Learned To Be Learned….

Hari Bol....

36. Listen to Heart – Be Learned To Be Learned….

To become a learned person, one has to learn. Is there any end to learning? It is a big question. If yes, then I think a person can be called as Learned or he can call himself as Learned once he has learned all in all aspects. If no, then can we conclude that a person can never call himself as learned and can never be tagged as Learned because one cannot learn all in lifetime in all aspect? Then the question remains open – who is a learned person? How can one be learned? What is the path of action to be learned? And so on….If it is not possible then what do we mean by the word learned?

In one of the article in the journey of, Listen to Heart we have discussed that “Listen to Heart - Learning by Unlearning has No Bar …. “ One can learn at any age and at any place by anyone like Arjuna learnt from Krishna in the battlefield itself making battlefield as classroom. For learning you need not represent to any cast, creed, religion, sex…Learning is above all. You just need to be motivated to learn with positive thoughts and positive energy and stay in positive vibration and to be in this state one has to listen to his heart.

A person is called as ‘Learned’ in this material world, one who possesses or demonstrates profound, often systematic knowledge. This is directed towards so called scholars. They learn by gaining knowledge by learning and teaching or by experience. A learned person is a scholarly person. A learned person is a well-informed person. A learned person is someone who has been admitted to membership in a scholarly field. A person of great or varied learning is called Polymath. It comes from a Greek word ‘Polumathēs’ which means having much knowledge. A learned person is called as Pundit in Hindu religion. A Pandit is a Brahman learned in Sanskrit and, especially in Hindu religion, philosophy or law. Pundit is a person who makes comments or judgments in an authoritative manner. A learned person (especially in the humanities); someone who by long study has gained mastery in one or more disciplines is also called a Bookman. He is a person who uses the mind creatively. He is a scholar who is skilled in academic disputation. He is a person who has received a degree from a school, high school or college or university. A specialist in the Arabic language or culture is called ‘Arabist’. An Arabist is one who is favorably disposed toward Arab concerns and policies. He is a student or expert in Arabic culture, language, history, etc.

There are few Learned Societies also. A learned society (also known as a scholarly society or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline or profession, or a group of related disciplines or professions. Membership may be open to all or may require possession of some qualification. Few Learned societies are;  the Polish Sodalitas Litterarum Vistulana (founded 1488), the Italian Accademia dei Lincei (founded 1603), the Académie Française (founded 1635), the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (founded 1652), the Royal Society of London (founded 1660)or the French Academy of Sciences(founded 1666). Most learned societies are non-profit organizations. Their activities typically include holding regular conferences for the presentation and discussion of new research results and publishing or sponsoring academic journals in their discipline. Some also act as professional bodies, regulating the activities of their members in the public interest or the collective interest of the membership.

“Be a Student as Long as You

                             Still Have Something to Learn

                                                And This Will Mean All Your Life”

We feel that we are learned whereas according to me, no one is learned on this earth. We need to understand that there is no one on this earth who is unlearned also. We need to pay respect to others, irrespective of their age, relationship, sex, cast, religion…. We need to give values of others opinions also. In this system of life we have teachers, parents, Lecturers, Professors, etc. to are supposed to be learned to some extent in their field. In spiritual life there are gurus and masters who give us guidance for the right path. It is said also that one need to have a Guru to his elevation. This is the reason people take ‘Diksha’ from their Guru. We should be open to learning.

Krishna said to Arjuna that while speaking the learned words, you are mourning for what is not worthy of grief. Those who are wise lament neither for the living nor for the dead.

Our spiritual life begins in earnest only when we treat spirituality as a specialized branch of knowledge. Gita wisdom indicates that a spiritual message is authoritative when it is derived from scripture and transmitted through a chain of practitioners that goes back to the original revelation. This standard of authorization implies that we need to critically examine the credibility of our past sources of spiritual information and re-evaluate what we have learnt. To learn, we need to first unlearn which takes us to the path of being learned. Krishna tells Arjuna that though his words are learned, his emotions still remain uneducated and unlearnt. This is the hallmark of learning that needs to be unlearned and work towards being learned - what we know doesn’t really help us. Krishna said, “You are talking like a learned man, but you do not know that one who is learned - one who knows what is body and what is soul—does not lament for any stage of the body, neither in the living nor in the dead condition.” Knowledge means to know matter and spirit and the controller of both. Arjuna was lacking in that knowledge, he was not a learned man.

The great devotee and scholar Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Thakura expressed the necessity of unlearning, "To walk back is the first stage of walking in the path of spiritual living…the neophyte is required to offer his loyal unlearning submission." This type of submission is not dis-empowering but it is super-empowering. Spiritual knowledge learnt thus empowers us to connect with Krishna and change ourselves for the better.

I would like you to give a thought that can any human being be a learned person? I would like to put my views that only Lord Krishna is a Learned as He possesses all knowledge. Krishna was 16 kala sampurna.

All Glories to Lord Krishna & All His Loving Devotees….. Hari Bol……

Courtesy: Bhagavad-Gita As It Is (by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ) , Srimad Bhagavad-Gita ( by A. Parthasarathy  & www.gitadaily.com ) Chapter 2 : Text 11 , www.google.com, Wikipedia. www.krishna.com, www.krishna.org, www.thefreedictionary.com, en.wikipedia.org

Listen to Heart: 35. Listen to Heart – A Friend is a Friend….

Listen to Heart: 35. Listen to Heart – A Friend is a Friend….: Hari Bol.... 35. Listen to Heart – A Friend is a Friend…. I remember on one of the Mother’s day some asked me to define Mother. I...

35. Listen to Heart – A Friend is a Friend….

Hari Bol....

35. Listen to Heart – A Friend is a Friend….

I remember on one of the Mother’s day some asked me to define Mother. I was thinking and was without any answer for some time. I was fused with the question. I was trying to give him answer in different ways but I was personally not getting satisfaction. Finally I said, “Mother is mother. Ma is Ma. For me she is my strength and she is my weakness”.

A similar situation was in front of me on one of the Friendship day. I was again puzzled and was without in proper answer. I was again trying to give answer in different ways but I was personally not convinced. Finally I said, “A Friend is Friend. She/he is my strength and she/he is my weakness”.

Friendship is a relationship of mutual affection between two or more people. Friendship is a stronger form of interpersonal bond than an association. Friendship has been studied in academic fields such as sociology, social psychology, anthropology, and philosophy. A World Happiness Database study found that people with close friendships are happier. Although there are many forms of friendship, some of which may vary from place to place, certain characteristics are present in many types of friendship. Such characteristics include affection, sympathy, empathy, honesty, altruism, mutual understanding and compassion, enjoyment of each other's company, trust, and the ability to be oneself, express one's feelings, and make mistakes without fear of judgment from the friend. While there is no practical limit on what types of people can form a friendship, friends tend to share common backgrounds, occupations, or interests, and have similar demographics. According to me Ma is the best example of a friend and the relationship with Ma is the best example of friendship relation.

We as human beings need society. Humans beings loves to make friends. In fact even animals make friends. We make some friend during our childhood. We play together and love to stay together. At this time our heart and mind is pure. We do not know the bitter facts of life as we learn as we grow like different casts, different religion, rich and poor, girl and boy and so on. During our school days we make friends. The life journey moves on to college and there also the friends are added. We start our professional life and the list becomes longer and this way the life journey goes on and similarly the list of the friends also become longer and longer.

So many social networks are there where we make friends. We are able to search for our old friends. Through this we are in touch with each other. We share are old memories to get refreshed. We chat together and so on…. One of the very commonly used networks is Facebook where we attached this with mind and heart. As I have said it tough to define a friend so I would like to share stories of great friends.

Sudama and Krishna were childhood friends. They first met at the ashram of Guru Sandipani. After few years, the boys completed their studies and went apart. Krishna married Rukmini and ruled Dwaraka. Sudama, in the meantime, married a poor Brahman girl. Sudama led a life of poverty as he was not attached to any worldly possessions. His wife was too good who as well did not crave for luxuries. Soon, children were born to Sudama and his wife. As the children grew older, they began to ask their parents for better food and the comforts of life. Sudama's wife could not bear to see them hungry. One day, she said to Sudama hesitantly, "My lord, you could ask Krishna for help, for isn't he rich and powerful?" But Sudama was not comfortable in seeking help from his friend. But his wife insisted for the sake of the children. Sudama agreed to see his friend but told that he would not ask his friend for anything. Sudama's wife borrowed some poha from a neighbor and wrapped it in a clean rag and gave it to Sudama. Later, he left for Dwaraka. Krishna was overjoyed after seeing Sudama. He made him sit down and washed his feet. Rukmini fanned him gently. Sudama was overwhelmed by the love that Krishna showered on him. He hesitated to give Krishna the poha thinking it was a little gift to someone like him. But Krishna read his mind and snatched it from his hand. "Poha, my favorite dish" said Krishna and ate a handful greedily. Before, he could take a second handful; Rukmini stopped him saying "One mouthful will give him all that he needs, my Lord".  Being the goddess of wealth, she was responsible for its distribution. Next morning, Sudama left Dwaraka. His heart was full, though he did not ask for anything from Krishna. As he approached his house, he saw a grand mansion. His wife and children came out of it wearing jewels and fine clothes. Then he understood Rukmini's words.
Moral: True friendship is a blessing

 

I would like to share an article of the lecture given by Srila Prabhupada in as is condition for better understanding which I read by courtesy of www.krishna.com. Srila Pabhupada was answering a question raised by devotees - If Radha and Krishna aren't married, why do we worship Them together, like Sita-Rama? Srila Prabhupada is very careful that we understand the relationship between Radha and Krishna very carefully; it's not like some mundane love affair between a young boy and young girl. There are several ways to look at it, but first we must understand this point.

". . .the love between Radha and Krishna is called parakiya. They're not married as husband and wife. Radharani appears to be the wife of someone else, but Radha and Krishna were friends from childhood. Radharani could never forget Krishna. She used to come to Krishna and stand before Him. And He was playing. They were Kishora-Kishori - boy and girl - but without inebriety.  Here, the boy and girls mix, and there are so many abominable, distressful things, which increase their material bondage. But between Radha and Krishna the friendship between boy and girl is there without inebriety. Krishna had so many gopis (cowherd maidens) as His girlfriends, but there were no contraceptive pills. That is the beauty. Here, the so-called love is lust. There (in the spiritual world), that (lust) is the highest. Here, the same thing has become its perverted reflection. Just like in a reflection of an original tree on the water, the topmost part appears to be the lowest.”

"Similarly, in the spiritual world, the highest, top most level of love is parakiya. Parakiya means love - not by marriage, but by friendship. There, it is pure. There's no inebriety. "Perverted" means the topmost thing has become the lowest. Here (in the material world), parakiya, loving another's wife or husband, is most abominable; it is adultery."

On the other hand, there's another story: When Krishna was a small child, Radharani was asked to accompany Him home. In Their childhood forms, Radha and Krishna were walking together in Bandiravan. They stopped to rest under a banyan tree, and, by Radha Krishna mystic potency, Radha Krishna manifested youthful forms. Lord Brahma was asked to be the priest for the wedding and guests arrived. Lord Brahma performed the marriage ceremony, with all the demigods in attendance. During the wedding ceremony, Radharani’s sari was tied to Krishna’s dhoti, as is the custom in Vedic weddings. When the ceremony was over and the guests had left, Radha Krishna assumed their childhood forms again. Radha gave Krishna to Mother Yashoda and then walked home. In this way it is accepted that Radha and Krishna are actually married. However, in order to make their pastimes more relishable, Radha is "so-called" married to Abhimanyu. The intrigue of ‘Them’ (Radha and Krishna) meeting in secret and planning and plotting against Jatila and Kutila always makes ‘Their’ pastimes more relish-able.

On still another level; Krishna is actually the only male (purusha - "enjoyer"), and everyone else is prakriti or female. So, Krishna is actually everyone's pati ("husband"), but especially He is every woman's husband. In fact, anyone who's married to anyone except Krishna is committing adultery!

Another example of friendship I would like to share is the friendship of Karna and Duryodhana. This friendship is considered to be a great one, and is used as an example of friendship and loyalty and trust between friends even in modern times.

Duryodhana's wife Bhanumathi and his close friend Karna were playing a game of dice. The stake between them was substantial. As the game progressed, it was evident that Karna was winning and Bhanumathi was losing. Karna could not suppress his delight. Just then Duryodhana entered his queen's chamber. Karna had his back to the door while Bhanumathi was facing it. Seeing her husband coming, she was about to stand up. As she was just rising, Karna, thinking that she was trying to get away from the embarrassment of certain defeat in the game, snatched at her drape, studded with pearls.

Tugged at by Karna's powerful hands, the thread snapped and all the pearls rolled on the floor. Queen Bhanumathi was stunned and did not know what to say or do. She was afraid that, for no fault of hers, she would be misunderstood by her husband because of Karna's offensive and insensitive behavior. Seeing her shocked state and sensing that something was wrong, Karna turned round and saw his friend Duryodhana. He was also deeply shocked and distressed beyond words. Here he was, in the royal chamber, playing a game of dice with his friend's wife and, as if this was not enough, he had the audacity to catch her clothes, thus embarrassing and endangering her chaste reputation. He stood dumbfounded and transfixed. Surely, Duryodhana would not tolerate such immodesty. He readied himself for the inevitable punishment.

As both she and Karna look down sheepishly, unable to meet Duryodhana's eyes, the Kaurava scion only asks; "Should I just collect the beads, or string them as well."

Both Bhanumathi and Karna had misjudged him. He had implicit faith and great love for his queen and greater was his faith on his friend Karna. He does not suspect, does not get angry with Karna but helps him in picking up the pearls.

He seems to not care about the low birth of Karna and is the only one to vocally support Karna candidature in the archery contest without caring about caste inequality. When Kripa humiliated Karna in the martial exhibition, Duryodhana immediately defended Karna, and made him king of Anga. Karna pledges his allegiance and friendship to Duryodhana, as Duryodhana had rescued him from a source of continuing humiliation and hardship. Neither of them knows that Karna is in fact Kunti's oldest son, born to (sun god) Surya. When Draupadi refuses to allow Karna to string the bod at her Swayamvara because of his low birth, Duryodhana defends him saying "great sages, philosophers, and warriors have no source. They are made great, not born great".

I am going to share a story of Arjuna and Krishna which might be known to all. Lord Krishna and Arjuna were walking down a lane leading to a beautiful wood. While walking Lord Krishna looked upon the sky and saw a bird flying. It was very beautiful; He immediately pricked Arjuna and said “look arjuna, how beautiful the bird is!” Arjuna replied, “Yes my Lord, It’s indeed a beautiful bird”. Krishna observed for a while and said “I wonder what bird is it! May be its white stork, am I right Arjuna, what do you think?” Arjuna without a second glance on the bird immediately replied “yes my Lord it’s a white stork, you are right”. Lord Krishna thought for a while and remarked “It can’t be a white stork as I can see its real color, probably due to the clouds it looked white, but now i can see its pinkish white, may be its a flamingo, see for yourself Arjuna”. Arjuna without a second glance on the bird immediately replied “yes my Lord you are right, it is pinkish white and it’s a flamingo”. Lord Krishna did this trick a few more times and each time he denied what he earlier said of the bird. He would sometimes say its green, its blue and every time Arjuna agreed to Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna again remarked, “No Arjuna, we both are wrong, its neither white nor pink, nor it is of any other color. I can now see clearly its brown and it’s a giant Eagle. Look for yourself Arjuna and see whether I am right”. Arjuna without a second glance on the bird immediately replied “yes my Lord you are right, the bird is brown in color and it’s a giant eagle”. This made Lord Krishna stop and He immediately playfully rebuked Arjuna, “I see you are mocking me, whatever I say you agree upon. Don’t you have your own judgments and can’t you use your senses, your mind and your intelligence in determining what bird it is? Why are you always agreeing upon what I say? I see you are making fun of me”.

Arjuna trying to hide a smile replied to Lord Krishna, “My Lord, why do you put me to such tests. I tell you one thing, even if you declare that it’s not a bird at all but some kind of Vimana (air craft) or say that it’s something else, still i will agree upon your words. For my Lord, who can be greater authority than You. You are the Supreme Lord, the creator, the father, mother and grandsire. You are the only enjoyer and the supreme Lord and supreme friend of every living entity. Who can be greater than You my Lord.” Krishna was amused by the reply!

Arjuna further said, “My Lord, I didn’t even see the bird but just agreed upon your words. For my Lord how much time will it take you to change the bird from a stork to flamingo, from a swan to giant eagle, or how much time will it take you Lord to make the bird into a vimana. It’s all yours Maya. Everything is resting upon you as pearls are resting on the thread of a necklace. Oh Krishna, I totally accept whatever you tell me my Lord. Neither the hosts of demigods nor the demons can fully understand you, nor comprehend you. My Lord my beloved, how can I disagree with my Lord my God, Oh Krishna? Lord Krishna gave a cute smile and put His hands upon Arjuna’s shoulder and the two friends walked away.

 

Arjuna realized that he was confused and needed help from his master who was his friend. The best person to discuss about one’s problem is always a friend. A friend can discuss with his friend anything, anytime, anywhere and ask for his help and guidance. If your friend is your master also, then one cannot get any better option than this. Arjuna was lucky to have Krishna as his friend and master also, so Arjuna surrendered himself to Krishna and asked for his help to show him the right path of action. Krishna was waiting for this moment when Arjuna would surrender to Krishna. So Krishna was smiling to see his friend to a state of mind when Arjuna would be in state of mind to open up for receiving the right instruction from Krishna. Arjuna was happy to ask for help from his friend Krishna and Krishna was also happy to help his friend Arjuna.

All Glories to Lord Krishna & All His Loving Devotees….. Hari Bol……

Courtesy: Bhagavad-Gita As It Is (by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ) , Srimad Bhagavad-Gita ( by A. Parthasarathy  & www.gitadaily.com ) Chapter 2 : Text 10 , www.google.com, Wikipedia. www.krishna.com, www.brahmacarya.info, www.krishna.org

Listen to Heart: 34. Listen to Heart – Inner Satisfaction is Cure o...

Listen to Heart: 34. Listen to Heart – Inner Satisfaction is Cure o...: Hari Bol.... 34. Listen to Heart – Inner Satisfaction is Cure of Mental Paralysis... I happened to attend a seminar on benchmarkin...

34. Listen to Heart – Inner Satisfaction is Cure of Mental Paralysis...

Hari Bol....

34. Listen to Heart – Inner Satisfaction is Cure of Mental Paralysis...

I happened to attend a seminar on benchmarking. It was a professional seminar. I was taught and made to understand; ‘Do not be satisfied. If a person is satisfied, he is blocking all the doors of growth and learning. He is not ready to progress in life. Set up target and once you achieve it then reset the target by raising the bar. Always keep yourself at stretchable to keep yourself active and motivated. Do not let the desire die. For their growth sky is the limit’.

I happened to attend a lecture of a spiritual master. He taught and made to understand; ‘Be satisfied. If you are not satisfied you are in aggression. Due to undisturbed state of mind you are blocking all the doors of growth and learning. You are not ready to progress in life. Set up the target for elevation and once you have achieved by practicing then take input from the master for elevation to the next step. Do not stop. Elevate the bar of elevation to understand the purpose of life. This would help you to be motivated and active with good mental and physical health. Do not let the desire of materialistic world take over. Control your desire of material and have desire of attaining humanity. For their growth the sky is the limit’.

The above two seminars are on the same topic but different way of looking at. The first one talks about material satisfaction and other talk of inner satisfaction. The talks were about growth and talks of sky as the limit for elevation. The first one is in reel life which we think it as real life and the second in real life which we think it as reel life. One does not listen to heart and the other listens to heart. One believes in motivation by motivation and the other believes in motivation by demotivation. One believes in only mind and the other believe in coordination of mind and heart.

This reminds me of one of my teachers at Scindia School. We used to have evening prayer and meditation. We had to attend ‘Asthachal, which is a special event practiced only at Scindia School. He used to share a thought for the evening every day. I would like to share one of the thought which somehow is registered. I do not say that I have achieved in practicing it but surely his thought reminds me and tells me to practice it. It was, “Anger is very valuable, I repeat, Anger is very valuable …Do not lose it”. I would like to thank my guru who tried to inject this into our system.

·        A devotee never takes the part of a particular party; therefore he is carefree.

People living and leading a spiritual life have challenges with people living for money. It has been passed by our ancestors to us and are passing to our next generations that money is the only thing in life or money nothing in life. Money is the root of all evil. Money does not make you happy. I belief, that money is part of life with spirituality. It is very much required by everyone. But do not get blind to achieve it as Dhritrashtra and Kauravas. There are two sides to a coin. Do your duty honestly and money would be there for you but do not do your duty for money with dishonesty because then money (Goddess Lakshmi) will not last for long. You may gain in short but will surely loose in long.

Old Beliefs	New Beliefs
Money is the root of all evil	Money is energy as input for other energy
I do not need much money; I have enough to survive	I deserve to receive riches and abundance
People with lots of money are greedy and selfish	People having lots of money enhances my positive energy and qualities and allows me to give greater service to society
Money is a necessity for our existence	Our existence is for making money to give services

There is nothing known as good and bad. It is path of action that makes it good or bad. It is the intention to towards the path of action which makes it good and bad. It is the way we look at. It is our state of mind. The inner satisfaction depends on our mind and heart. We need to be positive in our thoughts and practices. ‘Change yourself rather changing others….’ Do not harm anyone. Practice humanity. Help yourself by helping others. Do what you like and love to do. Do not enforce your thoughts on others. These are the basic which would always give inner satisfaction. The inner satisfaction discussed here is something different than what most have experienced and/or are lead to experience. It is not joy or pleasure as mind understands it. It is not found in any attachment of mind or what mind thinks and believes. It is not joy, pleasure or happiness in contrast to pain. One can be in a deep inner bliss and inner satisfaction even when in pain. In fact, the inner satisfaction can make the pain understandable and tolerable. This issue we face is engagement not detachment. It is about engaging life and what we experience in a very particular way. It is about engaging the truth of our being and living our truth in all ways in the world in which we find ourselves.

·        One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it’s worth watching - Anonymous

·        Victory is sweetest when you've known defeat - Malcolm S. Forbes

·        Be the change you want to see in the world - Mahatma Gandhi

·        Nobody can hurt me without my permission - Mahatma Gandhi

·        Whatever satisfies the soul is truth - Walt Whitman

Sanjay continued his narration to Dhrisrashtra. He said that Krishna was smiling and started addressing Arjuna. Krishna was smiling because of Arjuna’s reputation as great warrior of his time and his behavior as coward warrior. Arjuna had surrendered himself to Krishna for help. He was opening up for his advice. Krishna understood that he was in state of depression and fused state of mind regarding his duty. Krishna wanted to restores Arjuna’s true sense of duty and induce him to fight for righteousness. Arjuna had changed in mindset to openness for advice of Krishna. Arjuna had realized that he was not in a position mentally to take decision. Arjuna started realizing that he needs to realize his duty (Karma) and for this realization of his; Arjuna needed help from his friend Krishna whom he had accepted as his Master and Guru. So the process of Realization of Realization by Arjuna for the Realization of his Karma to realize the self-realization by God-Realization had started to achieve the inner satisfaction of having a specific cure for Arjuna’s mental paralysis could have brought a smile to his face.

All Glories to Lord Krishna & All His Loving Devotees….. Hari Bol……

Courtesy: Bhagavad-Gita As It Is (by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ) , Srimad Bhagavad-Gita ( by A. Parthasarathy  & www.gitadaily.com ) Chapter 2 : Text 10 , www.google.com, Wikipedia.

Listen to Heart: 33. Listen to Heart – Realization of Realization i...

Listen to Heart: 33. Listen to Heart – Realization of Realization i...: Hari Bol.... 33. Listen to Heart – Realization of Realization is Realization of... What is Realization? It is really a very simpl...