Samarpan

A Monthly e-Magazine by 

Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas 

 

Issue: 4

January 2015

In This Issue

मनः प्रसादः सौम्यत्वं मौनमात्मविनिग्रहः |

भावसंशुद्धिरित्येतत्तपो मानसमुच्यते ||१६||

"Serenity of thought, gentleness, silence, self-control, purity of purpose - all these are declared as austerity of the mind."

Bhagavad Gita, chapter 17, verse 16
From the Editor's Desk

Why do we make a New Year resolution? To set a goal. Why do we set a goal? To change the current state we are in. And why do we want to change whatever predicament we are in? Because we are not happy with it. There, the answer is simple, yet profound.

Regardless of whatever resolution we make, our goal is to be happy. However, for some of us, it takes a lifetime or may be even more, to realize that the true happiness we are seeking can be derived only in loving the Supreme Lord selflessly, like a fruit seller loved baby Shree Krishna (Bhakti Ras column.) And to elevate ourselves to attain that unlimited happiness and joy, we need to make Him our ultimate goal (Inspiration for Living column) and learn to give, "for it is in giving that we receive" (Bal-Mukund.) 
 

This month, we share a few thoughts on
setting goals that uplift us.

Radha Krishna Temple Update

The underground utilities - water, storm and sewer lines at the temple site are substantially in place.  Gas and electric conduit lines are also substantially complete. The main focus of the recent phase of construction has been site grading work.  Fine grading means that all of the ground surface areas of the site must be brought to the proper elevations. 

Surveyors mark out points all over the site, which indicate the proper level at which the ground needs to be at a particular location.  When surveying work is complete, there are well over a hundred stakes and markings across the property indicating elevations, curves and contour lines, and other items such as where light poles will be installed in the parking areas.

Designing the right contours and grading of the property is a tedious job.  However, even more tedious work is done by excavators who must accurately shape the contour of the property according to the plans.  This shaping is done down to inches and parts of inches by operators of very large equipment, who move the earth and work to achieve that precision.

The excavators are like sculptors chiseling here and adding there until they reach the final form ready for concrete contractors to get to work.  They are aided by surveying tools such as laser levels and engineering grading rods which help them check their work.  Soon, concrete work will begin, bringing shape to the parking areas and entrance and finally the building foundation.  Please stay tuned to the temple website for continued updates.
Bhakti Ras
Love Transforms a handful of Grains into Jewels

 

As Bal Krishna grew into a toddler, stories of his divine leelas spread far and wide and everyone wanted to have His darshan. A lady fruit seller heard the village people recount their experiences of how they could not get Krishna's image out of their mind after having seen Him, even if only one time. The fruit seller's desire to meet Krishna became very intense and she made up her mind to go to Vrindavan. She packed a basketful of sweet and juicy fruits and started her journey daydreaming about Krishna's divine darshan.

When the fruit seller entered Vrindavan, she started calling out, "Juicy fruits for sale! Who wants mangoes, bananas and sweet guavas?" As she got close to Krishna's home, she shouted out even louder in the hope of attracting Krishna's attention. However, her mind was so engrossed in Krishna that instead of naming the fruits she was selling, she started saying, "Govind, Damodar, Madhaveti!" She kept calling out to Krishna for a couple of days but did not have His darshan. By the third day, her desperation had increased and she longed to see Krishna so much that she made up her mind that she would not leave until she had His darshan.

Then finally on the third day, when she called out, "Govind, Damodar," Lord Krishna, who was sitting on his mother's lap and playing with her, jumped off her lap and ran outside. He knew that the fruit seller would want something in exchange for the fruits. So He grabbed a handful of some grains in both hands and ran toward the fruit seller. While running, most of the grains fell out of His hands and by the time He got to the fruit seller, there were hardly any left in His hands. He gave the grains to the lady and told her to give him the fruits in exchange. 

The fruit seller was so mesmerized by Krishna's image, she became speechless and barely heard His words, "Here, take these grains and give me the fruit." When she came around, the fruit seller told Krishna, "There is nothing in your hands. What will you give me in return for the fruits?" Krishna stood there just looking at her. The fruit seller looked at the bewilderment and adorable innocence on His face the said, "If you sit on my lap and call me 'Mother,' I will give you all the fruits in this basket." Krishna showed His leela by jumping on to her lap and asking, "Mother, will you give me the fruits now?" The fruit seller choked with emotions of maternal love, wonder, and the bliss of making physical contact with the Lord. She cried and told Krishna that He could have all the fruits and saw Him run back inside the house with a handful of mangoes and whatever else He could carry. She sat there in total disbelief wondering whether what just happened was true. She felt as if nothing else mattered in life after receiving the intangible gift from the Lord in exchange for some tangible fruits.

After some time she got up to go home and when she lifted her basket, it felt much heavier even though it was empty. She peeked into the basket and to her amazement, she saw that it was filled with jewels. She started crying once again while visualizing Krishna sitting in her lap calling her "mother" as she experienced the bliss of divine love. All the jewels in the basket meant nothing when compared to the grace of God.  

Like the fruit seller, if sincere devotees want nothing more than to see and make contact with the Lord, Krishna does appear and bestow His grace.  As Swami Mukundananda suggests, we must first prepare the vessel by engaging in Sadhan bhakti to become worthy of receiving the grace of God.  Therefore, let us resolve to purify our mind, body and soul by following some basic principles designed to improve lives.  

Inspirations for Living

An Ultimate Resolution We Need to Make  

Every New Year's eve, we tell ourselves that we need to make this one little change to develop equanimity of mind and evolve into a better person. Our goal could be to overcome anger, let go our pride, give up envy, restrain from fault-finding, or to be patient; the list is endless.

We read self-help books or online articles and come up with the best regimen to keep our New Year resolution to achieve our goal. While some of us try to calm ourselves with physical exercise, a few may resort to music and fine arts, while others get involved in voluntary work. All these methods do help us attain inner peace, but it is short-lived. By engaging in these activities, we are merely treating the symptoms of our undesirable maladies - kama (desire or lust), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (delusion), mada (arrogance), and matsarya (jealousy). Since we only treat the symptoms, the afflictions creep back.

So, how do we protect ourselves from these undesirable inner enemies? There is a simple, tried, and true method for eradicating these ailments. "The most powerful way of purifying the heart is to keep the mind in God and increase the desire to serve Him," said Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. Our love and desire for Him is the only medicine that can alleviate the pain and suffering, and help conquer the enemies. Hence, our ultimate resolution needs to be to perform constant Sadhana or spiritual practice. The fable of a wise mongoose drives the point home.

There once lived a baby mongoose in a forest. Every time the baby mongoose came out of his burrow in search of food, a huge snake that lived nearby would try to sting the mongoose and chase him away. Since it was becoming hard for the baby mongoose to find any food, one day instead of running back into his hole and hide, he started fighting with the snake. During the fight, every time the snake stung him, the baby mongoose would run to a close-by tree, dig a hole near the tree roots, chew the root, and come back to continue his fight with the snake. Finally, after a long fight, when the serpent spent all his venom, the mongoose, who had developed the immunity by chewing the medicinal roots of the tree, bit the huge serpent and triumphed over him.

Similarly, we can slowly develop immunity and eradicate all our undesirable traits and attain equanimity of mind by doing Sadhana. When we realize that He is the ultimate goal, our mind develops devotional qualities and slowly the undesired traits fade away. When we fall in love with Him, His elixir of love purifies our heart. So, as Maharaj ji has repeatedly said, let us seek the ultimate and highest goal, which is:

 
जगत ते मन को हटा कर, लगा हरि में प्यारे |  

Jagat te man ko hata kar, laga Hari mem pyare

Dear one! Detach the mind from the world and attach it to God.

(Sadhana Bhakti Tatva - 23 ) 

When we make Him as our goal, all other goals fall into place.

Bal-Mukund: Playground for Vedic Wisdom 

A Friend in Need is a Friend Indeed 


This is a story of three very good friends who lived in a jungle and had sworn to love and protect each other. These friends, a deer, crow and a mouse, were very different from each other but bound by a commitment to friendship. They did a lot of things together including playing, searching for food, eating their meals, and taking turns sleeping at night to look out for and protect each other. Their friendship had become legendary.


A turtle, who wanted to have some friends, approached them and asked if he could join their group. He said that he was afraid of being alone in the jungle because of the hunters. The turtle expressed his commitment to the friendship. The three friends agreed to let the turtle join their group and told him about the importance of helping each other should any of them be hurt by the hunter or other predators.

One day when the four friends were strolling through the jungle, they saw a hunter and started to execute their escape plan. The deer sprinted as fast as he could while the crow flew high into the trees and the mouse darted into a hole. The hunter felt sorry to see the deer escape but saw the turtle crawl toward the bushes. The turtle's movements were slow and he got caught into the hunter's net.

When the hunter was leaving the jungle, the turtle's three friends came out of their hiding place and thought about a plan to save their friend. So as per their plan, the crow flew high into the sky, saw the hunter walk by the river bank, and cawed loudly to alert the deer. On cue, the deer quickly but quietly loped ahead and lay down on the hunter's path as if dead. When the hunter approached the path and saw the deer lying on the ground and was so happy that he put the turtle down and ran toward the deer. During this time the mouse nibbled through the net and set the turtle free. The turtle then hurriedly crawled away into the river water. As the hunter got closer to the deer, suddenly the deer sprang up to his feet and darted away in the jungle. Before the hunter could figure out anything, the deer and the turtle had both disappeared into their hiding places, leaving behind the nibbled net. The four animals proved that friends in need are friends indeed.

The hunter was certain that this turn of events occurred because God was protecting both animals. He knew that today was not his day so he left the jungle. The four friends celebrated their victory, their commitment to each other's safety, and lived happily ever after.  

Do you value true friendship? If yes, make a resolution to always help a friend in need without expecting anything in return. Like the fruit seller and the four friends whose stories you read above, make a resolve to try your best to do good things for others and God will protect you forever.

Community Event Updates

The Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas is more than just a temple under construction. It is a thread that binds the local community, providing inspiration and support to members through various activities for the benefit of the body, mind, and soul.

It also offers abundant opportunities to volunteer and participate in various events to uplift oneself and others. Do you have special talents like writing, singing, engaging in discourse or any other? Think of the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas as the avenue for expressing your talents. We do not need to wait for the construction to be completed to increase our involvement in various activities.  

From weekly satsangs and chanting groups to yoga classes and intellectual discourse, the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas is already becoming known for its voluntary activities for the benefit the community. Please contact us at info@radhakrishnatemple.net to find out more about how to engage.

Weekly
Satsangs
Bhagavad Gita
Study Circle
Vishnu Sahashrnam Chanting

For information regarding each event, time, location and schedule, please check out the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas website at 

www.radhakrishnatemple.net/up-coming-events.

Little Hands Big Hearts  

Festive Fun & Unique Learning Opportunity- All for a Good Cause  

 
The Radha Krishna Temple volunteers old and young alike, recently had several fun and one-of-a-kind opportunity to get involved in community service to help homeless children of Dallas.

Volunteers spread some holiday cheer during two festive holiday events hosted by Taj Grocers by offering face painting to each child that made a donation to the Little Hands Big Hearts collection drive.   A few hundred people attended each of the events, and children eagerly lined up all evening to have their faces painted. Children were not only enthusiastic about face painting, but children and parents alike experienced the joys of h elping children in need. This infectious spirit of giving resulted in over a truckload of essential children's items collected during those two events alone. 

Additionally, temple youth had a special service and educational opportunity to visit Captain Hope's Kids, a non-profit organization that supports 46 organizations and agencies that help DFW area homeless children, tour the facility and interview the Executive Director. Not only did this activity instill the value of helping those in need, but by gaining insight into the plight of these disadvantaged children, they also experienced the lesson of appreciation. 

Bring a ray of hope and sunshine into the lives of these children by dropping an item or 2 or more in one of the big bright yellow donation boxes located at businesses near you. 

  

Bring a ray of hope and sunshine into the lives of these children by dropping an item or 2 or more in one of the big bright yellow donation boxes located at
businesses near you.

 

Please visit www.radhakrishnatemple.net/little-hands-big-hearts for a list of essential items accepted towards donations and to find a drop-off location near you, or if you wish to volunteer, please contact us at info@radhakrishnatemple.net 

  

 

'Dollar A Day' - Pledge Continuous Support!

 

Donate a Dollar a Day towards the building and upkeep of the Radha Krishna temple! By donating just $1 everyday,
you'll help this noble cause!

 How many of us have the opportunity and are fortunate enough to build a house for God?

Set up monthly contributions through credit card/debit card by calling: 860-605-3685 or by visiting temple website at Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas (click).

   

Wellness for Life

My New Year Resolution  

 

 The start of each New Year brings a lot of hope and opportunity to do things to make a difference in our lives and of those around us. We aspire to inculcate good habits to be more productive at work and more effectual at home and in the society. As each of us thinks about various ways to make 2015 a more significant year, let us reflect on what it means to make a difference.

Making a difference in our own and someone else's life is not rocket science; it is about reflecting on what part of our life we want to change to be a better person or how we want others to remember us. Can we make resolutions that will benefit us and others around us?

Resolutions should be practical and doable, otherwise they will not last beyond the first week of a New Year. One way to think about resolutions is create one for each aspect of life that matters to us, i.e., the home and family, work, society, and self. What do we want to change?

Here are some examples and practical strategies for keeping our resolutions.

Home & Family

I will spend at least one hour daily with my family doing things that they enjoy.

Incorporate the time slot in your schedule book for a reminder.  Do not cancel.

Work

I will dedicate time daily on activities that matter and stay away from toxic situations.

Intersperse easy and challenging activities to prevent boredom and exhaustion. Stick to plan.

Spiritual Growth

I will engage in an activity each week to uplift myself and others (e.g., seva, yoga, satsangs).

Select an activity of choice at radhakrishnatemple.net and RSVP to make a commitment.

 

Please provide us with your feedback and requests for the type of features you would like to read at info@radhakrishnatemple.net 

We really want to hear from you!


Copyright © Jagadguru Kripaluji Yog 2014.  All rights reserved.