E-Newsletter

January 2023

Welcome to the January 2023 issue!

Welcome to the January 2023 issue!

Inspirations for Living

Quote

संसारसिन्धुमतिदुस्तरमुत्तितीर्षो-र्नान्य: प्लवो भगवत: पुरुषोत्तमस्य ।

लीलाकथारसनिषेवणमन्तरेण पुंसो भवेद् विविधदु:खदवार्दितस्य ॥

saṁsāra-sindhum ati-dustaram uttitīrṣor nānyaḥ plavo bhagavataḥ puruṣottamasya

līlā-kathā-rasa-niṣevaṇam antareṇa puṁso bhaved vividha-duḥkha-davārditasya

“For those who desire to cross the insurmountable ocean of material existence, there is no suitable boat except cultivate devotion to the transcendental pastimes of the Supreme Lord.”

~Śhreemad Bhāgavatam (12.4.40)

 

Bhakti Ras

Experience an Illuminating & Beatific Mahāshivrātri

There is no true beauty or happiness besides the Supreme Lord. Our mind cannot find peace unless it is firmly anchored to the Lord’s feet. Lord Shiv’s pastimes vouchsafe that contemplation on God alone is our refuge and strength, especially when our internal world is turbulent.

When devas and asuras churned the Kṣhīra Sāgara (the ocean of milk) for amṛt, the deadly poisonous black mass (Kālakūṭa viṣhá or Halāhala) surfaced first, and began to engulf the worlds with its lethal fumes. At the request of devas and the asuras, Lord Shiv gathered it on to his palm and put it in his mouth, rescuing the worlds. Perturbed about the safety of Lord Shiv, Mother Parvati held His throat, attempting to stop the poison from passing down into His stomach. Surprised that the poison did not have any effect on Lord Shiv, except that his throat turned blue, Mother Parvati asked:

“Dear Lord, how do you remain unaffected by the deadly poison?”

With a gentle smile, Lord Shiv replied, “Parvati, it is due to chanting of the Vishnu Sahastranāma, eulogizing the Lord with His thousand names.”

“Lord, for those who are not well-versed with chanting mantras, is there an easier way to get the same benefit of chanting the entire Sahastranāma?” asked Mother Parvati.

Lord Shiv compassionately responded that just taking Shree Ram’s name annihilates any destructive energy:

श्री राम राम रामेति, रमे रामे मनोरमे ।

सहस्रनाम तत्तुल्यं, रामनाम वरानने ॥

śhree rāma rāma rāmēti ramē rāmē manōramē

sahasranāma tat tulyaṁ rāmanāma varānanē

“Chanting Shree Rama’s name is equivalent to the thousand names (Sahasranāma) of Vishnu.”

~Padma Puran

Lord Shiv has enshrined Shree Ram’s name in his throat; hence, the poison could neither harm him, nor pass down his throat beyond Meghaśhyāma (the one who is like the dark-blue cloud). We need to do the same – tether our mind to the Lord’s feet, to protect ourselves from internal enemies. Besides, we absorb negative energies through all our five senses – vision, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. The one and only way to ward off these detrimental energies or to stop dwelling on negative thoughts is to take the Lord’s name with the mind completely absorbed in Him.

When poison comes in the form of obstacles, we need to tolerate it like Lord Shiv, not ingest it. The ability to endure obstacles or troubles comes only when we constantly remember the Lord and chant His holy name, as He resides in His name. He Himself has proclaimed:

तत्र तिष्ठामि नारद​ यत्र गायन्ति मद्-भक्ताः

tatra tiṣṭhāmi nārada yatra gāyanti mad-bhaktāḥ

“Narada, I reside where my pure devotees sing my glories.”

The Lord and His glories are non-different. Simply by chanting His glories one is freed from the material miseries.

Upcoming Events

There are two wonderful festival celebrations at the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas (Allen) this month.

Gopi Prem Diwas

Gopi Prem Diwas

Do you believe that your relatives and friends love you unconditionally? The harsh truth is that we all are material souls and our love ceases when others do not fulfill our needs. The only souls who love us unconditionally are God and Guru. Let us celebrate Gopi Prem Diwas at the beautiful Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas (Allen) in acknowledgment of their true and pure love for us souls.

We invite you to join us in-person or virtually on February 12, 2023, from 10:30 AM to 12:30 PM CST for a very special Sunday Satsang. Enjoy the soulful kirtans to celebrate the divine love of Radha-Krishna. Invite your friends and family to join us for Satsang. Check our website for details. 

Program Highlights:
•    Daily Prayer
•    Devotional Kirtans
•    Guided Meditation by Swamiji
•    Divine Lecture by Swamiji
•    Temple Aarti
•    Mahaprasad

Mahashivratri

Mahashivratri

The three-day Mahashivratri celebrations at Radha Krishna Temple is a golden opportunity to realize the presence of God everywhere and elevate the mind to the spiritual realm. Join us either virtually or in person from February 17-19, 2023, to celebrate Mahashivratri in its true sense, by immersing the mind in His divine glories.

On the sacred occasion of Mahāshivrātri, we have Shiv Parvati Vivah, Shivrātri Jāgran kīrtans, Rudrābhishek, and chanting the Mahāmrityunjaya mantra for emotional purification and peace. Join the celebrations to drench yourself in devotion.

Click here for more details

From the Editor’s Desk

From the Editor’s Desk

We may never know or understand the Supreme Lord, unless He chooses to manifest to us as Shree Krishna, Shree Ram, Lord Shiv, or in other forms. We may experience a glimmer of His divine essence in our contemplative prayers or around us in the form of compassion of the Guru, a spiritually revealing dialogue with a fellow aspirant, or a meditative kīrtan. Such experiences are mystical, and it’s possible only through bhakti. In fact, “the essence of all scriptures is to wholeheartedly engage in devotion to God,” reminds Swami Mukundananda, while emphasizing our lives are meant to live in communion with the Lord.

In this issue, we describe an element of the scriptural knowledge in the features on Bhakti Ras and Bal-Mukund Wisdom. We also provide health tips and keep you aware of the upcoming events at the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas (Allen) this month.

Bal-Mukund: Playground for Vedic Wisdom
The Story of King Parikshit 

Once upon a time, the world was ruled by the great King Parikshit, who was a sincere devotee of Shree Krishna. One day he went hunting in the forest and was extremely exhausted, hungry, and thirsty. While searching for water, he reached the hut of the great sage, Shamik Rishi, who was sitting quietly with his eyes closed. King Parikshit asked Rishi Shamik for water but got no response. King Parikshit didn’t realize that Rishi Shamik was deep in meditation and mistakenly concluded that the sage was intentionally neglecting him. He felt insulted and became very angry. In this enraged state, he picked up a dead snake and put it around the sage’s neck like a garland and returned to his palace.

While in the palace, Parikshit was contemplating whether Rishi Shamik was actually ignoring him or whether he was truly in a deep meditative state. After pondering further, he felt that his actions were inappropriate and regretted his behavior. During this time, Rishi Shamik’s son, Shringi, came to know about this incident based on his mental powers. He immediately went to his father and saw the dead snake around his neck. In anger at the king’s misbehavior, he cursed that the deadly snake Takshak, would bite Parikshit within seven days and would be the cause of his death.

When Shamik Rishi’s meditation ended, he saw the dead snake around his neck and threw it aside. Shringi then narrated what had happened and how he had cursed the king. Instead of congratulating his son, Shamik Rishi told his son that he should not have cursed the king. He explained that the king was righteous, protected his subjects, and followed the laws of dharma. It was wrong to curse him. The Rishi told his son to go and inform King Parikshit about the curse so at least he would be aware of it.

When Shamik informed Parikshit about the curse, the king was not disturbed. Being detached from worldly pleasures, Parikshit accepted the news calmly and asserted that everyone had to die someday. He immediately rejected his kingdom and his young family with a renewed priority in life. He headed to the banks of the Ganges to meditate having renounced food and water. The divine sages from all over the world came to know about this through their mental powers and gathered at the river bank including Ved Vyas ji and his Guru. They asked Parikshit if he had been cursed. The king responded by saying that a curse was a misfortune but he had been blessed to be able to have darshan of all the divine sages. He also told the sages that he was short on time and needed answers to some questions before his death. However, none of the sages took the Vyasasana (i.e., the seat of the speaker) until Sage Shukhdev, the 16-year old son of Ved Vyas arrived and took the Vyasasana. Then, a dialog between Sage Shukhdev and Parikshit took place where the king asked about the tools for eternal salvation before death and the sage answered all of his questions for seven days.

Practical Wisdom:

  • * King Parikshit committed an inappropriate action in anger but regretted it later. Try to reflect on a challenging situation to prevent actions you may regret later.
  • * Rishi Shamik was not upset with King Parikshit’s action because he considered it insignificant. Remember to put things in perspective to not become distressed over trivial matters. 
  • * King Parikshit accepted the news of his death with a positive mindset. He perceived the curse as a blessing in disguise. Remember that when you face difficulties in life, accept them because it is God’s way to help you to uplift your soul.

This story has been narrated by Swami Mukundananda in the Srimad Bhagavatam [lecture series (Part 9)

Health and Wellness for Life

No Calorie Bite-Sized Exercise Snack

Festivals are usually associated with overindulgence in special treats and food items that may not necessarily be healthy for all of us. This is particularly true when one’s lifestyle does not include regular exercise, and the type of work we engage in is mostly sedentary. We share with you a health tip for a sedentary lifestyle.

One of the things we seriously lack with sedentary based work is physical exercise. The importance of exercise as a regular part of our daily routine has been emphasized by medical practitioners and health scientists for decades. Excessive inactivity like staying seated for hours at a time can increase our risk for chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancers. The most familiar roadblock for adults with intense work and family commitments is the lack of time for daily physical exercise. Well, now there is a solution for this problem – it is Exercise Snacking.

We all know how we get into the habit of snacking. We tend to take a short break from our routine and eat something to break the monotony, not necessarily because we are hungry. Try an alternative no calorie, exercise snack! You have heard of bite-sized food snacks, but have you heard of a bite-sized exercise snack? Bite-sized workouts are one-minute conditioning drills that could offset hours of typing at a keyboard and/or staying seated for countless hours at a time. We all need to discard the mindset that changing into gym clothes is a pre-requisite for exercise. Many health enthusiasts learn “office yoga” to intersperse work and physical activity throughout the day for a healthy body and mind. Small short bursts of exercise, even for a few minutes periodically during the day, have been known to improve fitness.

After each hour of staying seated, take a short walk and swing your arms. Pick up the pace by climbing up and down the stairs or doing a few squats in an imaginary chair.   Picking up the pace gives us the benefit of brief physical exercise and an opportunity for blood circulation. The key is to be active and feel energized. We can be active anywhere under almost any circumstance – regardless of our busy schedule. 

Love to Hear from You
  • How did you apply the Vedic Wisdom?
  • What challenges did you experience in the process? 

Please share your comments under “Join the Discussion” below.

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