Samarpan

A Monthly e-Magazine by 

Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas

Issue: 17  

May 2016
In This Issue
दिव्यो देव एको नारायणो माता पिता भ्राता सुह्रित् गतिः
निवासः षरणं सुह्ṛइत् गतिर्नारायण इति

divyo deva eko nārāyaṇo mātā pitā
bhrātā suhṛit gatiḥ
nivāsaḥ śharaṇaṁ suhṛit gatirnārāyaṇa iti

"Lord Narayan alone is the Mother, Father, Beloved, and destination of the soul."  
             (Subāl Śhruti, mantra 6)
From the Editor's Desk
Did you ever wonder why we are here on this earth? Do you know what our purpose in life is? To know why we are here, we need to know who we are. For answers to these questions of paramount importance, we need to go to our scriptures that impart sublime knowledge. Only then, we will know the purpose of our life's journey. Once we discern the goal of this journey, this world looks different and we recognize the value of this human life.
Bhakti Ras
Who Are We?

Abhimanyu, one of the greatest warriors in Mahabharat, fought valiantly making headway through the Padmavyooha (the defensive lotus formation) in the absence of his father, Arjuna. However, he met his end, as he did not know the technique of disentangling himself from the maze of great Kuru warriors. Arjuna, mourning his son's tragic end, pleaded with Shree Krishna to take him to Abhimanyu. As Abhimanyu was actually Varchas, the son of Soma (moon), Shree Krishna took Arjuna to the moon. The instant Arjuna saw Abhimanyu, with great affection, he stepped forward with open arms to embrace him. Abhimanyu on the other hand, took a step back and questioned, "Who are you?"

Such is the transient nature of our bodily relationships. So, who are we? Our scriptures and saints repeatedly proclaim that we are the fragments of God's energy. Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad affirms:

यथाऽग्नेः क्षुद्रा विष्फुलिङ्गा व्युच्चरन्त्य् यथा अग्नेस् क्षुद्रास् विष्फुलिङ्गास् व्युच्चरन्ति 
एवमेवास्मादात्मनः सर्वे प्राणाः सर्वे लोकाः सर्वे देवाः सर्वाणि भूतानि व्युच्चरन्ति ।

yathāgneḥ kṣudrā visphuliṅgā vyuccarantya yathā agnes kshudryathās visphuliṅgās vyuccaranti 
evam evāsmādātmanaḥ sarve prāṇāḥ sarve lokāḥ sarve devāḥ sarvāṇi bhootāni vyuccaranti
( 2.1.20)


"As innum
erable sparks emanate from a fire, so do all the jīvas (souls), with their particular characteristics emanate from the Supreme Lord, along with the gods, planets, animate, and inanimate beings."

We are the ansh (fragments) of God's energy. We are not the body; it is only a house, in which we the eternal souls reside. While the body is made of Maya (material energy), our soul is divine.  Since the soul is a tiny part of God, our every relationship is with God. That is why, yearning for happiness or bliss is intrinsic to our nature, and we will be completely satiated only when we reestablish our relationship with Him. Our bodily relationships are like "two neighboring waves in the ocean that flow together for some time, and play mirthfully with each other, creating the impression that they have a very deep relationship between them," says Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. While the relationship between two waves is transient, the relationship of the waves with the ocean is permanent. While our human love slips away one after the other like these waves, our loving relationship with God, the ocean of bliss, stays forever.

Thus, from the platform of the soul, we are related to God. He alone is all our relationships - Father, Mother, Sister, Brother, Beloved, and Friend. That is why, when Shree Ram asks Lakshman to stay back in Ayodhya and take care of the kingdom and parents, Lakshman pleads in great distress:

मोरें सबइ एक तुम्ह स्वामी। दीनबंधु उर अंतरजामी 
more sabai eka tumha swāmī, dīnabhandhu ura antarajāmī
(Ramayan)

"O Lord Ram, you alone are my Master, the Savior of the destitute, and the Knower of the heart."  
Inspirations for Living
What is the Purpose of Our Life?

Once, a village sculptor went to the near by quarry looking for some marble stones. He quickly selected a rugged, black marble stone, and then spent hours selecting five, pink marble stones, which were smooth and in perfect rectangle shape. He loaded all the marble stones in his cart and turned back home.

After reaching home, the sculptor unloaded all the stones. He carefully carried each pink stone into the house, placed them down gently, and left the black one in the yard. Next day, he brought out his tools and started chiseling the black marble stone. Although it was painful, the black marble stone did not say a word, as it believed that the sculptor had a good reason for all the pain he was causing. The pretty, pink marble stones, lying in the cool shade of the house, felt sorry at the sad plight of the black stone.

After a couple of months passed by, the sculptor loaded all the stones again into his cart and rode towards the village. When he reached the main crossroads in the center of the village, he unloaded the stones, set the five pink stones as steps, and placed the beautifully carved black Krishna idol on the top.

The rugged stone that looked ugly was put on the highest honor only after it was chiseled to perfection. Similarly, our Eternal Father bestowed upon us a human body, mind, and intellect giving us a chance to chisel away the impurities - lust, anger, greed, envy, pride, etc. - and move towards perfection.  However, as our intellect is subject to many imperfections, we think ourselves to be the body, although we are eternal souls. Therefore, we spend the valuable human life in pursuit of sensual pleasures that lead to eternal misery.  Ishopanishad warns us:

असुर्या नाम ते लोका अन्धेन तमसाऽऽवृताः ।  
ताँस्ते प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्ति ये के चात्महनो जनाः ॥ 3॥
Asurya naama tey lokaa andhena thamasaavruthaah |
Thaamstey prethyabhigachchanthi ye ke chaathmahano janaah ||
"A human being, who is delightfully engrossed in material pleasures, will be enveloped in ignorance that leads to self destruction."

Therefore, it is imperative to realize the significance of this human life, and speed up our journey towards our goal - our Eternal Father. We souls pass through many bodies, which we call transmigration. Just as we start at kindergarten and move through elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and finally graduate from a university, so also our Eternal Father gives us this human body, to progress through many lives and attain Him. Swami Mukundananda ji says, "The Lord has designed this world so beautifully that it makes us experience both happiness and distress for our gradual elevation. If we continue to lead our regular lives and tolerate whatever comes our way, happily doing our duty, the world naturally pushes us toward gradual spiritual elevation,"

How we live this life, determines what we will be in the next. How does that happen? Shree Krishna explains to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita (15-8) that the soul takes the mind and senses with it, when it departs from the body and enters a new one, as the air carries fragrance from one place to the other. In other words, we have been building our character over many lifetimes.  We carry the sanskaars (past life propensities) from one life to the next. Our scriptures proclaim that it takes millions of years of harmonious and disease-free (from mental afflictions) life for the soul to reach the goal.

Nevertheless, we can speed it up, if we determine that we are the soul, and our goal is God. When we make a firm decision and yearn for Him, he will grace us by sending a God-realized guru, under whose guidance we begin our sadhana - the journey towards God. 
Bal-Mukund: Playground for Vedic Wisdom 
We Reap What We Sow 
On the bank of Chambal River in Malwa kingdom, there once lived a priest close to Shree Hanuman temple. In front of his humble abode, there was a small tree that was home for many birds. On one of the branches, a parrot lived with her baby parrots.

Every morning, the parrot would fly to the nearby rice field, come back with rice grains that she collected, and fed her babies. Every time the parrot dropped the grains into her baby's mouth, a few grains used to fall down. In a few months, the babies grew up and left the nest. Shortly, the rains came down, and the grains that fell on the 
ground started sprouting.

The priest was delighted to see the grains growing into a small, g
reen patch of paddy field right in front of his abode.  When the tiny crop was ripe, the priest harvested the grains, made sweet rice pudding, and offered it to Hanuman as prasaad.  He then gave the paddy straw to his cow.

After a few years, the parrot died. Due to the meritorious act she did, although unknowingly, the parrot took birth as a girl in a God-loving family, which gave her a chance to do more good deeds. God gives us the freedom and power to act. Once we perform actio
ns, He makes a note of our actions. He then gives us the results of our Karmas (actions.)

Therefore, if we do good deeds we attract peace and happiness.

Wellness for Life 
Subtle Body Relaxation - Unwind Your Mind Back to God       

Panchadashi states:
मन एव मनुष्याणाम् कारणम् बन्ध मोक्षयोः
Mana eva manushyaanaam kaaranam bandha mokshayoh
"The mind alone is the cause of bondage and liberation."

If the mind is neglected, then any science for the nourishment and evolution of the personality will be incomplete and only partially effective. An uncontrolled mind is our worst enemy and a controlled mind is our best friend. An unbridled and overworked mind is the cause of stress, anxiety, tension, depression, ulcers, and innumerable other ailments.

Subtlebody relaxation, one of the five disciplines of JKYog, is a powerful technique of mind management, bringing about 'Yog' or union with God. Read more to learn the technique of Subtle Body Relaxation.
Celebrate Yoga & Holistic Health
A whole day filled with hands-on and interactive opportunities in over 10,000 sq.ft. venue!
Saturday, June 18th 2016
Venue: Comfort Inn & Suites, 700 Central Parkway East
Plano, TX 75074

Follow us at DallasYogaFest.org for details
Upcoming Community Events 2016
 
Dallas Yogafest
Be a part  of International  Yoga Day at the Dallas YogaFest, a world-wide celebration of yoga, where the ancient science meets modern day challenges to the body and mind.  Dallas YogaFest will be one stop place to  fulfill your need for knowledge and practice on healthy living!  Be it yoga, meditation and pranayama sessions, informational sessions on holistic living, or meeting vendors who will be there to  sell great healthy products - we have it all in one place!  Join us on June 18, 2016 (www.dallasyogafest.org) at the Comfort Inn & Suites, 700 Central Parkway East, Plano, Texas 75074, U.S

Some Benefits of Practicing Yoga

  • Improves flexibility 
  • Improves bone health and joints 
  • Reduces weight and maintains metabolism 
  • Lowers blood sugar 
  • Helps control the blood pressure 
  • Boosts the immunity 
  • Improved respiration, energy and vitality 
  • Calms the mind to help you focus 

Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas

Presents Life Transformation Program

PLANO, TX
Grow from Within to Succeed in Life
July 23-29 
Comfort Inn
FRISCO, TX
Shrimad Bhagavat Mahapuran
Aug 13-19
Trails of Frisco Golf Club

Registration @ www.jkyog.org/events

Frisco Bal-Mukund Varshik Utsav 2016 
       
Congratulations to Frisco Bal-Mukund on completing the year 2015-2016 successfully, and for instilling nobleness in the young minds of the community. The Varshik Utsav included breathtaking musical plays on the life of Mother Anasuya, birth of Lord Dattatreya, Shree Ram Darbar, Lord Hanuman's devotion to Lord Ram, and awe-inspiring stories from Mahabharat. They displayed their Hindi conversation skills in a very engaging Hindi skit. Kids also presented soulful bhajans and demonstrated many yogasans and pranayam with ease! Get a glimpse of the Varshik Utsav.
Other Ongoing Community Events
 
For the benefit of the community, the Radha Krishna Temple provides abundant opportunities to volunteer and participate in various events. Read the benefits of each of these activities and related sewas for your body, mind and soul.
Weekly Satsangs 
These satsangs engulf a person in the ocean of bhakti through a combination of prayer, chanting soulful bhajans and kirtans, viewing a video lecture by Swamiji or Maharajji, followed by aarti and prasad dinner.  Once a month we also recite Vishnu Sahasranama.  God's names are no different from Himself.  Every name in Vishnu Sahasranama (thousand names of Vishnu) is a drop of nectar.  Whether we chant it or hear it, it gives an immense sense of peace and indescribable solace.

If you are interested, you can participate in this activity as a satsangee, learning and passing forward your learning to others in the community.  Additionally you can host Satsangs at your house.  Hosting Satsangs is very exhilarating because it brings the vibrations of group chanting to our home.  The effects of the positive energy last for a long time.  It is a great honor to host devotees in our home.  Days before the Satsang, the mind gets absorbed in the event planning such as altar decorations, food planning and other logistics.  This is a very positive goal as it takes our mind away from worldly issues and focuses on all things divine.

You can also participate in singing bhajans and/or playing accompanying instruments at Satsangs.  When we learn to sing a bhajan or play an instrument specifically for Satsangs, we spend many hours practicing and absorbing the mind in the service and names of God.  If we did not involve ourselves in this sewa we would be filling our minds with worldly thoughts.  This is a great way to build a strong faith based relationship with the dear Lord.  Sing for the love and devotion of the Lord, not for personal acclaim or prominence.  This is true bliss!

For local satsang information visit:www.radhakrishnatemple.net or info@radhakrishnatemple.net.

Toastmasters Gavel Club for Youth
Robert Moment said "Public speaking skills are an essential key to achieving career advancement and success."  Effective communication builds confidence and leadership skills.  This is even more important especially for today's youth who aspire to be the leaders of tomorrow.

The Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas has launched the Toastmaster Gavel Club for aspiring youths who are looking to become the cream of the crop in their future endeavors!  Participating in this club will help to take the panic out of public speaking as well as help become a fluent speaker.  We invite youth between the ages 10-18 years to join the club.

- Toastmasters Gavel Senior Club for high school students 
- Toastmasters Gavel Junior Club for middle school students

These meetings are held every 2nd and 4th Sunday of the month.  Check for details on our website at: http://radhakrishnatemple.net/events/toastmaster-gavels-club-for-youth/?ri=5.

Bhagavad Gita
Study Group

Thru: Teleconference
On: 2nd & 4th Wed
8:30 to 9:30 PM 

 Details & Registration 

Free Community
Yoga Classes

At: 1292 Bossy Boots Dr.
Allen, TX 75013
On: Sat, 9:30 to 4:45 AM


 Details & Registration 

Vishnu Sahashra
Naam Chanting

At: 4020 Sendero Trail
Plano, TX 75024
On: 1st Sat, 3 to 4 PM


 Details & Registration 

 

'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).