Coincidence is Gods way of remianing anonymous- part I

Last week, I was told to address few students in Kota on the

philosophy of Bhagavad Gita. In particular, my talk was on how by
depending on God, we can do our best, while staying aloof of the
anxieties about the results. In other words, how can we do our part
despite knowing that ultimately we are not the controllers and accept
the result of our actions. One of the points that I had planned to
include in my talk was about how at times we are possessive about the
result of our actions or want something to happen in a desired manner,
but find that God orchestrates the events in a strikingly different
manner for our own good. For a short span of time we may feel broken
hearted & find it difficult to deal with situation. but over period of
time when complete plan is revealed we are left with this special and
indescribable feeling that we are always loved, cared and looked after
by God. Little did I know that I was about to have a practical
realization of the same myself!!
One such incident took place when I was just about to start my journey
to Kota last Saturday. A friend of mine had volunteered to book my
Mumbai-Kota train ticket a couple of days prior to my journey. I had
handed him a chit listing Mumbai-Kota trains with respective departure
times from Mumbai. By mistake, for one of the trains (namely, Golden
Temple Express), I wrote an incorrect departure time of 09:45PM from
Mumbai Central, instead of its scheduled departure time of 09:25PM. My
friend happened to book my ticket on this train and when I asked him
the departure time of my train, he quoted 09:45PM, recalling from the
chit that I had given him.
On the day of my journey, I felt I would easily catch the train. As I
was climbing down the stairs on platform no. 2 at Dadar railway
station on the Western Railway, a Churchgate-bound slow local train
left the platform in front of my eyes. I had no option but to wait for
the next one.
That day also happended to be Varah Dwadashi viz., birth anniversary
of Lord in the form of Varah. While waiting for the next train, I felt
like reading some pastimes of the Varah Incarnation from Srimad
Bhagavatam, which I was anyways carrying in my bag. As I started
reading, I got so absorbed in it that I failed to notice the arrival
of the next train on my platform. Only once it blew the horn, while
picking up speed, I came to my external senses. Alas! I missed yet
another train. As I was cursing myself as well as my destiny, I saw a
Churchgate-bound fast local train on platform no. 4. I felt it’s
impossible to change the platform & catch that train. I was thinking
anyways in 5 mins next slow train will come & I can board that. But
next moment a strong calling came from inside that I have to catch
that fast train. I ran as fast as my legs could carry me and somehow
boarded the train as it was about to speed up.
As I reached Mumbai Central railway station, it was already 09:23PM. I
asked a passerby, “From which platform will the Golden Temple Express
depart?” He replied back “It’s leaving from platform number 1 in a
minute”. My heart was in my mouth. I headed for another sprint, and
barely managed to board the speeding train. After I located my seat, I
finally breathed a sigh of relief and reflected on the sequence of
recent events.
I wondered had I boarded that Churchgate-bound slow local train from
Dadar to Mumbai Central, I was bound to miss my Kota train by a close
margin. And I would have been lamenting like anything. This reality
shuddered me. I realized Krishna orchestrated everything to help me
catch my Kota train because he wanted me to share his sublime message
of Bhagavad Gita. Some may argue that it was sheer coincidence. But to
quote Einstein, “Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous.”
Sometimes, we get morose in our life, but if we are chanting holy
names of the Lord and are putting our best, although things may not
turn out the way we want it to be, but rest assured it is for our
better. God has the perfect plan for each one of us.
There were 80 students present for the talk. As I shared this incident in my talk, few from the audience expressed
in the post-talk discussions that this incident really inspired them
to accept the reality and depend on God. And it made my day.

Idle Curiocity & cure

In my company there was a lady. when I saw her, I found a kind of aristocracy in her dealings. She was behaving carefully & had good sense of dressing to cover her body. Although it may look like very usual but its getting very rare in the modern world specially software industry. So I felt a bit of more respect for her , But I found next 2/3 days when I would come to company I was unnecessarily curious about it. It was definitely was not a carnal but I was reminded idle curiocity is dangerous. Specially for the for one in pursuance of absolute truth &  he has to be careful about the patterns flowing in his mind.

Curiosity is the human tendency to know everything, good or bad, about a person or thing.
Few example of idle curiocity are to read the letters of other persons without permission, to examine the contents of the drawers or closets of a person, to look at, read or peruse someone’s papers or notes left on the desk or atop a work table.
Actually for many people the idle curiocity leads to many pitfalls in the life.

For many people the idle curiocity leads to smoking of cigarettes, watching pornography movies, to indulge into impure habbits. Later then they have to lament for the mistakes they have commited. Even idle curiocity which is not sinful but beyond perview of ones work is is not very good becuase scriptures say that Human form of life is very rare & even the life span in this form is very little so one should be careful to utilise his time. The cause of the idle curiocity is when mind is not occupied with fixed goal or purpose. When there is no definite direction in the life then we tend to experiment.

When I was writing this article I found Catholic manual of civility says something very nice related about curiocity

"Curiosity is bad, when it is scandalous. It is scandalous when one looks at what is indecent, be it at the theater or movies, or in photographs, books, magazines, and so on. Today we must include at the top of that list the obscene pictures plenteously found on the Internet. Looking at such things is morally sinful.
Curiosity is bad, when it suggests purchasing pernicious books containing doctrine against the Faith and good customs. Love romances are also dangerous traps by which the Devil snatches uprightness and purity of customs from souls, especially women.

Curiosity is bad, fourth, when it is idle. Idle curiosity consists in the blinding desire for novelties of all types: from political news to the latest scandals or romantic entanglements of neighbors or movie stars. It is idle because the person obsessed by such things looks at everything without seeing anything, without fixing his attention on immediate, proximate things. The only aim of this curiosity is to offer new information to others who have the same defect. Their conversation always starts with the eager question: “Did you hear the latest?” Then he pours his futile information into the ears of his companions. "

The idle curiocity is propelled by provoking advertisements, erotic films which overpromises or many times deludes the people about happiness which they can get by lavish lifestyle , uncontrolled indulgence in the gratification of the senses
superficial display of one’s status  in the society.
But one can immediately curb it by the strengthening the intelligence by the words of the scriptures. Like BG says
ye hi sam´sparsa-ja bhoga
duhkha-yonaya eva te
ady-antavantah kaunteya
na tes?u ramate budhah

"An intelligent person does not take part in the sources of misery, which are due to contact with the material senses. O son of Kunti, such pleasures have a beginning and an end, and so the wise man does not delight in them."
So scriptures work 2 ways they expose the false promise of happiness through sense gratification & they guide us to inquire about something higher which will make us actually happy.

When we direct our curiocity to know about the Lord, Scriptures say its perfection of the curiocity. Because its beneficial for all the living entities.

munayah sadhu prishto 'ham
bhavadbhir loka-mangalam
yat kritah krishna-samprasno
yenatma suprasidati

"O sages, I have been justly questioned by you. Your questions are worthy because they relate to Lord Krishna and so are of relevance to the world's welfare. Only questions of this sort are capable of completely satisfying the self." (Bhag. 1.2.5)

The way to come out of idle curiocity is to follow the path shown by great people. Ramanujacharya, Madhvacharya, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprubhu, Srila Prabhupad these personalities clearly
show a Actually material things although they may be very new but the experience is always old and dull over the period of time but the nature of the spiritual practices is although the things are very old but the experience is always fresh.

tad eva ramyam´ ruciram´ navam´ navam´
tad eva sasvan manaso mahotsavam
tad eva sokarn?ava-sos?an?am´ nr?n?am´
yad uttamah?sloka-yaso 'nugiyate

"Those words describing the glories of the all-famous Personality of Godhead are attractive, relishable and ever fresh. Indeed, such words are a perpetual festival for the mind, and they dry up the ocean of misery."

Finally, by this time I am fully busy in projects inside company & outside of it. And demeanor of that motherly lady also hardly can be compared to that of Lord Ram even when he was in forest since recently I have read Ramayan.

All glories to Vivek Kulkarni Pr.

Dear Vivek Pr.,

Hare Krishna,

Please accept my humble obeisance’s.

All glories to Srila Prabhupad! All glories to Sri Guru & Sri Gauranga!

On this auspicious day of your appearance although you are hundreds of kilometers away (555 km’s exactly) but  warmth of your love & affection still protects me from the cold formal impersonal  atmosphere of company. To be in the company where I work  I had to qualify the criteria, but to be in your company you saw that I am very unqualified & you blessed me with association Krishna in the form of his devotees. To remain in company I had to take so many assessment but for you, I assessed your tolerance, patience, calmness & humility etc.  so many times but you always kept me in your company, such merciful is your character. While company motivates me to meet the deadlines in the hopeless world; you are inspiring me for initiation of journey of endless love.

Srila Prabhupad writes in the purport of SB 1.5.28

Transcendental loving service for the Supreme Lord is the natural inclination of every living being. The instinct is dormant in everyone, but due to the association of material nature the modes of passion and ignorance cover this from time immemorial. If, by the grace of the Lord and the great-souled devotees of the Lord, a living being becomes fortunate enough to associate with the unadulterated devotees of the Lord and gets a chance to hear the unadulterated glories of the Lord, certainly the flow of devotional service takes place like the flow of a river.

My flow of devotional service was choked up from time immemorial but you became the instrument in paving the way for the flow of my devotional service. Not only that but you always vigilant that my flow should not go astray but reach to its ultimate destination, to the oceanic love of Krishna Prem!

            Your eagerness to practice devotional service is unparallel. Another high class quality of you is your uncomplaining nature. Although your health was very bad & you are currently far from association but you humbly accepted that without cribbing to anybody.

As stated in SB 10.14.48 purport

    A sincere devotee earnestly desires to go back to the Lord's abode. Therefore he willingly accepts the Lord's merciful punishment and continues offering respects and obeisance’s to the Lord with his heart, words and body. Such a bona fide servant of the Lord, considering all hardship a small price to pay for gaining the personal association of the Lord, certainly becomes a legitimate son of God, as indicated here by the words daya-bhak. Just as one cannot approach the sun without becoming fire, one cannot approach the supreme pure, Lord Krishna, without undergoing a rigid purificatory process, which may appear like suffering but which is in fact a curative treatment administered by the personal hand of the Lord.

You are exemplifying lines of above purport by your personal example.

Your gentle & calm demeanor soothes the heart of anybody associating with you and you like association of senior Vaisnavas especially HG PHP, HG BGP. In yatra you got association of HG Radheshyam Pr. HG Gaurang Pr.  & HG Shyamanand Pr.   also because of your sincere hankering.

As stated in Srimad Bhagavatam 1.5.29, Narada says
TRANSLATION
I was very much attached to those sages. I was gentle in behavior, and all my sins were eradicated in their service. In my heart I had strong faith in them. I had subjugated the senses, and I was strictly following them with body and mind.

Anybody knows you will tell that first thing they noted about you is that  you are very cool headed & never waste time.

In letter to Madhudvisha Srila Prabhupada writes

  “So now you must all my senior disciples and leaders become very, very much aware of your grave responsibility to the human society for delivering them from the clutches of catastrophe, and be always cool-headed and utilize every moment in the best manner possible.”

You are possessing all these wonderful qualification necessary to practice devotional service. You are specially endowed with all musical talents to glorify the holy name & you like to do so very much!

Your company is one of the most precious gift I possess in Krishna consciousness. I am very thankful to you for being so kind to me

& always encouraging me in all my thick & thins. My only one complain to you is you are very miser in correcting me & I need that in abundance. Time is short to describe all your wonderful qualities so I could only touch those which came in my mind without much thinking.

I pray to Lord that you may get all necessary empowerment to execute will of the Lord in the glorious mission of Srila Prabhupad

Please forgive me for all my offense & Please pray for me that one day I will able to serve devotees properly

your servant,

tushar

I bow down to the glorious son of mother Hara

Dear Indraveer Prabhu,
Hare Krishna!

Dandavat!

All glories to Indraveer Prabhu! All glories to Srila Prabhupad!

"Your mood to help your juniors in practice of Krishna consciousness is suitably adapted to the Radheshyam prabhu's mood of preaching. When your throat emits sweet melodious  sounds of Hare krishna  & vibrant notes of harmonium are softly played (sometimes vigorously also) by you, it inspires all devotees to sing enthusiastically & from the core of their hearts, infused with aspects of devotional service. You are accompanied by all good skills & talents for the sankirtana movement which is a religious practice for the age of kali. You are brilliant ornament of Srila Prabhupad’s movement.  You are always accompanied by nice realizations & pastimes of Krishna’s transcendental abode. You motivate purer level of devotion to Krishna by your own example & you are very attractive to all of your associates. By preaching in your place you caused minds young & old village women & men dance in the tunes of Hare krishna. Your dislike to materialistic association, materialistic talk is like raging wind that heralds the daunting rain.

I remember when you used to utter holy name, it awakened sweet flavor to life in the VOICE!

I bow down to you Indraveer pr., a beautiful (in & out) son of mother Hara!"

I wish very very Krishna conscious appearance day to you! May lord bestow all his mercy upon you.

Whenever I remember you Indraveer Pr. it reminds me of your seriousness, sincerity, gravity, obedience , tolerance & extreme determination.

Please forgive me for my offenses & Please pray for me!

Your servant,

Tushar