human equation

Basically this is the equation...

animal propensities + dharma (selfless service to God) = human being
human being - dharma (selfless service to God) = animal propensities

Today, essentially human civilization is glorified animal civilization (as God is not the center). Not surprised with all the fighting going on between nations, communities and people!

Below is the verse.

āhāra-nidrā-bhaya-maithunaṁ ca
sāmānyam etat paśubhir narāṇām
dharmo hi teṣām adhiko viśeṣo
dharmeṇa hīnāḥ paśubhiḥ samānāḥ

Eating, sleeping, sex, and defense—these four principles are common to both human beings and animals. The distinction between human life and animal life is that a man can search after God but an animal cannot. That is the difference. Therefore a man without that urge for searching after God is no better than an animal.

Hare Krishna

Material Nature

MATERIAL NATURE	GOODNESS/SATVA	PASSION/RAJAS	IGNORANCE/TAMA
BASIC NATURE	Illuminates the mind and intelligence, sense of happiness and knowledge.	Unlimited desires, longings, selfish actions, deep attachment, intense endeavor, hankering.	Delusion, madness, indolence and sleep
RESULT OF ACTION	Pure	Misery	Foolishness
DEVELOPMENT OF MIND	Knowledge develops.	Greed develops.	Foolishness, madness and illusion develops.
NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE	Knowledge to see the undivided spiritual nature in all living entities, even though seemingly divided by bodily differences.	Knowledge to see the body to be the self and different types of bodies as the self and differentiate accordingly.	knowledge by which one is attached to work only as the all in all without knowledge of the true self or Supreme truth.
NATURE OF ACTION	Action in a regulated fashion without attachment to selfish results, love or hate.	Action performed with great effort to gratify one’s desires out of ego and pride.	Action disregarding scriptures, without concern for future results. Causes violence and distress to others.
NATURE OF WORK/DUTIES	Work with determination and enthusiasm unwavering in success or failure. Free from ego, pride.	Work with attachment to work, and fruit of work desiring to enjoy the fruits. Greedy, envious, impure and disturbed by joy and sorrow (resulting from success and failure).	Work against the injunctions of the scripture. Materialistic, obstinate, cheating, expert in criticizing others, lazy, always morose and procrastinating.
NATURE OF INTELLIGENCE	Intelligence to discriminate what is to be done/not done, what is to be feared/not feared, what is binding/liberating.	Intelligence to discriminate dharma and adharma, what is to be done and not be done.	Intelligence to consider religion to be irreligion and irreligion to be religion. Always in illusion and darkness and strives in the wrong direction.
NATURE OF DETERMINATION	Determination to be steady by sustained practice, controls the mind, and senses through meditation and yoga.	Determination which attaches one to selfish results in religion, economic development and sense gratification.	Determination that cannot go beyond dreaming, fearfulness, lamentation, moroseness and illusion.
NATURE OF HAPPINESS	Like poison in the beginning but like nectar at the end.	Derived from contact of the senses including the mind. Feels like nectar in the beginning but poison at the end.	Blind to self-realization, delusional from beginning to end. Arises from sleep, laziness and illusion.
FOOD	Increase the duration of life, purify one’s existence, gives strength, health, happiness, and satisfaction. Food is juicy, fatty, wholesome, and pleasing to the heart.	Too bitter, too sour, salty, hot, pungent, dry and burning causing distress, misery and disease.	Food prepared more than three hours before being eaten, tasteless, decomposed and putrid, and food consisting of remnants and untouchable things.
YAJNA or SACRFICE	Performed according to the directions of scripture, as a matter of duty, desire for no reward.	Performed for some material benefit, or pride.	Performed without regard to scriptures, no distribution of prasādam [spiritual food], no chanting of Vedic hymns and no remunerations to the priests, and with no faith.
BODY,SPEECH and MIND	Using body, speech and mind not for material benefits but only for the sake of pleasing the Supreme.	Using body, speech and mind out of pride and for the sake of gaining respect, honor and worship. It is neither stable nor permanent.	Using body, speech and mind out of foolishness, with self-torture or to destroy or injure others.
WORSHIP/FAITH	Worship demigods	Worship demons	Worships ghosts and spirits
CHARITY	Given out of duty, without expectation of return, at the proper time and place, and to a worthy person.	Given with the expectation of some return, or with a desire for selfish results, or in a grudging mood.	Given at an impure place, improper time, to unworthy persons, or without proper attention and respect.
AT DEATH	Born again in higher planets.	Born again in earthly realm (born in a family where selfish actions are predominant).	Born again in animal kingdom.

 source: Bhagavad Gita chapters 14,17 and 18

Supreme Personality of Godhead Lord Sri Krishna says:

One who engages in full devotional service unto Me, unfailing in all circumstances, at once transcends material nature and thus comes to My eternal nature– BG 14.26

Hare Krishna

Initiation is the beginning and a voluntary bond

The ceremony of diksha, initiation, is that by which the spiritual preceptor admits one to the status of a neophyte on the path of spiritual endeavor. The ceremony tends to confer spiritual enlightenment by abrogating sinfulness. Its actual effect depends on the degree of willing co-operation on the part of the disciple and is, therefore, not the same in all cases. It does not preclude the possibility of reversion of the novice to the non-spiritual state if he slackens in his effort or misbehaves. Initiation puts a person on the true track and also imparts an initial impulse to go ahead. It cannot, however, keep one going for good unless one chooses to put forth his own voluntary effort.... Unless the soul of its own accord chooses to serve Krishna after obtaining a working idea of his real nature, it cannot long retain the spiritual vision. The soul is never compelled by Krishna to serve him.

- By His Divine Grace Srila Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati Takur Prabhupada, Sajjana-toshani, volume 26, number 7 December 1928

My take away points on initiation are;

1. Sets the neophyte on the spiritual path
2. Confers enlightenment through canceling of sinful behavior
3. Progress depends on cooperation of the disciple to the instructions' of the spiritual master
4. It is a voluntary process (no force)

Hare Krishna

Seven-tongued flame of Sri Krishna Sankirtana

Seven-tongued flame refers to the seven characteristics of Sri Krishna Sankirtana as explained by Srila Bhaktivinod Takur in his Sammodana-bhasya commentary.

1. ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanaḿ - cleansing the mirror of the heart
2. bhava-mahā-dāvāgni-nirvāpaṇaḿ - extinguishing the blazing forest fire of material existence
3. śreyaḥ-kairava-candrikā-vitaraṇaḿ - one receives the benediction of pure devotional service, compared to moonshine spreading the white lily of good fortune
4. vidyā-vadhū-jīvanam - the life and soul of all knowledge; the devotee receives the benediction of knowledge of his eternal identity
5. ānandāmbudhi-vardhanaḿ prati-padaḿ - expanding the blissful ocean of transcendental life
6. pūrṇāmṛtāsvādanaḿ - tasting full nectar at every step
7. sarvātma-snapanaḿ - the self is wholly cleansed of all desires other than for selfless devotional service

- Sri Bhaktisiddhanta Vaibhava Vol. one, page 121

Its just a thought…

Everyone is attached to their body and mind. But if we are not this body and mind, then what are we attached to? How can we be attached to something we are not? Like if I am not my car, how can I be attached to my car. The fact is we are not attached to the car, literally speaking. We are attached to the idea of the car.

Similarly, the soul (real self) is not attached to the body or mind. But the soul which has the aspect of cognizance is "attached" to the “idea” or “thought” of being the body and mind. This idea or thought is not real or illusion. So in essence, the soul is attached to an unreal thought. The who process of spiritual life is to give up this unreal thought, not give up the body or mind but give up the unreal thought we are the body and mind.

How to do that? – by pitting another thought in its place, a more powerful thought or idea. That is, we are servants of God Krishna. But it is not that easy because over millions of years (births), we have been mentally trained to be attached to the thought or idea of body and mind. To reverse this takes a herculean effort which only Krishna can do.

For Krishna, it is just a thought. Just as He lifted Govardhan hill, Krishna can banish the thought of body and mind and replace it with His own. Simply, we pray in humility and take shelter of His grace and mercy! Otherwise, its just a thought we are attached to!

Hare Krishna