Hare Krsna !
Welcome to the alien world of my thoughts and dreams. Before we embark our journey, let me forewarn you- the entangled mesh of my thoughts may seem a little weird n fairly crazy to many, agreeable to a few and totally dumb to some others- but nonetheless, it would be a pleasant journey. A fun filled journey- You and Me- sharing few moments in each others company, together trying to decipher the intricacies of the puzzle called Life.
Lets start with a prayer.....
This is a prayer for all beings- young and old-regardless of caste, creed or colour; for believer and atheist alike.
Sit down ,quiet your mind- Say,
"May I be free from fear
May I be free from suffering,
May I be happy,
May I be filled with loving kindness."
Next focus on someone you love and say it on their behalf, then do it for a neutral person, maybe some one you don't know and finally for someone you dislike. In doing so, you nourish seeds of kindness and love in yourself and then let it radiate outside.
Sit down ,quiet your mind- Say,
"May I be free from fear
May I be free from suffering,
May I be happy,
May I be filled with loving kindness."
Next focus on someone you love and say it on their behalf, then do it for a neutral person, maybe some one you don't know and finally for someone you dislike. In doing so, you nourish seeds of kindness and love in yourself and then let it radiate outside.
We have to realize that fear is what is dragging us back. We have to understand that suffering is a part of this world and that we ourselves can initiate to get rid of it. We have to know that suffering stems from desire, from expectation, from self-centeredness. If we have to be happy we need our expectations to be controlled. To divert our ever wandering heart and intellect to Him.
I have felt many a times- my greatest handicap is fear- fear of something ill happening, fear of being infamous, fear of being wrong, fear of being criticized, fear of being imperfect, fear of loving, fear of not being loved.... umpteen fears whose root cause is ignorance. I try so hard to free my mind from the iron fist of baseless fears, but they take their toll. I wish if God would give me enough faith to trust Him than my fears, I wish if He would light my way enough to see that what I assume to be ghost is just another tree on the way, to open my eyes to see what love is, in its real sense.
I am like the night flies- too easily tempted by a burning candle. They assume it to be a warm red flower in the cold, dark night. At first dancing around the fire and then trying to come nearer to the flame flower , eventually to find itself sans wings, sans life. Me too, in the rush of the world, in the net of passions and temptations, find myself caught in a flurry of emotions. I wish to be free , but when one part of my heart longs for freedom another part loathes it. I am divided in my own being- all I can do is ask Him to lead, to take my hand in His, to carry me when I just can't go on. To guide me right when I go astray, to hold me tight when I stagger. And to kindly; with Infinite patience and love; lead me to Truth- to serve Him and Be His.
1 comment:
Dearest Tulsi,
Thank you for beginning your post with this known prayer. It is beneficial for those who don't do any prayer to start...anyway... and somehow, just start. So I like how you encourage others to pray this prayer first for themselves, then branching out to care for others. But imagine if we put Krsna in the center.
May Krsna be free from fear.
May Krsna be free from suffering.
May Krsna be happy.
May Krsna be filled with loving kindness.
Then we can think, how to fulfil these prayers:
Krsna will not be fearful for us when we take shelter of His Lotus Feet, and feel His Divine Protection.
"Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto Me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reaction. Do not fear."
Krsna will no suffer when we stop trying to enjoy independently, neglecting Him.
In the Srimad-Bhagavatam it is stated: tat te 'nukampam susamiksamano. Whenever a devotee is in distress or has fallen into difficulty, he thinks that it is the Lord's mercy upon him. He thinks: "Thanks to my past misdeeds I should suffer far, far greater than I am suffering now. So it is by the mercy of the Supreme Lord that I am not getting all the punishment I am due. I am just getting a little, by the mercy of the Supreme Personality of Godhead." (SP)
Krsna will be happy when we voluntarily take up our eternal constitutional position of His Divine service.
"Always think of Me and become My devotee. Worship Me and offer your homage unto Me. Thus you will come to Me without fail. I promise you this because you are My very dear friend. "
Krsna will be certainlly filled with loving kindness towards us as we strive in on the path of bhakti.
"Because the pure devotee engaged in Krsna consciousness in devotional service of the Supreme Lord achieves eternal blissful existence that is full of knowledge, his achievements and those of the common worshiper of the demigods are different. The Supreme Lord is unlimited; His favor is unlimited; His mercy is unlimited. Therefore the mercy of the Supreme Lord upon His pure devotees is unlimited."
I just thought this was an intersting exercise for expansion.
Or even substitute the name of Srila Gurudev in the prayer:
May Srila Gurudeva be free from fear.
(Fear for me, his disciple, falling down into material life.)
Action to take: fortify myself with the 9 processes of devotional service to prevent accidental falldown. etc.
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