Meditations on Transcendence

Everywhere 'Avatar' buzz is doing the rounds. Nowadays you will not find a single primetime channel which does not have slot reserved for something about 'avatar'. According to initial reports, Avatar seems like a technological leap interms of cinema making and breathtaking experience. There seems also a hidden message in the movie related to global warming. The exploitative nature of human beings is brought out. The society of Navi depicted in Avatar seems like close to description of Vedic society. Living in harmony with nature, in close alignment and worship of their diety. In the movie, a human being is transplanted to the Navi community using DNA transformation. The human becomes like a Navi with 10ft in height and blue skinned(Sri Krishna's color???) physique. According to the movie, an avatar will mean entering a alien society adopting the foreign physical features. Lets explore what 'Avatar' means in the Vedic texts.

We integrate into another when we take up the cause of the other. This is called yoga which means union. When we shed all our independence and will and take up the pleasure of the supreme person as the only purpose of existance, then we unite into the supreme. We enter samadhi. The only way to enter the higher existance of the supreme person is by embracing his cause, his will, his desire as the purpose of life. How do I know what pleases him or what is his will, desire at every moment? The will is not like the dead person's will or power of attorney. It is a dynamic will which can change at every moment. So what is the medium thru which I can know the will of the supreme consciousness.

All of us have the experience of being in love. When in love, one wants to hear about our beloved(Sravanam), remember them(smaranam) or speak about beloved's qualities with our confidants(kirtanam). Almost everyday I come back from work, I ask my wife to narrate my daughter's activities for the day. Daughters are very dear to the Fathers and they take pleasure even in the trivia. In love, trivia brings in so much ananda. Even when I was in Munich on a business trip, I would get my daily dosage of my daughter's activities...........

The Lord appears in multiple forms - in all kinds of wordly elements. Worldly elements i mean - plants, animals, Human being, sound, water etc. Regarding plants, tulasi is the manifestation of divinity. By properly worshipping and caring of the Tulasi plant, one can get the desire for attaining Bhagavan and also increase the probability of meeting Sri Bhagavan's own men wandering in this planet in disguise. Cow is also an emblem of divinity. Go-seva is very prominent as a method for cleansing consciousness in Braj mandal (Mathura-Vrindavan). Be caring for the cow and showering affection, ones lost love for Sri Krishna can be awakened. The seven holy rivers of India have immense potential to cleanse our inner being and arouse the urge to get out of this miserable world. 'Gangeca, yamune caiva, Godavari Saraswati, narmade sindhu cauvery Jale smin sannidhim kuru' goes a famous sanskrit verse. By bathing in these holy rivers one can have immense benefit. It is better to plan on...

105 dead consuming spurious liquor in Ahmedabad. Liquor intoxicates us and makes us numb about the reality in the world. Why do humans prefer intoxicating beverages like tea, coffee, alcohol etc? Intoxication acts on the nervous system and releases certain chemicals in the brain which give a sense of euphoria. This helps us to tolerate the reality of hard labor in this world. Everyone is subjected to hard labor in one form or the other. To sustain this body one needs to serve by working hard. Most of us desire life full of fun frolic and we work hard to escape hardwork infuture. Many financial magazines have this article of how to makeup for a second income equivalent to your first income by intelligent investing. But hardly anyone is successful in evading hardwork, stress and tension to makeup for sustenence and maintenance. The universal law is - to sustain ones existance one cannot skip hard work. So intoxicants are a short cut patch solution to make our nerves numb to the impact o...

Over the last month in all major newspapers and news channels we have been hearing of poor monsoons this year in India. The northwest India including the states of Punjab and Haryana are most affected by this. Are we in control of rains? Can we with all the pride in science control monsoons or are we still at nature's mercy? The latter is the unfortunate answer. The phenomenon of how rains are caused is understood but when special causes of variation disturb this cycle, Humanity is not able to fix them. Do we lack a wholistic understanding of the whole universe as a system of interconnected components and phenomenon? Science understanding of the universe and allopathy's understanding of human body is very similar. Allopathy is aplying havoc in the human body just like Industrial revolution has played havoc with natural systems in the universe. An example of allopathy's follies is that when one takes antibiotics for curing bacterial infection, it destoys the positive bacteri...

Riots in china - think the muslim insurgency is taking a strong hold in china also. Is the iron willed communistic rule shaken? The communist rule in contrast to democracy does not give much freedom for raising individual voice. Opinions in opposition to governmental stance will be dealt with force. It is a monololy of a single party - the communist party. The vices of kaliyuga is curtailed by democracy where single decision making and monopoly is discouraged. Satva guna is very rare in Kaliyuga. Under the influence of Rajas and Tamas, selfishness dominates every individual's mindset. People don’t find satisfaction in service but use positions of authority for self aggrandizement. Satisfaction of service is superior to satisfaction obtained by refined gratification of senses. Democracy is the best of the worst arrangement to counteract the effects of rajas and tamas. The hope is that collective decision making and management will keep in check the excessive aggrandizement of selfis...

The newly appointed government in india declared the annual budget. Budget an exercise of resource allocation. Government has income and expenditure just like any functional organization. Major part of the income comes from the tax payer. How this income is allocated to different developmental projects. Most governmental development projects are not for profits. But the thing created by the project has to be maintained for its sustained use. A budget is also a planning exercise which needs lots of foresight. There are both allocation for yearly projects and continued input to long term projects. How does a governmental budget contrast a corporate budget? ROI for each budget allocation component is critical for corporate. There are various scenarios. New investments, continued investments, short term profits - corporates are measured by quarterly results - hence a balance between long term and short term allocations is very critical. The 3 major activities of a corporation are operatin...

Just after a month Air france flight crashed into the ocean killing all 250 people, Yemen air craft crashes and 153 people killed. Marvels of modern technology the aircraft, is becoming susceptible to nature's fury. Nature is destroying the false pride of human technology. Many scientists almost live in a state of consciosuness which claims victory over nature. But new strains of virus are challenging medical science and new weather patterns are challenging the flight technology. The nature is like a software system. Exploitation of nature in remote corner of africa can cause weather pattern changes in America. This is global warming which is showing the interconnectedness of natural phenomena. Rains, weather patterns are all correlated across the globe. Its not enough just to gaurd national interests to protect the ecology. One has to wear a universal hat and become a universal citizen. Will there be a day where we may see coexistance of universal and national government. The UN g...

After i switched companies, my new company asked me travel to Munich for 3 weeks. This was my second trip to Europe and the longest. The earlier trip was to Milano for 2 weeks. These trips happened at different times of my spiritual evolution. I was a rookie when i went to Milano having the childlike enthusiasm of a novice. How to maintain ones consciosuness inflight and during trips abroad is a challenge and one learns with multiple experiences. Food impacts consciosuness like nothing else. A spiritualist is always careful on what he eats, where and when. Once having tasted the high levels, a spiritual aspirant fears going down due to temptation of the tongue. I always ensure that i take an apartment so that iam not at the mercy of meat restaurants. One always finds good yogurt in western countries with flavored yogurt being an exception. Flavored yogurt has gelatin in it which can be an animal derivative. In contrast to US, europe is better that their ice creams and desserts dont hav...

After much clamour and controversy in US, the gay rights movement have made a beginning last week in Bangalore India. In US different states have contrasting legislations either banning gay marriages or honoring them and providing equal rights as traditional marriage. The basis is the emotional and physical bonding between two beings. Forces of attraction are prominent in the universe which bonds/attracts two or more entities. Why some forces of attraction be banished and some honored?Just because opposite sex attraction is more prevalent since time immemorial we honor it and the same sex attraction being a recent phenomenon we tend to antagonise it? If somebody gets divine attraction and quits society, becomes a sanyasi to pursue and nurture divine attraction, that is also condemned by society. Mass mentality opposes change of any kind. Change is progress and can lead humanity to higher levels of consciousness. When subjected to forces of attraction one obtains happiness or pleasure. ...

For the past 3 days all major news channels have one or the other discussion on education reforms initiated by Kapil Sibal. To make india more competitive, to increase the number of doctorates, to reduce the burden of exams, to enhance learning are some of the lofty goals of this revolutionary initiative. What is learning? what to learn? these have to be understood by diving deep. The faculty of reasoning is what separates us from all other species on earth. Reasoning is the process of understanding the layers of causation of any observable phenomena. Understanding the levels of 'Why' for impactful occurences around us. Learning incorporates people phenomena, nature phenomena. Fields of biology, chemistry, physics try to understand phenomenon in nature. The fields of Anthropology, psychology, behavioral sciences belong to the category of people phenomena. Technology belongs to the domain of creating products and services for diverse sensual experiences of the future. The founda...

Today morning as I browsed thru Google news - the untimely demise of the rock star Michael Jackson flashed across on major news sites. A singing sensation and a wholesome entertainer who had a massive world following cutting across national boudaries. It is said that early fame and money takes its own toll. Why did Jackson become reclusive in mid life? Why does fame, money corrupt individuals? This is very important to understand. Because majority of middle class is pursuing these ideals of fame and riches. The case of Jackson makes us sceptical - why does fame and money consume the owner? What happens when this goal is met more than expectation? Its important to delve on this from the perspective of the Gita. Culture of a nation or society is known primarily by what the citizens value and crave for. In contrast to the capitalistic western culture, the vedic society valued attainment of spiritual status. A brahmana who valued and practiced simple living and high thinking was respected ...

The racist attacks is a result of bodily identification. This creates artificial boundaries and groups. Based on various criteria many groups are created with the foundation of artificial identities. The interests between groups clash for lack of a common interest. Fights violence is the result. In the true yoga process as preached by SriKrishna in the Gita, one undergoes a deidentification phenomenon on a daily process. This process enables the cosmic identity as a component of the supreme person and all transitory identities are done away with. This is the first theoretical step to get free from the entanglement of the body. The following sloka of the Gita is very relevant to solve the racism problem. Chapter 15. The Yoga of the Supreme Person TEXT 7 mamaivamso jiva-loke jiva-bhutah sanatanah manah-sasthanindriyani prakrti-sthani karsati SYNONYMS mama--My; eva--certainly; amsah--fragmental particles; jiva-loke--world of conditional life; jiva-bhutah--the conditioned living ent...

Spiritual sadhana is opposing the material energy governed by Goddess Durga. Without access to Guru Shakti it is very difficult to oppose the degrading pull of material energy. One has to evolve to divinity and not degrade by the association of mode of passion and ignorance. The effect of Guru SHakti is immense faith that the goal of satchitananda is attained thru complete surrender and service to Sri Krishna. Giving up all sense of ownership because in reality nobody owns anything here - ownership mentality of mineness or mamatva buddhi is the root of all evils - Ownership and doer mentality - Sarva loka maheswaram - Lord Krishna owns everything!!!Kirtaniya sada harih - this is the only duty - dont worry for Protection, maintenance and plan for enjoyment

The band of Guru Shakti operates in a discontinous way on earth to atract people to divinity. Thru Sri Guru, Sri Krishna reclaims fallen souls. Sri Guru is empowerment of Sri Krishna - without surrendering to this shakti it is not possible to get insight into the spiritual world - surrender to Guru shakti with completely giving up mamatva buddhi is the only means. Presenlty Guru Shakti is operating thru Srila Gurudeva - Bhaktivedanta Narayana Goswami Maharaja and request all souls on planet not to miss this powerful shakti emanated by Gurudeva. By coming under the shelter of this shakti, one can transform oneself into a pure lover of Sri Krishna in manjari bhava. Guru SHakti enables one to attain Satchitananda existance Thru the medium of service one can access the all transforming power of Guru Shakti Guru Shakti also emanates love and affection

Dharma is that which sustains ones existance - So according to Gaudiya Vaisnava school of thought Krishna prema is the dharma of every living being. Why do you think advanced devotees can sustain without food water etc? Becasue having achieved Krishna prema and saturated with it, Prem sustains them - Prem is the thing which really sustains us - others are artificial sustenence. During sadhaka stage it is important to nourish the body with food etc.....So our sadhana to attain prem maintains us Death is absence of sustenence - an identity which is illusory and artificial has to die and decay - only the real identity will be sustained by the universe - One can sustain for eternity and become timless by achieving Krishna prema

How to distinguish between illusion and reality? What are the parameters for saying something is reality? Happiness and ecstacy are parameters for reality - If a state of existance provides for uninterrupted happiness - can this be called reality? What is Sri Krishna telling in Gita about illusion and reality? Illusion is generated by conception of what this world is about? A personal conception of this world - The conception of this world in the mind generates action - an illusory conception generates illusory actions - mamatva buddhi towards illusory things - Vraja conception is reality - Sri Krishna is urging to give illusory conceptions of this world and surrender to the Vraja conception of service to him - This will bring in all auspiciousness to the self. The question who am i has multi dimensions - one is what is the substance iam really made of? The other dimension is 'what am i' in relation to the environment? From a substance perspective, we are not made of the pancab...

Creator will have a way to communicate to us of his existance and what this cosmos is all about. What is real pleasure or happiness? He should communicate ....... He will and it is logical. What if big bang is a reality? It cannot be since intelligence is behind anything wonderful. Plus pursuing the goal of satchitananda is very important - it is the highest all encompassing perfect goal possible for humanity. If in human life one does not pursue the goal of satchitananda, he is an animal. When one pursues the pure goal of satchitananda, he cannot but come and knock on the door of GIa, Bhagavatham. When we have our own cooked up concept of satchitananda, we tend to worship demigods for material profit.

Existance of another world and we really belong there than here. The world of suffering, anxiety, unpredicatability. Is it just escapism and hallucination about a world of God where the supreme Hero Lord Sri Krishna rules? or is there such a reality? Whom to believe? Whom to trust? Our ideal ambition should be to achieve Sat-Chit-ananda. The universal energy assists one in achieving whatever goal one has. So we will be treading the right path when we have to right goal. To decide the right goal - as expansive and as ideal as ever - which has all other goals as subsets. Can such a goal be possible? Yes - Sat-chit-ananda is such a goal. Dont have means as your goals - but the goal has to be a core need - a fundamental need thru which everything else will be satisified - attaining which there will be no more to attain - Friends - Sat-chit-ananda is such a goal. We are in a hopeless situation - we dont know what we really need. Scriptures say that Krishna Bhakti is what we as a minute unit...