Fwd: [Granthraj] Freedom from Material Attachment - Part 2
Sri Krishna Hari Das Satish Gosain
Yours
Dr. Satish Chander Gosain
M.B., B. S., D.N.B.(i) Med
Member Festival Committee, ISKCON Delhi.Initiated Name: Sri Krishna Hari Das (GKG)
Congregational Preacher, ISKCON Delhi, NCR & North India.
Govind Madhav Herbal Tea
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From: Granthraj <gran...@mahavishnugoswami.com>
Date: Tue, Jun 13, 2023 at 4:57 PM
Subject: [Granthraj] Freedom from Material Attachment - Part 2
To: <granthr...@mahavishnugoswami.com>
Hare Krishna Prabhujis and Matajis,
Please accept my humble obeisances. All glories to Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva.
This is in continuation of the previous offering titled "Freedom from Material Attachment". In the previous offering we saw that
1. Our attachments to this material world are deep-rooted.
2. When we surrender to Krishna, fix our mind on Krishna, by His grace we can get detached from material things.
Now we shall see further.
Parikshit Maharaj by attentively hearing about Lord Krishna from Sukadev Goswami could strengthen his faith on Him. Srila Prabhupada says that even before the curse, Parikshit Maharaj due to the good association and training of his grand-parents and mother, was always remembering Krishna and was trying to dovetail everything in Krishna's service. He was particular to protect the Krishna consciousness of his subjects also and we can see how he gave very restricted entry only to Kali also - so that his citizens could also be Krishna conscious.
His Divine Grace further says, "Attachment for household paraphernalia and for Lord Kṛṣṇa go poorly together. One attachment is the path of darkness, and the other attachment is the path of light. Where there is light, there is no darkness, and where there is darkness, there is no light. But an expert devotee can turn everything to the path of light by an attitude of service to the Lord, and the best example here is the Pāṇḍavas. Mahārāja Yudhiṣṭhira and householders like him can turn everything to light by dovetailing so-called material assets in the service of the Lord, but one who is not trained or is unable to turn everything to the service of the Lord (nirbandhaḥ kṛṣṇa-sambandhe) must give up all material connections before he can be fit to hear and chant the glories of the Lord, or in other words, one who has seriously heard Srimad Bhagavatam for even one day, like Mahārāja Parīkṣit, from a fit personality like Śukadeva Gosvāmī, may be able to lose all affinity for material things."
So we see here that when we take shelter of pure devotees of the Lord and follow their instructions, then detachment from material things becomes very natural without any artificial force. We can see the lives of devotees like Mrgari, Ajamila, Dhruva Maharaj, Citraketu etc. Each one of them, by the grace of Lord were blessed with association of devotees like Narada Muni, Vishnudutas etc. As a result of hearing their words with great attention and trying to practise those instructions in their lives, they could not only become free from material attachment, but could also get the gift of attachment to Lord Krishna - His names and pastimes and thereby attain the perfection of life.
Padmapurana also refers to the glorious pastime of Gokarna wherein his brother Dundhukari who was in the body of ghost also freedom from subtle body and could travel to Vaikuntha along with Vishnudhutas - simply by hearing Bhagavatam in the association of pure devotees with rapt attention. The great King Ambarish Maharaj also is another inspiring example for this quality of attentive hearing and detachment from material things. Ambarish Maharaj also inspite of being emperor of whole world used all his senses in Krishna's service and particulary he regularly heard Srimad Bhagavatam. Infact inorder to protect Durvasa Muni from Sudarshan chakra, he prays - "If our family has given charity to the proper persons, if we have performed ritualistic ceremonies and sacrifices, if we have properly carried out our occupational duties, and if we have been guided by learned brāhmaṇas, I wish, in exchange, that this brāhmaṇa be freed from the burning caused by the Sudarśana cakra."
We don't prefer even to give up material possessions and what to speak of exchanging whatever little pious credits, that are there with us. But here we find Ambarish Maharaj ready to give up all his pious credits, to protect Durvasa Muni who was ready to kill him. Moved by this noble act Durvasa Muni glorifies Ambarish Maharaj in Srimad Bhagavatam verse 9.5.15
duṣkaraḥ ko nu sādhūnāṁ
dustyajo vā mahātmanām
yaiḥ saṅgṛhīto bhagavān
sātvatām ṛṣabho hariḥ
For those who have achieved the Supreme Personality of Godhead, the master of the pure devotees, what is impossible to do, and what is impossible to give up?
So surrender to Lord and His devotees, hearing and following Their instructions with rapt attention are the good lessons which we can learn from these great souls.
Hare Krishna.
Thank you very much
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Srila Gurudeva
Sudarshana devi dasi
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