The Art of Living a Purposeful Life

[Guest guest]

Pranam to all Vaishnavas,

The art of living a purposeful life

The body of a human being is a good instrument made available by Krishna for working out not only man's desires but also his noble aspirations and ideals. The mind thinks and the plans chalked out therein need to be put into operation for which the body is required. Sages have looked upon it as a temple. The Bhagavad Gita, a treasure left by Lord Krishna Himself to benefit the entire humanity, teaches the art of living a purposeful life without running into excess,

steering clear of sheer asceticism on the one hand and shameless and uninhibited indulgence on the other. Within the body is housed a soul, the former being perishable while the soul within is indestructible.

Our physical body passes from childhood to youth, which again is gradually metamorphosed into decrepitude and yet the soul remains the same all the while, though it goes through the cycle of births and deaths. Lord Krishna points out to us through the despondent Arjuna that men of intelligence will not deplore the loss by the death of this temporary tabernacle of the soul.

Lord Krishna's argument, as Arjuna refused to fight in the Kurukshetra war, that a person who thinks that one soul can kill another or be killed by another, knows nothing at all, for a soul does not destroy nor can be killed by anyone. ``You are a soul and so neither can you kill nor be killed. You need not therefore, be afraid of being calumnised as a killer of your superiors.''

Explaining ``Sankhya Yoga'' Lord Krishna asked the bewildered Arjuna to cast aside all desires for the fruits of his actions, engage himself in the performance of his socio-religious duties in a devotional mood. Equability of temperament in success or failure is Yoga. ``Cultivate a devotional attitude by the application of your pure intelligence and perform your ordained duties disinterestedly '' the Lord said. Here one is reminded of the fact that the body is like one's clothes, which when becoming old, are thrown away and new ones are worn. If one body is to stick for ever to the soul, the latter would be in a sad plight, it would stop growing, its joy would vanish and the light of the knowledge would become dim. Krishna also refers to the duties of a man which have been prescribed in scriptures, according to his qualities. Living in a society, he has to carry out these duties. For a man of warrior group, what else is more beneficial than to fight for a right cause, Krishna asks Arjuna. The Lord wants us to make use of our intelligence

and strive hard in cooperation with our grain dedicating the acts at His feet .

Tulsidas says ``Disgrace to a person who does not enshrine God within and see Him within.'' One can read holy books and sit in worship, still the mind will resist the attempts to concentrate. The mind runs after vanishing objects but Lord Krishna makes His moves and enlivens a human being by pulling the strings (of breath) from behind, said Tulsidas. Even men with wicked propensities can be reformed by making them seek the company of saintly men as a rusted metal can be polished with a superior type of stone. When the mind of a restless man is constantly disturbed, he should take total refuge in Lord Krishna, pouring out his heart to him, requesting him to give the

required understanding. Arjuna was in the same situation and did not want to fight with the Kauravas and even preferred to beg than wage the war. Then Lord Krishna gave him true knowledge changing his whole life.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says in Sri Chaitanya Caritamrta , Madhya 22.107 :

“Pure love for Krishna (God) is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not something to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing and chanting [about Krishna], the living entity naturally awakens.”

Om Namo Bhagavathe Vasudevaya!!!

 

Sri Krishna's Dasi, Jayamma.