Dec 20
The End of the World is Never
Although many people believe that the world will end in a short time, that is not true. Many people refer to the Mayan Prophecy that the end of the wold will come during th Winter solstice of 2012, which is the end of the Mayan calendar. The Mayans were astute mathematicians and astronomers and even knew when there would be eclipses. thousands of people travel to Chichen Itza to see the “snake” crawl up the 365 stairs of the temple at the time of the vernal and autumnal equinoxes. However, their knowledge was limited and, because it was extrapolated it was limited.
Now, If you read the Vedas, you will learn that there are different ages, or Yugas, through which the universe cycles. The present cycle is called Kali Yuga and lasts 432,000 years. We have only been in Kali Yuga for 5,000 years. The beginning of this yuga was marked by the great Battle of Kuruksetra. In the previous age, Dvarupa Yuga, ethics were higher, people lived longer and the standard of life was much higher. The Age of Kali is specifically characterized as the “age of quarrel and hypocrisy” and people have a shortened life span.
Basically, the world cycles through these Yugas according to : Satya yuga 1,728,000 yrs; Treta Yuga 1,296,000 yrs; Dvarupa Yuga 864,000 yrs; Kali Yuga 432,000 yrs.
The life span during each yuga varies and the godly qualities vary as well. During this Yuga, kali, since it is the most depraved age, it is recommended to take up a very accessible form of Divine worship, called Bhakti Yoga, because the environment itself is destructive and people are not so inclined to perform extreme austerities. It has been said that in the most noble Yuga, Satya, the average age was 100,000 years and the ability to perform intense austerities was very high.
“Each yuga is an age with specific characteristics in which incarnations of Krsna appear. The four yugas make up a cycle called divya-yuga, which lasts 4,320,000 years. One thousand of these yugas equal one day of Brahma, which is called a kalpa. Brahma’s lifespan is 100 years of his time. In each yuga there is a specific process of self-realization (yuga dharma).”
No commentsJun 24
Spiritual Regulations for Practicing Yoga
Sometimes people feel that they can just take up yoga anyway that they want. Just perform some calisthenics. However, Srila Bhakti Sundar Govinda Maharaj says on the Sri Caitanya Saraswat Math website: dyutam panam striyah suna, yatradharmas chatur-vidhah
“Gambling, intoxication, illicit sex and meat eating are irreligious (adharma) and therefore prohibited.
“All of my disciples understand this clearly. If someone, somewhere, thinks they are exempt, for whatever reason, they are deceiving themselves and under the influence of Kali.”
May 30
Spiritual Apprentice
So here I was, pretty much a non-spiritual “do-gooder”. After hearing about vegetarianism, I quickly decided that I would definitely like to go that route. I also started to feel repulsed by the idea of eating dead animals. Later, in the Hare Krsna temple, I started to feel more enthusiastic about bhakti yoga. This concept teaches that everything we do can be done as an offering to Krsna, since we are, in fact, servants of Krsna. So, cooking and honoring prasadam (which is the remnants of the offerings) can be envisioned as an actual devotional practice. At that time, I thought this was a great idea, and I still do.
May 29
Truth is Where You Find It
The truth of the matter is, most people do not start searching for the truth until something very drastic happens. That’s what happened in my case. One just breezes through life thinking that everything is going to be hunky dory. Or vs.vs., one may think that one will never get any chance whatsoever. Now, in my case, someone gave me a copy of Easy Journey to Another Planet, which I thought was just another science fiction. Little did I know that therein contained the seed for my future spiritual journey that has lasted now 25 years and taken me to Asia, India, and Europe. Somehow that little seed became nourished by my visiting the Hare Krsna temple for their Sunday Festivals. I have to admit that their sumptuous vegetarian cuisine was the initial real reason for my adventures there. I mean, I was a bit of a hippie anyway, but, on the other hand, I was also a dentist as well. So, I had a serious side to me as well, an intellectual side, so to speak.
