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Discipline
– from Jaya Govardhana das
Haribolo prabhus,
Just some thoughts on discipline. In the Gita (2.41) the Lord
says,"Those who are on this path are resolute in purpose, and their
aim is one. O beloved child of the Kurus, the intelligence of those who
are irresolute is many-branched." In his purport Srila Prabhupada
explains, A strong faith in Krishna consciousness that ONE SHOULD BE
ELEVATED TO THE HIGHEST PERFECTION OF LIFE is called vyavasayatmika
intelligence. So we have to be resolute in purpose, which is also a way
of saying disciplined. There are two important words here, faith and
should. Srila Prabhupada says faith means unflinching trust in something
sublime. So by practicing Krishna consciousness we develop faith and we
begin to understand our nature as a part and parcel of the Lord.
Actually our position in this world has been sadly compromised. and by
not executing our daily sadhana we are sabotaging ourselves. The soul is
by nature sat-cid -ananda and we have 78% of the qualities of the Lord
in minute degree, so we have this " birthright" (or "soulright"),
so we SHOULD be disiplined and chant Hare Krishna.
Yesterday in Bhagavatam class, Roland prabhu asked Balabhadra about
self-esteem. So the self is actually highly esteemed, because he is part
and parcel of the Supreme. And another point being that we only have
self-esteem when we are doing what we are supposed to be doing.
Sometimes we hear, change the way you think about yourself, but the
reality is that you have self-esteem by doing what needs to be done. You
feel good about balancing your checkbook , getting out of debt, treating
others kindly, not procrastinating, etc. So in Bhakti yoga self esteem
takes a more dynamic, wonderful form. By esteeming the self we are
naturually moved to practice sincerely and discipline is gladly
accepted. Thankyou for taking your time to read this. All glories to the
assembled devotees of the New Panahati news group!
Jaya Govardhana das
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More on
Discipline – from Hardik
Dearmost relatives, PAMHO! All glories unto our holy grandfather, Srila
Prabhupada.
Here is more on discipline, mainly about Srila Prabhupada's personal
example, and also that of one of his followers, HH Jayapataka Swami
Maharaja, with a few personal thoughts at the start. As we want to be
highly successful at ISKCON Atlanta, here are a few thoughts I have,
learned from successful individuals themselves:
Successful people don't depend on their moods and emotions to get them
ahead, because those things never do. They depend on a set routine, a
discipline that will carry them forward in all circumstances. It's said
that successful people are successful because they do what others are
not willing to do. They do the same thing every day, no matter what.
Unsuccessful people attribute the success of winners to luck or
miracles, but actually it's that the successful people had a daily
discipline that they carried out every single day, through thick and
thin.
In our dearmost Srila Prabhupada, we are so delighted when we realize
that what we have learned from the professional world (i.e. qualities of
successful people) is fully manifested in its pure form in our holy
grandfather. His example was of high discipline as a leader and pure
devotee. Sriman Srutokirti Prabhu was Srila Prabhupada's personal
servant for many years, including the time when Srila Prabhupada was in
his New Panihati Dhama). He was telling us in New Vrindaban (North
American GBC/Temple Presidents Annual Meeting) was telling us how Srila
Prabhupada did EVERYTHING in time blocks on a daily basis...he would
chant at a certain time, write at a certain time, see guests at a
certain time, answer mail at a certain time, etc. Everything he did was
regulated and in routine fashion. He was a pure devotee, he could've
done anything anytime, spontaneously. But, he was setting an example to
the rest of the world, specifically his followers and future followers
(us!). Certainly, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada is the greatest
example of success we have, whether it's spiritual success, or
organizational, or people success. PERIOD! No doubt!
Of course, I must mention my beloved spiritual master, HH Jayapataka
Swami Maharaja. He has a japa mala and a clicker to chant his rounds. On
his japa mala, he has two sets of counter beads, one for his daily quota
of 16 rounds and the other for extra rounds. His personal servant,
Marici Prabhu, recently wrote that at one time, he promised Srila
Prabhupada that he would chant 108 extra rounds in a year! Now, that is
discipline! He is a spiritual master of thousands of disciples and a GBC
for many areas on the globe. Also, according to many devotees and
businessmen, he is the most travelled person on earth. In New Vrindaban,
Peter Burwash (a long time follower of Srila Prabhupada, who is a very
successful businessman and author/motivational speaker) was saying that
in the corporate world, the most travelled CEO of a company is Virgin
Airlines' billionaire Richard Branson. Peter Burwash humorously said
that HH Jayapataka Maharaja is not in the room, so he can say that!
(Indicating that Maharaja probably travels more than even Richard
Branson, who owns an airline company!) Marici Prabhu also was entioning
how he probably has the most visa's and most passport stamps than anyone
else.
So, with Jayapataka Maharaja's busy schedule, it's amazing how he has
this discipline to chant all of his rounds!
Now, my excuses shall fade, no...be kicked outimmediately. Maharaja has
set forth an amazing example not only for his disciples, but also for
all devotees in ISKCON. He is quite amazing, His Holiness Jayapataka
Maharaja.
Well, that's it for now!
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