Spiritual Youth

7 Wonders of The World

2009-03-23T06:44:00.001-07:00

APPETIZER

No… No… No… We are not talking about the 7 wonders of this material world but about the 7 wonders of the spiritual world i.e. 7 wonders of the holy names of the Lord. The names of the Lord, “Hare, Krishna, and Rama” are invested with His full potencies. Singing God’s names, therefore, is to contact Him through the medium of transcendental sound. Thus, the effect of chanting is the same as the effect of di-rectly associating with the Lord. The following is the translation of the verse in which Lord Chaitanya beautifully describes seven transcendental results which are attained by chanting the holy names.

MAIN COURSE

“Glory to the Sri-Krishna-sankirtana, which cleanses the heart of all the dust accu-mulated for years and extinguishes the fire of conditional life, of repeated birth and death. Ths sankirtana movement is the prime benediction for humanity at large be-cause it spreads the rays of the benediction moon. It is the life of all transcendental knowledge. It increases the ocean of transcendental bliss, and it enables us to fully taste the nectar for which we are always anxious. (Sri Shikshastakam 1)”

Although many books have been written and many lectures have been delivered explaining the theological implications of this verse, we won’t go much into the details but would try to present a simple summary of the seven wonders of chanting Hare Krishna. They’re as follows:

 The chanting of Krishna’s name is a purifying agent that cleanses our hearts of envy, the root cause of our descent to this world and other bad quali-ties we have acquired like lust, greed and anger.

As it purifies the heart, Krishna’s name also protects sincere chanters from any further contamination from the worldly energy and those affected by it.

Chanting awakens pure devotion to Krishna, the soul’s dormant propen-sity to serve the Lord with Love; and further chanting revives the loving de-votion that qualifies one for the greatest good fortune—Krishna’s associa-tion.

A result of acquiring devotion is that devotees become illuminated with spiritual knowledge. Further chanting matures that knowledge into realiza-tion, which in time reveals devotees’ original position in one of the five rela-tionships with Krishna

As much as the heart is relieved of unwanted habits, to that degree we be-come devoted to Krishna; as much as devotion is firmly fixed in our hearts, to that degree we acquire realized knowledge; and as much as the heart is illumined by both devotion and knowledge, to that degree we taste spiritual happiness. In this way the ocean of bliss swells.
Chanting frees conditioned souls of the illusion of identifying themselves with their body and mind, and establishes them in the cooling reality that they’re eternal spiritual entities.
When devotees finally achieve the perfection of chanting, they taste the full nectar of loving devotion to Krishna. A nectar that makes the bliss of libera-tion seem insignificant.

DESSERT

Interesting! Isn’t it?

His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Founder-Acharya of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness, commonly known as, Srila Prabhupada by his followers, went to United States at an advanced age of 70 to distribute the holy names of the Lord and tell the ignorant mass of people about these 7 wonders. Amazingly He did it successfully. In just 10 years, He opened up 108 temples around the world to preach the holy names of the Lord. He inspired thousands by his personal example and is still inspiring and changing millions by the teachings he left in his books, which are available in more than seventy International languages. Even today, more than 30 years after his physical disappearance from this mortal world, his wonderful ISKCON society is distributing the holy names of the Lord through its more than 800 centers in about 175 countries around the globe!!

Srila Prabhupada appeared in this world to fulfill the prophecy of Lord Chaitanya that His name will be heard in every town and every village of the world and he did it successfully. We dedicate this issue unto the Lotus Feet of Srila Prabhupada on his divine 112th appearance day

Note:This Article may be download from "the Higher taset" group on yahoo groups

Spiritual Quotient

2009-03-22T00:13:00.000-07:00

"While computers have IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and animals can
have EQ (Emotional Quotient), it is essentially SQ (Spiritual
Quotient) that sets human beings apart," observe Danah Zoher and
Ian Marshal in their book SQ: Connecting with our Spiritual
Intelligence.

SO WHAT IS YOUR SQ?

Till the first half of the 20th century, the mainstream scientific
notion was that we humans are just complicated machines, with
computer-like brains. The consequent attempts to measure intelligence in terms of information
processing ability led to the development of IQ, which tests our logical, mathematical and
linguistic skills; the higher the IQ, the more brilliant the person, so said the theory. Computers
can have high IQ; they know the rules and follow them without making mistakes. But in real life,
high IQ people didn’t always turn out to be the most wealthy, famous, successful or happy.
In mid-1990s, Daniel Goleman revealed findings in neuroscience and psychology that stressed the
importance of Emotional Quotient (EQ). EQ enables us to be aware of our feelings and those of
others. This awareness is vital because we fail to behave rationally when we are overpowered by
emotions,. Therefore Goleman argued that EQ was a basic requirement for the use of IQ. Animals
can be said to have EQ; they have a sense of their environment in terms of emotions – dangerous,
safe, unpleasant, pleasant - and know how to deal with it – fight or flight, for example.
The transformative power of SQ distinguishes it from IQ and EQ. While IQ and EQ help in
dealing with situations, SQ allows us to ask if we want to be in that situation in the first place
through questions like -
"Is my job giving me the fulfillment I seek?"
"Are my relationships with others mutually satisfying?"
"What are my priorities in life?"
"What is the purpose of my existence?"
SQ motivates us to create new situations if necessary. Thus it determines our happiness as also
our ability to meaningfully utilize IQ and EQ.

SQ has many characteristics, most of which center on perception of the unchanging, nontemporal,
divine aspect of life. The word “spiritual” is interpreted differently by different people
and accordingly SQ also has different parameters. Theistic SQ – SQ as measured by one’s level
of God consciousness. Interestingly, theistic SQ has a scientific basis. In the 1990s, research at
the University of California led to an identification of a 'God-spot' in the human brain. This area,
located among neural connections in the temporal lobes of the brain, lights up during scans with
positron emission topography whenever research subjects are exposed to discussion of spiritual
topics. The existence of the God-spot indicates that the brain is programmed to ask ultimate
questions. This finding falsified the earlier allegation of some psychologists that religion was a
neurosis, a mental disorder.
Scientific findings found even more revealing. In the highly acclaimed Handbook of Religion and
Health, published by Oxford University Press, Harold G. Koenig, MD; Michael E. McCullough, PhD;
and the late David B. Larson,MD, carefully reviewed no fewer than two thousand published
experiments that tested the relationship between religion and everything from blood pressure,
heart disease, cancer and stroke to depression, suicide, psychotic disorders and marital problems.
Some of their findings are:
? People who attended a spiritual program at least once a week lived average seven
years longer than those who don't attend at all.
? Religious youth showed significantly lower levels of drug and alcohol abuse,
premature sexual involvement, criminal delinquency and suicidal tendencies than
their nonreligious counterparts
? Elderly people with deep, personal religious faith have a stronger sense of wellbeing
and life satisfaction than their less religious peers.”
Koening’s Conclusion: "A high SQ faithfulness to God appears to benefit people of all means,
educational levels and ages."
Scientists are also discovering how harmful a relatively low SQ can be to your health. One recent
study looked at individuals whose idea of being successful means having the biggest house on the
block or newest luxury car. The consequences of this secular view of life are devastating, explains
Ohio State University psychologist Robert Arkin: “The cycle of materialistic pursuits is
disappointing and exhausting in the long run and can make people perpetually unhappy.”
Interestingly, the modern concept of SQ parallels the Vedantasutra
principle of brahma jijnasa (spiritual enquiry), which is also
unique to human beings. Like the threefold intelligences IQ, EQ
and SQ, the Vedic guidelines encompass our three-dimensional
existence - body, mind and spirit. To attain lasting happiness, we
need to go beyond gratifying our bodies and pacifying our minds
to harmonizing our souls with the supreme soul, God, through
devotional service. Amazingly, the characteristics of high SQ
people, as stated below, are almost identical with those of advanced spiritualists mentioned in the
Bhagavad-gita. Consider for example the capacity for holistic thinking – the ability to see
connections between diverse things- considered the hallmark of high SQ people. When people
with high IQ / low SQ look at the world, they see only space and time, mass and energy, logic and
reason. This vision prompts analysis, but offers no sense of direction in life. People with high IQ /
high SQ also see connectivity and design, purpose and meaning, faith and mystery. This vision
enables them to see the hand of God and so gives them direction in life.
The other strikingly similar qualities are given below (with the corresponding Gita verses in
braces) -
Self-awareness (2.13)
An ability to face and use suffering (2.15)
The ability to be inspired by a vision (2.41)
A desire and capacity to cause as little harm as possible (12.13)
Most importantly, the Vedic scriptures delineate a practical and potent ABCD formula for
dramatically increasing our SQ and happiness.
A - Association: Interacting with and learning from high SQ people like devotees of God
enables us to see order amidst chaos, plan amidst change
B - Books: Studying spiritual books like the Bhagavad-gita answers life's fundamental
questions and empowers us with inner direction and motivation
C - Chanting: Regular meditation on the holy names of God like the Hare Krishna
mahamantra bestows spiritual tranquility even amidst material adversity.
D - Diet: Eating vegetarian food sanctified by offering to God nourishes our body, purifies
our mind and awakens our soul.
The Bhagavata Mahapurana (7.7.21) urges us to become spiritual gold-seekers, "An expert
geologist can understand where there is gold below the earth and extract it from the gold ore by
various processes. Similarly, a wise person can understand the spiritual dimension within the
material body, and, by spiritual excavation, attain fulfillment in life." Most people spend their
entire lives unaware of the treasure of peace, joy, love and wisdom that lies within their own
hearts, just as uninformed people living in a gold ore area stay unaware of the treasure below
them. The treasure in our heart is spiritual – it is our eternal loving relationship with God, Krishna.
Modern science by acknowledging the primacy of SQ has started discovering this latent wealth.
The ABCD formula of Krishna consciousness enables us to spiritually excavate and fully utilize this
treasure.
According to Robert Emmons (The Psychology of Ultimate Concerns, 1999), spiritual intelligence
helps one to transcend the physical and material, experience heightened states of consciousness,
sanctify everyday experience, utilize spiritual resources to solve problems, and, be virtuous,
showing such traits as humility, gratitude, forgiveness and compassion. This suggests that just as
financial capital is the basis of any business, the spiritual capital – SQ – is the basis of our
business of life. It fills us with divine confidence in all our endeavors.
Lest we neglect our spiritual enrichment, modern management guru Stephen Covey reminds us,
"We are not human beings on a spiritual journey; we are spiritual beings on a human journey.

This article is written by His Grace Chaitayna charan das- Iskcon Pune

Introduction

2009-03-22T00:05:00.000-07:00

In this blog i will post articles written by His Grace Chaitanya Charan Das.

His introduction is as follows:

· His Grace Chaitanya Charan Das is a celibate preacher from VOICE Pune.

· He has done his Electronics & Telecommunications Engineering from the Government College of Engineering Pune and secured high ranks throughout his academics.

· He also secured an exceptionally high score of 2350 out of 2400 in GRE exam.

· Subsequently, he served as a software engineer in a software company, Patni Computer Systems.

· Presently, he does extensive youth preaching in reputed educational Institutes all over India including IIT’s and NIT’s like IIT Kharagpur, IT BHU, NIT Warangal, NIT Suratkal, NIT Jamshedpur, RB College of Engineering, Bangalore, etc.

· He also gives Corporate seminars on spectrum of topics like Art of Mind Control, Yoga for Modern Age, Time Management, etc. to different Companies like Cognizant Technology Systems(CTS), Zensar, Tech Mahindra, Tata Motors, Tata Motors, Infosys, etc.

· He serves as the spokesperson for ISKCON, Pune and has presented papers as an invited delegate at several national and international conferences like World Peace Conference – 2006 organised by UNESCO, an important organ of United Nations

· He is also author of several books including Horizon:Illumination on the Spiritual Frontier of Science and Smiling Faces, Crying Hearts.

· He writes regularly for the spiritual columns of various newspapers like Times of India, Indian Express, Maharashtra Herald, Economic Times , etc.

· He is also editor of International Cyber Magazine called ‘The Spiritual Scientist’, which gives the scientific presentation of Vedic philosophy.

· His writings have been translated into several languages including Kannada, Tamil, Hindi and Marathi, and in foreign languages like German and Chinese.

HG Chaitanya Charan Das is known for his enlivening and scientific presentations. His scientific approach is even appreciated by technologists and scientists like Dr. Vijay Bhatt.