Editor's Message

Dear Readers,
 
This month our theme is 'Sacrifice Leads to Inner Happiness.' The Indian culture is full of saints who are outstanding examples of this value. Lord Ram and Mother Sita sacrificed the comforts of a palace for fourteen years as they roamed around in the forest. During these fourteen years, Lakshman sacrificed sleep; he did not sleep a wink as he perpetually guarded his Master, Lord Ram.   
 
Urmila, Lakshman's wife, separated from her husband for 14 years during this time, did not sit down at all. Bharat also sacrificed the comforts of the palace, and slept in a grave he had dug on the outskirts of Ayodhya, from where he ruled the kingdom. Mandavi (Bharat's wife), Shruthi (Shatrughan's wife), Queen Kaushalya, and all other such saints of Ramayan have their own story of sacrifice.   
 
To learn more about this topic, we bring you two articles. The first one is an excerpt from Shree Maharajji's lecture and is titled 'Bhakti Makes Liberation Seem Insignificant' which explains the devotees focus on the Lord's happiness alone. The second article titled 'Sacrifice Leads to Eternal Happiness' elaborates on the same theme and explains how sacrifice for the divine leads us to everlasting happiness.  
 
Our regular feature columns share the highlights from Swamiji's recent India tour and BM contributions. Learn about how to cure headaches naturally with home remedies in our wellness section. Finally, enjoy our bhog recipe of Himachali Pulao this month.
 
editor@jkyog.org
Best Wishes,
Editor's Desk  
In This Issue
चाह इहै, कछु चाह न रह उर,  
दास न मुक्ति बिचारी के |

chāha ihai, kachu chāha na raha ura,  
dāsa na mukti bichārī ke  
 
It is my only desire that no desire should remain in my heart, not even the desire for liberation.
 
- Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj
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Bhakti Makes Liberation Seem Insignificant

Liberation or peace or mukti or moksha is the goal of many. All these words indicate a freedom from sorrow, pain, and suffering. In pursuit of this goal, many turn to God and pray to make their lives less painful. One would then be surprised to learn that a true devotee is willing to reject the happiness attained by liberation. After suffering so much why would one be willing to give up this happiness? What would make one have a change of heart?
 
Bhakti means to grow your attachment to God and Guru. True devotion is that which is not self-seeking but is done for the happiness for Guru and God. Thus, it entails the highest sacrifice of self-happiness. Since the desire for material happiness and liberation is for one's happiness, a devotee readily makes this sacrifice.  
 
puruṣhārthāstu chatvārstṛiṇāyante samantataḥ 
Bhakti Rasāmṛit Sindhu 
 
The material desires are dharm (religious wealth), arth (material wealth), and kaam (desire for sensuous enjoyment) while the other desire is that of moksha (liberation). Bhakti gives such immense strength to the devotee that he throws away the material happiness and the happiness of liberation-just as one throws away a blade of grass-without a second thought.

hari bhakti mahādevyāḥ sarvāmuktyādi siddhayaḥ
bhuktayaśhchādbhutāstasya chetikā vadanuvratāḥ
Narad Panchratra
 
In this verse, Narad Muni says that the bliss of bhakti is such that even when the five types of liberation come and stand in front of the devotee, he does not acknowledge or accept them.
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says:
 
tāra madhye mokṣha vānchhā kaitava pradhāna
 
meaning, of all the dangerous things, the most dangerous is liberation.  
 
In the Bhagavatam, Ved Vyas writes:
 
dharmaḥ projhita kaitavaḥ
Bhāgavatam 1.1.2
 
What is the true dharma of an individual? That which is free from all selfishness. Thus, all acts that are free from the four desires related to dharm, arth, kaam, and moksha-that alone is the true dharma of an individual.   
na pārameṣhṭhyaṁ na mahendradhiṣhṇyaṁ 
na sārvabhaumaṁ na rasādhipatyam 
na yoga-siddhīr apunar-bhavaṁ 
mayy arpitātmechchhati mad vinānyat
 
One who has fixed his consciousness on Me desires neither the position nor abode of Brahma, nor Indra, nor an empire on earth, nor freedom in the hellish abodes, nor the eightfold perfection of yoga, nor liberation from birth and death. Such a person desires Me alone.
 
apunar-bhavaṁ, in this verse, means that the devotee does not seek liberation from birth and death. It is not that he does not desire just sāyujya mukti because he merges into God, but he also rejects all other forms of liberation as well.
Sacrifice Leads to Everlasting Happiness

Sacrifice means giving up something. We all make sacrifices for those we love. For instance, we give up our sleep for the health and well-being of our children. Sacrifices may be big or small but we make them for the ones we love. It is not uncommon to see some sacrifice their dreams to make the dreams of their younger siblings or children come true. Every time we see two siblings fight and one give in to the other, there is a sacrifice involved.
 
The Indian culture is filled with stories of Saints who made extraordinary sacrifices. One such example is Bheeshma Pitamah (grandfather). In Sanskrit, Bheeshma means one who undertakes a fierce vow and fulfills it. His fame is unparalleled in history.
 
Bheeshma was the son of King Santanu and his wife Ganga. He was the last of their eight children who Mother Ganga was going to drown in the river but the king stopped her. As a young adult, Bheeshma undertook two vows. The first vow was that of celibacy so that his father, King Santanu, could marry the fisherwoman, Satyavati. By doing so he sacrificed his life of marriage and bearing progeny to carry forward the rule. The second vow was that of faithful service to the throne of Hastinapur. Thus, he sacrificed his right to the throne of Hastinapur, which according to tradition, was rightfully his as the eldest son of the king. His entire life was spent making the requisite sacrifices to fulfill these vows. So much so that he tolerated the wrong-doings of his nephew Dhritrashtra, and his evil son, Duryodhan.
 
However, in current times, sacrifice is not held in such high regard as it used to be. Today, we are more focused on fulfilling our desires. The focus on satisfying our material senses is due to the ignorance from endless lifetimes where we believe ourselves to be the body. This misidentification with the body results in the false ego. Thus, believing our happiness lies in fulfilling our self-interest, we are constantly engaged in activities designed to bring happiness to the body. We desire material wealth, respect, fame, etc. for the sake of this false ego. All the while, the happiness we seek keeps eluding us.
 
The happiness that will truly satisfy us is the happiness of the soul. That divine bliss is not attained by self-seeking but by self-sacrifice. The more we sacrifice the desires of our senses, mind, and intellect, the more our soul experiences satisfaction. And, to the extent we sacrifice our self-seeking nature for the happiness of the Almighty, our selflessness and resulting happiness bring the pure joy and bliss we have been seeking for endless past lifetimes. "For it is in giving that we receive" said Saint Francis of Assisi.  
 
When we were in school, we attended the class where the concepts were taught. Along with this, we had to participate in the lab class where we could apply these concepts and truly understand their application and impact. The spiritual path is no different. We have to read the scriptures under the guidance of a Guru to understand the concept. And then he helps us understand their application in the lab called life.
 
Each concept or lesson requires a sacrifice. It could be sacrifice of the desire for fame, love, respect, wealth, etc. To the extent we make the requisite sacrifice and learn the lesson intended for us, our selflessness grows. And our happiness grows to the extent we stop caring for ourselves but care only for the happiness of God and Guru. Thus, sacrifice purifies the soul and takes us toward God, while indulgence satisfies the material senses and takes us in the opposite direction.
 
When our intellect becomes firm in divine love for God, then sacrifice becomes natural to our being. From thereon, we spontaneously sacrifice our happiness to serve our Divine Beloved. And in that sacrifice, we experience the highest Bliss of God. The Gopis of Braj were great Saints in previous lives who had sacrificed their all for their beloved Krishna, and reached the state of pure selflessness where they had no concern for themselves. Their every thought and breath was for Krishna's happiness alone.
 
In order to help us become as elevated as these gopis, the great Sage Narad, in his Narad Bhakti Darshan, teaches us to adopt the mantra of tat sukh sukhitvam i.e. to make the requisite sacrifices for the happiness of God and Guru alone. Thus, in order to truly love Krishna, our ultimate aim is to sacrifice the desire for bhukti (material pleasures) and mukti (liberation). It is this sacrifice that leads us to the everlasting happiness we have been seeking for endless lifetimes.

Featured Video

Will ethics and values see me through life?
 
 
Sacrifice is a very noble value that can be harnessed to live a life of satisfaction and fulfillment. While it was greatly valued in the olden days in India, it has lost its significance in the age of Kali. The two articles of this month's issue explain the importance of sacrifice in our lives. However, it is one thing to gain theoretical knowledge about a topic and another to practice it regularly. Click here to watch this video by Swamiji where he explains how to integrate the good values in our daily life. 

News & Updates

 
 
 
The last event Swamiji attended in the US was the Diwali Dinner organized by the Radha Krishna Temple of Dallas. In his speech, he explained the importance of spiritual knowledge, and the role of temples and culture in a society. To read more about the event, click here.
 
The very next day, Swamiji left for India. Delhi devotees were very excited to receive him. After spending about ten days at gurudham (Mangarh), Swamiji flew out to Banara, Odisha.
 
India tour is in full swing! The first stop was the Radha Govind Dham ashram at Cuttack. Devotees were thrilled to see Swamiji after such a long time and a beautiful satsang was organized.  Swamiji also stopped at the local village of Nayasahi where the villagers gave him a very warm welcome.
 
Volunteers of Jagadguru Kripalu Yog Trust spent a heart warming day at the Government School in Nayasahi and gave away sweaters to the students. The little ones were very happy to receive their gifts and posed for pictures. Dr. Ramaratnam, Vice Chancellor of Jagadguru Kripalu University was also present. He shook hands which each and every student while handing over the sweaters and said it was a truly humbling experience for him to make the kids happy.    
Click here to view more photos 
 

Nov 6th  
Arrival in Vrindavan    
Nov 9th to 10th         
Vrindavan     
Nov 12th     
Arrival in Odisha
Nov 14th to 20th   
Jajpur, Odisha   
 
For more details, click here
Nov 21st & 22nd
  Baripada, Odisha   
Nov 23rd & 24th        
Rairangpur, Odisha
Nov 25th & 26th    
Karanjia, Odisha  
Nov 27th to Dec 3rd
 
 Sambalpur, Odisha 
JKYog Presents
Bal-Mukund
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All the Bal-Mukund centers celebrated Diwali this month. At each center, children greatly enjoyed their craft activity such as making diyas, rangolis, etc. At the Connecticut center, they also chanted sholkas and bhajans and received sparkles that they could enjoy at home. 
 
    
Wellness for Life
How to Cure Headaches Naturally with Home Remedies

While lifestyle is moving more towards modernity people are moving more towards our age old home remedies for common ailments. Home remedies and herbs provide natural, no side effects remedies to dozens of common ailments. Work stress, family demands, skimpy sleep schedules-everyday stresses can give us all a headache every now and then. Try these natural remedies to help ease your pain.

Trigger Points
 
Let us first examine the trigger points:
  • empty stomach
  • strong sun
  • dehydration or low intake of water
  • stress; physical and mental
  • acidity
Try some simple home remedies:
  • Soaking your feet in hot water,it is immensely relaxing and eases out stress helps your head feel better. The hot-water foot bath will ease pressure on the blood vessels in the head by drawing blood to the feet.
  • For headache due to tension, placing a hot compress on the forehead or the back of the neck relaxes the tensed muscles in the area.
  • The heat treatment can be followed by applying a cold compress to the forehead by putting ice cubes wrapped in a washcloth Cold compress contracts and shrink blood vessels and they stop constricting the sensitive nerves.
  • Another alternative to cold compress is to soak your hands in ice water for as long as you can bear it. While your hands are submerged, repeatedly open and close your fists and the cold constricts the dilated blood vessels.
  • Caffeine or a cup of strong coffee or tea reduces blood-vessel swelling, and helps relieve headache. Though for a regular coffee drinker it might prove counter productive. Caffeine withdrawal can cause headaches, creating a vicious cycle.
 Click here to read the entire article.

Bhog Recipe

Himachali Pulao
A slightly sweet rice, containing dried and fresh fruit

Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4-5

Ingredients:  
  • 1½ cups Basmati rice  
  • 1 apple, chopped in small cubes  
  • ½ cup of fresh pomegranate seeds 
  • ½ cup of fresh green peas  
  • 10 cashew nuts  
  • 10 raisins  
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala 
  • 2 bay leaves   
  • 2-3 black cardamoms  
  • 4 green cardamoms  
  • 3 sticks of cinnamon  
  • few strings of saffron  
  • ½ cup of milk  
  • 2 tablespoons ghee  
  • 2 teaspoons of sugar   
  • Water 4 cups
  • salt to taste


Process:
  • Wash basmati rice and soak for half an hour.
  • Boil 4 cups of water in a saucepan. Add the rice. When rice is cooked, drain out the water and keep the rice aside.
  • In a non-stick heavy pan, add 2 tablespoons of ghee and heat on low flame for 2 minutes. To this add bay leaf, black cardamom, green cardamom and cinnamon sticks. Let them cook till fragrant.
  • Add green peas and a pinch of salt. Then add cashew nuts and raisins. Keep stirring the mixture in the pan for 5 minutes on low fire.  
  • Now, add the rice. Mix it well with the masala in the pan.
  • In a separate pan, heat milk to lukewarm temperature and add saffron to it. Add this milk-saffron mix to the rice pan.
  • Next, add in the apple and pomegranate seeds.
  • Last, add salt as per taste, sugar and garam masala. Mix it all well and let it cook for another 5 minutes on low heat with the lid on the pan.
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