Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Random Musings...

So...it's my second last night here in India...tomorrow night I'll barely get a chance to sleep because I have to leave ridiculously early on Friday morning to get to the airport.

It's been such a sweet experience. There's so much I've experienced and felt and did in the last 5 and 1/4 months. So many friends, so many lectures and so many moments of unadulterated mercy. It's hard to think it's coming to a close.

One thing I know for certain. I've changed. It happens with every trip I take. But I've also noticed that with every trip that change has become more and more subtle.

This trip has given me a lot of things to reflect on like how I can actually become more conscious of Krsna? Deity worship is such a wonderful gift that our acaryas have given us. One of the most important and key elements in deity worship is manasa puja. That is offering and performing the entire puja mentally before physically beginning the worship. Our minds are so fickle and restless and even though we may get the opportunity to render this incredibly personal service, still the mind (at least mine!) still runs away. Manasa puja forces the mind to be conscious and to focus on the Lord.

It helps one to become conscious. It's the open secret in Krsna consciousness. To actually be conscious of Krsna! That no matter what service we are performing that this is for the pleasure of the Lord and the devotees. It is for NOTHING else. It has nothing to do with me and my pleasure and everything to do with the Lord's pleasure. Throughout my travels the greatest gift was to associate with wonderful devotees who are rendering their varied services with this proper consciousness.

In particular, I'll never be able to repay HG Pankajanghri and HG Jananivas prabhus. Their exclusive devotion to the Lord has shaken me to my very core. Their constant and steady service and their complete joy in teaching others will always be such an inspiration. I pray that I too can perform all my services with the steadiness and proper consciousness that these two incredible vaisnavas maintain and exemplify.

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