𝐍𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰.. 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬.?.

W𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬?

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𝐀𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐡𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐢𝐭𝐚... 𝐛𝐲 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭.

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𝐀𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐆𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐬.. T𝐡𝐞 original 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫 𝐊𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐚𝐝𝐰𝐚𝐢𝐩𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐕𝐲𝐚𝐬𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬.

𝐆𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬,𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭.

T𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 -𝐔𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐝,- 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐲𝐚, -𝐘𝐨𝐠𝐚𝐬𝐚𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚.. 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐨𝐧 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧.- 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 these appendages showed their head 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐝..

Moreover, "𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞" 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

𝐂𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫-𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐤.

𝐈𝐟 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭, 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐞, 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 pre-conceived 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐨, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 ,𝐨𝐫 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐧𝐨𝐛𝐛𝐢𝐬𝐡 𝐬𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭, 𝐰𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠..

𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 choice 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐨 be that we should 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 .

Allow 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬.

M𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐆𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.

𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨 𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐆𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐛𝐞 𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐚, 𝐑𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐣𝐚 𝐨𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐯𝐚 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐚𝐤𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐒𝐰𝐚𝐦𝐢 ...... 𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚 𝐠𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦.𝐍𝐨 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐝.

He is time..

He is time..

श्री भगवानुवाच कालोऽस्मि लोकक्षयकृत्प्रवृद्धो लोकान्समाहर्तुमिह प्रवृत्तः।

ऋतेऽपि त्वां न भविष्यन्ति सर्वे येऽवस्थिताः प्रत्यनीकेषु योधाः।।11.32।।

He said in Bagavat Gita

I am the time.. the time who would annihilate the universe when such time is ripe..

Arjuna, Even without you or for that matter without the assistance of anyone else, I can ensure that the entire army arrayed in battle in my presence could be destroyed in no time

That fellow is indeed naughty.. He can, when he has a mind, create, protect, and sing and dance with us

However, when he is in his destructive mood, he would dance the final steps over our motionless bodies..

We can just plead with Him to be calm, cool and caring to us..

Krishna bless

नैनं च्छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं क दहति पावकः

yes, the destruction of physical body, or affliction of the body and mind through diseases or malignancies can present impediments in the progress of the human being..

But disease and death, destruction or deformity, all are temporary.. the life just goes on like someone changing dress or mode of transport,, and the journey goes on

Of course, we are often hazy about the course of action beyond what we could guess..

That does not mean the jouney has ended.

So let us move on

As long as life is there, there should be moving forward

And life never ends..

Life just changes directions

So we have to move on

No weapon can break it

No wind can uproot it

No deluge can drown it

No fire can inundate it

नैनं च्छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि

नैनं क दहति पावकः

नैनं क्नेदयन्लन्य्तापो

न शोषयति मारुतः

(Gita)

Just like the law of conservation of mass energy in physics

there is a law of conseravation of life in metaphysics.

99.9999...9 pecent of our troubles are minor and not life threatening

99.9999...9 pecent of our troubles are minor and not life threatening.

So it does not really matter whether we create them or others do it.

Given some time they will solve themselves..

And only God has the clue as to the real troubles we face.

I mean that 0.0000....01 percent.

There we have no solution because such troubles would have overtaken us even before we sense that there is something amiss.

There it is God versus trouble.. and we can just watch

"निमित्तमात्रं भव सव्यसाचिन् you Arjuna ,my cousin ,who is efficient with both hands.. just be the vehicle or agent who carries out my directions.."

Said that black Imp in Gita

musings 259

One very important fact I noticed is that in India most of the people of Hindu origin who pray either at home or at temple or anywhere for that matter utter some slokams in Sanskrit completely unaware of what they are chanting.

Most of these prayers are sublime and with beautiful poetry and lyrical compatibility.

I think if the people who chant such slokams parrot like are encouraged to have some idea and meaning of that Sanskrit will get a fillip and more importantly the ones who pray will attain greater fulfilment in life..both religious and secular.

It is so easy..

Everyone knows gita Ramayana and Bharatham..everyone knows some prayers. Only a wee bit of polishing is necessary to work wonders

musings 255

This is the essence of the teachings of the Blessed Lord Krishna..

 We have to just remember..

The great Lord did not advice anyone to be inactive or blind or indifferent to the natural duties as a human being..

He just asks us to perform such duties with the full realisation that we are existing, moving and performing such duties under His guidance, under His eternal watch..

If we are conscious of His presence, how can we go wrong, do evil deeds?

What He expects of us is that we should perform our duties and lead our lives in His sacred name and if we do so we can always be sure that His guidance will visit us every moment..

That kind Krishna the black one, is the friend of everyone..

He is not the exclusive property of Arjuna.. He is a friend of Yours and mine too just as Arjunas..

So when Krishna says , "think of me, be my devotee, make entreaties with me, bow down before me, and you will reach me alone, this I promise as you are my dear friend", this promise is to every living thing in this world because He is their dear friend too..

learn humility, learn through humility...

तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया।

उपदेक्ष्यन्ति ते ज्ञानं ज्ञानिनस्तत्त्वदर्शिनः।।4.34।। 

Tad viddhi pranipaatena pariprashnena sevayaa

Upadekshyanti te jnaanam jnaaninastattvadarshinaH

Bhagavat Gita 4-34

This is the instruction by the Blessed Lord Krishna to Arjuna, as to how one should acquire knowledge

Meaning

Therefore, Arjuna, you please understand well.. You approach the people with great knowledge, fall at their feet, wait around them seeking their convenienc,put to them humble questions, and make them happy with your sincere services..

Then the great Acharyas with knowledge, who know the subject well, and who are indeed visionaries would impart knowledge to you.

Of course, the approach underlines two essential features..

The seeker should have unsatiable thirst for knowledge.. 

And he should approach the Masters who have knowledge and vision.

Further, the seeker should always remember that exalted and superior state of the Master, and should show his respect and devotion through utter surrender by way of falling at the Gurus feet.

He should stay around the Master, and seek clarifications and enlightenment through questions that are put the Master without irritating Him, and after ensuring that the master is in the right frame of mind to give advise to the disciple.. The seeker should ensure that the master is kept in a cordial and satisfied state of mind, and this can be achieved through sincere services rendered at the feet of the Guru..

See, what we do now.. We demand knowledge..

and we seek knowledge from half baked fellows who just pose as Gurus but know very little in substance. 

And the attitude of the Government and people is that the Guru is just a professional like anyone else, and if he is paid in cash, it is his duty to impart education to disciples irrespective of whether they are interested or not.. 

And the Social Media Gurus go one more step ahead..

They showcase their inadequate and half baked knowledge in the shape of posts, forwards etc.. and they do it without being asked.. Often they push such knowledge into the throats of hapless friends and contacts.. 

തദ്‌ വിദ്ധി പ്രണിപാതേന പരിപ്രശ്നേന സേവയാ 

ഉപദേക്ഷ്യന്തി തേ ജ്ഞാനം ജ്ഞാനിനഃ തത്ത്വദര്‍ശിനഃ

ഭഗവത് ഗീത 4- 34

ഗീതാചാര്യനായ ഭഗവാന്‍ അര്‍ജുനനോടു പറയുന്നു 

അര്‍ജുന! നീ ഒരു കാര്യം നല്ലവണ്ണം അറിഞ്ഞാലും. 

അറിവ് നേടാനായി മഹാന്മാരായ ആചാര്യന്മാരുടെ അടുക്കല്‍ ചെല്ലുക. അവരുടെ കാല്‍ക്കല്‍ വീഴുക. അവരുടെ സൗകര്യം നോക്കിക്കൊണ്ടു മാത്രം ലളിതമായ ചോദ്യങ്ങള്‍ ചോദിക്കുക, അവരെ സന്തോഷിപ്പിക്കുന്ന സേവനങ്ങള്‍ അര്‍പ്പിക്കുക.. നല്ലവണ്ണം അറിവുള്ള ആ ജ്ഞാനികള്‍ നിന്നില്‍ പ്രീതിയുണ്ടായി, നിനക്ക് ജ്ഞാനം പകര്‍ന്നു തരും

ഈ സമീപനത്തില്‍ രണ്ടു കാര്യങ്ങള്‍ അത്യന്താപേക്ഷിതമാണ്.

ശിഷ്യന് ജ്ഞാനം സമ്പാദിക്കാനുള്ള അടങ്ങാത്ത ത്വര ഉണ്ടായിരിക്കണം. പിന്നെ അയാള്‍ യഥാര്‍ത്ഥത്തില്‍ അറിവ് ഉള്ള ആചാര്യനെത്തന്നെ സമീപിക്കണം. 

ശിഷ്യന്‍, തന്റെ ഗുരു തന്നെക്കാള്‍ എത്രയോ ഉയര്‍ന്നവനാണെന്ന യാഥാര്‍ഥ്യം എപ്പോഴും മനസ്സില്‍ കരുതണം. ആ യാഥാര്‍ഥ്യത്തിന്റെ അംഗീകാരമായി ഗുരുവിന്റെ പാദങ്ങളില്‍ താഴ്മയോടെ പ്രണമിക്കണം. ഗുരുവിന്റെ സൗകര്യം നോക്കി, ഗുരുവിന്റെ ചുറ്റും ജീവിച്ചു അദ്ദേഹത്തെ അലോസരപ്പെടുത്താത്ത വിധം ചോദ്യങ്ങള്‍ ചോദിച്ചും, അദ്ദേഹത്തിന് പ്രീതികരമായ സേവനങ്ങള്‍ ചെയ്തും കഴിഞ്ഞുകൂടണം.

ഇതാണ് അറിവ് നേടാനുള്ള ഉത്തമമായ മാര്‍ഗ്ഗം..

ഇപ്പോള്‍ സര്‍ക്കാരും വിദ്യാര്‍ത്ഥികളും മറ്റുള്ളവരുമെല്ലാം വിചാരിക്കുന്നത് കൂലി കൊടുത്താല്‍ അറിവ് പകര്‍ന്നുകൊടുക്കുന്ന ഒരു വേലക്കാരന്‍ മാത്രമാണ് ഗുരു അല്ലെങ്കില്‍ അദ്ധ്യാപകന്‍ എന്നാണ്.

പലരും അറിവുള്ളവരോടു ധാര്‍ഷ്ട്യം കാണിച്ചുകൊണ്ട് ഉത്തരങ്ങള്‍ ആവശ്യപ്പെടുകയാണ്.

പിന്നെ സോഷ്യല്‍ മീഡിയയില്‍ ഗുരുക്കളായി വിലസുന്ന ചിലര്‍, തങ്ങള്‍ക്കു ഇല്ലാത്ത ജ്ഞാനം പോസ്റ്റുകളിലൂടെയും ഫോര്‍വേര്‍ഡുകളിലൂടെയും മറ്റും മറ്റുള്ളവരുടെ അണ്ണാക്കില്‍ കുത്തിക്കയറ്റി നിര്‍വൃതി കൊള്ളുകയാണ്..

എന്തൊരു വിരോധാഭാസം ?

Musings 44

I really do not know whether begging with God is the ideal attitude ..

But Krishna said in Gita..
Man Manaa bhava mad bhaktho mad yaachee maam namaskuru maam eva eshyati satyam te pratijaane priyosi me...
मन्मना भव मद् भक्तो मद् याची मां नमस्क्रुरु मम एवैष्यति सत्यं ते प्रतिजाने प्रियोऽसि मे
Meaning
Carry me in your thoughts for ever,
become my devotee,
beg or humbly ask me,
offer pranams to me..
and you will finally reach me..
I am giving you a solemn promise.. because you are my dear friend..
(The blessed Lord says to Partha the Arjuna..)

But the same Gita and other texts talk about
YajnashistaashinaH, यज्ञशिष्टाशिनः, ( Gita.. just enjoy what is left after offering to God in Yajna )
tena tyakthena bhunjeethaa.. तेन त्यक्तेन भुन्जीताः (Isavasya Upanishad.. what is left or given by God alone should be enjoyed) and so on..

That implies no demand,
no begging,
no grabbing
but just to be satisfied with what you have just what god gives us in His wisdom ..

The same Gita talks of a mature person
Yadruchchaalaabha santushtaH..
यदृच्छालाभ सन्तुष्टः
just being satisfied with what one gets by chance..

In yajnas.. there are many vedic mantras which openly beg the Gods for material benefits..

So begging by itself was not prohibited.. or seen as an inferior means of livelihood..

The initiates or Brahmacharis of Brahmana, Kshatria and Vysia castes were expected to visit the households of grihastas and beg for daily food,,

But only one conditions seems to apply..
Be a beggar before one who will give,
who is gracious and who is fit to be respected..

Of course if one can get something without begging,
that seems always a better proposition..

I am not entirely in agreement with the propositions that god knows what each Individual requires and would give that to him..
It is a generally acceptable view.. and it may be correct in a formal way..

But God is a very Senior decision- maker sitting at the top of hierarchy and the decisions he makes must be on policy matters of vital concern..
There can be deviations and lack of co ordination when such decisions are implemented at grassroot levels..

In the implementation of the rules, there can be various processes and modalities that would require action on our part too to ensure proper results..

The President of India appointed me to the Civil Services..
but can I expect the President to physically deliver my salary at home ?

We can think of things only on the basis of possibilities..

So, if someone asserts that he or she is holding all the aces.. and that he is the only one who is right, that is just ignorance..

one after the other....

सङ्गात् संजायते कामः कामात् क्रोधोऽपि जायतेone
क्रोधात् भवति संमोहः संमोहात् स्मृतिविभ्रमः
स्मृतिभ्रंशात् बुद्धिनाशः बुद्धिनाशात् प्रणश्यति॥
गीता
saṅgāt saṁjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho'pi jāyate
krodgāt bhavatu saṁmohaḥ saṁmohāt smṛtivibhramaḥ
smṛtibhraṁśāt buddhināśaḥ buddhināśāt praṇaśyati||
gītā


a quote from Gita..

from attachment by mere contact arises a sense of lustful desire
from desire for possession and intimacy arisess destructive anger
from rage, arises a state of excitement that makes one forget the realities..
and from such excitement one is led to lose of all his sense of propriety
and losing of good sense leads to loss of ones faculty to think and evaluate situations and respond to them rightly
And that state would lead to his own annihillation..

He comes to us the way we want....

The blessed Lord declared in Gita..

Yo yadaa maam prapadyante taan tadaiva bhajaamyaham.. in whatever way people try to reach me, I approach them the same way..

यो यदा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तान्स्तदैव भजाम्याहं

That is one comfort..

Bhakthi can be so funny..

In the story of Dhruva in Bhagavatam.. Dhruva the child is doing penance..

very hard penance..

The lord Narayana is pleased..

The child had fixed the form of the Lord as described by sage Narada in his mind and is ever contemplating on it..

So when the Lord appears before the child in person, Dhruva is not aware of it..

And he is not even ready to take off his mind from the form fixed in his heart.

The lord had to use his Maya to take of the form in the mind to make the boy open his eyes and see the Lord present in person in all His glory..

That is bhakti..

Thondar Adipodi azhwar it is who said..

" You the fellow who resides in Arangam city..

 with a body like a green mountain with coral red lips and lotus eyes..

you the faultless one, the first among the deathless, 

you the darling of the cowherds.. 

to see you and chant your glory here, 

is all that I want. 

I will not take it even if the lordship of heaven is offered to me in place of this beauty.. " 

(பச்சைமாமலை போல் மேனி

பவளவாய் கமலச் செங்கண்

அச்சுதா அமரரேறே ஆயர்தம்

கொழுந்தே என்னும்

இச்சுவை தவிர யான்போய்

இந்திரலோகமாளும்

அச்சுவை பெறினும் வேண்டேன்

அரங்கமா நகருளானே.)

കടും പച്ചനിറംപൂണ്ട മാമല പോലെ മേനിയുമായ് കിടന്നു 

പവിഴത്തെ വെല്ലുന്ന ചെഞ്ചുണ്ടു കാട്ടി 

താമര ഇതള്‍ പോലെ വിടര്‍ന്ന കണ്ണുകളാല്‍ എന്നെ നോക്കുന്ന അച്യുതാ, വാനോര്‍ക്കെല്ലാം മുമ്പനായവനെ 

ആയര്‍കുടിയിലെ അമ്മമാരുടെ കണ്മണിയെ 

നിന്നെ എന്റെ കണ്ണുകളാല്‍ കൊതിതീരും വരെ കണ്ടു നില്‍ക്കുന്നതിന്റെ സ്വാദ് എനിക്ക് കിട്ടിക്കഴിഞ്ഞു.. 

ഇത് മാത്രം തുടരട്ടെ . 

എനിക്ക് ഇത് മാത്രം മതി..

സ്വര്‍ഗ്ഗവും ഇന്ദ്രപദവിയും എനിക്ക് തന്നാലും അത് വേണ്ടേ വേണ്ട.. 

തിരുവരങ്കത്തില്‍ നീണ്ടു നിവര്‍ന്നു കിടക്കുന്നവനെ.. 

നീ മാത്രം മതി എനിക്ക് 

തൊണ്ടരടിപൊടി ആഴ്വാര്‍....

That is bhakthi in the shape of love..

What are we to say..!

Godly or ungodly...

Godly or ungodly...

God.. 

the idea of God was the subject of numerous conflicts and controversies..

Some say there is a God, some say there is no God. 

Some say we should have a God..

Some say it is superstition to have God.

But the concept of God appears to have emanated from  imponderable quests  of human psyche..

Man knew by instinct that he is not perfect, and then imagined that there existed a being which would live up to his evaluation as a perfect being..

Such being was his hero, and a group of humans who  more or less shared  common views in the matter defined such a hero as their God..

For a warrior group, a spear, or a brave man was the God.

For a peaceful family, the father and mother became Gods..

For a happy family.. a total bunch of beings connected through kinship  showed up as divinity.. 

( One example is the Shiva family)..

In a single word, God is a word coined to define something which man wanted to persuade himself to admit as existing, 

something which he  eagerly and lovingly sought to be existing.. 

like a dream to be fulfilled,, 

but was never sure whether such an entity existed..

Even the best of the believers cannot say for sure that they have realized God to their heart's content.

And even the worst atheists cannot say honestly that they have succeeded in proving the lack of existence of God..

So the debate goes on.. 

and will go on till human mind and thoughts persevere..

The procedural aspects of God and religion, are too subsidiary and  peripheral 

A realistic   expression of the idea regarding rituals and procedures is clearly spelt out in Gita.. 

यावानर्थ उदपाने सर्वतः संप्लुतोदके 

तावान्सर्वेषु वेदेषु ब्राह्मणस्य विजानतः..

Meaning:-

When the whole landscape is deluged with floods, a puddle of water loses its significance.. 

Similarly for a man with  comprehensive knowledge, minor conceptual details are not important..

Nishthraigunyo Bhavarjuna

on sloka 5 of satakam 5 of Narayaneeyam, which I tried to expalain, the following query was raised.

Nish Trai Gunyo Bhavarjuna , was the lord's statement in Gita.

I felt , that the state of Trans Satwa is the supreme state.

Narayana Bhattathri cannot be wrong.

I am confused.

Can you please help me understand the subtle intent of Shri Bhattathri?

My answer to that query is

 When the process of genesis(creation of universe) is to be described, the author battathiri had to scrupulously follow the original authorities.  Here it is the Bhagavatham of Vyasa, The world has to be seen as is created and not as the  ideal situation where a creature should reach.  The very fact that arjuna was subject to the three gunas like anyone else, made the blessed lord to say" nistraigunyo bhavaarjuna.. "  The lord prefixes this advise with a statement, " Traignunya vishayaa  lokaah..".  the creations are afflicted by the three gunas, and arjuna, please go above this..  So the state of affairs is evident.. the three gunas were created, and surely they were created through the will of God through his own maaya ..
 One of the main purposes for the beings to assume life in this world is to enjoy or suffer and expiate the Karmaphalam.. for a suddhasattwa,( a man with only sattwa or in your perception one who is above all the three gunaas)  there will be no pleasure or pain.  So how can an ordinary human being live in this world and live out his karmas, ?  If you try to subscribe to the view  that there are two states for the creations.. one which is the ordinary state as we see in our mundane lives which is subject to all the vagaries of the gunas and sufferings arising from there because these creations are caught in the web of maayaa, and  the ideal state, where, after contemplation on the Lords Grace, the same being gets emancipated from the grip of such maaya and become inure to all the worldy vaasanas.  You are assuming the ideal which has to be reached in this world through bhakthi and saadhana  should be present in the whole word right from the first moment  of creation.  If that is so the creation itself which is only a leela of the Blessed lord through his maya, becomes unnecessary.  In the earlier sloka bhattathiri has already stated that the Lord just willed through his power of maaya the creation, and there he wanted every type of persona.. not only the ideal one who has transcended the three gunas.  How can one transcend the three gunas  if such gunas are not there.  We do not become post graduates or rulers of the world, nor  evil and imbecile persons on the day we enter the world as  infants.  We train ourselves for life, and we have to go though the same process for the life above or beyond  the ordinary life also.
            If you would  follw  of the advaita philosophy of Shankara alone then there is a different argument..  If we subscribe to that philosophy  then the whole process of creation and even the fact of existence of the universe with all its constituents  is just an illusion, there is only the supreme soul that has real existence.   If that is so our debate and even bhattathiris account is just academic. That is the stuff for philosophers and renunciates, and not for the ordinary humans  who form the majority in the scheme of things.
My view is that nobody in the frame of reference of the physical world as we see and feel  can deny the existence of good and evil, and both these are created by god through his illusory powers,  and the Blessed Lord's exhortation to arjuna is to be seen as a call for the sadhaka to raise himself beyond three gunas.. We should differentiate between the real and the ideal which we strive to reach.    Narayana bhattathiri is not wrong.  He is stating a fact.  We cannot expect any narrative of such dimension just to talk about  supreme state alone.  Bhattathiri at this point of Narayaneeyam  is  only starting his work.. he is creating the proper framework.  If you have to wonder that Bhattathiri is right or wrong here, then you will have to wonder about the entire puranas, itihasas, and even vedas which never fail to acknowledge the existence of the three gunas.  I do understand your query in the light of this particular sloka, but we can explain things only with reference to a wider canvas..

नष्टो मोहः स्मृतिर्लब्धा त्वत्प्रसादात् मया अच्युत

In the beginning it was a sham of sorts.  Wearing the holy ashes of pazhaniandavar, kalabham of guruvayurappan, kumkumam of mookambika and raksha prasadam from the ganapathihomam  mostly performed by myself.  May be the attempt was to impress others. I am not at all sure whether Krishna was anywhere near my heart..Just telling others that " May Krishna bless you" became a habit, even though an affected one.  But as days passed I started feeling that the black fellow--may be his colour is because of a black glue that simply sticks on you--just started like a special growth inside me.  Now a day has come when  nothing else other than that naughty boy can attract my attention for long. When I commit any perjury, I can easily quote the name of Krishna because he was the greatest thief.  If one is to be called mischievous sinner,  where else has he to go for the role model?  One may wonder whether he lived a life by example for don't dos.. But how sweet is His name, how beautiful his form must be, (no sculptor could ever reflect that beauty in stone, no one can carve or paint his form)  how  learned He is... He can be understood only by the heart.  One can only recall, नष्टो मोहः स्मृतिर्लब्धा त्वत्प्रसादात् मया अच्युत स्थितोस्मि गतसन्देहः करिष्ये वचनं तव  Nashto mohah smritirlabha twatprasaadaat mayaa achyutha... Sthitosmi gatasandehah  karishye vadanam tava... "my doubts are gone, my intellect is kindled by your Grace, Krishna, I will follow your orders"..to say this before the Lord himself, How fortunate was Arjuna..My  sham and supercilious acting is gone...Now for me Krishna is the only real business, the only reality...

--

नष्टो मोहः स्मृतिर्लब्धा त्वत्प्रसादात् मया अच्युत

In the beginning it was a sham of sorts.  Wearing the holy ashes of pazhaniandavar, kalabham of guruvayurappan, kumkumam of mookambika and raksha prasadam from the ganapathihomam  mostly performed by myself.  May be the attempt was to impress others. I am not at all sure whether Krishna was anywhere near my heart..Just telling others that " May Krishna bless you" became a habit, even though an affected one.  But as days passed I started feeling that the black fellow--may be his colour is because of a black glue that simply sticks on you--just started like a special growth inside me.  Now a day has come when  nothing else other than that naughty boy can attract my attention for long. When I commit any perjury, I can easily quote the name of Krishna because he was the greatest truth.  If one is to be called mischievous sinner,  where else has he to go for the role model?  One may wonder whether he lived a life by examples for don't dos.. But how sweet is His name, how beautiful his form must be, (no sculptor could ever reflect that beauty in stone, no one can carve or paint his form)  how  learned He is... He can only understood by the heart.  One can only recall, नष्टो मोहः स्मृतिर्लब्धा त्वत्प्रसादात् मया अच्युतस्थितोस्मि गतसन्देहः करिष्ये वचनं तव  Nashto mohah smritirlabha twatprasaadaat mayaa achyutha... Sthitosmi gatasandehah  karishye vadanam tava...to say this before the Lord himself, How fortunate was arjuna..My  sham and supercilious acting is gone...Now for me Krishna is the only real business, the only reality...

--

।श्रीकृष्णो रक्षतु।
|śrīkṛṣṇo rakṣatu|
Have a nice and happy day
with profound respect and warm regards
K V Ananthanarayanan
(kanfusion)
blog   http://kanfusion.blogspot.com/
त्यजन्तु बान्धवाः सर्वे निन्दन्तु गुरवो जनाःI
तदापि परमानन्दो गोविन्दो मम जीवनंII
let all my relatives abandon me, let the great people insult me, still I am in supreme bliss since my life  is GOVINDA alone.
Iकृष्णात् परं किमपि तत्वं अहं न जाने"I
लोकाः समस्ताः सुखिनो भवन्तु।
lokāḥ samastāḥ sukhino bhavantu|

He leads and we just follow

My dear brother, Krishna has already answered your question in gita... He has asserted without any trace of doubt in vibhuti yoga that whatever is great, original, sreemad(possessing of richness), strong and noble, manifests anywhere in any part of the universe one should realize that the manifestation is only a part of Krishna Himself. (mama tejo amsa sambhavam). It is not very material as to what language you use but the lofty thought are more important. Praying in any language and called the blessed lord by whatever name is only like negotiating different paths but the ultimate destination is one and the same. Sarvadevanamaskarah kesavam prathi gachchadthi. The means lose most of its significance once the right goal is reached. Maybe some paths may appeal more to the psyche of some while for some others different paths may be attractive. A sadhaka should ensure only one thing...he should not make dirty the path he had trodden. The paths are to be used by others who are also taking the same path. There can be millions of followeres like you and me but there are very few pathfinders ...whom we may call jagatgurus..usually this epithet applies in Hinduism to Krishna, Dakshinamoorthy and Sankara.. we may add a few names like Lord Hayagriva in Hinduism Buddha, Mahaveera, the Prophet, Lord Jesus etc.. Ultimately they all said the same thing. There is only one God, call Him by different names. Ekam sat vipraah Bahudha vadanthi.
If you feel the urge to express yourself spiritually, that is a great sign. The blessed lord is beckoning you. Please share your experience with others. Often God expressed himself through his devotees. Remember the bible also said it a different way.. if Gods wrath is directed towards an evil person, the first manifestation will be that the person concerned will lose all sense of proportion and become mad.
Whatever you or I do, we are only the media of action. The great work is performed by the blessed Krishna himself. So there is no room for arrogance or narcissism or pride for anyone. If a brain works exceedingly well, if a vocal chord vibrates to create sweetest music, if a finger traces great pieces of literature., always remember that these organs are directed by the Lord and the human body-mind conglomerate is only the vehicle. Nobody respects the vehicle, only the saarathy, the mover of the vehicle is the source of greatness.

Wish you all the best.