Guest guest Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 No it is not our friend but our enemy? God gave it to us as a test and Challenges to see whom amongst us is going to hearken to his instuctions and injunctions. Mankind ways is completely opposite to the Ways of GOD no_reply Sat, 20 Feb 2010 12:11:53 +0000 Is the body our friend? Namaste, Is the physical body our friend, or our enemy? After all, it limits us, constricts us, takes away our freedom? But if its so bad, why did God give us this body? love, Shantnu _______________ We want to hear all your funny, exciting and crazy Hotmail stories. Tell us now http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/195013117/direct/01/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 Namaste all. tatte 'nukampAM susamIkSamANo bhuJjAna evAtmakRtaM vipAkam, hRdvAg vapurbhir vidadhan namaste jIveta yo mukti pade sa dAyabhAk (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.14.8) ....In another episode Brahma the creator gets deluded and wishes to test whether such an ordinary-looking boy like Krishna playing with the dust-laden cowherd boys of Brindavan could in fact be the Lord himself. When the Lord teaches him an unforgettable lesson, Brahma expresses regret and sings some hymns in His praise. One of them contains the three valuable Sadhanas that could take one to God-realization by themselves. Brahma sings (as in the above verse) --- " Lord, one who spends his life praying and looking forward to Your Grace, quietly experiencing the joys and sorrows that are visited on him as a result of past actions (Prarabdha), and prostrating to you with heart, speech and body, becomes ultimately entitled to liberation (Mukti) " . So this actually is a three-in-one Sadhana viz: (a) incessant prayer for the Lord's Grace; (b) quietly experiencing Prarabdha-caused joys and sorrows; and © prostrating to the Lord with heart, speech and body. One should always weep and pray for the Lord's Grace. Why not take the help of the Lord Himself for attaining Him? One should not rebel against the sorrows and miseries of life, which are only a result of one's own earlier actions. These are meant to purify our minds. Full acceptance of the Lord's will and bearing all calamities cheerfully is in itself a Sadhana. Remembering the Lord continuously; surrendering the mind, speech and body to Him; performing only selfless acts beneficial to mankind; contemplating on the Lord continuously and either resorting to silence or surrendering one's speech to the Lord or if need be, using speech only to chant the names and glories of the Lord, are sure means for realizing the spiritual goal. " --- Swami Shantananda Puri Jaya Sri Radhe! > Is the physical body our friend, or our enemy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 20, 2010 Report Share Posted February 20, 2010 Namaste. Another beautiful verse I recall about the invaluable but transient nature of human life from the exquisite Sanskrit poetry of Sri Adi Shankara Bhagavatpada: manujadeham imaM bhuvi durlabhaM samadhigamya surair api vAJchitam viSaya lampaTatAm apahAya vai bhajata re! manujAH kamalApatim - Sri Kamalaapatya Ashtakam. 4 Human body in this world is very difficult to obtain, even yearned for by the celestial beings in heaven. Knowing this fact well, removing yourself from the indulgence of worldy pleasures, O dear fortunate men (and women)! Please adore the Beloved Lord Sri Krishna! We are also reminded of many more scriptural quotes in this regard as the human life and Divine association of Saints being precious treasures and not to be lost nor wasted by our lack of faith and wholehearted surrender. durlabho mAnuSo deho dehinaM kSaNa-bhaGguraH tatrApi durlabhaM manye vaikunTha-priya-darzanam Srimad Bhagavatam 11.2.29: For the conditioned souls, the human body is most difficult to achieve, and it can be lost at any moment. But I think that even those who have achieved human life rarely gain the association of pure devotees, who are dear to Lord Krishna. From Bhaja Govindam (Sri Shankara's): ----------------------------- naliniidalagata jalamatitaralam tadvajjiivitamatishayachapalam viddhi vyaadhyabhimaanagrastam lokam shokahatam cha samastam bhajagovindam bhajagovindam govindam bhaja mUDhamate sampraapte sannihite kaale nahi nahi rakshati dukrijnkarane A dewdrop trembling from a lotus petal So uncertain is the life...not known for how long! The entire world that you see around,know, Is full of dole, discease, and conceit. (4) Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, Oh fool! Rules of Grammar will not save you at the time of your death. Other than remembering Lord Krishna, I do not see any way to cross the ocean of life and death. From Viveka Chudamani (Sri Shankara's): ------------------------------- These three things are hard to achieve, and are attained only by the grace of God - human life, the desire for liberation, and finding refuge with a great sage. 3 He is a suicide who has somehow achieved human birth and even manhood and full knowledge of the scriptures but does not strive for self-liberation, for he destroys himself by clinging to the unreal. 4 Who could be more foolish than the man who has achieved the difficult attainment of a human body and even manhood but still neglects his true good? 5 From Rama Carita Manas (Sant Tulasi dasji): - baDem bhaag maanusha tanu paavaa suradurlabha saba granthanhi gaavaa saadhanadhaam moksha kara dwaaraa paayi na jehim paraloka samvaaraa so paratra dukha paavayi siru dhuni dhuni pachitaayi kaalahi karmahi eeshvarahi mithyaa dosha lagaayi It is great good fortune that you have secured a human body, which - as all the scriptures declare - is difficult even for the celestial beings to attain. It is a tabernacle suitable for spiritual endeavours, the gateway to Liberation; and he who receives it and still wins not world Beyond, reaps torment in the next life and beats his head in vain remorse, wrongly attributing the blame to time, fate, and God. phirata sadaa maayaa kara preraa kaala karma subhaava guna gheraa kabahumka kari karunaa naradehee deta eesa binu hetu sanehee nara tanu bhava vaaridhi kahum bero sanmukha maruta anugraha mero karanadhaar sadguru dhriDha naavaa durlabha saaju sulabha kari paavaa Driven by illusion of My deluding potency and encompassed by time, destiny, innate tendency and mode of nature, it ever drifts along. Sometimes God out of His Mercy and without any reason for the affection bestows on him a human body, a raft to carry him across the ocean of mundane existence, with My Grace for a favourable wind and a worthy Saint, realized Preceptor for a helmsman to steer the course of this strong boat- a combination of which, though hard to win, has been made easily available to him.' jo na tarai bhava saagar nara samaaj asa paayi so kritanimdaka mamdamati aatamahana gati jaayi 'The man who, though equipped with such means as these, fails to cross the ocean of birth and death, is an ungrateful dull-witted wretch, bent on his own destruction. Same words of Sri Rama were also spoken by Sri Krishna to devotee Uddhava: ---------- SB 11.20.12: The residents of both heaven and hell desire human birth on the earth planet because human life facilitates the achievement of transcendental knowledge and love of Godhead, whereas neither heavenly nor hellish bodies efficiently provide such opportunities. SB 11.20.13: A human being who is wise should never desire promotion to heavenly planets or residence in hell. Indeed, a human being should also never desire permanent residence on the earth, for by such absorption in the material body one becomes foolishly negligent of one's actual self-interest. SB 11.20.16: Knowing that one's duration of life is being similarly cut down by the passing of days and nights, one should be shaken by fear. In this way, giving up all material attachment and desire, one understands the Supreme Lord and achieves perfect peace. nRdeham AdyaM su-labhaM su-durlabhaM plavaM su-kalpaM guru-karNadhAram mayAnukUlena nabhasvateritaM pumAn bhavAbdhiM na taret sa Atma-hA SB 11.20.17: The human body, which can award all benefit in life, is automatically obtained by the laws of nature, although it is a very rare achievement. This human body can be compared to a perfectly constructed boat having the spiritual master as the captain and the instructions of the Personality of Godhead as favorable winds impelling it on its course. Considering all these advantages, a human being who does not utilize his human life to cross the ocean of material existence must be considered the killer of his own soul. Jaya Sri Radhe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 21, 2010 Report Share Posted February 21, 2010 OMNAMONARAYANAYA Physical body made of five natural elements - is an asset . But nature can be an enemy or liability if we misuse it. River can flow or food ijswamy  ~SWAMY http://gjnanaswarup.spaces.live.com/blog/ ________________________________ shanracer <no_reply > Sat, February 20, 2010 5:41:53 PM Is the body our friend?  Namaste, Is the physical body our friend, or our enemy? After all, it limits us, constricts us, takes away our freedom? But if its so bad, why did God give us this body? love, Shantnu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2010 Report Share Posted February 23, 2010 Namaste all. Like to share another thoughtful devotional doha: nara tanu, guru sanga, govinda-radhe, prema pipasa deejyo, lakshya dilaade! Meaning is fully explained at this video discourse: http://shrikripalukunj.org/nartanu.htm Jaya Sri Radhe! > bhajata re! manujAH kamalApatim > > Human body in this world is very difficult to obtain, > even yearned for by the celestial beings in heaven. > Knowing this fact well, removing yourself > from the indulgence of worldy pleasures, > O dear fortunate men (and women)! > Please adore the Beloved Lord Sri Krishna! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.