Subtle regulative principles

The four regulative principles of freedom are:
1. No meat-eating
2. No gambling
3. No intoxication
4. No illicit sex

This ensures that we do not break the corresponding pillars of religion, which are:
1. Compassion/ daya
2. Truthfulness / satya
3. Austerity/ tapasya
4. Cleanliness/ sauca

The subtle versions of these correspond to:
1. Abandon apathy for ignorant people
2. Don't indulge in mental speculation and time-wasting activities
3. Sober down from the drunkeness caused by the pride of having good birth, wealth, good progeny, knowledge, power, etc.
4. Abandon the desire for position, prestige, worship, followers, and praise.

The solution for following the subtle regulative principles is
Trinad api suni cena - sober down
Taror api sahisnuna - tolerate disrespect
Amanina mana dena - give respect instead of expecting it
Kirtaniya sada Hari - use all your time in chanting and preaching

Haribol!

Teaching the Mind the Mantra

The goal of chanting, as I have now discovered after practicing intermittently and sometimes regularly for the past 12 years, is to teach the mind to chant and how to chant.

I was simply mechanically vibrating the sounds, sometimes listening to the sounds, but mostly thinking thoughts. But today, after many many years, I finally found my mind repeating the words after me. It was listening and repeating. Not for too long, after a few mantras it was again struggling to wander.

Even then, this is an epic discovery.

I hope I can teach my mind to be humble and to chant in that mood. Then, once it learns, it can continue to chant without my conscious intervention.

Song by Govinda Dasa Kaviraj:

Oh my mind, just worship the Lotus Feet of the Son of Nanda, which make one fearless

Having obtained this rare human birth, cross over this ocean of worldly existence through the association of saintly persons.

Both in the day and at night I remain sleepless, suffering the pains of the heat and cold, the wind and the rain. For a fraction of flickering happiness I have uselessly served wicked and miserly men.

Health and wealth, family and friends, of what use to me are all these in the end.

This life is tottering like a drop of water on a lotus petal; therefore you should always serve and worship the divine feet of Lord Hari.

It is the desire and great longing of Govinda's servant to engage himself in the nine processes of bhakti, namely hearing the glories of Lord Hari and chanting those glories, constantly remembering Him and offering prayers to Him, serving the Lord's lotus feet, serving the Supreme Lord as a servant, worshiping Him with flowers and incense, serving Him as a friend, and completely offering the Lord one's very self.

Bengali lyrics:

Bhajahu re mana, Sri Nanda Nandana, abhay charanaarvinda re
Durlabha maanava, janama satsange, trahu e bhava sindhu re

śīta ātapa bāta bariṣaṇa e dina jāminī jāgi re
biphale sevinu kṛpaṇa durajana capala sukha-laba lāgi' re

e dhana, yaubana, putra, parijana ithe ki āche paratīti re
kamala-dala-jala, jīvana ṭalamala bhajahū hari-pada nīti re

śravaṇa, kīrtana, smaraṇa, vandana, pāda-sevana, dāsya re
pūjana, sakhī-jana, ātma-nivedana govinda-dāsa-abhilāṣa re

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRIUaspQ1M4

A Cruel Magician or a Creator of Beautiful Magic?

The theme of Disney's movie Frozen is this: whether the main protagonist is evil and monstrous or a creator of beautiful magic?

Krishna is the Supreme Magician. But the people of this world see everything magical as ordinary and claim that it is simply the result of a bang or chance. Even if they admit His magic, they are quick to point out that He is evil for creating misery.

As Elsa's magic was out of control until she understood that it can be controlled by Love, Krishna wants us to know that although His magic seems evil when you look at it with fear, but that He can be controlled by Love, then we can ease our doubts and misapprehensions and approach Him, who is sublimely sweet and loving.

Until our fear covers our eyes, we cannot behold the beautiful truth.

Thank you Krishna, my dear beloved Supreme Magician. :)