"Panditah Sama Darshina"

On a blog post of mine called, "So you don't eat meat?" a reader commented saying someone she knows, who is a Krishna devotee, speaks badly about other religions. Here's an excerpt of my response:

Oh, it’s not nice to talk badly about the beliefs of others. I wish your sister in law would understand. If someone spoke to her badly about Krishna, she would get offended. It only makes sense then to try and avoid offending others! The Bhagavad Gita has this nice verse on equality:

“The humble sage, by virtue of true knowledge, sees with equal vision a learned and gentle brahmana, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater [outcaste].” – BG 5.18

In Sanskrit, the translation of a part of this verse is “panditah sama darshina” meaning the wise see with equal vision. I love this short, simple quote and often remind myself of it when I feel like I am being biased or unequal in my perception of things. Perhaps maybe in passing, you could enlighten your sister in law about this verse 

Then I was going over some of my old blog posts, thinking why don't I write here that often anymore, thinking that I don't have much to write about... I was checking my blog statistics and found that this is the most popular post on my blog: Miracles and Experiences in Krishna Consciousness. After reading about each of the miracles I had listed, I picked one to read. This one is about an English girl named Ananda. You can read the whole story here.

I read the story, felt amazed by it once again, and then found a link about Radhanath Swami's talk at the Google headquarters. I was reading the article and after a couple of paragraphs into it, I saw that the EXACT SAME VERSE I had quoted above was mentioned in this article. I just sat there, shocked, staring at my computer screen, staring at the poster of Krishna on my wall, feeling amazed. All the events were completely random and I was amazed that somehow, I ended up finding an article that mentioned the same verse I had quoted just a few minutes ago! It kept making me feel like Krishna is still around, he's still here, and he's still trying to teach me. I felt like he was trying to tell me that the message of this verse is very important. It is! It is so important to treat others equally and fairly. If only more people would realize this, the world would be a better place. I can't even begin to tell you about the tingles I felt at the back of my neck! Krishna is just amazing. Just... amazing.

Prayer Request for Saroj

An anonymous reader said:

"This is for my aunty name Saroj she is suffering right now from a chronic illness which has no cure her body flesh is slowly disappearing and from last 2 months she can’t eat anything as she dont feel like eating at all, she only drink little milk and some juice. Please Pray from Krishna for her easy departure from earth and she should not suffer anymore, Krishna should forgive her and not give her any more suffering as she is suffering from this disease for a very long time and her kids also can’t be with her at this time she is very old and they have kept nurses for her to take care of her, I feel like crying for her but I wish that she should get peace soon."

I was very very sad to read this. I understand how you feel. It's like you want them to be happy and become well again, but it's not happening so you find yourself thinking that maybe it would be better if they depart. It's a very difficult time and the feelings are very confusing.

Dear Gopinath, please bless Saroj. She has been suffering a great deal. Krishna, please stay close to her and look after her. You are the giver of life and thus, our lives are in your hands. If it is better for Saroj and if it is in your wall, call her back home to you and to your arms, where she will be with you and lovingly serve you. If it is in your will, please bless Saroj with good health and please let her condition improve. Give Saroj and her family the strength and faith to trust in you and to make it through this difficult time. You are the preserver of life and I know you are our well-wisher. You want us to be healthy and happy. Please look after Saroj, Gopinath. Forgive her for any sins she may have committed, and please engage her in loving thoughts of you. Thank you for leading the person who posted this prayer request to pray to you for her well-being. By the association of a devotee, I know that you have blessed Saroj greatly, because not everyone is fortunate enough to be around devotees. Krishna, we know that this body is one day going to perish. But we also know that only you can take away pain and suffering, like when Bhishma was lying on a bed of arrows, breathing his last, yet he did not feel any pain or discomfort because you had blessed him. In this way, bless Saroj, dear Krishna. Please take away her suffering. Gopinath, please stay close to Saroj and to her family. Thank you.

Prayer Request for Shweta

Shweta said:

"I know my prayer request is nothing infront of all these requests which I read above but please pray for me that I get a little krishna of my own in October as I am expecting now. I want to hold and love my Krishna and I will name him Krishna. I just can’t wait till he is in my arms.

Hare Krishna!"

 

Dear Shweta, your prayer request made me feel so soft and warm and fuzzy inside! Congratulations! I was so pleased to read it! Let me tell you about a true story a devotee told me some time ago. A lady was expecting and during one of her check ups, the doctor found a tumor. As the baby was growing, the tumor was also growing. Extremely worried, she sought the advice of her guru maharaj, who advised her to chant a shloka from the Mahabharat episode where Parikshit Maharaj, who was in the womb of his mother Uttara at the time, was at threat from an arrow shot by Ashwattam. In the Mahabharat, Uttara asked Krishna to protect her child and Krishna did so. So the lady we are talking about was saying these slokas and praying to Krishna. The doctors began to find that the tumor was starting to shrink! The lady had a normal healthy delivery by Krishna's mercy :)

Keeping this real life incident in mind as well as the incident in the Mahabharat, I pray that Krishna will protect your child. Gopinath, please bless Shweta and give her the necessary strength to take on this responsibility you have given her, and bless her and her child abundantly with good health. May they grow stronger in their faith in you day by day, dear Gopinath, and may her child become a loving devotee, just like the mother.