Uncertainty And Surrender
If we try to control the material energy in an attempt to enjoy material happiness and avoid material distress, one thing is certain: we will be defeated.
Though we need to make judgments when holding people accountable, we needn’t become judgmental.
"Who is going to come looking for you when you get into a tough spot? Who has permission to ask you questions about your moral boundaries? Who in your life has permission to tell you that it’s time to take a break before you crash?"
"Standing in queue / Desperately buying toilet paper to wipe away their anxiety / The fear of the uncertain and the unknown / Sticks to them with industrial strength glue"
According to the New York Times, “National lockdowns and social distancing measures are drying up work and incomes and are likely to disrupt agricultural production and supply routes—leaving millions to worry how they will get enough to eat.”
We’ve seemingly lost our freedom. But when ‘freedom’ means that everything is so available that we become complacent, what’s the benefit? If ‘restriction’ generates an appreciation and gratitude of what we’ve taken for granted all these years, where’s the loss?
"Your merry rides have been thwarted, / Your house has been fenced, / Amazing you are, O mind, / You still don’t wish to be cleansed..."
Altruism is defined as having a disinterested and selfless concern for the wellbeing of others. The Bhagavad Gita 16.1-3 describes the same, daya bhutesv aloluptvam or being without greed and having mercy towards others. Putting this concern into action not only aids those in difficulty but also eases your own.
" At my best of times, at my worst of times / I have always turned to and received the comfort and reassurance / of Mother Nature."
“Let us not squander this hour of our pain” (Rilke)
Conspiracy theories abound: COVID-19, G5, the New World Order, and, of course, the deep state. I remember a time when life was simpler. There was only one conspiracy in town: Maya, the illusionary energy.
In these unprecedented times, we encourage devotees to share their thoughts, poems, and prayers via ISKCON News' special Covid-19 section. The first offering comes from our GBC Minister of Communications, Anuttama dasa, who lives in Washington DC.
He never found a conspiracy theory he didn't like. Valisudana - not his real name - craves hearing how malevolent groups hatch secret, unlawful, harmful plans for evil, destructive purposes.
A deep fear about losing family and friends… but are we as worried about how we relate to them while their alive?
These days, by a reversal of fortune, we are the ones that are locked in like zoo animals, while they are the ones that can roam free. Good for them. They have deserved some break after all the millennia of mistreatment and abuse they had to suffer by our hands.
During a pandemic, the medical care providers are the frontline warriors. Actually, we all have the opportunity to save lives. How? By understanding what life is and what saving it means.
The word “kovida” appears in a celebrated verse from the Bhagavata-Purana: “Those who are intelligent and philosophically inclined (kovida) should endeavour for that which is beyond the material world." Let the mantra become part of you: adjust your expectation, accept your situation, and aspire for connection.
1.3 billion Indians observed the Janata Curfew on 22nd March, to fight Covid-19. Billions of people in different parts of the world are already under lockdown. There is an undeclared curfew in almost all the parts of the world. Coronavirus, the tiny little virus, which cannot be seen with our eyes have brought the whole world to a standstill.
Someone asked me if we should pray for the protection of our loved ones – of course we should! But it got me thinking.
Millions of people are lying low to limit the spread of COVID-19. Self-isolation and social distancing, they say, will help curb the crisis. Next problem: how do you cope with being cooped up for days on end? How do we use this time wisely?
Sometimes I wonder, do we forget we are going to die? What is the difference between dying from any other situation or dying from corona virus?
How interesting that community building starts with our own internal work. How we show up, how we set our minds, how we hold radical responsibility, and how we value those around us.
When I read the news this morning, I got scared. People all over the world are starting to brace themselves in fear of the coronavirus epidemic.
My sister—19-year old, wheelchair-bound, muscular-dystrophic Madana-mohana-mohini dasi--was the No. 1 female book distributor in Pune, India last December.
