Teaching for the day – Pride

SB 10.10.9 — Unable to control their senses, rascals who are falsely proud of their riches or their birth in aristocratic families are so cruel that to maintain their perishable bodies, which they think will never grow old or die, they kill poor animals without mercy. Sometimes they kill animals merely to enjoy an excursion.

SB 10.10.10 — While living one may be proud of one’s body, thinking oneself a very big man, minister, president or even demigod, but whatever one may be, after death this body will turn either into worms, into stool or into ashes. If one kills poor animals to satisfy the temporary whims of this body, one does not know that he will suffer in his next birth, for such a sinful miscreant must go to hell and suffer the results of his actions.

Parama Ekadashi

Parama Ekadashi Vrat Katha

Story of Parama Ekadashi, Legend of Parama Ekadasi

The Ekadashi that falls on the Krishna paksha of a Adhika Masa or the Eleventh day of the waning phase of the moon in the Adhika Masa or Mala Masa is known as Parama Ekadashi.

Parama Ekadashi Vrat Katha

Once in a city called Kampilya there lived a Brahmin by the name of Sumedha along with his wife . Both husband and wife were pious and god fearing. They were poor but used to take care of all the people who would arrive as guests to their house. They used to feed the guests first and if required used to starve. Sumedha once told his wife that he would go to a different city in search of job and would earn money, as living in poverty was very difficult.

His wife told that , God depending on our fate and the good deeds we have done in the past would grant us wealth. We might have done some sins in our previous birth and so today we are facing the consequences. She advised him that we would continue to stay in this city itself and do as many good deed as possible. Sumedha agreed to it and continued to stay in Kampilya city.

Once a sage by the name of Koundilya visited the city, and arrived as guest to Sumedhas house. Sumedha and his wife served the sage well. Koundilya was happy with their service to guests and wanted to help them. He asked them to wish for anything. Both husband and wife prayed to him to show them a way by which they can become wealth and do a better service.

Koundilya thought for a while and asked them to observe the Parama Ekadashi Vrat. He said that the Ekadashi that falls on the Krishna Paksha of Adhika Masa is known as Parama Ekadashi. The power of the Parama Ekadashi Vrat is to remove poverty from the life of the persons who observes it. It only removes poverty but also removes all the sins even from previous birth and would grant heaven.

He told that Parama Ekadashi Vrat was once performed by Kubera. Lord Vishnu appointed him as the head of the wealth for Gods. He is known as the richest God who even gave loan to Lord Sri Venkateshwara of Tirupati.

Sumedha also perfomed the Parama Ekadashi Vrat and was blessed with wealth. They spent rest of their lives by performing good deeds, and on death reached the Vishnu Lok.

Parama Ekadashi Vrat Vidhanam

The process of observing the Parama Ekadashi Vrat is very tough which goes on for 5 days.

  1. The vrat starts with bating early in the morning of Parama Ekadashi.
  2. After bath one has to do the Sankalpam in front of Lord Vishnu, by taking water and flowers in the hand.
  3. After Sankalp one has to spend time reciting Vishnu Sahasranama or other slokas of Lord Vishnu for 5 days
  4. On the fifth day invite a Brahmin and feed him. Bid farewell to him by giving him some Dakshina. After he leaves the person observing the Vrat can eat.

This would complete the Parama Ekadashi Vrat Vidhan.

source – http://hindusphere.com/parama-ekadashi-vrat-katha/

Teaching for the day – uneducated

SB 10.10.8 — Nārada Muni said: Among all the attractions of material enjoyment, the attraction of riches bewilders one’s intelligence more than having beautiful bodily features, taking birth in an aristocratic family, and being learned. When one is uneducated but falsely puffed up by wealth, the result is that one engages his wealth in enjoying wine, women and gambling.

Thought for the day – See the Sweetness

No matter how bad people may seem, they possess at least one virtue. Be like the humming bird and pick out the sweetness of everyone’s character.

Teaching for the Day – forms of the lord

SB 10.3.20 — My Lord, Your form is transcendental to the three material modes, yet for the maintenance of the three worlds, You assume the white color of Viṣhnu in goodness; for creation, which is surrounded by the quality of passion, You appear reddish; and at the end, when there is a need for annihilation, which is surrounded by ignorance, You appear blackish.

Thought for the day – Spotting the Qualities

Acompassionate person develops an eye for spotting the qualities that make each person special. Even when others are at their lowest ebb, it is possible to help them restore their self-belief by keeping a firm, clear vision of their goodness and specialities. Taking a gently encouraging approach, I must never give up on anyone.

Teaching for the Day – Devotion

SB 10.2.33 — O Mādhava, Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord of the goddess of fortune, if devotees completely in love with You sometimes fall from the path of devotion, they do not fall like nondevotees, for You still protect them. Thus they fearlessly traverse the heads of their opponents and continue to progress in devotional service.

SB 10.2.34 — O Lord, during the time of maintenance You manifest several incarnations, all with transcendental bodies, beyond the material modes of nature. When You appear in this way, You bestow all good fortune upon the living entities by teaching them to perform Vedic activities such as ritualistic ceremonies, mystic yoga, austerities, penances, and ultimately samādhi, ecstatic absorption in thoughts of You. Thus You are worshiped by the Vedic principles.

SB 10.2.35 — O Lord, cause of all causes, if Your transcendental body were not beyond the modes of material nature, one could not understand the difference between matter and transcendence. Only by Your presence can one understand the transcendental nature of Your Lordship, who are the controller of material nature. Your transcendental nature is very difficult to understand unless one is influenced by the presence of Your transcendental form.

SB 10.2.36 — O Lord, Your transcendental name and form are not ascertained by those who merely speculate on the path of imagination. Your name, form and attributes can be ascertained only through devotional service.

SB 10.2.37 — Even while engaged in various activities, devotees whose minds are completely absorbed at Your lotus feet, and who constantly hear, chant, contemplate and cause others to remember Your transcendental names and forms, are always on the transcendental platform, and thus they can understand the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

Thought for the day – Relationships

Asensible person knows it is a waste of time and energy to get angry. Effort will then have to be made to reconstruct that relationship. It is much more useful to breathe deeply, pay attention to your attitude and answer without rushing. In this way, improve and strengthen your relationships with others.

Teaching for the day – The ocean of nescience

SB 10.2.29 — O Lord, You are always in full knowledge, and to bring all good fortune to all living entities, You appear in different incarnations, all of them transcendental to the material creation. When You appear in these incarnations, You are pleasing to the pious and religious devotees, but for nondevotees You are the annihilator.

SB 10.2.30 — O lotus-eyed Lord, by concentrating one’s meditation on Your lotus feet, which are the reservoir of all existence, and by accepting those lotus feet as the boat by which to cross the ocean of nescience, one follows in the footsteps of mahājanas [great saints, sages and devotees]. By this simple process, one can cross the ocean of nescience as easily as one steps over the hoofprint of a calf.

Thought for the day – Stability

When we worry, we make problems bigger than what they really are. Instead of worrying, accept whatever you have no control over, prepare wherever you can and choose happiness instead of worry!.