Tattva-viveka
7 days left
Devyah-pati Das SERBIA - May 6, 2011 6:01 am
GM often speaks about 7 days that everyone has left to live: Sunday, Monday,...
This inspired me to think a little bit about it all.
Since eveyday someone can tell: "You have one week more to live.", this may
not be true today, or in 5 years, but once when he says, this will be true.
When I think about this week left like Maharaj Pariksit had, and everyone of ou
sooner or later, I have the understanding that this week can also be looked upon
as some short, but still long enough period of time, where one should show to the
Absolute (more specifically Krsna in our bhakta case), how much is one practicing
spiritual life at all in his life.
One day you may be very entangled in some problems or job or something else
so that you do not have time even to sit down to chant, or to read or do any spiritual
activity. But, there are other 6 days where you can show what is your average
spiritual practice, devotion, etc.
How do you think about that?
I am interested on how devotees view these 7 days?
Citta Hari Dasa - May 7, 2011 3:58 pm
GM often speaks about 7 days that everyone has left to live: Sunday, Monday,...
This inspired me to think a little bit about it all.
Since eveyday someone can tell: "You have one week more to live.", this may
not be true today, or in 5 years, but once when he says, this will be true.
When I think about this week left like Maharaj Pariksit had, and everyone of ou
sooner or later, I have the understanding that this week can also be looked upon
as some short, but still long enough period of time, where one should show to the
Absolute (more specifically Krsna in our bhakta case), how much is one practicing
spiritual life at all in his life.
One day you may be very entangled in some problems or job or something else
so that you do not have time even to sit down to chant, or to read or do any spiritual
activity. But, there are other 6 days where you can show what is your average
spiritual practice, devotion, etc.
How do you think about that?
I am interested on how devotees view these 7 days?
In general it's good to think that one could die at any moment, because that is indeed the reality. If we knew for certain that we had exactly 7 days left we would without a doubt get very serious very quickly. But we don't usually live like that, because we have a sense that even though it's possible one could die today, it's not likely in most cases. For most people, i.e., those who are reasonably sure of a somewhat average life span, fasting from food and water to just hear the Bhagavata would be a bit extreme. The overall idea we are to learn from Maharaja Pariksit's example is to make spiritual life our number one priority. If we do that and act on it consistently then we won't need to be concerned with when we pass on.
Prema-bhakti - May 8, 2011 6:40 pm
One day you may be very entangled in some problems or job or something elseso that you do not have time even to sit down to chant, or to read or do any spiritual
activity. But, there are other 6 days where you can show what is your average
spiritual practice, devotion, etc.
Citta Hari gave a nice reply that the overall idea is to make spiritual life a priority. The idea is that we should make time for our spiritual practice regardless of our various entanglements in this world which come and go. The idea is to develop samskaras for bhakti in this lifetime. A devotee once explained to me that our practice is like the dye process. When one first dips cloth in a vat of dye and pulls it out, the color shade is very light. Yet by repeated dipping and sitting in the dye the cloth color gets darker and richer. By doing bhakti we get bhakti and if we are situated in that process then whenever death comes it will be auspicious.
Devyah-pati Das SERBIA - May 9, 2011 7:13 am
If we do that and act on it consistently then we won't need to be concerned with when we pass on.
That's right. We won't need to be concerned with when we pass on, or where it would be, also.
Devyah-pati Das SERBIA - May 9, 2011 7:19 am
The idea is to develop samskaras for bhakti in this lifetime.
I have some general idea of the term and meaning of the word samskara,
but I would like to hear from devotees more on this subject matter.
What samskara precisely is, how it works, some examples in the shastras,
some inspiering quotes, etc.
Prema-bhakti - May 9, 2011 10:42 am
I have some general idea of the term and meaning of the word samskara,but I would like to hear from devotees more on this subject matter.
What samskara precisely is, how it works, some examples in the shastras,
some inspiering quotes, etc.
Samskaras in this context mean impressions. A samskara is a fixed notion or a habituated reaction formed by one's past activities. The point being as we engage in bhakti we are forming deep impressions for bhakti which will propel us into a better position at death and which will stay with us and manifest in our next life.
I think one example from sastra is Narada Rsi, who in his previous life was the son of maidservant at an asrama. He did not know who his father was but he was submissive and served the saints at the asrama. As the story goes, when his mother died suddenly due to his association with sadhus he formed deep impressions which led him to set his house on fire and enter the forest. In his next birth he became Narada Rsi. There is also the story of Jada Bharata which illustrates the power of impressions in one's life.
Anyway, I'm sure others have much more to say on the matter. Hopes this helps a bit.
Citta Hari Dasa - May 9, 2011 4:12 pm
Everything we think, say, do, perceive or experience leaves an impression in the mind. If we experience something only once or a few times the impression is weak and easily forgotten. But if we have an experience many times the impression grows deeper and has a more lasting effect on the mind. Because samskaras are mental in nature they are carried with the mental system/subtle body from one birth to the next, which is how we would explain different people's inclinations toward various activities that often begin to manifest at a very early age. So as Prema said by doing bhakti we are developing a samskara that will manifest in our next birth; we will resume our journey on the path of bhakti exactly where we leave off in this life based on the samskara we are developing now. And since samskaras grow stronger with practice it stands to reason that the more we immerse ourselves in our sadhana the stronger the samskara will be. This translates into it being easier and easier to pick up the practices over time and in each birth; a momentum is generated that propels us forward. We will naturally choose association and activities that are favorable to bhakti and we will naturally avoid unfavorable elements. The practices will become second nature; we will be drawn to them without having to think about it and we can then put our primary attention on deepening our understanding of the path instead of having to make the decision to embrace the path or not.
Devyah-pati Das SERBIA - May 12, 2011 8:38 am
I thank you both, very very much, for your explanations.
In fact, these two last answers(comments) of yours,
without any exaggeration left me speechless.
It seems, they provoked some more bhakti samskara in me. 
I offer you both, my most humble obeisances.