Bhakti Yoga Club at MTSU

Words can give hope to others or discourage others, help one get business or lose business, save relations or break relations, save lives, or destroy lives. The characteristics of good speech are vividly described in the Bhagavad Gita

anudvega-karaṁ vākyaṁ
satyaṁ priya-hitaṁ ca yat
svādhyāyābhyasanaṁ caiva
vāṅ-mayaṁ tapa ucyate

Austerity of speech consists in speaking words that are truthful, pleasing, beneficial, and not agitating to others, and also in regularly reciting Vedic literature. (BG 17.15)

By the passage of time, everything gets destroyed, but time does not destroy our ignorance. Just by the passage of time one does get knowledge. Some efforts has to be put in to overcome ignorance and the resulting desires due to that. Srimad Bhagavatam mentioned the beautiful prayer of Gajendra, in which this aspect is mentioned

jijīviṣe nāham ihāmuyā kim
antar bahiś cāvṛtayebha-yonyā
icchāmi kālena na yasya viplavas
tasyātma-lokāvaraṇasya mokṣam

"I do not wish to live anymore after I am released from the attack of the crocodile. What is the use of an elephant’s body covered externally and internally by ignorance? I simply desire eternal liberation from the covering of ignorance. That covering is not destroyed by the influence of time." (SB 8.3.25)

The false ego is our worst enemy which can check on our progress. Humility and service attitude is the only way to deal with it.

Gratitude helps us to appreciate and value what we have recieved. It helps us to be attentive in our dealing and protect us from losing the gift.
It is said in the Srimad Bhagavatam that just like a patient who gets vision back feels grateful to the doctor, similarly a person who recives the spiritual vision back feels always grateful to one's spiritual teacher.

yatha yathatma parimrjyate 'sau
mat-punya-gatha-sravanabhidhanaih
tatha tatha pasyati vastu suksmam
caksur yathaivanjana-samprayuktam

When a diseased eye is treated with medicinal ointment it gradually recovers its power to see. Similarly, as a conscious living entity cleanses himself of material contamination by hearing and chanting the pious narrations of My glories, he regains his ability to see Me, the Absolute Truth, in My subtle spiritual form. (SB 11.14.27)

The Vedic Literature Srimad Bhagavatam glorifies this state of consciousness by saying

sadā santuṣṭa-manasaḥ
sarvāḥ śivamayā diśaḥ
śarkarā-kaṇṭakādibhyo
yathopānat-padaḥ śivam

For a person who has suitable shoes on his feet, there is no danger even when he walks on pebbles and thorns. For him, everything is auspicious. Similarly, for one who is always self-satisfied there is no distress; indeed, he feels happiness everywhere. (SB 7.15.17)

What if the spiritual path isn’t so much about becoming someone new... but rather about UNBECOMING all that we think we are?

The path of Bhakti redirects us inwards. It shows us our true self: a spirit soul that is eternal, full of knowledge and made out of everlasting joy.

A mind which is not discipline can overwhelm an individual with negativity.
The Bhagavad Gita says

bandhur ātmātmanas tasya
yenātmaivātmanā jitaḥ
anātmanas tu śatrutve
vartetātmaiva śatru-vat

For him who has conquered the mind, the mind is the best of friends; but for one who has failed to do so, his mind will remain the greatest enemy. (BG 6.6)

Bhagavad Gita focuses on how to elevate our consciousness above these urges. And then we are able to rise above all these urges, we can realize that each of us have a role to play and serve everyone in the society to the best of our ability.

mātrā-sparśās tu kaunteya
śītoṣṇa-sukha-duḥkha-dāḥ
āgamāpāyino ’nityās
tāṁs titikṣasva bhārata

O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course, are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed (BG 2.14)

Real beauty is beyond the externals . Dive deep and find the real beauty within.

Problems in life may not diminish but our consciousness can rise much above the so called problems in such a way that the entire perspective changes. One of the core principles to remain positive and enthusiastic throughout your life is the flexibility and the agility with which you can choose different lenses at any particular given moment. The different lenses refer to the vision of looking at a problem that could appear tiny or greater.

Romapada Swami on Relationship | Romapada Swami Quotes In order to build a relationship with a person, respect must be present first. If there is no respect, there will also be no trust and no love.