https://meet.google.

com/nuz-ngjr-uhj - krishnapad
http://meet.google.com/wme-wxhz-wpo vk.akshay

5th October 2021 Tuesday Motivational talk in PCCOE

"Happily being a dutiful student"

I am Grateful for the opportunity to be with you to welcome you.

Hearty Congratulations for getting an opportunity to get educated in a very good
institution.

Youth - A junction of decisions that impact our future, our parents future, our families our
society, nation, humanity.

Parents are anxious to see good for their children.

Youth are lost in their own world of friends, Internet, entertainment, gaming, hobbies, so
many varieties of habits and so on.

There are so many conflicts.

Sometimes they are bored of instructions by teachers parents and seniors.
Sometimes they are restless and want to enjoy life in their own innovative ways.
Education sometimes feels burdensome.
Future is unknown. There's struggle and cut throat competition.

My entry to engg college.

Ultimately they seek happiness.

All of us seek happiness.

But we define our own conceptions, our own paths.. Sometimes defined by our culture and
surroundings.

Different types of happiness

Mainly 2 categories
1. Wild / illegitimate / perverted like drugs / violence /sensual / लडकी का चक्कर - short
term
2. Academic /professional success / serving others / making life better for everyone in a
truly beneficial way.

Illusory
Bodily beauty
Chivalry - fighting ability - stunts
Singing capabilities
Attracting opposite sex
Victory over enemies
One cannot easily judge just from externals..

A hero at a mental hospital.

John and David were both patients in a Mental Hospital. One day, while they were walking,
they passed the hospital swimming pool and John suddenly dove into the deep end. He
sank to the bottom and stayed there. David promptly jumped in and saved him, swimming
to the bottom of the pool and saved John bu pilling him out.

The medical director came to know of David’s heroic act. He immediately ordered that
David be discharged from the hospital as he now considered him to be okay.

The doctor met with David and said, “We have good news and bad news for you! The good
news is that we are going to discharge you because you have regained your sanity. Since
you were able to jump in and save another patient, you must be mentally stable. The bad
news is that the patient that you saved hung himself in the bathroom and died after all.”

David replied, “Doctor, John didn’t hang himself. I hung him there to dry.”

By default everyone follows their own instinct or heart.

But heart and desires can be polluted
We get into bad habits.

Body - exercise food

mind - entertainment
intelligence - discrimination

Intelligence sees the long term future and makes an attempt to learn and adjust his life.

Principle of sacrifice of short term for the sake of long term..

सुखार्थिनः कुतो विद्या विद्यार्थिनः कुतः सुखम ् ।

सुखाथी िा त्यजेत्त्िद्याां विद्याथी ि त्यजेत ् सुखम ् ।|

चाणक्यनीतत।

self - Spiritual - Gives ability to stand steady in determination

Purifying oneself.

Seeing with clarity -

HH Radhanath Swami Maharaj
Our consciousness and our motivations in life are like spectacles having different colors,
which make everything appear tainted. Association of saintly people and regular spiritual
practices give us the vision and the philosophical ideal which help us see the world clearly.

Way back in 1972, when Srila Prabhupada was in Washington, he came across the news
that the government was investing $7,000,000 to investigate what’s the best way to help
people get out of addictions and substance abuse. The problem was there were many
other addictive ways of life that were being promoted in parallel. So, what’s the use of
such costly programs, when there is no change in the basic consciousness and aspirations
of the addicts?! How can such a change occur without proper spiritual education? The
addictions originate in the spirit and that’s the level from where any program has to start.

Srila Prabhupada commented then, “…And every way it costs thousands of dollars for each
person, and it’s not even guaranteed. And they take them out of heroin and they are putting
them on methadone or some other chemical drug, and that’s their method. They are
spending thousands and thousands of dollars and the person goes back to addiction after
several years. No success. Our program costs nothing, but the politicians don’t want to
listen.” (Morning Walk Conversation, June 14, 1972)

One of the devotees said recently, “Giving up one addiction and replacing it with another
addiction is no solution at all.

I have seen one gentleman who was addicted to smoking but wanted to give it up. So he
replaced his smoking habit with a candy eating habit. The result was that he became very
fat. So, by replacing one kind of slavery with another kind of slavery, he simply remained
the slave of his senses.”

Why does this happen? Since by nature we are creatures of habit who naturally get
habituated in this way or that way, the only solution is to find an addiction that liberates
from all anxiety and illusion and make that our habit. In other words instead of becoming
the slave of our senses, we have to become the masters of our senses. Srila Prabhupada
says, “when we awaken our Krishna consciousness then all of those frustrations
disappear, and so all such problems like drug addiction become unnecessary.” (Room
Conversation, May 16, 1975, Perth).

We have the Supreme Addiction – Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead. When we
become addicted to Krishna we automatically become free from all material addictions.
That is the result of developing one’s spiritual consciousness. Once we become addicted
to Krishna nothing else will ever attract us again. A devotee of Krishna will never feel even
the tug of the temptation that makes material addicts dance like puppets. If somehow
people who are addicted to dangerous habits and substances can come in touch with
devotees, seeing their freedom inspires the addicts to break free.

We learn from Bhagavad-gita and Srimad Bhagavatam that actually, all of us are addicted.
In our original constitutional position we are spirit souls – spiritual natured – but we are
addicted to our material body and the sensual pleasures that it promises.

This material addiction is effected through the modes of material natures i.e. goodness,
passion and ignorance.

Due to the addiction, while living in the body, we undergo the threefold miseries: psycho-
physical disorders (adhyatmic), relationship problems (adhibhautic) and nature’s
fury/environmental hazards (adhidaivic).
And at the time of death, we suffer the agony of forcible eviction from the body – we
cannot stay in this body for even a moment longer than we are supposed to.

By practicing devotional service diligently we gradually relish higher spiritual fulfillment,

and thereby break free from material addiction and its consequent suffering.

Bg. 16.21
त्रिविधां नरकस्येदां द्िारां नाशनमात्मन: ।
काम: क्रोधस्तथा लोभस्तस्मादे तत्ियां त्यजेत ् ॥ २१ ॥

There are three gates leading to this hell – lust, anger and greed. Every sane man should
give these up, for they lead to the degradation of the soul.

Bg. 16.22
एतैवििमुक्त: कौन्तेय तमोद्िारै त्स्िभभनिर: ।
आचरत्यात्मन: श्रेयस्ततो यातत पराां गततम ् ॥ २२ ॥

The man who has escaped these three gates of hell, O son of Kuntī, performs acts
conducive to self-realization and thus gradually attains the supreme destination.

Bg. 16.23
य: शास्िविर्धमुत्सज्
ृ य ितिते कामकारत: ।
न स भसद्र्धमिाप्नोतत न सुखां न पराां गततम ् ॥ २३ ॥

He who discards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains
neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination.

What is the way of devotion for a student?

Bg. 3.8
तनयतां कुरु कमि त्िां कमि ज्यायो ह्यकमिणः ।
शरीरयािावप च ते न प्रभसद््येदकमिणः ॥ ८ ॥

Perform your prescribed duty, for doing so is better than not working. One cannot even
maintain one’s physical body without work.

Bg. 3.9
यज्ञाथाित्कमिणोऽन्यि लोकोऽयां कमिबन्धनः ।
तदथं कमि कौन्तेय मुक्तसङ्गः समाचर ॥ ९ ॥

Work done as a sacrifice for Viṣṇu has to be performed; otherwise work causes bondage in
this material world. Therefore, O son of Kuntī, perform your prescribed duties for His
satisfaction, and in that way you will always remain free from bondage.

Bg. 3.19
तस्मादसक्तः सततां कायं कमि समाचर ।
असक्तो ह्याचरन्कमि परमाप्नोतत पूरूषः ॥ १९ ॥
Therefore, without being attached to the fruits of activities, one should act as a matter of
duty, for by working without attachment one attains the Supreme.

Bg. 3.32
ये त्िेतदभ्यसूयन्तो नानुततष्ठत्न्त मे मतम ् ।
सििज्ञानविमूढाांस्तात्न्िद्र्ध नष्टानचेतसः ॥ ३२ ॥

But those who, out of envy, disregard these teachings and do not follow them regularly are
to be considered bereft of all knowledge, befooled, and ruined in their endeavors for
perfection.