Do Not Be Like a Street Dog Without a Master
My beloved Godbrother, Giriraja Maharaja has described as follows a most wonderful lesson he learned from Srila Prabhupada when he was walking one morning with Srila Prabhupada on Juhu Beach:
Every morning when Srila Prabhupada was in Bombay he used to walk on Juhu Beach. One morning I had been feeling especially wretched and miserable. Although so many other devotees were present, Srila Prabhupada began to speak as if addressing me personally.
He quoted a Sanskrit verse and spoke about two words anatha and sanatha. Natha means “master,” so a-natha means “without a master” and sa-natha means “with a master.” The whole goal of life is to become sanatha, “with a master.”
In the morning on Juhu Beach many gentlemen used to walk their dogs. Srila Prabhupada pointed to a fat and fit gentleman walking with an equally fat and fit dog. The man was walking briskly and confidently with his dog on a leash, and the dog was walking equally briskly and confidently with his master by his side. Srila Prabhupada commented that every dog wants a good master. If the dog has a good master, the dog is happy. He holds his head high; he wags his tail. He knows that his master will maintain and protect him, so he has no anxiety.
But the street dog “The poor fellow has no master. Therefore he is always suffering.” Srila Prabhupada then pointed to some stray dogs. “They have no master. They do not know where they will sleep, how they will get food. Other dogs bark at them; children throw stones at them. They are always in anxiety.”
Srila Prabhupada stopped walking. He planted his cane firmly in the sand of Juhu Beach. Although I stood behind many of the devotees, who moved close around him, with his eyes laden with love and compassion he looked into my eyes. “So we should be sanatha, protected, not anatha, orphan. We should have our master and be exclusively devoted to him. Then we will feel confident in his protection and always be happy.”
Quoting the verse again, Srila Prabhupada explained each Sanskrit word. Mano-ratha: the chariot of the mind. Mental concoction is driving us here, there, here, there. We have no peace. But when we have our perfect master to serve, we become peaceful (prasanta) and jubilant: “I have got my master. I have no cares or anxiety.” This is the ideal of life, to become sanatha-jivitam, living with hope: “I have got my master who will give me protection.”
I knew that Srila Prabhupada was speaking directly to me, addressing my present need in Krsna consciousness. Without my even asking or saying anything, he knew my heart and gave the perfect solution through his instructions.
Thereafter, I always tried to remember and follow these instructions of Srila Prabhupada’s.
Although I had caught some of the words from the verse and Srila Prabhupada’s explanation, I very much wanted to find the verse but could not. Then several years later I came across the same verse quoted in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila1.206):
bhavantam evanucaran nirantarah
prasanta-nihsesa-mano-rathantarah
kadaham aikantika-nitya-kinkarah
praharsayisyami sanatha-jivitam
“By serving You constantly one is freed from all material desires and is completely pacified. When shall I engage as Your permanent eternal servant and always feel joyful to have such a fitting master?”
Reading the purport, I found the same instructions Srila Prabhupada had given on Juhu Beach: “Just as a dog or servant is very satisfied to get a competent, perfect master, or as a child is completely satisfied to possess a competent father, so the living entity is satisfied by completely engaging in the service of the Supreme Lord. He thereby knows that he has a competent master to save him from all kinds of danger.”
I realized that Srila Prabhupada is so perfect that he always spoke on the basis of scripture. And because of his tremendous compassion and humanity, he could say just the right thing in the right way to deeply touch the heart of the listener.
Now whenever I walk on Juhu Beach and see the different types of dogs those with masters and those without I remember Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and pray that I will always remain Srila Prabhupada’s dog.
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Thanks to Giriraja Maharaja for sharing this wonderful pastime of Srila Prabhupada. This is a lesson for all of us that each of us needs to take complete shelter of a bona fide spiritual master. In this way we will be happy, free from all anxieties.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Nilkamal Chatterji
My Dear Nilkamal,
Please accept my blessings.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Thank you very, very much for your willingness to serve the most glorious mission of making the world Krishna conscious. The way to be of service is to as far possible take up the process of Krishna bhakti by following these guidelines: krishnaconsciousness.com/at-home and then tell everyone you meet about Lord Krishna in obedience to this order given to us by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as quoted in the Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya Lila, Chapter 7, Text 128:
yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa
“Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.”
I hope this meets you in the best of health.
Every morning when Srila Prabhupada was in Bombay he used to walk on Juhu Beach. One morning I had been feeling especially wretched and miserable. Although so many other devotees were present, Srila Prabhupada began to speak as if addressing me personally.
He quoted a Sanskrit verse and spoke about two words anatha and sanatha. Natha means “master,” so a-natha means “without a master” and sa-natha means “with a master.” The whole goal of life is to become sanatha, “with a master.”
In the morning on Juhu Beach many gentlemen used to walk their dogs. Srila Prabhupada pointed to a fat and fit gentleman walking with an equally fat and fit dog. The man was walking briskly and confidently with his dog on a leash, and the dog was walking equally briskly and confidently with his master by his side. Srila Prabhupada commented that every dog wants a good master. If the dog has a good master, the dog is happy. He holds his head high; he wags his tail. He knows that his master will maintain and protect him, so he has no anxiety.
But the street dog “The poor fellow has no master. Therefore he is always suffering.” Srila Prabhupada then pointed to some stray dogs. “They have no master. They do not know where they will sleep, how they will get food. Other dogs bark at them; children throw stones at them. They are always in anxiety.”
Srila Prabhupada stopped walking. He planted his cane firmly in the sand of Juhu Beach. Although I stood behind many of the devotees, who moved close around him, with his eyes laden with love and compassion he looked into my eyes. “So we should be sanatha, protected, not anatha, orphan. We should have our master and be exclusively devoted to him. Then we will feel confident in his protection and always be happy.”
Quoting the verse again, Srila Prabhupada explained each Sanskrit word. Mano-ratha: the chariot of the mind. Mental concoction is driving us here, there, here, there. We have no peace. But when we have our perfect master to serve, we become peaceful (prasanta) and jubilant: “I have got my master. I have no cares or anxiety.” This is the ideal of life, to become sanatha-jivitam, living with hope: “I have got my master who will give me protection.”
I knew that Srila Prabhupada was speaking directly to me, addressing my present need in Krsna consciousness. Without my even asking or saying anything, he knew my heart and gave the perfect solution through his instructions.
Thereafter, I always tried to remember and follow these instructions of Srila Prabhupada’s.
Although I had caught some of the words from the verse and Srila Prabhupada’s explanation, I very much wanted to find the verse but could not. Then several years later I came across the same verse quoted in Sri Caitanya-caritamrta (Madhya-lila1.206):
bhavantam evanucaran nirantarah
prasanta-nihsesa-mano-rathantarah
kadaham aikantika-nitya-kinkarah
praharsayisyami sanatha-jivitam
“By serving You constantly one is freed from all material desires and is completely pacified. When shall I engage as Your permanent eternal servant and always feel joyful to have such a fitting master?”
Reading the purport, I found the same instructions Srila Prabhupada had given on Juhu Beach: “Just as a dog or servant is very satisfied to get a competent, perfect master, or as a child is completely satisfied to possess a competent father, so the living entity is satisfied by completely engaging in the service of the Supreme Lord. He thereby knows that he has a competent master to save him from all kinds of danger.”
I realized that Srila Prabhupada is so perfect that he always spoke on the basis of scripture. And because of his tremendous compassion and humanity, he could say just the right thing in the right way to deeply touch the heart of the listener.
Now whenever I walk on Juhu Beach and see the different types of dogs those with masters and those without I remember Srila Prabhupada’s instructions and pray that I will always remain Srila Prabhupada’s dog.
----------------------------------
Thanks to Giriraja Maharaja for sharing this wonderful pastime of Srila Prabhupada. This is a lesson for all of us that each of us needs to take complete shelter of a bona fide spiritual master. In this way we will be happy, free from all anxieties.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
Dog with Master is Very Happy. His Tail is Up.
Dog Without Master is Miserable. His Tail is Down.
Answers According to the Vedic Wisdom
Question: How to Help You Deliver the World?
Please instruct me on how I can assist you in making your dream come true that the whole world can become Krishna consciousNilkamal Chatterji
Answer: Here is How
From: ISKCON Austin, Texas USAMy Dear Nilkamal,
Please accept my blessings.
All glories to Srila Prabhupada.
Thank you very, very much for your willingness to serve the most glorious mission of making the world Krishna conscious. The way to be of service is to as far possible take up the process of Krishna bhakti by following these guidelines: krishnaconsciousness.com/at-home and then tell everyone you meet about Lord Krishna in obedience to this order given to us by Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu as quoted in the Sri Caitanya Caritamrita, Madhya Lila, Chapter 7, Text 128:
yāre dekha, tāre kaha ‘kṛṣṇa’-upadeśa
āmāra ājñāya guru hañā tāra’ ei deśa
“Instruct everyone to follow the orders of Lord Śrī Kṛṣṇa as they are given in the Bhagavad-gītā and Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam. In this way become a spiritual master and try to liberate everyone in this land.”
I hope this meets you in the best of health.
Your ever well-wisher,
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
ISKCON Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, ordered his disciples to become gurus and deliver the world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari has taken this order very seriously and is thus accepting disciples all over the world and has dedicated himself fully to the mission of making the entire world Krishna conscious as soon as possible. He requests your help in this most urgent world deliverance mission to save the suffering humanity from gliding down to the animal kingdom in their next births.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari email: sd@worldleader.com
Sankarshan Das Adhikari
The Most Urgent World Deliverance Mission
ISKCON Founder-Acharya, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, ordered his disciples to become gurus and deliver the world. Sankarshan Das Adhikari has taken this order very seriously and is thus accepting disciples all over the world and has dedicated himself fully to the mission of making the entire world Krishna conscious as soon as possible. He requests your help in this most urgent world deliverance mission to save the suffering humanity from gliding down to the animal kingdom in their next births.
Sankarshan Das Adhikari email: sd@worldleader.com
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