Page 10 - Ananda Mela 2016- Joyful Festival of India

In the material world we encounter fierce compe on and struggle to
achieve different kinds of sensual pleasures for the body. In the body we
have six highly evolved senses (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin and the mind)
which are instruments for gra fying our desires. Because there are limited
material resources and unlimited material desires of the living en es, we
experience a con nual struggle for survival. We cannot avoid this endless
struggle as long as we harbor material desires. Thus the living en ty is re-
sponsible for his happiness and misery by the misuse of free will and his ina-
bility to curb material desires.

There is redemp on for the living en ty. Lord Krishna accompanies every
living being in the heart as the Supersoul or omnipresent personal expansion
of God who witnesses our every desire and ac on. If we chose to surrender
to Krishna by listening to and following His instruc ons as given in the Bhaga-
vad-gita, we gradually rise above the influence of the modes of nature and
become free of the delusional state of mind which causes us to make the
wrong decisions in life. By regularly engaging in the devo onal service of
Krishna - summarized as hearing and chan ng the Hare Krishna mantra,
ea ng only sanc fied food (prasadam), reading the holy scriptures like Bha-
gavad-gita, visi ng the temple and doing service - we become progressively
free from the oppressive forces of nature in the form of karmic reac ons to
past sinful ac vi es. More significantly, we gradually purify the desire to en-
gage in intoxica on, illicit sex, gambling/philosophical specula on, and meat
ea ng, which are the four pillars of sinful ac vity.

Due to the uninterrupted con nua on of auspicious devo onal service,
Krishna promises that we will return to the spiritual, eternal world. He says,
“He who meditates on Me as the Supreme Personality of Godhead, his mind
constantly engaged in remembering Me, undeviated from the path, he, O
Partha (Arjuna), is sure to reach Me.” (Bg 8.8)

The Vedic path of regulated life liberates the living en ty from mis-
ery and unnecessary suffering

By following Krishna’s instruc ons in the Bhagavad-gita, a person becomes
free of previous karma and avoids perpetra ng more karmic ac vity with its
resultants reac ons. Then wonderful things begin to happen. Krishna ex-

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