NECESSARY FOR SUCCESS

The secondary rules are of three types: rules regarding self; rules regarding society; rules regarding the afterlife. Rules regarding the self are of two categories: those for the body and those for the mind. Those rules to keep a person's body properly nourished so that they can remain healthy are the bodily rules. Such things as regulated drinking, eating, sleeping, exercise, and for sickness, prescriptions for cure, are bodily rules.

If people do not follow these rules, they cannot pass through life smoothly. If they do not follow the mental rules, their power of realization, concentration, imagination, contemplation and judgment will be weak and will not properly function. There will be no advancement in arts and sciences, and moreover one will not be able to take the mind from material thoughts and direct it to thoughts of God. As a result, sinful thoughts and atheistic attitude will dominate the mind; finally a person will become no better than a beast. Therefore these bodily and mental rules are very necessary for success in human life.

- Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Caitanya Siksamrta

SERVANT LEADER

If leader is servant, then why so many leaders behave like a master?

SHARP WORDS

Those sadhus who speak sharp words to drive away the witch of the illusory energy are actually the only real devotees of Krsna and friends of the living entities. The conditioned living being experiences the distressful quarreling of his wife and close relatives and is rudely treated by them until death, yet he never desires to leave their association. On the other hand, he absorbs himself in trying to appease and serve them. But when a devotee of the Lord, who is always desirous of the living entity's ultimate welfare, chides him just once with instructions meant to drive away maya, then that conditioned entity immediately makes plans to leave the saintly person for his entire life.

- Srila Gaura Kisora dasa Babaji Maharaja

JAYANANDA

Jayananda Prabhu wrote some notes in the front Jacket of his Krsna book and these very clearly show the benefits of taking to Krsna consciousness:

- As you begin to apply the book's clearly described principles to your life, you'll quickly experience a new realm of mental poise and experience an inner happiness even in the midst of the most trying circumstances.

- You'll worry less and enjoy more.

- Your power of concentration, memory, understanding and creativity will increase.

- You'll work more energetically, more confidently and efficiently, as well as relate better to people.

- And you'll succeed more easily at whatever you try doing.

- At night you'll fall asleep immediately, and in the morning you'll awaken thoroughly refreshed with even less hours' sleep than you normally need.

- Consequently you'll understand the real purpose of your life and your unique role in creation.

WILL

If there is a will, there is a way. If there is no will, there are excuses.

CONSCIENCE

We sometimes inquire from our conscience. Conscience says, "No, don't do this." But still we do it. Still we do... That is our avidya. Because we do not know, in ignorance, in spite of the Supreme Soul, Supersoul is forbidding, "Don't do this," still, we shall do it. That is called anumanta. We cannot do anything without the sanction of the Supersoul, but when we insist that "I must do it," then He says, "All right, you do it, but you'll suffer your sequence. My word is, Supersoul order is, that 'You give up all this nonsense. Simply surrender unto Me. I will give you all protection.' " But no, that he'll not do.

Srila Prabhupada Lecture, Bhagavad-gita 13.4, Bombay, September 27, 1973

TWO WORDS

Our life can be summarized in two words: challenge - response.

SUBORDINATE

We have the capacity to subordinate our impulses, moods, feelings and conditions, to values based on principles or natural laws.

EXAMINATION

Similarly, to be recognized by Krishna, as He says na ca tasman manusyesu [Bg. 18.69], one has to pass examination, severe test of examination. All the big, big devotees we see. Narada Muni, before becoming Narada Muni, he had to pass through severe examination, test. That chance is there in the human form of life, to pass the examination, test.

- Srila Prabhupada, Morning Walk, August 11, 1976, Tehran

INTEGRATE WHAT YOU LEARN INTO YOUR LIFE

To know and not to do, is really not to know. To learn and not to do is not to learn. In other words, to understand something but not apply it is really not to understand it. It is only in the doing, the applying, that knowledge and understanding are internalized.

For instance, you could study tennis as a sport by reading books and hearing lectures, but until you've actually played it, you wouldn't really know the sport. To know and not to do is not to know.

There are at least four approaches you could take in applying what you learn in any book:

1. The first would be to simply read the book straight through. Then decide what you want to apply in your life and work. This is the way most people approach a book. It reflects the desire many of us have to get emotionally or mentally connected with a flow of ideas in a book and then run with it.

2. The second approach would be to read through the entire book and then use the comprehensive understanding and cumulative motivation to go back and read the book a second time — this time with the intent to apply as you go. This could work very well for many.

3. A third approach — one that I personally believe will yield the greatest results — would be to adopt it as a yearlong personal growth and development program. Take a month for each of the remaining twelve chapters. Start by reading the next chapter, teach it and then apply it the rest of the month. You will find that if you will actually seek to apply what you learn in each chapter for a month, the insight you gain in the chapters that follow will profoundly increase.

4. The fourth approach is simply to adapt the third approach to your own timeline. Some readers might want to go faster or slower than one chapter a month. Read and apply a new chapter every week, every two weeks, every two months, or in whatever time frame you choose. This retains the power of the third approach yet allows you the flexibility to adapt it to your own desires and circumstances.

Action Steps for each chapter:

1. Read the chapter.

2. Teach the chapter to at least two people, including work colleagues, family members, friends, etc.

3. Make a sincere, concerted effort to live the principles included in the chapter for one month.

4. Report the results and your learnings from seeking to live the ideas in the chapter to a trusted colleague, family member or friend.

- From "The 8th Habit" book

KRSNA PRIYA

Krishna Priya dd was born and grew up in the doomed village Schmiegl in eastern Poland. There had been a hospital where thousands of people had left their bodies, infesting the village with ghosts. In the neighboring house to where Krishna Priya lived, a woman was constantly calling them up. As a result, her mother became haunted, her father was an alcohol addict. As a result, Krishna Priya from the early age of 7 started maintaining the family and doing the household at the same time. On the way to school children often threw stones at her. But she always took shelter of Mother Mary and Lord Jesus, spending hours in the local church, and was blessed with Their reciprocation.

At age 17 she moved to Antwerp, Belgium, where she promptly married and kept on working hard, wearing out her body. She bore a child, which was heavily invalid, especially mentally retarded. It was greatly aggressive from the beginning and often bit its own mother, as she carried her down the stairs, day by day. When it reached the age of eleven, it showed its mother the first affection. Due to the handicap, the child as it grew up continuously frequently passed liquid stool in its dipers, sometimes 4 times in a row as if to tease the mother, who had to change them and clean the child.

Krishna Priya, who was in close touch with the Lord, met the devotees of Krishna first when her child was about 13. Soon after her husband passed away. As a widow and single mother, she now dedicated herself more and more to Krsna consciousness. Upon receiving Bg she just read through the night profusely shedding tears, as all this information had been known to her since her childhood, but everybody considering her crazy she had been compelled to hide her understanding for herself.

Her first action was buying heaps of these books and rushing onto the street to distribute them to everyone in Antwerp. But the time was not ripe, Krishna made her understand, after she had come home crying, because nobody wanted a book. Soon after, however, mataji started distributing sweetballs and books on a daily basis on the street, and single-handedly run a weekly nama hatta program, besides serving countless Deities, who come to her one after another.

She has always prayed to suffer for others. Presently she is recovering from a heavy hip operation and is in constant pain. But her consciousness is with opening a big temple in Antwerp for expanding the preaching. Her courageous, complaintless suffering in itself is major preaching work to all the devotees.

Janmastami dasa, Antwerp, Belgium