By Damana Krishna Das
It is interesting that looking through the light of modern science related to sports and neurobiology refering to the tendency of the body to keep everything in status quo. This is just partial point of few without taking in consideration the function of inteligence, soul and ultimately the supersoul. The body is a very complicated mechanism which an network for interchange of informations of central nerve system with the different parts of the body. All this informations are finally there due to our karma etc. So we have to make effort to change this pattern and rise above our present conditioning. And this has to be done even with the body. The body is using different hormons and their receptors for this exchange of informations and to activate different processes. Whenever we are facing some new situation or stressful situation the body is trying to deal with this. We could say this situation disturbs the biorythm of the body. Therefore it takes time for the body to deal with this situation. It has to make new receptors for some new hormons we need. Or it needs to addapt to the new schedule. Therefore it is very difficult to permamently change ones lifestyle as the body wants to keep us in the previous status quo. We say that one is conditioned to ignorance, passion or goodness. The hormons and brain are only the reflection on the gross material level. For example we deside to wake up 3 am instead of 7 am. Or we will go for sankirtana marathon and walk lot of distance instead of siting in the room. The body has to addapt to this situation. We will feel the dark time of the body by not having enthusiasm, no energy, etc. Every part of the body will pain. But this is only due to the unability of the body to deal with it at this time. It switched of lots of activity to be able to build up new needed receptors, etc. It is said that what doesnt kill you it will make you more strong. Maybe you will listen to the spiritual music and if you are not used it will make you tired. But if you are used for spiritual music your brain is not used to heavy adrenaline rock music and this will also make tired. We as devotees have to be very careful not to use the brain ability to addapt to environments not conductive to spiritual life. Its no problem to fast on ekadasi as the body can addapt to this, its no problem to chant all day. But we have to fight against the enemy inside us which want to keep us lazy and not do much progress. You will not see many people fighting with mind and do something great in sports so you will also not see many people fighting for spiritual things against the urge of the brain.
Depending on which of the modes of nature dominated the thinking and bodily activities of an individual prior to joining Krishna consciousness in a regulated way, the time taken to become fully regulated or fixed, can vary greatly.
Whichever the case, the transition from a lust dominated lifestyle to a love dominated one can be tough in most cases. So tough in fact, it is like taking poison. This adjustment mentioned in this article has already been covered by Lord Krishna in Bhagavad-Gita.
In the Sri Gitamrta, Arjuna asked Lord Krishna, âWhy is happiness in the mode of goodness like poison in the beginning, my Lord?â Lord Krishna replied that this was because when someone first takes up regulated spiritual life, it is painful for the senses, mind and body to adjust â it is like poison. But by persevering, the same senses, mind and body will experience the nectar that awaits.
Although the technical aspects of bodily adjustments are outlined nicely, it is nonetheless described under the broad heading of the word, poison, in Bhagavad-Gita.
Ys, Kesava Krsna Dasa.
“You will not see many people fighting with mind and do something great in sports so you will also not see many people fighting for spiritual things against the urge of the brain.”
Just as they have “Olympics Games” to showcase the talents of those who discipline themselves to achieve athletic perfections, it would be interesting if they could somehow have some kind of “Yoga Games” to showcase the talents of those who have achieved spiritual perfections.
On the other hand, to watch someone sit and meditate, softly chanting japa for instance, may not be much of a spectacle. You might not sell many tickets or TV rights.
Maybe kumbha mela is supposed to be a kind of Olympics for yogis. I have never attended but I get the impression it is kind of a circus. Sometimes that which has more appeal to an audience is going to be whatever is more flashy, showy, not necessarily what is really perfection of yoga.
(Even in Olympic figure skating there are scandals about the subjective nature of judging and scoring. I wonder if there would be a feasible way to have a gigantic spiritual festival with all the religions and holy men of the world come together and be “rated” or scored by a group of respected cognoscenti? What kind of criteria could they all agree on?)
ISKCON puts on wonderful festivals such as Ratha Yatra with good spectacles that attract the public. Such programs need to be appealing and entertaining to the audience and yet provide an opportunity for meeting serious bhakti yoga practitioners, hearing spiritual sounds and tasting prasadam and buying genuine spiritual books. I guess these festivals we organize are the closest thing to real spiritual festivals I can think of.
I wonder if there are other spiritual or religious festivals going on that I do not know about (I am sure there must be). I wonder, is there any means for ISKCON devotees to participate (as they do at Rainbow gatherings and Burning Man-type gatherings)?
Or are most of these festivals sectarian affairs, like Baptist tent revivals where Methodists are not invited?
In the past big yajnas were also the occasion for purifying spiritual discourses, such as that between the sages at Naimasaranya and Suta Goswami. Is there a way we can generate public interest in such events? Probably having Ratha Yatra type festivals is best.
We could probably also have large Janmasthami festivals now in urban settings outside India, and sell tons of Krishna books and full Bhagavatam sets