The Curious Case of Krishna's Missing Ring:

A Playful Leela In the vibrant tapestry of Vrindavan, where love bloomed like wildflowers and the Yamuna flowed with the music of devotion, resides a charming tale of Lord Krishna and his beloved Radha. This isn't a story of grand battles or cosmic pronouncements, but a playful leela (divine act) that reveals the depths of their connection. One idyllic afternoon, as Krishna frolicked with Radha and the Gopis (milkmaids) by the Yamuna's glistening banks, a glint of mischief sparkled in his eyes. Adorned with a magnificent jeweled ring, a gift from Radha perhaps, Krishna playfully teased the Gopis, his laughter echoing through the meadows. Suddenly, with a flick of his wrist, the ring slipped off his finger and tumbled down a grassy knoll. 

The Gopis gasped, but Krishna simply grinned. "Fear not, my friends," he declared, his voice brimming with amusement. "This ring holds no power for me compared to the joy of your company." Despite his nonchalance, a playful search ensued. The Gopis, their love for Krishna boundless, eagerly sifted through the vibrant green, their laughter mingling with the chirping birds. Radha, her eyes filled with concern and a hint of playful worry, joined the search. But the ring remained elusive. Had it rolled into a hidden crevice? Or perhaps, carried away by a playful breeze?

 Krishna, observing their endearing efforts, decided to extend the leela. With a mischievous twinkle, he revealed a blade of grass, its tip curled into a perfect ring shape. "Behold!" he exclaimed, his voice laced with amusement. "Nature itself has crafted a ring worthy of your love." Radha, her lips curving into a smile, accepted the grass ring. In that moment, it wasn't the jewel-encrusted ornament they sought, but the depth of their connection that truly mattered. The charade of the lost ring served as a reminder that true love finds joy in the simplest of things, in shared moments and playful exchanges. This leela of Krishna's missing ring exemplifies the essence of JKP (Jnana, Karma, Bhakti) and JKYog. It highlights the importance of: Jnana (Knowledge): 

If you want to hear the leela you can click the link 

https://youtube.com/shorts/ZYoBeZcfrlY?si=ocJIoGVgpafgxv1f

Recognizing the impermanence of material possessions and the true value of love and connection. Karma (Action): The Gopis' selfless act of searching for the ring reflects the importance of service and devotion. Bhakti (Devotion): The playful exchange between Krishna and Radha underscores the joy and lightness found in pure devotion. Through this enchanting tale, we learn that love transcends material objects. It's in the playful moments, the shared laughter, and the unwavering devotion that true connection flourishes.

Why should you offer food to God before eating?

 

The food is cooked with the consciousness that it is for the pleasure of God and not for the sole purpose of gratifying our taste buds.

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In the Vedic tradition, many people make prayers and offer food to God before eating. The food is cooked with the consciousness that it is for the pleasure of God and not for the sole purpose of gratifying our taste buds. A portion of the food items is then put in a plate and a verbal or mental prayer is made for the Lord to come and eat it. After the offering, the food on the plate is considered prasād and is accepted as God’s grace. 

Shree Krishna stated in the 13th Verse of Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 3:

यज्ञशिष्टाशिन: सन्तो मुच्यन्ते सर्वकिल्बिषै: |

भुञ्जते ते त्वघं पापा ये पचन्त्यात्मकारणात् ||

yajña-śhiṣhṭāśhinaḥ santo muchyante sarva-kilbiṣhaiḥ

bhuñjate te tvaghaṁ pāpā ye pachantyātma-kāraṇāt

The spiritually-minded, who eat food that is first offered in sacrifice, are released from all kinds of sin. Others, who cook food for their own enjoyment, verily eat only sin.

Other religious traditions follow similar customs. Christianity has the sacrament of the Eucharist, where bread and wine are consecrated and then partaken. It is simple, whatever we eat has to be first offered to God.  Eating food offered to God changes our consciousness. It not only nourishes the body it also nourishes our soul.

The question may arise whether we can offer non-vegetarian items to God and then accept the remnants as his prasād. The answer to this question is that the Vedas prescribe a vegetarian diet for humans, which includes grains, pulses and beans, vegetables, fruits, dairy products, etc.

Apart from the Vedic culture, many spiritually evolved souls in the history of all cultures around the world also rejected a non-vegetarian diet that makes the stomach a graveyard for animals. Even though many of them were born in meat-eating families, they gravitated to a vegetarian lifestyle as they advanced on the path of spirituality.

According to Leonardo da Vinci:

Truly man is the king of beasts, for his brutality exceeds them. We live by the death of others. We are burial places! I have since an early age abjured the use of meat…

In fact, in the Bhagavad Gita Shree Krishna goes a step further and states that even vegetation contains life, and if we eat it for our own sense enjoyment, we get bound in the karmic reactions of destroying life. However, if we eat food as remnants of sacrifice offered to God, then the consciousness changes. We then look at our body as the property of God, which has been put under our care for his service. And we partake of permitted food, as his grace, with the intention that it will nourish the body.

We understand how food affects our body but we often overlook its impact on the mind.  Vedas say, what we eat is what our body and mind are made of.

‘Who Am I’

 Continuing our short series on ‘Who Am I’, let us now understand the characteristics of the soul.  Scriptures talk about two types of characteristics; Svaroop and tatastha (marginal) characteristics. Svaroop means the natural characteristic of the soul.  The soul is conscious; it is a power of God. At the same time, the Darshan Shastra as well as the Kenopanishad  point out that the entity called ‘I’ is beyond the intellect, and as such, it cannot be understood by the intellect. The ‘I’ is beyond the grasp of the senses, the mind and the intellect since these are material and non-conscious.

Ved-Vyas says in Vishnu Puran that God has three main powers.  The first is para shakti, the second is kshetrajna shakti (tatastha or marginal) and the third is called maya. Para shakti is God’s own personal power.  It is also called as Svaroop shakti or Yogmaya shakti. God’s marginal power (tatashta) refers to the individual soul.   God’s external power is called avidya, i.e. maya.  What function does avidya perform?  It creates the world.  Maya includes God’s power ‘maya’ as well as the world.  So, there are three powers – Yogmaya, Maya and the individual soul.

The individual soul is a fraction of God.  It is the marginal power of God (tatastha shakti).  What is the marginal characteristic of the soul?  It is an eternal servant of God.

Lord Chaitanya Mahaprabhu says,

The soul’s true nature is God’s servitude

The Puranas, Shastras and God-realized saints say the same thing. The Vedas, the Shastras and the saints, say that there is a difference as well as a ‘non-difference’ between God and the individual soul.  It is a very unique relationship indeed.

God is conscious, and so are we.  From this point of view, we are equal to God.  But there are differences between God and the individual soul. God is unlimited consciousness and we possess limited consciousness.  In other words, God’s consciousness pervades everything, and our consciousness pervades only our own body.  The soul pervades a small body; that of an ant, and it pervades a big body, that of an elephant.  There is no body bigger than that. God is omnipresent; He is unlimited consciousness, and the individual soul is very small, very subtle.

How small is the soul?  The very definition of the soul is that it is the smallest. Every Veda and Shastra says that the soul is so small that there is nothing smaller.  Thus, God is unlimited consciousness and the soul is minute consciousness.  This is a very big difference indeed.  Let us look at the second difference.  God is the controller; the individual soul is controlled.