Liebe Besucher,
Liebe Devotees,
nach monatelanger intensiver und freudiger Arbeit an dieser Webseite zusammen mit unserer Webdesignerin bin ich sehr glücklich, dass nun alles soweit vollendet ist. Heute am 9.9.2016
ist zudem der Erscheinungstag von Shrimati Radharani, ein äußerst glücksverheißender Tag
für die Premiere unseres Forums und dieser Webseite als Ganzes.
Anstelle von Verhaltensregeln möchte ich einfach alle TeilnehmerInnen höflich darum bitten,
nett zueinander zu sein und auch bei Meinungsverschiedenheiten – die naturgemäß immer irgendwann bei Diskussionen auftreten werden – stets den guten Ton zu wahren.
Ich freue mich auf einen regen Austausch.
Euer Vedanta
Gita Jayanti (English)
Bhagavad-gita Jayanti
The Arrival of Happiness
Why are we here? Why are we suffering? What comes after death? What is the meaning of this world?
For thousands of years philosophers and scientists sought answers to these questions. No satisfactory answers were found. The Austrian-British philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, for example, drew the following conclusion:
"I don't know why we are here,
but I'm pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves."
It is obviously impossible - because no one in human history has succeeded - to unravel the mystery behind these essential questions. The Greek philosopher Plato, after all, recognized the logical reason for this, and illustrated it in his well-known cave parable, briefly summarized as follows:
We humans sit tied up in a dark cave and can only look in one direction, namely at the opposite wall of the cave. On this wall we see various moving shadows of things passing by the light. Thus we consider these shadows to be the only reality.
Plato further explained that we can only recognize reality when we are able to remove our shackles, leave the cave and go to the light where the real things and real living beings are. However, when such a liberated human being returns to the cave and tells the tied people about the real world, they will not believe him, because they can perceive even himself only as a mere shadow on the wall.
Shri Krishna is such a liberated person who knows Reality. Not only that, He is the Supreme, the Absolute Reality! By His grace, He comes here regularly to lovingly awaken us humans and free us from Maya's shadow realm.
In the Bhagavad-gita (whose Advent we celebrate today), in dialogue with His friend Arjuna, Shri Krishna gives clear answers to all the questions asked at the beginning. Arjuna as the questioner plays the role of a man who is still tied up in illusion. Shri Krishna repeatedly recommends Arjuna to ideally become a Bhakti-yogi, for example in BG 6.46-47:
The yogi [who meditates on the Supreme Self] is superior to the ascetics, superior even to the jñānīs [those who realize the scriptural teachings of the Absolute as unqualified Brahman], and superior to those who engage in karma [with a material motive]. This is indeed My opinion. Therefore, Arjuna, be a yogi.
Even among all yogis, whatsoever, the one who is endowed with faith and who worships Me with his mind fully absorbed in Me, I consider to be the greatest of those who are united through yoga.
Arjuna was at the end of the Bhagava-gita finally free of doubt and determined to fight. This must also be our mindset if we really want Krishna. Because as Babaji Maharaja often says, we are all actually like Arjuna, suffering and doubting whilst being confronted with our material attachments. What we need is on the one hand real knowledge and on the other hand heroism, determination and strength to break our beloved iron chains of our material ego once and for all.
For contemplation, in the following two beautiful and inspiring Arjuna murtis (statues) from Indonesia, which can provide us with a glimpse of Arjuna's fighting spirit and unbending determination.
Jai Shri Bhagavad-gita!
Jai Shri Krishna!
Jai Shri Arjuna!
