How to Live and How to Leave [granthraj]

It is one month now our Guru Maharaj H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj entered into Samadhi and left for Krishna loka. He became role model for all of us by teaching how to live and how to leave. While performing Guru arati by H H Radhanath swami maharaj at Nasik ISKCON temple, we could understand the Bhava and deeply thinking how pure our Guru Maharaj is that by the mercy of Lord he could hit the target and achieved the supreme goal of life to go back to Godhead. His each instructions are documents. Only remembering him is not enough but to practice his instructions is important. Maharaj clearly told us that your chanting, reading Bhagavat gita and Srimad Bhagavatam is good, but if you follow and practice my instructions then you will be more connected to me than before.

I remember in one of the lecture by His Divine Grace Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj in Abhudhabi he gave practical example of Dhrtarashtra that eventhough being materially and spiritually blind he could achieve liberation in 5 day’s just by association with pure devotee Viduraji. Dhrtarashtra who was tightly bound in a network of material affinities related to politics, economy and family attachment, and he did everything in his power to achieve so-called success in his planned projects, but he was frustrated from the beginning to the end so far as his material activities were concerned. And yet, despite his life of failure, he achieved the greatest of all success in self-realization by the forceful instructions of a pure devotee of the Lord, who is the typical emblem of a sadhu. The scriptures enjoin, therefore, that one should associate with sadhus only, rejecting all other kinds of association, and by doing so one will have ample opportunity to hear the sadhus, who can cut to pieces the bonds of illusory affection in the material world and achieve all perfection.

We are also one of the Dhrtarashtra we have to understand the emergency situation and correct our self as soon as possible.

Maharaj left his body exactly like stated in Srimat Bhagavatam 2.2.21:

tasmaad bhruvor antaram unnayeta
niruddha-saptaayatano ‘napekshah
sthitvaa muhurtaardham akuntha-drshtir
nirbhidya murdhan visrjet param gatah

"Thereafter the bhakti-yogi should push the life air up between the eyebrows, and then, blocking the seven outlets of the life air, he should maintain his aim for going back home, back to Godhead. If he is completely free from all desires for material enjoyment, he should then reach the cerebral hole and give up his material connections, having gone to the Supreme."

Srila Prabhupada writes in his beautiful purport, "The life air passes through seven openings, namely two eyes, two nostrils, two ears and one mouth. Generally it passes through the mouth at the time of an ordinary man’s death. But the yogi, as above mentioned, who controls the life air in his own way, generally releases the life air by puncturing the cerebral hole in the head. The yogi therefore blocks up all the above-mentioned seven openings, so that the life air will naturally burst forth through the cerebral hole. This is the sure sign of a great devotee’s leaving the material connection.

Those who saw personally the last moments of Maharaj leaving his body could practically see how Maharaj followed the above process perfectly. It goes on to show how pure his life and his consciousness were despite all the difficulties posed by the pangs of old age and disease.

Similarly Srila Prabhupada explained in his purport to SB 1.13.54 as well, "…One who has surrendered himself unto the lotus feet of Lord Hari, can transcend all influences of the modes of material nature and be fixed in the service of the Lord. The bhakti-yoga process, therefore, directly applies the senses to the loving service of the Lord. This prohibits the performer from engaging in material activities. This process of turning the senses from material attachment to the loving transcendental service of the Lord is called pratyaahaara, and the very process is called praanaayaama, ultimately ending in samadhi, or absorption in pleasing the Supreme Lord Hari by all means."

There is a common misunderstanding among the general public that the yoga process of pratyaahaara, praanaayaama etc are meant for physical health. But we see from the shastras that they are all meant to end in samadhi which is pleasing the Supreme Lord by all means. Maharaj has shown this through his personal example and has taught us how to live in this world and how to leave this world.

Let me therefore sincerely pray to the Supreme Lord, Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev to bestow his mercy upon me so that at least I can follow and practice few instructions of maharaj and prove my self true disciple.

Thank you very much.
Yours in service of Srila Prabhupada and Gurudev,
Tusta Krsna Das and Suniti Devi Dasi.
Sharjah.

Disclaimer: This article was originally published in the Yahoo Groups granthraj – run by the disciples of H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj – by the devotee name mentioned above. The posting in this article, is original realizations of our Guru Maharaj and the devotee who wrote this. Any comments regarding this article would be passed on directly to the devotee. In this article, ‘Maharaj’ and ‘Gurudev’ implicitly refer to our spiritual master H H Mahavishnu Goswami Maharaj.

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