Skip to main content

Like a Lotus Leaf in Water - पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा

March 5, 2011

Champak256 has kindly contributed an updated version of his speech at the Gita Jayanti oratorical competitions held in February 2011 in Singapore. Thank you champak....

Be Like a Lotus Leaf in Water
Respected Judges and Friends
During a Q&A with Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda, there was a man who was constantly talking, who just would not stop. Later, someone asked Gurudev, “Did that man annoy you?” Smiling, Gurudev answered, “As the man was talking, the oscillations reached my ear, in my ear, they vibrated my timpanum, which sent signals to my brain, my brain, in turn, sent messages to my head to nod up and down. Why should I get annoyed? I stand apart.” This is what it means to be like a lotus leaf in water.
Gurudev was in Uttarkashi with his guru, Swami Tapovan Maharaj. The year was 1951. India was newly independent. Gurudev saw India, suffering because it had been led away from its Hindu roots in the Gita and Upanishads. He decided that the Bhagavad Gita’s message should be taught to everyone. Not just the priests and Brahmins, but everyone; regardless of age, gender, or caste. He started giving talks about the Bhagavad Gita, for everyone, in English; the language of the educated of India. The orthodox priests and Brahmins were outraged. How could he teach the sacred knowledge of the Gita to women, children, and people who weren’t Brahmins? They cursed him that his tongue would grow thorns and fall out because of the sacrilege he was committing. Gurudev continued, unaffected by the curses and criticism directed towards him.
In the same way, a lotus leaf, even though it grows and lives its entire life in muddy lakes, when you take it out of the water, all the water rolls right off.

In Chapter 5 of the Gita, Shri Krishna says, “ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा करोति यः । लिप्यते न स पापेन पद्मपत्रमिवाम्भसा ।।” which can be translated as, “The realized man who gives up all attachments, and dedicates all his actions to Bhagwan is untainted by sin, like a lotus leaf in water.” This basically means that if you give up all attachments, and dedicate all your actions to Bhagwan, you will not be tempted to sin, even if you are surrounded by people who want you to. But it is nearly impossible for the human mind to give up all attachments; it would be blown away at the first sign of turbulence. That is why we must attach ourselves, dedicate ourselves, to something higher, Bhagwan.

Gurudev often told stories to explain difficult ideas. These stories helped me understand this topic, so I am sharing them with you.
I heard a story of a great freedom fighter called Rajaji. He was traveling on a train with his family and friends. His friend put his hand out the window to feel the breeze. Suddenly his diamond ring slipped off his finger. “My ring” everyone was confused. “Where did it fall? How could you be so careless? We should stop the train, pull the chain, oh no,” and there was great tumult. For some reason, Rajaji sat where he was, staring out the window, seemingly impervious to the situation. His wife shook him, telling him, “Don't just sit there, do something!” but he continued to ignore them. When the train came to a stop at the next station, they told the station master. The station master said, “There are 50 kilometers between this station and the previous; to find the ring would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.” Unexpectedly, Rajaji surprised everyone by saying, “There are 36 telegraph poles from the place where the ring dropped to this station.” So that was what he was doing when he seemed to be staring out the window. Rajaji’s counting was correct, and they soon found the ring.
Rajaji kept his cool in the midst of confusion and excitement; ergo, he was able to take the most effective action.
The lotus leaf, attached to the lotus itself, is unaffected by the muddy water. It is able to protect the lotus, allowing it to bloom, spread its fragrance, and dispel bad aromas. The message of the lotus leaf is clear. When we are attached only to our true self, we will be unaffected by the ups and downs of life, and our agitations and confusions will roll off, allowing our true self will shine forth. Our vasanas will leave us, blessing us with bliss.
Thank You 

Hari Om and Namaskar until the next post

Comments

  1. How lovely, I did not know about how such peaceful exercise could bring about such productive results.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Geeta Dhyānaṁ 2 - Vyāsā's Vast Intellect

January 7, 2013 Previously on Geeta Jayanti, I had posted on the eternal debt of gratitude to Mother Geeta that is the basis of Geeta Dhyānaṁ. I love Param Pujya Gurudev 's commentary on the Geeta Dhyānaṁ. Pujya Gurudev's commentary is after the introduction to the Bhagavad Geeta in the commentary on Chapters 1 & 2 published by the the Chinmaya Mission. I personally believe it should be a book by itself. After invoking Mother Geeta, we now pay tribute to the wise Vyāsa Rishi - the Guru whose Jayanti marks Guru Pūrnima every year. Pujya Gurudev starts His tribute to Veda Vyāsā in his commentary on the 1st verse of the Dhyānaṁ. Vyāsa, the father of the Vedās, who, first collected, edited and published the Veda texts and who thereafter, gave us the dialectics of Vedānta in his Brahma Sūtra, himself a great man of realization, was indeed well fitted for the job. The ancient seer had both the mastery of the theoretical science of religion - Hinduism and also the practical expe

Geeta in Literature - IF by Rudyard Kipling

September 12, 2011 I came across a nice YouTube video that is an animation of Rudyard Kipling reading his famous poem IF . The full text sourced from wikisource is below: If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you; If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you, But make allowance for their doubting too: If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise; If you can dream—and not make dreams your master; If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim, If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same: If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools; If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And los

In every field, let Dharma flourish - क्षेत्रे क्षेत्रे धर्म कुरु

August 9, 2012 Swamini Vimalanandaji has done a series of talks at the Ahmedabad Management Association (AMA) called "406 SMS – Sure Mantras for Success from Bhagwad Geeta" (item 406 at this AMA link ). In this she has a very interesting take on the 1st line of the Bhagavad Geeta. धर्मक्षेत्रे कुरुक्षेत्रे  १-१ dharmakShetre kurukShetre 1-1 <i> on the holy plain of Kurukshetra... </i> Swamini turns that slightly and says,  क्षेत्रे  क्षेत्रे  धर्म कुरु -   kShetre  kShetre  dharma kuru. Swamini goes on to establish that we can use this mantra to make that: "In every aspect of society,  must be pervaded by Dharma" Hari Om and Namaskaar until the next post