ISKCON monk, Vedic life coach, and bestselling author, Prabhu Gopinath Chandra Das speaks on the importance of — and the path to — introducing divine love into our lives.
By Nichola Marie
Your book ‘The Power of Karma Yoga: Decoding Ancient Wisdom for Lasting Success’ has been making a considerable impact. In a nutshell, how would you describe the essence of Karma Yoga and its power?
The essence of Karma Yoga is to lead a purpose-driven life. The power of that kind of life lies in the inner fulfillment it provides.
The head honcho of a multibillion-dollar corporation who visited our ashram commented to one of my fellow monks: “All that I own is like the vast quantity of water contained in the ocean. As against that, whatever little possessions you have is akin to the water contained in a well. The ocean water, though unlimited, cannot quench one’s thirst, whereas the limited well water can. You utilise whatever little energy and resources you have in selfless service. And that, I reckon, is the cause of your satisfaction, which is evident from your bright and smiling face. On the other hand, I am always dissatisfied, for I invest my unlimited energy and resources in selfish endeavours.” He had eloquently pitted a purpose-driven life against a want-driven one.
The fulfilment that accompanies a purpose-driven mindset, in turn, helps you overcome obstacles, reversals and pains that you inevitably come across on the journey towards your goal. I have first-hand witnessed how my purpose-driven sister was able to cross over reversals when in 2018 my nephew was detected with fourth-stage Chondrosarcoma, a type of soft-tissue cancer. Even the best nurse, no matter how much you paid her, couldn’t have been nearly as committed as my sister was. No want-driven person can match one who is purpose-driven, whose endeavours are unabating even in the face of reversals.
A purpose-driven person, because of his or her inner drive, does not depend on external validations to keep going. In this connection, there’s a fable often quoted in self-help circles:
Once a passerby spotted a man picking up starfishes off the seashore and throwing them back into the sea. A high tide had brought the creatures onto the land, and if not put back into the waters, they were destined to die in a matter of hours. The passerby appreciated the man’s compassion on the dying starfishes, but couldn’t help noticing that there were tens of thousands of them on the shore. “Given all your noble intentions, all you can do is save just a tiny fraction of these sea stars. What difference will your efforts make!” the passerby challenged. The man didn’t respond at first. Instead, he picked yet another starfish and threw it back into the sea. As the animal plopped into the waters, the man pointed his finger in that direction and replied, “I made a difference in that sea star’s life.”
Because he was truly driven by a sense of purpose — to save the lives of as many sea stars as he could — he couldn’t care less about people judging how successful his endeavour was. He sought no external validation for his action.
In essence, a purpose-driven mindset, because it is fulfilling, empowering and inspiring, furthers your chances of success in your endeavours.
Do share with us insights into your own spiritual journey… How did a technocrat from IIT find fulfillment in spirituality and religion?
I first came across the ‘Bhagavad Gita’ while I was preparing for my Joint Entrance Examination. It opened up a whole new dimension of life. I was fascinated, and found myself pouring over it for hours on end.
Once I joined IITB, I was blessed with the kind of association needed to further explore the Gita. Gauranga Das Prabhu would visit the campus on weekends, and he would provide insights into Gita verses that I couldn’t have discovered on my own.
Those years on campus, surrounded by spiritually-minded people, also provided an opportunity for self-reflection. What’s the goal of life? What’s the best way I can be of service to society? And that’s how I became a monk after the completion of my studies.
Having spent 19 years in the monastery at Sri Sri Radha Gopinath Temple (ISKCON) in South Mumbai, how challenging was the process of understanding the ancient wisdom and finding the answers and meaning you sought?
The main challenge that most modern seekers face is impatience. Being brought up in a world of fast food and instant deliveries, we expect quick results on the spiritual path too.But that’s not how spirituality works.
Anything that’s natural, anything that’s organic, takes time to bear fruit. Nature acts slowly. For example, nature’s way of light replacing darkness: The sun rises gradually. If it rose suddenly, we would have perhaps lost our eyesight. It takes time for us to adapt to change, and nature acknowledges this limitation of ours. Another example is aging. If we were to age suddenly, we wouldn’t be able to handle it emotionally.
Even spirituality evolves slowly. True spiritual transformation takes time to sink in. And it was this slowness of spirituality which confounded me when I first joined the monastery. Having sacrificed too many things too quickly, I tended to expect instant results. When those expectations fell short, frustrations kicked in. And I struggled.
But the association of like-minded spiritualists acted as the saving grace time and time again. Even the ordeal of patience ultimately turned out to be exciting when surrounded by the right kind of people.
As a Vedic life coach, you help people improve the quality of their life while your background in science and technology helps you present the Vedas in a scientific light. Can religion and science co-exist/ merge?
Religion is a perfect science. In the Gita, Krishna calls it pratyaksha avagamam dharmyam: As you progress on the spiritual path, you can verify everything through direct sense perception. The concept of atma, for instance, is theoretical to begin with. But as you move closer to Atma Saatshaatkaar, you actually realise your soul.
On the other hand, many things we read about in modern science, we may not be able to perceive within this lifetime. We may hear about subatomic particles like quarks, but that day may never come when we can actually see these particles. In many ways, therefore, spirituality is more scientific than science itself.
Many of us attempt to live mindfully but also succumb to negative emotions. Are there any daily practices you recommend to help a person on their path towards fulfilment?
Samatvam yogam uchyate: Yoga means equanimity. But how does yoga bring about this mental equilibrium? Through love.
If you think about it, love acts as an anchor that keeps all other emotions in balance. Ask a mother what she goes through as she cares for her newborn from dawn to dusk. Sometimes she is angry, upset, frustrated. At other times she is joyful, excited and amused. Even if the negative emotions whelm her more than the positive, at the end of the day, her greatest source of happiness is her child. When it comes to her overall experience as a mother, even the negative emotions contribute as much as the positive. That’s the transformative power of love.
So, spirituality is about introducing divine love into our lives. And with that, all other emotions fall into place automatically without us having to worry about them separately. Even negative emotions will ultimately have a positive effect on our consciousness; that’s the power of love.
A powerful method to reconnect to the dormant love within our hearts is the chanting of the Mahamantra:
Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare
Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.
If you can take out 30 minutes every day to chant this mantra, your heart will start experiencing divine love in due course of time.
