Rising before the sun

I am staying in Leicester for one week. My schedule has slightly changed so I am trying to rise around 3am everyday and study the scriptures till 5am. I then do my personal meditation till 7am. To begin the day by focusing on the highest principles of living and reminding myself of the ultimate purpose of existence is absolutely essential.

The morning hours are extremely precious for any spiritual aspirant. On a practical level the environment is quiet and peaceful, and also the body is refreshed after a good night’s rest. Most importantly, the mind is less distracted and one will find it much easier to access the higher intelligence and consciousness. Try driving a car to central London at 8.00am in the morning and no doubt you'll get stuck in all kinds of traffic jams. Then drive the same route at 5am and it will be a straight road through.

With the rude awakening of the alarm the body screams and the mind protests, but we learn to ignore immediate comfort and strive to diligently utilise the precious early hours. Thus we gradually work away at all the impurities in the heart namely lust, anger, greed, envy and pride. As the dripping water wears away the rock, as the hair imperceptibly grows longer day by day, in the same way we make sure and steady progress by daily focusing on our spiritual practices, preferably rising before the sun.

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My Inspiration

Sometimes people ask me what convinced me about the spiritual path. I have to say, the philosophy made sense, the people were nice, spiritual life seemed exciting - all of this helped, but it was something else that really touched my heart. One fine day, I read the biography of Srila Prabhupada (the founder of ISKCON). It literally brought tears to my eyes. How much could I know of God and the spiritual reality from my limited vantage point? However, in Srila Prabhupada I found incredible spiritual depth and devotion that I could relate to. I realised this was the life of an incredible person.

Srila Prabhupada was followed at every step, most hours of the day, constantly being observed and watched. Never was he found to be superficial, harsh or hypocritical. All his lectures, correspondence and conversations were recorded and disseminated. There is no trace of contradiction or inconsistency in his message. Over 30 years after his passing away, millions find inspiration in his life, understanding the extraordinary relevance and importance of the message he came with. To read of his sacrifice, his selflessness and incredible determination in giving spirituality to others truly inspired me. I felt impelled to make some humble attempt to reciprocate with that.

They say you can cheat some people for all time, and all people for some time, but you can't cheat all people for all time. As the scriptures are said to be amalam ('spotless'), we understand the living embodiment of the scriptures to similarly be spotless in character. As a famous Vaisnava (devotee of Krishna) poet writes: he reasons ill who tells that Vaisnavas die when they art living in sound - they die to live, and living they spread the holy name around.

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Institutionalised

Take a bird that has lived in a cage for a long time. You can take it to a field, open the door and let it out, but the chances are it will fly back into the cage. Often times prisoners commit suicide or re-offend simply because they can’t live life in the outside world after so many years behind bars. With the great offer of freedom also comes a great fear and inhibition.

Similarly, the Bhagavad-gita explains how living entities have become institutionalised in the material world. After our sojourn for so many lifetimes, it seems hard to break free of materialistic desires, goals and aspirations. To go against the grain and make a declaration of 'no faith' in materialism is definitely the path less traversed.

It takes great courage and strength to practice spirituality in an age where materialism is at fever pitch. For the aspiring spiritualist, temptations are endless, criticisms are abundant and obstacles are plenty. Yet with enthusiasm, patience and great determination the fruits are incredibly sweet.

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