We invite associations,
organizations and clubs from cities around the US to send in press
releases accompanied with high resolution photos for publication in City
News. Contributions may be sent to editor@NRIPulse.com.
JYOTHSNA HEGDE in conversation with SWAMI BHAKTI SWARUP TIRTHA MAHARAJ, the founder of Gaudiya Vaishnava Association.
“Love God; not fear him” says Swami Bhakti Swarup Tirtha Maharaj, Founder of Gaudiya Vaishnava Association (GVA). Swamiji is currently in Atlanta to deliver Bhagavad Gita discourses between July 5th and 23rd in Alpharetta between 6:30 to 8:30 PM.
GVA is a spiritual congregation that aims to promote peace and harmony by spreading spiritual knowledge and remove the misery they believe is caused by hankering for material gains. GVA conducts various seminars/workshops at various Universities, Indian community centers and temples around the globe aimed for the youth.
“Vaishnavism promotes faith in a personal God, dwelling in a spiritual abode. It is the essential point of all Vedic teachings. Vedic wisdom and theories are open to exploration and discussion for the aspirants to determine and decide a particular process that will ultimately lead one to God consciousness” Swamiji says about the Vaishnava philosophy.
Swami Thirtha Maharaj firmly believes that the ultimate goal of human life is to be God-conscious and that the only way to happiness is to be a true devotee. His philosophy seems to be based on the principle that a Krishna-conscious person is above and beyond the fear of failure or elation of success and that such a person will be able to face all possible situations in life with the knowledge that he has surrendered himself to God.
In terms of relationships, Swamiji opines that Mother ideally provides a sense of security for a child and plays an important role in the child’s development and the father must be the provider and guide the children. He believes that parents must imbibe Krishna consciousness in children at an early age which he says will prepare them to face the world and revive family values throughout their lives. “Spouses must serve each other” he says about the ideal relation between spouses. He believes that a husband and wife that are ready and willing to serve and support each other will find themselves in a blissful marriage. In a teacher and student relationship he says it is important that the teacher accepts the student as his own child and the student serve his teacher with devotion and that the student must train in obedience. Speaking of Doctor patient relations, he reminds the importance of a person being Krishna conscious person saying that if the doctor was indeed god conscious then he would treat the patient as if he were treating a portion of Krishna himself and hence would do his best to treat all his patients. Similarly he says, quoting his own example when he was admitted in a hospital, a patient who is a Krishna devotee will not worry about the treatment because he knows that the God will take care of him and what ever the outcome of the treatment will be, cure or death, will be god willing.
In the International edition of the Bhagavat Vani, a magazine published by the GVA, Swamiji explains the five fundamental truths of the Bhagavad Gita namely “Ishwara”, he says is the supreme controller of the entire cosmos, “Jivas”, the individual living beings who are atomic portions of Krishna, “Prakriti”, the material nature he explains is God Krishna’s material energy by which the entire cosmos has been created, maintained and destroyed periodically, “Kala”, the eternal element of time which sets the creative process in motion, and “Karma”, deeds or action performed by a combinations of three modes of material nature under the control and purview of eternal time.
Swami B.S.Tirtha Maharaj, the founder Acharya of GVA hails from Tamil Nadu. Shrila Maharaj was invited to share his knowledge at The World Parliament of Religions held in Cape Town, South Africa,1999. For further information about the Gita discourses in Atlanta between July 5th and 23rd, you may visit http://www.gva.in or stop by 4795 Morton Bridge Lane, Alpharetta GA 30022 between 6:30 to 8:30 PM each day.