LITMUS PAPER TEST:

                                       

In chemistry lab there is a Litmus Paper Test to find out the PH of a set of chemicals; is it alkaline or acidic? Is there any Litmus Paper Test in Spirituality to find out whether we are making progress on the Spiritual Path? Yes, there are subjective & objective tests to measure our progress on our Spiritual Journeys. 

Subjective Test: 
1. A person progressing on the spiritual path is self controlled, self contained or satisfied and self disciplined.
2. He has less desire to know about the worldly mundane subject matters. He remains happy from within. He lives happily with minimum things & monotonous life. 
3. He has increased thirst towards spiritual subjects & objects like hearing/reading scriptures, and has an intense desire to know & serve the Supreme God. 
4. He develops Spiritual eye to see everything as God’s energy or property and becomes less possessive. He likes to visit the secluded places like ocean, river, mountain, forest, water falls and holy places. There is good feeling & learning the valuable lessons of the life by visiting these places. 
5. Performing his prescribed duty with good Consciousness.

Bg 18.42 -- Peacefulness, self-control, austerity, purity, tolerance, honesty, knowledge, wisdom and religiousness – these are the natural qualities by which the brāhmaṇas ( sober person ) work. Vedabase.com 

Bg 6.10 -- A transcendentalist should always engage his body, mind and self in relationship with the Supreme; he should live alone in a secluded place and should always carefully control his mind. He should be free from desires and feelings of possessiveness. 

Objective Test: 
1. He has a very effulgent & joyful personality. Not only is he joyful, but he likes other to be joyful as well. Spirituality means Love, Compassion, Enthusiasm, Kindness, Peace, Tolerance, Happiness....Godly qualities will be reflected in his actions, speech, behavior and in FACEBOOK POST..😝.This positive energy & vibe will be perceived by people & the environment surrounding him.
2. A person remains stable or non-agitated in any Time, Place or Circumstance. 
3. He becomes immune from distress & dishonor. 
4. A person will adjust with any situation or condition whether it be in a family, work place or in society.....NO MORE COMPLAINTS..... 😆 
5. Involved in devotional/charity work: see the link below. http://pankajpatelmd.blogspot.com/2018/08/why-charity-work.html?m=1

Bg 6.7 -- For one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached, for he has attained tranquillity. To such a man happiness and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.

Bg 6.9 -- A person is considered still further advanced when he regards honest well-wishers, affectionate benefactors, the neutral, mediators, the envious, friends and enemies, the pious and the sinners all with an equal mind. Vedabase.com

It is easy to say, but difficult to follow. I am in the same boat with everyone else, or I may even be behind, but thinking in the right direction will help us to go in the right direction.

Have a Self-control Day.

Thank You. 

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MY SPIRITUAL INSPIRATION , SOURCE & THE GURUS:

I am inspired to hear & read the Vedic Scriptures by regularly listening to Sri Pandurang Shashtri Athvale, also known as Dadaji ( speaks on Srimad Bhagavad Gita, Veda based discourses & western philosophy ) and the association of Swadhyay Parivar every Sunday in Swadhya Kendra. 

I also hear and read the discourses & literature on Vedic thoughts from Srila Prabhupada, his disciples & grand disciples ( HH Bhakti Rasamitra Swami, HH Chaitanya Charandas Prabhu, Shubha Vilas Prabhu, Sutapa Das, Amarnath Dasa, HH Bhakticharu Swami, HH Urmila Devi Dasi, HH Sivarama Swami, HH Radhanath Swami, HH Romapada Swami, Lal Govind Prabhu ( Gujarati & Hindi) Prahalad Maharaj in Surat (Gujarati) .......and many more from ISKCON......). 

FYI: A good source of Vedic literature: Vedabase.com . Srimad Bhagavad Gita is the essence & Srimad Bhagavatam (SB) is the nectar of all Vedic scriptures. Hearing & reading these scriptures, Eating Sanctified Pure Food and Chanting Vedic Mantras daily purify our senses, nourishing our heart ( Soul ), are transcendental to our consciousness, uplifting to our emotions and thus perfect our Free Will. Otherwise this powerful material world will degrade us.

It is always a good idea to share our good thoughts & knowledge with others. Thanks to the Facebook/Social media for providing me the platform. Of course I use Smartphone/Google Pexels search to collect some data. 

Besides my parents, wife, teachers, family & friends GREATFUL to EVERYONE WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED in MY LIFE. Hopefully my enthusiasm will continue by Grace of the Guru & God ( Krishna , Absolute Truth ).

NOTE:
Many times a word Hearing is used instead of Listening when it comes to the Scriptures. Because Scriptures are so potent that simply by Hearing them even if you don’t try to interpret or analyze or understand them still there will be passive positive effects on our mind & senses.

We can follow either the Quran, Bible, Judaism, Jainism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Gita or any other Philosophy which makes sense to us, purifies us , elevates our consciousness and qualifies us to understand God and instill the love of God & his creation. ( whichever way we can understand God -- either Personal with many names or Impersonal as an universal consciousness & energy ).

Don’t try to understand God by Name, Religion or Depiction ( means image, picture...etc ) but try to understand him by the Definition through Scriptures. The Transcendental subject of God & his creation cannot be understood by mental speculation. Some times people ask why God is Supreme? It is just like asking why is the circle circular? Just by definition, the circle is circular. Similarly by definition, God is unborn, complete, unlimited, infinite, eternal, the Absolute Truth the source of everything, cause of all causes. 

I see God, besides the above mentioned qualities, as an eternal living person ( not a abstract or some kind of light ) known by the name KRISHNA meaning one who attracts everyone has also MANY other NAMES, forms, abodes, incarnations, activities, qualities, associates, is full of wisdom, bliss, and the cause of all causes.

Bg 9.17 -- I am the father of this universe, the mother, the support and the grandsire. I am the object of knowledge, the purifier and the syllable oṁ. I am also the Ṛg, the Sāma and the Yajur Vedas.

Bg:13-12:-- Accepting the importance of self-realization; and philosophical search for the Absolute Truth ( God ) – all these I declare to be knowledge, and besides this whatever there may be is ignorance. ( Vedabase.com ).