Syamarani didi - Nirjala Ekadasi, Humility --- LA, May 2012

om ajnana timirandhasya jnananjana salakaya
caksur unmilitam yena tasmai sri gurave namah
"O Gurudeva, you are so merciful. I offer my humble pranama unto you and am praying from the core of my heart that, with the torchlight of divine knowledge, you open my eyes which have been blinded by the darkness of ignorance."

  

More shorthand notes -

Syamarani didi
Nirjala Ekadasi
Humility
LA, May 2012

"We are being scorched due to indifference to Krsna. Indifference is solved by bhajan - reading about Krsna, hearing about Krsna, chanting, praying to Krsna, etc.

"Why should we be MORE insignificant than a blade of grass? Grass has natural ego; our ego related to our body is not natural, because we are not this body. It is illusion.

"A tree with no fruits and flowers still stands tall; a tree with fruits and flowers bends over. Similarly, a proud person with no good qualities stands tall. A humble person laden with good qualities bends over in humility.

"If we even correctly criticize someone - our criticizing comment is correct - we go where they are destined to go [for doing whatever bad thing you are criticizing them for.]

"Once, Gurudeva asked Damodara Maharaja, "Who is superior, you, or your stool?" Damodara Maharaja answered, "Me, of course." Gurudeva said, no, your stool is superior, because it can say, 'I was once a nice sweet of cake, but by association with you, I became stool.'

"Nirjala Ekadasi, Nirjala is God, not a day. Gurudeva said, 'If you have any defect in Ekadasi, chant, pray, weep.'

"Take carnamrta on Ekadasi. When doing acamana on Nirjala Ekadasi, only touch water to your lips, don't take any in. Even young boys in India follow Nirjala Ekadasi.

"Day before Nirjala Ekadasi, take no water and have only 1 meal.

"'Chant, and everything will be okay." - Gurudeva"