麻豆约拍

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Brahmacharini Shripriya Chaitanya.

Good morning.

When it is difficult to face everything that life delivers, where do you go? Just like I might go to take shelter when it rains, we all need somewhere to take refuge when life brings challenges. It might be a particular place that gives solace, maybe a book, or a relationship.

Today, as part of Diwali, we celebrate Govardhan puja to mark the occasion when Krishna, as a young boy, is said to have lifted the Govardhan mountain in order to provide protection from a great deluge. Devotees cook mountains of food and having offered it to God in worship, distribute it to all.

A beautiful metaphor communicates this refuge: a fisherman stands on his boat, ready to cast his net wide into the sea. The fish swimming around him are caught as he hauls his net in, but those swimming directly underneath are spared. We all live in the same world with its infinite variety of experiences, but if we take refuge in God, we may be spared the suffering that is experienced when we think we are alone and must fend for ourselves.

Asking for help is not an admission of weakness. Taking refuge is not an expression of helplessness. Rather, it can be an honest acknowledgement of the reality of the situation we face. We are not in control of the world, or the people around us; we take refuge in the one who presides over all things and beings.

May we seek shelter in the teachings that bring us close to God. May we find strength to take refuge in God, by whom we each are cared for and loved unconditionally.

Hari Om