Simhachalam in Germany is for me the BEST place to be for Nrsimha Caturdasi - a MUST in my yearly schedule. Even Mayapur can not compare to this....!
In this rural community situated in the Bavarian Forest, around 3 hours away from Munich, the devotees serve big Lord Nrsimhadeva in a very devoted way, and His appearance day is celebrated in a grandiose style over 4 days. It is one of the main festivals - not only within Germany, but in Europe. Many devotees assemble from the neighboring countries such as Czech Republic, Poland, Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Switzerland and even all the way from the UK.
This year we were celebrating the 40th Nrsimha Caturdasi, with many Maharajas and preachers attending: HH Sacinandana Swami, HH Krsna Ksetra Swami, HH Jayadvaita Swami, HH Kavincandra Swami, HH Bhakti Vaibhava Swami, HH Mahavisnu Swami and Krsna Prema Rupa Prabhu.
As always, I was mainly on my book table connecting with devotees, which was indeed blissful and most satisfying to my heart. It is a most amazing opportunity for me to reach out to devotees from Germany and the neighboring countries. This year, around 700 devotees and guests attended over 4 days.
As always, I was mainly on my book table connecting with devotees, which was indeed blissful and most satisfying to my heart. It is a most amazing opportunity for me to reach out to devotees from Germany and the neighboring countries. This year, around 700 devotees and guests attended over 4 days.
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They made all kinds of beautiful arrangements and darshans with Lord Nrsimhadev, and one morning I went on the altar to help put the "Sandesh Outfit" on - an outfit made from coloured sandesh being put directly on His body. As every year, I was allowed to make Lord Nrsimhadeva's dhoti - in white with colourful squares. Another unique darshan is the traditional 'forest outfit' - Lord Nrsimhadeva likes the jungle... One evening we were swinging Laxmi Nrsimhadeva, accompanied by beautiful kirtans with HH Sacinandana Swami.
I was invited to offer a little seminar on "Our Hiranyakasipu Within" - the personification of the false ego and envy.
Since our false ego is so dear to us, we not only eagerly protect and defend it, we also like to feed it and give it a good boost. The false ego demands the satisfaction of receiving recognition: We want to be noticed and seen as being so special, unique and extraordinary. The motto of material consciousness is ‘I was born to stand out!’ This is the gratification the false ego is hankering for, and therefore it pushes us to act accordingly – to enjoy the subtle sense gratification of being the centre of attention. In this way, we are running after name, fame, adoration and prestige.
Just as lust can never be satisfied and burns like fire, the false ego’s demands of wanting to be recognised as being unique and special are also never satisfied and burn like fire. After all, it is a manifestation of a subtle form of lust that has affected our consciousness and activates the false ego.
In modern times we can see how people always find new ways of gaining recognition and becoming the focus of attention. Almost everything has been done before, so people have to invent more and more insane ways of being recognised as unique and extraordinary. Sometimes even horrific crimes are committed with this motive: to hit the news and become famous all around the world – even at the cost of losing their own life! The thought that after their departure the whole world speaks about them, offers a perverted sense of joy and satisfaction.
We can imagine the personification of this tendency to be like a Hiranyakashipu within our hearts, who drives us to insanity and takes over our activities and consciousness. Such a demoniac tendency becomes like an uncontrollable and maddened elephant creating havoc to himself and others around him.
Some years ago in France, the pilot of a German airline intentionally crashed a plane carrying 300 passengers into a mountain, killing everyone on board. To have control over so many lives can be intoxicating.... In another scandal, a person in Norway entered a school and randomly shot at those around him – teachers as well as pupils, with many deaths. Later in court he openly admitted that his motive was to become famous all around the world.
A most horrific example of the false ego driving a person insane is a recent outrage in Germany. Over many years, a male medical nurse working at several hospitals injected a drug into hundreds of patients that led to heart failure. Then he tried to bring them back to life – just to prove himself a hero who saved people from death! In this way, he killed more than 200 people. This is on record as the biggest mass murder by a single person since the Second World War. The exact figure of how many people he killed cannot be determined, since many of the patients have been cremated and there is no longer the opportunity to obtain proof through autopsy and
analysis.
I dare say such bizarre and grotesque ways of trying to receive recognition did not exist 50 years ago. It clearly illustrates how feeding the false ego leads to havoc – it can never be satisfied. The more we feed it, the more prominent it grows, until it becomes victorious and takes over a person’s life and dictates the most horrific activities. The living entity becomes a slave of his own false ego, which leads him to insanity and madness. The current state of world affairs clearly confirms this fact.
On the 9th of May I embarked upon my tour around the US, flying off to Chicago...
Your servant, Devaki dd
Since our false ego is so dear to us, we not only eagerly protect and defend it, we also like to feed it and give it a good boost. The false ego demands the satisfaction of receiving recognition: We want to be noticed and seen as being so special, unique and extraordinary. The motto of material consciousness is ‘I was born to stand out!’ This is the gratification the false ego is hankering for, and therefore it pushes us to act accordingly – to enjoy the subtle sense gratification of being the centre of attention. In this way, we are running after name, fame, adoration and prestige.
Just as lust can never be satisfied and burns like fire, the false ego’s demands of wanting to be recognised as being unique and special are also never satisfied and burn like fire. After all, it is a manifestation of a subtle form of lust that has affected our consciousness and activates the false ego.
In modern times we can see how people always find new ways of gaining recognition and becoming the focus of attention. Almost everything has been done before, so people have to invent more and more insane ways of being recognised as unique and extraordinary. Sometimes even horrific crimes are committed with this motive: to hit the news and become famous all around the world – even at the cost of losing their own life! The thought that after their departure the whole world speaks about them, offers a perverted sense of joy and satisfaction.
We can imagine the personification of this tendency to be like a Hiranyakashipu within our hearts, who drives us to insanity and takes over our activities and consciousness. Such a demoniac tendency becomes like an uncontrollable and maddened elephant creating havoc to himself and others around him.
Some years ago in France, the pilot of a German airline intentionally crashed a plane carrying 300 passengers into a mountain, killing everyone on board. To have control over so many lives can be intoxicating.... In another scandal, a person in Norway entered a school and randomly shot at those around him – teachers as well as pupils, with many deaths. Later in court he openly admitted that his motive was to become famous all around the world.
A most horrific example of the false ego driving a person insane is a recent outrage in Germany. Over many years, a male medical nurse working at several hospitals injected a drug into hundreds of patients that led to heart failure. Then he tried to bring them back to life – just to prove himself a hero who saved people from death! In this way, he killed more than 200 people. This is on record as the biggest mass murder by a single person since the Second World War. The exact figure of how many people he killed cannot be determined, since many of the patients have been cremated and there is no longer the opportunity to obtain proof through autopsy and
analysis.
I dare say such bizarre and grotesque ways of trying to receive recognition did not exist 50 years ago. It clearly illustrates how feeding the false ego leads to havoc – it can never be satisfied. The more we feed it, the more prominent it grows, until it becomes victorious and takes over a person’s life and dictates the most horrific activities. The living entity becomes a slave of his own false ego, which leads him to insanity and madness. The current state of world affairs clearly confirms this fact.
On the 9th of May I embarked upon my tour around the US, flying off to Chicago...
Your servant, Devaki dd
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