Who is our real friend?

Friendship, family, society and love...all temporary I'm afraid.  It's so difficult to accept sometimes.

"I love you!  I'll love you forever! You're my forever man/woman/friend/parent/child..." Sound familiar?  Ever felt that way about anyone?  Anyone ever felt that way about you?

Well the harsh reality is, that all relationships within this material world are temporary.  Even if we stay with one partner for an entire lifetime, we will die and go in different directions.  It is stated in the Vedas, that just as sticks come together in a river and stay together for some moments, soon  the current pushes them all apart, much like relationships within this material world.

So do we have an eternal friend?  Is any friend real?  Yes, Krsna the Supreme Personality of Godhead is our eternal friend.  You may call Him Yahweh, Jehovah, Allah, Buddha, Govinda, Gopala, God.  He is our eternal shelter, our Supreme friend and eternal well wisher.

How can we connect with Krsna, our eternal friend?...Well, through chanting His holy names.  Hare Krsna Hare Krsna Krsna Krsna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare.  The most simple and sublime method for reviving our relationship with God.

Taming the TONGUE.

Tongues are weird looking things.  A slimy muscle that loves to talk and taste, talk and taste, talk and taste until you either feel like a fool for speaking too much nonsense or a pig for eating too much.

For a spiritualist we have to learn to control the tongue, because if you can control your tongue, you can control the rest of your senses.

According to Bhagavad Gita As It Is, the tongue should be engaged in vibrating the names of God and speaking of the topics of God, also,  to taste the remnants of foodstuffs offered to the Lord (Prasadam).

One should not over eat...and have you ever noticed how easy it is to overindulge?  Overeating happens for so many reasons.  Nowadays, many people use food as a comfort...comfort eating, it can become like an addiction.  It can be like a hobby.  Eat when you are bored, sad, happy, lonely, entertainment, pleasure... or just because you are just  plain and simply greedy and lustful at that moment...believe me, I know, I am a victim of my uncontrolled tongue.

Whatever the reason for overeating, one needs to address this issue and correct it if one wants to make tangible spiritual advancement, because a yogi is one who neither eats too much or eats too little.

It always feels so good when you just eat when you are hungry and stop before you are full.  Just enough to keep body and soul together...and believe me, we don't really need to eat that much.  You feel strong and so in control...in control of what exactly?...Well in control of our senses.  I always feel so focused when I am able to control the tongue...but it's a constant battle.

It's not so much about losing weight or looking good, it's about being in control of your senses and not allowing the mind and senses to drag you around all over the show, so that our focus on our spiritual practice  is disturbed.

Well, here's to another moment in an attempt to control the tongue.  It's a constant battle, but it must be fought.  If we lose the battle one hundred times a day, just get up, and dust yourself off, keep calm and carry on.  With constant practice and determination, we will get there, it can't rain all the time.