Episode #5: Find Your Purpose with Nimai Lila Das
The Awaken to Your Real Power Podcast is the starting of a wonderful journey to wisdom which could erase the mist off the air to help you understand your inner self like you never have before. In the podcast series, host Roma, stressed on the positives which, the changed focus of her thoughts, has introduced in her life, through worthwhile conversations with highly regarded individuals who are ahead of her in this journey.
“
Those external influences have hardened so much within us, there’s a thick inner crust around us and the real you is choked up inside that shell.
”
– Nimai Lila Das
listen
Guest:
Nimai Lila Das
Chief sustainability officer,
iskcon govardhan ecovillage
show notes:
The Awaken to Your Real Power Podcast gladly welcomes Nimai Lila Das, Chief Sustainability Officer of ISKCON Govardhan Eco Village. He graduated from the prestigious Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore with a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering in 2007. After working with Tata Motors and L&T, he joined the Govardhan Eco-Village(GEV) to enhance its sustainability initiatives. In 2015, Das was invited to “The Emerging Leaders Climate Change Convergence” in Rome, Italy along with 100 other delegates from all over the world. Govardhan Eco-village’s novel educational activities are designed to cater to people of diverse ages and backgrounds. He is known by his students for his ability to convey complex philosophical topics in a simple-to-understand way using humor and metaphors. His areas of expertise include Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Mind & Meditation and Yoga Nidra. An avid reader, his other interests are in the field of ecology & sustainability where he has been a distinguished speaker at various national and international forums.
Das has lived a monk’s life for nine years, and his words could provide answers to any questioning mind, considering he teaches with the mind of a student. He talks about finding the “right” path in our life journey while also highlighting the huge wealth of knowledge the Bhagavad Gita can provide, integrating into everything the perspectives of science. The conversation has throughout mentioned about the norms that we have been forced to adhere to for social conformity. Das talks about harnessing the right voice of intuition which happens to be the most undervalued and underutilized power of man and tells us why asking questions and normalizing rational thinking can help balance the matter and spirit.
This episode has the listeners understand the real wealth and meaning of life with Das talking about the wealth of satisfaction, wisdom and knowledge, and the primary value of any human which is the ultimate source of personal happiness. He makes us understand that skill training and education are two different things, and though skill training makes us develop into “super-computers”, education leaves behind stronger imprints. He has advices on how to find the real purpose in life and wraps them up into 2 steps:
Questioning the things that have been forced on us
Discovering what makes us truly happy
Das beautifully makes us understand the need to overcome our fears to break out of the shell that we have voluntarily enclosed ourselves in and has advices to offer for people battling low self-esteem. When asked about modernizing the traditional education system on spiritual values, he says that the core of the problems then and now remain the same, and is very clear from his explanation on the same. Das says fear is outcome of the unrealistic expectations we set for ourselves and that we end up carrying a certain identity of ourselves which when challenged, causes fear to take over. He also throws unparalleled examples to make understand that every success is yours own and setting individual benchmarks should be ruthlessly honest. He offers Vedic explanations to a lot of human phenomena explaining also that spirituality is a dynamic process, and not passive, as is often considered. We realize how education is actually a means to discover our inner genius and require not to be told what to do, for we could ourselves figure out our path in life!
Nimai Lila Das’s inexplicable comparisons and thoughts on the wonderful journey that life is. Tune in to the episode for this light-hearted yet deeply meaningful conversation and awaken to your real power!
“Finding that balance at every sphere of your life is yoga.”
– (19:09) Nimai Lila Das
“Those external influences have hardened so much within us, there’s a thick inner crust around us and the real you is choked up inside that shell.”
– (40:43) Nimai Lila Das
“I think intuition is the most undervalued, underutilized power within us.”
– (31:08) Roma
“Finding difference in similarity and finding similarity in difference is the art of yoga.”
– (21:58) Nimai Lila Das
“For me, spirituality has never been about disconnecting from the world, but rather connecting with the world in a proper way. And that proper way comes by defining a proper purpose.”
– (22:11) Nimai Lila Das
“Don’t settle for anything less than complete.” – (50:28) Nimai Lila Das
“All this and so much more is applicable and available to us, but we are living in such a small box.”
– (40:05) Roma
“You will find that your mind is a repository of certain values and certain principles in life.”
– (26:19) Nimai Lila Das