We go to doctors. A doctor prescribes medicines and also prescribes some dietary restrictions in order to cure the disease. The doctor says, “Look, the problem lies in your stomach. Do not eat rich food, give up rice. Do not eat fried things and sweets.” If a person is diabetic but eats sweets, what will happen? His pathology tests will indicate a high sugar content. If the patient complains that the doctor did not treat him well then whose mistake is this? Definitely the doctor is not at fault in this case. Likewise when we are initiated, we are instructed to curb our worldly indulgence. The first instruction is to do meditation regularly every morning.
www.manavdharam.org
31 December 2009
30 December 2009
Satsang
Only the true Master reveals the path leading to the ultimate goal, because only one who is himself free can make us free. Only he whose heart is illuminated by Divine Light can ignite the light within our hearts. During the Deewali festival, you light candles in your houses using a candle which you have already lit. Only a lit candle has the potential to light another candle and thus eradicate darkness. The darkness of our mind is due to anger, attachment, temptation and vanity and can be eradicated by the one who is himself enlightened with the Divine Light.
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29 December 2009
Satsang
Once a king organised an exhibition with the condition that each visitor could take away only one thing. Many people came to see the exhibition. One poor farmer also came there. He saw a pair of oxen and a plough which he liked very much, but, according to the rules of the exhibition, he could take either the pair of oxen or the plough but not both. So, without taking anything, he went to the king who was sitting on a throne and bowed humbly to him. The king asked him if he did not like anything on display because he was empty handed. The farmer replied, “Your Majesty, I like both the oxen and the plough, but the condition is that I can take only one of these. Then it occurred to me that the whole exhibition is owned by you and if I touch you then the whole exhibition would become mine. So, once again I touch you.” The King was pleased by the farmer's simple words and said that he could take both items.
This is only a small story but it is there to teach us something. God, like the king, has created an exhibition of this world. There are all kinds of things here. Each person desires something and prays to God to give it to him. But a spiritual person understands that if he acquires the Almighty Himself, then all things in this world will automatically belong to him. So, now take shelter in the true Spiritual Master and know the Holy Name, remembering which one can reach God.
www.manavdharam.org
28 December 2009
Satsang
Similarly Lord Rama, during his period of exile, shot Bali with an arrow from behind a tree. He then approached Bali and offered to give him his life back if he so wished. Bali said, “Lord! I am dying by your hand. Can there be any higher death than this?” But still Lord Rama said, “I killed you while hiding behind a tree. You will be avenged for this act of mine when I incarnate on this earth as Krishna in Dwapar Yuga and you will come in the form of a tribal man. Then I will abandon my life due to your arrow.” And so it happened. One day Lord Krishna was resting under a tree and his leg twitched. A forest hunter saw this movement and thought it was a bird. He shot an arrow which hit Lord Krishna's leg and he died. In other words, when even Lord Rama and Lord Krishna had to suffer the fruits of their actions, then what to say of us ordinary beings! So the master souls say that a person understands the value of the human body when he acquires Spiritual Knowledge.
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27 December 2009
EMOTIONALISM IS NOT SPIRITUALITY
While describing the art and science of meditation the Upnishadas say that the body is the bow, the mind is the arrow and the target is Braham i.e. the Cosmic Consciousness. The purpose of the human life is to know and realize God i.e. Supreme Consciousness.
It is possible only when through constant and deep meditation the mind stuff is focused and dissolved into Cosmic Consciousness. People are following different ways of meditation but in fact the art and the science of meditation is universal and one for all. Simply talking on meditation or Braham cannot give us any experience or realization of that All-permeating Consciousness just as by simply reciting water-water the thirst of a man is not quenched. Similarly, without constant practice of meditation realization is far cry.
The Vedic Gayatri Mantra is most popular among the Hindus. Why this Mantra is given so much importance out of all other mantras in the Vedas? It is because this Mantra denotes about the technique of meditation in very beautiful words. The literal meaning of the Mantra is “ O God! Ruler of the Three Worlds, You are the Light of the Lights worth knowing, take my mind from all other objects and focus it with full attention on your self-effulgent Light.” This is type of a prayer but unless and until some enlightened person reveals you within yourself the technique of focusing of your mind on the Divine Light within in practice simply reciting the Mantra will be of not much use. Though even Mantra is a type of vibration which does raise the level of Consciousness but unless and until you know the technique the realization is not possible. Therefore, to have the basic experience within and it is possible for every human being if he is sincere, dedicated and approaches a Living Master with genuine thirst for experience, Jesus said, “Seek and you will find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.” But we forget to seek.
I'll give you an example of what meditation means. There goes a story in the Mahabharta -a great epic of ancient India . Acharya Dronacharya was very proficient at teaching archery. One day he called Pandvas and Kauravas together and said, “Look here, I want to test your ability. I want to see what you have learnt from me. So come here with your bows and arrows.”
They all came and stood in line. Then he said, “Now there's a tree in front of you and on a particular branch a bird is sitting. Aim at the bird.” So everyone started doing that; they aimed at the bird. He asked the first disciple, “What do you see?” The disciple replied, “Sir, I see the tree, I see you, the clouds, the sun. I see everything.” Then the teacher asked the second pupil, “What do you see?” He also replied in the same way.
Then in the last Acharya asked Arjuna who was there, “What do you see?” Now, Arjuna was focusing his vision on the bird and nowhere else. He said, “Master, all I see the bird. I don't see the clouds, you, or anything else. I simply see that bird.” So then the Acharya said, “Very well, now aim at the eye of the bird then shoot.” So he focused his attention on the eye of the bird and when the Acharya said, “Shoot!” he shot an arrow and the arrow pierced the bird's eye.
Now what is happening to us is that we are seeing the world, we are seeing so many things, yet we are also trying to meditate. But pure attention is only possible when we have fixed gaze, when with total surrender, total dedication, we attach ourselves to the target, the object of meditation.
Saint Brahmanand wrote in one of his devotional songs, “ O Saints! I saw a wonder of the wonder. In the higher realm of Consciousness there is beautiful Music going on automatically. It is called Anhadnad - the unstruck Music. This Music can be heard by a deaf person. Anhad nad or unstruck Music is the one which is not created by striking anything but happening continously by itself within us.
When a radio is on, we cannot hear subtle sounds. The commotion caused by traffic outside on the road also stops us from hearing natural sounds. At night, when the cars and buses stop running and the road is deserted, you can hear even the sounds of crickets and other insects clearly and you realise that even insects produce amazing sounds. But you can hear those natural sounds only when the noise of artificial sounds ceases. Similarly, when we close our ears to external sounds, we can experience the subtle sounds of the inner world.
Then St Brahmanand says that a person who is alive, dies and after that he is resurrected, which means that when we meditate, we forget ourselves. We are totally cut off from the world. We merge ourselves into the Word of God, and then, when we come out of meditation, we are resurrected. We come back to life and relate the experience that we had in meditation.
We go to a temple, and what do we see there? A big bell. When they pull the rope up and down, the bell chimes. In the same way, when a person meditates on his life breath, the breath goes up and down, it's like pulling on a rope. This is a box of light, music and nectar and when you pull that rope up and down, the bell chimes. So you should know how to pull that rope. The saints have done that and they have experienced that all permeating the Puranic energy and Music.
People may say, “He's talking about Music, Light, Nectar and so many other things. Maybe it's complicated; may be it's tough.” No! I think it's the easiest thing, because you are breathing constantly. There is never a time when you don't breathe. When you are sleeping, you breathe and when you are dreaming, you breathe. If you concentrate your mind in this breath, you can actually take energy from it; you can have this divine experience forever because that celestial Music is existing right within you. Nobody can lock up his breath in his house and then come here. Nobody can do that. Wherever you go, the breath stays with you. And it is not imagination. Right from childhood we had this experience of Light, Music, Nectar and Vibration with us. It's right within you.
When you go home, you don't want a fine lecture about food – you want food! But for the experience of God, we don't feel the need for a practical experience. We say that we want a good lecture and then we become very emotional. I think that is fruitful only if we have practical experience of Light and Music..
Suppose I have a beaker and a flask and I want to boil something so I say, “Please, flask, help me boil this water” - it's useless. If it's right there it'll happen if you actually boil it otherwise it won't.
When you become emotional, you lose your intellect. If I make you angry, you'll want to kill me and then you take a gun or throw a bottle or do anything just to kill me. At that time you become so emotional that you lose your mental balance and you won't stop to think, ‘If I kill this man, I'll go to jail'. You won't stop to consider its consequences. You'll simply try to shoot me stirred by strong emotions.
In the same way, don't be emotional in spirituality. You have to keep your mind open. Spirituality is like studying science. You have to be very scientific and very, very rational. It's not praying or emotionalism. Praying is asking and meditation is receiving. When you meditate, you automatically receive.
So, if you want to experience that, it is something that you really can do. It's a practical thing. It's not just talk. I could talk about different philosophies and theories and people are doing this. They want to freeze the mind using words, but you cannot have the experience of the reality.
For example, someone asks, “Do you believe in God?” And if you say ‘Yes', he asks, “Do you believe that He is omnipotent?” You reply, “Yes, I believe that He is omnipotent.” Then he asks, “Okay, then tell me, can your omnipotent God create a mountain that He cannot lift?” And you say, “Wait, wait, there is something wrong here!” At that point you become confused. If He can create it but cannot lift it, then He's not omnipotent. And if He can't create such a mountain, He's not all-powerful either.
That becomes very complicated, and your mind is stuck there, but it can only freeze, it can only make the mind stationary for a while, and then, no matter what the answer is, the mind again flies about.
Zen masters have used the puzzles and questions which strike the mind immediately and stop it for a fraction of second, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” And you say, “What, what?” Suddenly, for a split-second, your mind is caught. It stops, but then again it moves. The point is that the mind stays there for a while and then it moves and that's what happens when people try to meditate on physical things.
Physical things come and go. It's like a movie. There is so much action in a movie, but we know for sure that all those events are not happening to us. People are shooting bullets, but we are not getting hurt. If there is a fire on screen, we are not being burned. In the same way, we should understand that the world is like a film, and nothing is real in that.
Everything is temporary, everything changes, and there is only one thing that is stable behind all the changes. We know that something which revolves, revolves around something which is stationary. For example, the planets are revolving. They revolve around something that is not revolving – the sun.
In the same way, everything is changing around the unchangeable, which is calledatman , spirit, or soul. So we should meditate on that unchanging entity with faith and devotion in our hearts. That alone can give us tranquility and peace.
www.manavdharam.org
Sadgurudev Shri Satpal Ji Maharaj
The Vedic Gayatri Mantra is most popular among the Hindus. Why this Mantra is given so much importance out of all other mantras in the Vedas? It is because this Mantra denotes about the technique of meditation in very beautiful words. The literal meaning of the Mantra is “ O God! Ruler of the Three Worlds, You are the Light of the Lights worth knowing, take my mind from all other objects and focus it with full attention on your self-effulgent Light.” This is type of a prayer but unless and until some enlightened person reveals you within yourself the technique of focusing of your mind on the Divine Light within in practice simply reciting the Mantra will be of not much use. Though even Mantra is a type of vibration which does raise the level of Consciousness but unless and until you know the technique the realization is not possible. Therefore, to have the basic experience within and it is possible for every human being if he is sincere, dedicated and approaches a Living Master with genuine thirst for experience, Jesus said, “Seek and you will find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.” But we forget to seek.
I'll give you an example of what meditation means. There goes a story in the Mahabharta -a great epic of ancient India . Acharya Dronacharya was very proficient at teaching archery. One day he called Pandvas and Kauravas together and said, “Look here, I want to test your ability. I want to see what you have learnt from me. So come here with your bows and arrows.”
They all came and stood in line. Then he said, “Now there's a tree in front of you and on a particular branch a bird is sitting. Aim at the bird.” So everyone started doing that; they aimed at the bird. He asked the first disciple, “What do you see?” The disciple replied, “Sir, I see the tree, I see you, the clouds, the sun. I see everything.” Then the teacher asked the second pupil, “What do you see?” He also replied in the same way.
Then in the last Acharya asked Arjuna who was there, “What do you see?” Now, Arjuna was focusing his vision on the bird and nowhere else. He said, “Master, all I see the bird. I don't see the clouds, you, or anything else. I simply see that bird.” So then the Acharya said, “Very well, now aim at the eye of the bird then shoot.” So he focused his attention on the eye of the bird and when the Acharya said, “Shoot!” he shot an arrow and the arrow pierced the bird's eye.
Now what is happening to us is that we are seeing the world, we are seeing so many things, yet we are also trying to meditate. But pure attention is only possible when we have fixed gaze, when with total surrender, total dedication, we attach ourselves to the target, the object of meditation.
Saint Brahmanand wrote in one of his devotional songs, “ O Saints! I saw a wonder of the wonder. In the higher realm of Consciousness there is beautiful Music going on automatically. It is called Anhadnad - the unstruck Music. This Music can be heard by a deaf person. Anhad nad or unstruck Music is the one which is not created by striking anything but happening continously by itself within us.
When a radio is on, we cannot hear subtle sounds. The commotion caused by traffic outside on the road also stops us from hearing natural sounds. At night, when the cars and buses stop running and the road is deserted, you can hear even the sounds of crickets and other insects clearly and you realise that even insects produce amazing sounds. But you can hear those natural sounds only when the noise of artificial sounds ceases. Similarly, when we close our ears to external sounds, we can experience the subtle sounds of the inner world.
Then St Brahmanand says that a person who is alive, dies and after that he is resurrected, which means that when we meditate, we forget ourselves. We are totally cut off from the world. We merge ourselves into the Word of God, and then, when we come out of meditation, we are resurrected. We come back to life and relate the experience that we had in meditation.
We go to a temple, and what do we see there? A big bell. When they pull the rope up and down, the bell chimes. In the same way, when a person meditates on his life breath, the breath goes up and down, it's like pulling on a rope. This is a box of light, music and nectar and when you pull that rope up and down, the bell chimes. So you should know how to pull that rope. The saints have done that and they have experienced that all permeating the Puranic energy and Music.
People may say, “He's talking about Music, Light, Nectar and so many other things. Maybe it's complicated; may be it's tough.” No! I think it's the easiest thing, because you are breathing constantly. There is never a time when you don't breathe. When you are sleeping, you breathe and when you are dreaming, you breathe. If you concentrate your mind in this breath, you can actually take energy from it; you can have this divine experience forever because that celestial Music is existing right within you. Nobody can lock up his breath in his house and then come here. Nobody can do that. Wherever you go, the breath stays with you. And it is not imagination. Right from childhood we had this experience of Light, Music, Nectar and Vibration with us. It's right within you.
When you go home, you don't want a fine lecture about food – you want food! But for the experience of God, we don't feel the need for a practical experience. We say that we want a good lecture and then we become very emotional. I think that is fruitful only if we have practical experience of Light and Music..
Suppose I have a beaker and a flask and I want to boil something so I say, “Please, flask, help me boil this water” - it's useless. If it's right there it'll happen if you actually boil it otherwise it won't.
When you become emotional, you lose your intellect. If I make you angry, you'll want to kill me and then you take a gun or throw a bottle or do anything just to kill me. At that time you become so emotional that you lose your mental balance and you won't stop to think, ‘If I kill this man, I'll go to jail'. You won't stop to consider its consequences. You'll simply try to shoot me stirred by strong emotions.
In the same way, don't be emotional in spirituality. You have to keep your mind open. Spirituality is like studying science. You have to be very scientific and very, very rational. It's not praying or emotionalism. Praying is asking and meditation is receiving. When you meditate, you automatically receive.
So, if you want to experience that, it is something that you really can do. It's a practical thing. It's not just talk. I could talk about different philosophies and theories and people are doing this. They want to freeze the mind using words, but you cannot have the experience of the reality.
For example, someone asks, “Do you believe in God?” And if you say ‘Yes', he asks, “Do you believe that He is omnipotent?” You reply, “Yes, I believe that He is omnipotent.” Then he asks, “Okay, then tell me, can your omnipotent God create a mountain that He cannot lift?” And you say, “Wait, wait, there is something wrong here!” At that point you become confused. If He can create it but cannot lift it, then He's not omnipotent. And if He can't create such a mountain, He's not all-powerful either.
That becomes very complicated, and your mind is stuck there, but it can only freeze, it can only make the mind stationary for a while, and then, no matter what the answer is, the mind again flies about.
Zen masters have used the puzzles and questions which strike the mind immediately and stop it for a fraction of second, “What is the sound of one hand clapping?” And you say, “What, what?” Suddenly, for a split-second, your mind is caught. It stops, but then again it moves. The point is that the mind stays there for a while and then it moves and that's what happens when people try to meditate on physical things.
Physical things come and go. It's like a movie. There is so much action in a movie, but we know for sure that all those events are not happening to us. People are shooting bullets, but we are not getting hurt. If there is a fire on screen, we are not being burned. In the same way, we should understand that the world is like a film, and nothing is real in that.
Everything is temporary, everything changes, and there is only one thing that is stable behind all the changes. We know that something which revolves, revolves around something which is stationary. For example, the planets are revolving. They revolve around something that is not revolving – the sun.
In the same way, everything is changing around the unchangeable, which is calledatman , spirit, or soul. So we should meditate on that unchanging entity with faith and devotion in our hearts. That alone can give us tranquility and peace.
www.manavdharam.org
26 December 2009
Satsang
One day while King Dasarath was hunting near a river, he heard a sound. He shot an arrow in the direction of the sound. This arrow hit a boy named Shravan Kumar. King Dasarath ran to the river and saw the young boy lying there with an arrow in his chest. The King begged his forgiveness and asked how he came to be there. Shravan Kumar said that he was taking his blind elderly parents on pilgrimage.
Along the way they felt thirsty, so he had come to bring water from the river. He then requested the king, “Please take this water to my parents so that they do not die of thirst.” King Dasarath took the pitcher full of water to Shravan Kumar's parents and offered it to them. The blind couple understood from the king's voice that he was not their son and asked, “Who are you?” King Dasarath replied, “I shot your son by mistake and he died. But before dying he asked me to quench the thirst of his parents. So I have brought water for you.”
Shravan Kumar's parents said, “We cannot drink water from the hands of the person who killed our son. We would rather die.” And as they died, they cursed him saying, “You will also die due to separation from your son, just as we are dying now.” Years later, when Lord Shri Rama was exiled and left for the forest with Laxman and Sita, King Dasarath did indeed give up his life due to the grief of separation from his son.
www.manavdharam.org
Along the way they felt thirsty, so he had come to bring water from the river. He then requested the king, “Please take this water to my parents so that they do not die of thirst.” King Dasarath took the pitcher full of water to Shravan Kumar's parents and offered it to them. The blind couple understood from the king's voice that he was not their son and asked, “Who are you?” King Dasarath replied, “I shot your son by mistake and he died. But before dying he asked me to quench the thirst of his parents. So I have brought water for you.”
Shravan Kumar's parents said, “We cannot drink water from the hands of the person who killed our son. We would rather die.” And as they died, they cursed him saying, “You will also die due to separation from your son, just as we are dying now.” Years later, when Lord Shri Rama was exiled and left for the forest with Laxman and Sita, King Dasarath did indeed give up his life due to the grief of separation from his son.
www.manavdharam.org
25 December 2009
AT CHRISTMAS
December 25th is celebrated all over the world as Christmas Day. It is a day of celebrations and festivities primarily for Christians, but is also regarded as a day of peace by people of all religions. Christ's message was the message of sacrifice and love. Jesus came to the world for two reasons. The first was to show us the Way to God and His love and the second, so Christians believe, was to take upon himself the blame for our sins.
Christ was the highest expression of the Love-dominated Teacher, not only preaching that the Kingdom of Heaven is within, but actually mapping out the route to God-realization and giving practical instructions through his own perfect life. Jesus emphasized the role of the Master, the one who holds the key to the kingdom of Heaven . He did not hesitate to declare:
No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.
Jesus Christ was known for his forgiveness. That was his innate nature because He was the son of God and one with God. Compassion and forgiveness poured from his heart for sinners and the afflicted. Jesus forgave many sinners and changed their lives completely. One of these was a certain woman who had probably heard him preach and wanted to show her appreciation. She went into the house of Simon who had invited Jesus and his disciples to dinner. At the feet of Jesus she cried in repentance for her sins. Simon was shocked that Jesus would let such a woman touch his feet. Jesus told him, “There were two men who owed money to a money lender. One owed him five hundred dollars and the other one fifty dollars. Neither one could pay him back, so he cancelled the debts of both. Which one, then, will love him more?” “I suppose,” answered Simon, “that it would be the one who was forgiven more.” “Your answer is correct,” said Jesus. Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon: “Do you see this woman? I came into your home, and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears...the great love she has shown proves that her many sins have been forgiven. Whoever has been forgiven little, however, shows only a little love.” Then Jesus said to the woman “Your sins are forgiven.” The others sitting at the table began to say to themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” But Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”www.manavdharam.org
24 December 2009
Satsang
He says that even a leper, if he remembers the Holy Name of God, is far better than a person of sound health but bereft of the Name.
So King Shivi went on cutting his own flesh and putting it in one pan of a weighing machine and on the other pan was the dove. But even though he cut a lot of flesh from all his limbs the scales did not balance. Then King Shivi himself sat on the pan. Then the god Indra who had been disguised as the eagle and the fire god Agni disguised as the dove manifested and said, ‘Shivi, you have proven yourself to be great in penance and sacrifice. We had, in fact, come to test you.”
King Shivi's name is indelible. It will live forever in our history and his sacrifice is an ideal for us. So we should also establish our own ideal by our service and remembrance of Holy Name.
www.manavdharam.org
23 December 2009
Satsang
One day a dove landed in the lap of King Shivi and prayed, “O king, please protect me. I have small offspring. If this eagle which is following me eats me, then my babies will be orphaned and this sin will be upon you, because anyone asking for shelter must be protected.” So the king told the eagle, “I will protect the dove because it has come to me for shelter and I will not give it to you. However in return, I will give you anything else you may ask of me.”
The eagle replied, “O King, give me some flesh from your right thigh equal in weight to the dove. I will feed this to my children and will not kill the dove.” The king was happy that his body would be used for the benefit of the dove. Only those who work for the sake of others are great. There are so many human beings and the majority of them are like beasts. St. Kabir said, “ Nam japat kushti bhala, chui chui pare jo cham. Kanchan deh kis kam ki, ja mukh nahin nam. ”
www.manavdharam.org
22 December 2009
Satsang
We need three things to be living. They are a ruler, a physician and the Spiritual Master. These days people are suffering from various fatal diseases which were previously unheard of. A lot of research is being done, but still doctors have not been able to find the right medicines. What will you do to save the lives of such sick people? That Power is omnipotent. That Power can destroy hundreds of creatures in a moment. Many examples about devotees are given in our religious scriptures. You can learn from the example of Shravan Kumar how to serve your parents.
www.manavdharam.org
www.manavdharam.org
21 December 2009
Satsang
It is said, “Karani ka phal payega. ” As you sow, so shall you reap. How did Prahlad come to have faith in God? Once some kittens were born inside a potter's earthen pitcher. The potter was not aware of this and placed this pitcher, along with other raw pottery, inside a kiln. After some days when the fire of the kiln was extinguished, the kittens were seen playing inside the pitcher. Prahlad was amazed to see that they were alive, even though the pitcher in which they were lying had been burning in the kiln for days. Who had kept them alive? Then he believed that there is some Power which saved the kittens. He even defied his father, King Hiranyakashipu, who claimed that no power was greater than himself. His father tormented Prahlad a lot, so God finally killed him. Whenever devotees were tormented, God protected them. So it is said that God is omnipresent and the same power is within all of us. Great divine personalities incarnate from time to time to manifest that power. He is already present but one needs divine vision to recognize him.
www.manavdharam.org
www.manavdharam.org
20 December 2009
Satsang
It is said, “Karani ka phal payega. ” As you sow, so shall you reap. How did Prahlad come to have faith in God? Once some kittens were born inside a potter's earthen pitcher. The potter was not aware of this and placed this pitcher, along with other raw pottery, inside a kiln. After some days when the fire of the kiln was extinguished, the kittens were seen playing inside the pitcher. Prahlad was amazed to see that they were alive, even though the pitcher in which they were lying had been burning in the kiln for days. Who had kept them alive? Then he believed that there is some Power which saved the kittens. He even defied his father, King Hiranyakashipu, who claimed that no power was greater than himself. His father tormented Prahlad a lot, so God finally killed him. Whenever devotees were tormented, God protected them. So it is said that God is omnipresent and the same power is within all of us. Great divine personalities incarnate from time to time to manifest that power. He is already present but one needs divine vision to recognize him.
http://www.manavdharam.org/
http://www.manavdharam.org/
REMEMBER GOD INCESSANTLY
This world is mortal. Ultimately this body of ours and all material things are left behind. Only the earnings of meditation and remembrance of Holy Name accompanies a person after death.
Once there was a devotee who used to visit the ashram of his Master. His parents thought that if their son remained devoted to the Master, then one day he would leave them. So they thought of a plan to get him married. They searched for a suitable bride for him and the marriage was performed. He got engrossed in family life and stopped visiting the ashram.
After a few years he suddenly met the Master again. He asked him, “Son, why don't you come to satsang?” He replied, “Maharaj Ji, I am totally occupied with my family and I am happy with that.” The Master said, “No son! You are entangled in illusory lust and attachments. These things will not go with you. So long you breathe you are the husband of your wife, the son of your father. But the day your breath stops, none of them will go with you”. He said, “Maharaj Ji, how can I believe this?” The Master asked him to go home and to do what he said.
The devotee went home. He asked his wife to get dinner ready for him so she started cooking. After a little while, he pretended that his stomach was aching. He told his wife this, then fainted and stopped breathing. Then his parents and wife all came where he was lying unconscious and started crying, thinking that he was dead. After some time, his wife thought that the funeral will take a long time and so she ate the food which she had cooked for her husband. After eating, she again started crying.
The parents of the devotee asked their daughter-in-law if their son had said anything before dying. She said, “He had said that his Master should be asked to attend the funeral procession.” So, they went to the Master and told him the whole story. He went to their house and after examining the devotee's pulse declared, “Your son can be revived. I have medicine wrapped in this paper. For your son to become alive again, one of you will have to swallow this medicine. But the one who takes this medicine will die and your son will return to life.”
The Master asked the devotee's father to swallow the medicine. The father said that he had a lot of work to do and that he had other sons too. So the Master then asked the mother. She also said that she would console herself by living with her other sons. Lastly, the Master asked the devotee's wife to take the medicine. But she said that she wouldn't do it as her whole life lay ahead of her and she might marry again.
Then the master said, “None of you is ready to take this medicine. So should I take it?” All of them replied unanimously, “Maharaj Ji, you take this medicine because your life is dedicated to the salvation of others.” The master swallowed the medicine and said to the devotee, “Get up now.” The devotee then breathed out and sat up. He exclaimed, “Master, only now do I understand that my parents and wife are interested in me only for their selfish motives and all such relatives are simply self-centered.”
Only the earnings from meditation and remembering the Holy Name will go with us. So it is said, “ Swans swans sumiran karo, virtha swans mat khoy. Na jane is swans ka, awan hoy na hoy.” Remember the Holy Name of God with each breath. Do not waste it for nothing. No one knows whether the next breath will come or not. So we should be very alert and serious about our breath. We should take Spiritual Knowledge from the Master before it is too late, remember Holy Name and meditate as much as possible to make our human life successful.
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Mata Shri Amrita Ji
After a few years he suddenly met the Master again. He asked him, “Son, why don't you come to satsang?” He replied, “Maharaj Ji, I am totally occupied with my family and I am happy with that.” The Master said, “No son! You are entangled in illusory lust and attachments. These things will not go with you. So long you breathe you are the husband of your wife, the son of your father. But the day your breath stops, none of them will go with you”. He said, “Maharaj Ji, how can I believe this?” The Master asked him to go home and to do what he said.
The devotee went home. He asked his wife to get dinner ready for him so she started cooking. After a little while, he pretended that his stomach was aching. He told his wife this, then fainted and stopped breathing. Then his parents and wife all came where he was lying unconscious and started crying, thinking that he was dead. After some time, his wife thought that the funeral will take a long time and so she ate the food which she had cooked for her husband. After eating, she again started crying.
The parents of the devotee asked their daughter-in-law if their son had said anything before dying. She said, “He had said that his Master should be asked to attend the funeral procession.” So, they went to the Master and told him the whole story. He went to their house and after examining the devotee's pulse declared, “Your son can be revived. I have medicine wrapped in this paper. For your son to become alive again, one of you will have to swallow this medicine. But the one who takes this medicine will die and your son will return to life.”
The Master asked the devotee's father to swallow the medicine. The father said that he had a lot of work to do and that he had other sons too. So the Master then asked the mother. She also said that she would console herself by living with her other sons. Lastly, the Master asked the devotee's wife to take the medicine. But she said that she wouldn't do it as her whole life lay ahead of her and she might marry again.
Then the master said, “None of you is ready to take this medicine. So should I take it?” All of them replied unanimously, “Maharaj Ji, you take this medicine because your life is dedicated to the salvation of others.” The master swallowed the medicine and said to the devotee, “Get up now.” The devotee then breathed out and sat up. He exclaimed, “Master, only now do I understand that my parents and wife are interested in me only for their selfish motives and all such relatives are simply self-centered.”
Only the earnings from meditation and remembering the Holy Name will go with us. So it is said, “ Swans swans sumiran karo, virtha swans mat khoy. Na jane is swans ka, awan hoy na hoy.” Remember the Holy Name of God with each breath. Do not waste it for nothing. No one knows whether the next breath will come or not. So we should be very alert and serious about our breath. We should take Spiritual Knowledge from the Master before it is too late, remember Holy Name and meditate as much as possible to make our human life successful.
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19 December 2009
Satsang
Everything else except the Name can be experienced by other species. The Holy Name of God can be known only by human beings.
When a dog chews a bone he thinks that blood is oozing from the bone, whereas in fact the blood comes from his own gums. St. Bhartrihari wrote,“Bhogo na bhukta waymew bhukta. ” We think that we are enjoying worldly pleasures but it is not so. The pleasures are enjoying us! The things which we enjoy never come to an end, but we depart from this world one by one. So, instead of being engrossed in worldly pleasures, we should devote our mind to the Holy Name of God so that our human birth can be successful.
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18 December 2009
Satsang
Meera Bai says we should come to satsang and sing the glory of God. Human birth is rare, and you may or may not get it again anytime soon. However, people get engrossed in illusory things of the world until one day they fall into the jaws of death. Only Holy Name can protect from death. It is written in the Bhagavad Gita, “He who remembers Me at the end, comes to Me.” Meera Bai's enemies tried to poison her because they did not like her dancing and visiting saints, but that poison became nectar for her. She was tormented lot but she did not give up attending satsang and said, “ Taji kusang satsang baith nit, Hari charcha sun lijai. ” “Give up bad company, come to satsang and listen to the glory of God.”
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17 December 2009
Satsang
It is written that a choukari is one cycle of Satyug, Treta, Dwapar and Kali Ages. One ‘day' of Brahma the Creator is equal to a thousand such choukaris and similarly one night of Brahma is also equal to a thousand choukaris. Brahma lives for 100 years, each day and night being equal to one thousand choukaris and thereafter Brahma also comes to an end. This world is so big that no one can describe its contents fully. If a seed comes in contact with water, it gets spoiled, but some plants grow with wheat for which you did not sow any seed. Then where does the seed live? If its seed lives in the earth, why it is not spoiled by rain water? It is all the Almighty's grace. If you pour even a little water on seeds they get spoiled and do not grow when sown in soil. Strange are the ways of God. Even the Creator, Brahma, comes to an end.
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16 December 2009
Satsang
One day a lady came and bowed to St. Tulsidas and he blessed her, saying, “May you and your husband live long.” She replied, ‘This is very strange. I know that the Creation can be devoured; water may submerge everything, but the word of a saint cannot be reversed. But my husband has already died and I am going to the funeral to burn myself with his corpse. So your blessing cannot come true.” Hearing this, St. Tulsidas said, “Put down the bier, close your eyes and remember the Name.” So saying, the saint also started remembering the Holy Name.
After some time, he sprinkled Ganges water on the corpse, which became alive again. Just see, the power of the Name can change even the laws of Nature! Fire became cool, even though its nature is to burn, in the presence of the devotee Prahlad. The essence of the Vedas is Spiritual Knowledge, which is true and one must know this. People do not understand the essence. It is written in the Bhagavad Gita, “Take shelter in Satguru and ask for the Knowledge”. The purpose of human life is to acquire Knowledge. You can know it only during your human life. So St. Kabir says, “ Chinta to satnam ki, aur na chitwe Das. Jo kuchh chitwe nam binu, soi kal ki phans.” (If you must think about something, think of the True Name, as anything else will ensnare you in the web of death).
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After some time, he sprinkled Ganges water on the corpse, which became alive again. Just see, the power of the Name can change even the laws of Nature! Fire became cool, even though its nature is to burn, in the presence of the devotee Prahlad. The essence of the Vedas is Spiritual Knowledge, which is true and one must know this. People do not understand the essence. It is written in the Bhagavad Gita, “Take shelter in Satguru and ask for the Knowledge”. The purpose of human life is to acquire Knowledge. You can know it only during your human life. So St. Kabir says, “ Chinta to satnam ki, aur na chitwe Das. Jo kuchh chitwe nam binu, soi kal ki phans.” (If you must think about something, think of the True Name, as anything else will ensnare you in the web of death).
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15 December 2009
Satsang
St Tulsidasji wrote, “How can I adequately glorify the Name? Even Lord Shri Rama could not sing the glory of Ram-Nam”. Meera Bai says, “O mind! The essence of this world is the nectar; only Holy Name can redeem from cycle of birth and death.” Tell me if anyone could be saved from death without this Name. It is written in our scriptures that we should bow at the feet of saints. This is not written for elephants and animals. Go to the Spiritual Master, prostrate to him and ask. Then he will impart the knowledge of the Name which is indivisible and which redeems us from the cycle of birth and death.
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14 December 2009
Satsang
This Knowledge needs to spread all over the world. When the sun rises and shines brightly, the chlorophyll in green leaves converts carbon dioxide into oxygen. In the presence of sunlight even stale air becomes pure. Similarly, the Light of Knowledge eradicates the darkness of ignorance. So kindle the Light within. It is written in our scriptures, “Tamso ma jyotirgamay, asatoma sadgamay, mrityorma amritam gamay.” “Lead me from darkness to light, from untruth to Truth. Take me from death to immortality and let me achieve salvation.”
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13 December 2009
DETACH FROM WORLDLY THINGS
There is a story about Ravana who was a great king at the time of Lord Rama. Ravana performed great sacrifices for God and he pleased God and received a boon. Because of that boon he kept all the gods under his control. He even bound Indra, who was supposed to have been king of all the gods.
Ravana had control over all the gods, but even then he could not win over death; he too had to die one day. And when he was dying, he said, “Do not leave good actions for tomorrow. Whatever good you have to do tomorrow, do it today. Do not postpone it for tomorrow.” He was so powerful but still he had to die and we also have to die one day. Therefore, always remember your death. Remember your death and do whatever good you would do tomorrow, today. We must remember God; we must remember Holy Name. And, remembering our death, we should come to satsang. Satsang is necessary. If we want to keep the house clean, we have to clean it regularly with a broom. We also need inner cleaning and to clean inside we have to use the broom of satsang. Only the broom of satsang can clean us inside, so we must come to satsang and listen to it attentively.
A man once asked a saddhu (saint), “How do you pass your time?” The saint replied, “I pass some of my time just like a king and some better than a king. When I'm awake, I'm better than a king because a king has many problems relating to his kingdom, but I have no problems. I'm always meditating on the Holy Name and I'm happy. That time I pass better than a king does. And when I am asleep then I'm just like a king; in sleep there's no difference between me and a king. I don't know whether I am a saint or a king and neither does the king know whether he is a king or a saint. We are all equal in sleep.
Gopichand was a prince. His father the King spent all his time in worldly pleasures. He was a great king but he had no interest in Knowledge, God, or spirituality. When he died, Gopichand became entitled to the throne, but his mother advised him not to become King, but to go and find the Knowledge of spirituality and lead a spiritual life. Gopichand asked his mother, “Mother, I have lived here in the palace and I have been sleeping in a very soft bed. I know that saints sleep on a slab of stone. How can I tolerate that life?” His mother explained, “My dear son, don't worry. When you are tired and go to sleep, it makes no difference whether you are sleeping on a stone or sleeping in a very soft bed.”
Gopichand then said to his mother, “At least thirty-six kinds of food are served to a king or a king's son, and I am used to eating many kinds, many varieties of good food, delicious sweets and candies. Saints only eat dry bread; sometimes they don't even eat that!” His mother explained, “Gopichand, if you are not hungry, you will not get any taste from these thirty-six kinds of food. And if you work hard and meditate, then you become hungry and at that time the dry bread will have a better taste. It will have the taste of nectar, while those many varieties of food will not taste like that if you are not hungry.”
Then the boy said, “Mother, what about this kingdom? So much pleasure! So much power! This kingdom holds so much attraction! You are asking me to leave this kingdom?” His mother answered, “Did you bring this kingdom with you when you came on this earth? If you did not bring it, then you also must know that it will not go with you. Then why do you take on this problem? Happiness or pleasure or power is nothing but a problem. There is nothing in it. So why do you waste your time? Why waste your valuable life for this? Why don't you go to a saint, take real Spiritual Knowledge and put your life to some better use.” Then Gopichand understood. He did not accept the kingdom, but he went to a saint, took spiritual knowledge and became such a great saint himself that the story of his life is still famous. He obeyed his mother about leaving the kingdom and all other worldly attractions, but his spiritual teacher put him to great tests, and for twelve years he did not receive the Knowledge.
After twelve years his Spiritual Teacher said, “Go back to your queens, to the same palace you came from, and beg. Bring whatever you get in alms back to me, but it must be given to you by your queens.” His Teacher was trying to see if he was strong enough to face the sight of his wives, of his queens. So, Gopichand went to the palace and asked for alms. The queens sent lots of money and things on large silver and golden plates, but they sent them through maidservants. Gopichand refused the gifts and said, “I cannot accept these gifts. My teacher said I must accept alms directly from the queens. The queens must come and give alms to me themselves.” The queens came and gave him alms and he accepted them. There was no desire, no bad feelings, nothing; he simply took those alms and returned to his teacher.
When people like Gopichand extinguished all their desires and worldly passions, they became immortal. They became so immortal that ages have passed, one after another, but the names of those saints are immortal. The Iron Age, the Copper Age, the Silver Age and the Golden Age all will pass, but the immortality of Gopichand's name will not come to an end. The history which such saints have created will never come to an end.
When realized souls leave their bodies, it is said that they merge themselves in that Light; people say they have left their bodies .For others, people say they have died. Why is this? It is said that if you remember a dead worldly man, he will come in the form of a ghost and you will be frightened, and if you remember a saint who left his body, then you become pure and courageous and pious. See the difference? Each has left his body, both have died, but people say that when you remember a saint you become pure. Also, when worldly people die, they are quickly forgotten. Why do people remember saints and great realized souls? Why do people construct churches, temples and mosques in their memory? Why do people sing their glory? It's because these realized souls left something for us. They sacrificed themselves; they taught us something and they inspired us. That's why they're remembered. We can also become like that because they were given a human life and we have also been given a human life. The thing is, they put their human lives to the best use and we are wasting ours. If we do what they did, we can also achieve that goal.
Saints say that those who sleep, lose. Why do they say that when people sleep they lose, and that when they are awake they win, they gain something? When saints say that, they don't literally mean not to sleep. They mean, “Don't be attached to this world”. This attachment is just like sleep. Don't develop attachment. Don't be attached to worldly things.” Being attached to this illusion, to this maya, is just like sleeping. If you're attached to the world, then you are sleeping. If you are non-attached, then you are awake. If you have realized what illusion is, what maya is and what is real, then you are awake, This is what the saints are indicating. Don't sleep! If you are awake, then you have Knowledge and you have everything.
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Jagatjanani Shri Mata Ji
A man once asked a saddhu (saint), “How do you pass your time?” The saint replied, “I pass some of my time just like a king and some better than a king. When I'm awake, I'm better than a king because a king has many problems relating to his kingdom, but I have no problems. I'm always meditating on the Holy Name and I'm happy. That time I pass better than a king does. And when I am asleep then I'm just like a king; in sleep there's no difference between me and a king. I don't know whether I am a saint or a king and neither does the king know whether he is a king or a saint. We are all equal in sleep.
Gopichand was a prince. His father the King spent all his time in worldly pleasures. He was a great king but he had no interest in Knowledge, God, or spirituality. When he died, Gopichand became entitled to the throne, but his mother advised him not to become King, but to go and find the Knowledge of spirituality and lead a spiritual life. Gopichand asked his mother, “Mother, I have lived here in the palace and I have been sleeping in a very soft bed. I know that saints sleep on a slab of stone. How can I tolerate that life?” His mother explained, “My dear son, don't worry. When you are tired and go to sleep, it makes no difference whether you are sleeping on a stone or sleeping in a very soft bed.”
Gopichand then said to his mother, “At least thirty-six kinds of food are served to a king or a king's son, and I am used to eating many kinds, many varieties of good food, delicious sweets and candies. Saints only eat dry bread; sometimes they don't even eat that!” His mother explained, “Gopichand, if you are not hungry, you will not get any taste from these thirty-six kinds of food. And if you work hard and meditate, then you become hungry and at that time the dry bread will have a better taste. It will have the taste of nectar, while those many varieties of food will not taste like that if you are not hungry.”
Then the boy said, “Mother, what about this kingdom? So much pleasure! So much power! This kingdom holds so much attraction! You are asking me to leave this kingdom?” His mother answered, “Did you bring this kingdom with you when you came on this earth? If you did not bring it, then you also must know that it will not go with you. Then why do you take on this problem? Happiness or pleasure or power is nothing but a problem. There is nothing in it. So why do you waste your time? Why waste your valuable life for this? Why don't you go to a saint, take real Spiritual Knowledge and put your life to some better use.” Then Gopichand understood. He did not accept the kingdom, but he went to a saint, took spiritual knowledge and became such a great saint himself that the story of his life is still famous. He obeyed his mother about leaving the kingdom and all other worldly attractions, but his spiritual teacher put him to great tests, and for twelve years he did not receive the Knowledge.
After twelve years his Spiritual Teacher said, “Go back to your queens, to the same palace you came from, and beg. Bring whatever you get in alms back to me, but it must be given to you by your queens.” His Teacher was trying to see if he was strong enough to face the sight of his wives, of his queens. So, Gopichand went to the palace and asked for alms. The queens sent lots of money and things on large silver and golden plates, but they sent them through maidservants. Gopichand refused the gifts and said, “I cannot accept these gifts. My teacher said I must accept alms directly from the queens. The queens must come and give alms to me themselves.” The queens came and gave him alms and he accepted them. There was no desire, no bad feelings, nothing; he simply took those alms and returned to his teacher.
When people like Gopichand extinguished all their desires and worldly passions, they became immortal. They became so immortal that ages have passed, one after another, but the names of those saints are immortal. The Iron Age, the Copper Age, the Silver Age and the Golden Age all will pass, but the immortality of Gopichand's name will not come to an end. The history which such saints have created will never come to an end.
When realized souls leave their bodies, it is said that they merge themselves in that Light; people say they have left their bodies .For others, people say they have died. Why is this? It is said that if you remember a dead worldly man, he will come in the form of a ghost and you will be frightened, and if you remember a saint who left his body, then you become pure and courageous and pious. See the difference? Each has left his body, both have died, but people say that when you remember a saint you become pure. Also, when worldly people die, they are quickly forgotten. Why do people remember saints and great realized souls? Why do people construct churches, temples and mosques in their memory? Why do people sing their glory? It's because these realized souls left something for us. They sacrificed themselves; they taught us something and they inspired us. That's why they're remembered. We can also become like that because they were given a human life and we have also been given a human life. The thing is, they put their human lives to the best use and we are wasting ours. If we do what they did, we can also achieve that goal.
Saints say that those who sleep, lose. Why do they say that when people sleep they lose, and that when they are awake they win, they gain something? When saints say that, they don't literally mean not to sleep. They mean, “Don't be attached to this world”. This attachment is just like sleep. Don't develop attachment. Don't be attached to worldly things.” Being attached to this illusion, to this maya, is just like sleeping. If you're attached to the world, then you are sleeping. If you are non-attached, then you are awake. If you have realized what illusion is, what maya is and what is real, then you are awake, This is what the saints are indicating. Don't sleep! If you are awake, then you have Knowledge and you have everything.
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12 December 2009
Satsang
Once an old woman dropped her needle on the floor of her cottage, but she could not see as the wind had blown out the flame of her candle. So she went outside and started searching for the needle under the street lights. A passerby asked her what she was looking for. She replied that her needle had been lost. The passerby then asked where it had been lost. She said that she had lost it in her cottage but, since it was dark inside she was searching for it outside. But of course you have to search where the thing has been lost. You should search for peace where it is. You should eradicate problems where they start. Since the agitation is within, you should search for peace within. So a saint has said, “ Apun ko aphi men payo. Sabda hi sabda bhayo ujiyaro, Sadguru
bhed batayo .”
(I found myself within myself. From the Holy Name all became Light. The Spiritual Master revealed the mystery to me). But this is possible only if we do what the Master says.
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bhed batayo .”
(I found myself within myself. From the Holy Name all became Light. The Spiritual Master revealed the mystery to me). But this is possible only if we do what the Master says.
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11 December 2009
Satsang
“God is omnipresent but is manifested through Love”. Today, anyone anywhere can have a mobile phone. There are phone towers from place to place. Your mobile phone first hooks up to the waves from a particular tower then is able to establish contact with anyone in the world. Similarly, when the meditator gets hooked up to the Holy Name, he experiences that God is omnipresent. Spiritual Knowledge is like a mobile phone. You can dial the Name from anywhere and talk to omnipresent God. For that you don't need to sit in any particular place. This is the glory of that Knowledge.
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10 December 2009
Satsang
Who would have thought a few years ago that the telephone could become mobile, that the phone would ring in your pocket and you could talk to the caller from wherever you are. It means that the mobile phone has become in a way omnipresent. Similarly God is omnipresent. Lord Shiva said, “Hari vyapak sarvatra samana. Prem se pragat hot mai jana. ”
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09 December 2009
Satsang
“Sumari pawantsut pawan namu, apne wash kari rakheu ramu.” Hanuman remembered the Name and so captivated even Lord Rama. So it is essential to remember Holy Name constantly once you receive the Knowledge, because this is the only way to be freed from all sorrow.
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08 December 2009
St. Tulsidas Ji wrote in the Shri Ramcharitmanasa , “ Nahin Kali Karma na bhagati viveku, Ram Nam abalamban eku .” In Kaliyuga (the present Age) the Holy Name is the only support as neither true action nor devotion is possible. There is a devotional song which says “ Tera sat chit anand roop, koi koi jane re.” Only a very rare person knows God as Truth, Consciousness and Bliss.
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07 December 2009
Religion is a set of common beliefs and practices generally held by a group of people, often codified prayer, ritual and religious law. Religion also includes ancestral or cultural traditions, writings, history and mythology, as well as personal faith and mystic experience.
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06 December 2009
THE SPIRITUAL MASTER IMPARTS TRUE KNOWLEDGE
Hanuman Ji remembered Holy Name and captivated Lord Rama. Meera took the shelter of Raidas. She was a Rajput lady and had worshipped Lord Krishna since childhood, so why did she accept Raidas, who was a low-caste, as her Master? Meera Bai says, “Payo ji maine nam ratan dhan payo. Vastu amolak di mere satguru, kari kripa apnayo. ” She says, “I have got the jewel of the Name. My Master accepted me as his disciple and imparted the invaluable Spiritual Knowledge to me.”
Param Sant Sadgurudev Shri Hans Ji Maharaj
Meera accepted Raidas as her Master to know the true name of God, because, even though this Name is present within everyone's heart, no one can know it without the grace of the Spiritual Master. Guru Nanak Dev Ji also says, “Eko sumaro Nanaka, jal thal raha samay. Dooja kahe sumariye, jamme te mar jay.” “Remember the One which permeates water, earth and everywhere. Why remember anything else which takes birth and dies? One Name permeates all the creatures living on earth and in water. We should remember that one Name. All other names begin when we utter them and come to an end when we stop. All these names, which are spoken or uttered by mouth, are given by us, whereas the natural Name is one for all. To remember the Holy Name of God is the only essence in this world. That Name was one in the beginning, now also it is one and after the creation comes to an end, it will remain the same.
That ‘Name' is true since time immemorial. All other names given by people are false. All incarnations, Masters, Saints and devotees who came into this world, imparted the Knowledge of the True Name and Divine Light to sincere seekers, but this world is such that people ignore the present divine Masters and after they are gone, celebrate their birthdays without knowing the depths of Spiritual Knowledge, and think that this is all that has to be done for salvation. They are not concerned in the least with what our great Incarnations talked about and taught the devotees of their time. “Man murid sansar hai. Guru murid koi sadh. Jo jane guru vachan ko, taka mata agadh.” “Everyone in this world is disciple of his mind. Only a rare saint is a disciple of the Spiritual Master. Those who know the Word of the Master, realise the Divine Knowledge.”
Those who have not taken shelter in the Spiritual Master neither know, nor meditate and are not devotees. The Spiritual Master is God in human form. He dispels all the grief of his devotees, so that is why he is known as “Hari” (the one who vanquishes). His Word dispels ignorance, in the same way as sunbeams dispel the darkness of night. However, night again prevails over daylight. Spiritual Knowledge doesn't mean that after initiation, ignorance may never again prevail. The darkness of desires is removed only when a disciple follows the instructions of the Master – in other words, when a disciple constantly remembers the Holy Name of God, which is present within everyone, with unflinching faith and reverence.
“ Uthat baithat sowat jagat nam. Kahe Nanak siddha bhaye tinha ke kam. ” Guru Nanak Dev Ji says that, if a person remembers the Name continuously while standing up, sitting, sleeping and awakening, all his actions are crowned with success.
The Name, which can be remembered continuously while sleeping and dreaming, is the ‘Word' of the Master. All other names and mantras are false. Do not waste your rare human body in these false things. How will you turn the beads of a rosary or sing devotional songs while you are asleep? You should know the indivisible ‘ kirtan ' (sacred harmony) which is going on incessantly within you already. Keep firm faith in the Name and remember it as much as possible. If your faith wavers in a year, or two years or even after ten or twenty years, then how can it be ‘unflinching faith'? Faith should be unflinching forever, even if the sun rises in the west instead of in the east. Only when you have this much faith in the Master will you be called a ‘devotee'. Everyone wants God to remove all his troubles and miseries like Lord Krishna did for Sudama, but they do not want to do anything for that and think that their names should be included in the list of devotees. Thirst is not quenched without drinking water, and only by devotion and service is one a ‘devotee' or a ‘ sewak ' (servant).
The soul is very subtle. Reason and mind cannot reach there. One cannot get to it even by much reading and writing of the scriptures. Many say, ‘ Aham Brahmasmi ' (I am God) and ‘ Ayamatma ' (I am soul). We pronounce vedic mantras parrot-like, without understanding their meaning and think that we are spiritual. Many people waste their valuable time following such teachers blindly. They do not even contemplate that whatever they utter by mouth and repeat uttering is just to fill their belly. They will talk pompously about soul but if you ask them if they have realized soul, they will say, ‘It is very difficult to know soul. Nobody can know it.' They will never say straight that they do not know Soul. It is written in the Ramayana, “Nar tan sam nahin kawanehu dehi. Jeev charachar yachat jehi. Narak swarg apwarg naseni. Gyan vairag bhakti sukh deni. ” There is no other species like the human body and a soul ever strives to get it. It is a ladder to either heaven or hell. In this body one can acquire the Spiritual Knowledge and thus achieve devotion and renunciation.
People make a ladder with bamboo and nails to reach a rooftop. We climb it step by step and reach the roof easily. Other species like elephants, lions, dogs, and donkeys do not make ladders. Similarly, God did not give wings to human beings but they used their intelligence to invent and manufacture aeroplanes. Now they can fly much faster than birds and cover a distance of thousands of miles in a short time. But the soul is subtler than even the sky. If we don't know it while we are human beings then in no other species can we know it. When other creatures cannot even build a ladder, how can they uplift their mind to the heavenly abode of the Almighty?
Our surati (attention) has descended from this level to the material world. We have to, in this very life by regular practice, elevate our mind back to the heavenly abode. Unless our surati regains its original plane we cannot get salvation and hence we cannot be happy and contented. The Muslims believe that ‘ Khuda ' (God) is in the ‘Seventh Sky'. But we should wonder what this means. Hindu people also believe that there are 14 lokas (levels of existence) and in our physical body too there are 14 chakras. The midpoint between the eyebrows is called ‘ Agya chakra ': there are 7 chakras below this and 6 chakras above it. The chakras from ‘ Agya chakra ' upwards are known as the ‘seven skies' or ‘seven lokas '. We have to take our mind above even there.
In primary schools the letters of the alphabet are displayed in bold pictures. We see them, but we don't know anything about them until the teacher tells us how to form and pronounce them. So how can we know the Holy Name of God which is within us? A kite alone cannot fly in the sky on its own and neither can its string. If we throw these up individually, they will fall down. But when the kite is attached to the thread with a knot, then both go up without falling down. Similarly, there are two ways to uplift the mind: Divine Light and unstruck celestial sound ( nad ). ‘Surati'and ‘Shabda' (‘Word') are bound with a knot by the Master. Word is within and ‘ Surati ' is also within, but unless both are bound with a knot by the Master the Surati cannot rise. When you meet a true Spiritual Master, he joins your surati with the Word instantly. Unless we meditate on the form of the Master, our inner knot will not be firm. The form of the Master manifests within. The divine vision of the sincere devotee is opened by meditating upon the Master's form. “Shri guru pad nakh mani gan jyoti. Sumirat divya drishti hiya hoti. Sujhahin Ram charit mani manik. Gupta pragat jahan jo jehi khanik.” : By meditating upon the Master's form, the divine vision is opened. Such people are called the ‘loved ones' or devotees. The Master imparts the knowledge of Word, unstruck celestial sound and Divine Light to all seekers who come into his shelter and surrender. By attending satsang our body remains there for some time and some service will be done there. Also, if one gives money in service out of reverence, then his mind also remembers the Master. Then one will be able to meditate. But meditation also needs service and satsang. So don't live in ignorance. Get Spiritual Knowledge from the present Spiritual Master, meditate and remember the Holy Name of God.
www.manavdharam.org
Meera accepted Raidas as her Master to know the true name of God, because, even though this Name is present within everyone's heart, no one can know it without the grace of the Spiritual Master. Guru Nanak Dev Ji also says, “Eko sumaro Nanaka, jal thal raha samay. Dooja kahe sumariye, jamme te mar jay.” “Remember the One which permeates water, earth and everywhere. Why remember anything else which takes birth and dies? One Name permeates all the creatures living on earth and in water. We should remember that one Name. All other names begin when we utter them and come to an end when we stop. All these names, which are spoken or uttered by mouth, are given by us, whereas the natural Name is one for all. To remember the Holy Name of God is the only essence in this world. That Name was one in the beginning, now also it is one and after the creation comes to an end, it will remain the same.
That ‘Name' is true since time immemorial. All other names given by people are false. All incarnations, Masters, Saints and devotees who came into this world, imparted the Knowledge of the True Name and Divine Light to sincere seekers, but this world is such that people ignore the present divine Masters and after they are gone, celebrate their birthdays without knowing the depths of Spiritual Knowledge, and think that this is all that has to be done for salvation. They are not concerned in the least with what our great Incarnations talked about and taught the devotees of their time. “Man murid sansar hai. Guru murid koi sadh. Jo jane guru vachan ko, taka mata agadh.” “Everyone in this world is disciple of his mind. Only a rare saint is a disciple of the Spiritual Master. Those who know the Word of the Master, realise the Divine Knowledge.”
Those who have not taken shelter in the Spiritual Master neither know, nor meditate and are not devotees. The Spiritual Master is God in human form. He dispels all the grief of his devotees, so that is why he is known as “Hari” (the one who vanquishes). His Word dispels ignorance, in the same way as sunbeams dispel the darkness of night. However, night again prevails over daylight. Spiritual Knowledge doesn't mean that after initiation, ignorance may never again prevail. The darkness of desires is removed only when a disciple follows the instructions of the Master – in other words, when a disciple constantly remembers the Holy Name of God, which is present within everyone, with unflinching faith and reverence.
“ Uthat baithat sowat jagat nam. Kahe Nanak siddha bhaye tinha ke kam. ” Guru Nanak Dev Ji says that, if a person remembers the Name continuously while standing up, sitting, sleeping and awakening, all his actions are crowned with success.
The Name, which can be remembered continuously while sleeping and dreaming, is the ‘Word' of the Master. All other names and mantras are false. Do not waste your rare human body in these false things. How will you turn the beads of a rosary or sing devotional songs while you are asleep? You should know the indivisible ‘ kirtan ' (sacred harmony) which is going on incessantly within you already. Keep firm faith in the Name and remember it as much as possible. If your faith wavers in a year, or two years or even after ten or twenty years, then how can it be ‘unflinching faith'? Faith should be unflinching forever, even if the sun rises in the west instead of in the east. Only when you have this much faith in the Master will you be called a ‘devotee'. Everyone wants God to remove all his troubles and miseries like Lord Krishna did for Sudama, but they do not want to do anything for that and think that their names should be included in the list of devotees. Thirst is not quenched without drinking water, and only by devotion and service is one a ‘devotee' or a ‘ sewak ' (servant).
The soul is very subtle. Reason and mind cannot reach there. One cannot get to it even by much reading and writing of the scriptures. Many say, ‘ Aham Brahmasmi ' (I am God) and ‘ Ayamatma ' (I am soul). We pronounce vedic mantras parrot-like, without understanding their meaning and think that we are spiritual. Many people waste their valuable time following such teachers blindly. They do not even contemplate that whatever they utter by mouth and repeat uttering is just to fill their belly. They will talk pompously about soul but if you ask them if they have realized soul, they will say, ‘It is very difficult to know soul. Nobody can know it.' They will never say straight that they do not know Soul. It is written in the Ramayana, “Nar tan sam nahin kawanehu dehi. Jeev charachar yachat jehi. Narak swarg apwarg naseni. Gyan vairag bhakti sukh deni. ” There is no other species like the human body and a soul ever strives to get it. It is a ladder to either heaven or hell. In this body one can acquire the Spiritual Knowledge and thus achieve devotion and renunciation.
People make a ladder with bamboo and nails to reach a rooftop. We climb it step by step and reach the roof easily. Other species like elephants, lions, dogs, and donkeys do not make ladders. Similarly, God did not give wings to human beings but they used their intelligence to invent and manufacture aeroplanes. Now they can fly much faster than birds and cover a distance of thousands of miles in a short time. But the soul is subtler than even the sky. If we don't know it while we are human beings then in no other species can we know it. When other creatures cannot even build a ladder, how can they uplift their mind to the heavenly abode of the Almighty?
Our surati (attention) has descended from this level to the material world. We have to, in this very life by regular practice, elevate our mind back to the heavenly abode. Unless our surati regains its original plane we cannot get salvation and hence we cannot be happy and contented. The Muslims believe that ‘ Khuda ' (God) is in the ‘Seventh Sky'. But we should wonder what this means. Hindu people also believe that there are 14 lokas (levels of existence) and in our physical body too there are 14 chakras. The midpoint between the eyebrows is called ‘ Agya chakra ': there are 7 chakras below this and 6 chakras above it. The chakras from ‘ Agya chakra ' upwards are known as the ‘seven skies' or ‘seven lokas '. We have to take our mind above even there.
In primary schools the letters of the alphabet are displayed in bold pictures. We see them, but we don't know anything about them until the teacher tells us how to form and pronounce them. So how can we know the Holy Name of God which is within us? A kite alone cannot fly in the sky on its own and neither can its string. If we throw these up individually, they will fall down. But when the kite is attached to the thread with a knot, then both go up without falling down. Similarly, there are two ways to uplift the mind: Divine Light and unstruck celestial sound ( nad ). ‘Surati'and ‘Shabda' (‘Word') are bound with a knot by the Master. Word is within and ‘ Surati ' is also within, but unless both are bound with a knot by the Master the Surati cannot rise. When you meet a true Spiritual Master, he joins your surati with the Word instantly. Unless we meditate on the form of the Master, our inner knot will not be firm. The form of the Master manifests within. The divine vision of the sincere devotee is opened by meditating upon the Master's form. “Shri guru pad nakh mani gan jyoti. Sumirat divya drishti hiya hoti. Sujhahin Ram charit mani manik. Gupta pragat jahan jo jehi khanik.” : By meditating upon the Master's form, the divine vision is opened. Such people are called the ‘loved ones' or devotees. The Master imparts the knowledge of Word, unstruck celestial sound and Divine Light to all seekers who come into his shelter and surrender. By attending satsang our body remains there for some time and some service will be done there. Also, if one gives money in service out of reverence, then his mind also remembers the Master. Then one will be able to meditate. But meditation also needs service and satsang. So don't live in ignorance. Get Spiritual Knowledge from the present Spiritual Master, meditate and remember the Holy Name of God.
www.manavdharam.org
05 December 2009
Guru Nanak Dev Ji says, “ Ap jape auron ko japawe. Nanak nishchay mukti pawe. ” “One who himself meditates and inspires others to follow the spiritual path and meditate, definitely gets salvation.
www.manavdharam.org
www.manavdharam.org
04 December 2009
03 December 2009
Musk is in the navel of a deer, but the deer runs around the forest in search of the source of the fragrance. Similarly, the Almighty is within our heart, but we search for God outside in temples, mosques and churches because we are ignorant of this.
www.manavdharam.org
www.manavdharam.org
02 December 2009
01 December 2009
Mahatma Gandhi
In nature there is fundamental unity running through all the diversity we see about us. Religions are given to mankind so as to accelerate the process of realisation of fundamental unity.
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