10 October 2010

Remembrance

what is continuous devotion? Unbroken means non-stop. As St. Kabir said, "You turn a rosary between your fingers and your tongue around in your mouth, but your mind goes in all directions. This is not remembrance." Non-stop remembrance or meditation is that which can be practised all the time. Guru Nanak Dev Ji also talked about it. He said, " Remember the Name while sitting, standing, sleeping or awake and everything you do will be perfect."
www.manavdharam.org

09 October 2010

Grace of God

This human life is a very rare and precious thing. Effort can give you anything - except birth as a human being, which is given by the grace of God. In the Gita (11:25-26, 54) Lord Krishna says, "This Knowledge is not attained by sacrificial rituals, religious ceremonies, reciting scriptures, studying the Vedas or through strenuous austerities - it is found only through unbroken devotion."
www.manavdharam.org

07 October 2010

Religion

Religion has become almost a non-entity, and, more alarmingly, is being used to motivate and rationalise violent behaviour. The mushrooming of sects is due to the ignorance of the Truth. But a religion which cannot save us is no religion at all. What is called religion these days is destructive, divisive and spreads confusion rather than enlightenment.
www.manavdharam.org

06 October 2010

Maharajji

The sage of the Taittirya Upanishad praises the paravidya, saying, “The Knowledge which I have transmitted to you is my commandment. This is the essence of the Vedas and is the sovereign secret. This is the injunction of the Vedas and other scriptures. Practise this Knowledge and live according to it” (11-6). For four decades, Shri Maharaj Ji worked tirelessly to offer this path, which had well-nigh vanished from India, to all aspirants irrespective of caste or creed. Undoubtedly history will testify that this unique spiritual personality cleansed religion of the dross of ritual and superstition that had obscured it, and broadened the spiritual horizon of millions of people. He revealed to all aspirants their living, conscious spiritual core. He revealed the foundation which underlies all religions and which is their common factor. He claimed that the ritualistic and ceremonial aspects of religions which make them seem different are merely the outer robes.
www.manavdharam.org

05 October 2010

Saint

It has been said that a river does not drink its own water, a tree does not eat its own fruit and saints come only for the sake of others. Kabir, the Indian mystic poet, describes the greatness of saints in these words: “God is like the ocean, and saints are the rainclouds; God is the sandalwood tree and saints are the breeze which carries the fragrance.” God is within every heart, but is experienced only by the grace of a living enlightened saint. Shri Hans Ji Maharaj was one such saint, who dedicated his life to making available to one and all the paravidya–the practical spiritual Knowledge which leads to liberation.
www.manavdharam.org

04 October 2010

Updesh

Many people think that altruism means donating cheap wheat or clothing. Even if it rains gold for two hours and you collect as much as you can, it won't benefit you if you don't do anything with it. You may spend your life giving food and clothing, but will the real need ever be met? People die and are reborn, because we have more than one life, so there is never an end to people's needs. The real meaning of paropkar is not understood. Nor is the real meaning of updesh (initiation). People proclaim loudly from high stages and call this "updesh", or teaching. But on the one hand is this desh, or mortal realm, and on the other is the realm from which there is no return, about which Lord Krishna says, "Once the soul reaches the self-effulgent realm beyond the light of sun, moon or fire, it does not return." But nowadays people think that simply bestowing a rosary is "updesh".
www.manavdharam.org

03 October 2010

Salvation

Nowadays people make a fuss about `paropkar', which means beneficence, going out of one's way to help others. Everyone agrees that there should be more of it . But do they know the real meaning of that word? No! First of all we have this mortal world, where creatures are born then die. This is the realm of reincarnation, where the soul encounters obstacles and a variety of miseries. Secondly, there is parlok, the next world, or after life. Lord Rama said that the human body is a gateway to liberation and a soul is very fortunate to get it. Even gods long for it. If you put halvah in front of a god, or any creature for that matter, it will eat it, but only human beings can cook halvah for themselves. That is why it is also written that one can experience paradise in this very life. The human body is the only way out of the cycle of birth and death _ no other species has this capacity. Only humans can work for their own salvation.
www.manavdharam.org

02 October 2010

Meditation

Indra by nature is obstinate so he sends heavy rain and storms, but even this god's pride was broken by Krishna. Only the Lord can do that, but even He depends on devotion. God cannot be realized without meditation. So meditation is most important. That is the main thing. God is not realized by reading scriptures _ that ultimate state of bliss is absolutely indescribable and can be reached only with the help of a saint.
www.manavdharam.org

01 October 2010

Duty

What are saints like? There is a story that once a saint was walking beside a river. He saw a scorpion drowning. As he lifted it out of the water it stung him and fell back in the river. So the saint picked it up again. A passer-by asked him, "Why do you keep on trying to save it?" The saint replied, "It can't help doing what it does. It is acting naturally, and so am I."
www.manavdharam.org