Pearls of Wise

Sarada Devi Ah! If anyone has but a particle of such prema! What yearning! What love! Radha possessed not only one hundred per cent of divine love, but one hundred and twenty-five per cent. This is what it means to be intoxicated with ecstatic love of God. The sum and substance of the whole matter is that a man must love God, must be restless for Him. It doesn't matter whether you believe in God with form or in God without form. You may or may not believe that God incarnates Himself as man. But you will realize Him if you have that yearning. Then He Himself will let you know what He is like. If you must be mad, why should you be mad for the things of the world? If you must be mad, be mad for God alone. The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna,

People were used to seeing Bill Browning in rather casual clothes. A printer, he had spent more than twenty years doing printing for Chinmaya Mission publications. Many a time he arrived at Gurudev’s spiritual camps with freshly printed camp souvenirs in tow, with hints of printer’s ink still visible on his hands. For many years he had also been clean shaven. Then, one time he arrived at a camp held at Humboldt State University in Northern California wearing a suit and sporting a new beard. Even Swamiji at first did not recognise him. When he did, he let out a yell of surprise and delight. No one else recognised him either. Bill had tea with Swamiji, with people in an adjoining room looking on. Still, no one recognised the Bill they all knew. After tea, Swamiji led Bill into the room where the devotees had assembled for satsang and introduced him to the group: “Here’s my Swami friend from India,” he said. People came up to Bill and greeted him with folded hands. After the...

Belur Math- Sri Ramkrishna Mission 1. Swami Vivekananda's bridge with the West, particularly the US, comprised four lanes - intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual, Swami Bhajanananda said at American Center on Thursday. Vivekananda's address to the World's Parliament of Religions in Chicago, in 1893, was a recognition of the plurality of religion that Ramakrishna Math and Mission embodies, Bhajanananda, the assistant secretary of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, said. Sri Ramakrishna Mission To be continued  ... Swami Bhajanananda  Speech on Swami Vivekanandaji  at American Center

The lotus leaf thrives on water. There must be enough water for it to float on. Still it does not get wet. Even so we thrive on Karma. Without it we will perish. But we should not get affected by it . Detached activity is possible, and it elevates us.. Silence not only in words but also in thoughts is important . There is no sense being silent on the outside but inside, burning and mentally abusing the world in general. Silence means tranquility , verbally and from within. The more you loose yourself, the more you connect with your God. The more you shed away yourself, the more space your God gets to occupy. The less of you means the more of your master within you. Swami Udit Chaithanya

1. To shed the animal in man and to sublimate the human in him into the divine, to express this sublimation in his daily, hourly, life in thought, word and deed - that is truly divine life. To speak the truth at all costs, to speak sweetly with love, to practise non-violence, celibacy, to behold the Lord in all forms is Divine life. To be ever in communion with the Lord by annihilating mineness and egoism through faith, devotion and self-surrender is Divine life. Swami Sivananda To be continued  ...

1. I have four or five things which, as a Hindu, I wish to tell you. Where elders are respectfully honoured, there prosperity prevails; and where elders - father and mother, grandfather and grandmother, uncles and aunts - are treated with contempt, with harshness, with scant respect, there is no prosperity. These things are not known. So when people are miserable, when people are unhappy, when people lack prosperity, it is not known why it comes about that way. It is brought about by oneself by a total breaking of these laws. And then you try find out the consequences of the bad situation by looking at the diary, or statistics, or expenditure and income account. Perhaps you blame economic conditions. But, no - you create your bad conditions by breaking the spiritual laws. Where elders are treated with respect and honour, are treated with reverence, there, in that family, in that house, prosperity will abide. In the life of that person who honours his elders, prosperity will a...

(Spoken on October 19, 1972) 1. The nature of the Absolute is incomprehensible to the mind, which is another way of saying that Truth is incomprehensible and impossible to contain in the mind of a human being. We fail in our lives, whatever be our walk of life. We cannot contain the essence of the matter in the form it takes. Our minds are so constituted that they can visualise and conceive only forms, but not the substance of the form or the essence behind the form. Just as when we look at a person we cannot see their soul or intelligence and behold only their body, their external behaviour and conduct, the Absolute principle hidden behind the things of the world cannot be cognised and appreciated by the mind. Due to this difficulty we mistake the form for the content, and exhaust reality in our frail attempts when we mistake the particular, the discreet, the separated and the objective for the unlimited or the infinite. Swami Krishnananda To be continued  ...

Devotee . How can I obtain Grace? Maharishi . Grace is the Self. That also is not to be acquired: you only need to know that it exists. The sun is brightness only. It does not see darkness. Yet you speak of darkness fleeing on the sun’s approach. So also the devotee’s ignorance, like the phantom of darkness vanishes at the look of the Guru. You are surrounded by sunlight; yet if you would see the sun, you must turn in its direction and look at it. So also Grace is found by the proper approach you make, though it is here and now. Sri Ramana Maharishi To be continued  ...

10. And who created God? This is another transcendental question. If you want to have the answer to this question too, then attain God-consciousness. Because in God there is no doubt. In the human mind these question do arise. But if you attain to a state of God-Consciousness, then you will have no doubt. All questions will simply subside because all the answers are there in that transcendental awareness of all. Now let me close, urging you to push on, to walk along the shining path of good conduct and good character, to move towards the Divine. Do this with great Cheerfulness. Be happy. Have hope. Never give up, never despair. Keep on until you attain the glorious goal and become blessed.! END. Next with another topic Sri Swami Chidananda To be continued  ...

(Delivered at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, January 31, 1900) 10. She was taken by Râvana to his kingdom, Lanka, the island of Ceylon. He made peals to her to become his queen, and tempted her in many ways to accede to his request. But Sita who was chastity itself, would not even speak to the giant; and he to punish her, made her live under a tree, day and night, until she should consent to be his wife. When Rama and Lakshmana returned to the cottage and found that Sita was not there, their grief knew no bounds. They could not imagine what had become of her. The two brothers went on, seeking, seeking everywhere for Sita, but could find no trace of her. After long searching, they came across a group of "monkeys", and in the midst of them was Hanumân, the "divine monkey". Hanuman, the best of the monkeys, became the most faithful servant of Rama and helped him in rescuing Sita, as we shall see later on. His devotion to Rama was so great that h...

The essential difficulty that has challenged seekers throughout the ages when they take up the spiritual quest is the apparent enormous gap between the experience of consciousness in the higher nature, and that of the lower nature. This has led to a bifurcation between the spiritual experiences, generally in a trance state, of infinite consciousness and bliss, and the return to the daily existence of duality, separation and fragmentation experienced by those who are locked into the experience of the lower nature of mind-life-body. The attempts to bridge this gap have been generally unsuccessful in the past and have led to either acceptance of the abandonment of the outer life as the price for achievement of the spiritual consciousness, or else, the acceptance of a spiritualizing influence, far short of total transformation, in the lower nature. Sri Aurobindo explains that the key to an actual transformation of the lower nature is the involvement and action of what he calls vari...

Stilling the mind is almost impossible. Countless impressions remain suppressed in it. As the thoughts on the surface are vacated those at the bottom rise up endlessly. Calmness prevails to the extent the mind's modifications are eliminated. There are beliefs that block you, or brake you, others break you, they bring about fears in you and a limited perception of reality and of yourself. However much you try to generate positive thoughts, if you do not change these beliefs, their influence on the intellect will be so strong that it is almost impossible to maintain a positive state of mind. Even if you experience it, it will be short-lived and temporary. Swami Udit chaithanya

What is karma yoga? Its aim is to fix one's mind on God by means of work. That is what you are teaching. It consists of breath-control, concentration, meditation, and so on, done in a spirit of detachment. If a householder performs his duties in the world in a spirit of detachment, surrendering the results to God and with devotion to God in his heart, he too may be said to practice karma yoga. Further, if a person performs worship, japa, and other forms of devotion, surrendering the results to God, he may be said to practice  karma yoga. Attainment of God alone is the aim of karma yoga.  The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna,

"All creation is an organic whole. No man is independent of that whole. Separation is death, unity is eternal life. Smile with the flower and the green grass. Play with the butterflies, birds and deer. Shake hands with the shrubs, ferns and twigs of trees. Talk to the rainbow, wind, stars and the sun. Converse with the running brooks and the waves of the sea..." "Love vibrates in the form of service, charity, generosity and benevolence. Daya is active benevolence. It is the positive expression of love. Ahimsa (non-injury) is the negative expression of love. Passive goodness alone is not sufficient. Active goodness or positive goodness is very essential for one's spiritual advancement. The aspirant should be ever doing actions." Practise purity, do regular charity, Develop nobility, magnanimity, you will surely attain Divinity. Live to love all. Live to serve all. Live to realise the Truth. Remember! God watches your every thought and action. You...

The will to face the challenges that one comes across in the world is born out of one’s own courage and conviction. Every one of us has ideals of our own, but only a few of us live up to them. At the mere suggestion of a challenge to those ideals, we readily tend to fall a victim to it and become ready to compromise with our ideals. This is dishonest living (asatyam). The lives of all great men point out to us that the basic necessity for the development  of a strong will is the ability to live up to the intellectual convictions and to act thereafter in terms of that knowledge. Satyam (truthfulness) is the spirit to live honestly our intellectual convictions within. Indeed, it is therefore a value of  life  to be lived at our intellectual level. Swami Chinmayananda

7. Read connecting part -6. The Guru is both ‘external’ and ‘internal’. From the ‘exterior’ he gives a push to the mind to turn inward; from the ‘interior’ He pulls the mind towards the Self and helps in the quieting of the mind. That is guru’s grace. There is no difference between God, Guru and the Self. You think that the world can be conquered by your own efforts. When you are frustrated externally and are driven inwards, you feel ‘Oh! There is a Power higher than man!’ The ego is like a very powerful elephant which cannot be brought under control by any less powerful than a lion, which, in this instance, is no other than the Guru, Whose very look makes the elephant-like ego tremble and die. You will know in due course that your glory lies where you cease to exist. In order to gain that State, you should surrender yourself. Then the Master sees that you are in a fit state to receive guidance, and He guides you. Sri Ramana Maharishi To be continued  ...

9. Now one final word. Why did God create this universe? Is there a theory to explain why he did it? There is not. There are various schools in India which have formulated distinctive philosophies, but none of these philosophies is accepted universally as conclusive or finally valid. The purpose of creation is a transcendental question. It cannot be answered through rationalization. For the answer refers to a time when the intellect is not created. It refers to a realm, a consciousness where the intellect is not at all apparent. Before creation, nothing is projected. This human isn’t there. So how could it comprehend the mystery of a state in which it doesn’t even exist? The exact mystery, the truth of that condition preceding creation cannot be reached through the process of intellectualization. But if you can raise up your consciousness to that eternal realm which exists before the intellect is, then the answer immediately becomes crystal clear to ...

4. Caste and Privilege-2. Interestingly, scholars have argued that the crystallized caste system as it obtained in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was ‘neither an unchanged survival of ancient India nor a single system that reflected core cultural values’. Rather, caste as a modern social construct is ‘the product of a concrete historical encounter between India and British colonial rule’. Not only did the British privilege caste distinctions over all other forms of social identity but they also played upon caste identities to ensure colonial control. The significant changes ushered into Indian society after independence both through constitutional and social measures provide some support for this view. END Swami Satyaswarupananda Next with another topic Sri Ramakrishna Mission. To be continued  ..

(Delivered at the Shakespeare Club, Pasadena, California, January 31, 1900) 9. Immediately, at the cottage was heard the voice of Rama, crying, "Oh, Lakshmana, come to my help!" and Sita said, ''Lakshmana, go at once into the forest to help Rama! " "That is not Rama's voice," protested Lakshmana. But at the entreaties of Sita, Lakshmana had to go in search of Rama. As soon as he went away, the giant king, who had taken the form of a mendicant monk, stood at the gate and asked for alms. "Wait awhile," said Sita, "until my husband comes back and I will give you plentiful alms." "I cannot wait, good lady," said he, "I am very hungry, give me anything you have." At this, Sita, who had a few fruits in the cottage, brought them out. But the mendicant monk after many persuasions prevailed upon her to bring the alms to him, assuring her that she need have no fear as he was a holy person. So Sita...

11. Every act of one's life should become an expression of conscious contemplation on the Absolute. Unless all acts are based on this consciousness, there cannot be any ultimate value in these acts. The Absolute is the life-principle of all things, acts and thoughts, and so, without it, everything becomes lifeless and devoid of meaning. Spirituality is a state of consciousness; it is not merely certain forms of action.  When consciousness is properly trained to exist in this harmony, all acts become universal processes, and cease to be individual efforts directed towards a phenomenal end. It is the duty of everyone in all one's conscious states to attempt to unite oneself with the Absolute, and perform one's duties with the consciousness of this unity. Such an individual is a sage, the supremely blessed one. The very presence of this hallowed being exerts a magnetic spiritual influence on the entire environment. "This universe is his; and, indeed, h...

The Supermind represents a plane of consciousness between the Mind plane and the higher plane of Sat-Chit-Ananda. Mind divides, fragments and analyzes everything into separate parts and actions in Time. Sat-Chit-Ananda incorporates the consciousness of Oneness, infinity, universality and timelessness. It is the role of the Supermind to translate the unity into the multiplicity and to synthesize the fragmented view of the mind into a comprehensive whole. It acts both in the descent of consciousness from Oneness to Multiplicity as well as in the ascent back from Multiplicity to Oneness. In order to accomplish these things, it has to have various characteristics, which are described at some length by Sri Aurobindo : - “It reveals the Truth behind the scattered and ill-combined suggestions of our mentality and makes each to fall into its place in the unity of the Truth behind; thus it can transform the half-light of our minds into a certain totality of light. It reveals the ...

Suppose you are badly hurt- someone you trusted has betrayed you or your plans fell through or you took a risk and lost. What are you going to do? If there is peace to be made, make it, but not at the price of hiding your hurt or pretending that everything is OK. You need to let go of what doesn't work for you. Learn whatever lesson there is to be learnt from your loss, what matters and what makes no difference. Save what can be saved. Let go of what is never going to be. Holding on to the impossible is the source of most of your pain. Remember, In the end suffering is just a Choice. Swami Udit Chaithanya.

A dishonest man will eventually fail in all his ventures. Sooner or later his dishonesty will be discovered. The law of cause and effect is relentless. None can escape the working of this granite law. Retribution will overtake such a person and he will lose what he had gained by his dishonest means. It is impossible to correct an aspirant who has the dangerous habit of constant self-justification. He is ready to bring any kind of clumsy argument to justify himself, to keep up his position and prestige. If an aspirant continues out of self-esteem and self-will or Tamasic inertia to shut his eyes or harden his heart against the Divine Light, so long as he does that, no one can help him. The entire being must agree for the divine change. There must be integral surrender. Then alone the light will descend. Then alone the Guru can help the aspirant. Swami Sivananda

Devotee : What should the devotee do then? M aharishi : He has only to act up to the words of the Master and work within. The Master is both ‘within’ and ‘without’, so He creates conditions to drive you inward and at the same time prepares the ‘interior’ to drag you to the Centre. Thus He gives a push from ‘without’ and exerts a pull from ‘within’, so that you may be fixed at the Centre. D : What is guru’s grace? How does it lead to Self-realization? M : Guru is the Self…. Sometimes in his life a man becomes dissatisfied with it, and, not content with what he has, he seeks the satisfaction of his desires, through prayer to God etc. His mind is gradually purified until he longs to know God, more to obtain His grace than to satisfy his worldly desires. Then, God’s grace begins to manifest. God takes the form of a guru and appears to the devotee, teaches him the Truth and, moreover, purifies his mind by association. The devotee’s mind gains strength and is then abl...

Any one who strives to attain divine consciousness ultimately is drawn into the state of calm silent inward meditation. In this calm silent inward meditative state alone is God-vision ultimately obtained and illumination achieved. Meditation is the common universal process which all souls have to pass on their ascent into divinity. In order to transcend the individual consciousness, in order to attain the infinite divine consciousness, Sufis, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists, aboriginal mystics, American Indians, sooner or later, all enter the meditative state. These ideas should be clear to you. You should be able to understand the precise meaning of the word Yoga. Then whenever you hear the word used, you will be able to help eliminate confusion and misunderstanding. Sri Swami Chidananda To be continued  ...