Pearls of Wise

28/03/2017. Chapter-4. ADVICE TO HOUSEHOLDERS-27-11. 11. Krishnakishore's faith : Continued Once a holy man came to the bank of the Ganges and lived near the bathing-ghat at Ariadaha, not far from Dakshineswar.  We thought of paying him a visit.  I said to Haladhari: 'Krishnakishore and I are going to see a holy man.  Will you come with us?' Haladhari replied, 'What is the use of seeing a mere human body, which is no better than a cage of clay?' Haladhari was a student of the Gita and Vedanta philosophy, and therefore referred to the holy man as a mere 'cage of clay'.  I repeated this to Krishnakishore.  With great anger he said: 'How impudent of Haladhari to make such a remark! How can he ridicule as a "cage of clay" the body of a man who constantly thinks of God, who meditates on Rama, and has renounced all for the sake of the Lord? Doesn't he know that such a man is the embodiment of Spirit?' He was so upset by Haladh...

28/03/2017. There is no such thing as realising the Self. How is one to realise or make real what is real? People all realise, or regard as real, what is unreal, and all they have to do is to give that up. When you do that you will remain as you always are and the Real will be Real. It is only to help people give up regarding the unreal as real that all the religions and the practices taught by them have come into being. ***

28/03/2017. Now, when we study metaphysics, we come to know the world is one, not that the spiritual, the material, the mental, and the world of energies are separate. It is all one, but seen from different planes of vision. When you think of yourself as a body, you forget that you are a mind, and when you think of yourself as a mind, you will forget the body. There is only one thing, that you are; you can see it either as matter or body — or you can see it as mind or spirit. Birth, life, and death are but old superstitions. None was ever born, none will ever die; one changes one's position — that is all. I am sorry to see in the West how much they make of death; always trying to catch a little life. "Give us life after death! Give us life!" They are so happy if anybody tells them that they are going to live afterwards! How can I ever doubt such a thing! How can I imagine that I am dead! Try to think of yourself as dead, and you will see that you are present to ...

28/03/2017. Lastly, it is not sufficient only that the children be trained in the higher values of life. We must teach them to have the courage and heroism to live upto their convictions. That is another very important thing in India today. It is not that we actually have no intellectuals – we do; but unfortunately they are all impotent. Impotent intellectuals and congenital idiots are equally useful to the society. Meaning, they are not useful at all. Nobody has got the guts to think independently and to declare to the government what they are thinking. They are very eloquent in the coffee-houses, restaurants, etc., but will they tell the government? Never! Why? Because they are afraid that if they stand against the direction in which the world is going round and declare with logical reasoning how the present policies are wrong, their security will be in jeopardy. Think. When you are afraid, that intellectualism is no intellectualism at all. In a country like Russia where we...

28/03/2017.  CH-1.8 : Seeing this, all the sages in Satyaloka who were wonderstruck said that undoubtedly in this Kali Yuga, listening to and reciting the Shrimad Bhagavatham was the only way to get out of the cycle of all weaknesses, fear and sorrows. What is the message that we get here? Bhagavatham is the way to devotion, acceptance and surrender – that is the ultimate destination a human mind can reach, the Lotus Feet of the Lord! What else can outweigh this precious Knowledge? In fact, the four sons of Brahma (Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatana, and Sanat Kumara) and others had long ago instructed Narada that any living being could attain strength through listening to “Bhagavatha Sapthaham”. Sage Narada had heard the Bhagavatham from Lord Brahma, but it was Sanaka and other sages who gave advice regarding Bhagavatha Sapthaham and the good results one could attain by listening to it. ***

28/03/2017. Rama did not take any precipitate action. An emissary, Angada, son of Bali, was sent to the court of Ravana asking for the return of Sita to avoid bloodshed. Angada was told by Ravana that he would prefer a fight to avenge the dishonour done to his sister than to patch up by returning Sita. Vibhishana had joined the forces of Rama and with the help of king Sugreeva, a huge army was raised and a bridge laid across the sea to reach Lanka. Feverish preparations followed on both sides but before starting the war Rama sought the blessings of Lord Siva for his success. Hanuman was asked to bring the idol of Lord Siva from a particular holy place but the Brahmins said that the Yajna could not be performed by Lord Rama unless his wife was by his side. A message was sent to Ravana to spare Sita for a short while so that worship could be performed according to the scriptural rites. There lies the greatness of the foe who agreed to send Sita temporarily and equally the mag...

28/03/2017. 10. Spiritual Wealth in the Sadhaka : 3. Persistence and perseverance are important aspects of Daivi Sampat. Also a feeling of desirelessness and self-sufficiency, contentment or Santosha are the expressions of Goddess Lakshmi within our hearts. Just as cleanliness in the domestic sphere, so also Saucha in the life of a Sadhaka is an expression of Goddess Lakshmi—inner as well as outer cleanliness in all aspects of the seeker’s life. Health and cheerfulness are two more aspects of the Goddess. ***

28/03/2017. When the proper means is employed, it may evoke a response from the corresponding objective towards which the means is directed. The end which is the goal of the means has a relationship to the means, and the end may be considered as the evolution of the means towards its fulfilment. Inasmuch as the basic facts of life do not seem to be in harmony with the usual notions of man, the ordinary methods employed in life for a successful existence may not serve the purpose here in this situation. There is a novel method altogether that perhaps has to be employed. Self-control is the means, the method, the technique, the art, the science and the way. But man is accustomed to give a freelance expression to his emotions, feelings and passions in the world of objects of sense spread out in this world of space and time. Self-restraint is something unheard of in this world which longs for sensory joys, physical comforts, political authority, power and whatnot. Self-control, s...

28/03/2017. 1. Radiant Immortal Soul! Blessed Couple; Jai Sri Ram! May God bless you! Upon this very happy and auspicious day of your sacred marriage, I pray to the Lord to shower His grace upon you both and grant you happiness, health, prosperity and success in life. I am very happy to give you this little message about the greatness and glory of married life and the sanctity of the home of a house-holder in the Grihasthashrama. This message, I give in the name of Parama Pujya Gurudev Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj invoking his blessings and Guru-kripa upon you both. Receive this message with earnest attention. You will be greatly benefited. The significance of married life is great indeed. Fortunate indeed is that couple who start married life with right understanding of its importance and greatness. Marriage is a sacred spiritual partnership between two souls who have come upon this earth to evolve an ideal life of nobility, virtue and Dharma and attain their goal of di...

28/03/2017. With the development of the ego-consciousness, the force of desire acquires a nexus around which to build its influence and awaken or reawaken desire on the physical and psychic Prana, even if they have been more or less eliminated through the purification process. this provides the seeker with an interesting and difficult internal review, analysis and line of action, to overcome this “spiritual seed” of desire. As long as the individual is completely aligned with the transcendent and universal aspects of existence, there is the possibility of desireless action; however, once the individual has taken on an individual role, it becomes much harder to ensure that action is desireless and instrumental of the divine will, rather than a subtle expression of individual bias, personal desire or any form of self-aggrandisement. Sri Aurobindo describes the issue: “But the moment the individual soul leans away from the universal and transcendent truth of its being, leans towar...

21/03/2017. How Lord Brahma Came to Understand the Greatness of Bhagavatham Now let us go on to another story in the Mahatmyam that shows the greatness of Bhagavatham. When Brahmaji (Lord Brahma) heard about the divinity of Bhagavatham, that King Parikshit could by listening to and understanding Bhagavatham, he was very surprised. And what did he do? He put the Bhagavatham on one pan of a weighing balance and tried to balance it with the six Sastras and their different Angaas (sub-divisions) as well as everything else including all other Puranas and holy texts, on the other pan. The Bhagavatham naturally weighed more, signifying its immense greatness. To be continued ...

21/03/2017. At the other camp, once Rama came to know that Ravana had taken away Sita, a search was launched to find the exact spot where she was confined. The job was performed by his great devotee, Hanuman, son of Vayu (wind God) who had acquired several Siddhis (miraculous powers) like assuming several forms ranging from the tiniest and the lightest to the largest and the heaviest. He took the ring of Rama as a token to establish his identity and dropped the ring from a tree under which Sita was sitting. Sita was delighted to receive a message from Rama and gave an ornament in return as a token of her message to her Lord. Before returning, Hanuman was caught by the henchmen of Ravana who tried to burn him alive but Hanuman assumed a huge form and in turn caused enormous damage to Lanka. When Ravana’s brother Vibhishana advised Ravana to return the captive, Ravana disgracefully turned him out of the court. Thus Vibhishana surrendered to Lord Rama and became his devotee for ev...

21/03/2017. Sama and Dama are two divine attributes that are manifest in the heart of the Sadhaka, serenity as opposed to fickleness, selflessness as opposed to selfishness which all possessions bring about. Obedience is another important aspect in which the Mother manifests in the heart of the Sadhaka. Mother manifests Herself in the Sadhaka’s personality as keen observation, alertness and wakefulness, qualities which are of paramount importance upon the path of Yoga. One should not be lethargic; one should not miss important things from which one can learn invaluable and priceless lessons. One must have spiritual discipline. This is a sign of auspiciousness, because it springs out of self-control and firmness of mind. As the preservative aspect, Mother as power gives us the necessary quality of firmness and determination of mind. Therefore, continuity and regularity in one’s spiritual Sadhana are two ways in which Goddess Lakshmi as Vishnu-Sakti manifests in the heart of th...

21/03/2017. This is a great difficulty, a great difficulty indeed. Any amount of learning in a schoolboy’s sense may not suffice here because all textbooks which we are pampered with in our academies and studies are description, characterisation, information of that which is in space and in time – call it biology, chemistry, physics or mathematics. What does it matter which name we call it? All the sciences and the arts of life are descriptive information conveyed to the empirical mind of man of that which is contained in space and time. It is not a problem of space and time itself. Here, therefore, is the inadequacy of all our education. All our studies mean a naught when we face this tiger of this peculiar difficulty before us, which we do not know as to where it is placed. How is the solution to be sought? Not by the jargons of religion or the shibboleths of the modern doctrinaires in society and political scenes. They will be crying in the wilderness. They go on crying, and...

21/03/2017. So all schools must start a program, a period during the week to give special training to the teachers in how they may, whenever possible in their classrooms, make the children understand that there is an unseen hand which molds the affairs of the entire universe. Why are you afraid to have such programs? Christian churches can do it, Islam is doing it in their schools; how is it that the Hindus alone cannot do it? And if the Hindus have no morality, India has no morality because in this country 82% are Hindus, the vast majority. However great the minority is, the country is what the majority are. Is it not? Nowadays, however, children grow up as an unnecessary byproduct and the parents don’t know what to do with them in the course of living. Between the father, the mother, and child, there is no inter- relationship. Breast-feeding has stopped – and that is the time when the mother intensively contemplates, looking into the eyes of the child, and they become intim...

21/03/2017. The Hindu doctrine of Ahimsa (Non Violence) is a comprehensive term and emphasises the value of Satya (Truth) Tyaga (Non-Covetousness) and Brahmacharya (Self-restraint). “Meat diet is prohibited. Do not kill even for sacrifice (Yajna)”. This is the teaching of the Hindu sages. The Statesman sage of Mahabharata, Bhishma censures animal slaughter even for sacrifice (Yajna). The mighty faith of Mahavira, the prophet of Jainism reproclaimed the truth of the ancient Vedic Rishis. Over and over again he taught ‘regard every living being as thy own self and harm no one’. In his last sermon given on the last day of his earthly life Mahavira said “Destroy the bondage of Karma. Be kind to every creature” ‘O Man!’, he said “Thou art thine own friend”. Yes—Man is his own friend, he also is his own enemy. For there is the great cosmic law that what you do comes back to you. What you do unto others, you do unto yourselves. Therefore be kind to all, if you want to be r...

20/03/2017. When we consider the force of desire, we identify it generally with the craving of the life-force, whether it be for physical satisfaction, such as from hunger, thirst, relief from cold or heat, etc; or from vital craving such as seeking after power, recognition, sexual gratification, and at more refined levels, emotional satisfaction, aesthetic or intellectual fulfilment or fulfillment of various drives for social development, justice, etc. Each of these are founded either in the physical or the psychic Prana operative in the body, life-force, or in the mind. Sri Aurobindo observes: “This desire is essential to the ordinary man; he cannot live or act as an individual without knotting up all his action into the service of some kind of lower or higher craving, preference or passion.” The issue arises, for the seeker, when he is asked to become desireless, to act without reliance on this motive force. Many believe that action without desire is not possible, and there ...

20/03/2017. (Delivered at the Home of Truth, Los Angeles, California ) The breathing exercises, called Prânâyâma, bring about regulation of the breathing, rhythmic action of the Prana. When the Prana is working rhythmically, everything works properly. When the Yogis get control over their own bodies, if there is any disease in any part, they know that the Prana is not rhythmic there and they direct the Prana to the affected part until the rhythm is re-established. Just as you can control the Prana in your own body, so, if you are powerful enough, you can control, even from here another man's Prana in India. It is all one. There is no break; unity is the law. Physically, psychically, mentally, morally, metaphysically, it is all one. Life is only a vibration. That which vibrates this ocean of ether, vibrates you. Just as in a lake, various strata of ice of various degrees of solidity are formed, or as in an ocean of vapour there are various degrees of density, so is this u...

20/03/2017. (From 'Day by Day with Bhagavan', Day 31-5-46) Mr. Phillips, an Englishman who used to be a missionary and is now a teacher and who has been about 20 years in Hyderabad, came this morning. He said: “I lost my son in the war. What is the way for his salvation?” Bhagavan was silent for a while and then replied. “Your worry is due to thinking. Anxiety is a creation of the mind. Your real nature is peace. Peace has not got to be achieved; it is our nature. To find consolation, you may reflect: ‘God gave, God has taken away; He knows best’. But the true remedy is to enquire into your true nature. It is because you feel that your son does not exist that you feel grief. If you knew that he existed you would not feel grief. That means that the source of the grief is mental and not an actual reality. There is a story given in some books how two boys went on a pilgrimage and after some days news came back that one of them was dead. However, the wrong one was repo...

20/03/2017. CH-4. ADVICE TO HOUSEHOLDERS -27.10 10. Krishnakishore's faith : What tremendous faith Krishnakishore had! Once, while at Vrindavan, he felt thirsty and went to a well. Near it he saw a man standing. On being asked to draw a little water for him, the man said: 'I belong to a low caste, sir. You are a brahmin. How can I draw water for you?' Krishnakishore said: 'Take the name of Siva. By repeating His holy name you will make yourself pure.' The low-caste man did as he was told, and Krishnakishore, orthodox brahmin that he was, drank that water. What tremendous faith!

13/03/2017. I. It is time now, therefore, that the ladies start learning the cultural values of the country – for the sake of the children and the future. Or, the only other alternative is to stop producing children – let the young girls become nuns. Just as when we have got a disease and so refuse to marry and beget children because they to would suffer; similarly, we are not psychologically prepared the responsibilities of motherhood. However, this is very difficult. Therefore, the other obvious choice is to learn the scriptures. II. Don’t you think that the television program of Ramayana has changed the colour of thinking in this country to a large extent? In Delhi, where I was just now, at that time on Sunday morning there was not even any traffic on the road. Everyone seeing Ramayana.! They didn’t want to miss it. Why? In that old story you see the greater and nobler values being demonstrated which you are silently and expectantly hoping for in the youth of today. And y...

13/03/2017. How the Devas Did Not Get “Bhagavathamrutham” (the Amrut of Atma Jnanam) .......................................................................................................... Here is a story to show the greatness of Srimad Bhagavatham : - -------------------------------------------------------------- AMRUT means, a “life giving medicine”, it is most relevant to a dying man only. For Devas, Bhagavatham was important, but not essential. But for Parikshit, Bhagavatham was the last resort to save himself. As we crave for breathing air, we must crave for Knowledge, then only it will do it’s miracle in our lives. The Lord is accessible only to the most needy devotee, who can not live without HIM. A Guru gives Knowledge to the right Shishya only, the one who is capable of honouring it and practising it in his own life. So Sri Suka did not give it to the Devas, and instead gave the nectar of Bhagavatham to King Parikshit. Parikshit single-focussedly absorbed th...

13/03/2017. 4. The Plot Thickens : 2. I. Ravana was a strange foe. He was well-read knowing all the Vedas and Sastras, unbeaten in argument and having great knowledge of various arts and sciences. Indian artists therefore show him as a person having the wisdom of ten wise men—with ten heads. In spite of being so learned and wise, he committed the contemptible act of taking away forcibly another man’s wife. II. Therefore the artists add a donkey’s head to the personality of Ravana demonstrating his folly. Ravana retained his propriety, however, in dealing with the captive Sita. She was put under the charge of dreadful demonesses who cajoled her, compelled her, threatened her to accept Ravana as her husband. III. Nothing availed, and Sita stood like a rock in her faithfulness and loyalty to Rama. Credit must be given to the mighty king Ravana who on his frequent visits to Sita in Ashoka Vatika always, awaited her acceptance and never for once touched her person. ***

13/03/2017. 10. Wealth in the Sadhaka : I. Now we come to the most important aspect of Goddess Lakshmi as the Moksha-Dayini (bestower of liberation). Mother in Her aspect of Lakshmi is of the Rajo-Guna; because through Rajas activity is kept up. Life has to be preserved by dynamic processes. But yet She has within Herself the inner resources of pure Sattva, because Vishnu partakes of Sattva Guna and ultimately She has to merge in Her third aspect as Goddess Saraswati. As we approach the borderland between the manifestations of Lakshmi and Saraswati, Mother Lakshmi manifests as Moksha Lakshmi—that is the means that help us to attain deliverance. II. The Sixteenth Chapter of the Gita gives us some of the main qualities in which the Mother is manifest. She is manifest as 1.fearlessness, 2. purity of heart, 3. steadfastness in knowledge and Yoga, 4. alms-giving, 5. control of the senses, 6. sacrifice, 7. study of the scriptures, 8. austerity, 9. straightforwardness, 1...

13/03/2017. This peculiar thing that I mentioned to you – the relationship between man and God – is not hanging in space. The word ‘relation’ signifies something which the mind cannot comprehend. The greatest problem of life is the problem of relation. This is the only thing that philosophers discuss. In all the doctrines and the elaborate teachings and dissertations of doctrinaires, we find only one question being tackled in a million ways: the relation between the way and the means, the relation between yourself and myself, the relation between anything and anything else, boiling down to the relation between you and the world, and it is tantamount to a relation between you and God. To be continued ...

13/03/2017. Speech delivered by Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj on the 26th December 1954, at Sivanandashram, Rishikesh, for the celebration of the 34th birthday of Sri Swami Venkatesanandaji.     Jyotishaamapi tat jyotih tamasah paramuchyate     Jnaanan Jneyam Jnaanagamyam hridi sarvasya vishthitam     (That, the Light of all lights, is said to be beyond darkness; knowledge, the knowable and the goal of knowledge, seated in the hearts of all.) I. I told Venkatesanandaji, when I was at Roorkee: “Don’t always refer to me as Gurudev, in your talks; just say Swamiji, that will do.” He said: “If I say ‘Swamiji,’ it does not express the Bhav of my heart; it creates an illusion of equality with Gurudev.” Then I allowed him to continue to refer to me as Gurudev. II.     The work he does, other people won’t be able to do. So many books and pamphlets are coming out of the press—all through his work only. He has written my...

13/03/2017. CH-4. ADVICE TO HOUSEHOLDERS -27.9 I. It was Monday, a few days before the Durga Puja, the festival of the Divine Mother.  Sri Ramakrishna was in a very happy state of mind, for Narendra was with him.  Narendra had brought two or three young members of the Brahmo Samaj to the temple garden.  Besides these, Rakhal, Ramlal, Hazra, and M. were with the Master. Narendra had his midday meal with Sri Ramakrishna. II. Afterwards a temporary bed was made on the floor of the Master's room so that the disciples might rest awhile.  A mat was spread, over which was placed a quilt covered with a white sheet.  A few cushions and pillows completed the simple bed.  Like a child, the Master sat near Narendranath on the bed.  He talked with the devotees in great delight.  With a radiant smile lighting his face, and his eyes fixed on Narendra, he was giving them various spiritual teachings, interspersing these with incidents from his own ...

13/03/2017. (Delivered at the Home of Truth, Los Angeles, California ) I. It is the regulation and the bringing into rhythm of the Ida and Pingala that is the great object of breathing. But that itself is nothing — it is only so much air taken into the lungs; except for purifying the blood, it is of no more use. There is nothing occult in the air that we take in with our breath and assimilate to purify the blood; the action is merely a motion. This motion can be reduced to the unit movement we call Prâna; and everywhere, all movements are the various manifestations of this Prana. This Prana is electricity, it is magnetism; it is thrown out by the brain as thought. Everything is Prana; it is moving the sun, the moon, and the stars. II. We say, whatever is in this universe has been projected by the vibration of the Prana. The highest result of vibration is thought. If there be any higher, we cannot conceive of it. The nerves, Ida and Pingala, work through the Prana. It is...

13/03/2017. Remembering the Self, one’s real nature, without faltering even slightly,  is the eminent victory of true jnana. With your consciousness hold fast to and never abandon the substratum, your real nature, the Supreme that can neither be held nor relinquished. Is the Self something far away that you have to touch? The higher Self exists as one but it is only your thoughts that make you feel it is not.  You can neither think about it nor forget it. Other than the thought of the Self, any other thought you may associate with, is a mere mental construct, foreign to that Self. Thinking of the Self is to abide as that tranquil consciousness. Padam, the true swarupa, can neither be remembered nor forgotten. The Self is self-luminous without darkness and light, and is the reality which is self-manifest. Therefore, one should not think of it as this or that. All such thoughts would only end in bondage. The purport of meditation on the Self is to make the m...

13/03/2017. The goal of spiritual liberation cannot realistically be achieved as long as the individual is bound to and driven by the habits of the vital, emotional, mental and physical being. Each aspect of purification that is achieved, releases one of the ties that bind the being down to the outer forms and habitual patterns of action, and thus, prepares the way for the yet greater liberation of the spirit. The Upanishad speaks of the two birds, one of which eats of the sweet fruit of the tree, while the other watches and does not partake. “The Soul upon a common tree is absorbed and because he is not lord, grieves and is bewildered; but when he sees and cleaves to that other who is the Lord, he knows that all is His greatness and his sorrow passes away from him.” (Sri Aurobindo, The Upanishads, Shwetashwatara Upanishad, Ch. 4, V. 7) Sri Aurobindo observes: “The purification of the mental being and the psychic Prana, we will leave aside for the time the question of the p...

04/03/2017. 8. His love for Narendra : "After attaining God one forgets His external splendour; the glories of His creation.  One doesn't think of God's glories after one has seen Him.  The devotee, once immersed in God's Bliss, doesn't calculate any more about outer things.  When I see Narendra, I don't need to ask him: 'What's your name? Where do you live?' Where is the time for such questions? Once a man asked Hanuman which day of the fortnight it was.  'Brother,' said Hanuman, 'I don't know anything of the day of the week, or the fortnight, or the position of the stars.  I think of Rama alone.' " To be continued ...

04/03/23017. It is not an effortless state of indolence. All mundane activities which are ordinarily called effort are performed with the aid of a portion of the mind and with frequent breaks. But the act of communion with the Self (atma vyavahara) or with the entire mind and without break. Maya (delusion or ignorance) which cannot be destroyed by any other act is completely destroyed by this intense activity which is called ‘silence’ (mauna). To be continued ..

04/03/2017. (Delivered at the Home of Truth, Los Angeles, California ) According to the Yogis, there are three principal nerve currents: one they call the Idâ, the other the Pingalâ, and the middle one the Sushumnâ, and all these are inside the spinal column. The Ida and the Pingala, the left and the right, are clusters of nerves, while the middle one, the Sushumna, is hollow and is not a cluster of nerves. This Sushumna is closed, and for the ordinary man is of no use, for he works through the Ida and the Pingala only. Currents are continually going down and coming up through these nerves, carrying orders all over the body through other nerves running to the different organs of the body. To be continued ..

04/03/2017. Speech delivered by Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj on the 26th December 1954, at Sivanandashram, Rishikesh, for the celebration of the 34th birthday of Sri Swami Venkatesanandaji.     Jyotishaamapi tat jyotih tamasah paramuchyate     Jnaanan Jneyam Jnaanagamyam hridi sarvasya vishthitam     (That, the Light of all lights, is said to be beyond darkness; knowledge, the knowable and the goal of knowledge, seated in the hearts of all.) I.     Venkatesanandaji’s letters are full of honey. Our Professor Swami Sadanandaji is a great critic; and he is all-appreciation for Venkatesanandaji’s letters. They are preserved in the iron-safe by those who receive them. II. He does not even prepare a draft; he sits at the typewriter, and the letter is at once ready. No stenographer will be able to compete with him. Many are coming; but if I say one thing, they will write something else. III. That is one kind of “stenography”! But Ven...

04/03/2017. How the Devas Did Not Get “Bhagavathamrutham” (the Amrut of Atma Jnanam) .......................................................................................................... Here is a story to show the greatness of Srimad Bhagavatham : - -------------------------------------------------------------- I. When Sri Suka, sitting among the sages on a high seat, was preparing to recite the Bhagavatham to King Parikshit on the holy banks of the Ganges, the Devas appeared there. They came with a pot of Amrut and requested Sri Suka to accept it in return of Bhagavatham. They said that King Parikshit could drink their Amrut and escape from death. The Devas wanted to drink the Amrut of Atma Jnanam (self knowledge), namely Srimad Bhagavatham. II. Sri Suka was not the one to be attracted and diverted, even by the Devas. He questioned them, how they could even compare their Amrut with the incomparable Jnana Amrut offered by Srimad Bhagavatham? Their Amrut...

04/03/2017. 4. The Plot Thickens : I. While being abducted, Sita flapped her limbs like a caged bird, shrieked and shouted but there was none to come to her rescue. On the way she left a trail by dropping her ornaments. II. When Ravana was intercepted by Jatayu, a devotee of Rama, who put up a fight, the latter eventually lost the battle and fell down. III. Ravana thereafter reached his capital without any disturbance and confined Sita to a garden in his palace, called Ashoka-Vatika. IV. Rama returned to find Panchavati without its soul, its life, its Sita. V. He suspected foul play and went round asking for the whereabouts of Sita from birds and beasts, plants and trees, wailing and weeping like an ordinary man. VI. Rama is never projected as the Supreme Lord of the universe who knew the past, the present and the future, but as a mere mortal, although as an ideal man. VII. While looking for Sita the trail of ornaments led the two brothers to Jatayu who told...

04/03/2017. I. But every problem is also a vehicle which carries its own solution. II. The idea that there is a problem cannot arise unless there is also in the background the idea that there is a solution. III. We cannot have only a problem minus a solution because if it is wholly a problem minus even the possibility of the notion of a solution of it, the idea of it being the problem will not arise in our mind. IV. Hence, it is a question which has an answer implanted in the question itself. It is a mother that carries its child in its own bosom, and it is the very place where the treasure of the solution lies. V. Man is the source of the problem, and he is also the origin of the solution. VI. The knowing of oneself, therefore, seems to be at the same time a knowing of everything that is connected with one’s own self. To be continued ..

04/03/2017. I. But when the mothers themselves are wanting to grow mustaches and fight with man, the poor children are left – the soft touch gone. II. When the mothers have lost touch with the spiritual values of the country and the adult’s lives have become loose and unethical, all the children also will be lowered down. III. When the same children become youngsters they start looking around and they find that the values that have been given to them are all hollow, empty. IV. They don’t feel satisfied, but they dare not fight with the system around them. V. They want to escape. And how do they escape? Through drink, drugs. Are you not, then directly responsible for driving the youngsters to these self – ruinous, suicidal escapism? You think. VI. I am not accusing you though. I can’t accuse because you never meant it. There is no motive behind it. But thoughtlessness has created this aberration in our society. To be continued ...

04/03/2017 9. Manifestations of Lakshmi in the Home- 5.3 5. Hospitality to the Atithi (unexpected guest)-Continued .. The second form of the Goddess, which is unfortunately fast disappearing in the urban areas, is the sacred cow—Gomata. It was the custom of all Hindus, a couple of generations ago, to worship the cow every day. Without Gopuja the devout Hindu wife would not take her food. In cities it is very rare to see a cow and all milk is supplied in bottles from dairies. Therefore, this is a tradition that is dying, except in villages. To make up for this, as a sort of Prayaschittha (expiation), at least upon one or two sacred days a year, every devout Hindu lady must make it a point to perform this Puja. There is of course one particular day which is specially set apart for Gopuja; and people somehow manage to worship the cow. Opportunities for this Puja should be created wherever there is this manifestation of the Goddess in the form of the sacred cow, wh...

04/03/2017. The sense-mind is more of an instinctive and mechanical mental process, reacting to impressions and responding with habitual patterns. As the human individual evolves, however, we see the start of a self-aware, reflective consciousness which has the ability to distinguish its awareness from the action of the sense-mind, observe it and enforce changes to habitual responses. This brings about the development of the power of mentality called the Buddhi. This is a power that uniquely identifies the human being from the rest of the animal kingdom. Sri Aurobindo describes the Buddhi: “From the point of view of Yogic knowledge we may say that it is that instrument of the soul, of the inner conscious being in nature, of the Purusha, by which it comes into some kind of conscious and ordered possession both of itself and its surroundings. Behind all the action of the Chitta and Manas there is this soul, this Purusha; but in the lower forms of life it is mostly subconscient, a...