Pearls of Wise

01/01/2019 2. GODDESS OF AUSPICIOUSNESS :- In the domestic sphere the concept of  Goddess Lakshmi is wonderful and unique in this blessed land of Bharatavarsha. For the home itself  is regarded as the abode of Lakshmi, where the  Mother manifests Herself in the worshipful form of  the Grihini (house-wife or mistress of the house).  Therefore, we are familiar with the expression  Grihalakshmi, the Mother who presides over the  auspiciousness, welfare and progress of the home-life and family. She is conceived of as the very embodiment of Goddess Lakshmi. In the West the woman is more conceived of as the wife, an equal partner to the man, vying for privilege with him in all spheres of activity and trying to assert not only her equality but even further her personal independence. Whereas, to the Hindu heart, woman is the mother. It is the motherhood of the woman that is ever present in the consciousness of the true Hindu. This is the blessing of...

(Spoken on May 1, 1983) 01/01/2019 4. We are, at the present moment, in the political, social, and physical level of existence. We are overly concerned with our political associations, requirements and involvements. Whatever be our spiritual, moral or philosophical longing in our leisure hours, there is no gainsaying that as a citizen of a particular nation a person is conscious of his or her involvement in what is called the national setup.  There is an involvement in human society, in the community to which one belongs and from which relationship one cannot easily extricate oneself. And there are the fundamental involvements which are the ingredients of our own psychophysical individuality. While it is true that we are units in a politically organised nation, and are individuals related to human society in a particular manner and not totally independent of human relations, there is something more about us than what is visibly available in this manner. We are apparentl...

31/12/2018 2. In the Vivekachudamani, there is a Slokam which runs as follows: ‘Durlabham trayamevaitat devanugraha-hetukam; Manushyatvam maumukshutvam mahapurushasamsrayah.’ Three things are very difficult to obtain. Only through the grace of God the Jivas obtain them. To be born as a human being is no small privilege. It is a very precious gift given by God to the Jiva. Having got a human birth, to have an aspiration for liberation is the next difficult thing to obtain. So, if one obtains both these, one is indeed doubly blessed. But having been born as a human being, if you do not want to know, and yet even after knowing that, if you do not know the way, you are not fully blessed. Therefore, if you get the shelter of a Mahapurusha, one who has known what has to be attained and one who is in a position to show you the way, you can admit that you are thrice blessed. This unique blessing has to be remembered always. Then alone will you be careful not to waste the oppo...

31/12/2018 Bhagavad Gita for the modern life . Today, we will see the most formidable Pandava or the biggest enemy in the mental warfare of our Karma Kshetram. Bhishma, the Kuru Grandfather as you all know felt Hastinapur was “his kingdom” and it was his duty to maintain and protect it by any means. Whenever, he felt the pride of Hastinapur was threatened he used all his might and force. A simple example is his abducting the three princesses Amba, Ambika, Ambalika, against their will. We all know the story of Amba who was rejected by her Fiancé because of his reckless action, and in turn became Shikhandi causing his death. Let us see what Bhishma represents in our life. The word Bhishma comes from the root “bhi” meaning to scare or frighten. Bhishma represents our ego which becomes the grandfather of our individual existence, and generates all other vices in us. It attacks forcefully when threatened and has no remorse of any bad deeds because our ego always feels it is doing ...

30/12/2018 While sitting in satsanga with Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda, as often happened in his presence, a deep *peace overtook the assembled crowd and no one said a word, although many of us surely had saved up plenty of questions for him earlier, with every intention to ask them. However, especially after we were already some days into a yajna or camp and had slowly allowed the usual turmoil in our minds to abate a little, we often found ourselves simply sitting in satsanga in *silence. Gurudev focused his large, #expressive eyes on our silent faces, drummed his fingers along the sides of his chair, and said : “Come on! I’m just an empty drum by the roadside. Unless you beat on me, no sound comes out!” So some *listeners managed to summon up a question or two from the recesses of their minds and drummed away at the always willing drum of the Guru. Swamiji outshone many a *teacher in knowing how to reach down to the level of the audience. The proof of the effica...

30/12/2018 2. *This article was recorded by Ida Ansell in shorthand. As, however, Swamiji's speed was too great for her in her early days, dots are put in the articles to indicate the omissions, while the words within square brackets are added by way of linking up the disconnected parts. *(Delivered in San Francisco, April 5, 1900) ---------------------------------------------------- The Yoga doctrine, which we are having our lecture on, is not from that standpoint. [It teaches that] there is the soul, and inside this soul is all power. It is already there, and if we can master this body, all the power will be unfolded. All knowledge is in the soul. Why are people struggling? To lessen the misery.... All unhappiness is caused by our not having mastery over the body.... We are all putting the cart before the horse.... Take the system of work, for instance. We are trying to do good by ... comforting the poor. We do not get to the cause which created the misery. It is ...

29/12/2018   There is a general assumption that democratic governments are more inclined to maintain peaceful relations than dictatorial or autocratic governments.  This assumption is based on the idea that the general population of a country has no reason or incentive to go to war, and generally suffers extreme hardships as a result of war, including having their families disrupted through death and injury and calls to military service.  In a democratic society, in theory, the populace would therefore resist calls to war, unless urgent need, such as defense against aggression, made it necessary.  On the other hand, it is generally assumed that a ruling elite, whether focused in a monarchy or dictatorship, or in an aristocracy or power elite, would be able to act without the consent of the general populace, and would act in such a way to aggrandise their power and profits, with warfare being a profitable enterprise for various military related industries, and ...

*This article was recorded by Ida Ansell in shorthand. As, however, Swamiji's speed was too great for her in her early days, dots are put in the articles to indicate the omissions, while the words within square brackets are added by way of linking up the disconnected parts. *(Delivered in San Francisco, April 5, 1900) 03/12/2018 1. Everyone's idea of practical religion is according to his theory of practicality and the standpoint he starts from. There is work. There is the system of worship. There is knowledge. The philosopher thinks ... the difference between bondage and freedom is only caused by knowledge and ignorance. To him, knowledge is the goal, and his practicality is gaining that knowledge.... The worshipper's practical religion is the power of love and devotion. The worker's practical religion consists in doing good works. And so, as in every other thing, we are always trying to ignore the standard of another, trying to bind the whole world to ...

03/12/2018 3. Nothing Is Undesirable : The Gita also uses two words — Avikaramanasha and Pratiyavaya. 1. Avikaramanasha means loss of effort; for example, in agriculture, a sudden drought or attack of pests destroys the standing crop and all the effort which has gone into tilling and sowing goes waste. 2. Pratiyavaya means adversity of results. For instance, a doctor delivers an injection to a patient who turns out to be allergic to it. The treatment thus does him more harm than good. These results can be seen in the objective world. However, in Karma Yogam, Krishna says we are not bothered about avikaramanasha and pratiyavaya because we always look into the subjective impact of the objective results and this neutralises everything. (Gita, 2.40). Take, for example, the unsuccessful launch of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. The subjective impact of this objective result is an opportunity to study the reasons for the failure and for further research to plug loophol...

02/12/2018 Shri Krishna as Bhagavad Gita Chapter 3 - Bhagavan Shri Krishna's ankles The third chapter deals with Karma Yoga. It points out the path to the goal. To reach this we have to make some effort. This is the commencement of our sadhana. To still or quieten the mind we need to purify it first. This can be achieved through selfless action or karma yoga. Someone asked Ramana Maharishi, “How can I see God?” “Be still”, he answered “and you will know that you are God”. Sri Krishna explains the meaning of kartavya or duty…its importance and the dynamics of right action. When we perform our obligatory duties, the mind is slowly purified. Purification of the mind is a prerequisite to the silence we are seeking. Bhagawan advises Arjuna to follow the path of Karma yoga to purify his mind. The chapter exhaustively deals with action…what is action…different types of action…the performance of action with a particular attitude. We perform actions according to our abilitie...

02/12/2018 Bhagavad Gita for the modern life: As we discussed in the prior session we are going to see the faults of EGO consciousness one by one, and techniques to modify them and improve ourselves.  Let us see the first one in the list, Kama. KAMA is a compulsion to indulge in sensory pleasures. The classic example is Duryodhana who went to the extent of not being able to part even an inch of his territory for the Pandavas. Today’s lesson: Our scriptures give so many examples where Kama forces even learned and respectable men to stoop low and behave like monkeys and asses. In our daily lives we see varying examples which get people into trouble. Lust for food and drinks at the expense of health, lust for wealth, power and fame which make our politicians do wrong to the society, lust for flattery and sweet talk that get our boys and girls in trouble, are all examples of how lust directs our life in the wrong direction. Kama destroys ones clarity in thinking and power ...

(Spoken on May 1, 1983) 01/12/2018 3. We are, at the present moment, in the political, social, and physical level of existence. We are overly concerned with our political associations, requirements and involvements. Whatever be our spiritual, moral or philosophical longing in our leisure hours, there is no gainsaying that as a citizen of a particular nation a person is conscious of his or her involvement in what is called the national setup. There is an involvement in human society, in the community to which one belongs and from which relationship one cannot easily extricate oneself. And there are the fundamental involvements which are the ingredients of our own psychophysical individuality. While it is true that we are units in a politically organised nation, and are individuals related to human society in a particular manner and not totally independent of human relations, there is something more about us than what is visibly available in this manner. We are apparently a phys...

01/12/2018 1. Salutations again and again at the Holy Feet of the great Sage, Sri Vyasa Bhagavan or Sri Krishna Dwaipayana, who edited the Vedas, composed the Brahmasutras, and wrote the Mahabharata and the eighteen Puranas including the Srimad Bhagavata; salutations to the Brahmavidya Gurus, all Saints and Sages of yore up to the present day. Jagadguru Sri Sankaracharya, who was an Avatara of Lord Siva, delved into the precious wisdom of the Upanishads and brought out the most rare gem in the form of the unparalleled Advaita philosophy or the Monistic idealism which gives you, in a nutshell, the glorious truth that you are in essence Divine beings, ever perfect, free, full and blissful. This idea is contained in his famous memorable Sloka: ‘Slokardhena pravakshyami yaduktam granthakotibhih, Brahma satyam jaganmithya, jivo brahmaiva naparah.’ This gives the very essence of all spiritual wisdom, and it is the last word in the transcendental realisation expressed in the form ...

30/11.2018 1. SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE : 1.1 Householders should not forget even for a moment that marriage is a sacred thing. The sanctity of marriage has to be realised in all its fullness and in all its seriousness. Marriage is a sacrament. It is not just the union of two bodies. That is the least important part of it. Marriage is bringing together by God two souls in this vast, vast phenomenon called life, in the vast stream of  existence where countless  millions of souls are moving in their individual planes of spiritual evolution towards the Divine. Through the grace of God, through the Divine Will, and through the operation of certain mysterious laws that govern this universal life, two souls are brought together. That is the meaning of marriage. 1.2 Through the coming together of these two souls, God means an important process to be worked out, and that is the sharing of the spiritual  impulse between the two. The husband and the wife are to share wha...

 30/11/2018 For much of human history, people lived in ignorance of others living far away, and even those who lived nearby were frequently little impacted by the actions of one group or another, setting aside, of course, the active attempt to control or subjugate neighboring groups through invasion and warfare.  The consciousness of humanity was clearly fragmented and divided and did not consciously identify all human beings as being inter-dependent and inter-connected.  The age of exploration, during which Europeans went out and tried to understand the planet, the oceans and land masses, and the peoples who resided in those various places, represented a first real awakening to the global scope of humanity and began the process of bringing people together, albeit for a long period of time in a decidedly negative manner of exploitation and domination.  During the 20th century, however, a deeper consciousness began to express itself, as the tools of commu...

13/11/2018 Happiness lies deep within us, in the very core of our being. Happiness does not exist in any external object, but only in us, who are the consciousness that experiences happiness. Though we seem to derive happiness from external objects or experiences, the happiness that we thus enjoy in fact arises from within us. Whatever turmoil our mind may be in, in the centre of our being there always exists a state of perfect peace and joy, like the calm in the eye of a storm. Desire and fear agitate our mind, and obscure from its vision the happiness that always exists within it. When a desire is satisfied, or the cause of a fear is removed, the surface agitation of our mind subsides, and in that temporary calm our mind enjoys a taste of its own innate happiness. Happiness is thus a state of being — a state in which our mind’s habitual agitation is calmed. The activity of our mind disturbs it from its calm state of just being, and causes it to lose sight of its own innermo...

13/11/2018 (Extract from an address delivered at Airlie Lodge, Ridgeway Gardens, England) People who are capable of seeing only the gross external aspect of things can perceive in the Indian nation only a conquered and suffering people, a race of dreamers and philosophers. They seem to be incapable of perceiving that in the spiritual realm India conquers the world. No doubt it is true that just as the too active Western mind would profit by an admixture of Eastern introspect ion and the meditative habit, so the Eastern would benefit by a somewhat greater activity and energy. Still we must ask: What may be that force which causes this afflicted and suffering people, the Hindu, and the Jewish too (the two races from which have originated all the great religions of the world) to survive, when other nations perish? The cause can only be their spiritual force. The Hindus are still living though silent, the Jews are more numerous today than when they lived in Palestine. The philos...

12/11/2018 Sri Ramakrishna had a unique way of imparting spiritual instructions.   The following story told by him shows a very practical approach to religion. In a forest there lived a holy man who had many disciples.  One day he taught them to see Narayana (God) in all beings and hence have a reverential attitude towards everyone.  The disciples once went inside a forest to gather wood for sacrificial fire.  Suddenly, they heard a warning “get out of the way, a mad elephant is coming”.  All the disciples except one ran away and took shelter in a safe place.  But, one disciple reasoned that since the Guru had taught them to see Narayana i.e. God, in every being, the elephant is also God in another form and if so why should he run away from it.  He stood still, bowed before the elephant and started chanting some stotras.  The Mahout of the elephant shouted, “Run Away !, Run Away!”, but the disciple didn’t move.  The animal li...

12/11/2018 Chapter 2 - Bhagavan Shri Krishna's feet The essence of the Bhagawad Geeta or Samkhya Yoga unfolds in the second chapter. After giving a patient hearing Lord Krishna shakes Arjuna out of his apathy. He analyses his problem and chides him, “You talk like an intellectual but in reality you are confused and sorrowful. You do not recognize yourself as you really are.” After this mental shake the Lord begins the teaching of the Gita. This chapter is a direct introduction to the Atman and eloquently describes the state of a Sthitaprajna Purusha. We must attain the state of a Jeevan Mukta, not after death but here and now…in this life. The jnani is content in Himself. He revels in His own Self or the Atman. The world is Atmaswarupa and the Lord is all-pervasive. This can be achieved by freeing our minds from desires and becoming absorbed in the Atman. To realize this, we have only to recognize ourselves as we are. We don’t have to go anywhere. We don’t have to ge...

11/11/2018 We are mesmerised by the outer world, the great drama of life. Seldom do we spend time to think about the glory and the potential of the mind,of the universe within. We tend to think first of the downside. The mind is passionate,prejudicial, fearful and jealous. Maybe it's hereditary entrapment. Rarely does one try to find out: Is it the outer world and its allure that i have to enjoy and rejoice in, or is there something even more wonderful in the inner world? Take a fresh look, cultivate a new outlook. The mind is a wide panorama; it's expanse is infinite, as is its power. Don't get bound by negative thoughts. Understand that the mind is capable of spinning and weaving enormous confidence, creating incalculable loftiness,impenetrable depth and immense magnitude. When you start dwelling upon these positive, pleasant and benevolent features of the mind, your fear about the negative will disappear. The beauty of your face you cannot always see. If you ...

11/11/2018 What is true victory? Is it about acquiring wealth or conquering the world? Such a victory is not lasting. Abiding victory comes when we have conquered our own minds. If the mind is the ruler and it controls us then we end up living a life of defeat. For example, I decide to get up at 5 o’ clock in the morning. The mind says, “Why should you get up so early? Even birds get up early in the morning, but what do they achieve? So go to sleep!” If you give in, you are defeated. One little thought can defeat you. When a person is addicted to a cigarette or some other substance, that one little object defeats him completely. He becomes weak, that addiction becomes his weakness. Victory in the true sense is one where a person gains victory over himself. This kind of victory is abiding, whereas any external or physical victory is only temporary. It will be here today, gone tomorrow. Sometimes it doesn’t take more than a fraction of a second to vanish. A life of dynamism n...

10/11/2018 In our previous discussion, we saw Arjuna asking Krishna to show him the enemies he has to fight. This verse is very important in the first chapter of Gita. The devotee needs the help of Bhagavan to see who he has to fight. Often in life we fight other people because we don’t know who our real enemies are. For eg. If you listen to some people talk, they are quick to judge others, without making an effort to understand their situation. Mahabharata is one story where every person is right in his/ her perspective. Today’s lesson: This lesson is very much applicable today. Every person is right in his or her perspective. The difference in thinking, attitudes, likes, dislikes are all established by the upbringing, education, social interactions, experiences in life etc., yet each person feels…... he thinks right !!! If that is the case, the real enemy we need to fight is sitting within us….. As our wrong approach to the situation at hand. If you are able to see things f...

10/11/2018 Tryst with Sri Anandamai Ma! : *PreciousMemories : CHINMAYA MISSION In the spring of 1979, Pujya Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda was among a group of distinguished swamis who were invited to speak at the 83rd birthday celebration of Anandamai Ma held in *Bangalore. It is said that Anandamai Ma showed great affection for Swamiji on that day. Gurudev also reciprocated with much *reverence and affection. He had previously met Anandamai Ma on two occasions: She had been a guest at Sandeepany Sadhanalaya *Powai in 1975; and, although the exact date of his first meeting with her is unknown, it was sometime during his days in Ananda Kutir when he was a student of *Vedanta. Swamiji had developed a problem with his practice of *pranayama (breath-control exercises advocated in Yoga) and Swami Sivananda had sent him to Anandamai Ma for assistance. Pranayama had led him to be constantly #hungry, no matter how much he ate. It is reported that Anandamai Ma asked for four rot...

09/11/2018 18. So, morning and evening, counter this constant entry of outer impressions, gross earthly impressions, by elevating, inspiring, uplifting, spiritual study, wherein you take into your mind inspiring ideas, elevating ideas, uplifting spiritual ideas, through study of the scriptures, UPANISHADS or whatever scriptures of the religion that you belong to or the works of great saints, supreme realised souls, perfected masters—they are vibrant with the spiritual force and power. Therefore it is a daily renewal of the mind. Going deep within you and cleansing the mind. Throwing out all that is gross and earthly, and creating day by day a wealth of inspiring, uplifting spiritual ideas that is called the Sadhana Swadhyaya. Great emphasis has been laid upon it by all the great sages, all the Upanishads and all the scriptures. NEVER NEGLECT YOUR DAILY SPIRITUAL STUDY. It is not mere routine Paarayanam (reading), but study. Last but not least, the fifth process that gives an...

09/11/2018 (Spoken on May 1, 1983) 2. If philosophy is essentially the tracing of effects to their causes and the attempt to interpret every event, every occurrence, every phenomenon in the light of a cause behind which there is no further cause, then the instruction that permanent and perennial success or happiness can be had only where Krishna and Arjuna are seated in one chariot may have a deeper meaning than what is visible on the surface. It is perhaps evident to any inquisitive understanding that Krishna and Arjuna have to be in one chariot at every level of being, and not merely in the physical field of the Mahabharata. The gospel of the Bhagavadgita itself is a teaching that is given from many angles of vision, inasmuch as the problems of life are multifaceted and so the remedies also have to be of similar character and potency. Our difficulties do not arise from one side only. Misfortunes never come singly, as the old saying goes. It drops on our head like a hailst...