JUST MAKE ME FREE

JUST MAKE ME FREE

Fix the mind in remembering Me always, so that it will not wander elsewhere, towards body, wealth and home. Then it will be calm, peaceful and carefree. - (SSS Ch.VI)

There was a king and he had a friend – a holy man. The king would very often say to his friend, "Just release me from this worldly bondage, just make me free."

The holy man would give instructions. Yet the king was persistent in his request, "Just make me free."

One day the holy man firmly caught hold of a pillar and repeatedly began to request the king, "Friend, just release me."

The king said, "Why don’t you let go the hold."

The holy man replied, "No, you must release me."

The king replied, "A great fun indeed. You yourself clasped the pillar tightly and at will you can leave it off. But now you request me to come to your rescue. Why don’t you yourself give it up?"

Then the holy man left the pillar and said to the king, "It is the same case with you. You yourself are clasping the world and yet you constantly request me to release you from it. Why don’t you yourself give it up?

The king understood.

(Courtesy: The East and West Series, 27-09-2003)

PLANETARY POWERS AND GURU POWERS

PLANETARY POWERS AND GURU POWERS

Damodar Rasane was a Kasar and one of the earliest of Ahmednagar citizen to learn about Sai Baba. He received the benefit of issue in a most remarkable and unexpected manner and was thereby to be the means of broadcasting Sai’s fame in all directions through Das Ganu’s chapters. He was a very humble man and began as a poor bangle seller but all his transactions yielded good profit and he soon grew rich. He had everything to make life happy, but had issue. Seeing that his first wife could not bear a child, he married a second time. But even the second wife could not bear him a child. Astrological curiosity made him explore into his horoscope and he found that in the Putra sthanam, a papi was situated, namely, Kethu, and there was no Guru influence to overcome that evil. Therefore, the local astrologers, who were consulted, declared that issue for him was impossible in this life.

This reminds one strongly of the preface Mahatmya to the Srimad Bhagavata where in a similar manner a great yati or seer was consulted by a childless Brahmin about the absence of issue and the seer declared that the Brahmin would have no issue in this life and for seven more births. But the Brahmin said that he would kill himself unless the seer by his powers granted him an issue. Then that seer stated, "Well, I will give you this fruit. Let this fruit be eaten by your wife and let her observe religious vows for a year. And if she eats it, she will have a son." Then, the pious consultant took the mango to his wife and told her what the seer said. That lady was a termagant of a very vicious disposition and never hesitated to cross her husband’s will even in serious matters. She said, "If I get pregnant, there will be much discomfort, and if the child falls athwart the womb, am I suffer the pains and serious risks involved or is the seer or my husband going to suffer?" So she determined not to eat the fruit.

She had a sister to whom she narrated the facts. The sister was poor and cantankerous lady was rich. So, she told the poor sister, "You are pregnant. Give your child to me and I will say that it is born of my womb, and he will have all my wealth to enjoy and you and he will be here." That poor sister agreed.

As for the fruit, she throw it before the cow, and the cow ate it up. As Mantra cannot be without their effect, the cow calved and brought forth a human child with ears like that of a cow but the rest of the body resembling a human being. That child was in the house. But it was the sister’s child of the termagant that was thought by the Brahmin to be the result of his wife’s eating the fruit. Then the sister’s child proved to be a thorough villain and he broke the heart of the Brahmin who had asked for issue and even of his mother. Then they both died. The boy became a criminal and died. When he became a Brahma Rakshas, that is, an evil Spirit, the Gokarna cow-eared boy brother of his gave him relief by making him listen to Saptaha of the Bhagavata. This story contained in the sacred Bhagavata Mahatmya shows how planetary influence debarring a person from having issue is considered ultimate, but in Damodar Rasane’s case, he was more fortunate.

He had heard of Sai Baba and went up to meet him. Sai Baba had kept apart 8 mangoes to be given to him from a basket of mangoes that were sent to Baba. The children were the recipients of the rest of the mangoes and some children wanted more. When Baba said, "There is nothing," the children pointed to the eight mangoes. Baba said, "They are for Damia." But the children said, "Damia is not here." "I know that. He is on the way. He is coming," said Baba. Then, when Baba went out, some of these petted children of Baba stole away four mangoes, and when Rasane came, there were only four mangoes remaining. As soon as he came, Baba gave him those four mangoes. "Eat and die. People are clamouring for mangoes." Eat and die – Damodar was perturbed by hearing the inauspicious word die, and Mahlsapathy noting his perplexity told him that it was a blessing to die at the feet of Baba. Baba was enjoying the humour all the time, as the word die, which he had used, did not refer to the physical death but only to the spiritual death, which is the same as Bhramh or Pramada coming upon one who gets deeper and deeper in samsaric life with the birth of a child after child and the death of several of them.

Pramada a Marityuraham bravimi

That is, It is the intoxication of the world that makes us forget the Real Life; that I call death said Sanatkumara – Sanat Sujatiya.

Baba came to the rescue and said, "Damia do not eat these fruits yourself. Give them to your wife". Damia wanted to know to which wife were the fruits to be given. Baba said, "The second wife." Baba also said, "She will have eight children. The first and second would be boys. Name the first Daulat Shah and the second Thana Shah." Taking up his note book immediately, Damia wrote down the names. Then the fruits were taken and given to his second wife, and, unlike the heroine of the Bhagavata Mahatmya, she did eat the four fruits. She begot, as stated by Baba, exactly eight children, one after another, their sexes being in the order given by Baba. It took fifteen years for all the children to be born.

Therefore, it was clear that the planetary influence in Damia’s case was not quite as deadly as that in the Bhagavata case. Perhaps there is an astrological explanation also. There, in the written horoscope, at Damia’s birth there was no Guru balam to overcome the papi’s influence. But the All-knowing and All-powerful Guru of Damia was Baba, and his balam was there in 1897, and his Baba’s veekshanyam could overcome all the adverse influence of all the planets put together. As Sri Thyagaraja says,

Griha Balam Emi?

Sri Ramanugaraga Balame Balamu.

It may be noted that the eight mangoes representing eight children that Baba set apart for Damia, four were stolen away. Corresponding to that loss, of the eight children that were born to Damia, four were filched away by Yama. The remaining four are living now (1956) healthy, strong and flourishing.




Written by: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

Mantra Sakthi - Powers of Naama Japa

Mantra Sakthi - Powers of Naama Japa

The Name of God, especially when it is given to us in the form of what is known as a Mantra, is a power by itself. It has a Shakti of its own, and this is the reason why Bhaktas, sages and saints have told us that even a mere repetition of the Name of God has the capacity to produce an effect of its own, though you may not be really meditating, though you may not be in a position to contemplate the actual meaning hidden behind it. The Mantra-Shakti, or the power of the Mantra, arises on account of the fact that is beautifully and scientifically described in a science known as Mantra-Shastra, which is akin to the science of chemistry in our own ordinary life. Chemical elements act and react upon each ocher. You know the action between an acid and alkali, for instance.

Sometimes the chemical reaction is such that it can produce a tremendous effect. Mantras produce such effect, similar to the reaction of chemical elements, because of the peculiar combination of letters. The Mantra-Shastra is a secret which tells us that every letter of the alphabet is a condensed form of energy. Sounds are really energy manifest. The sound is not merely an empty form of verbal manifestation, but enemy that is made to express itself in a particular shape. And when this packet of enemy, this tied up form of force, which is a particular letter of the alphabet, is made to come in contact with another packet of energy called another letter, they collide with each other act upon each other or fuse into each other, so that the utterance of a group of tellers, which is the Mantra, produces, by the process of permutation and combination of these letters, a new form of energy which gets infused into our system. Because it has arisen from our own mind, thought and the recesses of our being, we get charged with that force, as if we have touched a live electric wire.

There is special name given to this science, as Gana Shastra, in Tantrik parlance. Words are forces, thoughts are things. They are not empty sounds. It is because of the fact that thoughts and expressions are powers by themselves, that the words of saints lake immediate effect. The words that a saint or a sage utters are not empty sounds that he makes. They are forces that are released like atom bombs, and they can manifest themselves in the physical world, and events can take place.

That is why people go to a Mahatma for Asirvada, or blessings. His words are forces, powers that he releases to take immediate effect, or even a remote effect, as the case may be.

The utterance of a Mantra is the release of an energy, not only inside our own personalities, but also in the outer atmosphere of which we form contents. Japa Sadhana not only brings a transformation in your own inward personality, but also sympathetically produces an equal effect in the society of which you are a part. So Japa Sadhana is also a social service. It is not merely a personal Sadhana, inwardly practised by your own self in your Puja room, but it is a great Seva that you do to mankind also. An aura is produced around that Sadhaka who takes to Japa Sadhana honestly and sincerely. You purify not only your nature inwardly but also you purify the atmosphere outside. You become a source of inspiration to people when you actually take to Japa Sadhana with concentration of mind and with real faith in the efficacy of the practice. God's Name is a wonder. It is a miracle by itself. "More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of," said the poet. The prayers that you offer to God are definitely capable of producing the desired result. What works is not your personal strength or your individual thought, but that which your thought is able to rouse into activity and which is omniscient.

Your prayers or the invocations that you make through Mantra Sadhana or Japa are converted into an impersonal force, which is the power of God, and the miracle is worked by God Himself. You cease to be the ultimate agent of the action. Your agency is only incidental. What really works is something higher than yourself. God Himself seems to be doing Sadhana for ourselves. Who can do things in this world other than God? The whole universe is divinity, resplendent, gorgeous in its glory and abundance. We have forgotten that we are an integral part of it. And in Japa Sadhana, particularly, we try to attune ourselves, attune our inner psychological constitution with that Omnipresent structure of the cosmos which is Ishvara Shakti, or Divine Will operating. You can appreciate how important Japa Yoga is. In the Mahabharata, in the Shanti Parva an entire chapter is devoted to this exposition of Japa Sadhana. "Japaka Upakhyana" is worth reading. No wonder that Bhagavan refers to this system of Yoga as the best, in the Bhagavadgita-"Yajnanam japayajnosmi".

May I request you, brothers in the spiritual field, to take to this Sadhana sincerely, wholeheartedly and stick to it tenaciously. You will see for yourself, that it makes you a different person. You will be surprised how things take shape without your knowing what happens. The atmosphere will slowly change. Prayers are powers, please remember this. It would not be an exaggeration if I say that you will be doing the greatest service to mankind, if you honestly offer prayers to God from the bottom of your heart. God will hear your prayer through His All-Pervading ears; "sarvatah panipadam tat samatokshi-siromukham" ---- "everywhere It has ears; everywhere It has eyes", your prayers will be heard, and this would be a service that you do to your own Atman, your soul, for its salvation. Not only that, it will be a great service that you do to humanity itself. May I repeat the request once again, that you take to this Sadhana honestly, with intense faith, and you will see wonders, miracles manifesting themselves..

(H H Sri Swami Krishnanandaji Maharaj in Fruits From the Garden of Wisdom)

Let there be no attraction

Let there be no attraction

Baba said, "Let all the senses and mind be ever devoted to the worship of the Lord, let there be no attraction for any other thing" in Sri Sai Satcharitra Chapter VI.

Do not pride yourself on your spiritual practices. Devote yourself heart and soul to meditation and repetition of His Name as a behest from His sake, but do not allow any sense of your being a spiritual Sadhaka to enter your mind.

Have firm faith in God. The more you acquire this faith, the nearer you will come to God.

Faith in God is the only strength of true devotee. Surrendering themselves completely to God, they spend their life only in His remembrance.

The more your faith grows the more vivid will be your vision of Divine Grace.

Remember; there is no one so benevolent, kind and loving as God and no one can stand comparison with him in Beauty and Glory. He is your constant companion. He is always ready with outstretched arms to press you to His bosom.

All that you see in this world belongs to Him; not only that, it is He who has assumed all these forms. Whatever is happening before you, is nothing but his pastime. He is sporting with Himself.

This mystery will remain a sealed book to you so long as you do not surrender yourself completely to Him. Giving up all pride and self-esteem take shelter under Him, have unshakable faith in His grace and, renouncing all fear and anxiety, offer everything at the altar of His feet.

Keep your mind engaged in His thought. Gladly accept whatever He may be pleased to ordain for you; carry out willingly all His behest and placing your absolute reliance upon Him give up the very tendency to ask for boons and gifts.

To ask from Him is to be a loser. For, our own intellect can never consider our interest as deeply as He, who is our greatest friend and well-wisher.

Courtesy: Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar in Wavelets of Bliss.

THANK YOU PRAYER

Thank you, God, for this wonderful land.

Thank you, God, for caring.

Thank you, God, for your helping hand.

We’ll thank you, God, by sharing.

A little bit here, a little bit there,

Growing vegetables, fruit, and wheat,

We’ll farm the fields and milk the goats,

There’ll be plenty for all to eat.

Thank you, God, for the morning sun.

Thank you, God, for sharing

Your seeds and water, your starlit skies,

We’ll thank you, God, by caring.



—ESTA CASSWAY

Lord, I seek you with all my heart

Lord,


I seek you with all my heart,

with all the strength you have given me.


I long to understand that which I believe.


You are my only hope;

please listen to me.


Do not let my weariness lessen my desire to find you,

to see your face.


You created me in order to find you;

you gave me strength to seek you.


My strength and my weakness are in your hands:

preserve my strength,

and help my weakness.


Where you have already opened the door,

let me come in;

where it is shut,

open at my knocking.


Let me always remember you,

love you,

meditate upon you,

and pray to you,

until you restore me

to your perfect pattern.



—AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

The Great Invocation

The Great Invocation



From the point of Light within the Mind of God

let light stream forth into the minds of men.

Let light descend on Earth.



From the point of Love within the Heart of God

let love stream forth into the hearts of men.

May Christ return to Earth.



From the center where the Will of God is known

let purpose guide the little wills of men—the purpose

which the masters know and serve.



From the center which we call the race of men

let the plan of Love and Light work out.



And may it seal the door where evil dwells.

Let Light and Love and Power

restore the Plan on Earth.

Hail Mary

Hail Mary, full of grace,

The Lord is with thee.

Blessed are thou amongst women

And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.

Holy Mary, mother of God,

Pray for us sinners,

Now and at the hour of our death.


Amen.

WHY FEAR I AM HERE

WHY FEAR I AM HERE

Purandhare found that his child’s health far from being ruined by the journey was set right completely at Shirdi. This in itself was sufficient to constitute one of those Aneka Ascruta Atarkysa Lila Vilasaih. Here is Baba’s superhuman power. Here is kindness towards those that flock to his feet.

If supreme power and kindness are combined, what more is wanted to give us the idea of God’s help? So, Purandhare was made firmer in his faith and deeper in his love of Sai Baba by this occurrence and this was the only one. At every step he had full faith in Baba’s omniscience and omnipotence and he found that his faith was fully justified by the subsequent events.

Baba knew exactly when Purandhare should start, when he should stay at a place like Nasik, a holy place of pilgrimage, which his mother wanted to visit, and how long he should stay there. When Purandhare acted upon Baba’s directions, it seemed to several that he was running foolish risks, but everything that Baba said occurred exactly as he said it would. He was told to stay one day at Nasik and to proceed on the next day. When he went there, he found that cholera was attacking some members of his family, such as his brother, and he was advised to get away. But he remembered that Baba had said that he must stay one day at Nasik. So he did stay. On the next day with ill-health in the family, he found that he was perfectly safe in the following Baba’s directions to the very letter. This confirms a man in the extent of reverence and faith that he has in Baba.

Reverence and faith combined with thankfulness for the resulting good, form an excellent basis for the development of love. in this way, his love for Baba got more and more deep-rooted and his faith, being justified, was the means for so many others catching on to that faith. Baba’s kindness towards him was remarkable even from the beginning. Why should Baba care so much for this petty clerk who went to Shirdi for the first time? That is the question, which any one would ask. And one would like to know the root of that love. The root of love is not always traceable, but in this particular case we have Baba’s own statement to help us.

When Purandhare’s mother told Baba to look after him, Baba’s reply was, "I have known him for generations. I have guarded him from his infancy in front and behind. I will not eat even a bit of food without him". That is, as much as to say that Baba remembered the love relations between Purandhare and himself in former lives.

Purvabhysena Tenaiva Hriyate hyavasopisab
Tatra tam buddhi samyogam Labhate Pourvadehikam

These two are extracts from the Bhagavat Gita constantly quoted to show that purva vasanas, that is, traits in the soul existing in previous births follow one in subsequent births also. In addition to the Bhagavat Gita chapter 16, Verse 10, Baba consciously expressed that love that existed between the two, but Purandhare felt the same love unconsciously and was being pulled to Baba. Baba added no doubt that he draws his devotee’s even from thousands of miles away and his drawing is like a boy drawing a bird to whose foot one end of a string is attached while the other is held by him. The bird cannot choose but go to the boy when the boy pulls it. Baba’s statement was that he similarly pulled persons who had former contact with him which is Rinanubhandha and Purandhare was expressly one of those greatly attached to him in a former life. That may explain how he run so many risks like taking a sick child to Shirdi from Bombay for the purpose of seeing Baba, with no ostensible gain to explain the risk taken.

Having hinted at the origin of the love link between Baba and Purandhare we may proceed to sketch out how this seed of love in the latest janma manifested itself. Purandhare was always giving vent to every emotional feeling strongly. If he felt angry, he would at once burst out in a fit of anger and quarrel. If he felt love, h would be equally ready to express it. Baba had to warn him against his quick temper and thus improve him in respect of this first concern. Baba used his emotional nature for developing love. Conferring of benefits is the surest means of the development of love. Baba conferred benefits in a very peculiar, and often in a very mysterious way. The manner of benefits being conferred as well as the nature of the benefit being conferred, tended to equally develop the mysterious elements of love.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

WITH PATIENCE GAIN VICTORY OVER YOURSELF – Rig Veda

WITH PATIENCE GAIN VICTORY OVER YOURSELF – Rig Veda

Some devotees are generally short tempered, and to such devotees Baba gave the special advice that they should not yield to that weakness. R. B. Purandhare and Mrs. Pradhan were two such persons Baba said to Purandhare, ‘If anybody comes and abuses you or punishes you, do not quarrel with him. If you cannot endure it, speak a simple word or two or else leave the place. But do not battle with him and give tit for tat. I feel sick and disgusted when you quarrel with others.’

He told Mrs. Pradhan, ‘If anyone talks ten words at us, let us answer with one word, if we reply at all. Do not battle with any one.’ On another occasion, Baba said, ‘If any one is angry with another, he wounds me to the quick. If any one abuses another, I feel pain. if any one bravely endures the abuse, I feel highly pleased.’

Baba’s self control and carrying out this same advice has been noticed at times. A half-crazy sadhu called Nana Wali, on one occasion came to Baba and standing before him, said, ‘Baba, get up; I want to sit in your seat.’ Any other person would have kicked Nana Wali out, but Baba quietly vacated his seat and the impertinent Nana Wali occupied it. After sitting on it a few moments, the crazy man thought he had done too much. So, he got up, requested Baba to resume his seat, and fell at his feet, and Baba was calm throughout. This shows to what extend Baba could control his anger.


Baba said, ‘I get angry with none. Will a mother harm her little ones? I love devotion. I am the bondslave of my devotees’. He also told Nana on one occasion, ‘I am not angry with you’. Baba told Mrs. Pradhan, ‘You see I did not get angry with any one today.’

On one occasion, when he was uttering words in a towering rage, he uttered in the middle, ‘Let blessing be to all’.

"Sarve janah sukhino bhavantu"

This blessing cannot co-exist with anger. It is characteristic of a peaceful and loving frame of mind.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

Best Prayer Quotes

Best Prayer Quotes

BODY IS TEMPLE, GOD IS ETERNAL SOUL IN IT

BODY IS TEMPLE, GOD IS ETERNAL SOUL IN IT

Nana was a very respectable, married gentleman, having children and having family tradition and a position to maintain. Further, his training had given him excellent qualities of self-restraint andpropriety of behaviour. So, he was not ordinarily what one would call a lustful, lewd, or lecherous person. He was on the other hand a very properly behaved, and excellent head of a family. Yet, the saying goes, `Even an elephant may slip'. Baba, who was watching Nana wherever he was, and at every moment, noticed that he needed to be taught and trained in the matter of lust also.

On one occasion when Nana was sitting next to Baba at the Dwarakamayee, two Muslim ladies were standing for a time at a distance, evidently waiting to see when this Hindu (Nana) would go away. They had to remove their veils at the time of taking darsan, which meant, putting their bare foreheads on Baba's feet; and being Gosha ladies, they did not wish a Hindu to see the faces. When Nana tried to get up on this account and go away, Baba pulled him down and said, `Let these people come if they care'. So, the ladies had to approach Baba and take darsan with Nana by his side. Nothing happened when the elderly lady removed her veil and took her darsan, but when the younger did the same, her face struck Nana as remarkably beautiful. The sheen of the eyes, the brilliance of the countenance, the perfect proportion of the features, and the indescribable charm of the whole person, were such that Nana was at once smitten with her beauty. When his mind was thus occupied, the lady finished her darsan and resumed her veils. Then the thought struck to Nana. `Shall I have another opportunity of seeing this angelic face? Baba at once slapped him on the thigh. Then the ladies departed. Baba asked him, `Do youknow why I slapped you?' Nana admitted that his thoughts were low and unfit for one in Baba's company. He asked `How is it that even when I am next to you, such low thoughts sway my mind?' Baba replied, `You are a man after all, and the body being full of desire, these spring up as sense objects approach. Then Baba asked, `Are there not lovely temples with well coloured exterior? When we go there, do we admire the exterior beauty or the God within? When you are seeing God within, do you ever care for the outside beauty of the building? Similarly remember God is not only in temple. He is found "everycreature"?

Deho Devalayah proktah
Scivo Jivah Sanatanah,
Tyajet Ajnana Nirmalyam
Soham Bhavena Pujayet.
So says the Upanishad.
Which means, "The body is said to be a temple. The god (in it) is the eternal Individual soul Jiva. (So) Remove the Nescience-Ajnana which is Nirmalya (used up flowers). "So ham" "I am He". Remaining with the realisation must be the worship."

Therefore when you see a beautiful face, remember that it is a temple and the image of the God within is the Jiva, a pre-eminent part of the Universal Soul. So, think at once of God – or the Universal Soulin every object, whether beauty or ugly. These forms reveal the God within. There is nothing wrong in admiring beauty, but the thought must follow at once, "If this object is so beautiful, how much morebeautiful and powerful must be the God who made this object and inhabits it." Thinking thus, you will not get smitten by a Muslim beauteous face hereafter. This was the upadesa given to Nana.

Courtesy: HH Pujyasri B. V. Narasimha Swamiji

MAYA – THE GREAT

MAYA – THE GREAT

Baba said, "Maya will lash or whip him, who forgets Me" in Sri Sai Satcharitra Chapter III.

One should always avoid evil company and take to the company of the virtuous. The company of those whose entire outlook is worldly is very harmful. To say nothing of living things, even the associationof lifeless objects, which tempt the mind and attract the senses, should be given up.

One should never utter even by mistake, nor hear anything in opposition to God. It is the greatest sin to utter or hear such words.

Freeing the mind from the feelings of attraction and repulsion, one should enjoy objects of pleasure through the senses dispassionately and not with the feeling of love and hatred, nor as a slave of thesenses, making them your slaves, rather than be a slave to them and carry out their orders.

The greatest obstacle in the path of an aspirant is the desire for fame. It is easy to renounce the attraction for wealth or woman, but it is exceedingly difficult to renounce the attraction for fame.

The seat of happiness is your mind. Happiness does not lie in any action or particular object. If the mind is peaceful, you are happy; otherwise there is misery and misery alone. To attain peace of mind it is necessary to renounce all worldly desires.

Courtesy: Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar in Wavelets of Bliss.

Always consider your welfare

Baba said, "Always consider your interest and welfare" in Sri Sai Satcharitra Chapter X.

Whatever you do, do it as a service to God and for His sake. Feel that you are enjoying the highest favour of the all-merciful Lord. Rely completely on His grace; and, whatever be the result of your action, accept it most cheerfully as a dispensation of the all-blissful Lord.

Life is ebbing fast; every moment we are approaching death and very soon the sands of life will run out. Knowing this, keep yourself ever harnessed for the coming journey, disposing of all your worldly affairs. By harnessing oneself for the journey meant absolute renunciation of the attractions of the world and developing an intense longing to meet the Lord.

Live in this world as an actor in a drama; never be remiss in playing your part, nor should you ever claim anything as your own. Remissness in playing your part will constitute an act of disloyalty to your master, and to claim anything as your own will be dishonesty. Know this world to be a stage, but play the part allotted to you as earnestly as if the world were real.

Everyone has his good points as well as weak, and everyone is liable to error. If you start picking holes in another's work as soon as you see it, you will develop a very bad habit in course of time and you will begin to find fault even with the actions of the noblest type. The result will be that you will grow miserable yourself, and will make others miserable. Instead of this if you cultivate the habit of observing only the good points of others your outlook will become Sattvika. The cheerfulness of your mind will increase. Your will get peace. From this habit of observing only the good points of others and see happy you feel.

Do not seek other's errors; forget them if you happen to observe them, appreciate from the bottom of your heart their good motive, industry and devotion to work, and try to discover the good points in their work. You will become virtuous and good.

Courtesy: Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar in Wavelets of Bliss.

BE A MAN OF HONOUR

BE A MAN OF HONOUR

Baba said, "Try to get Lord's grace and blessings and be honoured in His court" in Sri Sai Satcharitra Chapter VI.

Be a man of honour. Know first what true honour consists in. A man can be called respectable by virtue of his wealth even though he may have accumulated it through dishonourable men; but he commands norespect in the eyes of God. He alone is truly respectable in the eyes of God who, though leading a life of abject penury and otherwise appearing discreditable in the eyes of the world, does not swerve from the path of virtue.

Do not abandon Dharma (the path of virtue) in exchange for honour and praise. Vindicate righteousness even at the cost of honour and fame.

Do not pride yourself on wealth, property, physical beauty and man- power. You may lose all these in the twinkling of an eye. True strength is that which you derive from God. Try to acquire that strength.

Too many hospitals, dispensaries and physicians at a particular place are a sure indication that the inhabitants of that place have become physically degraded. Where lawyers are found in large numbers and the court rooms are crowded, the honesty of the residents of that place should be understood to have almost disappeared. Where obscene literature finds a market, know the people of that place to be morally depraved.

Diseases cannot be uprooted by medicines and hospitals alone. Eradication of diseases is possible only through control of senses and purity of mind. Control of the senses and purity of mind ensure not only our physical health but spiritual health also. Therefore, constantly endeavour to control your senses and purify your mind.

Satsanga (association with holy men) helps us in controlling our senses, and purifying our mind. Therefore giving up the company of evil men, associate only with the virtuous.

Quarrels and disputes cannot be brought to an end merely through lawyers and law-courts. For exterminating quarrels, the main thing required is honesty. If people give up the desire to deprive othersof their legitimate dues there will be no more of quarrels.

It should always be remembered that the primary goal of human existence is to develop Love for God. Love for God can be developed only through His grace, and not through any course of discipline.

Courtesy: Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar in Wavelets of Bliss.

Purification of mind is absolutely necessary

Baba said, "Purification of mind is absolutely necessary, without it all our spiritual endeavours are nothing, but useless show and pomp" in Sri Sai Satcharitra Ch.XVI & XVII.

It is the impurity of your own mind that is mainly responsible for bringing to your notice only the dark side of other's character. Make your own mind faultless and you will find that the number of sinners in this world is very much reduced.

Cultivate the habit of observing your own faults, examine the weaknesses of your heart very critically and you will realize that your mind is full of impurities; then you will hardly find any time to detect the fault of others.

Every thought arising in the mind of a man carries with it a feeling of love or hatred, which brings in joy or sorrow, and which prompts him to see virtue or vice in another. Even the vices of him whom we love appear to us as virtue, and the virtues of him whom we hate appear as vices. Unless we take off these coloured glasses of love and hatred from our eyes it is not possible to know a person truly.

Be an impartial observer of every thought-wave arising in your mind; very soon you will notice that no thought arises in your mind. This is a sovereign recipe for controlling the mind. Similarly, if you can dispassionately observe the impulses of love and hatred without identifying yourself with them, you will soon find the practice helpful in eradicating those impulses.

Life is very short; live amicably with all, behave well with all; scatter ambrosia everywhere and do not let fall even a drop of poison anywhere. Your conduct influenced by love is ambrosia and that influenced by hatred is poison.

If a person calls on you even for an hour, fill his heart with ambrosia through your loving and guileless behaviour; take care that none may catch poison from you. Remove all poison from the heart and fill it up with ambrosia and then scatter it at every step.

Courtesy: Wavelets of Bliss – by Sri. Hanumanprasad Poddar

THE SUPREME GREATNESS DIVINE NAME

THE SUPREME GREATNESS DIVINE NAME


The world is passing through a terrible crisis these days. The aggravation of material greed, as a reaction, set ablaze the fire of universal want and unrest in the form of a conflagration. Through the dominant influence of the present material civilization, and the ideal of enjoyment fostered by it, even the spiritual world has been affected by an internal demoralization. The heart trembles at the sight of the moral degradation passing current today in the name of religion. The number of people possessing faith in God, and devoted to their duty for the good of humanity, is rapidly dwindling. Nations and states are organizing themselves for their mutual destruction; each of them is engaged in the hateful attempt of clogging the wheel of progress of its rival and thus bringing down and crushing the latter. The satanic elements in man, of which hypocrisy is the foundation, are developing at an exceptionally rapid rate. Gross attachment to things of the world and desire for their enjoyments have clouded man's power of discrimination and bid fair to bring him down from his natural moral level. Lured by the glitter of modern civilization, which is the mother of evils like hypocrisy, immorality, false pride, malice revengefulness etc., humanity is proceeding to commit a spiritual suicide. The votaries of religion are engaged in the false attempt to enhance the worldly prestige of their respective faiths by blotting the existence or undermining the position of rival faiths and beliefs and by idle attempts to confine within narrow limits the pedestal of God, who is all-pervading, the dearest objective of all, the root and heart of things.

There is no limit to the fraud and hypocrisy that are being practiced in the name of religion. The world is engaged in fighting over externals forgetting God, the Divine Name and the essence of religion, which is also divine. That is why there is no growth of religious spirit observable anywhere and people find happiness constantly eluding their grasp. They fondly believe that God is confined only to the temple or ark built by them.

In this chaotic state of society there is need for some general non-sectarian rules the observance of which may help all people, irrespective of race or religion, to grow in spiritual life. The seven points mentioned below are being placed before the reader for his/her consideration. Believers in God can adopt them in their daily life and conduct without any difficulty. If they do so, it may be asserted with confidence that their highest good in spiritual life will be assured.

SEVEN POINTS:

1. God's Name should be constantly remembered, repeated, mentally or orally and chanted through music at regular intervals.
2. No sinful act should be attempted under the protection of the Divine Name. Those who commit sin under the shelter of God's Name are guilty of the highest form of sin.

3.(a) There should be no desire to gain any worldly object in exchange for repetition of the Divine Name. 3.(b) The spiritual force of the Divine Name should not be applied even for destruction of sin.

4. Regarding the Divine Name as the dearest object of life, it should be resorted to for its own sake.

5. Hypocrisy should not be practised. Hypocrisy displeases God. The hypocrite comes to grief without fail.

6. The teachings of Gita should be adopted in order to develop devotion to God and devotion to right conduct and duty.

7. Other religions or faiths should never be criticized or attacked with a view bringing them down in public estimation. Seekers of bliss will find participation in such controversy highly injurious to their spiritual life.

We shall now proceed in deal with these seven points one by one –

1. Believers in God, to whatever religion they may belong, believe also in the Name of God. It is through this name that people are reminded of the transcendent Form of God. His supernatural qualities, glory and grace. Just as the darkness of the world is dispelled immediately the sun appears on the horizon, in the same manner all evil, all sin attached to the heart of man is destroyed as soon as the Divine Name is remembered and uttered. People may call God by any Name with which they are familiar and to which they are used. It makes no difference.

2. But, while taking the Name, people generally commit great blunders in certain respects. Through their excessive attachment to objects of enjoyment as well as their ignorance, they are persuaded to believe that inasmuch as their sins are invariably destroyed through repetition of the Divine Name, there can be no objection to committing sin whenever it becomes necessary. Misguided by this lineof thought, far from giving up sin, they begin to stain their heart by new acts of sin under the shelter, and with the support of the Divine Name. A litigious person takes a devotee, sincerely devoted to the Name, to the Law Court to appear as a witness and says, "Look here, friend, when you are examined by the Court, please depose on the lines I indicate to you". The witness imagined he would be required only to tell the truth; but now he discovered that litigant desire him to corroborate a falsehood; he rebels and refuses to bear false witness. the litigant, then, argue with him – "Why should you have any objection to this? Don't you know that the Divine Name washes away all sin? You are a devotee, you chant the Name daily, how can this slight deviation from truth harm you? The spiritual power of a single utterance of God's Name is so great that man cannot commit sin enough to match it. This is the practice I follow whenever there is occasion to do so." The witness replies, "Friend, this is impossible for me; if you follow this practice, this is your look out." The purport of this illustration is that those who commit sin placing their reliance on the power of the Divine Name, or of prayer to God, to destroy sin are guilty of a serious spiritual crime. They make the Divine Name a help and support to the practice of their wicked acts and in exchange for the Name they seek to procure sin. If damnation does not overtake people of this type, who else are there on the earth worth being damned?

3. (a) People whose heart craves only for things of the world commit another great blunder. In exchange for the practice of the Divine Name, they seek from God riches and property, children, family- happiness, worldly prestige, self-aggrandizement and satisfaction of other desires of that nature. They do so because they do not know the true value of the Divine Name. It is not sheer foolishness to waste the power of the Name for securing the frail, transitory and insignificant objects of worldly enjoyment, when it has the capacity to give one undisputed authority over the entire kingdom of the divine king of kings? The objects of worldly enjoyment come and disappear, they never permanently stick to anyone. All enjoyment, again, is mixed with suffering. It is, therefore, neither a real gain nor a real loss when such an object of enjoyment is secured or lost.

(b) Those who repeat the Name in the hope that their sins will be eradicated thereby cannot also be said to be possessed of much wisdom. For sins may be destroyed even by working out their effects through suffering. The Name which delights the Paramatma, the dearest object of our soul, which, again, is the symbol of His grace on us – is it not error to apply that sacred object to the work of mereeradication of sin? Those who do so, do not really know the worth and value of the sacred Name. When the sun rises, is it any more necessary to approach it with prayer to remove darkness? On its appearance on the horizon, no place is left on the earth where darkness can linger.

4. The Name of God should be repeated as an indication of our unconditional Love for God. Whether we realize God or fail to realize Him, let us not forget the Name in any case. The happiness of a lover when he meets the beloved is not as great as when he is engaged in his remembrance without break. If on realization of God there is likelihood of a break in the remembrance, the true devotee willdesire that realization may wait, but that the remembrance may grow more and more, and that there may be no break in it. This is God-Love in its pursuit form.

5. There should be no element of show in the repetition of the Name. There has been an excessive growth of display of spirituality or hypocrisy in the present-day world. It has become difficult to detect from what worldly motive even renowned preachers of religion speak when discoursing on a subject. All must attempt to save themselves from this evil of hypocrisy. To display a virtue, which one does not possess, for acquirement of prestige and social position, or for the attainment of a worldly object, is hypocrisy. Through the vain attempt to practise a fraud on God, the hypocrite in reality cheats himself. God Who sees through everything can never be bluffed; but the cheat who attempts to serve his own end by deceiving the world suffers great fall. Sin becomes an integral part of his nature. He loses all aversion for sin. How can such person ever attain the highest truth of religion known by the Name of God-Realization? Man should therefore, do his best to save himself from this terrible evil.

6. Even when the above points of view have been properly appreciated man will require the guidance either of a universally recognized scripture for an understanding of the mystery of God and for determining his own conduct and duty, or of some excellent unfailing spiritual discipline the adoption and practice of which will automatically lead him to his spiritual goal. From the Hindu standpoint four books may be mentioned which will pre-eminently serve the purpose of guides in the spiritual path. these are – (1) the Upanishads, (2) the Srimad Bhagavad gita, (3) the Bhagavata and (4) the Ramacharitamanasa of Goswami Tulasidasa (By the Upanishads the ten principal ones, viz., the Isa, Kena etc., are to be understood). The spiritual value of these books is so great that they can help all men to reach the true and final spiritual goal. The Upanishads and Gita have received the appreciation of the entire intellectual world. Great thinkers of the West have acknowledged their teachings to be worthy of being universally adopted. If one does not find it possible to study all these four books, he may fall back on the Gita alone, the smallest of them, which contains all the instructions one may require for his spiritual growth. The Gita has been translated into all the principal languages of the world; its teachings are of universal application. One who has no other book to study, can make this single book, the Gita, his guide in spiritual life. The teachings of the Gita, may be summarized as follows:-

(a) Knowing that all that exists belongs to God, do your duty for God's sake maintaining your equilibrium both in success and failure, renouncing attachment to the fruit of your action, and taking your duty to be a command from God; and meditate constantly on the transcendent Form of God, of which His Name, His attributes and His glory are integral parts, completely surrendering your mind, body and speech to Him, or -

(b) Knowing that the world being as unsubstantial as water in mirage or as a dream, the Gunas born of Maya play on the stage of Maya (Delusion), and thus shedding all authorship or sense of "I" in regard to action of the mind, the sense and the body, establish complete identity with the Paramatma, the all-pervading Form of Existence, knowledge and Bliss. In this state there should be no sense of reality of any other substance apart from the one, indivisible Paramatma.

This is action without attachment and the Yoga of Knowledge as taught by the Gita. This is the Universal Religion. All people irrespective of race, nationality or social status possess in the right to practise this religion.

7. Therefore, without casting reflection on the religious beliefs of another and renouncing evil impulses like jealousy, enmity and vindictiveness, a person should move in the world constantly contributing to the happiness of those he may come in contact with in his everyday life. Those who attempt to prove their own faith to be perfect and that of others to be imperfect, do not know the real truth about Paramatma. (God). If I take a stand in opposition to a faith, try disparagingly to expose its weak points, I must be prepared for the same treatment in respect of my own faith. Thus indirectly I expose my own faith to dignity and insult. By that action I really limit the jurisdiction of my God and of my faith, and detract both from their all pervading and universal character. The Divine element is present in every religion in one form or other; therefore a reflection cast on a faith is as good as an affront to God Himself.

Therefore, a person who does not enter into any undesirable and bitter controversy over religious faith and beliefs, who regulates his daily life according to the teachings of the Gita, who repeats the Divine Name without any show or hypocrisy, who does not use this Name as an incentive to commission of sin, or for attaining objects of worldly enjoyment, or even for eradication of sin, frees himself in no time from evil propensities like lust, anger, mendacity, duplicity and the like, and becomes endowed with Sattvika virtues like Truthfulness and Ahimsa (harmlessness), His mind soon overcomes the attraction for the gross enjoyments of the world and engages himself in meditation on God, and through such meditation he is blessed with a realization and direct vision of the form of God he has been worshipping secretly in his heart. The Divine Name is endowed with such unique supernatural power that its remembrance, utterance or even hearing drives away sin. Those who constantly repeat the Name, chant it to others, or sing It in chorus do good not only to themselves but to many other souls. Therefore, it is the common duty of us all to take refuge under the sacred Name, and engaging ourselves in the constant remembrance, Japa (mental or oral repetition) and chanting of Divine Name, persuade others through love to join us in this noble work.

(Courtesy: Wavelets of Bliss & The Divine Message, by Hanumanprasad Poddar)

DON'T LET DEPRESSION AFFECT YOU

Learn The art of letting go from nature. To deal with depression and survive it, one must allow the thoughts to come and go in a free flow, says Swami Sukhabodananda.

When you breath in and out, the breath not only touches you but also nourishes you. There is an important lesion that you can learn from breathing. Breath goes without getting stuck anywhere. If you too adapt this concept you can lead life wisely. You should allow your experiences to flow, touch you with its understanding and then should let it go.

Whenever you are depressed, you should touch it with your awareness and not let it affect you. Slowly it will go away and when it leaves, you should be aware and learn from it.

Often you hold on to depression. By this you move into an abyss. It becomes a vicious cycle, wherein you end up getting further depressed. You lose hope of life and you see a world coloured by your depression. Here are some useful tips to counter depression.

Observe your breath and understand how it touches and goes.

Observe the sun. As it rises, it touches you and when it sets, it goes.

Observe the changing seasons and how they touch you and go.

See the flowers blooming and fading away.

Take these lessons from nature. It never allows anything to cling to it. What comes has to go. Learn this lesson.

Let the thoughts come and go. Remain detached.

When depressing thoughts trouble you, allow them to touch you, but don’t let them cling on to you. Move on, let the thought go. Your inner eye, now knows the art of “touch and go”

Feel happy. Try to find joy when depression comes and feel happy when it goes. With this practice your inner eye will understand that you are not in depression, but in a space where you allow thoughts to come and go.

Wavelets of Bliss

Baba said, "If anyone does any evil unto you, do not retaliate" in Sri Sai Satcharitra Ch.X.

Never grieve over an injury that may be caused to you by another; know it to be the result of some evil action performed by you in the past. Never allow the thought to enter your mind that such and such a person have done you this injury. Know it for certain that injustice is never done in the Kingdom of God. The harm that has come to you or the mishap that has befallen you is undoubtedly a result of you past actions. Truly speaking, no one can ever inflict any suffering on you without any cause. Nor is it possible that the effect should precede the cause. Therefore, whatever suffering comes to you is undoubtedly the result of your own Karma. God in His mercy metes out justice to you in order to absolve you of your own sins. Know that person who has caused you suffering to be a mere instrument; it is through ignorance and folly that the poor creature has played this role. He has sought his own ruin and invited suffering on himself by inflicting pain on you. It is quite evident that he who invites suffering on himself is surely not wise; he is self-deluded, and therefore deserves our pity. Do not be angry with him, do not wish him harm in return, never desire that evil may come to him; on the contrary pray to God that He may be pleased to bring back the deluded brother to the path of virtue, awaken his good sense and forgive his sins committed through ignorance.

It is possible that, forced by circumstances, he committed through mistake the act which caused you suffering; but, if the fire of repentance is now burning within his heart, and he is feeling uncomfortable in mind, it is your duty under such circumstances to extend your love towards him and treat him with the utmost kindness. Tell him frankly, `Brother, why are you so sorry? Surely you are not to blame for this. This pain that has been caused to me was due to my own past Karma. You have rather done me a good turn by helping me to work out my Karma. You should therefore no longer feel embarrassed in your mind.' These words coming from a sincere heart will surely assuage his feelings; he will come to his senses and will never do harm to others to others in future. If, however, he inflicted on you knowingly and deliberately and through evil intent, and instead of repenting for his action he may be chuckling over it, your nobleconduct and loving behaviour will change his mind and move him to repentance. Your magnanimity will automatically evoke his homage. His heart will be purified. This is as certain as anything. But if this does not happen, you are in no way the loser. Through your ideal and loving behaviour your own mind will remain perfectly calm and composed.

Never bear with him any grudge. If you entertain this feeling towards him you will be sowing in your own mind the seeds of many other sinful propensities of a similar nature. His mind will also know no peace. Even if he had no grudge before, your unfriendly behavior will now estrange him from you. The result will be that the fire of hatred will smoulder in the hearts of you both; the feeling of animosity will make both of you miserable and drag both of you to morass of sin. Therefore, banish altogether from your mind the idea that such and such a person ever did you any harm.

By. Shri Hanumanprasad Poddar in `Wavelets of Bliss and Divine Message'