Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Nov.30

Maintain Unbroken Awareness of God
The holiest of holies, the purest of the pure, is the incessant awareness of God. Those who have planted such awareness in their heart are really blessed. That effort is truly faultless which is made with such uniform awareness. Such awareness will gradually mitigate all ego. For practical purposes you may have to say 'I' and 'mine', but in your heart of hearts God should be the only occupant. Have a daily 'darshan' of Maruti; His grace will help maintain constant awareness of God, as a miser has of money. A person gone on an errand constantly maintains awareness of returning time, so should one remain in this world, ever mindful of God, one's true home. This awareness should be maintained, above all the vicissitudes of life. Never hurt anyone's heart, while going by the way of the world. For one's own part, one should take both regard and disregard in one's stride. Ceaseless awareness of Rama will help you maintain the tendency towards good moral behaviour.
Surrender to Rama in the implicit faith that Rama is your sole relative, friend, philosopher, and guide, your everything. Listen to this dictum, that you should dedicate yourself to Rama, body and soul. Make God your all in all, for He is the very embodiment of compassion. Such single-minded dedication becomes easy if one forsakes all doership. Belong henceforth to Rama, leave all your anxiety to Him; for, if you throw yourself on someone's mercy, your care automatically becomes his. Be in perfect peace in the trust that He understands your interest better than you yourself do. Dedication to Him is the correct means to overcome desire for worldly pleasures. Even after doing our utmost, we have still achieved no peace, no contentment; so let us take recourse to Raghupati, for He alone can remove our misery, our discontent. So henceforth, let us take Rama as our Lord, and think of none else.
Dedicate yourself, including your ego, to Rama. Go ahead with this conviction at heart that He is your very last resort. Whatever you have done so far, dedicate everything to Him. Whatever happens is done by God in our own interest; so the situation He gives should be accepted without demur. That worldly man is blessed who dedicates himself and his ego to Rama.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.30

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.30

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Nov.29

Awake in Proper Time and Take the Right Path
Every action begins with an object, that is, a desire. Life itself similarly begins with desire. The rise of the Ganga is in a pure driblet; similarly, although we owe birth to polluted desire, the remoter, original source, the Ultimate Reality, is perfectly pure. At early age the mother teaches the child to pray, 'May my motives be pure and selfless, O God!' Later, this pure, innocent child becomes polluted with venal and selfish desires. Just as the later polluted water of the Ganga can be clarified by using alum, the polluted mind of a grown-up man can be purified by planting in it the feeling that Rama is the doer. This feeling makes the dissolved and suspended ego settle down as a sediment, and clarifies mental outlook. It doesn't help much to quieten the mind with the thought that the present suffering is the consequence of some previous action, because we still continue to pile up actions, and as it were, provide reason for the next life. If we sincerely desire to avoid rebirth, we must suitably conduct ourselves in the present life, by destroying all desire.
It is a completely mistaken notion that people who possess wealth, power, and a plethora of 'pleasurable' things are happy. Actually, these things are but a burden unless based on sound faith in God. The apparent pleasure of some people in worldly matters is like swelling over the body mistaken to be a healthy plumpness. Therefore, really speaking, worldly life is unhappy for everyone.
With increasing age, a man's business in the world expands, calls for increasing attention, and detracts the mind farther from God. Desire multiplies instead of diminishing, and forms the basis for a subsequent birth. It is therefore necessary to wake up early and devise a way out. Actually, this way is very easy and straightforward, and has been clearly pointed out by the saints time and again. Start walking along that path; God is eagerly waiting to help you further. It is upto you to show some interest, some determination, some eagerness; you can trust God to do the rest for you.
You admit verbally that you are convinced, but do not put it into practice; nor do you tell what is unconvincing; what can be done in this situation? I would repeat, wake up in time, and follow the right path.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.29

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.29

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Nov.28

Purify Yourself Inwardly to See God.
If we investigate the root cause for birth, it can be traced to desire of one kind or another. We thus find ourselves trapped by desire in the maelstrom of birth and death. It is futile to seek arguments and try to probe whether desire came first or birth. It is like posing the question, which preceded, the tree or its seed. Whatever that may be, the fact remains that the cycle of birth and death goes on. We should, in brief, free ourselves of worldly desire.
When we see a shadow pass across, we conclude that someone has passed. The world is like a shadow, the basic fact being God. Let us try to recognize Him. Although He is all-pervading, we cannot see Him because our eye-sight is clouded by worldliness. We can only see Him when our eyesight, that is, our outlook, is cleansed of that worldliness. If, for instance, one looks on a woman, she will be seen as one's impulse may be; to a lustful man she will appear amorous, while a noble man will feel motherly regard for her. So, without a pure, selfless heart one will not notice the immanence of God in everything. While trying to perceive God everywhere, one should not overlook His presence in one's own self. Both kinds of awareness have to be practised simultaneously.
Obey the sadguru; this destroys ego. Saints somewhat deprecate rigid conformity to religious practices, for the possibility of a rise of self-righteousness; whereas, doing what the sadguru advises precludes that possibility. An objection may be raised here that the sadguru, too, advises nama-smarana, that is, some kind of action. A man suffering due to overeating went to a physician to seek relief. He was given three powders to be taken at stated intervals. 'But, doctor,' he protested,' on the one hand you advise me not to eat anything, and, in the same breath, you ask me to take these powders! How can we reconcile your instructions?' The doctor replied, 'These powders have to be taken to counteract the effect of previous overeating.' Similarly, the action of nama-smarana is advised for removing the effect of previous actions, which tended to create the rise of the sense of ego and doership. The sadguru reduces our love for sense-pleasures and creates relish for nama.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.28

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.28

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Nov27.

Worship Saguna, Being Conscious of NirgunaSuppose we want to go to a certain place. We take the appropriate train, and alight when the proper station is reached. Similarly, although we remember that God is ultimately, abstract, without form or attributes, we have to assume Him to be saguna. When a man forgets himself in saguna devotion, the ego and the saguna form of God both disappear; and what remains is the true, abstract Ultimate Reality, the nirguna God. Therefore, one should understand the truth and yet practise devotion to saguna. If one forgets oneself while practising saguna devotion, is it not the same as nirguna upasana? A person who has fever loses taste for food, finds everything bitter; similarly, because our entire outlook is thoroughly vitiated by being oriented to the senses, we are not genuinely interested in either saguna or nirguna.
We have some funny ideas about paramartha. Complete ignorance is better than mistaken notions. The sun has been there before, is there today, and is going to be there in the time to come. Consequently we take him for granted, almost overlook him. A like attitude grows up about God. A non-believer may say, 'There is no God; show Him if you claim that He exists.' Actually, even he admits the existence of God, though he may call Him by different names, Nature, the powers that be, etc. Then whatever he accepts to exist, should be regarded as God.
A man cannot write down all that he knows; the reader cannot assimilate every word he reads, nor can he explain all that he has understood; nor again, can the listener grasp everything he hears. Therefore, there is no proof as perfect as personal experience. Experience teaches that all doership finally rests with God; so all that one can seek, is to stick to duty.
The saints observed that prapancha and paramartha are imagined to be in conflict with each other. They synthesized the two, and advised doing prapancha, while keeping aware of God by ceaseless nama-smarana. So, I say again, be in nama-smarana while you go through worldly life; keep firm faith in nama and, without deviating from it, you may do what practical life demands. Nirguna is not perceptible, not comprehensible, so it manifests itself either as divine incarnations or as saints.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.27

Sri Maharaj's Pravacha in Kannada-NOv.27

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachana-Nov 26

Relate Yourself Suitably to God
Set up some relationship with God. Imagine Him to be your master, yourself His willing slave; make Him your mother, be yourself the child; He the father, you the son; He the husband, yourself the dutiful wife; He the wire-puller, yourself the obedient puppet. When a child is adopted, do we not give him our parental love? A youth and a young girl marry and give each other conjugal duty, and love between them grows. Love begets love. So relate yourself to Him as you feel, as you please, and facilitate attachment for Him. Hanumanta took Rama for his master, and established Him in his heart. Guha had similar feelings. Ravana as an enemy, Bharata as a brother, Seeta as her husband, Bibheeshana as an ally, all these filled their heart with Him in one capacity or other.
Take Maruti for your model. Think it a sacrilege to live in a town or village that has no temple dedicated to Maruti; or at least have a Maruti idol at home. Sanctify your home with some upasana practices; let it be as holy as a temple. All food and drink you imbibe should be looked upon as a divine gift; never think otherwise, and never forget God, the giver. As His gift, we should have no special regard to taste. The main thing is to remember God in every act and in everything; whether it is eating, drinking, singing, playing, or walking. However, it is difficult to keep aware of God in singing, because the tune and the time-beats demand a lot of pointed attention. In any case, the singing should be so genuinely expressive of emotion that it should call forth tears even from God.
Rama never fails to provide enough to fill the needs of His people; conversely, we should learn to make do with what He provides. We think very earnestly of Him when there is a difficulty or calamity; we should have the same degree of earnestness at all times. Our faith in Him should be complete, then He takes over all anxiety for us.
The crux of upasana is to feel an earnest need for God. The individual soul is essentially the same as the Cosmic Soul, like a droplet of sea-water and the ocean. To recognize this, to unite with that Cosmic Soul, is the objective of the spiritual quest.

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Sri Maharaja's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.26

Sri Maharaja's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.26

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Nov25

Surrender to God, Eschewing all Desires
God is omnipresent, and man is endowed with the special faculty of intelligence whereby he can convince himself about His presence. Some people, namely the saints, discovered and actually experienced His presence; we find their word reliable, and accept their assertion. If His existence is certain, how can we come to realize Him? In algebra, we assume 'x' as the unknown quantity to be found. Its value only becomes known when the problem is solved; till then, its value is only hypothetical; but we have got to assume 'x' to begin with. Similarly, we must assume the existence of God to unravel the mystery of life. His true nature and form we can only realize when the mystery is finally solved.
He is our true relative and well-wisher who shows us the way of escape from this cycle of birth and death; a saint is such a person. Saints have declared what God likes; it is simply this, 'Go in implicit surrender to God, eschewing all interest in worldly pleasures and desires'. At present we yield to sense-pleasures and passions. But one who obtains the Lord's support no longer fears anything. However, going to Him in implicit surrender is really far more difficult than performing intellectual and physical feats.
When we climb a stairs, we do not do it to please or oblige the steps, but to reach the upper floor; the stair is only the means. Similarly, pilgrimages to holy places, religious vows and observances, are all means; it is God that is the object. People, however, attach importance to these means, and completely overlook the object; isn't this just refusing to listen to reason?
God, in reality, is abstract, without form or attributes. It is man that brings Him within the range of imagination, giving Him a habitation and a name. We imagine Him to be a model of virtue, of all desirable attributes. We look on Him first as having concrete existence, and then give Him a name.
God's world is perfectly all right; the change required is not in His order, but in our own outlook. Since it is He that controls and orders all creation, all happenings are at His command. When we water the roots, the water naturally reaches all parts of the tree; so, too, when we keep constantly aware of God, whatever happens is all for the best.
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Sri Maharaja's Pravachan in Marathi -Nov.25

Sri Maharaja's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.25

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Nov 24

Worship God with Utmost Ardency

Embers, touched knowingly or otherwise, will not fail to cause a burn. A philosopher's stone will turn into gold even a heavy sledge hammer with which it is struck. So, if you approach God with just devotion, even without 'knowledge', God accepts you with open arms. However, there is no real devotion so long as there is even a little attachment to any worldly matter. Where the devotion is really strong, the idol may exhibit even human emotion, human reaction. This may come about when the devotee, in his ardency of meditation, even forgets his own physical existence. This supernatural experience may pass on to others who are comparably advanced. However, this high level of ardency may not stand continuously. Hence this experience alone may not avail much in the spiritual quest.
A young boy played some prank on a neighbour, so she slapped him. The boy howled loudly, and retorted with abusive language. The mother, hearing the loud cries, came out, and spanked the boy roundly; and the boy accepted the treatment much more quietly, and without abusive language. Similarly, if difficulties come, a devotee with implicit faith will accept them patiently, in the belief that God has sent them in his ultimate interest; he will, of course, have to suffer a lot, but will not lose patience and balance of mind. We lose peace of mind if we lose sight of God. We should remember that the lion lifts its cubs with the same sharp fangs with which it kills huge animals; and yet, the fangs have no terror for the cubs.
If we think dispassionately, we shall easily know the way to God. God is attainable for all except those who will not change their ways and outlook. First put into practice what you have understood; the way ahead will automatically become clear in due course. Be content with what you know, for mere hair-splitting discussion will be of no avail; it only signifies egoism and attachment for the body and the world.
He alone will attain freedom from fear and from all desire, who enjoys the company of God. Everyone needs some support or other. People, however, look for support from something or somebody that is worldly and therefore imperfect; consequently, we do not get real freedom from fear. We should, therefore, look only to God for support.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.24

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.24

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan -Nov.23

God Surpasses both Logic and Imagination
Man's way and capacity of thinking are limited by the range of his imagination; Nobody, however, ever admits or recognizes his limitation. But God is beyond ken, beyond conjecture, beyond the pale of imagination, unamenable to or inaccessible to imagination. It is under the influence of illusion that man seeks to comprehend Him with his severely limited range of knowledge, and believes in that knowledge alone. We should therefore recognize the distinction between faith and fancy. True faith resides beyond doubt and fancy. It is a pity that we do not attach the implicit faith to God's name that Prahlad did; he entertained neither the shadow of doubt nor of fancy. Even in our paltry lives we come across events that we may not have dreamed of. Why, then, can we not believe that God is beyond our limited logic and meagre imagination?
Just as the sun lights the whole world, God pervades the temple, the house, the holy places, and everywhere, everything. God is accessible not only to the learned and the wealthy, but to all and sundry. Because He is universally owned by all, He must be easily obtainable. A learned mathematician may be able to do sums rapidly, but even rustics can do them accurately, though much more slowly, without acquaintance with higher mathematics. Similarly, a learned man may, perhaps, comprehend God quickly, but even an ignoramus may attain to Him, in due course. The Lord sees the deepest thoughts of a person very clearly and accordingly holds him near or at a distance from the bosom.
Immediately on birth, a person automatically acquires relationships like father, mother, etc. Similarly, once you establish kinship with the blissful Lord, you inherit all concomitant qualities of His bliss. We have in our bosom the same divine spark that was in Maruti; only he kindled it and developed it, whereas we smother and put it out; thus we have become our own enemies.
Important personages have no fear of the accompanying policemen, but suspected offenders are afraid of the guards accompanying to ensure that they do not abscond. Similarly, a person who banks on God to back him is not frightened by upadhi, for he has the conviction that he can come to no harm.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.23

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.23

Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachana - Nov22

God is Supremely Loving
What an enormous trouble you undertake to reach this remote village ! And, on reaching, you accept a life full of inconveniences of many kinds, what with the lack of city amenities. But then, do you correctly realize what all this is for? Do you truly, keenly, feel the urgent need of God? We usually do not think much about the objective.
When we are faced with a difficulty, a calamity, or loss, our first reaction is to ascribe it to God's injustice or harshness. This is the greatest of sins. In this respect, even an atheist is preferable, for he will at least not impute it to God for the simple reason that he does not acknowledge His existence! As a matter of fact, God is extremely loving, and like a mother, cannot bear to see anyone in pain. So, first disabuse the mind of the idea that unpleasant things and events are the product of God's will.
Remember the misfortune and the most indecent humiliation suffered by Draupadi at the hands of Dusshasana. She had initially felt sure that her brave husbands and other elder statesmen will save her from this humiliation, but that proved to be wrong. It was only when she single-mindedly and most ardently remembered and prayed Lord Shreekrishna, that He rushed to her help and saved her from the worst act of humiliation. He explained to her later on, that He could not come to her rescue earlier, because she had pinned her hopes on others and not singly, to the exclusion of others, on Him.
Our call to God can not be termed really ardent unless we pin our hopes singly on Him, and give up all expectation from anyone or anything else. Such ardency will come only when we look on Him as the last, the only resort. This ardency arises only where there is incomparable love. Such love for God cannot come without long, intimate association. Such association results from ceaseless nama-smarana. I urge you to earn His love by such nama-smarana, devoid of extraneous thoughts and fancy, for such fancy is the weapon par excellence in the hands of maya. Pure, thought-free nama-smarana will be extremely efficacious, for, if you pray to God, thinking exclusively of Him, He hastens to shower His grace.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.22

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.22

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan-Nov.21

Stop Fancying, and Steady the Mind
If a villager visits the tahsil headquarters and is asked about his native place, he will give the name of his village; if he goes to the district headquarters, he will mention the name of his tahsil; similarly, in another state of the country, he will say he is a native of Maharashtra; whereas in a foreign country, he will say he hails from India. Thus, the larger one becomes, the less one minds the differences, and the more one tends to sink differences. Similarly, because God is the basic object of all religions, one who has attained God will treat all religions with deference. Till then, however, one had better follow the religion one is born in.
The various ideas man has had about happiness have failed to bring the expected results. One of these ideas was that money gives happiness; since even fabulous wealth has failed to give the desired satisfaction, the expectation has been proved wrong. Again, we see that what one person covets another detests. This shows that the thing is in itself neither pleasant nor unpleasant. A person often changes his own mind, that is, his likes and dislikes; therefore, there is nothing good or bad but thinking makes it so. Even relationships may be more notional than real. Calamity may cause repudiation of facts and relationships. Since they are often figments of imagination, we can replace one by another, and finally get rid of both. If we must indulge our fancy, why not think of God, that He is the most generous among donors, that He is our protector, He is the one to bestow happiness on us? It is these thoughts that are truly in our interest, and will really make our worldly life happy. It is experience that verifies or disproves our fancies; when fancy ends and the mind becomes free of its flights and inclinations, we should fix them on a steady object; and God is the only steady thing in creation.
It is a hollow idea to feel that one is happy because one has a certain thing or situation. One should be contented, irrespective of any particular material thing or situation, and the mind and its inclinations should be steady in the meditation of God. This is the goal that paramartha seeks to attain.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.21

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-nov.21

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan -Nov.20

Rama Alone is the Ultimate Reality
'Who am I? Whence have I come?' The answer is: You are the birthless, ever-existing Cosmic Spirit. Know that this Spirit has no death, is completely indestructible. When it assumes physical form, as a body, it activates that body; but it is not the doer, that is, does not have a particular object or intention in view. It passes all imagination in respect of form, attributes, etc., and is subject to neither birth, death, nor change. It is immanent in everything, but is beyond, or over and above everything that is tangible. All saints, all scriptures, unanimously declare that Rama, or God, is the Ultimate Reality. Even a tree-leaf, the slightest thing, moves only if and as He orders or wills. A thousand, million, salutes to that fundamental, Ultimate Reality. Shree Rama is my appellation for it; It surpasses all paragons of beauty and virtue, transcends all pleasure and pain. There is nothing more desirable. Transitory sense-pleasures mislead one to death and pain; when this conviction dawns on one, takes root, only then he shall be able to overcome their lure.
There is no need to make outward changes, only give your heart to Rama. His grace should not be gauged by children, wealth, and other material belongings that people desire. Never let dejection or despondency enter the mind; pin your hope and trust in Rama and Rama alone. Rama is verily the Ultimate Reality. We sought the support of Rama before our birth, but later gave it up in the flush of the feeling of ego and proprietorship. I should never forget that my sole saviour is Rama the Creator, the Protector, and the Destroyer of the cosmos. The omnipresent Rama cannot be but with me, too: He occupies the universe, there is not a single point devoid of Him. Everything is dependant on His will. Whatever happens is at His command.
Wisdom, intelligence, the feeling of identity with the body, desire, imagination, are all manifestations of maya. Maya is ancient, as old as creation. Uncountable are those that have suffered from that supreme, fundamental illusion. The main illusion is the feeling of identity with the body; it is the prime illusion, the original sin. It is extremely powerful, and the greatest obstruction standing between us and God.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.20

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.20

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan-Nov.19

Ask Wisely of God
We cannot describe God in words, because He is without form, beyond attributes, nameless. He is, therefore, as one may conceive Him, as one may think of Him. He can, if it pleases Him, grant you anything you may ask for, but it will, of course, entail its complementary unpleasant consequence. So think carefully before you ask for anything.
A traveller walking along a road got tired, and squatted under a tree to rest himself. It happened to be the fabulous wish-granting tree, though he was unaware of it. He casually thought, 'How nice it would be if I got a glass of water to drink !' He found water by his side. After a while, he thought that he could do with something to eat. And he found food at hand. Soon after, finding himself drowsy, he felt like resting, and found a cosy bed all ready for him. 'Wouldn't it be nice if my wife and children were here to participate in this luxury !' he felt; and lo! there they appeared, all pleased and happy. And the thought arose in his mind, 'With the cup of happiness so perfectly full, one would wish life to end at such a supreme moment.' And the man dropped down, dead.
This shows that with a worldly outlook, one wish leads to another in an unending series; desire is never satiated. So ask wisely.
A king once felt keenly inclined to do something for a beggar; the latter, going to the extreme of his imagination, made bold to ask for a warm blanket! That emphasizes the importance of wisdom in asking when the donor is munificent and has unlimited means. So, ask of God the gift of His devotion, which alone can bring contentment.
God has reincarnated Himself time and again, but only to aid really staunch devotees. However, these incarnations also benefit others by inspiring devotion among them. We should surrender ourselves to Him in complete humility. God then has to shoulder all responsibility for us, and we are disburdened of all anxiety. Rama extended His kindness to Bharata, as a brother; His compassion to Vibheeshana as a refugee; and His mercy even to Ravana as an opponent; He deserted none. This Rama we can make our own by no simpler means than nama- smarana.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.19

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.19

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan -Nov.18

The Great Power of Faith
To be hypercritical is a sign of common human body-based approach. When a customer starts being critical and idly curious, the shopkeeper concludes that the customer is not at all a serious purchaser. This also applies to an aspirant in the spiritual quest. Arjuna fell into doubt and wordy, bookish discussion, regarding whether it would be proper to assail with arrows his seniors and teachers who confronted him on the battleground. When he saw the vision of the cosmic manifestation of the shape of things to come, he got out of the delusion, and realized the proper nature and assessment of life, and got the proper valuation of things.
Maya primarily creates the delusion of one's own doership. 'How, without some sense of doership, can there be any urge to action?' we reason; and then, sometimes, we do not hesitate to do what is clearly immoral. We should remember that even 'religious' acts do not help one to be absolved of sin; even 'meritorious' acts lead to rebirth. We continue to remember that we have surrendered everything to God. When suffering from misery, we attribute it to our previous acts, or the horoscopic position of planets, or the 'destiny'; but we forget that everything is directed, controlled, by God. Can a man say why and how he has lived till today? Is it not merely because God has willed it so? So, understand that it is God who is directing all affairs; it is He that has the last word in everything.
God made this universe, and He is immanent in everything. He is all bliss. He is in us, too. Why is it, then, that we at all experience misery? The simple answer is that we do not maintain awareness of Him, do not look for Him in everything, do not seek Him with a faithful, doubtfree mind. Faith is the very foundation of all mystical search; it is a force incomparable in its potency. What faith can achieve, action may not. Scholarship, intelligence, art, are like rat burrows in a house; faith usually trickles and gets lost through them. The learned seldom agree with each other, so their thoughts only unsettle our faith. So we should inculcate patience resulting from firm faith. The royal road is to believe that nama is God, and to remain in constant nama-smarana.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.18

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.18

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan-Nov.17

Faith is the Only Thing God Expects from Us
What should we pray God to grant us? You have come far to Gondavale; is it only to ask for worldly pleasures and transitory material matters? Not that He may not grant them, for His resources are limitless. Our resources being limited even if vast, we give something and the resources become less to that extent; it is not so with Him. But supposing my need today is fulfilled, does it satiate my desire for all time? No, fresh needs arise almost every moment. If, on the other hand, we decide to accept whatever it pleases Him to send us, whatever condition He pleases to keep us in, it will mean the end of all desire. So, let us approach Him in all humility, and ask for complete compliance with His desire, for the desire to ask nothing of Him. It is this that will give blemishless contentment.
All that God expects from us is utter, single-pointed loyalty. We should feel the same love for God that we feel for something we like most. This calls for spotless purity and holiness. All this comes when we go in unreserved, undivided surrender. That we cannot do unless we give up even traces of ego. The moment you become egoless, God will rush to shower His grace on you. So kill your ego and then approach Him. It is our experience that a person likes us to do what he likes. God, similarly, expects only wholehearted love from us. God can be propitiated by selfless love. Love is a divine thing, and can conquer the whole world.
Charity begins at home. Treat everyone with transparent, guileless, selfless love. Our talk should drip with love. The talk, nay, even the look, should ooze love. To give love needs no money, if you have little; nor does it call for enormous sums if you are rich. Nama is love incarnate, and give and take is a characteristic of love. If we utter nama, love for God will certainly arise. Love for nama is born of nama itself. Nama is the only worthwhile gift we can offer to God, or one that God can grant us; thereby He keeps us permanently in contentment. If you ask me the secret of secrets in the spiritual quest, I would unhesitatingly say, 'the love of nama is that secret.'



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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.17

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.17

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan - Nov.16

Divine Grace is Essential for Eradicating Conceit
To those who have come to Gondavale and are planning to return to their respective places, I would address a special word. Tradition expects a pilgrim to give up some of his defects at a holy place. Here, in Gondavale, you have been face to face with God, so I expect you to do something special. Leave a defect, conceit, here, and take God's grace with you in return. Now, conceit is not a material thing that could be handed by one person to another. It can, in fact, only be given up if God grants His grace, not otherwise.
Once it so happened that a sadhaka was performing some sadhana for three years. Gradually, as the sadhana advanced, there also grew in him conceit about his performance. His guru, as he happened to pass by, sensed this, approached him, and asked, 'What are you doing here?' The sadhaka, with conceit lurking in the heart, replied, 'I am performing this sadhana for close on three years.' The guru, divining his bloated conceit, only said, 'Very good; now carryon for only three days, and you will have achieved your goal.'
The sadhaka felt very happy at these encouraging words, and enthusiastically and with reinforced conceit, recommenced the sadhana, thinking lightly of mere three days. Curiously, though, he found himself unable to concentrate his mind even for three minutes. He felt pins and needles in the limbs, vague fear around him, a sensation of being thrown out of the body, and such other nondescript sensations, making concentration impossible.
Then it dawned on the sadhaka that all this while, he could go through sadhana by his guru's grace, and that the conceit that he had himself been doing it was entirely unjustified. He then went in surrender in complete humility to his guru, who then blessed his effort.
We should therefore realize that conceit, even for a good cause is harmful; indeed, conceit for a good deed is more subtle, more difficult to eradicate. Conceit for prapancha is, if at all, preferable, for it is more obvious, and therefore more likely to be detected.
In paramartha, it is easier to achieve than to consolidate what is gained. Let us pray to God and persevere in nama- smarana; He will then Himself assist in giving us joy in it.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.16

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-nov.16

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan - Nov.15

Worry Arises out of Doership
Does one have to go and search for joy? No. Here, one who is Himself the fountainhead of joy has played into the hands of the delusion that he is subject to misery. A certain man looked into a mirror to see his face, but could not do so. A wise man who was beside him said, "Pass the mirror to me"; he dusted its surface, and the man could then clearly see his reflection. This is precisely what the saints do. They remind us that we are ourselves the Ultimate Reality, the source of imperishable joy. The trouble is that we assume proprietorship of prapancha, and thus become subject to pleasure and pain, forgetting that the One who created also looks after its ups and downs. By what right can we claim proprietorship, doership? God, after all, manages everything according to His will and plan, while unnecessarily, futilely, we fret and fume. The best course for us is that we should leave Him to do as He pleases, and give up all worry. Once we leave everything and ourselves to His care and pleasure, we free ourselves from worry, and what remains is pure, unperturbable bliss for us.
Worry is a curious thing ! A man was worried that his son could not get a suitable job. When later, he succeeded, the man started worrying to secure a proper bride for him; then, after the wedding, the old man found that her conduct departed from expectation, which worried him. Thereafter, want of issue to the girl provided cause for worry. After the girl did deliver a son, the baby started having spasms. The trouble, which again provided a source of worry, yielded to long medical treatment. But, finally, life-long worry gave the old man apoplexy, to which he eventually succumbed !
It is clear that all worry originates in the sense of doership and proprietorship, which themselves stem from forgetting God. We take it that feeling anxious about anything is but 'natural'; this idea itself is pernicious, and must be eradicated. It is not the idea that is chaining us down; on the contrary, it is we that hold on to it and won't let it go. We should remember that one who makes God his sole support, has never reason to worry. He is convinced that God does everything for him, even if it is apparently calamitous.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.15

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.15

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan-Nov.14

Carry on Prapancha as if it Belongs to God
Do you think that the world that you see about you has a controller or regulator? If you ask an atheist, 'Who created this universe?' he will reply, 'Of course, the elements.' If you further ask him, 'And who made the elements?' he will have to say, 'Beyond this I don't know.' Whether he does or not, however, clearly there must be a maker for everything; and that Ultimate Maker a theist calls God. Old, archaeological remains show temples and monuments whose makers we are often unable to trace; whether we can or not, we can be certain that there is a maker. Similarly, there is a Maker for this universe.
Children play in a wendy house at home-making, with fake cooking, weddings, deliveries, children, and what not. And yet, when the mother calls them, say, for lunch, they run to the dining table, leaving the wendy home in whatever disarray it may then be, even, perhaps, the 'baby supposed to be crying for milk.' .
It is exactly like those children that we should look upon this 'real' worldly life; for, if God is the Maker of the universe, He is also the Saviour and the Destroyer. How then, do we have the right to feel either elated or downcast at happenings in our life?
If we hire a house and claim ownership of it, will the real owner entertain the claim? He will seek some redress or other and evict us. It is so with prapancha, too; in reality, it is all by His decree that we are so and so in such and such a family or society or circumstances. How can we claim to have things to suit our sweet will? It is therefore only fit that we should do our duty, and meekly accept what He directs, readily quitting life, too, when He pleases to call us away. If we keep this outlook we shall go through prapancha unaffected by pleasure or pain. Nor should we worry about prapancha if we take to devotion to God, prayers, and hymns. If we then become regardless of prapancha, like Shree Tukarama, we shall only be progressing on the path of paramartha; and if we do not thus become regardless about it we shall evidently be attending to it, which is only to be considered 'normal'. So instead of keeping just moaning, let us remain cheerful, in nama-smarana; the mind will undoubtedly clarify itself and tend to devotion.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.14

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.14

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan-Nov.13

The Right Way to Know God
When a person does anything, he leaves his stamp, or reflection, on it, although he also maintains his own personal individuality. So, too, God the creator is an invariable, inherent, implicit part and parcel of all creation. That is why we are asked to see Him in all creation. To achieve this calls for an intense desire and belief. Many people have just a vague feeling that there is something called God; they do not know, nor do they have a burning desire to know Him fully, to realize Him truly. It is this earnest desire that is the basic thing. Then the person looks about himself, starts searching seriously to acquaint himself with the different approaches to God. Some say that becoming a sannyasin is the shortest, quickest way; some may advise celibacy as the way; some may suggest married life as advised by the vedas; while sacrifices, Patanjala yoga, and various other sadhanas may be suggested by various others.
What should we do in this perplexing confusion of opinions and suggestions? We can accept the path trodden by those who have successfully pursued the spiritual quest. Who can be said to have succeeded in this quest? Evidently, the saints; so let us follow the path they advise.
When we are out trying to locate a certain place, we often come to crossroads. Usually, there we find boards indicating the place each road leads to. It may happen that the road leading to our desired place is without shady trees, while another of the roads is shady, attractive. Shall we prefer it to the one we need? But that is precisely what we are doing. We allow ourselves to surrender to sense-pleasures merely because they yield immediate enjoyment, though they are short-lived and may eventually lead to pain. We therefore miss the path leading to God.
Let us, then, follow the route indicated by saints, though it may look unattractive, remembering that, even so, it is the one that leads to God.





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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.13

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.13

Sri Maharaja's Pravachan-Nov.12

Difference between Baddha and Mukta
The baddha is of the world, tied down to its pleasures and pains, whereas the mukta is free of them, and God is the only reality for him. Saints completely dissociate themselves from the body; people ask, not about their progenitors, but about the guru, the upasana. They are, for all practical purposes unaware of the body; its awareness, ego, is all merged in God. The baddha takes far more interest in the pleasures, the happenings, and condition of the body and material existence; a lessening of such interest indicates progress in the direction of absolvement; this becomes complete when God becomes the sole reality.
We are baddha today because we take ourselves to be so; we identify ourselves with this body, whereas we are, in fact, a part of the Basic Reality. Consequently, the pleasures and pains of the body persecute us, and are felt by us as real. The soul, actually, is unaffected, detached. We take the soul and body both as 'ourselves', although we say 'my' arm is aching or 'my' stomach is upset. Tacitly, therefore, we admit that we are not the organs or their assemblage which we call the body, and the 'owner' or the 'soul' is different from, independent, of the body.
Our mind takes joy in sensual pleasures, so we have a soft corner for them. But these pleasures being transitory, the joy, too, lasts only a short while. Discontent also arises from dependence on other persons or things. We should, therefore, never forget the true nature of our' selves'.
This detachedness can only come from true devotion to God. An obstruction to this comes from the 'body-am-I' conviction, which must first be ousted from the mind. So let us ever carry the feeling that we belong to God, and that whatever happens is by God's will; this will gradually erode the 'body-am-I' belief. This does not call for penance, sacrifices, and such other austerities, nor for relinquishing family life and retiring to the forest, or any such other cumbersome and strenuous performance. Abandon all doership, say you belong to God, and be happy and contented; this will gradually attenuate the ego. Just as the 'body-am-I' conviction consolidated itself into identity with the body, we shall recover our true identity with the Ultimate Reality by repeating that we come from God.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.12

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.12

Sri Maharaja's Pravachan-Nov 11.

The Royal Road of Devotion to God
Knowing God is alone true knowledge; what commonly goes by the name is merely verbosity, pseudo-knowledge, which cannot lead one to knowing about the Prime Mover. Devotion alone takes one to true knowledge. A devotee is one who is never apart from God. Non-attachment to worldly pleasures and objects cannot be secured by merely regimenting or chastising the body; it is automatically inculcated by willing acceptance of the situation in which God chooses to keep us. If He chooses to keep us in pleasant circumstances, we should take care to see that we do not contract an attachment. Vairagya does not require us to quit prapancha. Saints did not forsake their prapancha; in fact, they pursued it with an unerring sense of duty, a shade better than us, but without attachment to it in the heart. Indeed, vairagya can be said to be truly imbibed only by the unattached. It need not be advertised by smearing the body with ashes, but may be known by the degree of contentment at God's dispensation. To respect, to accept, a situation without entertaining any expectation, but with humble contentment, is abiding by divine will, or becoming a devotee. Nama-smarana facilitates this attitude; so put your faith in it and practise it assiduously.
The nama which the guru has imparted should be practised, and in fact, the guru should be seen as identical with it. Thereby the disciple comes to see the guru in everything, everywhere; even in a bad place no less than in a nice hall. Then, as everything looks like the guru, there remains nothing that is bad, detestable.
Nama-smarana is not only a means, but also the object. Believe in nothing that contradicts this, for it is the only truth. Believe firmly, unshakably, in it. If you have this belief, God is not far to seek; He is ever by you.
Paramartha is not at all difficult if you transfer to it the attraction and the attachment that you have today for prapancha. To go to the guru in utter surrender is the same as surrendering your ego; the former is not possible without the latter. So long as I identify myself with the body, so long only one suffers the pangs of pain and misery. Ego is destroyed by nama-smarana, so keep yourself constantly absorbed in it.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.11

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.11

Sri Maharaja's Pravachan-Nov.10.

With Rama beside us; Why Misery or Worry?
I cannot control what I call 'mine'. Experience shows clearly that I cannot guarantee anything about my own self, my own body; and yet I grieve over separation from someone else when he dies. A thoughtful person should ponder logically over the issue; what can we, mere mortals, do when Rama decides to do a certain thing in a certain way? We should therefore control our grief with consideration, and keep ourselves and others contented with the situation one finds. 'To dedicate everything to Rama' should be genuine, not merely a verbose swagger. The sign of genuineness of dedication is acceptance of whatever comes, without wail or demur, worry or yearning.
Everyone, if he recalls his experience, will have to admit that God grants His protection everywhere, always. So place full faith in Rama. Rama is not propitiated by mere acts of physical strain, such as fasting, but by devotion. Proximity is achieved by living a devout worshipper's life. In such proximity, how can one at all feel worry or misery? How can darkness exist after sunrise? So, listen to my advice: Rama will remove from your minds and take upon himself all the burden of anxiety, and give you peace of mind.
Pray to God thus: "O Lord, bodily pain distracts attention from You; now, I place my body at Your service and disposal; please see to it that Your name is never out of my mind." God is very compassionate, and will not fail to do what is in your interest. Take courage in the faith that I am with you and will back you up in the hour of need. Remember God with steadfastness; thereby He will shower mercy on you. Rama, the champion of the meek, is aware of everything. Do whatever is demanded by the occasion, never forgetting God the while. Do nama-smarana free of all worry: God will bless you and grant you contentment.
Recollection of the happy or sad times of the past, and worry about the events anticipated, these are major contributors to misery. Thus, selfishness, that is the feeling of 'I and mine,' is the basic cause of anxiety. It is our sense of attachment that leads to pleasure, pain, worry, and grief. It is the nature of this duality to make the mind fickle. To treat the world and ourselves as permanent is the root cause of grief and pain.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.10

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-nov.10

Sri Maharaja's Pravachan-Nov.9

Hurting Somebody's Heart is Violence
We find that variety is a trait of all creation, including man and animals. God, however, singly animates all of them. Animals which are inimical to each other yet survive side by side. Man and tiger inhabit the earth, each fearing the other and therefore desisting from wantonly attacking each other. To do something contrary to the legitimate interest of another amounts to himsa, or a breach of reverence to a creature of God; but, to resist or cast off something that militates against attainment of God should be considered ahimsa, that is, no such breach, and is hence not prohibited. To hurt another's mind for self-aggrandizement is himsa, a sin. Quite frequently we find ourselves unable to execute our own desire; it is therefore unfair to expect others to conform to what we have in mind.
It is a common practice with our women to observe a vow or rule during the four sacred months of the rainy season. Some of them serve no purpose beyond practice of curbing the mind. I suggest observing the vow not to hurt anyone's mind or feelings; do it for the four sacred months, then extend it to a year, and finally to your whole life. This will teach you control over what you utter and how you behave with others. Theoretically we admit that God is present in everything at all times, but forget all about it in actual practice; how can this be justified? The only remedy is to dedicate yourself to nama, the symbolical reminder of God. To regiment speech so as not to hurt anyone, is penance for the tongue.
By all means do everything that is proper in practice. Things do get done according to His plan; where our efforts conduce to it, we get the satisfaction that we have lent a hand. To expect that all that I desire should come about, amounts to expecting that His plans should be modified to suit my wishes. This is evidently not possible, and therefore I stand devoid of beatitude.
I therefore say, "Have firm faith in Rama. If I have done what duty demanded, and have never forsaken moral principles, come what may, I shall not fret but face it with courage, and the conviction that I have not failed in my duty; a person with this attitude in life can alone be happy and contented."

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Nov.9

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Nov.9

Sadguru Sri Brahmachaitanya aradhanotsav -15-12-2019 to 21-12-2019