Saturday, February 29, 2020
Friday, February 28, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-FEb.28
Pray God Only for Love for His Name
What blessing will you pray God for? Ask Him only for love for His name and nothing else. Make no mistake in the matter. A teacher may have taught his students very efficiently during the year, and given them all the likely questions together with the correct answers; yet, at the time of examination, he cannot guide them even if he is present and notices that an answer is incorrect. I am in that position. After all, it is for you to pray and beg for the favour you desire, and I caution you in the matter lest you ask for something other than love for His name.
If you never let the nama of the Lord slip from memory, whatever the circumstances, your mind will not be agitated by pleasant or unpleasant happenings. A man gets frightened when calamities befall him. But at least those who believe in God should not get scared. When the father covers his face with a veil to pretend being a bug-bear, the child becomes apprehensive, but once it knows that it is only its father pretending as a bug-bear, it gives up all fear. So, too, everyone should remember that all happenings are the acts of God or our sadguru. This will remove fear and sorrow for unpleasant happenings as well as jubilation over pleasant happenings. For this, one should constantly meditate on the Supreme Being.
Sometimes we find that a thing does happen as we desire, but it does not result in happiness; conversely, it also happens the other way round. In other words, we cannot judge immediately whether a happening is ultimately conducive to our happiness or sorrow. So let us learn to wait and watch before we jubilate or grieve over anything.
When the body goes through suffering, which is the result of prarabdha we should be glad like one repaying a debt. To evade prarabdha is equivalent to evading a creditor. Prarabdha is nullified only when the ego dies out. Remember what Kunti, the mother of the Pandavas, asked for from Lord Krishna: "Lord, I cannot blame you for what I suffer, for it is simply the result of my prarabdha; but if that suffering keeps me in constant awareness of your presence, then pray keep me always in suffering throughout my life." Let us realise the wisdom underlying this request, and do our utmost to remain in communion with God.
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.27
Why We Fail to Develop Love for Nama
The names of the great saints such as Jnyaneshwar, Tukaram, Samartha Ramdas, have survived these long centuries. The reason is that they had intense love for nama. We have faith in the words of these saints. We also feel that we should have the same intense love for nama that they had. Why do we not succeed in this? This point deserves consideration.
The saints declare that nama surpasses even nectar in its deliciousness. Why, then, do we fail to feel love for it? Certainly there must be something that stands in the way. If sugar placed on the tongue fails to taste sweet, we say that evidently there is something wrong with our palate and health; similarly, since we fail to find sweetness in nama, there must be something wrong with us.
Almost all people put forward one plea or another. One says," I do not feel love for nama because I am yet unmarried; when I have a wife and children and a family of my own, I shall naturally come to love nama." But then, how many of those who are married and have a family, love nama? Some others say," Because we are short of money, we have always to labour under anxiety, and this bars the rise of love for nama." How many of the affluent millionaires can we show who have developed this love? Yet others plead preoccupation with worldly responsibilities such as the wife and the family, illness, management of farms and property, as the cause for the lack of love for nama. Yet others say, "I am fed up with the travails of worldly life; I shall now renounce all these and become a sanyasin so that I may acquire love for nama. "Yet others may be so disgusted as to be inclined to ending life by suicide. In brief, everyone blames the situation he finds himself in, for failure to acquire love for nama. We should give serious thought to this and find out whether the external situation is a real impediment to the generation and development of love for nama. To my mind, the true cause is that we do not sincerely desire to have God as the mentor and support. Indeed, to feel such a desire is a matter of rare good fortune. When such a desire arises, that itself will show you the way.
Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.26
Nothing Makes Nama-smarana Impossible
Man's entire struggle is for lasting contentment. Because such contentment is only with God, everyone needs Him. Everyone says that despite his efforts he has not succeeded in attaining God, and blames circumstances for the failure. Let us consider the problem in earnest.
Circumstances are of two kinds: external, and internal. The first and foremost factor of external circumstance is bodily health. Can we do nama-smarana irrespective of the state of health? The Lord states in the Bhagavadgeeta that it is possible to do nama-smarana even at the moment of death, when the body becomes very weak and infirm. It is therefore incorrect to say that the condition of health affects nama- smarana.
Many complain of financial stringency, and say want of money gives worry and prevents giving attention to God. Now tell me, how many of those who have amassed vast wealth and reached the pinnacle of prosperity, turn to nama-smarana? How many kings have quit their kingdom and turned recluse with the object of attaining God? Therefore, want of money cannot justifiably be put forward as a reason hindering the attainment of God. On the contrary it is money that lessens faith, for it gives a false sense of security. One saves money against needs of advanced age; but what guarantee is there that one may at all live to be old? Happiness and contentment have no relation to money. Every person has his retinue; when the king of ghosts is in procession, he is followed by ghosts and evil spirits; whereas, in His procession, God will be accompanied by compassion, forgiveness, and a spirit of joy. Similarly, accumulation of money is followed in its wake by anxiety, avarice, and dissatisfaction. A woman may resist the adulterous advances of a man, but money does not resist even ill use. It is almost always money that causes discord between even a parent and son or daughter, or between siblings or between friends. It cannot be said that to collect money is improper; but it should not create a sense of security, nor should it be allowed to stand in the way of consciousness of God. When the desire to attain God arises, that will itself show you the way to Him.
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.25
A Parting Message
As a farewell message, I would exhort you to bear love for each other. The whole world can be brought under sway with the help of love. You may learn from me how to get oneself endeared to others. I am very fond of this art, for he is bound to be liked by God who endears himself to others. Only he who is unselfish will be dear to others. He who accepts the dispensation of the Lord will be liked by all. The Lord likes one who does for others what he would do for himself. Everyone should covet our company. For this, it is necessary neither to do only what people like, nor speak only to please them. To love others does not depend on any extraneous thing, and needs no money, as my own experience goes.
I have gone through the direst poverty, and yet I could keep uninterrupted consciousness of God; why then, should you find it difficult? If there is any rule that I have scrupulously observed, it is: do not hurt anybody's heart.
I exhort you to do the same. Whomsoever I met I treated him as my own. All that I did, I treated this as a sport, and merely played the game and therefore remained untouched by pleasure or pain, success or failure.
I reincarnated myself to fulfill my unsatiated craving for chanting nama. I look on all of you as Rama. If there is anything you want to tell me, you may narrate it to God Maruti wherever you may be, and it will become known to me.
One who belongs to me will be automatically drawn to me, wherever he may be. I dislike dejection and despondency. Those who slandered me know not who I was in reality, but, what is more, those who applauded me know me even less.
Repeat nama with all your heart; this will awaken you to your own short-comings, and then you can try to eradicate them. To achieve concentration, remember always that God is watching you. Stop thinking 'I want this' and 'I don't want that.' Believe firmly that Rama is the doer. Apply your good qualities to His service. Approach Him with humility and childlike simplicity and trust. Do not get disgusted with bodily pain and suffering. Take care, but be not anxious. Rid yourself of fear and of your ego.
Monday, February 24, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.24
Nama is the Sovereign Remedy
You say that you repeatedly make mistakes. They seem amusing to me, like a child's toddle or baby-talk to its parent. Equally amusing are your attempts of correction. So you need not feel embarrassed in the least. If the guru says that you are condoned and absolved from your past deeds, the disciple should accept it in faith. Nama is the only remedy that purifies a man of his errors. Indeed, it is the sovereign cure for all ills; only, it must percolate steadily, constantly, by drops as it were. It should also be taken to your workplace. It does good to all, the learned and the ignorant, the rich and the poor. It will show a quick result if taken with the proper regimen.
If a boy insists on jumping into a well, should the father indulge this stupid obstinacy, or bring him to reason with a slap in the face, and lead him away by force? Similar is your solicitation for mundane things. The true devotee is never in pain, sorrow, or dejection; he is ever contented, no matter what pangs of poverty, difficulty, or bodily illness he may be in. We commonly feel sorry if we fail to get what we want. A true devotee, on the other hand, harbours no desire whatsoever, and so has no cause for sorrow at any time. Indeed, being merged into the Supreme Being, his desire does not differ from that of God. Worshipping saguna, he gradually forgets his individual self and becomes increasingly confirmed in feeling that he has no separate existence from God. When, finally, his individual soul dissolves into the Cosmic Soul, the intermediary Rama, Krishna, etc. also vanish, and the sole thing that remains is the Cosmic Soul.
A person recuperating from exhaustion following a prolonged illness needs the support of a walking stick; likewise, a common house-holder should resort to saguna bhakti. Indeed, nothing else is possible so long as there remains even a vestige of awareness of the body. We should pray to God for His grace, which consists in His unbroken remembrance. This will eventually result in bhakti. There is no happiness, no contentment, except in belonging to God. One who so belongs to Him, that is, remains in constant remembrance of nama, will never be tired of life.
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Sunday, February 23, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan- Feb.23
The Aspirant and Nama
Those who believe that every word only echoes the divine name are indeed peculiarly blessed. We entertain love for only the nama of our particular deity, but when realized persons hear any utterance by anybody, they feel it is the divine name.
Do not bother about the way to utter nama; do it in any way you like or can, but see that you cling firmly to it. Experience for yourself the efficacy of nama-smarana. Remember nama when sense-objects try to lure you.
What did Prahlad do except chanting nama? Love nama with his fervour. This is just what all devotees have done. Nama-smarana is the pathway to God. Do that, and sense-lures will automatically die out.
A sadhaka should be softhearted like butter; agreeable to all, and hurtful to none. You can do this only by being absolutely unselfish. If anyone bows in respect, the sadhaka should remind himself that he does not deserve it, so that he will neither be puffed with vanity, nor feel slighted when not so saluted. After doing a good turn, he should not tarry there lest he may have to listen to praise or gratitude.
One who aspires to attain to God should realize that he has now entered the wrestling pit, and must not be shy of being soiled by the red soil of its bed. The wise wrestler rolls first in that soil to overcome such shyness.
There are two ways to reach God. One is, to live in His remembrance, free of all anxiety, and in the firm faith that whatever has happened so far has been only by His will, that whatever is 'mine' really belongs to Him and so He will take care of it, that whatever He does must be for the good of all, and that the future, too, will be at His will.
The other way is to remain in contemplation of God, relinquishing all attachment, and with the conviction that "I belong to God and to none else." This way is more difficult because the sadhaka has to sever all ties of attachment but that to God, for true love is single-minded.
Begin to act using your faculty of discernment between good and bad; the mind will automatically follow. Saints, therefore, advise us not to seek to subdue the mind but rather to turn it to God.
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Saturday, February 22, 2020
Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan- Feb.22
God Resides in Action which is Free of Desire
There is dire need to search and scrutinize our heart. Whether an action is righteous or otherwise is determined by its motive. It is futile to perform righteous deeds if the object is mundane pleasure. Even if you exert yourself physically, or abandon your wife and family, you will not meet Rama unless your heart is dedicated to Him, unless you become restless for Him. God resides in desirelessness, so all your actions should be devoid of desire.
Really speaking, the task of a sadhaka involves far less toiling than that of a worldly-minded person. Even a half of the householder's drudgery will bring bumper spiritual returns. The situation God chooses to place us in, is always favourable for recognizing Him. However, we act for worldly objectives, and at the same time complain that we have not been able to attain God; who can help in this anomalous situation? The puranas tell us that the demons performed penance to propitiate the Lord; so did Samartha Ramdas. The former did it to acquire worldly power and sensuous pleasures; they did get them, but lost the Lord. Samartha, on the other hand, wanted God for His own sake, so he got Him, which was his sole goal. Intense love creates intense yearning for God. We must feel that on attaining the Lord we shall have no other desire; then alone will the ego die. God's hand is ever extended to meet us; it is we who are not eager to take it.
Righteous behaviour is far more important than money and intellectual brilliance. If good conduct is accompanied by faith in God and a mind that remains contented in any situation, one can be happy in worldly life. Happiness is not a thing to be obtained from an external source, it is right there in our own mind. Just as I belong to God, so do all others; therefore, loving God is loving the world.
If we come across a bitter almond in prasada, we eat it without demur; why, likewise, should we not cheerfully accept the sorrow that God, in His wisdom, may occasionally send to us?
We should remember God, laying aside the questioning attitude for the while. One who is convinced that nama is the only truth, does not need to be told anything more. Under whatever circumstances you take nama, it will prove to be your saviour.
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Friday, February 21, 2020
Sri Brahmachaitanya pravachan-Feb.21
Cast Away all Pride of Doership
Can we have true devotion for God while we remain deeply interested in worldly matters? Assuredly not. The two are simply incompatible. A devotee is one who gives himself up unreservedly to God. This is impossible while retaining ego; so we should see how the ego can be conquered, and should conduct ourselves accordingly.
We go about in family life in the firm faith that our wish will prevail. Even at the fag end of life we speak with unshakable assurance, asserting that we will do this and that. What an arrogance, pride and ego! So I exhort you, discard the feeling that you are the doer; ascribe everything to Him, telling yourself that your success and achievement you owe entirely to His will. This will automatically diminish your attachment to worldly interests. You cannot walk in the way of God unless all feeling of doership dies out.
Some people argue that the vedas enhance our attachment for worldly matters when they promise a certain fruit for a certain action. However, this is only like holding out a candy to coax a child to take medicine. The idea is that a man should be induced to righteous acts with the bait of an alluring result, and when he continues to perform righteous acts his attachment to the result steadily diminishes; finally, with his ego attenuated, he comes to the realization that God is the doer. He then sheds all ego, and comes to feel that he is a mere tool in God's hand. Thereby, whatever he does automatically becomes dedicated to God.
The common man offers vows to God for deliverance from distress; and when he is not requited as desired, he concludes that it is futile to pray to or please God. But can one hope to dupe or bribe God? Being immanent in our heart, He knows our innermost secret feelings; He says, 'This cheat never thought of Me while things were after his heart; and here he is, now that he is in difficulty. 'What, indeed, have we done to deserve His granting of what we desire? We should never seek to deceive God, for He is beyond deception, and we may only be rewarded with frustration. We toil so much for worldly and family matters, but just consider, do we spend even an hour a day for Him?
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Thursday, February 20, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.20
Remember God and Do Your Duty
Never desert your duty. Maintain constant awareness of God. Do your duty properly, leaving the rest to God. This is the key to success. Conduct your worldly life without ever letting yourself forget Rama. Be ever alert to duty, simultaneously remembering God; this will give peace of mind. He who conducts his life thus will attain God. Never be idle; keep trust in God, but also pay attention to your duty.
To lose awareness of the body while remembering God is the chief characteristic of bhakti. Commend your body to Rama, totally relinquishing doership. No matter how deeply versed one may be in the shastras, futile and meaningless is the life of one who does not feel supreme happiness at the feet of the Lord.
To live in God is the best way to bliss. We should always think of how to attain Rama. Love for the Lord will certainly grow if you give up expecting happiness from worldly life. God should be the basis and the goal of all action; He alone can really bless you. Lay down all good and evil at the feet of Rama. Physically you can carryon worldly life, but the mind should be devoted to Rama, and then you will become a stranger to both pleasure and pain. Blessed, indeed, is the mother of the man who keeps his mind filled with Rama. To him there is no truth except Rama. With complete faith in Rama, you can live happily in your worldly life. For him who dedicates his life to Rama, his worldly life is itself equivalent to performing yoga-sadhana.
It is good to go about your worldly life in the firm belief that all that is apparently yours really belongs to Rama; you will then have little trouble to undergo, for Rama will ever be by you. Resign yourself to Rama, and believe that whatever may come about will be by His will. Keep your mind riveted on His holy feet, think of nothing else. Take care to see that you hold on firmly to Him; make yourself His serf. What is the main characteristic of a serf? That he thinks of none but the master. A servant of the Lord is respected by the world. Therefore, never forget that we are all His retainers. Resolve to consider Him as solely yours; let no other thought enter your mind.
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Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.19
Living in Nama is the Highway to God
A woman found it difficult to practise nama because her in-laws disapproved of it. I told her, "If one eats butter every day, maybe even surreptitiously, it is bound to show its fattening effect on the body. Similarly nama, even if practised without anyone's knowledge, will certainly have its wholesome effect. So, if you cannot practise nama openly, you can do so in secret, with due caution, and derive its beneficial effect." If the body is unable to take food by the mouth, it is introduced directly into the stomach through a tube; similarly nama taken with faith and feeling becomes effective very quickly.
A man travelling by bullock-cart fell in the road. A "good Samaritan" who reached the spot some time later found him lying there, took him home, and treated his injuries. Similarly, if we keep practising nama, a saint will come along some day and help us on; only, we must take care to be on the highway, that is, keep practising nama. To live engrossed in sense-objects and interests is like falling in an unfrequented by-lane.
How free of all conditioning nama is! We, who are grossly conditioned by the body-consciousness, therefore fail to realize its importance. It is the saints who truly realize it. England is several thousand miles away from here. We hear about it from those who have been there. We cannot go there on foot because of the long distance. Nor can we go there by a road-conveyance, because the wide ocean intervenes. We can, however, reach there without tiresome trudging, and without fear of being drowned, if we take a steamer. If, similarly, we take to nama, we can attain God in comfort and safety. We have not seen Him ourselves, but the saints have, and they describe Him. We cannot reach Him for the distance, and for the intervening ocean of worldly life. Under these circumstances, if we hold fast to nama we can comfortably attain to Him.
A person may be known by different appellations in different circles of his kith and kin, and he responds to any of them; so, too, will God respond, whatever name you call Him by. Just as a purchaser gets a property spread over different places merely by a single mention in the sale deed, the omnipresent God is comprehended in His name.
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Tuesday, February 18, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan- Feb.18
Repeat Nama With a Pure Heart
God is the creator as well as the protector of everything and everybody. He is also the destroyer; and yet He is called just and loving. This is evidently because He is selfless. That means that love arises from selflessness. In our case, our attachment to sense-objects and our selfishness obstruct our love for God. Should we, then not rid ourselves of these things? Our attachment and love for these must be given up. We ought to surrender ourselves to God and the saints, and should feel the need of nothing else.
The same clay may be moulded by a potter into a pitcher, a doll, or an idol of Ganapati, as demanded by the customer, so does God manifest Himself according to the seeker's concept. So our devotion should be pure, selfless. It is to this end that religious rites and practices are devised. Quite often, though, these are observed only in outward form, ignoring their spirit. For instance, take the man who, observing fast for ekadashi, instead of doing nama-smarana, spent the day scrubbing the sink and cleaning the courtyard and gutters! How will that purify his heart, as is sought to be done in prescribing the fast? So, in spiritualism obey the guru implicitly. Practise nama with complete faith and selfless heart, without harbouring doubts and misgivings. Once you realize the sweetness of nama the Lord will not let you go. We must have the conviction that there is no truth other than nama. The stronger the hold of the body-consciousness, the nama will have to be practised. There is no sadhana easier to practise than nama. The worldly-minded argue that the experience of the senses is instant and real, while that of the Lord is deferred and of inference, one of belief. I can understand their viewpoint, and am not surprised that they do not quit worldly life. What I am sorry to see is that they consider this "happiness" as ever-lasting. I ask you to believe only your own experience. When you realize that hankering after sense-pleasures does not yield happiness, then You will come to see the sweetness of nama.
You have no control over the body, nor over money, nor over the persons you call yours. So in your life, acquit yourself thoroughly of your duty, and go about with a worry-free heart.
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Monday, February 17, 2020
Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan-Feb.17
Repeat Nama with Deep Feeling
We do not feel the need for God at present, but we should consider how such need will be created. We shall feel it by meditating on God and repeating nama. The feeling should be so acute that we even lose thought of food and drink. The greater the conflagration the more the water required to put it out; similarly, the firmer the body-consciousness the more intense should be the chanting of nama. If we have no love for it we should persist in it all the more tenaciously. You will develop love by and by, even if you repeatedly tell yourself that you have it. You cannot help chanting nama when you have the conviction that it is the only sadhana, the only truth; and if repeatedly chanted, it will definitely develop love for it.
The saints assert that God exists, and we repeat the assertion parrot-like; but while, for them, it is direct, first-hand experience, for us it is pure inference. The saints have transcended the body-consciousness; we, too, shall gradually overcome it by association with them. This association need not be physical; it may be emotional, provided it is sincere, and this may actually be more effective. After all, the sanctity of a holy place, the divine in an icon, the mastership in a guru, all depend upon the emotion we bear towards them. If we go to a holy place with a conviction that a bath there will absolve us of all sin, then alone it acquires sacredness; else, it is just bathing with water! Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so. Nama creates faith. Nama repeated with faith will achieve its object quickly.
The common man can recognize a saint from the effect experienced by him. You are in the presence of a saint, if his company gives some degree of peace of mind, if the ego is subdued a little, if the mind is freed of desire for sense-objects or at least, the mind feels inclined towards that state. A saint sees God, or his own self, everywhere, and therefore he loves all. Universal love means doing everything selflessly. The saint sees unity all around. We on the other hand experience duality everywhere, because we feel kinship with only a few. We should treat all with artless, selfless love. Our talk, even our look, should be marked by such love.
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Sunday, February 16, 2020
Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan-Feb.16
Follow what the Saints Tell You
Feel happy in the circumstances in which God keeps you. Do not feel sorry about the misery and the reverses of family life. We always talk of 'me' and 'mine'; do we ever stop to consider how much of it we can really control or enjoy? The real reason for our misery is expectation, and avarice for more and yet more. This can only be cured by maintaining constant remembrance of God. Never forget that you belong to Him. True spiritualism requires that the mind is engaged in thoughts of God. Deceive not the world, nor let yourself be duped by it.
He who lives in nama really lives in the company of the godly. We usually keep company with those of like occupation and similar taste. Attach your mind to nama.
A dog is emboldened and barks at others when accompanied by its master; so, too, we should live fearlessly with the support of the Lord; only, we should not bark, that is, should not be puffed with pride that we chant nama. Such pride degrades the sadhana. We should forget that 'we' chant nama, and always behave with humility. Be attentive to your work, and treat all with love. A woman respects and tries to keep her in-laws pleased, with the primary object of pleasing the husband; similarly, behave so that the Lord is pleased.
If you ask the doctor, "Why don't you give me the medicine contained in that particular bottle?", he answers, "Because your illness is not one for which that is a remedy". Similarly, the sadhana prescribed by a sadguru is the one particularly suited for the individual's needs. Therefore, we should do as he tells us to; it is no use blindly imitating his actions. Hand over the reins of your life to him, and be carefree. Follow the guru's behest; when you come to the cross roads, he is right there to point out the correct way. What is the Use of doing nothing and merely asking, "What next?"
It is only the saints who have really comprehended the vedas. They have laid us under deep obligations by explaining the meaning in a simple manner. We should passively obey them to the letter, without adding anything of our own. We can rest assured of success then. A saint is brimful and dripping with love of God. Only nama-smarana will lead you to a saint.
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Saturday, February 15, 2020
Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan-Feb.15
" I am Present Wherever Nama is Chanted"
When I say "See me in nama," I mean that I treat my body as only the outer cloak but I am really in nama, for, really speaking, we are only where the mind is. Suppose you are on a pilgrimage, but your mind is thinking of your home; then you are virtually at home, not in the sacred place. If asked, "Where do you usually reside?" you will have to answer," In the world of the senses and sense objects." One can say that a person is where his liking lies. If, then, you are asked where your guru lives, will you not say, "In nama"? Therefore, I am where nama is being chanted; whoever chants nama may rest assured I am right by his side.
The learned, versed as they are in the shastras, claim that the jnyanamarg, the path of knowledge, is the way fit for them to attain God. In saying this, they lose sight of the fact that, path of knowledge is not only difficult but also risky, because it is very likely that the sadhaka may be infused with pride, the very thing which must be fully conquered before realization. They may verbally understand the doctrine that 'Brahman is the ultimate, undying Truth, while the creation is transitory', but they never experience it. In practice, they treat the body as the reality, although they theoretically declare the world unreal.
The orthodox, on their part, declare that they will rigidly adhere to the rites and observances prescribed by the vedas and shastras. They, too, deny faith in nama. They observe rules and limits very scrupulously, as if they were the goal and not the means, whereas the attainment of God is the end in view. Actually, the rules and rites have no more utility than the hedge for a field. They, however, mistake the one for the other, and assiduously water and manure the hedge; that is, they scrupulously carry out the rituals, forgetting all about the real objective, namely, God. It is accepted that vedic rituals are designed for purifying the heart, but that purification itself is for the attainment of God. If that ritual has not as its basis that objective, what ultimately emerges is sheer bigotry and orthodoxy. Actually, they contradict themselves; for, at the beginning of the sandhya or any ritual, they first utter Omkar that is, nama.
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Friday, February 14, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.14.
Practise Nama if You Want Bliss
When the body lacks or has excess of any of the basic constituent elements, the metabolic system becomes unbalanced and causes illness. Dry ginger is a substance which restores the balance, by making up the deficiency or counteracting the excess. Nama, in a similar fashion, removes the obstacles posed by certain qualities or short-comings in an aspirant and ensures his smooth spiritual progress. So, whatever may be the obstructing tendencies, if the aspirant chants nama persistently and with firm faith, his spiritual path is cleared, and the attainment of the goal is ensured.
It is the practice with some of us to maintain an ever- burning oil lamp beside the idol of a deity. Naturally, a supply of oil to the lamp has to be maintained. Similarly, one who desires that his lamp of bliss be maintained, must feed it with nama constantly; in other words, he must live in nama; for, that bliss has its very root in nama. Just as coldness is a property of ice all over the world, so bliss is bound to be where God is.
I would readily approve the doctrine 'Eat, drink, and be merry' but for the fact that it is based on the physical body, which is itself impermanent, and the joy vanishes no sooner than the affluence declines. Man, on the other hand, should learn to be happy irrespective of the circumstances.
Learn to be one with God, if only for five minutes a day; the joy of those five minutes will surpass mere living for a hundred years, just as mere haranguing for an hour on the sweetness of sugar cannot equal the pleasure of actually tasting even a pinch of sugar. It is true that there is joy in living, but the living that has no joy in it is worse than death. He alone can have a joyful life who lives in God. So one who really wants to 'live' should chant nama.
Shri Samartha prayed that he ever remain united with God; while Shri Tukaram prayed, 'let me never forget Thee.' The plain reason for such prayers is that where there is God there is pure, permanent bliss. We should resolve to be happy in the present, leaving unhappiness for the never-dawning 'tomorrow.' For, one who learns to maintain a blissful mind in chanting nama will enjoy himself all the time.
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Thursday, February 13, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.13
Timeless Supremacy of Nama
Nama is 'Sat-Chit-Anand' itself. Nothing is closer to the Supreme Soul than nama. It is the parent source of energy, as also of all bliss. In its ebullience, it gives rise to all creation. It generates numberless forms, destroys them, recreates them; all the while it maintains its own eternality; is this not a supreme marvel? Ever since I learnt to speak, I have been incessantly talking about it, and yet have not said enough about its greatness, its supremacy. He alone will conceive its greatness whose identity has completely merged in nama. Such a person will either maintain complete silence on the subject, or will go on talking about it to his last breath; for, the greatness of nama can never be told completely or adequately, nor will the listener be ever satiated.
Nama wipes out all sin. To forget the Lord is the greatest of sins; nama keeps us ever awake to the Lord. It is superior even to the vedas. In order to benefit from them, we must first study all the four vedas, which will involve a vast amount of time and labour; nama needs no effort. Besides, not all people are eligible and qualified for such study, whereas nama can be chanted by all and sundry. All vedic mantras commence with Om, that is, with nama. It is superior to pilgrimages to sacred places; such visits aim at purifying the heart, but they require adequate money and means as well as physical well-being. Nama, on the other hand, brings about such transformation right where we may be. One should go to Pandharpur, for instance, to learn to chant nama, else the pilgrimage is in vain. Nama is the prince of all righteous actions, sat-karmas, for sat is God; and therefore that alone is sat-karma which leads to Him. Other actions that can lead to Him follow tortuous roads, while nama takes us straight to Him. Nama is a sovereign cure for bhava-roga, the disease of worldliness. To be addicted to worldliness is at the root of that disease. Nama directs our love to God, detaching it from its present object, worldliness. Nama relieves us from all pain and misery, for they rise from love for sensuousness, which nama destroys. Besides, because God is bliss incarnate, when we hold fast to Him with nama, how can misery even exist for us?
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Wednesday, February 12, 2020
Shri Brhamachaithanya Pravachan- Feb.12
Nama is the Ultimate Truth in Essence
Nama is doubtlessly superior to the form; so even if you are unable to visualise the form while meditating on nama, persist in the meditation. The form will follow in due course. The form, being material and perceptible, is subject to birth, growth, and decay, occupation and change of space, change in course of time, and such other limitations. Nama is subtle, transcendent to perception, causation, birth, growth, diminution and decay; nor is it subject to dimension, change of position, limitations of time and space, etc. It is, in fact, the Ultimate Truth, and more comprehensive and omnipotent than form. What is more potent is obviously more independent, that is, less restricted, less limited. Therefore, nama is more extensive and pervading, more powerful, more independent, more free of limitations, than the form.
Let us examine the process whereby we imbibe knowledge. Suppose we stand on a hill top and survey the scenery around us. Firstly, the rays of light from all the objects pass through the eyes to the brain. Sense organs are thus the instruments of knowledge of external objects. The sensations conveyed by the senses are co-ordinated by the mind, and the intellect, by its power of discrimination, gives them an interpretation, so that we come to know what the object really is. But the function of human intelligence does not end there. After perceiving these objects severally, the trees, creepers, houses, gardens, humans, birds, lakes, etc; it synthesizes all of them and creates the conception of scenic beauty. This co-ordination of separate impressions perceiving unity in diversity, is a unique characteristic of human knowledge. In this world we notice such a variety in everything. Diverse types of stones, insects, birds, animals, all of them share one common quality, 'existence,' whether they are living or non-living. Similarly, even the emotion of joy 'exists', or has 'existence'. This quality of 'existence' is nama, the divine name, or 'omkar', the symbol of the Ultimate Reality, 'Paramatman', the Cosmic Soul. Therefore, nama was there at the beginning of creation, it is there today, and it will survive even the destruction of all creation. Nama is God. It gives rise to myriad forms which, eventually, re-merge into it. The form, therefore, has no existence independent of nama, for nama includes and trancends the form.
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Tuesday, February 11, 2020
Monday, February 10, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachanu-Feb.10
Advice to the Aged
Blessed is he who gets a chance to worship and serve Rama continuously. There can be no greater good fortune than serving Rama selflessly. Speech devoted to nama, the body dedicated to serving the Lord, the mind ever engaged in contemplation of God; in brief, complete dedication to God; this is the most perfect way to serve Him. Whatever is perceptible is perishable; this is what the spiritually great always bear in mind. Be you like them. Take care of the members of the family; never feel dejected. And yet, be detached at heart. Be in the practical world but not of it. Hold Rama in the heart always. Verily, I tell you, there is no better path to your true welfare. Tell yourself that henceforth you live for Rama alone, that you relinquish all doership to Him. Harbour no thought except the divine name. Give up all desire for popular esteem, think of God alone. Keep the mind focussed on Rama, and remember nama always. Dedicate yourself to Rama wholeheartedly. Never be despondent; remember that you are backed by Rama.
In advanced age the body becomes weak and incapacitated, but the hankering for self-esteem continues to flourish; set this self-conceit away. Entrust family affairs to the younger generation; do not interfere with them much, and remain detached and contented. Take care about your regimen, but never be dejected or miserable. Physical capacities may get attenuated, but desires and tendencies continue unabated. 'Me' and 'mine' continue to dominate so long as the body lives. So dispossess the mind of all these desires and tendencies by surrendering them at the feet of Rama.
The body becomes weak and incapacitated, so look after it carefully. The body should not be allowed to lapse into indolence; at the same time, we should not ignore its present condition, and should adjust ourselves to its requirements and limitations. Yet, our faith in Rama need not, should not get attenuated. Continue to be happy in family life, with full contentment at heart, for contentment depends on no external factor. This can be done if you treat gain and loss with equanimity. None but we ourselves affect the state of contentedness; it can be maintained if we leave the body to its destiny. Ascribe all doership to Rama, and forsake all anxiety. This can be achieved by constantly repeating His name.
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Sunday, February 9, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.9
Beware of Thirst for Esteem
Basically, we are part and parcel of the Eternal, but we erroneously believe that we are transitory. We have forgotten God, the Eternal. Because of a loving attachment for sensory objects we lose sight of the eternal. Our daily routine should be such that we are again and again reminded of the eternal. Really speaking, we should be constantly aware of the Eternal; since that does not happen, we should, as a reminder, devote at least some time every day to doing some appropriate reading and contemplation of what we read. This should become a habit with us. One who remains ceaselessly in nama-smarana lives in the eternal, as did Brahmanand.
Let us ponder how we can live unceasingly in nama. Implicit obedience to the sadguru is the sure means to this. Surrender yourself to him unreservedly. The seeker should read a little every day, think over it, act upon it, and finally surrender passively to the sadguru.
As a man grows in age his yearning to meet God should become keener. A sadhaka should do his spiritual exercise with an earnest mind, not merely as a routine. Haphazardness is harmful to spiritual progress. Implicit faith is the very stock-in-trade of sadhana. Rest assured that contentment is all in all. It is the thermometer with which to gauge one's progress. Do not think on the defects and shortcomings of others, for we ourselves carry their seeds in our hearts. Hankering for respect and applause from others is highly dangerous, for it leads even well-advanced seekers to downfall. So, too, do inordinate covetousness and lust. All these are snares in which seekers may be easily trapped. The sole attachment which liberates one is attachment to the Divine; it secures perfect, eternal contentment.
Guard yourself against becoming a prey to thirst for public applause, for this fosters the 'body-am-I' feeling even more than money and lust. Be extremely cautious in this regard. Avoid going where praise is likely. If you cannot avoid getting esteem, treat it as God's gift, not as what you merit. One who is really great never desires for respect and honour, and if they do come, cares not for them, spurns them. Search your heart to discover whether you desire respect; this will indicate what greatness you possess in reality.
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Saturday, February 8, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan - Feb.8
Nama-smarana Best for Self-interest
A gentleman met me and said, "I desire to see God. Have you seen Him?" I said, "Yes, I have." "Can I see Him, too?", he asked. I replied, "Yes, most certainly; but not with physical eyes. The sight with which to see Him is different." There is only one way to see Him, and that way is ceaseless nama-smarana. There is no other way. I say this to one and all, and it is necessary to heed to it in order that they should know whether they are following the path of their interest. But heeding will be effective only if put into practice. What is put into practice will alone serve you. Dedicate yourselves to nama-smarana; there is no other means of achieving ultimate self-interest. If there is anything which is naturally ours, which is free of all conditioning and restrictions, which is dependent on nothing else, it is the divine name. Therefore, whosoever repeats it with purity of heart and action, Rama will surely look after his interest.
Believe implicitly in the sadguru's behests. If he says, 'you will find the treasure if you go a hundred paces in this direction,' he evidently cannot be held responsible for failure to find it if you walk even twice as much but in a wrong direction. You say you desire to see God in form; but if seeing the sadguru and talking with him fails to satisfy you, what use will it be to see God in a tangible form? The idea that your well-being lies in something other than what the sadguru has told you to do, should not even enter the mind; so implicit should be your faith in him; you should wholly identify yourself with him, whole-heartedly belong to him:
There is nothing that achieves true self-interest except nama-smarana. To desire that, with the help of this potent nama, a member of the family should be cured of illness, is simply expending the power of nama for a petty mundane purpose.
When our need ends, we forget God, just as we throw away the remnants of medicine on getting over an illness. If we place implicit faith in the words of the sadguru, pleasant and unpleasant happenings cease to disturb the mind, implicit faith accompanied by unceasing sadhana breaks the shackles of worldly life; this constitutes genuine spirituality.
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Friday, February 7, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.7
Devote Maximum Time to Thinking of God
People generally aim at acquiring more and more of those things which give pleasure to the senses, in the belief that this will result in greater happiness. This belief is not, however, substantiated by experience, for we do not find that those who have such things in abundance are happy. In fact, the more we have of them, the more is the greed for such things whetted. Besides, as a person ages, the body and its senses grow steadily weak and lose their capacity to derive pleasure. Thus, one never acquires real contentment.
A Wise man should therefore, studiously practise and learn to keep his happiness independent of external things, by focussing the mind on God instead of on such things. God is eternal, complete in Himself, and ever blissful; meditating on Him, therefore, instills these qualities in the mind. For one who acquires this divine bliss, life has a sweetness that passes our imagination.
A person who lives and works in the mundane world often finds it difficult to reconcile the demands of practical life with the practice of spirituality. It is common belief that one cannot do justice to both at the same time. For such a person, it would be advisable to do his worldly duties conscientiously and to devote all spare time and energy to contemplation of God. At present, we do not apply to God and to spirituality even such free time as we do have. Let us, therefore, resolve to dedicate at least some minimum time every day to chanting nama, the divine name. There are many things which interfere and prevent; reluctance itself constitutes a major impediment. We should be wary of such impediments and interferences, and persevere in chanting nama, disregarding the world's adverse influence and comments.
We should make it a practice to read every day some portion of a book or books by saints, concerning the divinity. We should meditate on what we read, and try to see how it can be put into practice. One who does this will progress rapidly in spirituality and attain true contentment which, in other words, constitutes divine bliss.
We should treat worldly life like a sport; pay proper attention to it, but without much concern for success or failure, holding God in the heart as the focal point.
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Thursday, February 6, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.6.
Nama, Self-surrender and God-realization
Complete self-surrender is the only means for God-realization; such self-surrender is best achieved by nama-smarana, or constant remembrance of nama. Remembrance and forgetting are both properties of the mind, not of the body; besides, they are both involuntary. They are both devoid of "doership" or ego, since there is no bodily action involved. Nama-smarana is, in this sense not 'done', it 'gets done' by the grace of God or the guru. Consequently, nama-smarana is most effective in surrendering oneself to God.
Self-surrender has another sense, namely, to stop activity of one's own volition in respect of action, speech, and thought. This, however, is not easy. Slow cycling for instance, is more difficult than normal or fast cycling. Desisting from doing a thing may often be more difficult than doing it. Self-surrender to the sadguru means effacement of ego, that is, of the pride of doership. Nama-smarana done at the behest of the sadguru eliminates the sense that '1 am doing it'. Indeed, it is the sadguru who is prompting me in it, and therefore He is the doer, not I. Nama-smarana is the means par excellence for achieving thorough self-surrender.
In the Bhagavadgita, the Lord asks Arjuna, "Simply surrender yourself to Me". Now such surrender is not possible without first eliminating bodyconsciousness. Attachment for worldly grandeur, and realization of God, do not go well together. It was therefore that Shrikrishna directed Uddhava to retire into solitude and meditate on nama if he was really keen to attain Him. This means that God is not attainable unless one turns one's back on the world and its lures.
The laws for attaining to God differ from those applying to the acquisition of worldly things. To do the necessary bodily acts and to dispose material things accordingly, to satisfy a desire arising in the mind, is the worldly way; it calls for translating an abstract idea into concrete act. With God, the situation is the reverse. Because the Supreme Being is extremely subtle, to attain to It is going from the concrete to the abstract. The instrument to achieve this must, therefore, be one that takes the concrete to the abstract. Nama, being physical on the one hand, and close to the subtle on the other, is the one such instrument.
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Wednesday, February 5, 2020
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.5
Nama-smarana with Genuine Sincerity
Usually we find it easier to repeat nama while we are in happy circumstances. If anything goes wrong, however, our attention is distracted, and it repeatedly reverts to whatever has gone wrong. The reason is that our chanting lacks genuine sincerity. Repeating nama with true faith is only possible if we have an intense conviction that God is our all in all; then, and then alone, shall we be able to maintain steady nama-smarana despite ill health, pain, reverses, set-backs. We read in the Mahabharata that Lord Krishna rushed to Draupadi's rescue only when she called out to Him with the conviction that it was He that was her last and true resort, her sole supporter and protector. We, too, must think of Him with the same sincere conviction, the same singleness of heart with which a child calls on his mother for help. It is only adversity that reveals on whom we really rely for help.
The practice of nama consists of three stages: one, chanting nama superficially, casually, in happy circumstances; two, remembering nama in adversity, with the unflinching trust that God is the sole support; and three, ceaseless remembrance of nama, after that trust becomes ingrained. In the first stage, one prays that calamities be averted. Saints, on the other hand, pray God to send calamities, because they know that it is in adversity alone that God is remembered with ardency.
We should feel as sure of the existence of God as we are of our own. We get only occasional glimpses of the presence of God; the idea will only become translated into practice if the mind is thoroughly convinced that God dwells everywhere. Only then shall we come to do nothing but what He likes or approves of.
We should get up early every morning, bow to God in submission, visualize Him in the mind, and pray, "O Lord, please caution me whenever I happen to forget You, for You are my only resort."
Whatever and wherever a man may be, he will surely get peace of mind if he remains absorbed in contemplation of God. One who lives for God will never get bored with life.
The joy of sensual pleasures is like the euphoria produced by an intoxicant, and has an aftermath of enhanced misery. Real joy can be experienced only by one who lives in God.
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