Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.30

Saints Dwell where Nama is chanted
God is certainly far away so long as we look up to the world with expectation; He cannot be reached while we are addicted to worldly matters and pleasures. Loving worldly life will lead to certain ruin. We are so completely identified with worldly matters that we find it virtually impossible to disentangle ourselves. Worldly pleasures and pain, respect and disrespect, all arise from selfishness, egoism, which makes us forgetful of God. Pleasure and sorrow, good fortune and bad, are the flows and ebbs of worldly life. We cannot dislodge maya unless we realise our true self. Now gird up your loins and resolve to overcome maya. Whatever we see outside is but a reflection of our own mind. Remember that the realization of the Supreme Being can alone give perfect contentment.
We find that sorrow arises from the very thing wherein we seek pleasure. Man can attain his real goal if he follows the correct path. To the person from whom we have some expectation, we naturally have to become subservient. The body is made of pancha mahabhootas, the five primary elements, and is therefore perishable. Do not be attached to the cognizable world, because it is impermanent; contentment can only come by God's grace.
Not circumstances but the attitude of our mind is the cause of our bondage. You cannot be a complete devotee of Rama without categorically abandoning worldly pleasures. A mind which is devoid of interest in sensuous objects will alone attain bliss. It is in your interest to strive for ultimate good. He is a brahma-jnyani who is always in deep, loving contemplation of nama. Freedom from attachment to woman and wealth is the true mark of a saint. None can equal him who sees God in all creation and loves Him in His myriad forms. He is jeevanmukta, liberated while yet in the body, who gives food free to all who come, who chants nama, and who has realized Rama in his heart. One who aspires to be a 'Ramadasa', a servant of Rama, should completely abandon all expectation from the world.
A tranquil, unruffled mind is the mark of a saint. Saints are to be found where there is continuous chanting of nama. There can be no better fortune than to surrender oneself unreservedly to a saint. Practise nama to secure the company of saints.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 30

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 30

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.29

Abandon Attachment for Money
Lust and greed for money, are both harmful to spiritual life. But if I am asked to name the one more harmful of the two, I would unhesitatingly say, "money, because it greatly weakens faith in God". Whatever money God has given us, can we honestly say we really merit it? Therefore, do not unnecessarily wrangle with a beggar in giving him alms; for, it amounts only to an attempt to evade giving him anything.
A man may renounce all his possessions but not his 'self', his ego. Actually it does not matter even if he retains the possessions, provided he really surrenders his 'self'; but the converse is not true. In other words, all giving is in vain if there is a feeling "I donate ". The main thing is to divest oneself of the very concept of ownership, doership, or attachment; it is this that gives pure happiness.
If we try to raise the superstructure of happiness on the shaky, insecure foundation of the frail, mortal body, how can we hope for success? I call this body 'mine', but am unable to prevent it from getting fever or suffering an injury. I say, 'I am perfectly able to look after myself,' but if I stumble and fall, I have to be carried home by others. That shows the hollowness of my boast of independence ! How can any work done egoistically achieve success, no matter how hard the body toils for it ? Achievement will only come if God wills it. Samartha Ramadas first annihilated all egoism and worked only as directed by God, and that is why he succeeded. Only that will achieve success which is done by one dedicated to God, and only he gets real contentment.
How can one entertain conceit of wealth when we see even princes reduced to poverty? Wealth gives rise to feuds even between close relatives and friends. So I exhort you to steer clear of attachment for money. An easy way to achieve such detachment is to remain in company with the godly. We doubt the existence of saints in today's world, but we fail to find saintliness anywhere because we do not sincerely long for it. People approach saints in the hope of betterment in worldly affairs; how many approach him for the purpose of dedicating themselves to him?

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 29

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 29

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan.April.28

Earnest Yearning is an Invitation to a Saint
We shall feel the need for a saint only when we feel disgust for the unsaintly. Sensuous matters continually plague us, but we do not see how to get rid of them. Only he who feels he has lost his trail in a forest will think of inquiring about the right way. We shall keenly feel the need to meet a saint only when we feel that we are advanced in age, that death may claim us any moment, and that Rama is our sole support. Outwardly we seek the company of the saintly, but inwardly we are all for worldly things. We have to go to a saint in order to forget our 'self', for that means remembering God. We feel anxious in the absence of a letter from a relative who is away; do we feel equally anxious to meet God who has been away from us since our very birth? We perform nama-smarana, but have we ever cared to know the One whose nama we take? How can we meet Rama so long as we cling to His opposite, namely, the sensual world? How can we simultaneously have both when the two are mutually antithetical?
We cannot renounce action so long as we are conscious of the body; only, while acting, we should ascribe all authorship to God.
One who has realised the Truth will talk little or not at all about it. Another may have experienced the reality, but may talk about it only because otherwise we, the poor ignoramuses, will never know what It is. But those who indulge in empty, pedantic verbosity only, without any first-hand experience of the Ultimate Truth, are the lowest order of men. That man alone can lead the world who neither deceives others nor permits himself to be deceived.
Some saints hurl stones or abuses at others, and are still followed by people, because even such actions from them turn out to be blessings. There are many, however, who do not realise this. A father may smack his own child while he condones another's for the same offence; this is because he has his child's true interest at heart. A saint's heart always overflows with concern for the weak of the world. He has no selfishness, and is sincere and solicitous to the core. We must, therefore, place full trust in what he says.


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Sri Maharaja's Pravachan in Marathi - April 28

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 28

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.27

Things to be Avoided by One who Practises Nama
Our thoughts should be free from selfishness, for it produces and pampers pride and vanity. A selfish person never can be happy. Observe the moral code. Look on another's wife as your mother. Householders who never think of other women except as a mother are virtually brahmacharis Covet not another's wealth, look on it with disgust. You have no idea how deeply harmful such covetousness is. Slandering others is the third major point which should be scrupulously avoided, because in discussing others' faults we concentrate our attention on them and thereby inculcate them in ourselves, and thus assist in our own fall. Take these major precautions, and love for nama is bound to arise. Never fail in doing your duty towards your parents, other elders, children, etc., without attachment to anything that you do. Duty is an act done without egoism or attachment, and without expecting any return. Never neglect your duty, observe the moral code meticulously, and carry on your worldly life in the remembrance of God; then your ordinary life itself will constitute a spiritual exercise, and love for God will arise in your mind; you may take this as a solemn promise from me.
Worldly life is like salt. How much of it do we add to the dough for bread? Only a pinch, for taste. If we reverse the proportion, how will the bread taste? But that is like what we do, treating worldly life as the main goal and spiritual duties as merely secondary. When a man realises true contentment, he treats family life like a game or diversion, caring nought whether he succeeds or fails, and quite willing to call a halt to the play at any time.
Worldly life demands and offers numerous things, but they never suffice, because obtaining one thing itself contains the seed of the requirement of another. Not so with God; when once we obtain Him, it is the end of the search. Suppose we go to a big store which stocks many things, except the one we need: then the store may be very big but not to our purpose. Similarly, if one possesses many faculties but God is not there, all the rest is of no avail. Instead of trying to drag God down for assistance in worldly pleasures and purposes, we should spiritualize our worldly life; it is in this that true ability lies.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 27

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada - April 27

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.26

Saints Made the Supreme Being Perceptible
Total dedication is the supreme form of devotion. While worshipping, say to yourself, "Lord, I am Your humble servant"; this will generate in you love for Him. Dedicate yourself to Him and then worship Him; there is nothing in this to be ashamed of. We slave for people, passions, and circumstances; only what remains thereafter we offer to God; this is far from total dedication. You can achieve this total dedication by mental worship, manasa-pooja, in which everything is done mentally. Offer to Him whatever you yourself like. Love is not generated by physical toil, unless this is accompanied by the utmost sincerity of heart. Do not worship only outwardly, with the mind engrossed in worldly matters, for this is feigning, which is harmful. Sagunopasana helps most in developing love for God. Do this at a fixed hour and in a fixed place. The deity we worship, albeit mentally, is saguna too, and will thus expect pooja at that hour and place. The effulgence of the idol we worship will wax in proportion to our ardency. If an idol has been worshipped by a very devout, righteous man, it will radiate a peculiar effulgence, will be useful to many others, and will last long.
Sagunopasana will alone impart to us knowledge of the creation. Real devotion must remove all anxiety from the mind, while the body passes through the cycle of prarabdha. The lustre which a true devotee radiates is really of a special kind, and is unequalled by that imparted by learning or wealth. He alone can achieve something worthwhile in this world who is backed by sincere upasana.
A certain woman would sit with closed eyes, and she would see the vision of the goddess she worshipped, who would give her guidance about many matters. Later the woman stopped meditating on the goddess, and lost her special vision and guidance. Therefore, we should not stop our upasana whereby certain supernatural powers support and guide us.
The saints have given a tangible form to the intangible Ultimate Reality, and thereby they have conferred a great boon on us. It creates in us an awareness that it is God who is the giver, the supporter, and that He will certainly look to our ultimate welfare.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 26

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravchan-April.26

Saints Made the Supreme Being Perceptible
Total dedication is the supreme form of devotion. While worshipping, say to yourself, "Lord, I am Your humble servant"; this will generate in you love for Him. Dedicate yourself to Him and then worship Him; there is nothing in this to be ashamed of. We slave for people, passions, and circumstances; only what remains thereafter we offer to God; this is far from total dedication. You can achieve this total dedication by mental worship, manasa-pooja, in which everything is done mentally. Offer to Him whatever you yourself like. Love is not generated by physical toil, unless this is accompanied by the utmost sincerity of heart. Do not worship only outwardly, with the mind engrossed in worldly matters, for this is feigning, which is harmful. Sagunopasana helps most in developing love for God. Do this at a fixed hour and in a fixed place. The deity we worship, albeit mentally, is saguna too, and will thus expect pooja at that hour and place. The effulgence of the idol we worship will wax in proportion to our ardency. If an idol has been worshipped by a very devout, righteous man, it will radiate a peculiar effulgence, will be useful to many others, and will last long.
Sagunopasana will alone impart to us knowledge of the creation. Real devotion must remove all anxiety from the mind, while the body passes through the cycle of prarabdha. The lustre which a true devotee radiates is really of a special kind, and is unequalled by that imparted by learning or wealth. He alone can achieve something worthwhile in this world who is backed by sincere upasana.
A certain woman would sit with closed eyes, and she would see the vision of the goddess she worshipped, who would give her guidance about many matters. Later the woman stopped meditating on the goddess, and lost her special vision and guidance. Therefore, we should not stop our upasana whereby certain supernatural powers support and guide us.
The saints have given a tangible form to the intangible Ultimate Reality, and thereby they have conferred a great boon on us. It creates in us an awareness that it is God who is the giver, the supporter, and that He will certainly look to our ultimate welfare.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 26

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.25.

Saints Conjoin us with the Supreme Being
Our heart is crammed so full with sensuous passions and mundane desires, that there is no room for love for the divinity. If we try to force this love in, it is spilt out and immediately evaporates. To fill this heart with love for God, we must first evict those passions and desires, and then charge it with love for God. It is common experience that a thing which is obtained repeatedly and in abundance cloys us. Let us now try to acquire something which will not so cloy; and there is only one thing which answers to that description: it is God.
A very high-ranking officer gets a stamp made of his signature, and authorises a trusted subordinate to use it at his discretion and in his name. Similarly, God gave the saints His name, to be used at their discretion, and to give to a deserving person.
As a human being, there is little distinction between us and a saint, except that while he acts as he preaches we only talk tall and glibly, but if anyone crosses our path of selfishness, we talk ill of him. We dislike a person who loves to do what we love to. We talk approvingly of moral principles, but do not act up to them. Let us therefore learn to practise what we preach.
One does not take a railway train for its own sake, but for reaching a certain destination. Similarly, saints leading a family life did not do it for the pleasure of it. They always strove to save ignorant souls, without ever deflecting from their spiritual level. They have provided us with the support of the Lord just as a drowning person may be saved by casting a rope to him. One who lives in the company of a saint himself becomes a saint in course of time, just as the wood of a tree in the vicinity of a sandalwood tree acquires the same scent. Indeed, the greatness of a saint lies in leading an ordinary person to spiritual height without his performing austere disciplines.
Even righteous persons feel that their mind is not yet purged of passions. But if we merely harp on these passions every now and then, they may thereby multiply rather than diminish. So just ignore them, only see that the body does not act up to them. Then they will automatically diminish.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 25

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 25

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan- April. 24

Implicit Obedience Ensures "belonging" to a Saint
No less important than the need to live is that of getting to know the creator. Who can escape criticism of the world? One who devotes himself to spiritual life is charged with neglecting worldly life; we had best ignore such comment. The only cause of real regret can be that one does not yet belong to God. One who accepts the Lord's doing and will, cannot but come by good. We should feel contented in whatever circumstances God keeps us. God is bliss itself, and it is in the very nature of all creation to lead everyone and everything to that bliss. There is scope for blissfulness even in the midst of the direst poverty. In fact, man cannot survive without some degree of joy. When every being is of that eternal bliss, whence comes this bugbear of sorrow? If I feel sorrow, there must be something wrong with me. The liberated never feels doubt as to whether he is right or wrong, because he is one with God. The spiritual ignoramus simply discounts the existence of God, and never suspects himself to be in the wrong; he assumes the authorship of whatever he does. Qualms are only felt by the mumukshu. When the qualms become acute, a saint comes along to quell them. This only happens where there is considerable store of past merit.
We should live as is meant for one "belonging" to the saints, that is, as one who has none but the saints to support him. Such a person acts scrupulously within their behests. We should not imitate their actions but act as directed by them. Cultivating association with the eternal truth is identical with the company of saints. To act without attachment to anything is the mark of a liberated soul. There is no cause for sorrow when we give up the desire to "have" or "not have" anything.
To feel the presence of the sadguru whatever we are, and to get perfect contentment in that feeling, is the true grace of the sadguru. What devout faith can achieve is unobtainable even by austere penance. Understand once and for all that the guru is identical with the Supreme Being, and there is no better spiritual exercise than implicit obedience to him; it is as good as penance, and we need feel no desire to do anything else by way of spiritual practice.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 24

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 24

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.23

Books Written by Saints are their Testament

Saints do not write books out of fondness for writing; on the contrary they do so with great reluctance. Their knowledge is intuitive, and comes directly from the Lord. Do you think Samartha Ramdas and Eknath wrote their books after repeated reading and study of the Jnyaneshwari? It is inevitable, of course, that they express some thoughts already set forth by predecessors. The saints' works are their testament. Which father would bother to write a testament if he were sure that his sons would behave properly? It is only written by one who is not sure in that respect. Similarly, saints have written not because they liked to do it, but purely out of compassion for the well-being of suffering fallen souls like us. Such books are closely connected with our life; they set forth philosophical principles which are directly applicable in everyday life.
Shri Samartha Ramadas has in his Dasabodha raised doubts and queries on our behalf and answered them, too. A person who does not think of his lasting welfare is an obvious fool, but one who tenders gratuitous advice is doubly guilty. Saints accept even this blame and try to preach spiritualism, and it is in our interest to attend to it.
When reading a spiritual book we should carefully look for the sadhana advocated for attaining the goal. If we carefully select the most suitable sadhana we can be sure of success. We should read only books pertaining to spirituality, which we want to be proficient in. If we want to study mathematics but read only fiction, how can that lead us to success? To attain spiritual ideals, therefore, we should study only the saints' works, and ponder and meditate on them.
With the mind firmly fixed on God, we should let the body and its affairs drift on the current of fate; they may sometimes be in a pleasant state, sometimes otherwise; floating on a straight course for a time, nearly sinking at another. However, under any circumstances, our mind should be peaceful and blissful. We should learn to look objectively at ourselves; this we can do if we surrender ourselves mentally to God and physically to prarabdha or destiny. The feeling of pain of the body should be treated with indifference, and not allowed to affect the mind to any depth. Pursuit of nama helps us achieve this.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 23

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 23

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.22

Association with Saints, Best Means to Attain God

To be born a human being, to meet a saint, and to recognise and associate with him: these are the rarest things on earth. That is why living with a saint is incomparable good fortune. It may, in fact, be termed the king of sadhanas. Saints eradicate all desire in a man; and then there remains nothing to be acquired.
The body of a person performing religious rituals very meticulously, automatically acquires a characteristic radiance or aura; such you may not find with a saint, but his body is invariably a fit temple for divine knowledge. The ways and means of acquiring pleasures of the senses may be better known to us worldly-minded persons, but the blissfulness that is beyond the capacity of the body and that transcends time and space can only be obtained by remembering God and thereby being oblivious of the physical body. That is divine bliss; and only a saint can guide us in realizing it. One may go to a saint with the object of fulfilling some mundane desire, but the saint will manage to send him back divested of all wishes; in fact, one who achieves this for every person that approaches him is a true saint ---nay, he is God Incarnate. We should long to meet such a one. Saints make us cognizant of the Ultimate Reality. The true achievement of human life lies in following a saint's behest in word, deed, and spirit.
All persons sitting in a railway train reach the terminal station, irrespective of the class they travel by, and even those without a proper ticket. Similarly all persons living in the company of a saint reach the terminus, namely, the Ultimate Reality. The wicked, the sinful, the unrighteous, the unworthy, and the despicable, who may be said to correspond to the ticketless; these, too, will achieve liberation. The only proviso is that they do not leave the train en route, that is, they hold on to the saint's company. Therein, indeed, lies the greatness and the glory of a saint.
In man's quest for liberation, association with saints is of paramount importance. This association can be obtained in three ways: physical association, association with the mantra conferred by the saint, and association with his lofty thoughts and teaching. All these kinds of association exert an influence that takes place almost unawares, but is quite positive.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-april 22

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada April 22

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.21

Living as Directed by the Saint is True Association

Every sacred function commences with an invocation to Ganapati, and is wound up with bidding Him propitiatory farewell. So, too, the beginning of the perusal of a spiritual book as well as its termination should be marked with an awareness of God, only with this difference: that whereas in a function, after the end, we remain and Ganapati is given a farewell, in the perusal of the spiritual book we should merge our 'self' at the end with God, with the prayer, 'O Master, keep me as you please, but I beg you grant that I may never be unmindful of you'.
When you sing a hymn, do not forget that it is God that is your object. If you have Him in your thought, it does not matter even if the body is engaged in household chores. Do not set God aside out of fear about what the world thinks of you. Think on what you are in reality; that you will realise when you try to see who you are not. A little thought will show you that you belong neither to kith nor kin, nor to wife, child, parents, nor even to the mind and body that you think to be yourself; what remains after eliminating all these, is the real you. True contentment is only obtained in unity with the Supreme Being, in giving up all duality. Ego creates the sense of duality, so endeavour to conquer that ego. For this, attribute all doership to God, try to feel that God is immanent in everything, associate with the good. The real good is in the Ultimate Truth. True association with the good and the godly consists in having faith in their words, and moulding our thought and action accordingly. Keep single-minded faith in the saints. Follow their way. Do not think it humiliating to be in their company. Those, who continually indulge your sensual needs are not true saints. True saints, on the contrary, reduce the attachment to sense-pleasures. Surrender yourself to such true saints, for they alone can purge the mind of hankering after satisfaction of the senses, and can create a yearning for God. Their language always rings with sincerity, and therefore it appeals to us, converts us. Implicitly follow their teaching.
The world can never be devoid of saints. We can only recognize them by assiduously practising nama.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 21

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 21

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.20

Blessed are They who Get the Company of Saints

Be not disturbed by occurrences in worldly life, or troubles of fate, nor any upadhi; to be unmoved by these is true samadhi. A shadow is not washed and cleansed even if it falls on mud or dirt; that applies to the body, too, but the saints alone are able to realize this. Divest yourself of all desire, keep your mind clear, unprejudiced, and innocent, like a child's. It will be your highest achievement if you maintain your discriminative power alive and awake and keep the mind occupied in nama. Thorough contentment will be your reward if you still vagrant, futile fancies, and keep the mind busily engaged in Rama-nama. A perfect sadhu is one who surrenders himself completely to God, and who is delightfully engrossed in the contemplation of God. Enjoy peace of mind by burning all urge of desire and relinquishing all awareness of self. Believe honestly that you belong only to Rama and that He belongs to you.
One who abandons the 'body-am-I' feeling can alone profit by association with a saint. Do not attach importance to the body or bodily action of a saint; you have to transcend your own body-consciousness in order truly to comprehend Him. To have love for nama is the mark of a saint. Saints really make life fruitful for those who honestly associate with them. Even after the physical body of a saint dies, his influence on the world continues to act. So we remember him and seek to serve him day and night. Blessed, indeed, are they who live in association with a saint. One who has unflinching faith in a saint will definitely attain to God. Keep your attention riveted on a saint even while your body maybe attending to worldly business.
Saints never forget that Rama is the real doer, and therefore they can guide others. We should have darshan of a saint, and follow his advice always and in case of difficulties, so that worldly life will be easier for us to go through. If we follow a saint as an ideal, we shall never come to harm. Having thus achieved contentment, we should also guide others to the means thereto.
One who yields himself up to a saint completely, need seek no other means for salvation. Unfortunate, indeed, is he who happens to meet a saint but turns away from him.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 20

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 20

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.19

SADGURU TUKARAM

Good Company and Nama-smarana

A certain physician was so expert in diagnosis that he would say from a mere look at the face what the patient was suffering from. One day he saw a man going past his house; he stopped and told him, 'you are suffering from a pernicious disease, but you will definitely be cured if you take the medicine and observe the regimen I prescribe'. Just as the physician acted in sheer sincerity, so do the saints advise us in pure selflessness. If we listen to the guidance given by the guru, we shall certainly profit thereby. The saints caution us that we are unhealthfully immersed in worldly business and pleasures, and that we can safely emerge out of this by keeping company with the godly and by living in nama. Be sure that their behests are based on actual experience, not conjecture. Even if a medicine is simple to take, does that mean that it is not effective? Saint Tukaram vows by his upasana that no spiritual remedy is as simple and yet definitely effective as nama-smarana. What reason have we to doubt the truth of this assertion of his or of Shri Samartha? They have advocated this sadhana for you purely in your interest. If you do not follow their advice, it is you that stand to lose, not they. So give your earnest thought to this matter. When a man is convinced that he has a certain disease, he does not evade taking the medicine. Having seen for ourselves that this mundane life does not yield true and lasting happiness, it behoves us to seek other means to acquire such happiness. So, try to live in nama as much as possible, and you will find true contentment.
One devotee said, "I learnt how to perform puja and bhakti, from my thirty-year long service. There I had to accept orders from my superior, and go where he transferred me, despite personal or domestic difficulties. In other words, I had to surrender and forget my 'self'. On retirement, I merely replaced that superior by God. He is even better in that He has no selfish motive, and always acts for my good. So I am very happy now, " In a similar way, from our worldly life we should learn how to tread the spiritual path. This is the essence of human life.


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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 19

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 19

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.18

Saints See Divinity even in Worldly Things

Everyone possesses the emotion of devotion, for, broadly speaking, devotion is nothing but deep liking, or love. Liking for worldly objects is due to body-consciousness; people instinctively like worldly objects, and are devoted to them. Unless this liking is diminished, devotion to God will not arise. So the first step in the bhakti-marga is to remember God's name selflessly, without expectation of any fruit or reward. The last stage consists in being completely unaware of the body and of 'self'. The body is to be preserved and protected for the sole purpose of attaining God. It is better to die than to live solely for passion and the pleasures of the senses.
All our religious festivals, like the birthdays of the divine incarnations and the anniversaries of the saints, aim at creating love for God. Even if we have no love for the divine to begin with, we seek to create it by making such offerings as we would to a living loved person. There is a reciprocal relation between love and such offerings. Such offerings bring us closer to God and enhance our love for Him. It is common for a mother to dress her child with the best clothes and trinkets she can afford, because she enjoys doing it, although the child itself may be feeling uncomfortable in them, and may even protest against them. Similarly we try to heap offerings on an icon of God for our own pleasure; otherwise, what does God lack or want?
Saints see the divinity even in sense-objects, whereas we seek sense-pleasures even in icons of the divinity. For instance, we praise the elegance of the sculpture of an idol, or the beautiful architectural design of a temple. Our mind being full of sensuousness, we notice even divine things from a sensuous viewpoint. On the other hand, the mind of a saint is all occupied with God, and so he sees God in everything. It is said that one can see God Rama on completing thirteen crores of japa of Rama-nama; this requires a dozen years or so to complete, if one spends ten to twelve hours every day in japa. With such intense longing and perseverance, one's mind naturally becomes thoroughly charged with Rama.
Meditation on nama never goes waste; only, we should take care not to expend it on any material desire. Meditation on nama should be purely for the sake of nama itself.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 18

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 18

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April 17

Saints Remind us that We Belong to God

When doing anything, the purpose for which we do it is clearly in the mind. Similarly, while meditating on nama we should ever be alive to the object of doing it. To remember at all times that we really belong to God, and neither to the body nor to sensual, worldly matters, is to maintain His awareness constantly. We actually belong to Him, but lapse into the illusion that we are of the palpable world. The saints reawaken us to the reality, and this, indeed, is their true mission. The panacea they prescribe is meditating on nama, which, in effect, is a persistent reminder that we belong to God and not to worldly pleasures.
You say that you want to see Rama, but how would you recognize Him even if He were to present Himself to you? To that purpose, you must annihilate the present distance between Him and yourself, and must be able to identify Him. This needs absolute purity of heart, that is, of feeling. One may perform different types of devotional disciplines and exercises, but they will all come to nought in the absence of genuine, loving devotion for Him. These disciplines will undoubtedly create devotion in course of time, but spiritual efforts performed with devotion will expedite the attainment of the goal. Of the nine kinds of devotional-disciplines, complete dedication is the simplest and the most important. If we completely surrender ourselves to God, whatever we do automatically gets dedicated to Him.
It is necessary for everyone to see wherein lies his weal. Others can advise about the path, but it is upto the person himself to act. The real cause of our "bondage" is not the environment but our own mental attitude. It is only nama that can be practised irrespective of time, state, or circumstances. To be able to preserve one's contentment under any condition is really God's total grace.
By devout contemplation of God one automatically acquires occult powers which, however, are considered despicable. So we should meditate on God, but ignore these powers and never use them. Our meditation should be for God's sake only, without adulteration by desire. The saints never put their powers to use; being merged in the Supreme Being, they completely resign everything to Its will. When they do appear to be performing miracles, they are only prompted by that Supreme Being.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 17

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in kannada-April-17

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.16

Benefit from Association with a Saint

If it is a job we seek, we approach one who can provide it; similarly if it is realization of God that we seek, we must go to a saint. The saints alone can help us realize God. The essence of their existence is not to be sought in their physical being but in their precept. Their heart is free of passion, attachment, and desires. They keep awake and alert while we are asleep, just like the night–watchman who patrols the city streets. It is then that they test and judge our mental tendencies.
A woman delivered a child, but it started having epileptic fits, and would just lie listlessly in its cradle. It would not grow normally, smiled but feebly, and was not at all playful. The mother felt very sad to see the child's condition. The guru feels precisely like that about a disciple who makes no progress in spiritual practice. On the other hand, he feels elated if the disciple shows some progress, and will fondle and indulge him to no end.
A saint is hardly ever well spoken of in his lifetime. For one person that he uplifts spiritually, there are a dozen of his relatives and worldly 'well-wishers' who blame the saint for 'misguiding' that person. Spiritual books often enumerate the characteristic qualities of a saint; but these are stated in order for us to imbibe and practise, not for putting a saint to test.
Association with a saint is fraught with three kinds of risks: (1) One learns to prattle, but only like a parrot, about spiritualism, (2) one gets undeserved respect from others, and (3) one's behaviour becomes irresponsible, in the mistaken belief that the saint will condone everything and will indulgently uphold him. If properly availed of, however, three benefits can be derived from such association: (1) The person may be respected but will himself remain above any expectation of such respect, (2) he may not be able to prattle about spiritualism but will automatically imbibe and practise the principles, and (3) association with a saint with genuine faith and devotion will automatically lead him to the spiritual goal even without practising any spiritual discipline. Therefore, one who lives with a saint should passively obey the saint, should not expect respect from others, and should suppress all urge to talk about spiritualism. Implicit obedience to a saint is an excellent means to spiritual uplift.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 16

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April-16

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.15

Saintly Association Eliminates Lure of Money

Saints, having attained omnipotence, have tremendous power of all kinds; for instance, whatever they say will come out true. This is called wachasiddhi, and we, too, may acquire it. To make use of it, however, will be foolish, like serving God for a meagre mundane remuneration. Imagine a person owning the wish-granting cow (kamadhenu) exchanging her for a pony because he would not load the divine cow! Where is the sense in propitiating the Almighty for the sake of paltry, transitory things? Even the hard-earned heaven and its pleasures are not permanent; then why strive for them at all?
Just see how much attachment a man feels for even a lifeless thing like money! It is like the ghost in the fable which agreed to slave for a man on condition that it be kept constantly employed, but if given respite it would devour him. Similarly, money can be very usefully employed; but if not, it becomes a crushing, consuming burden. There is basically nothing wrong in saving money; but it should not be taken as our mainstay, for that would make us lose sight of God, who is our real sheetanchor. I do not suggest that we should give away all we have; but if, say, there is a theft or robbery or other loss of money, we should not shed tears over it, nor should we turn away a needy person; we should not hesitate to help him to whatever extent we can.
It is true that we must save sufficient money for a rainy day; but how much is 'sufficient'? We cannot name a definite sum in this respect. If one has a pension sufficient for the needs of the family, that could be termed 'enough'. For a non-pensioner, there should be enough to enable the family to live decently for about a score of years. One does not need very much money to be 'rich'; if we have enough money to fulfil our needs, are we not rich? Of course, we should spare no effort to earn money by moral means; but beyond that, we should let things take their own course.
Our true welfare lies in keeping company with the saintly. Association with them generates lofty thoughts and noble feelings. To live among persons of high thinking and in constant awareness of God is to be in good company.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 15

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April.15

sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April 14.

Saints Rouse us to the True Goal of Life

That the company of a sensuous person is more pernicious than that of sensuous pleasures themselves, holds in regard to the spiritual path just as well as in worldly life. Association always affects the mind; therefore we should try to live in the company of the Godly. Our conscience does guide us in picking the good from the bad, but the trouble is that we seek to reform others and not ourselves.
Many people just do not feel it possible that saints can exist in the world. We cannot make out a saint unless we ourselves believe in and have regard for God. We have forgotten the true goal of our life; the saints rouse us to it. Seeing us following the wrong path, they caution and guide us; we should then turn about, retrace our steps, and follow the correct path; we can rest assured that we shall then reach our destination.
The saints do not rest inactively after they attain blissfulness; they continue to act for the welfare of the world, while their own blissfulness remains unimpaired. Even when they appear to be inactive, their mere presence makes for the good of the world. Since they have attained beatitude it behoves us to act as they advise us. In advising people their sole object is to see that mankind may come to know the truth they have themselves seen, and thereby become happy. How can we doubt the verity of their advice when they have no ulterior selfish motive to serve?
When we realise that worldly life is full of misery, we must strive to find a remedy. That remedy we discover in the books written by saints, and we should put into practice what they have advised therein. That alone makes the reading worthwhile. Introspection on what we read is essential. Reading must be accompanied by its practice.
We shall not be able to understand properly the works of a saint without his grace. One on whom the saint bestows his grace will very easily and correctly grasp the gist of the book even though he may not be learned. A learned man will describe the Ultimate Truth, exercising his imagination; whereas the saints describe it with certainty, as a matter of first-hand experience.
When reading a book by a saint, we should bear in mind that we have to bring it into our practice.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 14

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 14

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.13

Saints and Their Books

The knowledge which the saints possess is so subtle, penetrating and comprehensive, that they easily grasp the essence or the purport of the vedas and their philosophy. They may perhaps not be able to say who wrote a certain treatise, or when, or where, or what appears on such and such a page, but the gist of all books is certainly in their ken. Common people like us often just read the words in a saint's writing; but the real gist can only be understood by the saint's grace; by ourselves, we can understand it no better than the comprehension of the father's message which a child may convey to the mother in its own lisping words.
The saints write books to enable 'intelligent' readers to convince themselves and progress on the spiritual path. We should not try to interpret their words in a strained or far-fetched manner, but just accept them straightforwardly. We should read without prejudice or preconceptions, for a clear understanding; just as overwriting makes the original illegible, preconceptions muddle understanding; so our reading should be with a clear, unprejudiced mind.
Books like the Jnyaneshwari and Dasabodh should be read with close attention, just as a letter from a person near and dear to us is read most attentively down to the last little syllable, as addressed to us in a personal capacity. Many people go to listen to discourses just because it is a social vogue, or as an entertainment, or as something to kill time with. Few, indeed, are those who read saints' books really to find out what they ought to do, and act accordingly. More read them out of blind reverence because they were written by saints; while the majority do not care to read them at all.
People in general usually disregard God and spiritual values; we go to a saint to learn how to go counter to this common trend. Saints have an awareness of the body only to the extent necessary in practical life; otherwise they treat the body as no better, no truer, than a mere shadow. It is not sense to grieve for 'pain' to a shadow, and therefore the saints are unaffected by the body's pains and pleasures.
Many persons unrelated to a saint or unremunerated by him, voluntarily labour for him or for those who visit him; this they do because of his divine love for them.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 13

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 13

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.12

The Company of Saints is a Means to Attain God
A sensuous person behaves like a drunkard; he knows fully well what is good and what is bad, but cannot bring himself to do the right thing. He acknowledges, on the one hand, that he is in essence the same as the Supreme Being, but, on the other, succumbs to the lure of evanescent sensuous pleasures.
In truth, devotion for God is the only thing that matters; all else is futile. One should associate with a saint and learn to be thoroughly devout. When we cease to feel that there is yet something to be done, we may presume that we are progressing in sadhana. Serving the sadguru is the best means to generate genuine devotion. A sadguru has got to meet a disciple who obeys him passively. Truly, a sadguru is superior even to the kamadhenu, for he purges the mind of all desire, extinguishes desire itself.
There is no possibility of realising God without an intense inner urge. With great luck one may come across a saint; but true benefit of his company can only be derived if there is consonance of thought and conduct with him. Unfortunately, our thoughts do not harmonise with the saints', and so even their company does not benefit us. We don't have even an idea of the anguish their heart is filled with on seeing us roll and roll in the mire of sense pleasures. We have found ourselves unable to see the way to real contentment, so we go to a saint for help; does it not, then, behove us to follow his advice? The saints have asked us to follow the pathway to the knowledge of God. We basically lack the urge to seek God, so we have to create it. To attain to God, the Ultimate Reality, association with a saint is the simplest and surest means.
There are two ways of rescue for a person caught in a whirlpool. One way is for an expert swimmer to jump into it and, dragging the drowning man, to break through the whirlpool to safety. Of course this calls for great skill and strength. The other way is for the drowning man himself to dive to the bottom of the whirlpool, and then escape through the calm water there. Erudition is like a whirlpool. Superficial knowledge leads to futile disputation; it is only deep knowledge that can lead to the truth.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 12

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April12

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.11

Importance of Association with a Saint
It is true that saints have not made conquests of territorial kingdoms, but they have obtained sovereignty over their own minds. Saints do not 'perform' miracles, nor can miracles be considered an identity mark of a saint. Miracles may, however, 'occur' at the hands of a saint. It is improper to slander or disrespect or test a saint. Wish ill to none; always wish well, do well, to others. There is no greater 'good' than nama; constant repetition of nama is as good as the company of saints; so,..too, good thoughts are equivalent to association with saints. Meditation, nama-smarana, contemplation, and good reading, these will, in due course, bring about association with saints.
To remain in association with a saint with the object of gaining a worldly objective is highly reprehensible. If a child presses the mother for a large dose of opium, will she indulge it ? No true mother ever will. Similarly, no true saint will ever encourage mundane desires. Not only does a saint not have love for worldly pleasures, he is immeasurably grieved if he finds such desires in the heart of a person who is his follower.
It is only the saints who have really comprehended the Ultimate Reality. A saint considers his mission in life really fulfilled if he meets a disciple who has a genuine desire to understand that Ultimate Truth. Through association with a saint we can achieve what other sadhana may fail to give. The saying of a person is comprehensive in influence, to the degree of his selflessness. Our talk is heeded with scant attention even by our own family members, but what a saint says is listened to with respect all over the world, because it is extremely sincere and selfless. The shruties are of eternal appeal because they are the words of the rishis uttered with the sole desire to do good to mankind.
To be contented with what God has thought fit to give us; to hate none, to envy nobody; to see everything as a manifestation of God; to be devoid of conceit; to be continuously in the remembrance of the Lord's name; and to feel sincerely respectful towards the saints, the sadguru and the God-fearing; these things comprise the highest spiritual practice.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi - April 11

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 11

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April 10

Remain ever Dedicated to Rama

Listen carefully to what I say. Dedicate yourself completely to Rama in your heart of hearts. Surrender yourself to Rama in all respects, taking Him to be your sole friend, sole relative. He is mercy personified. Say to Him, "O Rama, you are my sole refuge. You are the only doer in the world. There is none but you who distributes both the pleasant and the unpleasant. I suffer pleasure and pain on account of and according to my mental attitude."
As long as the struggle for 'me' and 'mine' lasts, there can be no peace of mind. The only remedy as advised by saints is to approach Rama in utter surrender. They also show us the way to achieve this. Do not remain without effort; only, do not desire for a particular result or fruit. All action should be purely a matter of duty, never forgetting the Lord. In fact, first resign yourself to God, and strive only as an inspiration or direction by Him; be ceaselessly aware of His presence; and then your action will automatically stand dedicated to' Him.
A mind at peace with itself is the hall-mark of a saint. Remember always that everything that happens is by the will of Rama; but you must exercise due caution in your worldly affairs. Be fearless in the knowledge that Rama is your protector.
Never look to faults in others; remember that the same fault may be lurking in you. The body, of course, depends on so many persons and circumstances; but your mind is free, if you keep it fixed on God. He is really in bondage whose mind is attached to a worldly thing. One who places himself passively in charge of Lord Rama will never feel loss. Remain unceasingly in the remembrance of the Lord's name. In worldly life, observe the moral code. Women, children, everybody in fact, should adhere steadfastly to Rama.
The present times are really extraordinarily difficult. The mind, fickle by nature, is deluded or misguided too easily. One can never be too careful in this regard; for this, never let Rama be out of sight or out of mind. You don't have to go in search of Him; He is right here, by your side. Indeed, one who always keeps Him in mind need not be afraid even of death. Constant prayer purifies the heart, and then alone we become fit to see the Lord.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April.10

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 10

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan- April.9

Mission of Saints is to Remind us of God
He who realises the Ultimate Truth becomes omniscient; those who hold fast to it are saints. They are ever eager to show us the way, but our self-conceit comes in the way. Some persons charge saints with making people unresisting and inactive by asking them to requite evil by forgiveness and even kindness. Actually, the saints have done such a great lot for humanity. However, there is a world of difference between their doings and ours, basically because they ascribe all doership to God, whereas we try to claim all credit for ourselves. The achievement of the saints is subtle, ours is only for show, and so ineffectual.
One may have a lot of book-learning, but it is evidently futile if it does not percolate into outlook and action. To understand the real nature of this world, we should go to one who successfully keeps himself free of the mesh of pleasure and pain. Such a person looks only objectively on the world, and is detached in outlook as well as in action, whereas we get enmeshed in the snare of pleasure and pain. Because a saint's heart is pure, untainted by selfishness, even his harsh words do not hurt, but are blessings in disguise.
Saints are usually not erudite in the popular sense. One may quit home while still only a child, another runs away from the wedding altar, while yet another may be utterly illiterate. Yet their existence makes itself felt even after they quit the body.
A child playing outside the home suddenly thinks of its mother and runs in to her. This means that the child always has a subconscious awareness of her. We should have a similar loving longing for God, a similar devotion. When this longing becomes a maddening passion, a saint comes along to pacify it.
Saints are born for the sacred mission of reminding the people at large of the existence of God. The greatest obligation they have conferred on the world is that, to the invisible Lord, they have given a habitation and a name, a saguna form that we can imagine, remember, and serve; they gave us the simple sadhana of nama-smarana; wrote for us great guiding and instructive books like the Jnyaneshwari and Eknathi Bhagwat; and advised us to feed people. One who performs these things to the best of his ability will never feel want, and will ever enjoy contentment.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April 9

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 9

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.8.

Meditate on Nama with a Doubt-free Mind

When asked to practise nama people usually advance excuses. In point of fact, however, there is no real impediment. Stray thoughts throng the mind even when we are doing any other action; why, then, should we feel upset if such thoughts crowd the mind during meditation? As soon as you find time, take to chanting nama with faith.
Two pedestrian travellers saw a grove of mango trees. They asked the keeper if they could have some mangoes. He replied, "Yes, you may eat as many mangoes as you can in fifteen minutes." One of the travellers started eating the mangoes, while the other plied the keeper with questions about the owner of the grove, the tax paid on the grove, and so on. At the end of fifteen minutes, the keeper said, "Time for you to go". The first traveller had his fill, while the other had to depart without tasting a mango. This parable teaches us that instead of wasting time on idle inquiries we should start practising nama with implicit faith. We should go on with the practice whether or not we have understood its significance, as Dhruva did on being enjoined by Narada. He raised no doubts and queries, stuck to nama as the sole abiding truth, and thereby propitiated God. The saints are selfless souls and guide us with great sincerity; therefore, we should practise nama with trust in their word, and simply get saturated with it.
How long should we repeat nama? Until we get lost in it; for, once that happens nama will remain with us for ever. Nama is the highest truth. Spiritual knowledge, worship of deities, performance of rituals, etc., are undertaken to attain God and emancipation; but nama-smarana is the simplest and easiest path to it.
A large fortress was absolutely impregnable. It had a large gate secured by a strong lock. One person, however, managed to get hold of the key. Then entrance became absolutely easy. Nama is the key to emancipation. It makes attainment of God a simple matter. People complain that love for and faith in nama do not come easily. However, we may trust in what the saints preach, and take to nama wholeheartedly, incessantly. This is bound to lead to contentment. If we repeatedly chant nama we can certainly shake off the shackles of 'the body-am-I ' feeling.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April-8

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 8

Sri Brsahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.7

We Fail to Achieve Real Self-interest

Neither reading nor listening, however profuse, is really useful unless translated into action. An abstract thing will not yield satisfaction unless put into actual practice. The saints have told us so much, all to no purpose because we do not ponder over their preaching. They have with one voice affirmed that this human body is transient. And yet we continue to be attached to it; isn't this truly strange? If we do not believe in the saints' words, we should at least see what our own experience teaches us. The mundane-minded believe that all pleasure pertains to the body and the senses; but what does experience show? It is common knowledge that the young and the old, the pauper and the prince, everyone is struggling constantly to obtain happiness and peace of mind. We grow from childhood to youth, acquire education, find a job, earn money, marry and have a family; in other words, we strive for and usually get almost everything which we thought would make for happy contentedness; have we succeeded in the goal? It is true that leading family and, worldly life does need a certain degree of attachment to the body; but that does not mean that the entire life should be devoted to toiling for sensuous pleasures alone. This is not true self-interest; it is only catering to what, in reality, we are not for; what good can it bring to our Real Self when the body dies?
Those who only talk glibly but never act accordingly, come to ruin. It is necessary to abstain from talking so long as we feel we must talk. We should distinguish between liberty and licence. 'Liberty' has a sanctity, while 'licence' is ugly and profane. Strictly speaking, man has liberty only in respect of spiritual progress. In all other matters and those concerning the body, he is under various obligations and constraints; for instance, he has duties as a father, a husband, a son, etc. However, his supreme duty as a human is to attain Godhead. While attending to their respective duties most diligently at home or in their spheres of work, people should devote all the rest of their time to meditating on nama. In business, it is the net profit that we look for; similarly, the net profit of human life is the degree to which our attention is turned to God.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April-7

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-April 7

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan.April.6

Saints are the Visible Embodiments of God

One who cannot conduct his worldly life properly will neither do well by way of spiritual life. One should resolve not to let the mind be ruffled by worldly events, and carry out the resolution with faith in the sadguru. Practise the sadhana assiduously, and get to know who you are in reality. When you realise that God is the only Reality, then only you will realise who you are. Do not abandon saguna even when you understand nirguna. To have a liking for the name of Rama is the greatest of good fortunes. Speech is the result of inspiration in the heart; if, then, we utter the name of Rama, He must be present in our heart.
Implicit obedience to my guru was my sole sadhana; what else, then, can I ask you to do? Association with a saint puts us on the right path. Saints do not cure us of disease, but they dislodge from the mind all fear of it. Saints are the visible embodiments of God. It is their mission in life to direct the minds of thousands towards God. It is impossible that a saint will advocate anything that contravenes the teaching of the vedas and the shastras.
Our feelings of pity are aroused on seeing an offspring of rich parents begging in the street. The saints similarly feel unhappy to see us forget our heritage and grieve, despite the rare good fortune of being born as a human, after the great cycle of rebirth in myriads of lower species. It is a very serious loss for the soul not to be able to attain God even in this unique human life. We should, therefore, manage to remain in the company of saints with the utmost perseverance, and earn their grace. Let us follow unquestioningly the path chalked out by them; then there is no fear of stumbling, falling, or failing. We get ourselves involved head over heels in mundane matters, so that we fail even to notice the rousing call of the saints. Let us keep at least within earshot of that call. Let us put our faith in the teaching of the saints; this will create in us love for God which, in turn, will reduce our attachment to worldly pleasures. Thus, if we maintain association with saints it will eventually lead us to our ultimate good.



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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-April-6