One's Body is a Pledged article, and not an owned one.

One’s Body is a Pledged Article, And not an Owned One

Tradesmen often possess gold in the form of ornaments. When there is need for money for conducting their trade, the tradesmen pledge the ornaments with a bank and obtain money against them. When the amount can be spared, they redeem the ornaments. Someone happened to mention this to Shri Maharaj. Shri Maharaj queried, “What would happen if one were to bring home for use the ornaments so pledged with the bank?” The bank official said, “It would be a crime.” On which Shri Maharaj said, “When God brings some one into this world, he pledges a body with him, and takes a loan symbolized by one’s span of life. As thelife gets spent, day after day, the loan gets repaid. When the span of life comes to its end one day, the body has to be returned to God. If one says that this body belongs to oneself, and acted accordingly, is the behaviour not like bringing pledged ornaments for use at home? Accepting that the body is an article belonging to God, and only pledged to us, we should constantly maintain an awareness of this. Thereby one’s bodily consciousness will automatically vanish. Then, just as the ornaments are returned when the loan has been repaid, and the banker does not feel bad about it, one ought not to feel anything when God takes the body back at the end of the life time. When this stage has been attained, one will have secured mastery over the dread of the final moment.

A New Web Site: Shri Gondavalekar

Shree Rama Samartha
There is another website on Sri Maharaj, announcing Ram Naam Yagnya.

All the Guru Bandhus are requested to participate.

Here's the link

And here's post from that website:

| Shriraam jay Ram Jay Jay Ram ||

Dear Guru Bandhus,

Coming Saturday i.e. 7th November a local Naam group based in Navi Mumbai area has decided to take a sankalpa of 2.5 koti (crore) ram naam(Shri Ram Jay Ram Jay Jay Ram). We wish to invite all of you to join us to complete this Sankalpa and spread the divine Name of Lord. Please encourage your family members to participate too.

If you want to join us please email us your full name, Email id and Phone number(with std/isd code) to naamyogi@shrigondavalekar.org. Subject of the mail would be Ram Naam Yadna

Points to Remember

1. All of us have to take the sankalpa at the same time i.e. at 7:10 PM on 7th November 2009 Saturday. If this is not possible you may still participate by taking the sankalpa at your convenience and email us your details as specified above.
2. You can chant nama anytime (travelling, working etc) and in any position(sitting, standing walking etc). just Keep chanting with full faith and keep counting (either tulsi mala or counter or any other way).
3. Participants are requested to email their total count (from start date to reporting date. Not weekly counts) to naamyogi@shrigondavalekar.org every Sunday((preferably). Subject of the mail would be Ram Naam Yadna
4. The period for completing the sankalpa is one Year.

On completition of this Sankalpa, we have decided to have a small get-together program.

For details please call (022)27715208 (Joshi Kaka) 9870581217 (Vivek Abhyankar), 9819135479 (Rohit Vedantwar)

|| Shriraam jay Ram Jay Jay Ram ||

One can speak with God if there is an earnest longing.

       

An official from a bank in Bombay once talked over the telephone with another in a bank in Solapur. The officer from the bank in Solapur asked his regards to be conveyed to Shri Maharaj. When this was done, Shri Maharaj enquired, "What is the distance between Bombay and Solapur?" The officer replied, "It is at least two hundred and seventy miles." Shri Maharaj asked, :|"How was it possible for you two to talk with each other across such a great distance?"The officer described the working of a telephone. Towhich Shri Maharaj said, "If such be the case, then why should it sound impossible or untrue if I were to say that saints and devotees can communicate with God? When you speak from Bombay to someone in Solapur, there is a wire to carry the sound, and you must speak into the mouthpiece.Likewise, remember that if one were to fashion a mouthpiece in the form of an earnest longing, it is easily possible to speak with God. To fashion a mouthpiece in the form of an earnest longing, love for God needs to be aroused. The only way this can be aroused is by sincerely observing the practice of Namasmarana. That is why I say that everything gets accomplished when one observes the practice of Namasmarana with sincerity.

Sri Guru Paduka (Sandals) installed in Jhambhivili,Karjath,Raighad Dist.

On 15thFeb 2010, Sri Brahmachaithanya Maharaj's devotee Shri Arun Gangal and his family got Shri Guru Paduka, made in granite in the same style and design of the one in Gondavale, installed in the precincts of their ancestral home, at Jhambhivili, 7 kms from Karjath, Raighad District, about 60 kms from Mumbai. Many devotees including all the trustees of Gondavale, were present at the time of installation. A week long celebration was held including Naama jap, Bhajans, Pravachans, Annadaan and other devotional activities. A group of Chinthamani Mandir devotees also attended the function on the last two days.

A special mention has to be made here, that the Holy Padukas are installed in the same place where Poojya Tatya Saheb Ketkar Maharaj sat to give the Pravachan on the Pethi (the planchette  on which Shri Bhrama Chaithanya Maharaj spoke in the voice of Shri Ketkar Maharaj).when he visited Jhambhivili.

And another important information is that Shri Ketkar Maharaj's Asthis (remains) are laid down and a Brindavan is built and maintained on the other side of the house. Some pictures are included here.

What ought One to remember "Death" For?

Once a railway booking clerk met Sri Maharaj. Sri Maharaj asked him, "Is it not true that signboards advising people to buy return tickets when travelling to the suburbs are displayed at railway stations?"The booking clerk said, "Yes, and well-informed people usually do buy return tickets". Sri Maharaj said, "Whenever God sends a living being to earth, He sends it with a return ticket in the form of its death warrant.If a traveller asks you for a one-way ticket,you can give him one. But it will never be possible for God to do  likewise. One ought to remember that every being born into this world does so with a return ticket in the form of its death warrant in its  pocket. When one constantly remembers Death, sinful and selfish behaviour will automatically diminish. With a reduction in sinful behaviour, good desires will awaken, and one will be drawn, little by little, towards attainment of God; when this happens, one will have a mind to chant Nama. When Nama is chanted love for God will automatically arise. With the arising of love for God, a continual awareness of God will result. Such awareness will cause the heart to be cleansed.With the cleansing of the heart, a steadfastness of the mind may be accomplished. And when this occurs, one's task will have been fulfilled."

To Ask that one should experience only happiness and no sorrow is unreasonaable

A photographer once visited Sri Maharaj. He said, "All is well at home.There is nothing to worry about at present. The only thing I wish for is that no sorrow may visit upon us hereafter in our lives." Sri Maharaj asked him, "What do you say to a customer visiting you? He said, "I first inquire what size of photograph he would like to be taken. Then I ask him how many copies of the photograph he wants. I tell him the minimum price, which is for three copies. The price remains the same even for only one copy, because preparatory work,effort and expenses remain the same." Sri Maharaj said, "This means that you make no charge for the second and the third copy. Now, if a customer were to say that he did not want the first copy, butmasks you to give him only the second and third copies, will it not be ridiculous? Likewise, it is not reasonable to ask that there should be no sorrow in one's life. If at all one has to ask for something, rather than asking "Let there be no sorrow', it would be proper for a Sadhaka to ask only that while the sorrow consequent on the accrued lot may come to pass, Rama give him the strength to bear it, and let him not forget Him."

The Success of one's efforts depends entirely upon God's Grace.

A young man passed M.A. in English in first class. His uncle asked him to meet Shri Maharaj. The youngster rejoined, "I do not believe in God, Maharaj, and such other things. I am a complete atheist. I do not believe in a supreme Being. So, please do not urge me in this matter."

To this the uncle said, "You have visited me with respect in your heart, because I am your elder. In the same spirit, let us visit Maharaj as being a very important person for me." The young man agreed to this, and both visited Shri Maharaj. At the time Shri Maharaj was giving a discourse, advocating that one should observe the practice of worship, remember Him always, and think of Him continually for one's welfare, for it is according to His wishes that everything takes place. When this was over,the uncle introduced his nephew to Shri Maharaj, and apprised him of the young man's great success. Shri Maharaj sincerely congratulated him, and counselled him never to fail to remember God, by whose grace he had achieved such success. The young man said to Shri Maharaj, "I do not have the slightest belief in God. I do not acknowledge Rama as a superhuman being.I am a complete atheist." The young man expected that on his saying this, Shri Maharaj would get offended and some altercation would ensue. On the contrary, Shri Maharaj calmly said, "I sincerely like genuine atheists like you. Saintly persons are the true atheists. While you call yourself atheist, claiming that there is no God, saintly persons call themselves atheists, claiming there is nothing in this world except God. That is the only difference between the two." Hearing this, the young man was bewildered. He said, "What makes you say this? While you praise Lord Rama, I say that I do not recognize Him at all. How is it you are not angry with me? On the other hand you say that you like me. How come? To which Shri Maharaj said, "There are so many persons seated here. They all consider themselves to be believers. But when the crucial time arrives, they behave like atheists.On the other hand, your outward demeanor is true to what you feel within yourself:; which means, you are completely honest with yourself. It is for this reason that I like you." After this, Shri Maharaj enquired after his family, and his plans for the future. On an impulse, the boy said, "There is a post of a professor of English vacant in a college in Bombay. I have applied for it. Kindly bless me that I may be appointed to it." Shri Maharaj suddenly said, "You call yourself an atheist. An atheist must show total confidence in his own ability to attain an objective by his own efforts. Therefore there is no question of my blessing you." The young man was non-plussed, and entreated him for blessings. Shri Maharaj said to him,"I will bless you only if you agree to say, "Let me get this post by the Grace of Rama." In the end, the young man said what was required, and Shri Maharaj blessed him. To the man's uncle,  Shri Maharaj said, "So much money and effort is spent on education, and yet on completing it, the boys have no faith in God; what a great abuse it is of money and the youngster's time! It is essential to make such changes in the curriculum that boys with fine attitudes are turned out."