Reminiscences

While talking about death- at- will, ShriMaharaj said, "One who says that he will abandon his body only when he wills, disregarding the natural order, is not an ichchhamarani. * Only a person who has merged his will with God's should be called ichchhamarani. Whenever God sends for him, looking upon that as also his own wish, he gladly abandons the body. In truth, he has com­pletely parted from his body at the very moment his con­sciousness of his body has completely vanished. This is exactly what TukaramMaharaj describes in the line 'With mine own eyes have I seen my death.' When conscious­ness of one's body has disappeared, he is left with no attachment for the body. That is, he becomes an Ichchhamarani. This is accomplished by nama."

*Ichchhamarani - One who can die only when he wills it.

Reminiscences

A gentleman in the dairy business asked, 'What should be the proportion between wordly business and sadhana for the attainment of God ?' ShriMaharaj said in reply, "When milking, you take a little water in the milk - pot to wet the teats. After milking is done you pour the milk in all the milk pots into a large vessel. To remove the milk remaining in every milk pot, you rinse it with a little water. It is proper to maintain a similar proportion of business of life to Sadhana for attainment of God.

Reminiscences

A doctor explained his problem to ShriMaharaj thus : "Sometimes a patient, on reading an advertisement or on the advice of his relatives, demands, by himself, 'Doctor, give me this medicine or injection.' It is not possible to decide upon the action without a proper examination of the patient. Quite often it is also not advisable to pre­scribe the particular medicine he asks for. What should one do  under these circumstances  ?" Upon this ShriMaharaj said, "There are three reasons why a pa­tient recovers. One, the coming to an end of the effect of what he was destined to suffer; two, the effect of the medi­cine; and three, the faith the patient has in the doctor and the medicine. Of these, no one knows what he was destined to suffer. As regards faith, the patient generally comes with it. It is not correct for one  pointlessly to of­fend or disregard it. What is left is the property of the . medicine. If it appears to be clearly harmful, refuse to give that medicine. If there is not going to do any harm, do as the patient desires. It is not impossible that his faith itself may bring about recovery. But tell me, what is the proportion of such patients ?" The doctor said that such persons are about five to ten per cent of his patients. Smiling a little, ShriMaharaj said, "You are fed up with only this much ! Then what should I do ? Amongst the persons coming to me, this proportion is exactly the re­verse. Ninety to ninety- five per cent persons bring with them a worldly wish or problem, and expect that I should confirm what they have in their mind. Now what I do is that I first tell them what I honestly feel they should do. But if it seems that someone is doggedly holding on to his opinion or wish, then I am compelled to say, vaguely, "Try doing that'. It is obvious that his destiny is dragging him. Realizing that all this is a display of God's doings and the illusory world, I do not let my mind be affected by either joy or sorrow."

Sri Brahmananda Maharaj's Aradhana (7-10-2010), in Chinthamani

ಚಿಂತಾಮಣಿಯ ಶ್ರೀ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಚೈತನ್ಯ ಶ್ರೀ ರಾಮ ಮಂದಿರದಲ್ಲಿ ಶ್ರೀ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾನಂದ ಮಹಾರಾಜರ ಆರಾಧನೆ ಪ್ರಾತಃಕಾಲ ೫-೩೦ ಕ್ಕೆ ಕಾಕದಾರತಿ ಯಿಂದ ಪ್ರಾರಂಭವಾಗಿ ವಿಶೇಷ ಪೂಜಾದಿಗಲೊಡನೆ ಜರುಗಿತು. ಸಂಜೆ ಶ್ರೀ ಜಿ.ಹೆಚ್. ವೆಂಕಟೇಶ್ ಮೂರ್ತಿ ರವರಿಂದ ಶ್ರೀ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾನಂದ ಮಹಾರಾಜರನ್ನು ಕುರಿತು ಉಪನ್ಯಾಸ ಜರುಗಿತು. ಶ್ರೀ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾನಂದರು ರಚಿಸಿದ ಹಲವು ಭಜನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಹೇಳಿದರು.

Sri Brahmananda Maharaj's Aradhana (7-10-2010)

ಸದ್ಗುರು ಶ್ರೀ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಚೈತನ್ಯ ಮಹಾರಾಜರ ಸಚ್ಚಿಷ್ಯರಾದ ಶ್ರೀ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಾನಂದ ಮಹಾರಾಜರ ಆರಾಧನೆಯನ್ನು ಮಹಾಲಯ ಅಮಾವಾಸ್ಯೆ (ತಾ|| 7-10-2010) ಗುರುವಾರ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಶ್ರೀ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಚೈತನ್ಯ ಮಂದಿರಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಆಚರಿಸುವರು.

Reminiscences

"I have kept only one observance, and that is, never to hurt anyone's feelings," ShriMaharaj used to say. While enumerating His manifestations in the Bhagavadgeeta, the   Lord  has   said,   'The  mind  is   an   aspect  of Mine.'Therefore ShriMaharaj believed that to hurt someone's sensibility is to hurt God. Once a good sadkaka asked, 'Maharaj, I earnestly try to act without hurting anyone's sensibility as you have advised. But I have a short temper and I am a stern disciplinarian. Because of this many a time another's feelings are hurt by what I say. What can I do about this?¹ Upon this ShriMaharaj said, "Practise sincerely and you will certainly succeed. You are bound to err sometimes while practising. When you err, ask for forgiveness of the person whom you have hurt, and be on guard that this does not happen again. If you do this, success is bound to be yours."

Reminiscences

A newly - qualified doctor opened his dispensary in a poor locality. He soon became popular there. The number of patients swelled rapidly. Because of this he had to spend much of his time in the dispensary. He could find little undisturbed time for chanting of nama. Placing this diffi­culty before ShriMaharaj, the doctor said, 'refusing new patients hereafter seems to me to be the only solution. Upon this ShriMaharaj said, "Well, doctor, won't this be a departure from good practice ? When it becomes known everywhere that this doctor does not accept new patients, new patients will stop coming. Yet, because you will natu­rally not like your income to decline, your heart will wish that old patients should keep coming; that would almost mean that they should never get well. This is not good. I would say, let the patient be an old one or a new one, you should feel that he has come because of God's wishing so, and it is your duty to examine him and give him medica­tion; that it is service rendered unto God. If you remem­ber God and then examine the patient, you will be able to diagnose his disease quickly and correctly, and the cor­rect medication will occur to you. Do not think of money. Inform the patient of the charges but do not corner him.

If you act with a sense that you are treating the disease and not the patient, everyday dealings will be within lim­its of propriety, and the mind will not get stuck in greed. Besides, you will have the satisfaction of having done your duty while remaining honest to your profession."