Sunday, May 26, 2019
Saturday, May 25, 2019
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan- May.25
Achieve Joyfulness by Directing Desire to God
All in the family should live cheerfully and joyfully. We should have such a disposition that whoever desires joy and cheer should hasten to us. Distributing largesse may impoverish the donor or may not suffice the recipient's need; cheerfulness of disposition, on the other hand, is a fund that is inexhaustible.
Life has its origin in God, Who is all bliss; so life should really be endlessly blissful. It is only acquirable, however, when the 'body-am-I' conviction dies. Bliss, being natural, is easy to acquire; it only needs that we, too, become simple, that is, free of 'conditioning' or upadhi, which has weighed us down. Everybody is in search of bliss; so learn to be joyful in all circumstances. Bliss is basically ever-lasting, but we seek it in sense objects, which are transitory, and therefore we fail to find true, lasting bliss. A pustule of scabies causes itching; the scratching gives a kind of pleasure but draws blood and causes irritation; does the pleasure justify the scratching? A dog chews a bone, under the impression that he is tasting the marrow; but he is actually tasting his own blood from his mouth, some of the blood actually falls on the ground and is lost to his body, but he does not let go the bone. The joy obtained from sense-pleasures is exactly similar. God manifests Himself in the bliss that comes without the help of any material thing.
If a man withdraws his desire from the material world and turns it to God, he experiences nothing but bliss. Desire is like fire. Fire helps to give us fresh, tasty, warm food; but, applied to a house, it can burn the entire edifice to ashes. Similarly, desire turned to God can make a man blissful; whereas, if applied to sensual pleasures, it lands him into misery and grief. Desire offers varying sensuous enticement to us every day; or, rather, the pleasures are not new, it is the desire that renews itself. Desire, which is synonymous with pride or ego, is the archenemy of man, and effectively obscures divine bliss; it deprives the human mind of contentment. Even when man understands this, desire is so overpowering that it haunts and continues to lure man, to his last breath. There is nothing to equal the effectiveness of nama in vanquishing desire. When desire ends, what remains is sheer bliss.
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Friday, May 24, 2019
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-May 24.
Value Nama as Your Life
God has endowed man with the unique gift of speech; will it be proper to employ it for anything but the chanting of nama? How can we afford using the tongue for futile chatting about mundane matters, instead of employing it for nama-smarana whereby we can attain God? You buy books for the purpose of study; if you merely use them for a pillow, how can that impart knowledge? Therefore, I say, employ this precious gift of speech for nama-smarana. God has blessed us with sound health and robust legs; had we rather not be legless if we do not employ them for the attainment of God?
You have before you the example of Brahmananda. He devoted his entire life and energy to nama-smarana, to which he stuck heart and soul. You may not be able to emulate him, but the least you can do is to love nama no less than you love the body. In the present times of Kali yuga, every day means further digression from faith in God. Be vigilant lest you lose faith. If scepticism overtakes you, resort to nama-smarana with redoubled vigour. Trust in me in this regard, if not in worldly matters.
Do not exploit nama for a worldly motive. Nama-smarana should be done for its own sake, and you shall get genuine bliss from it. Take stock every day of how much time you devoted to nama; resolve to spend at least part of the day in practising nama and thereby your faith shall become firmer. True contentment will be fostered by repeating nama. Nama is self-existent and natural; persist in it despite doubts and distractions, for they will disappear in course of time. It is the master remedy to uproot doubts and distractions. It is like money deposited in a bank; you can depend on it in times of need. Approach the Lord in all humility and complete surrender, and earnestly implore Him to grant you love for His name; this will definitely beget that love in you, and you will see Him in the true sense.
Desire destroys, or steals, one's joy. It deprives one of the contentment which is the objective of life. Nama-smarana directs desire to the proper path, so desire will gradually die out, leaving pure bliss with us.
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