Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Monday, June 24, 2019
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-June.24
Knowledge is a Two-edged Sword
He is a true writer who writes with a burning sincerity for the well-being of mankind; he is a true preacher who preaches only after acting up to what he preaches; and he alone can be called a real listener who puts into practice what has been preached. Means of disseminating knowledge have become proliferous nowadays, and these are often misused to spread knowledge which is untrue, unwholesome, demoralizing, or otherwise undesirable.
Knowledge is a two-edged instrument which can be used or misused; it is upto the nature and object of the person who wields it. Knowledge which respects social and personal morality and religious principles is beneficial to mankind. It is, by its very nature, sacred, and beneficial to man if founded on the abiding principles of morality and religion. Such knowledge is desirable and beneficial as augments mutual regard and goodwill between the rich and the poor, the learned and the unlettered, the young and the old, men and women. Such knowledge alone deserves to be spread. One should not disseminate knowledge which is likely to cause or augment hatred or disaffection between peoples and individuals, or spread disregard for moral discipline. They are not true scientists and technologists who bring forward inventions which only breed greed and selfishness, for they pave the way to the disintegration and destruction of humanity. Knowledge which does not impart and increase contentment is pseudo-knowledge. Only that knowledge deserves the name which enables us to understand the real nature of the universe.
Since I call this 'my' body, the real 'I' is evidently not identical with it, is different from it. A prapanchi person is one who knows only the tangible world, while a philosopher is one who understands the true nature of the world, the mystery of it. Happiness comes only from the knowledge of the subtle. The Cosmic Soul is like an ocean, whereas an individual is in every way no more than a drop in it. True philosophy is to realize the identity between the two. The importance, the greatness, the limitlessness, the prowess of nama cannot be understood by dint of study, but only through the grace of a saint. It is the greatest good fortune to have complete faith in nama. We should beware of this faith being shaken. True, firm contentment can only be achieved by ceaseless repetition of the divine name with full, unshakable faith in the word of a saint.
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Sunday, June 23, 2019
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-June.23
Always Act with a Clean, Selfless Aim
Everyone of your actions should be motivated with a pure, selfless objective. A pure motive naturally results in clean action and is a step forward in progress. The object is like the spring that feeds a well; if it is a spring of clean water, the well will also yield sweet, drinkable water. We should therefore take care to keep the objective pure, and pray Rama for it.
If a person has enough to house, feed, and clothe himself, he should live in contentment and in nama. All that we should pray Rama for is to save us from indigence. On the occasion of a holy conjunction of the planets, God grants our wish whether holy or otherwise. We should beware of unholy incantations, and only wish for holy things and arousal of benevolent emotions. We should pray God and say, "Do as Thou wilt, O Lord, but grant that I never forget Thee. Forgive me for evil and sins I may have committed knowingly or unknowingly; never more shall I misbehave." God is bountiful and ever forgiving if we genuinely yearn to reform ourselves.
Those who indulge in the filth of material pleasures can never realize the sweetness that paramartha is. Insects wallowing in the gutters will never sicken of filth. Worldly-minded people, steeped in worldly pleasures, sling slander on the saintly, believing that they alone are wise and all-knowing. They overlook the fact that this wide world holds thousands who are more learned or wealthy or capable. Many of them do not realize the pangs of penitence that await them when the elation of worldly pleasures wears off.
Few indeed are those who live in the faith that God is omnipresent. The execution of prapancha involves effort and pain, whereas the experience of God is all Pleasureful. A fevered person hankers for a sweat; but mere hankering does not help; proper medication is required. Similarly, one who desires to have real devotion for God needs to resort to the divine name. This devotion, once acquired, will never cease.
Gold occurs in minute particles in pieces of rock in a gold-mine; so does God exist in us. Just as gold is recovered from the ore by removing the dross, so do we attain God when we cleanse the heart of all desire. God manifests Himself when the 'body-am-I' conviction is completely subdued.
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