Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-July 25

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-July 25

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-July.24

Implicit Surrender to the Sadguru

Everyone is toiling hard to make a living; but do we come across anyone who can say, "I am getting enough and to my satisfaction?" The plain answer is, "No." So I ask you, if you toil so hard for a futile objective, why should you hesitate to work hard for attaining God, who is the home, the repository of pure bliss? At least give a fair trial to the path indicated by the saints. Make up your mind once and for all about the sadguru to be followed, and then stick to the sadhana he advises. To expect to see the sadguru necessarily in a corporeal body is not correct. In fact, the sadguru should be considered as nothing short of God Himself, and the sadhana prescribed by him should be pursued with implicit faith. This will positively lead to God. Nama-smarana is the only sadhana that any true sadguru will prescribe, and this we should practise with assiduity and perseverance. To him who honestly follows the sadguru's behest, the stages of advancement come naturally. A true seeker should implicitly surrender himself to the sadguru, ascribe all doership to him, and be contented and happy in whatever happens. To feel a burning, intense yearning for God is a matter of great good fortune. A sadguru is highly pleased to come across such a genuine seeker, as was the sage Vasishtha when King Ramachandra approached him, seeking divine knowledge. The saints all stuck steadfastly to their own sadguru, adhered to the prescribed sadhana, and saw God in a particular form of divine manifestation; so we, too, should perseveringly stick to nama-smarana. A father sports with the son while he is in a playful mood, and relinquishes him to the mother as soon as the child becomes petulant , whereas the mother coddles and pacifies him when he is out of mood. Saints are like the mother; God Himself behaves like the father. Remove water from a block of ice, and nothing remains; so are saints nothing but love for God. Association with saints is the royal road to attaining the Ultimate Reality without the trouble of sadhana. True association with the saint or sadguru, can be only by acting on his instruction, and the true effect of it is that the devotee's heart is fully purified. * * * * *

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-July 24

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-July 24

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-July.23

First Faith, then Action, and Lastly Experience

One who has firm faith that the sadguru is backing him, one who implicitly obeys him and ensures his never-failing support, will never find himself in want. One has to walk back to take a start for a long jump; the set-back which a disciple may occasionally find in his life is like that walking back for a start. A father teaching his son to swim occasionally withdraws his support, but the son is confident that his father will never let him sink and get drowned. One should keep the same unshakable faith in the sadguru.
When a man falls ill, he pays the doctor and yet places trust in him, takes the prescribed medicine though he is ignorant about its properties and effects. The obvious reason is that we earnestly wish to live on, and to be well, and trust the doctor to arrange it. Similarly, we shall only place trust in nama and sadguru if we earnestly aspire to meet God. We should adopt the same procedure as in worldly life, namely, first trust, then act, and then expect the result to justify the trust.
We reserve a berth in a railway sleeper coach and travel sleeping, with full trust in the driver and the train, although we know full well that neither is infallible. Why, then, should we hesitate to put at least an equal amount of trust in God? Is He not even as trustworthy? No one expects you to begin with blind trust, but a certain minimum degree of faith is certainly indispensable for paramartha.
Begin with unquestioning faith in a saint and his teaching. To possess such implicit faith is indeed given to a fortunate few, and their progress is really fast. If we are not among those few, let us at least be honest to ourselves, and fix our objective of life and the path with faith and determination.
Pray to the Lord, "Give me full contentment in the situation you choose to place me in. Rid me of my ego. Let me never forget your presence, never desire to ask anything of you; give me love for nama and unswerving faith in You."



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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-July.23