Monday, September 9, 2019
Sunday, September 8, 2019
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan - Sept.8
Read Little, Contemplate and Act on it
What is maya? That which exists without God is maya. Everything that is visible and perishable is maya. As long as we practise nama-smarana we are out of the snare of maya; when we forget God and nama, we fall under the influence of maya. The essence of anything is in doing it, not just listening to it or telling about it. Howsoever you describe nirguna, it will not be possible to comprehend nirguna. We should, therefore, visualize and worship saguna. One who says 'I worship nirguna', does not really know what nirguna is, because in nirguna there remains no one even to tell this.
One gentleman told me that he had read all books on vedanta. I said to him, 'Then you must have achieved contentment;' On this he replied 'That is the only thing which I have not achieved'! Of what use then has his entire reading been? What can we then get from studying vedanta? Let us practise simple and easy devotion. Surrender yourself single mindedly and completely to God, practise nama-smarana; you will get everything. Unless you practise what you read in sacred books the reading is futile. Do not read merely for the sake of reading; it adversely affects your sadhana, and you start developing pride over your reading. Therefore, read only a little, contemplate and act on it.
If you spend even a small part of the day in the remembrance of God, the entire day will pass in the same mood of awareness of God; extending days into months, months into years, and years forming the life, your whole life will pass in the continuous remembrance of God.
You should not be fond of family life itself, but should be fond of your duties therein. It is holy to do your duties, but you should not get involved in attachment to family life. You should mentally belong only to God. If you earnestly remember God, He will definitely keep you happy and contented. To belong to God is to be happy and contented in life. Have profound faith in God and do only what He likes; that is the essence of paramartha.
No one knows when this body may fall; never say, therefore, 'I shall practise nama when I am old;' start right now.
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Saturday, September 7, 2019
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Sept.7
Earn Wealth Only by Moral Means
Some people have the habit of always harboring anxiety for one reason or another, without any basis. Anxiety is a source of distraction in life. If the possession of money becomes a cause for anxiety, then is it not better to give up money? I do not mean that you should throw away money but, at the same time, do not get bound by attachment to it. What is the use of earning money with hard work, if it is to turn into a source of anxiety? Money is not the entire essence of life, nor it is the highest ideal in life. Money is necessary for livelihood; so acquire it by fair means and just sufficient for the needs. You should not allow your peace and contentment to get disturbed, whether you get a lot of money or by chance you lose it. God's will should be seen behind both the events. Our honour or reputation does not depend only upon money but it depends mainly upon our behaviour; our honour is not lost with money. Everybody feels that one should earn money sufficient not only for the present needs but also for future, for the children. What do we find in the world? The more the wealth, the more the problems and disputes between the claimants. We are not sure of ourselves; how can we be sure of children? But no one really gives consideration to this.
There is a description in Yogavasishtha, that Ramachandra developed a sort of disgust for money. We also have similar feelings. The only difference is that Ramachandra's disgust was over the surfeit of wealth while ours is for not having 'enough' money. We treat money as the means for acquiring happiness in our family life.
Let us divide our requirement for money into two parts. The first part, meant for our family life, should be acquired by honest means, do not covet for more. The second part, which we are fortunate to get in excess of our needs, really belongs to others. We should not entertain any greed for acquiring this.
A rich man spends his entire life in acquiring wealth, but in the absence of awareness of God, the wealth ultimately ruins him. However, if you acquire wealth while maintaining continuous remembrance of God, you will not get ruined but enjoy happiness due to it.
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