Saturday, September 14, 2019
Friday, September 13, 2019
Sri Maharaj's Pravachan- September 13
Everything is Futile without Purity of Mind
Body-consciousness and pride and not circumstances are obstacles in surrendering to God. Dedicate every action to God to eliminate pride. Have a firm attitude that God alone is the doer, we can do nothing; this amounts to dedicating pride to God. Establish a close relationship with God in some way or other. Speak to Him, chant nama; there is nothing true except nama. If you take away the calf, the cow follows it automatically; similarly if you chant nama, He follows it.
Once you develop taste for the sweetness of nama, you feel dislike for prapancha, you do not relish sense objects. It is wrong to say that nama spoils family life. Do not neglect your duties while chanting nama. You may not get encouraging experience of nama because you may not be chanting it as much as you should. Try to develop love for nama by practising it ceaselessly. In this rare human life, remain firm in nama. God is present in the remembrance of nama. Everything is futile without purity of mind; association with saints is the only sure way for this purification. Once you belong to Him, He will find the remedy for your spiritual good. Do not say, 'I shall practise a particular sadhana'; say-'O God, You alone can get it done by me'. You always remember the person helping you with initial capital for your business. Similarly you should not forget God who endowed you with wisdom, wealth and health. You can attain God in the natural course, remembering your original pure self. The nature of pure self is free from any expectation of the fruit of action and pride of doership.
Feel contented in the circumstances in which God has placed you; don't forget Him. God is far away, if you are far away from your own self, or if you look at things with external sight only. He is close by if your sight is turned inwards. Our birth as a human being surely indicates that we belong to God. Therefore, without wasting time in sensuous enjoyment and accompanying pain, fix your sight on God. It is man's real duty to attain God by purifying conscience and discrimination in this very life. There is no easier alternative to establishing a mental link with God by constant meditation.
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Body-consciousness and pride and not circumstances are obstacles in surrendering to God. Dedicate every action to God to eliminate pride. Have a firm attitude that God alone is the doer, we can do nothing; this amounts to dedicating pride to God. Establish a close relationship with God in some way or other. Speak to Him, chant nama; there is nothing true except nama. If you take away the calf, the cow follows it automatically; similarly if you chant nama, He follows it.
Once you develop taste for the sweetness of nama, you feel dislike for prapancha, you do not relish sense objects. It is wrong to say that nama spoils family life. Do not neglect your duties while chanting nama. You may not get encouraging experience of nama because you may not be chanting it as much as you should. Try to develop love for nama by practising it ceaselessly. In this rare human life, remain firm in nama. God is present in the remembrance of nama. Everything is futile without purity of mind; association with saints is the only sure way for this purification. Once you belong to Him, He will find the remedy for your spiritual good. Do not say, 'I shall practise a particular sadhana'; say-'O God, You alone can get it done by me'. You always remember the person helping you with initial capital for your business. Similarly you should not forget God who endowed you with wisdom, wealth and health. You can attain God in the natural course, remembering your original pure self. The nature of pure self is free from any expectation of the fruit of action and pride of doership.
Feel contented in the circumstances in which God has placed you; don't forget Him. God is far away, if you are far away from your own self, or if you look at things with external sight only. He is close by if your sight is turned inwards. Our birth as a human being surely indicates that we belong to God. Therefore, without wasting time in sensuous enjoyment and accompanying pain, fix your sight on God. It is man's real duty to attain God by purifying conscience and discrimination in this very life. There is no easier alternative to establishing a mental link with God by constant meditation.
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Thursday, September 12, 2019
Sri Brahmachaithanya Maharaj's Pravachan- SEPT. 12
Nama Destroys Pride
On hearing news about an acquaintance's house having been burnt, a person wrote to him, 'Have faith in God, and remain contented.' After some time, the latter lost his money; thereupon he started wailing! It is easy to advise others but difficult to act on it in our own case.
Unless our sense of doership is completely annihilated, God will not bless us. We should remember God while doing every piece of work. When we earn profit we develop pride. When we are in loss, we blame our fate. We should not claim doership in either event. We must remember that we are only a puppet in the hands of God. We must surrender ourselves to Rama saying, 'It is your sweet will whether to grant me success or otherwise.'
Most of todays' scientific developments cater to physical comforts. Saints alone can discover true and everlasting happiness. We shall certainly achieve true contentment if we follow the ways they have prescribed. Why are we not contented today? It is because our ego comes in the way. While doing our duty or after completing the task, if we do not allow our ego or pride to rise, then we shall experience the love of God, and feel contented. Look, how our pride raises its head even in ordinary petty matters! A gentleman had a daughter of marriageable age. He was well-to-do and the girl was fair looking. But her marriage could not be settled for a long time. Later, after the marriage was settled and over, the gentleman said, "I celebrated my daughter's marriage with great splendour." Somebody asked him, "Why did you not do it earlier?" Then he said, "It could not be settled earlier." The other person retorted, 'Then why do you say, 'I' celebrated, say only, it happened to be settled".
On the basis of their personal experience, saints have told us that surrendering completely and single-mindedly to God is a sure way to kill pride. Once we surrender ourselves at the feet of Rama with single-minded devotion, and say 'Rama, I now belong to You and You belong to me,' every deed of ours thereafter will belong to Him; it need not be dedicated to Him again. We should regard every action as His. While dedicating any action the dedicator remains separate, but that should not be the case. The dedicator should merge completely with God.
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