Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Oct.17

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan-Oct.16

Slander and Pride Keep Man Away from God
There is no sin greater than calumniating others. It is a pernicious practice that harms both the slanderer and the slandered. It is the object of the former to cause pain to the latter who usually is not within earshot. What, then, is the gain? Slandering pollutes the slanderer's mind. It is a polluted mind that seeks pleasure in calumny. So one who seeks or finds pleasure in calumny may safely conclude that he is quite far from God. Indeed, it is a safe guess that the degree to which one indulges in calumny is an index to one's distance from God. So whoever cares for his own true interest should eschew slander and devote his tongue to chanting nama. A sincere sadhaka should always remember that when he sees a fault in another person, he has in himself the same fault in some degree; so he should make an effort to uproot it from his own mind and plant nama in its place.
Often a person is aware of his shortcoming, aware also that it is a hindrance on the path to God, but is powerless to eradicate it. Some, for instance, have an evil eye, and if they see a good thing, even admire it, that thing will, in some way, suffer or go bad. At such times it is often futile for the person to try to cure himself of it; the company of a godly person may bring about a cure.
Scholastic achievement often draws a person away from God. An unlettered but devout pilgrim may, with his implicit faith, realize God, whereas an erudite person may read tomes about paramartha and may remain a Doubting Thomas. A man may store bagfuls of almonds, dates, and such other things in his house, but what is their use unless the tonic things are eaten, digested, and go to form blood and sinews? Similarly, what is the use of merely reading learned books unless their teaching is assimilated and brought into day-to-day practice?
God cannot be attained by mere physical toil or austerity; so do not undertake laborious activities for the purpose. What is wanted is sincere, selfless, intense love, and any effort made out of love is soon forgotten. Be brimful with love for God, and for mankind; you will then lose yourself in the flood of love which you find filling all creation.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Oct.16

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Oct.16

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan.Oct 15

Humility is the Gateway to God
Nama-smarana should be completely without pride, in utter submission to God. One has to be specially cautious in this regard, because it is most likely that a seeker may well develop a self-righteous pride of sadhana, rendering sadhana fruitless. When going to a saint, we should completely vacate the mind of all thoughts except that of God and love for Him. On the other hand, we carry with us loving ideas about prapancha, and self-righteous pride; the saint's guidance then becomes blurred and illegible, like over-writing.
We think of ways to obtain a thing only after first feeling that we want it. Similarly, we should first feel the need for God. Then we look for ways to attain Him. This calls for mental effort; for instance, the effort to suppress anger calls for more courage and control on the mind than giving vent to it. But the resultant bliss makes it all worthwhile. We should be very cautious in our behaviour and talk, to avoid the undesirable.
Utter surrender needs neither money nor learning; we only need to give up pride. God can be easily attained by one with a spirit of humility. One who thinks nothing of oneself, even if his real worth is high, will find it easier to attain God. What is wanted is a determined mind. We should have open dealings, open-hearted talk, and think or do nothing that we would be ashamed for God to see. Our whole behaviour should tend to generate increasing desire to seek God, to yearn for Him. For this to come about, we should always keep the mind immersed in nama. We may be worldly to all appearances, though in the heart of hearts we should belong to God. This attitude to life will help very much in spiritual pursuit.
A person enticed by pleasures and convenience of the body is evidently oblivious of God. But one who vigilantly maintains constant awareness of the presence of God has no regard for worldly greatness. Hankering after money and popular applause leads one away from God. We must not fall into their snare. In worldly life we cannot help coming in contact with them. One who yearns for the love of God should realize their strength and weakness and employ them with proper regard to them, so as to escape their pitfalls. You can attain Rama only by surrendering to Him completely.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Oct.15

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Oct.15