Tuesday, October 22, 2019
Monday, October 21, 2019
Sri Maharaj's Pravachan-Oct.21
We Ascribe Unknown Conditions to Destiny
The difference between man and other animals is that man has the capacity to fix the goal for himself, despite external circumstances. Both have to go through the destined pleasure and pain; only, a man who has God to back him can alter their timing. The law of destiny applies equally to the individual and to the world.
It will not be possible unconcernedly to leave the body to bear its destined pleasure or pain unless you quit the idea that whatever you earn is the proper reward of your own effort. If, however, you assign to God everything you possess, the action will go on as normal, without giving rise to a sense of doership.
There are things for which we can point out the cause; and there are many whose cause we are unable to trace. In the latter case we ascribe them to 'destiny.' 'Destiny,' then, may be defined as matters for which we cannot ascribe a plausible cause. Even saints have to bear the effects of destiny, but they care nought for them because they are able to face both pleasure and pain equably. If an illness comes, one should not neglect to take proper medicine but bear the pain cheerfully. A person having some divine or occult power, should not use his power to cure or to evade anybody's illness. It may give some celebrity to the person who performs such acts, but it is not in the interest of the person making use of such powers, nor of the one who avails himself of it. Suppose a person comes across a high value currency note lying in the street; that is destiny; but it is his volition whether or not to pick it up and pocket it; destiny does not dictate this. So, it is in our hands to regulate the mental response. Even God has the same law to face when He assumes a tangible form.
Improvement even in the congenital nature of a person is possible if he strives for it. For spiritual progress purity of heart is necessary. Just as farmland has to be cultivated before sowing, all pollution of the heart must be cleared before God can enter and reside in it. Once it is so purified, it is comparatively easy to maintain constant awareness of God. So aim at doing this, and let other things conduce to it. For this everyone should chant nama and live happily, without worrying.
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Sunday, October 20, 2019
Sri Maharaj's Pravachan-Oct.20
Pleasure and Sorrow Vanish with Dedication
The saints advise us to dedicate ourselves whole-heartedly to God. They also tell us how to dedicate. When beginning any action, first think of God; and throughout the course of the effort, keep thinking of Him; thereby the entire action will automatically become dedicated to Him. Go in utter surrender to Him or to the sadguru: that is all you need to do. Good inclinations, good qualities or bad passions, whatever you have, dedicate yourself to Rama with them. A son born to a king automatically becomes heir to the throne. Similarly if you throw yourself on Rama's mercy, you will escape the clutches of passions and sense-attractions. Take the usual precautions in your worldly transactions, but give your heart to Rama. Think not of anything else; then He is bound to shower mercy on you. If you dedicate yourself to Him body and soul, where is the reason to fear death?
Never, for a moment, lose sight of the fact that God is omnipresent, omniscient; never cease chanting nama; always keep God in your thought: this is the sadhana for paramartha. Do what is necessary in life, but never allow yourself to get attached anywhere. Live your life but as a guest, with only that much concern for anything or any person. The tangible world is always oriented towards carnal pleasures; let your mind not get entangled there. Let the body do its tasks in the world, but the mind should be fixed on Rama. Just as an avaricious man goes through all his tasks but his mind is riveted on money, so go about your worldly business with due precautions but let the mind concern itself only with Rama. The mind fails in concentrating on Rama because it has distractions in the form of sense--considerations, just a as bird flies high in the sky without taking its mind off its nest. So devote your mind to what, by its very nature, is steady, immoveable, unchangeable.
Be ever alert lest you allow God to be out of sight. Worldly life should be treated as a duty; it never can yield true happiness. Serve Rama as an end in itself, never as a means for some other object. Be properly alert in everything, but as a custodian, never as a proprietor. This applies even to your family, nearest kith and kin. This is paramartha.
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