Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan-Feb.16

Follow what the Saints Tell You

Feel happy in the circumstances in which God keeps you. Do not feel sorry about the misery and the reverses of family life. We always talk of 'me' and 'mine'; do we ever stop to consider how much of it we can really control or enjoy? The real reason for our misery is expectation, and avarice for more and yet more. This can only be cured by maintaining constant remembrance of God. Never forget that you belong to Him. True spiritualism requires that the mind is engaged in thoughts of God. Deceive not the world, nor let yourself be duped by it.
He who lives in nama really lives in the company of the godly. We usually keep company with those of like occupation and similar taste. Attach your mind to nama.
A dog is emboldened and barks at others when accompanied by its master; so, too, we should live fearlessly with the support of the Lord; only, we should not bark, that is, should not be puffed with pride that we chant nama. Such pride degrades the sadhana. We should forget that 'we' chant nama, and always behave with humility. Be attentive to your work, and treat all with love. A woman respects and tries to keep her in-laws pleased, with the primary object of pleasing the husband; similarly, behave so that the Lord is pleased.
If you ask the doctor, "Why don't you give me the medicine contained in that particular bottle?", he answers, "Because your illness is not one for which that is a remedy". Similarly, the sadhana prescribed by a sadguru is the one particularly suited for the individual's needs. Therefore, we should do as he tells us to; it is no use blindly imitating his actions. Hand over the reins of your life to him, and be carefree. Follow the guru's behest; when you come to the cross roads, he is right there to point out the correct way. What is the Use of doing nothing and merely asking, "What next?"
It is only the saints who have really comprehended the vedas. They have laid us under deep obligations by explaining the meaning in a simple manner. We should passively obey them to the letter, without adding anything of our own. We can rest assured of success then. A saint is brimful and dripping with love of God. Only nama-smarana will lead you to a saint.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Feb.16

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Feb.15

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Feb.15

Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan-Feb.15

" I am Present Wherever Nama is Chanted"

When I say "See me in nama," I mean that I treat my body as only the outer cloak but I am really in nama, for, really speaking, we are only where the mind is. Suppose you are on a pilgrimage, but your mind is thinking of your home; then you are virtually at home, not in the sacred place. If asked, "Where do you usually reside?" you will have to answer," In the world of the senses and sense objects." One can say that a person is where his liking lies. If, then, you are asked where your guru lives, will you not say, "In nama"? Therefore, I am where nama is being chanted; whoever chants nama may rest assured I am right by his side.
The learned, versed as they are in the shastras, claim that the jnyanamarg, the path of knowledge, is the way fit for them to attain God. In saying this, they lose sight of the fact that, path of knowledge is not only difficult but also risky, because it is very likely that the sadhaka may be infused with pride, the very thing which must be fully conquered before realization. They may verbally understand the doctrine that 'Brahman is the ultimate, undying Truth, while the creation is transitory', but they never experience it. In practice, they treat the body as the reality, although they theoretically declare the world unreal.
The orthodox, on their part, declare that they will rigidly adhere to the rites and observances prescribed by the vedas and shastras. They, too, deny faith in nama. They observe rules and limits very scrupulously, as if they were the goal and not the means, whereas the attainment of God is the end in view. Actually, the rules and rites have no more utility than the hedge for a field. They, however, mistake the one for the other, and assiduously water and manure the hedge; that is, they scrupulously carry out the rituals, forgetting all about the real objective, namely, God. It is accepted that vedic rituals are designed for purifying the heart, but that purification itself is for the attainment of God. If that ritual has not as its basis that objective, what ultimately emerges is sheer bigotry and orthodoxy. Actually, they contradict themselves; for, at the beginning of the sandhya or any ritual, they first utter Omkar that is, nama.

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Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.14.

Practise Nama if You Want Bliss

When the body lacks or has excess of any of the basic constituent elements, the metabolic system becomes unbalanced and causes illness. Dry ginger is a substance which restores the balance, by making up the deficiency or counteracting the excess. Nama, in a similar fashion, removes the obstacles posed by certain qualities or short-comings in an aspirant and ensures his smooth spiritual progress. So, whatever may be the obstructing tendencies, if the aspirant chants nama persistently and with firm faith, his spiritual path is cleared, and the attainment of the goal is ensured.
It is the practice with some of us to maintain an ever- burning oil lamp beside the idol of a deity. Naturally, a supply of oil to the lamp has to be maintained. Similarly, one who desires that his lamp of bliss be maintained, must feed it with nama constantly; in other words, he must live in nama; for, that bliss has its very root in nama. Just as coldness is a property of ice all over the world, so bliss is bound to be where God is.
I would readily approve the doctrine 'Eat, drink, and be merry' but for the fact that it is based on the physical body, which is itself impermanent, and the joy vanishes no sooner than the affluence declines. Man, on the other hand, should learn to be happy irrespective of the circumstances.
Learn to be one with God, if only for five minutes a day; the joy of those five minutes will surpass mere living for a hundred years, just as mere haranguing for an hour on the sweetness of sugar cannot equal the pleasure of actually tasting even a pinch of sugar. It is true that there is joy in living, but the living that has no joy in it is worse than death. He alone can have a joyful life who lives in God. So one who really wants to 'live' should chant nama.
Shri Samartha prayed that he ever remain united with God; while Shri Tukaram prayed, 'let me never forget Thee.' The plain reason for such prayers is that where there is God there is pure, permanent bliss. We should resolve to be happy in the present, leaving unhappiness for the never-dawning 'tomorrow.' For, one who learns to maintain a blissful mind in chanting nama will enjoy himself all the time.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Feb14