Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Rama katha in Hindi by Shri Ravindra Pathak
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-July.10
Surrender to Sadguru
One who accepts with contentment the situation that Rama grants, is a true virakta, a spiritualist who is truly disinterested. Viveka or true spirit of discrimination, is evident in one who holds his mind away from whatever militates against Rama. When the mind feels interest in worldly things and passions, one may conclude that spiritual discrimination is disappearing. The way of thinking is influenced by the ego, which always tries to detract the mind from awareness of God. The only way to counteract this effect is to try to be ever mindful of Raghuveera. Indeed, learn to think that everything that comes to the mind is Rama. The only thing that will dispel the pitch-darkness of a thickly clouded moonless night is sunrise; similarly, the invariable conviction that Rama is the doer of everything, dispels all doubts and distractions of the mind.
Keep the mind pure, untainted by prejudice or passion, as would be loved by the God-fearing; this will please God. That selfishness rules the world can be evident from a search of our own heart. Therefore, detach your thoughts from all worldly things, and then courageously face all tendencies with a firm conviction that God is the real doer.
Disabuse your mind of all doubt, and go to the sadguru in all humility. Keep repeating nama free of doubt and distraction, for that is the foundation of true, lasting happiness. Rest assured that God will never hold Himself away from one whose heart is pure, whose conduct is morally irreproachable, and who wants God for His own sake. Such a person may go about worldly affairs but without being mentally involved.
God must manifest Himself where there is love for Him. Keep ever aware of God, the Prime Mover for the body itself and the universe. Good, godfearing people always treat it as good fortune to have yearning for God. One who lives like worldly men but is internally aloof from all such things with the help of nama, corresponds to turbid water clarified by alum. The great prowess of nama is that it absorbs the poison of worldly attractions. So let your mind think of nama and nama alone. It should, indeed, percolate deep, even beyond the four types of vani or speech. Always be on guard lest any urge but nama arise in the mind.
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Tuesday, July 9, 2019
Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-July.9
Resolve to Repeat Nama Continuously
Whatever is perceptible to the senses perishes sooner or later. It can never be independent; it is always subject to control by God, and so we should understand that everything that happens is purely by divine dispensation. Our body is also perceptible, and is animated by God; we should therefore maintain constant awareness of Him. It is, by nama-smarana that this can be achieved. So you should resolve to live in nama. If the mind devotes itself to nama, one finds no difficulty in leaving the body to the vicissitudes that prarabdha may bring, without being affected by either pleasure or pain. Even saints cannot escape prarabdha, but they face it with equanimity because they have freed themselves from the 'body-am-I' feeling.
Go about your worldly business, but never lose sight of nama. Whatever may come as the result of your effort should be accepted cheerfully as divine dispensation. We are men of the world, after all, so we should never spare putting in appropriate effort, but never be carried away by it and forsake nama. Righteous behaviour is a sine qua non for spiritual uplift.
Do not follow any Tom, Dick, or Harry, or any person who may be a hypocrite, nor stray from the righteous path. Trust only in a genuine saint, keep nama ever on the lips, and go through prapancha with due regard to righteousness. I assure you that one who conducts himself thus will be blessed by Rama.
It is a pity that most people profess devotion with an eye on some mundane objective. Few, indeed, want God for His own sake.
Who is a good doctor? One who cures a sickness which has been given up by others as incurable. Similarly, a genuine saint is one who rescues persons who are steeped in passion. To such a saint one has only to go in utter surrender.
Prapancha today is about the same as it was in bygone times; the most significant difference, however, is that most people then were devout and god-fearing, whereas today they are less broad-minded, more self-centred, less helpful to each other, less self-sacrificing.
Resolve to do what I ask you to do, no more, no less, and say 'good-bye' to all worry in life, for I undertake all responsibility for you.
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