Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Oct.10

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Oct.10

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan-Oct.10

A True Devotee Always Remains Contented
To be contented in the circumstances in which Rama keeps him, a desire continually to chant nama, and indifference to other matters of life, these are the unmistakable marks of a true devotee. The eyes and ears generally bring in most of the knowledge and information about the world around; these organs should therefore be trained and engaged in nama. Rama should be borne in mind, and you should always be conscious that the prapancha you are doing belongs to Rama. Give up selfishness; this you can do if you maintain nama-smarana. Acting in a play one may wholeheartedly act the assigned part, whether that of a king or of a serf, without ever forgetting what he is in real life.
The world holds both, good and bad; of these, select the ones whose association will strengthen love for Rama. Do not associate with those who are slaves to hatred, jealousy, egoism. Bear with equanimity both respect and disrespect, concentrating the mind on Rama's feet. A good disciple is he who gives up all ego. Care day and night to create, enhance love with Rama. Keep the body engaged in executing its worldly duties, fulfilling its obligations, but rivet the mind on the teaching of the saints.
An excellent personal quality is to keep the eyes ever open to watch for one's own defects and shortcomings, for only he will seek to improve himself who is, aware of his drawbacks. First awaken the mind, make it eager to purify itself. Quit ego, free yourself of all sensory desires; cleanse the mind of the idea of 'having' or 'not having' any particular thing or situation. Never side with or associate with people loving sensory pleasures, for it may eventually wean you away from Rama. A man is moulded by the company he keeps; so adhere to the circle of the righteous. Feel dejected for nothing but for eagerness to meet God.
What is earnestness but yearning for one thing alone? The sadhaka should look upon his sadhana with the same single-pointed attention and love that a dutiful wife bears to her husband. Nothing is more degrading to a sadhaka than falling a prey to temptation. Treat prapancha as a service enjoined by Rama. The nama imparted by the sadguru should be considered the holiest of the holy. Be a true devotee by being contented in the situation allotted by Rama.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan-Oct.9

Remembrance of God is the Secret of Devotion

To forget one's own existence, and to be aware of the existence of God everywhere, at all times, is the essence of devotion. With devotion as the ruling passion, everything else fades into the background. It goes without saying that in the case of such a person God is such paramount awareness that sensory pleasures have no attraction.
Devotees of God have come from all classes of people and all kinds of circumstances. If the Lord rewarded them all with perfect contentment, why should we, too, not hope to be similarly rewarded? We accept the notion that the world is progressive; but to think of progress as consisting of children, money, public esteem, and other physical matters is not correct. Real progress relates to devotion. This progress may not be palpable. Success without God has no value, and may be classed a failure. On the other hand, an apparent failure may eventually turn out to one's advantage; so never feel daunted by a failure; patiently bear with it as God's will.
To think or say that 'the Lord exists' amounts to believing that the creation has emanated from Him, that He protects and supports it; we are part of the multitudes created by Him, so we, too, receive His protection and are sustained by Him. He who throws himself on God's mercy is truly independent. One who yearns for Him becomes His. Intense love for Him is devotion. True upasana consists in loving God with even greater intensity than loving one's own self. This is the crowning achievement of life. He can be truly said to have faith who seeks no other support even if calamities come in battalions.
Before one can grasp the concept of an attributeless Divinity, one must go through the medium of idol-worship. This can be likened to a man's village which is hidden beyond a knoll, and therefore cannot be seen until one climbs to the summit. A bugbear is not living but, made in the likeness of a man, it keeps the birds away in the absence of a guard, and preserves the ripening harvest from their depredations. Similarly, Worshipping and loving an idol of God leads easily to a realization of His subtle, attributeless entity.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Oct.9

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Oct.9

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan-Oct.8.

Human Effort should be Backed by Faith in God
Shree Samartha declares that not a single one can be found on the face of the earth that has all happiness. And we, on the other hand envy a prince in a royal family as a lucky one because he lacks nothing. True, he may not be hard up for food and drink, but how can we surmise that he has no other worry at all? When struck by misfortune we may blame some unknown action by us in a past birth; simultaneously, we do something with expectation of good to materialize in the next birth! We seek no escape from this vicious circle of life and death. Even the so-called great men and women get stuck in action by entertaining hopes of one kind or another. We have at long last come by the human form with the potential capacity of attaining God, but what good is it if we work with expectation and get re-entangled in this endless cycle? We marvel at the number of wheels we see rotating in a factory, but overlook the prime mover which may be unseen there. Similarly, we may marvel at the multifarious activities and faculties of a person, but entirely overlook the soul or life that animates his body and without which the body is but a carcass. It is the soul whose presence is necessary for the activity of the body or the faculty.
A man on bad terms with his brother noted in his will that his dead body should not so much as be touched by the brother. Is this not a supreme instance of hatred and the 'body-am-I' idea? Man often occupies himself with thoughts of yesterday and tomorrow instead of doing what is proper to do today. Many persons are eager to know what is in store in the future, instead of doing something today to ensure a happy tomorrow. This is under the influence of maya. Such people worry about tomorrow while, at the same time, doing something improper today. Remember that, after all, situations keep changing, so evil days are bound to be replaced by better times. So never give up working for the better, leaving the result to the judgement of God. The next step is to work without any expectation whatsoever. Chant nama incessantly, leave everything to Rama, never spare effort, fear not death, and never worry about life in general.


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