Shri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Dec.13

God is Truly Served only with Pure Devotion

The body consists of the heart as well as other organs and limbs. Suppose these organs and limbs are all intact, but the heart ceases to function; the body becomes 'dead', ceases to live. On the other hand, suppose the organs and limbs fail while the heart is intact; then the body continues to live, though with reduced efficiency, and there is a possibility of curing it completely with proper treatment. Nama­ corresponds to the heart, while other sadhanas are like the limbs; therefore, no other sadhana can, by itself, suffice for attainment of spiritual liberation. What is love in worldly life, if applied to God, becomes' devotion'; 'greed', if turned to God, becomes intense desire for acquisition of God.
A traveller boarded a train, and found a very comfortable berth; he therefore preferred to keep the berth and to travel from one terminus to the other and back again, instead of alighting at his own destination. How far would that be called wisdom? Are we not doing the same, merely living from birth to death in life after life? Let us now be on the watch for our desired destination, namely, God. Just as a traveller buys fruits and snacks on the way, you may acquire houses and property and amenities of life, but never lose sight of the destination, which is God. So we should beware, and first decide on the sadhana we would adopt.
People often go to hear reading of sacred books or discourses on them, so that others may respect them for their religiosity, or for the sake of avoiding boredom, or for recreation and relaxation. This is certainly to be deprecated. The text of the sermon may be perfectly right, but the commentator's personal views often colour the explanation, and that may unwarrantably and adversely impinge on our resolve. Consciousness of duty and constant awareness of God are the essence of all sacred books.
One can truly serve God only if the devotion is pure, selfless. It is such devotion that saves us, not the grandeur of the temple. Such devotion comes by avoiding idle talk, and this will come about if we dedicate ourselves to nama.


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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Dec.13

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Dec13

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Dec.12

Nama Achieves what Yoga Does
A householder should, as a rule, never say 'no' to anyone who comes to beg; he should and give him something, if not all of what he asks for. Never turn away one who begs for food. In regard to requests for money, use discretion; if his request appears unjustified, give him only part of it. Remember that even the job we do for livelihood is a kind of begging, so never use bad language to a beggar. It is not at all degrading for genuine vairagya to beg for necessities; but the begging should not be for a selfish end. The mystical grandeur of true vairagya never remains veiled. Paramartha is unsound without genuine vairagya.
To recognize the true nature of the palpable universe is the first step in the acquisition of knowledge; it is ignorance to treat the unsubstantial as real. A worldly man is unable to judge the spiritual status or attainments of a person, so the common man should not vilify anyone. Some idea of a man's spiritual status can be had on observing the state of his mind at the moment of death.
A person who is ordinary in the eyes of the world may attain a high status spiritually by faith in and practice of nama. This can, of course, be judged only by one who is himself absorbed in nama. Nama is, indeed, extremely powerful; it is a pity, though, that no one is prepared to give it a proper trial. There is no doubt that nama can achieve nothing less than what yoga can. A passion for nama is a sure sign of the grace of Rama. This passion is generated by constant chanting of nama.
It is found that people leading a worldly life are extremely selfish. They are not prepared to forgo even a part of their selfishness and ego, and yet they expect spiritual achievement. How is this possible when selflessness is the very foundation of spiritualism? We go to a saint or sadguru to learn to forgo this tendency for selfishness. No one expects you to relinquish worldly life altogether, nor would anyone be ready to do so. Selfishness is curtailed if desire is reduced; desire is subjugated if we dedicate ourselves to God; dedication comes from constant awareness of Him; and this is achieved by chanting nama; and that is why I exhort you ceaselessly to repeat nama.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Dec.12

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Dec.12

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Dec.11

Nama-smarana is a Must on the Path of Action
Performance of vedic rituals aims at purifying the heart; but unless it is based on firm faith in God, with all doership ascribed to Him, it will amount to merely ritualism, bigoted fundamentalism. Besides, life today is so widely different from what it was in the past, that vedic rites just cannot be performed with rigid compliance with their requirements. Nevertheless, I have the highest respect for the disciplined life of the orthodox.
In order to obtain the true benefits of vedic performances nama should be constantly borne in the mind. Gradually, when the heart becomes thoroughly purified and the soul is absolved of the binding effect of all action, nama alone abides, and finally, the individual soul merges with the Cosmic Soul.
nama is not just one of many spiritual formulae or incantations it has been established and made potent by selfless sages and saints. It takes one unfailingly to God; nay, more; it attracts God to the person who chants it incessantly and with staunch faith. I say this with the assurance of personal experience, and its veracity may be tested. It is a fire which consumes the 'body-am-I' feeling. It is a form of Omkar itself. It is the very soul of all religious rites and performances. All the great persons who have accomplished the task of attaining the Cosmic Soul have had recourse to nama. Persons of the highest grade, such as Lord Shiva and Shree Samartha (Ramadas Swami) have attained their goal only through recourse to nama.
On the other hand, to assume that nama-smarana puts the adherent beyond the pale of all moral and social restrictions and discipline is also totally erroneous and indefensible.
A genuinely generous heart is a sine qua non for one who aspires for success in paramartha, and to attaining to sainthood. It is certainly not suggested that the common man should gift away all his money and belongings. What is far more important is giving up all aspects of 'self' or ego. This naturally includes the abandonment of all proprietorship.



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