Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.9

Beware of Thirst for Esteem

Basically, we are part and parcel of the Eternal, but we erroneously believe that we are transitory. We have forgotten God, the Eternal. Because of a loving attachment for sensory objects we lose sight of the eternal. Our daily routine should be such that we are again and again reminded of the eternal. Really speaking, we should be constantly aware of the Eternal; since that does not happen, we should, as a reminder, devote at least some time every day to doing some appropriate reading and contemplation of what we read. This should become a habit with us. One who remains ceaselessly in nama-smarana lives in the eternal, as did Brahmanand.
Let us ponder how we can live unceasingly in nama. Implicit obedience to the sadguru is the sure means to this. Surrender yourself to him unreservedly. The seeker should read a little every day, think over it, act upon it, and finally surrender passively to the sadguru.
As a man grows in age his yearning to meet God should become keener. A sadhaka should do his spiritual exercise with an earnest mind, not merely as a routine. Haphazardness is harmful to spiritual progress. Implicit faith is the very stock-in-trade of sadhana. Rest assured that contentment is all in all. It is the thermometer with which to gauge one's progress. Do not think on the defects and shortcomings of others, for we ourselves carry their seeds in our hearts. Hankering for respect and applause from others is highly dangerous, for it leads even well-advanced seekers to downfall. So, too, do inordinate covetousness and lust. All these are snares in which seekers may be easily trapped. The sole attachment which liberates one is attachment to the Divine; it secures perfect, eternal contentment.
Guard yourself against becoming a prey to thirst for public applause, for this fosters the 'body-am-I' feeling even more than money and lust. Be extremely cautious in this regard. Avoid going where praise is likely. If you cannot avoid getting esteem, treat it as God's gift, not as what you merit. One who is really great never desires for respect and honour, and if they do come, cares not for them, spurns them. Search your heart to discover whether you desire respect; this will indicate what greatness you possess in reality.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Feb.9

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Feb.9

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan - Feb.8

Nama-smarana Best for Self-interest
A gentleman met me and said, "I desire to see God. Have you seen Him?" I said, "Yes, I have." "Can I see Him, too?", he asked. I replied, "Yes, most certainly; but not with physical eyes. The sight with which to see Him is different." There is only one way to see Him, and that way is ceaseless nama-smarana. There is no other way. I say this to one and all, and it is necessary to heed to it in order that they should know whether they are following the path of their interest. But heeding will be effective only if put into practice. What is put into practice will alone serve you. Dedicate yourselves to nama-smarana; there is no other means of achieving ultimate self-interest. If there is anything which is naturally ours, which is free of all conditioning and restrictions, which is dependent on nothing else, it is the divine name. Therefore, whosoever repeats it with purity of heart and action, Rama will surely look after his interest.
Believe implicitly in the sadguru's behests. If he says, 'you will find the treasure if you go a hundred paces in this direction,' he evidently cannot be held responsible for failure to find it if you walk even twice as much but in a wrong direction. You say you desire to see God in form; but if seeing the sadguru and talking with him fails to satisfy you, what use will it be to see God in a tangible form? The idea that your well-being lies in something other than what the sadguru has told you to do, should not even enter the mind; so implicit should be your faith in him; you should wholly identify yourself with him, whole-heartedly belong to him:
There is nothing that achieves true self-interest except nama-smarana. To desire that, with the help of this potent nama, a member of the family should be cured of illness, is simply expending the power of nama for a petty mundane purpose.
When our need ends, we forget God, just as we throw away the remnants of medicine on getting over an illness. If we place implicit faith in the words of the sadguru, pleasant and unpleasant happenings cease to disturb the mind, implicit faith accompanied by unceasing sadhana breaks the shackles of worldly life; this constitutes genuine spirituality.

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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-Feb.8

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-Feb.8

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-Feb.7

Devote Maximum Time to Thinking of God

People generally aim at acquiring more and more of those things which give pleasure to the senses, in the belief that this will result in greater happiness. This belief is not, however, substantiated by experience, for we do not find that those who have such things in abundance are happy. In fact, the more we have of them, the more is the greed for such things whetted. Besides, as a person ages, the body and its senses grow steadily weak and lose their capacity to derive pleasure. Thus, one never acquires real contentment.
A Wise man should therefore, studiously practise and learn to keep his happiness independent of external things, by focussing the mind on God instead of on such things. God is eternal, complete in Himself, and ever blissful; meditating on Him, therefore, instills these qualities in the mind. For one who acquires this divine bliss, life has a sweetness that passes our imagination.
A person who lives and works in the mundane world often finds it difficult to reconcile the demands of practical life with the practice of spirituality. It is common belief that one cannot do justice to both at the same time. For such a person, it would be advisable to do his worldly duties conscientiously and to devote all spare time and energy to contemplation of God. At present, we do not apply to God and to spirituality even such free time as we do have. Let us, therefore, resolve to dedicate at least some minimum time every day to chanting nama, the divine name. There are many things which interfere and prevent; reluctance itself constitutes a major impediment. We should be wary of such impediments and interferences, and persevere in chanting nama, disregarding the world's adverse influence and comments.
We should make it a practice to read every day some portion of a book or books by saints, concerning the divinity. We should meditate on what we read, and try to see how it can be put into practice. One who does this will progress rapidly in spirituality and attain true contentment which, in other words, constitutes divine bliss.
We should treat worldly life like a sport; pay proper attention to it, but without much concern for success or failure, holding God in the heart as the focal point.
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