Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-March.18

Keep Incessant Awareness of God in Prapancha

What, in the ultimate analysis, is the aim of the lifelong struggle of any human being? Happiness, as everyone will agree. But can anyone come forward and honestly affirm that he has found permanent, unalloyed happiness? Everyone puts forward one cause or another for the deficiency in his happiness; it is want of enough money, or lack of good health, or loss of a dear one, and so on and so forth. There is always want of fulfilment of this desire or that, which deprives one of happiness. And the fun of it is that this 'desire' is endless. Running after 'desire' is elusive, like running after a mirage. Who has ever caught up with a mirage and quenched his thirst? So, too, whoever had all his wishes granted, and desired nothing thereafter, were it even the preservation of what he had? How at all can we expect perfect, imperishable happiness in a world which is itself perishable and ever-changing?
Let me show you a simple way to be happy even in such a world. Simply learn to believe that this prapancha is not yours but belongs to the Lord. Easy as this may seem in words, it is very difficult indeed to put into practice, unless you earn God's grace; and the way to earn it is, completely surrendering to Him. His grace will come upon you in a torrent; only you should not obstruct it with 'I-am-the-body' feeling. With the exclusion of every other thought, feeling, or desire, deliver yourself completely to His will and dispensation. The Lord's grace is ever-flowing, ever-shining; it is we that overcloud it with doubt. Say to Him, "O Lord, I am utterly yours, and yours alone. This prapancha which I call mine is yours. I am ignorant of the path of devotion. Do guide me; I shall implicitly follow you." Pray to Him in all earnestness, and live happily, contentedly, in whatever circumstances He places you.
You come to me with much expense, inconvenience, and trouble; what pains me is that you go back empty-handed. I would rather like that you return with love for the Lord, which I freely give you and which you cannot obtain in the practical world.


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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-March-18

श्री ब्रह्मचैतन्य महाराज गोंदवलेकर यांची  प्रवचन 

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-March.18

ಶ್ರೀ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಚೈತನ್ಯ ಮಹಾರಾಜರ ಪ್ರವಚನ

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-March.17

Anxiety Keeps us Away from God

The Lord resides in sattwaguna, so we should strive to acquire it. If we want that He may come to us, we should not only do our duty diligently, but perform every act in a spirit of dedication. Be practical, and put in proper effort in worldly matters, but simultaneously see that you pay due attention to God, as much, at least, as you pay to worldly matters. We realize the degree of our dependence on others when we are ill, and it brings home to us the narrow limits of our personal capacities and efficiency.
We would find no cause for worrying about our affairs and condition if we only looked at those whose circumstances are worse than those of our own. One person worries about the recovery of his lendings and deposits, while another is worried about his owings to others, and yet another feels troubled in respect of his children. And the fun is that in all this maelstrom of anxiety, no one worries in the least about the betterment of his real self, his inner self! It is our thoughts of the past and the fear of the future that keep God away from us. Apprehensive about tomorrow, we deprive ourselves of the pleasure that we have today; isn't this really strange? The one unfailing remedy for this is instantly to give up worrying, and to devote the time saved to nama-smarana.
One person once came to me, complaining that his son was a happy-go-lucky chap, absolutely oblivious of all worry or thought about the future. 'How will he fare when he grows older?' he asked. I said, "Your worry is apparently justified; but, if I may ask you, you have yourself worried about things all your life; what have you gained by it beyond physical and mental trouble, and beyond forgetting God? Why do you now ask your son to do the same? I would certainly urge him to do his duty diligently but live happily; but I for one would also urge him not to worry."
How can one say that you are a true believer in God, so long as you worry about your prapancha? He alone can really be free of anxiety who lives in the faith that whatever is, is good and sufficient. He alone can get free from worry who surrenders himself to God's will.


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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-March-17

श्री ब्रह्मचैतन्य महाराज गोंदवलेकर यांची  प्रवचन 

Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-March17

ಶ್ರೀ ಬ್ರಹ್ಮಚೈತನ್ಯ ಮಹಾರಾಜರ ಪ್ರವಚನ

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-March.16

How to Reduce our Attachment for Prapancha
Our present situation is like that of a person who wants to eat his cake and have it too. We aspire to the contentment which God alone has and can give; while, at the same time, we do not want to give up our clinging attachment for prapancha. Our love for either, thus, lacks constancy, whereas genuine love is single-minded, unswerving.
True, abiding happiness can be found with God alone; but it is by no means necessary to give up prapancha; what we need to give up is only our attachment for and entanglement with it. This can be done if we realize the true nature and value of prapancha. We have our own experience to convince us that prapancha, however diligently we do it, cannot bring true happiness; and yet it is almost necessary, unavoidable, to do it. What then, is the degree to which it is necessary to us? No more than the walking stick which an old man or a disabled person carries with him when going out.
In order that our present bonds of attachment to prapancha should weaken and finally be severed, and that, correspondingly, love for God should steadily increase, we should abide by the rules laid down by the shastras, exercising control over our acts, thoughts, and speech. Their observance will gradually wean us away from worldly life. If we ascribe all ownership and doership to Rama, whatever 'profit' or 'loss' ensues will automatically go over to Him, and we shall stand unaffected in prapancha.
Upright, moral behaviour is the very foundation as well in the spiritual quest as in the conduct of worldly affairs. The dictates of the shastras aim at ensuring that one controls passions. Our thoughts should be pure, and untainted by selfishness, hatred, or jealousy. Never wish ill to others. Exercise rigid control over speech. Always speak gently, sweetly. We want to employ the tongue for uttering the sacred name of the Lord; how, then, can we defile that tongue by uttering anything that hurts the heart of another, that is hurting the Lord who resides therein? Let us withdraw our interest from mundane matters and apply it to God.
What I advise you is strictly the same that the saints have been advising for ages. If you believe in it firmly and act accordingly, I assure you that Rama will make you happy.
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