Saturday, May 2, 2020

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-May.2.


Great Vigilance is Necessary in Sadhana
A farmer may have cultivated the land and sown selected seed; the rain may have been sufficient and timely; the sprouting may be vigorous; even then, however, he must not rest careless; for even as the growth proceeds, increasing care becomes necessary. For one thing, stray cattle may enter the field and cause destruction; also, pests or locusts may ruin the crop. Intrusion by cattle may be easily apparent, and can be controlled by fencing; but attacks by pests or locusts may not be noticeable without minute inspection, and can only be controlled by sprinkling of appropriate medicines or chemicals. This means that the farmer has always to be vigilant; so, too, has one who is striving for spiritual uplift.
What a fence or hedge is to the field, ordinary life of family and worldly affairs is to the spiritual aspirant; he should therefore pay due attention to its proper management, taking care, however, that it does not thrive so much as to encroach on the main crop and overwhelm it. He should not forget that the sole role of family life is like that of the fence-protection, and give it only that much importance and attention, and no more. We should lead family life without letting it become an impediment in the spiritual path. Just as the farmer inspects the crop very minutely to detect the incidence of pests, so too should we be carefully on the watch lest the mind should get attached to worldly matters.
With proper precautions as outlined above, a farmer may successfully reach the stage of harvesting of the crop. But care is required also in threshing, and the grain must be carefully garnered to prevent incursions by rats and mice. It should be carefully husked so as not to injure the grain. Thus care and caution are needed at all stages. So, too, they are necessary for the aspirant; for, instances are numerous where the aspirant's progress is retarded if he acts carelessly, or under an illusion that the journey is finished and he has reached the goal. The aspirant leading a family life will have to live among other householders, and must therefore exercise great caution lest his mind should go astray owing to their influence; there is no knowing when the inner inclination may change. Spiritual quest is indeed a difficult hunt.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-May2


Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-May 2


Friday, May 1, 2020

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-May.1.


Motive for any Action Must be Clean
Of the three gunas, tamas, is the most akin to inert matter; and therefore its effects are most easily, widely, and quickly perceptible. Tamas directly vitiates thought and desires. Man, however, has the capability of purifying the mind, by profusely repeating nama; for, this leads to the development of sattwaguna which gradually purifies the mind. That God can be attained by mere disciplinary practices and mortification of the body and the mind, is a mistaken notion; were it correct, workers toiling in the scorching sun to break stone into road metal would have been among the first to attain God. We should remember, God concerns Himself with a man's disposition and the state and tendencies of his mind and heart, rather than with mere physical acts like mortification.
One may create in people's eyes an image or impression of great devoutness by mortification exercises like say, fasting, and yet secretly entertain a mundane objective. God, who resides in all hearts, cannot be so deceived. We should, therefore, aim at practising what we preach or say; in the path of spirituality nothing is more harmful than hypocrisy. To get lost in contemplation of God and thus forget to take food is far better than intentional fasting. We should get so engrossed in spiritual meditation that we acquire constant, unbroken awareness of God's presence. It matters not, in this state of mind, whether the body does or does not take food. On the other hand, mere fasting without such awareness of His presence will only lead to weakness of the body.
It is the motive behind any act that determines the intrinsic value of the act. God will readily condone an unorthodox action if the motive prompting it is pure. On the other hand, an apparently good action with an ulterior motive may keep God away. An action free from expectation of any kind will be highly appreciated by Him. We should strive to win God purely for His own sake. Indeed, if He were to present Himself before us and to offer to grant our desire, we should only ask for His name; this is true desirelessness. A manifestation of God may disappear some time or other, but His name abides for ever. As long as His name is with us, it is incumbent on Him to come to us.
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Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Marathi-May 1


Sri Maharaj's Pravachan in Kannada-May1


Thursday, April 30, 2020

Sri Brahmachaithanya Pravachan-April.30


Saints Dwell where Nama is chanted
God is certainly far away so long as we look up to the world with expectation; He cannot be reached while we are addicted to worldly matters and pleasures. Loving worldly life will lead to certain ruin. We are so completely identified with worldly matters that we find it virtually impossible to disentangle ourselves. Worldly pleasures and pain, respect and disrespect, all arise from selfishness, egoism, which makes us forgetful of God. Pleasure and sorrow, good fortune and bad, are the flows and ebbs of worldly life. We cannot dislodge maya unless we realise our true self. Now gird up your loins and resolve to overcome maya. Whatever we see outside is but a reflection of our own mind. Remember that the realization of the Supreme Being can alone give perfect contentment.
We find that sorrow arises from the very thing wherein we seek pleasure. Man can attain his real goal if he follows the correct path. To the person from whom we have some expectation, we naturally have to become subservient. The body is made of pancha mahabhootas, the five primary elements, and is therefore perishable. Do not be attached to the cognizable world, because it is impermanent; contentment can only come by God's grace.
Not circumstances but the attitude of our mind is the cause of our bondage. You cannot be a complete devotee of Rama without categorically abandoning worldly pleasures. A mind which is devoid of interest in sensuous objects will alone attain bliss. It is in your interest to strive for ultimate good. He is a brahma-jnyani who is always in deep, loving contemplation of nama. Freedom from attachment to woman and wealth is the true mark of a saint. None can equal him who sees God in all creation and loves Him in His myriad forms. He is jeevanmukta, liberated while yet in the body, who gives food free to all who come, who chants nama, and who has realized Rama in his heart. One who aspires to be a 'Ramadasa', a servant of Rama, should completely abandon all expectation from the world.
A tranquil, unruffled mind is the mark of a saint. Saints are to be found where there is continuous chanting of nama. There can be no better fortune than to surrender oneself unreservedly to a saint. Practise nama to secure the company of saints.
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