The Enlightened- Lallayogeshwari - 2

Among the greatest poets, saints and mystics  of Kashmir, the name of Lalla stands out prominently. Her natural inclination to spiritualism and God led her speedily in the path of God and self realization.  Her Guru was Siddha Srikanth who guided her in spiritual practices which she practiced with utmost faith and discipline till she reached her goal of ‘abode of nectar’ – the ultimate goal where the soul merges with God. This wise woman of Kashmir had a wealth of spiritual experiences and wisdom which she shared with her people. There was chaos and strife around, and  her people needed her guidance.  In order that her knowledge and experiences reach the masses, she spread them in their own language and not Sanskrit.  She taught her people love and tolerance and the way to God. She laid the foundations of rich Kashmiri literature and folklore. Nearly one third of Kashmiri idioms and sayings derive their origin from Lalla’s sayings. The Kashmiri language is full of her sayings. Even today, the common people of that land speak her sayings.

Lalla’s life was full of mystical happenings which taught people around her valuable lessons on how to live life. These events are remembered even today and people get inspiration to think right, speak right and live right. From birth she had memory of her past births and people who were related to her through karma.  Her husband, father in law and mother in law were a part of her life due to her past karma. She was able to put up with the continuous harassment and cruelty from her mother in law with patience and compassion. Her behavior and character is quoted even today as benchmark by mothers and grandmothers of girls in Kashmir when they teach the proper behavior of a bride to be.

After Lalla left home and became a wandering ascetic, she lived a very strict and frugal life. She gave up all her comforts and even her clothes. Most of the people  honored  her and treated her with respect. But there are always exceptions. Once , while  she was passing through the village market, a group of young rowdies made fun of her and mocked at her. A sober minded vendor of cloth who knew the value of Lalla intervened and scolded them. Lalla asked the vendor for two pieces of ordinary cloth, equal in weight. She put one piece on each shoulder and continued her wandering. During the day, she met many people. Some had salutations for her and others- gibes.  For every salutation, she put a knot on the cloth on her right shoulder and for every gibe , she added a knot onto the cloth on her left shoulder. In the evening, she went back to the market, to the vendor of the cloth. The youthful rowdies were still hanging out there as usual. She called out to them and others nearby and then gave the two pieces of cloth to the vendor and had them weighed. Neither piece had gained or lost an ounce of weight! She brought home to the vendor, the rowdies, the other watchers and her disciples that we should not lose our mental peace and balance under any condition and our  equipoise should not be shaken by the way others greet or treat us.

Lalla had a large following of both Hindus and Muslims. When she gave up her body and merged with the infinite – Her Shiva, both the Hindus and Muslims claimed her mortal remains.  As a verbal squabble rose, there shot a flame of light from her body and it vanished into  shoonya or void. Legend says that the fully clad figure of a brilliantly shining Lalla was seen in the flame and she bid a final goodbye to all her disciples and followers and merged with the Cosmic Brilliance.

The name of Lalla is taken with utmost respect and reverence even today in Kashmir. She is honored as a saint or mystic. Many see her as an avatar. She was an apostle of peace and patience, harmony and tolerance – qualities which are badly needed today. She sings of Shiva:

You are the heaven and You are the earth,

You are the day and You are the night,

You are all pervading air,

You are the sacred offering of rice and flowers and of water;

You are Yourself all in all

What can I offer You?

The best thing we can offer to God and Guru is our selfless love, full surrender and follow the practices taught to us. Let us continue with the SitaRam mantra, meditation and the teachings of the Guru and attain wisdom and light. 

The Enlightened– Lallayogeshwari -1

At times of unrest, disturbance and strife in the society, many saints come forth and give comfort to the people through their knowledge and wisdom. Kashmir – the paradise of India – is a land of great beauty and natural wonders. It has  been attacked  and raided numerous times by foreigners and subject to severe unrest and strife. It is also the land of Lord Shiva and His snowy peaks and many great saints have been born here and have given solace to the people of this troubled land. Lallayogeshwari or Mother Lalla belonged to Kashmir and with her bhakti and wisdom, comforted her fellow men.  She was revered by both Kashmiri Hindus and Muslims. Many called her Lalla the mystic.

Lalla was born in 1355 in a Kashmiri Pandit family. She was a wise and religious child. As was the custom of those days, she was married at the age of 12. Her mother- in- law was a cruel woman and her husband was like his mother. Her father- in -law was a kind man but had no voice in the family. She was ill-treated and not given proper food or rest in her husband’s home. Her mother- in- law used to place a large round stone on a plate and cover it with some rice to show all that she gave large quantities of food to Lalla. Lalla remained hungry most of the time but never complained.

Lalla worked very hard at home and spent whatever time she could in meditation. She never neglected her household work. Yet she was not able to satisfy her husband or mother- in- law. She used to sit by a spot in the river enjoying solitude and think of God. Her love for solitude was misinterpreted by her family and she would suffer their wrath. Her spiritual yearnings were not understood by them. Once she stayed away for a longer time than usual at the river bank. When she returned with the pot of water on her head, her angry husband hit the pot on her head with a stick. The pot broken in pieces but the water in the pot had solidified (as Kashmir is cold) and remained intact. Lalla took it and filled all the vessels at home. Still the water overflowed and formed a stream. The stream formed a tank known as Lalla’s Tank and was in existence even in the early part of 20th century.

Lalla and her husband did not share any love or relationship. The incident of hitting the pot forced Lalla to leave her home and family. She became a roving mendicant and practiced yogic discipline. She became a disciple of Siddha Srikanth.  She spent her days and nights in meditation and realized her beloved Lord Shiva.  She worshiped Lord Shiva and sang about Him. She was indifferent to worldly comforts. She moved around half naked. She kept the company of saints, sadhus and pirs  (Muslim saints). She did not think in terms of men and women. For her, only a realized being was a man. She said she saw no men around her and hence her state of undress made no difference to her. Sufism had entered Kashmir by then and was quite similar to Kashmir Shaivism and many sufis had taken residence in Kashmir.  When she saw Shah Kamdan, she hid herself saying she saw a man. Shah Kamdan was a man of God – a self realized man. 

Lalla was able to speak the language of mystics in simple local dialect of Kashmir. She was illiterate but  wise. Her sayings became popular and every one spoke her words.  She spoke about every topic in life – about God, Yoga,  dharma, atma (soul), relationships etc. She was against mechanical rituals and superstitions.  Her life, character and sayings molded the character of the people around her and set a tradition of love, patience and tolerance which is found in the  people of Kashmir even now.  Even today, her sayings are common place and found on the lips of the people of Kashmir. She is present with them in spirit and guides them. 

                                                                                                                                   (contd in part 2)

Buddha and Karma of King Suppabuddha

Karma is the concept of action or deed which causes the cycle of cause and effect. We reap what we sow.  It is a natural law of causation.  When we sow wheat seeds, we reap wheat grains. When we sow pain, we reap pain. When our actions aim at insulting others, we cause suffering to ourselves. When we selflessly give love or help to others, we receive joy and help in life.   When we love God without seeking anything in return, God gives Himself to us in all of His Fullness. The individual is the sole doer of karma and is the sole enjoyer of the fruits or results of his own karma.

Karma is not a punishment. It is the consequence of our own actions. Karma is not fate. We are free to create our own destiny by our actions. Many times, due to our anger and hatred we knowingly perform actions for which the results are terrible. We are prepared to face the consequences of our terrible action in order to appease our ego. We do not mind our nose being cut and both eyes blinded as long as we can blind one eye of our opponent. This incident between Buddha and his father –in-law King Suppabuddha tells us this truth:

King Suppabuddha was the father of Yashodhara, wife of Prince Siddhartha.  He had a deep hatred for Buddha as Buddha had abandoned his daughter and her newly born child and left the palace in search of truth. He could not forgive Buddha for becoming a monk,  having found the truth of life and becoming a famous Master. One day, he came to know that Buddha and his disciples would be entering his city for seeking alms and giving discourses.  He got drunk in order to gather courage for insulting Buddha and venting his anger against him. When Buddha and his monks were walking on the street, he came in a procession and blocked Buddha’s way. He demanded that Buddha and his group turn back and  go away as the King could not make way for someone younger than him.

Buddha and his group turned back and went away without a word of protest. King Suppabuddha sent a spy to check on Buddha and his monks and report to him. The spy followed Buddha and his group back to their monastery. On the way back, Buddha said to Ananda: The King has created bad karma by blocking the way of Buddha and soon he will have to pay for it. This comment was reported immediately to the King and the King increased his security to ensure that he would be protected from all possible harm. He commanded his security forces to be more vigilant and increase the security around him. He also took extra precautions to ensure his personal safety. He wanted to prove Buddha wrong.

The news of the King’s increased security measures and precautions reached Buddha. Buddha said it did not matter how the King protected himself. Even if the King hid himself in a tower or in the sky or in the ocean, he would not be able to escape his karma. No one can escape the consequences of his own actions.  After some days of the road incident, the King was resting in his palace when he heard his favourite horse neighing and kicking about wildly. He was worried and rushed out to check. As he hurriedly ran, he tripped and fell down the staircase and died.

Karma always bears fruit. When we do evil to a realized master, the results are terrible and hit us back a thousand times more. In reverse, when we do good to a realized master, the blessings pour on us a thousand times more.  Let us earn grace by the good karma of SitaRam mantra, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru so that we get strength to bear the current results of our past karma and also wipe out our negative karma. When we follow these practices sincerely, we can rewrite our own destiny and reach the goal of enlightenment. 

Dharma protects those who follow Dharma

Dharmo rakshati rakshitah - One who protects Dharma is protected by Dharma

Dharma is the essence of all existence. It is not a philosophy or a moral obligation. It is not a religion. It is not a commandment, faith or belief. Dharma is the underlying power of God in all existence which propels us into right thinking and right action. When we follow Dharma, we are protected by the Universal Power and when we go against Dharma, the law of Karma operates and the Power of the Universe destroys us through the agencies around us. Dharma is in eternal existence. It is the power which holds the planets, stars and galaxies suspended in nothingness in space. It is not created or destroyed. Dharma is God.

Dharma has many aspects to it. One aspect is the duty of the parent to nurture the children when they are small and helpless. Its return aspect is for child to take care of the aged and weak parents. This Dharma is followed by all creation. When this dharma  is followed sincerely, the powers of the Universe come together to help and protect the follower of Dharma. The story below speaks of this eternal truth:

In a far away forest, there was a grove of silk cotton trees. High up on those trees lived thousands of parrots. An aged pair of parrots and their baby bird also lived in these trees. This baby bird was extremely beautiful and was the apple of his parents' heart. His parents took great care of him and taught him the right approach to life. The baby bird grew up to be a handsome young parrot. He was also gentle and kind and was loved by all. One day, the young parrot noticed that his parents were old and tired and decided that it was time for him to take care of them. So he requested them to rest in the tree while he flew around and brought food  for them daily.

Each morning, as the dawn broke, the handsome parrot flew to a far off rice field to find food. The whole flock of parrots went with him. He would return after some time with his beak full of rice grains which he offered to his parents. A worker in the field noticed this daily trip by the parrots and noted the large handsome leader. He informed his master about the parrots who came daily and ate rice grains. He made a special mention about the large handsome bird that carried a beak full of rice grains and flew away. The master ordered the worker to set a trap for the handsome bird.

The next day, when the parrots were pecking at the rice grains, the handsome parrot’s foot was caught in the trap. He waited for all the parrots to finish eating and then called out for help. The other parrots were so alarmed at the news that they flew away instead of helping him. The trapped parrot was sad and frightened. After some time, the worker came and freed the parrot gently and took him to his master. Seeing the extremely charming form of the handsome parrot, the master was thrilled. He asked the bird:  O beautiful bird, why do you take so much of rice with you every day? The parrot said: I have a duty to fulfill  I carry food for my aged parents. I am blessed to be able to do this service of love for my parents.

The master was thrilled to hear such noble words from the parrot. He told the parrot that from then on-wards  the rice field belonged to the parrots and they were welcome to come and eat there daily. The handsome young parrot flew away to his parents with his beak full of rice for them and his heart full of gratitude to the master of the rice field. He flew home and gave everyone the wonderful news. The dharma he followed protected him.

The Guru shows us the path of Dharma. Let us walk on that path with faith and conviction of the rightness of what we do and Divinity will aid us at all times. Let us live our lives chanting the SitaRam mantra, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru.

Patience wins the day!

Patience is very essential in life. It is the fortitude with which we bear the problems of life and keep moving on without giving up hope. Patience is needed to master simple tasks like eating, walking and running. Without patience, we cannot study, acquire knowledge and wisdom, cannot earn wealth, name and fame. Lack of patience makes us angry, irritable, fearful and discourages us from persevering in our work. So we fail in all the things we attempt. Patience is a virtue we should cultivate and nurture. Patience is a blessing which enables us to achieve success in any walk of life.  Let us see the story of the young boy and the bear nail which drives home the importance of patience:

There was a young boy living in a village near the mountains. All day long, he dreamed of being the best warrior in the village and in the nearby land. He learnt and practiced the arts of sword fighting and archery from a wise old man who lived in the village. The wise old man was a teacher. He gave lessons in reading the stars, medicinal herbs, history, mathematics, music and use of weapons to the children in the village and in return the villagers took care of his needs. The young boy practised by night and studied by day with the wise old man. 

The young boy wanted to be a master archer. He believed that in order to be a great warrior he must excel in archery. After six months of training, he had not learnt to aim well and always missed his target. He was dejected at his lack of progress. His teacher who had been observing him regularly, told him that he must get a nail from a living bear’s claw in order to achieve his ambition. If he did, he would become the best archer in the entire region. The boy sought his teacher’s blessings and left in search of the bear. Their village was at the edge of the bear region of the forest. The villagers saw bears once in a way when they passed by the forest.

After a few days of walking through the forest area, the young boy spotted a big brown bear at a distance. At the same time, the bear also saw him.  The boy was scared stiff and he lay down on the ground without moving. The bear came up to him and looked at him. It sat near him and looked at him for a long time and then ambled away. Hours passed. The sun also set. Finally, the boy found the courage to move and walked back home as quickly as he could.

The next day, when the young boy returned to the same spot, he found the bear sitting there. The boy sat next to the bear quietly without making any noise. Occasionally the bear glanced at the young boy and sometimes the young boy looked at the bear. Hours passed. Both sat there without budging. In the evening, the young boy slowly rose and returned home. This went on for two months. The young boy grew bolder and starting moving closer to the bear. The bear did not mind his presence. After six months, the bear was literally eating out of his hands.

One day after he fed the bear, the young boy gently took the bear’s paw in his hands and sat caressing it. He was amazed that the bear was enjoying it. Gathering courage, he gently cut the bear’s nail. With great difficulty, he remained calm as he was sitting next to the bear. At sunset, when he left the bear, he ran all the way to the village and showed his teacher the bear’s nail. The teacher asked him how he got it. The young boy explained all that happened in the past six months with the bear and how he cultivated friendship with it.

The teacher was very happy. He told the young boy he could leave the school immediately and move on in life. The young boy was disappointed. He thought his teacher would perform some magic by which he would become a master archer. The teacher explained to him that as he had cultivated patience and achieved his goal, he could achieve any goal in life. He would definitely become a master archer.

The magic formula to any success in life is patience. Once we learn this secret, we move on steadily in our path of success in material and spiritual life. Let us be patient and do our practices of SitaRam Mantra, meditation and follow the teachings of the Guru. Surely, we will achieve grace and enlightenment in life.

How quickly will I progress ? Part 2

We work endlessly to satisfy our material desires and longings. But there is no end to the amount of desires that arise in us and there is no fulfillment or contentment  down this path. We are finally driven to seek God for Himself and not merely the endless gifts that He grants us. We start living a life based on ethics, principles and dharma; learn to look into ourselves and correct ourselves. We do our work honestly and with sincere efforts and accept work as part of worship or way of approaching God. We learn to let go of past and future and live in the present now, doing the best we can in the given circumstances. But there is always the lingering question in the mind: In whatever I am doing, how well am I progressing and how long does it take to reach the goal?

All of us have a marked tendency to follow certain routes to God as per our past karma, mental and philosophical inclinations. Some of us live in the eternal knowledge of the soul and experience the sanctity of time. Our habits of dwelling on past and future reduce and so do the related stress and tension. Some of us like to surrender all unto God and Guru. We trust the Guru to show us the way and initiate us in right practices and regulate our speed of development. Many of us like to take our progress in our own hands and work on ourselves.  We follow practices of spiritual evolutionary development which helps us to overcome our karma and transform the inner self to become receptive to receiving the higher truths and wisdom. But none of these paths or ways still answer our question: How quickly will I progress and how soon do I reach the goal. Let us look at this story of the old monk and old woman to get the answer:

Long ago, an old monk went on a pilgrimage to a scared spot in the mountains. As was the practice in those days, he walked the journey and begged for alms on the way for his food and rested in any convenient spot at nights and continued the next day. He was old and weak and continued on his journey  through dusty roads and dark forests -- all alone. He had traveled for months and finally he saw the mountains at a distance. A little further he noticed an old woman working in the fields. So he went up to her and asked: Please tell me, how much time I will take to reach the sacred spot in the mountains.

The woman just looked at him and grunted and went back to her work. He repeated the same question thrice and the old woman responded in the same way. He concluded that the old woman was deaf and continued on his way. After he had walked a bit, the old woman called out aloud: You need five more days to reach that spot in the mountains. 

The old monk was annoyed and said: I thought you were deaf. But you are not. Why did you not answer me before?

The old woman replied: O Master, when you asked the question, you were standing still. I had to see how fast you were walking, your pace of walk before I could determine how soon you would reach the place!

Most of us are in the same position as the old monk. As we move on in life, doing our best and living a good ethical life, we wonder why no one comes to help us or guide us. We are not aware that others are assessing us in order to help us. In order for them to understand us, our strength and determination, they need time. Sometimes it is a few months, sometimes it is several years. So we should not get discouraged but keep moving  on steadily.

When we have a Param Guru to help and guide us, we have a competent and experienced person to guide us and assess us in our development. We must increase the intensity of our desire for God and be regular and steady in our practices and increase our love and surrender to God and Guru. When we do our SitaRam mantra, meditation and follow the teachings of the Guru, the Grace of the Guru will guide us in the shortest possible time in reaching our goal.

How quickly will I progress? Part 1

When we walk on any path in life, we are always anxious to know how fast we will progress and how quickly we will reach the goal. This applies to our studies, education, learning skills like typing or playing any musical instrument, playing a game like cricket or football, developing the physical body by exercises and skills in any other field of human effort. We even question the Guru or Spiritual Teacher on how quickly we progress on the spiritual path and how soon we realize God! It is easy to measure progress in some fields of work like progress in academic work or production of material and items in a factory and quite difficult to measure progress  in other fields including spirituality.

In all fields of human effort, the personal desire to forge ahead and regular disciplined work are imperative. No progress is possible if we do not put in efforts on daily basis. Our minds should be focused on the subject  from various angles to  learn and master the knowledge and skills. This includes studies at school or college or learning to play the piano or foot ball or progress in self transformation. A child studies for 17 years from the age of four, in order to graduate in any specific field from a university. Each year, the amount of information ingested and tested increases and also there are increased number of subjects to study and master. Except for a few prodigies who graduate at the age of fourteen, the remaining population has to work its way through with regular sustained efforts and clearing periodic exams. The same approach also applies to progress in any path we take while walking towards God.

The vast majority of people in this world have a business relationship with Divinity. They pray and offer things to God in order to get some work done from Him. For success in graduating with good grades, getting a partner of choice, developing a good physique, running a marathon, building a home, buying a new car, running a business or political empire or attaining any other object of desire, we pray to God to achieve our goal in the shortest possible time. We even offer Him bribes of extra prayers, food and cash offerings or other bribes to the poor, needy or temple or church or place of worship. And Divinity too obliges so that we learn to pray and realize that satisfaction of material wants does not ultimately give contentment, happiness or peace of mind. Only when our material wants and desires are satisfied to a certain extent and we are still unhappy, we start searching for more and turn our faces to the Love of God. For many, attending a religious congregation is a matter of habit, cultural tradition or just a point of social contact and interaction. The emphasis is more on networking and relationships and less on inner change and love of God.

The journey of the soul back to its home is a long journey. The soul gathers various experiences and wisdom on its way back home. It experiments in various ways of living and fulfills all possible desires. It also suffers from pain and anxiety all the times along with other emotions like anger, vengefulness, need to control, attachment, being judgmental etc. Only through lessons of pain of separation and longing for peace, the soul is guided back to light. 

Many of us do not follow any specific path or spiritual practice. We live our life with ethics and principles and dharma (righteousness) and move on doing our best in life. Progress is slow and steady in this way. Some of us follow the teachings given in sacred scriptures or guidance given by men of God in public lectures, published books and newsletters. We walk in this manner till the inner desire for God becomes intense and there is a driving need for quicker transformation in self and progress in path. Then the Guru appears and guides in the personal transformation and speedy progress. 

Our progress depends on the intensity of desire we have, how regular we are in our practices and how sincere we are in following the teachings of the Guru. When the desire for love of God overwhelms us and is more important to us than breathing, we will attain the Light immediately. Till then we have to work on ourselves, slowly and steadily by SitaRam mantra, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru and increase the intensity of desire for God. 

                                                                                                                            (contd in the next blog)

Overcoming Ignorance – Butter and Stones

The teachings of the Avatars, Rishis, Gurus and Saints have great meaning and when we follow them, we are lead to light, peace, bliss and self realization  With the passage of time, these teachings are interpreted differently by many people. Slowly but surely twists and turns manifest in the texts and at times they end up with meanings which the original writer never meant to express. The original texts and meanings get polluted. The common man is less bothered about the ancient texts and gives more importance to rituals at the place of worship. He worships God in the simple way that he knows. He does the rituals given by the priests in the temple and pays their fees. And he hopes to get the promised results. The priests as a class perform their duties efficiently but there are many who twist ancient rules to suit their purpose. They understand the needs of the people and their lack of knowledge and sell them remedies which have no other value than enabling the priests to earn well. The following story is one such incident in the life of Buddha:

In the days of yore (and even now), people were full of ignorance and thought that money could buy anything  – even send the souls of their dear ones from hell to heaven. The priests performed a ritual for a large sum of money and promised that the soul of the dead relative would be released from hell and would go to heaven. They would fill an urn with stones and chant prayers. Then priest would hit the urn with a ritual hammer. If the urn broke and the stones were released, it was a sign that the soul was also released. The urn was made of brittle clay and always gave way to the blows of the heavy metal hammer.

A young man was deeply grieved at the death of his uncle. He went to Buddha for help. Buddha had started a new religion and hence would have newer rituals which would help release his uncle’s soul. Buddha heard him out and asked him to get two ritual urns from the priests. He was to fill one urn with butter and the other one with stones. 

The young man completed his tasks immediately and came back with two urns filled with butter and stones as requested.  He was convinced that as Buddha himself was supervising the ritual, it would be very powerful and help his uncle’s soul. Buddha asked him to go to the river and place the urns carefully so that the rim of the urn was just below the surface of the water. Then he was to ask the priests to recite the same prayers and strike both the urns with the ritual hammer. He was to come back and report to Buddha on the results of the action done.

The young man was thrilled. He was the first person to be given this new powerful ritual by Buddha himself. He went to the river bank and did exactly as he was told to. Then he returned to Buddha and described what he saw: O Noble One, it was nothing special. When the priest hit the urns, the stones sank to the bottom of the river and the butter floated and was washed to the shore of the river.

Then Buddha replied: Now ask the priests to pray that butter will sink and the stones will float to the surface. The young man was shocked at this ridiculous and illogical request. How could it possible for the stones to float or the butter to sink despite the sincere and lengthy prayers of the priests? Then Buddha pointed out how illogical the request of the young man was. How was it possible for the soul of his uncle  to be released from hell just by prayers? If the uncle had done bad and selfish deeds during his life, his soul would sink towards hell. And if his actions were loving and compassionate, like butter, his soul would float to heaven. How could the prayers of the priests change this course?

Our ignorance and our driving desire to get things free or at smaller costs make us take decisions which we would normally not do so. The law of karma is immutable and is applicable to all of creation. Let us understand this truth and stop paying priests for remedies which are not possible or probable. Let us shape our own fate by doing the SitaRam mantra, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru. When the good karma or butter in our pot is in full, we will float lightly towards the Light!

Extreme Bhakti - Janabai

Among the glorious saints of Maharashtra, Janabai is a shining star. She teaches us that it is not gender, wealth, knowledge, status or power which attracts God to us. God is moved only by our bhakti and surrender and not by anything else. Often we make the mistake of bribing our way into the grace of God and Guru with offer of expensive gifts, offers of wealth and show of power and position. Such things NEVER work with God or Guru. God cannot be attained when we hold on to our material possessions, name, fame and power. A Guru cannot be bought by such things but  only by bhakti, surrender and sincere practices.

Lord Vitthala of Pandharpur is adored and worshipped throughout Maharashtra. Since the establishment of the temple in 11th century, Pandharpur is a centre of Hindu bhakti and saints. Great saints and siddhas have worshipped the Lord here and all of Maharashtra rings with the songs of love and adoration written by them and sung even today.  Devotees of Lord Vitthala visit Him regularly for His Darshan and Blessings.  Annual visits are made by huge crowds during the Ashad Ekadashi. During one such visit, a tailor named Damaset found a little girl crying outside on the temple steps. It was already dark and he asked her if she was lost and where her parents were. The little girl replied that she was an orphan and had walked alone to find a home at Mother Pandhari’s place. Damaset was moved by her words and plight and took her home. Young Janabai became a member of his family.

Damaset’s family was very pious and all were devotees of Lord Vitthala. Namadev the great saint was one of them. Janabai used to help in the daily chores and became one with the family. Every evening there used to be bhajans in their home. Janabai used to participate in the group singing. The name of Vitthala was so fascinating and sweet to her that she used to sing it while cooking, cleaning, washing or doing any work. The name of Vitthala was very sweet and attractive to Namadev too. He wanted to compose a large number of abhangs or devotional songs to spread the love of the Lord. He was busy all day long, working as a tailor and did not get time. He asked the other family members to help him. Janabai composed abhangs for him and her abhangs were excellent.

Janabai endeared herself to her  foster family by cheerfully working all day long. She sang abhangs while doing household chores. She would wake up early in the morning and grind jowar or millet to prepare rotis for lunch and dinner. A huge amount of jowar had to be ground daily. Janabai used to sit in one corner of the house and do the grinding. As usual she used to sing the name of the Lord. One day, Namdev's mother heard another female voice talking to Janabai. She peeped in and saw another woman help Janabai grind the mound of jowar. The woman suddenly disappeared from her sight but Janabai continued to talk and sing. So she went in and questioned Janabai about the woman. Janabai replied that the lady was Vithabai and came in daily to help her with the household chores. Namadev’s mother was a staunch devotee of Lord Vitthala. She realized that the Lord had come in the guise of a woman to help Janabai with her daily work and Janabai had named her Vithabai. The Lord came daily to his devotee to help her out and hear her sing His Name.

Once, Janabai was at the cowshed making cow dung cakes which were used for fuel. She did not participate in the worship or offer of food to Lord Vitthala at home. The Lord refused to accept the food. Namadev realized why and he rushed out and brought in Janabai. When Janabai offered the food, the Lord accepted! Janabai composed many abhangs in glory of Lord Vitthala. These are sung even today in our country. She attained God realization while doing the never ending work of a woman in a home without any modern conveniences and appliances. She showed that work is worship and Vitthala can be easily obtained by bhakti and smaran despite being busy with all other jobs. Let us learn this precious lesson from Janabai. Let us do our daily work thinking of God and Guru at all times. Let us do the SitaRam mantra and meditation thinking of the Lord and attain Divine Grace.

The Enlightened - Baba Lokenath

The journey of Baba Lokenath on his spiritual path and attaining self realization is one of determination, discipline, renunciation and perseverance.  We like to attain everything easily – our education, successes in life, earning wealth, accumulating possession and even attaining God. We think of ourselves as the Parasmani or the Philoshopher’s stone and assume that everything we touch should turn into gold at once. But it is not so in life. Even a simple college degree involves  more than 17 years of studies, effort, expenses, personal sacrifices, exams and determination. How much more so, should we put in for attaining the Emperor of the Universe? The story of Baba Lokenath teaches us how to face grim odds and yet move ahead and attain Divinity:

Baba Lokenath was born on Janmasthami, the birthday of Lord Krishna in 1730. He was the fourth son of a pious brahmin couple. His father’s sole wish in life was to dedicate one of his children to the path of renunciation   in order to liberate the family. When Lokenath was 11 years old, he was taken by his father to Pandit Bhagwan Ganguly  in a nearby village for learning Shastras and Vedas. Young Lokenath spent 25 years in the forests with his Guru. He served his Guru selflessly, practised the Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali and Hatha Yoga Asanas.

Baba Lokenath was now a full grown adult and  was an imposing figure. He was nearly seven feet tall and tightly muscled. He had very little extra flesh on him. He denied the needs of his physical self. He negated sleep. He never closed his eyes or blinked. He moved in the chill of the Himalayas without any clothes. He sat stark naked in deep meditation in the snows of the mountains for nearly 50 years. His self discipline and determination paid off when he finally attained self realization at the age of 90.

For the next 45 years, Baba Lokenath travelled a lot. He walked on foot to Afghanistan, Persia, Arabia and Israel. He made three pilgrimages to Mecca. Then he came to Dhaka in Bangladesh where a wealthy family built him a small ashram. At that time he was 136 years old. Baba Lokenath now put on a sacred thread and saffron robes for the first time in his life. He stayed in this place for the rest of his life and poured blessings and wisdom on those who came to him.

Baba Lokenath’s teachings were very simple and easily understood by all. He taught love, devotion and deep faith in God and in the soul. The soul is a spark of God and is eternal. After self realization, he taught everyone that all creation is nothing but God and we are bound by our karma. This materialistic world is bound by the tongue and the sex organ. He who controls his tongue and sex organ is fit to attain enlightenment. 

Baba Lokenath’s death was as unusual as his life. On his last day, Baba was seated in his usual Gomukh Yoga asana. He went into a trance and left his body with his eyes open wide. He was 160 years old then. He last words before leaving his body were: I am eternal, I am deathless. After this body falls, do not think that everything will come to an end. I will live in the hearts of all living beings in my subtle astral form. Whoever seeks my protection will receive it. In danger remember me.

More than a hundred years after his death, Baba Lokenath appeared in  vision to Suddhananda Brahamachari in 1978 and commanded him to write his biography. Suddhananda wrote Baba’s life story entitled: In Danger, Remember Me! Today, Baba Lokenath is a household name in millions of Bengali homes. Most homes have his idol placed in the family altar and huge temples are built in his honor  This is the respect paid by Indians to the self realized ones and Gurus who show the right way to live and lead them to God. Let us do the SitaRam mantra, meditation and follow the teachings of the Guru and walk our path to God.

Respect and Care for Elders -The Wooden Bowl

Our parents give us birth and nurture us and shape us to face life successfully. The elders in the family share their wisdom and experience and guide us. Every religion in the world teaches to respect the parents. Every culture emphasizes love,  honor  and respect to parents and  elders  of  family and  community. When we are toddlers and children, it is easy to love and respect  our parents and  elders as they are  overwhelmingly wise and all knowing. But as we grow older and our ego and desires get  stronger, we often feel the  guidance  of our parents is outdated and useless. When we become adults, there are times when the presence of our aged parents and their lack of strength and health become irritating and intolerable.

When we are young and strong, we live in the belief that we will always remain young , strong and healthy. Old age seems very far away and looking at our strong limbs, we do not feel that we will grow old or fall ill. This arrogance in our behavior and belief makes us inconsiderate and rude in our behavior towards the elders in the family and community. We disregard their lack of physical strength, loss of memory and reasoning at times and are often rude and impolite in our behavior with them. We have tolerance for the lack of strength and wisdom in our babies and children but when it comes to our aging parents, the same gets on our nerves all the time. We forget that we too will grow old and the strength in our limbs will fail as will our health and strength. We must always remember this immutable truth and give the utmost love and consideration to our aging elders at home. Karma always kicks back and we will get what we give in life. The story of the wooden bowl teaches us the great truth of life: all of us grow old, frail and will ultimately die. But we all need to be treated with love, honor, respect, dignity till the end:

An old man lived with his son, daughter in law and seven year old grandson. When the old man was younger, he used to help in the household chores and was a welcome addition to the family. With the passage of time, his physical weakness, blurred eyesight, trembling hands  and slow hesitant steps made him a liability to his family. When he ate, he dropped his food and spilled the milk or water he was drinking. 

The son and daughter in law were irritated with the mess he created while eating. So they set aside a small table in a corner of the living room for the old man to eat. The others enjoyed their meal together and laughed and joked while eating and the old man ate silently in the corner. Since he had broken a few glasses and plates, the daughter in law served his food in a wooden bowl. His son and wife spoke to him only to scold him when he dropped the food or his spoon. The  seven year old grandson watched all this in silence.

One day, before the evening meal, the father noticed the son playing with scraps of wood. The child was scraping at piece of wood with a blunt knife. The father asked him affectionately: What are you making? The child replied: I am making a little bowl for you and mamma to  eat your food from when I grow up. Saying so, he continued working with his blunt knife.

The parents were speechless. The import of the child’s words hit them and they started weeping. They did not say anything but both mentally decided what had to be done. That evening, the son took his old father’s hand and led him to the family table for the meal. All the family spoke to him with love and affection and overlooked when he dropped the spoon or spilled something.

The best way to teach children is by example. When we are loving and compassionate to our aged parents, they too will be the same with us when we grow old. Aging, illness, weakness and death are inevitable. We should be the best role models for our children in all ways. Doing SitaRam japa, meditation, following the teachings of the Guru, living a loving and disciplined life is the best way of teaching our young ones so that we do not give a wooden bowl to our parents and end up with one in our old age.

The more advanced one!

We always link supernatural powers with saints, men of God, Gurus and Avatars. We expect men of God to have ability to read the mind, make changes in karma, help us to get jobs immediately, have our lost lover return, make the thief return the stolen goods, transform our quarrelsome neighbor into a loving citizen, have God walk with us and guide us at all times and turn stone into gold! Some men of God perform miracles and others do not perform external miracles. Visible miracles of healing and helping are done by saints as we are mostly influenced only by such happenings. The saints hope that when we see miracles, we realize the importance of love of God and walk the path to God. The others perform silent miracles of calming our minds and helping us transform ourselves so that we are worthy of going closer to God. Such miracles are not transparently visible to all and such saints are not popular with the masses.

Certain supernatural powers develop when we regularly practice meditation and other spiritual practices. But these are milestones on the way and not the goal itself. Abilities like reading mind, emitting perfumes, healing others with a touch etc develop in some of the disciples. God watches to see if we pay more attention to these little gifts or to Him. Many focus more on development of such abilities and not on love of God. When they display their abilities, the others fawn on them and compliment them. The ego gets a great boost and welcomes such attention. They forget God and chase the petty little gifts.  The development of supernatural powers is NOT a sign of self realization. The following story of the two sages teaches us this lesson:

In the mountain regions of north India, two sages lived on a cliff in caves next to each other. They spent most of their time in meditation. People from neighboring villages visited them as they found peace of mind when they sat with them. They listened to the talks of the sages, felt blessed and went back home.  All the visitors came for darshan as they felt peaceful and happy for a long time after visiting the sages.

One of the caves where the sages lived was dark like normal caves and the other cave had a peculiar golden light shimmering in it. It was mild but definitely visible. This unusual phenomenon puzzled the visitors as no one could find out the cause or source or reason of the light. When questioned, both the sages remained silent on this matter. The visitors admired both the sages but always believed that the one living in the illuminated cave possessed supernatural powers and was more advanced on the path.

One day, a great sage visited the village at the foothill of the cliffs. He was well known for his knowledge and wisdom. One of the villagers presented the puzzling question of the light in the cave to him. He wished to know if the sage in the cave with the light was more advanced and if he really possessed super natural powers. The great sage replied: Sometimes, when one works intensely and sincerely on the spiritual path and does a lot of meditation, various phenomena may occur around him and in him such as light, sound and visions.  Some get them and others do not. Some of you who are sensitive to them can see or feel them and others do not. These phenomena happen in order  to show the disciple that he is on the right track. These phenomena  are not a goal unto themselves. They are not a sign of advancement in the path.

The wise sage gave further advice to all villagers: It is better to pay attention to our inner self and not outer phenomena. The outside world is eternally changing and the inner world is constant. When we are in the presence of a teacher or a Guru, we must listen to what he says and be aware of the power of his presence and words on us. Always in the presence of such persons, we become calm and peaceful and the mind stops racing.

When we walk on the path of God, we encounter such mysterious happenings and also see them in others. But these are not our goal. When we do the SitaRam mantra, meditation and follow the teaching of the Guru, we are at peace, the mind races less and we are less angry and more balanced. We feel great love for God and Guru in us. These are signs of advancement. Not lights or sounds.

Take care of your future NOW!

We always take care of our body, bathe it, clothe it and feed it well. We spend sufficient time on our education and work so that we can earn wealth, status, position and power. We also spend time with our family and friends and enjoy their love and support. But we rarely think of our soul or spend time meditating on God. God has given us this life, body and soul and other things. But we rarely think of Him or His gifts.  Death is a given definite in our lives and when we die, neither our body or family or possessions or status come with us. Only our soul is with us. We are the soul and we do not realize this truth. This poignant story teaches us to take care of our future now by paying attention to the soul as we are the soul:

There was a rich merchant who had four wives. He loved his fourth wife the most and adorned her with rich garments and gave her the most delicious food. He gave her the best of things and showed her off to all. He also loved his third wife very much. He took her out and all his friends and relatives met her and praised her. But he was always afraid that she would run away with some other man.

The merchant loved his second wife too. She was patient and considerate. She had a good understanding and grasp of her husband’s  nature and his work and she was his best friend and confidante. Whenever the merchant had some problem, his second wife listened to him and advised him.

The merchant’s first wife was very loving and loyal to him. She has stayed the longest with him and helped him to create and maintain his business and wealth. She also took care of his home and relatives. But the merchant did not give any time or love to his first wife. He barely noticed that she was there doing all the work for him.

One day, the merchant fell ill. The doctor announced that he would die soon. The merchant reflected about his life, wealth and his four wives. He felt he should ask one of them to be with him after his death as he would be lonely. 

The merchant called his  fourth wife and said: I loved you most. I gave you the best of clothing and jewellery and took maximum care of you. Now I am dying. Will you follow me and keep me company. The fourth wife refused categorically and walked away from there.

The merchant was terribly hurt. He went to his third wife and told her: I love you so much. Now that I am dying, will you follow me and keep me company. She replied: No, my life is good here. I will remarry when you die! Hearing this answer, the merchant’s heart sank.

The merchant then went to his second wife and said: You were always with me and gave the right advice and help. Will you follow me when I die? She said: I am sorry. The most I can do for you is come to the grave yard and give you a send off. The merchant was badly shaken.

Then he heard the voice of his first wife: I will come with you after death. I will give you company. The merchant looked up at her. She was skinny and uncared for but strong with an inner purpose. The merchant was greatly grieved and said: I should have taken care of you while I could have!

We are the merchant. We have four wives in our lives.

The fourth wife is our body. We spend our entire lifetime taking care of it and loving it but it will leave us when we die.

The third wife is our possessions and status. When we die, they go to others.

The second wife is our family and friends. They are close to us all our lives and care for us and help us but can come with us only to the grave.

The first wife is our soul. We neglect our soul in pursuit of material gains, wealth and sensual pleasures.

Our soul is the only thing that actually follows us wherever we do. We must take good care of it and give it importance and listen to it. We must strengthen our spiritual side from now and not lament at the time of our death. We can do so by SitaRam Mantra japa, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru.

Extreme Bhakti - Sakkubai

When we earn name, fame, wealth and honour in life, we give credit to ourselves. We tell everyone how hard we have worked and all that we have received belongs only to us.  When things do not go as per our expectations, when our efforts are not rewarded and we face failure, we blame God. We proclaim to one and all that God has done injustice to us and there is no dharma in the world. Let us see the life of the amazing Sakkubai whose behaviour was not the norm. She achieved the supreme love of Lord Vitthala (Lord Krishna) by her extreme bhakti under the most distressing and painful conditions of life:

Sakkubai was born to a poor couple in a village near Pandharpur. Her parents were staunch devotees of Lord Panduranga Vitthala. Despite their poverty, they lived a very content life. Sakkubai was born in answer to their fervent prayers to Lord Vitthala for a child. She imbibed the love and deep sense of devotion for God from her parents. At a young age, she was given the mantra of name of Lord Vitthala by the Lord Himself in the form of an old man.  At the age of twelve, Sakku was married to the son of a Pundit in a nearby town. The Pundit was wealthy but also selfish, mean and miserly. His wife and son were like him. This truth was unknown to Sakkubai’s parents. 

Sakkubai was taken to her in-law’s home immediately after her marriage. Her cruel family made her work day and night. She had to pound paddy, churn the grains, clean the vessels, bring water from the river and store, cook, clean the home, wash the vessels, take care of the cows etc. She used to sing the name of Vitthala and do her work. Her chanting the name of Vitthala displeased her mother- in- law who felt she was wasting her time. Sakkubai was not given proper food, she was overworked, abused and never had rest. Yet she worked cheerfully, singing the name of the Lord. Her parents came to visit her after some months. They were shocked to see the pitiable condition of their daughter. They went back in great sorrow. A married Hindu girl is not taken back by her parents. Sakkubai understood this terrible truth and realized that she had no one in this world but her Vitthala. Her bhakti and surrender to the Lord intensified after that.

One evening, Sakkubai went with her neighbour to fetch water from the river. She came across a group of pilgrims going to Pandharpur. She watched them sing and dance in ecstasy and wanted to join them on their journey. She stayed back singing the name of Vitthala. Her mother- in- law and husband came to know of this incident from the neighbour and they rushed there and dragged her back home. She was tied to a pole and left to repent for her sin of wanting to run away from home to Pandharpur. 

Sakkubai’s bhakti was indomitable. Though tied to the pole, in her mind, she stood before her beloved Lord and singing His praises.  Seeing her bhakti, the Lord Himself appeared in front of her, in the form of Sakkubai and untied her. He told her to join the pilgrims and that he would take care of her family. He asked her to tie Him up to the pole and go. She did so and joined the pilgrims. She went with them to Pandharpur singing in divine bliss. When she finally stood in the temple in front of the Lord, she wanted nothing more in life. The soul left and merged with the Lord and her body dropped down dead. The neighbours and sadhus who came with her cremated her body.

Back in her home, the Divine Sakkubai was untied by her mother-in-law and there was a sudden transformation in all the members of her home. Every one behaved with love and decency towards each other. When the Divine Sakkubai slogged through all the household chores, the mother in law and husband shared the work.

In the meantime, Mother Goddess Rukumini, the consort of Lord Vitthala appeared in a dream of one of the sadhus and asked Sakkubai’s ashes to be brought to Her. He did so and the Mother Goddess resurrected Sakkubai and sent her home as she had to free Her Husband – Lord Vittahala from the form of Sakkubai and  have him return to Pandharpur. 

One of the pilgrims from Pandharpur  visited Sakkubai’s home and narrated about the death of Sakkubai and the final rites near the temple. None believed as Sakkubhai was at home serving all of them. Just then Sakkubai entered her home from the doorway. She told her mother- in- law the happenings – of how the Lord took her place and sent her for the pilgrimage and her death and resurrection.  She told them all: this body is mortal. Husband, wife, father, mother, house, property – these are all temporary. We devote our entire lives  to these. Instead, if we diverted even one-tenth of our time and energy on God, we will attain moksha. Instead, we fall prey to our sense organs and desires and create karma and suffer. We are given this sacred human body to attain God. Let us seek the Sadguru and be enlightened by him. Let us attain the highest goal of human life – being one with God.

Sakkubai attained moksha. Her life is a benchmark for us. She teaches us how to live through her songs which are sung even today. Let us follow her advice. Let us do the SitaRam mantra japa, meditation and follow the teachings of the Guru and attain moksha.

How to calm the mind -The lessons of the elephant and the fly

The creation of God is uniquely beautiful. The vivid colors,  the fragrances, taste, sounds, touch- all beckon to us. The eyes seek beauty and clarity everywhere. The refreshing blue of the skies, the lush green grass, the vibrancy of the brilliantly hued flowers, the sea of ripening wheat in the fields, the white of the cotton buds, the rich redness of  the poppy flowers – multitude  of colors beckon and enchant our eyes from all directions. The hands wish to forever touch different textures – the softness of the flower petals, the crispness of bark, the feathery touch of grass, the feel of the cool breeze on the face, the kiss of the child, the hug of the partner and the touch of blessings of the parent. The taste of cool water on the tongue, the sweetness of the ripe mango, the burn of the green chillies,  the tang of lemons, the milk sweets made by mother – even the memories of them bring saliva in our mouths and we yearn to eat them. 

Our mind is pulled in all directions by the five senses and we wallow in the sensations and specialties of each sense. Our mind builds up reactions and judgement.  New desires are born in us with each experience of the five senses. We are caught in the center and pulled in all directions by ropes of steel, of thousands of desires.  It is easy to imagine a scene from a movie where the hero is pulled in two directions by ropes tied to horses and imagine how excruciatingly painful it would be for him. How much more  pain we create for ourselves when we attach desires to the sense organ reactions and attachments and are pulled by hundreds of such horses  in different directions at the same time? Our mind is always restless as we allow ourselves to react to all sensations around us. Our attention is never focused but leaps around every second. How then do we calm our mind? This little episode about the elephant and the fly as narrated by the Guru to his disciple teaches us how to do it:

A disciple was walking through a forest with his Guru. His mind was  always restless and he was disturbed by this fact. He asked his Guru: I see only a few people with calm mind. Most people are trouble by a restless mind. How can we still our mind? The Guru smiled and told him a story:

An elephant was picking leaves from a tree and eating them. A small fly came and buzzed constantly near his ear. The elephant flapped his large ears and waved it away. The fly came back again and again the elephant pushed it off. This happened a few more times. Then the elephant asked the fly: Why are you so noisy and restless? Why can’t you stay still in one place for some time?

The fly replied: I am pulled by whatever I see, hear, smell, touch or taste. Everything that happens around me keeps pulling me constantly in all directions and I cannot resist them. You tell me your secret. How can you stay so calm and still?

The elephant stopped eating and said: My attention is not ruled by my five senses. I can direct my attention wherever I want. I am focused on what I do. So my mind is calm. When I eat, I am totally focused on eating, enjoy the taste and texture of the leaves and I relish my food. I control my attention and my attention does not control me. So I am peaceful. 

On hearing the words of the Guru, the disciple became alert and a smile appeared on his face. He understood the message. 

When we disregard the pull of the sense impressions and direct our attention at will, our mind will be calm and focussed. We should consciously control the pull of the five senses. Else we will end up like the fly which sits on the perfume flowers and also the rotting flesh. Let us learn to control our attention and over the restlessness of our mind. Let us be regular in the SitaRam mantra japa, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru. This will give our will power a boost and we can focus our attention in the right places so that we can attain our goal of peaceful life and realizing God.

Respect bestows Honour – Story of the Bull and the Merchant

We are taught to respect all life. We learn polite and good manners from a young age. This is insufficient. We need to know and understand the intrinsic value of all life. Then honor for all life flows effortlessly. The first step in learning to honor others is in right speech and behavior.  As we continue on our journey in life, we learn the value of all life. Then we honor Life. Honor is appreciation or knowing the worth of the other person or thing.  It comes from within. It is a flow of respect from the heart and not just by words.

All creation, animate and inanimate respond to respect and honor.  We know from our personal experience that when we respect and honor others, they too respond likewise. Animals and birds too respond to kindness and love. Even wild animals become gentle when exposed to love and peace as when they are in presence of saints, enlightened gurus and experienced trainers. Cows give more milk when touched lovingly on regular basis. Plants respond to loving talks, touch and music by growing faster and yielding more produce. Metals and instruments too respond to loving touch, talks and proper maintenance. They display sensitivity to treatment and usage. This is a story about a bull and his master which teaches us the lesson of honoring all life: 

Once upon a time, in north India, a beautiful strong calf was  born in a farm. Since he was pure bred, strong and beautiful, he was bought by a rich merchant. The calf was gentle and loving with all. He was named Ananda or Delightful by his owner due to his nature. The merchant was very fond of Ananda and took good care of him. Ananda grew up to be a big strong bull. He appreciated the love and care bestowed on him by his master. He wished to repay him for all goodness bestowed on him. One day he told his master: Kind Sir, please find a rich merchant who likes to own unique things. Tell him that you have a wonderful bullock with extraordinary strength. Challenge him to a bet of a thousand gold coins that your bullock can pull one hundred heavily loaded carts.

The Master followed the advice of his bull. He met a merchant who was a collector of unique things and struck up a conversation. Then he introduced the topic of strong bulls and the bet. The merchant did not believe him and accepted the bet. On the day of the contest, he attached together one hundred big bullock carts and filled them with sand and gravel to increase their weight. In the meantime, the owner of the bull fed him the finest rice and bathed him and decorated him. He garlanded him with a beautiful garland of roses. Then he harnessed Ananda to the carts. Suddenly he was overcome to show off to all. So he cracked a whip in the air and yelled at his faithful bull: Pull the carts, you dumb animal! 

Ananda  became thoughtful. The challenge was his idea to earn gold for his master. But for no reason whatsoever, his master was cracking a whip at him and insulting him with harsh words. So he remained in his place and refused to pull the carts. The master lost his bet and had to pay a thousand gold coins to the merchant.  It was a great blow to his pride and he returned back home very dejected. Ananda was grazing peacefully when his master returned. He went to his master and asked him why he was so sad. His master replied that Ananda had let him down and he lost a huge amount of money.  Ananda replied back: Sire, you called me a dumb animal and cracked a whip at me. What did I do to deserve such treatment?  As you did not respect me, I did not honor my word to you. 

His master was very sorry for the way he treated Ananda and he apologized to him for the lack of respect. So Ananda told him to go back to the same merchant and make the same bet for two thousand coins. So the bet was made and Ananda was tied to the carts. His master hugged him with love, garlanded him and touched his forehead with a lotus and said: My son, please pull the carts. Ananda did so  effortlessly and won the bet.

We all need to learn the lessons of knowing the worth of others and respecting them. The highest form of respect is when we recognize that all creation is one Light and we respect the divinity in all. SitaRam mantra, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru help us to experience the divinity with ourselves and in all of creation and honor and respect all.

Life is an echo!

Men have many common qualities in them. Among these are intense desire for wealth, name, fame, power and popularity. We also share one more common quality in intense quantities – self pity! It is very rare for us not to wallow in feeling sorry for self: No one understands me! No one cares for me! How could he/she/they hurt me this way? I am not appreciated at all! We go on and on bemoaning our fate and lack of appreciation of the efforts we make for our family and others around us. 

Along with this litany of woes and pains we indulge in, we also speak ill of others: My wife is selfish, my husband is inconsiderate, my son is hurtful, he is cruel, she is unworthy etc. What we do not realise is that we are projecting our inner selves on others. We are telling others how selfish, inconsiderate, hurtful, cruel and unworthy we are. When we habitually think and speak evil of others and are always complaining, we reveal the darkness and evil within us. We display to the world, the demons of dark thoughts that flourish and nourish in us.

Such miserable souls exist everywhere in life – at home, in politics,  in education, at work and in social and religious spheres. They are forever brooding on wrongs done to them. They brood on the injustices heaped on their heads. They stir pain and resentment within themselves and seek justification of their anger, hatred and discontentment. They forever point fingers at others and roar, rave and rant in sorrow and anger so that their own insecurities and evil remain undetected. They perpetuate their anger and delusion. Their anger and pain are self maintained and self defended. They use this to manipulate and control others around them.

Modern society and education seem to encourage this wrong trait. We never blame ourselves for our wrongs or shortcomings. When crime flourishes, the society is blamed. The criminal has been failed by society. He has been neglected and abused by family, friends, society, religious leaders and government. The pointing finger moves everywhere but never to the source of wrongs – the self. We are primarily responsible for who and what we are.

We must free ourselves from the vicious cycle of self pity. It is not easy to do so. We have to face the truth that we are not perfect and life bounces back at us what we give to life.  No one is above the law of karma. The source of all our trouble is our own mind, thoughts, reactions and judgements. We refuse to acknowledge that we are hurt today as we hurt someone before or we are insulted now as we have previously insulted someone else. Life is an echo. It bounces back at us what we give to it. The story of little boy in the mountain tells us this truth beautifully:

A little boy and his father were walking on the mountains. The  boy slipped and fell down. He screamed: Aeeeh! To his surprise, he heard a voice repeat the same: Aeeeh!

He looked around and saw no one. He was curious. He yelled out: Who are you? He received the same answer: Who are you? He replied: I am a boy. He got the same answer: I am a boy.

He yelled back: I like you. The answer bounced back at him at once: I like you. He yelled out: Come out, I want to see you. The answer came back to him: Come out, I want to see you. 

The little boy was now angry. He screamed: Coward! I am here. The voice replied at once: Coward! I am here. 

The little boy was taken aback and asked his father what was going on. The father smiled and asked him to repeat some words he whispered in his ears and pay attention. 

The boy called out : Winner! The voice replied: Winner!

The boy said: You are great! The voice replied back: You are great!

The boy said: I love you. The voice answered back: I love you.

The boy could not understand what was going on. His father explained: What you heard now are echoes. What you shout in the mountains is reflected back. It is the same with life.  When you are good, life gives you goodness; when you are compassionate, life gives you same. When you love life, life loves you back and when you hate all, all hate you. This rule applies to every aspect of life. It is also the eternal law of karma. We get what we give, we reap what we sow.

Our life is a continuous stream of karmic echoes. These echoes originate from us and are manifested through others around us. We cannot blame others for what originates from us. We must change ourselves. Let us use the teachings of the Guru, the SitaRam mantra and meditation to change the direction and quality of our thoughts. Our lives will change automatically and life will reflect love, beauty, compassion, discipline, peace and balance.

Navratri – the 9 day festival of Mother Goddess

Normally, when we say Navratri or Navratra – the reference is always to the festival of the Mother Goddess which falls in the English months of September- October or the Hindu month of Ashwin. Navratri begins from the first day (pratipada) of the bright fortnight of the Ashwin month and is for 9 days. This Navratri is called Maha Navratri. This festival is in honor of Shakti – the Power of the Universe. 

The month of Ashwin is the beginning of the autumn season and brings about changes in climate and solar influence. This change in the nature causes considerable changes in our bodies and mind. We worship the Divine Power or Shakti to grant us enough power to maintain our physical and mental balance for the coming days. Also, it is the Divine Power or Shakti that provides the energy for the earth to move around the sun. This result in the changes in the outer nature and  changes in season which are  essential for maintaining our lives in this world. We offer our gratitude to the Divine Power or Shakti for maintaining the correct balance of the Universe. Hence Shakti is worshiped during the first nine days of Ashwin month.

The changes in the spiritual radiations in the atmosphere are very apparent during this sacred period. During Navaratri, the principle of Goddess Durga Devi is more active in the atmosphere The Navaratri festival or the Festival of Nine Nights is culminated on the tenth day called Vijayadashami or Dussera. On all the ten days, the various forms of the Mother Mahishasuramardini or Durga are worshipped with great devotion and fervor. 

On the first day of Navratri, a clay plot (Ghatasthapana) is installed in a sanctified section of one’s home. A lamp is placed in this pot and is kept lit day and night for all 9 nights and 10 days. The pot symbolizes the Universe. The continuously burning light is the brilliant primordial energy – Shakti. We worship Shakti through the medium of this light. By doing so, the spiritual purity and Divine Consciousness in the atmosphere increases and is absorbed by us.  

Shakti is the force which empowers creation, sustenance and destruction. Shakti is energy. Shakti  is imperishable.  Shakti/energy cannot be destroyed. Energy only changes form and is ever present. Navratri is divided into sets of three days to focus and worship different forms and aspects of the Supreme Shakti. On the first three days, the Mother is invoked as the powerful force called Durga. Durga destroys all the impurities in us, our vices and defects. During the next three days, we invoke Mother in the form of Lakshmi, the giver of spiritual wealth. She has the power to bless Her devotees with inexhaustible spiritual wealth. The last three days are spent in worshipping the Mother as Saraswati. She is the Goddess of wisdom and bestows on us knowledge and wisdom. In order to have a successful life, we need to be rid of our vices and defects, be filled with spiritual wealth and wisdom. The blessings of the three forms of Mother are essential for a complete life on earth. On the tenth day of Ashwin is the Dussera festival. This is a celebration of the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana in the battlefields of Lanka. The victory of good over evil is celebrated with great enthusiasm by burning a giant effigy of Ravana.  The drama of the Ramayana is portrayed in short through song and dance and then Ravana is burnt. The effigy is stuffed with fireworks and blows up spectacularly before a hugely appreciative audience. 

For the followers of Kundalini Maha Yoga, these nine days have great significance. We are worshipers of the Mother as Shakti. She resides in us as Kundalini Shakti and all around us in Her Universal Form. We do anustan of the mantra given to us during these nine days and remain connected to the Guru and Shakti. By doing so, we permit the Power to work within us and bring about an internal transformation within us. Karma of many lifetimes are burnt away during this period of sincere anustan. Let us do our mantra japa and meditation during Navratri sincerely and receive the Divine Grace of Guru and Shakti.

Location of the Greatest Treasure of the Universe

Our Divinity is the greatest treasure of the Universe. We are one with God. God is in us and we are a part of Him. The entire fabric of creation and existence is Divinity. To know and experience this and relish the love of God is mind blowing. When we experience the love of God and drown in His love, we become Love. God is Love. Knowing that we are God and His Light burns within us is a marvelous experience. It also brings about the realization that all existence is the Light of God and we are enabled to see the Divine Play of the Cosmos and enjoy it.

From the very time of our birth, we seek fulfillment of desire. Initially they are basic desires of food, clothes and shelter. As we  grow older, we have other desires – toys, friends to play with, variety in food and clothes and education. As time passes, the desires only increase by the day and we spend our entire lives, effort and time in chasing and fulfilling them. We seek more power, sex, wealth, popularity and control over others. We fulfill our desire by raping the earth, exploiting the workers, cheating the consumers and making false promises and proclamations in the political stage. We get results but are happy only for a short period of time. Then there is a yearning for something more, something which is lacking in our lives. We do not know what it is and keep seeking for it by acquiring more wealth, power and control. Then comes a time when nothing satisfies us and we seek peace. That is the time when a Guru appears in our lives and guides us to go within to seek the Light, Peace and Eternal Bliss. There is a little ancient story which tells us how the greatest treasure of the Universe came to be hidden inside us:

Long ago, there was a time when all men were Gods. With the passage of time, they abused their divinity and created chaos and confusion in the Universe.  Lord Brahma, the creator, decided to take away the divinity of men and hide it away from them in such a place where it could never be found. Lord Brahma called a council of Gods to help him decide where to hide the divinity of men. Someone suggested that it be buried in the earth. Lord Brahma objected to it as humans would dig the earth and locate it. Another God suggested sinking the divinity of men in the deepest ocean. There were loud voices of protest as men were sure to learn swimming and diving and find it. Someone else suggested taking it to the highest peak in the world and burying it there. Lord Brahma was sure men liked challenges and would climb every mountain and locate their divinity. Finally, they ran out of ideas. It seemed that there were no places where men would not reach eventually.

Lord Brahma thought for a long time and came up with an idea: Let us hide the divinity deep in the center of being of mankind. Humans rarely look into themselves!

Everyone agreed that it was the perfect hiding place. And divinity was hidden deep within mankind. From that time onward,  men have been going up and down the earth, digging, climbing, diving and exploring. They are in search of the greatest treasure of Universe which is already within themselves.

The musk deer sniffs at the fragrance in the air and searches for the source everywhere. It never finds  the source as the fragrance is within its body. Love, peace and bliss are the fragrances of the soul which is the divinity within us. We get the fragrance of the divinity within us at times and we keep searching for it outside. Doing the SitaRam mantra, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru help us go within us and locate the blazing light and then become one with it. We then find the location of the greatest treasure of the Universe.

How Desires Trap Us

The world is beautiful and filled with wonderful things that satisfy our wants and needs. We are attracted to various objects through our five senses of sight, smell, taste, touch and sound. These senses are given to us by God to appreciate the gifts of nature and help us in locating and identifying safe foods and pleasant places to dwell and rest. The sense organs also help us in appreciating and taking immense pleasure in our foods, clothes and other objects around us. They also help us to cultivate beauty around us and be thankful for pleasures of life.

All of us have certain weaknesses of desires which bring our downfall. We are strong and able to overcome many things. But when it comes to our specific weaknesses, we  simply give up and drown in the pleasure. Our weaknesses causes us to lose our common sense, intelligence, logic and will power;  consequently endangering our principles, morals, ethics and our very lives. The story of the red blooded monkeys tells us this terrifying truth:

Long ago, in a certain forest, at the foothills of the Himalayas, there lived a rare species of monkeys. Their blood was deep red and translucent and was highly prized as a dye by cloth merchants for the color would not fade or streak. This particular dye was sought after by cloth and silk makers and also the royalty. The monkeys were clever and knowledgeable. They were aware of the peculiar quality of their blood and why they were hunted so much. They were adept at escaping all the traps and nets set out for them. But they had two weaknesses: They loved rice wine and they enjoyed wearing and parading around in fancy foot wear.

One day, a group of hunters discovered the location of the monkeys in the forest. They set up several huge kegs of wine nearby and let the wind carry the aroma to the monkeys. They also scattered hundreds of brightly colored and decorated wooden shoes near the barrels of wine. Then they hid themselves in the surrounding bushes and waited. The monkeys were enticed by the fragrance of the wine and came to the barrels. They looked around and warned each other: This is surely a trap. The men in the village are wicked and want to catch us. If we drink the wine, we will get caught and will be killed for our blood. Let us get out of here. 

The monkeys scampered away from there to the safety of the high branches of the tall trees. But some of the monkeys kept looking back. The aroma of the wine was far too heady. Some of them ran back to the barrels. They said: Let us try a few drops of wine and then run away. Else we will get caught and  be skinned alive. Sneakily, they dipped one half of a finger in the wine and licked it. Then they inserted a whole finger and then a whole hand. The poor monkeys could not resist the smell of wine. How could they resist its taste? Soon all the monkeys followed suit. They drank the wine and lost all their cleverness and caution. Then they discovered the colorful wooden clogs. They wore them and paraded around in a delirious state of joy. The hunters soon pounced on them and caught all of them. The monkeys  could not flee as they were not only drunk but also weighed down by the heavy wooden shoes.    

We are no different from the monkeys. We are experienced and aware of the dangers of our weaknesses and desires.  We resist the lure and temptation for some time but we give in ultimately. We all have our own shortcomings – the rice wine and shoes- and these are different for each of us. When it comes to our particular desires, we know of the dangers and yet we have this belief that a bit of it will not hurt us and we go in cautiously. Then we taste, throw caution to the winds and dive into it in full force. Finally we end up paying a heavy price in loss of health, relationships, wealth and even life.

Logic and intelligence rarely work in overcoming desire. One of the easier ways of overcoming desire is to offer all our objects of desire to God and then partake of them as prasad. When we attach God to all our work and desire, sooner or later, Divinity helps us overcome our weaknesses. Regular japa of SitaRam mantra, meditation and following the teachings of the Guru help us overcome our weaknesses and desires.