Feb 23, 2003

Each year, Mahashivratri is celebrated throughout Delhi with great fervor, the regular presence of Gurudev magnifying the devotees' feelings of love and joy.

On February 23, preceded by five young girls who each carried a kalash (decorated earthen pots with a coconut), Gurudev was welcomed by devotees standing in rows on both sides side of the path to the satsang hall who showered him with rose petals and chanted a welcoming song to the ringing of bells and resonant blasts of the conch.

Entering the beautifully decorated satsang hall Gurudev was welcomed by the recitation of the Shanti Path by two young boys. The space lit up as aarti was performed by eleven girls each of whom held five lamps in their aarti plates. The magnificent spectacle of the rotation of fifty-five lamps was reminiscent of the welcoming of Lord Rama on Diwali.

The magnificent spectacle of the rotation of fifty-five lamps
was reminiscent of the welcoming of Lord Rama on Diwali.

Sh. Hemant Sharma gave the welcoming address which was followed by bhajans and the chanting of Om Guru Jay Guru Sacchidananda Guru.

Gurudev then acknowledged one of Baba's old time devotees, Shri B.R. Nanda, who is known for his literary works, having authored several books on Mahatma Gandhi and recently being honored by the President of India with the awarding of the Padma Vibushan.

Gurudev lovingly offered Nandaji a garland and shawl, praised him for his humility and said that only few possessed this great virtue so evident in Nandaji who attributed his achievements entirely to Baba Muktanand's grace.

In his address, Gurudev recollected that Baba often held courses of about a fortnight on subjects such as Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism. At the end of each session an examination was held. Afterwards, Baba would award certificates to the participants, reminding everyone that the certificate had no meaning unless participants passed the real test, the one they would undergo when they returned home. As Gurudev remarked, "The real test of what we have truly learned and understood is demonstrated in how we live our daily life."

The real test of what we have truly learned and understood
is demonstrated in how we live our daily life.

Gurudev remarked how Baba would often emphasize this teaching by telling a story from the Mahabharat about Dronacharya, the Guru of the Pandavas and Kauravas.

One day, he asked his pupils to learn an important teaching, namely, satyam vada, maa krudha - speak the truth and never become angry.
The next day Dronacharya asked his pupils if they had learned the lesson. All agreed they had except for Yudhistir who said he had only learned half the lesson.

This went on for days until, finally, the enraged Dronacharya beat Yudisthir for not learning the lesson.

Yudhistir immediately exclaimed, "Now I have learned it."

When asked for an explanation, Yudisthir said, "It was only when your punishment did not invoke anger in me that I knew that I had learned the lesson fully. Until then, I could only truthfully say, speaking truthfully, that it had been half-learned"

Quoting from the Bhagvad Gita, Gurudev said, "We must perform our karma (action) without expectation of the type of fruit that may come our way. After all, the fruit always accords with our parabdha karma (what we reap in this body as a result of the actions of previous lifetimes)."

We must perform our karma (action) without expectation
of the type of fruit that may come our way.

Gurudev talked of the greatness of the sacred language of Sanskrit and observed that these days one finds many doctors, engineers and chartered accountants but very few Sanskrit scholars. Accordingly, in the ashram in Magod he has begun a traditional Sanskrit school, Shanti Pathshala.

Gurudev noticed that though many people are apparently turning towards God, the world appears to be heading towards a stronger embrace of materialism, moving away from the path to true peace and happiness which comes from turning within and embracing the non-material.

He urged us to become fully aware of our actions, the fruit of which would be borne not only by us but also by future generations. Giving the example of the rate at which our environment is being polluted he predicted that the day was not far away when there would be scarcity of clean drinking water.

He urged us to continue asking the intelligent questions that the sages also asked, such as "Who am I?" And "Where have I come from?", and to engage in a committed pursuit of the answers. He commented, "It is ironical that though we seek happiness, we are scared of the solitude which alone brings true peace."

Reminding us that, "the scriptures tell us that God cannot be explained in words, only tasted through experience," Gurudev emphasized the importance of regular swadhyaya (chanting of the sacred), noting, "with regular practice one reaches a point where one's face, too, reflects the tranquility and happiness within." He reminded us that the repetition of God's name is the ideal anti-depressant pill.

Asking us to think about the purpose of our life, he said, "Instead of being trapped in the (illusory) maya of the world, seeking our fulfillment in that, we should pause and reflect on what exactly we will be taking with us when we leave this body."

Instead of being trapped in the (illusory) maya of the world,
seeking our fulfillment in that,
we should pause and reflect on
what exactly we will be taking with us
when we leave this body.

Reminiscing about the love and devotion with which the great saints and devotees sat through the long hours of satsang during Baba's 20th Mahasamadhi celebrations, Gurudev said, "Such is the ecstasy of satsang. This was the culmination of the fruit of many years of satsang. Nothing can give us true happiness other than sitting in the company of our own truth."

Such is the ecstasy of satsang…
Nothing can give us true happiness
other than sitting in the company of our own truth.

Noting that there is an increasing exodus of Indians abroad seeking affluence, he urged everyone to remain in India and work for the upliftment of society. He also invited everyone to the ashram to participate in the daily routine and experience the peace it generates.

Feb 24, 2003

Traditional chanting of the Guru Gita was held in the morning with satsang in the evening. Many people attended the evening arati, joining in an ecstatic kirtan, Parvati Vallabh Namah Shivaya, and watching a moving, twenty-minute video of Baba Muktanand.

After welcoming everyone with much love, Gurudev began his talk saying how the video took him back to some of the great moments with Baba. It also reminded him of how we could never define such great beings in personality terms.

He said, "The scriptures tell us, siddha swatantra bhavaha, the great being lives in freedom. What is he free from? From the mind, intellect and ego to which others fall prey. These days, one comes across many self proclaimed saints but it is rare to find one who is truly deserving of the status."

He continued, "What the scriptures keep secret cannot be understood by the mind, but only through experience. It is by constant introspection and contemplation that we slowly become free and for that we must seek the company of our own self which is the sole purpose of attending satsang."

It is by constant introspection and contemplation
that we slowly become free
and for that we must seek the company of our own self
which is the sole purpose of attending satsang.

"In the Bhagavad Gita the Lord reminds us that it is not so easy to swim across the ocean of maya composed of the three gunas (tendencies) and that one succeeds only by seeking refuge in God, surrendering our ego to Him alone. As long as the thought, 'I am the doer' remains, complete surrender cannot take place and one can never be freed."

As long as the thought, 'I am the doer' remains,
complete surrender cannot take place
and one can never be freed.

"The great beings dwell in the understanding that whatever they receive is the fruit of their karma. It is because of the totality of their surrender that they experience complete happiness. That is what we observe when we live with a great being and that is the example we should follow. They treat the entire world as their own family and pray only for the welfare of all (lokah samastah sukhino bhavantu)."

Relating a story to illustrate how we get trapped in the web our own mind spins, Gurudev said, "A cotton-mill owner's son watching truckloads of cotton arriving at his father's mill was suddenly struck by the notion that there would never be enough workers to weave so much cotton. He became so overwhelmed with the idea, so obsessed with the impossibility of the task, that no doctor or psychiatrists could free him from his despair."

"Fortunately, a great saint arrived in town. The cotton-mill owner took his son along to see the saint, hoping his son could be saved. After being told of the dilemma, the saint called the young man before him and announced, 'The great mound of cotton has just been burned to ashes in a fire.' Immediately, the young man smiled with relief. That simple statement snapped his troublesome chain of thoughts and the misery was gone."

Gurudev continued, "Baba always stressed the need to still our mind which is constantly fluctuating. For this, he gave us the practices of dhyan (meditation) and japa (repetition of the mantra). Instead of constantly dwelling in anxiety, forever dwelling on difficulties and problems, we should do japa to redirect our mind to focusing on God. If we wish to live in contentment, peaceful and happy, we must do as the scriptures urge and seek refuge in God."

If we wish to live in contentment, peaceful and happy,
we must do as the scriptures urge and
seek refuge in God.

Satsang ended with the chanting of Gurudev Hamara Pyara, followed by a joyful darshan.

Feb 25, 2003

After kirtan (fast chant) at the evening satsang, Gurudev talked of the importance of satsang and devotion and began with a story:

There was a boy called Pundalik who lived with his parents in a small village. He served them with great devotion, as devotedly and joyfully as he also worshipped the Lord.

Pleased with Pundalik's devotion the Lord appeared before him. But Pundalik was so absorbed in tending his father, massaging his father's feet, he simply offered the Lord a brick on which to sit. That is how the Lord came to receive the name, Vitthala.

Marking the spiritual significance of this event, a statue was later erected there. Still, today, that statue is worshipped with great fervor, special satsangs held on Aashaad and Kartika Poornima.

Through satsang we, too, can experience the same happiness as Pundalik. As one poet-saint sings, "I met and embraced God among devotees absorbed in satsang." The only medicine for liberation is satsang.

The only medicine for liberation is satsang.

In the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord explains that those who worship him are of three kinds. The first kind want liberation, they want to be freed from the suffering brought about by ego-attachment, by non-surrender to the divine. The second kind has an urge for knowledge and develops curiosity about the divine. The third kind seeks the Lord's favor but only to fulfill their material desires.

When the mind is caught in the miseries of the world, demonical qualities surface, and people experience their downfall. Recognizing this, the true seeker turns to God for their liberation. Understanding the oneness of God and Atman (the Self), they grasp the truth that the ultimate reality of this world and its workings is that it is all a play of cosmic consciousness. Having become one with the Lord they remain detached, graciously performing whatever role life brings before them.

Such great beings experience total contentment and happiness, are devoid of jealousy and are naturally humble. Until we have humility and are willing to accept our faults, changing ourselves for the better, we cannot be regarded as true seekers.

Until we have humility and are willing to accept our faults,
changing ourselves for the better,
we cannot be regarded as true seekers.

That is why it helps to sit a while and ponder what we really seek in life. Is it the material or the subtle? Should we seek things that we can never take with us or the knowledge that is eternal? What is the choice of a true seeker? What purpose propels them to action?

The supreme knowledge is difficult to achieve, requiring many years of sadhana, of dedicated effort. That is why we go to a saint, so that we gain the right understanding and the capacity to walk the path. Then, as we slowly progress in our sadhana, all our wishes are fulfilled until only one wish remains, to realize God.

If we have children, our own firm embrace of sadhana is what enables us to instill in them dharma (the positive virtues), letting them learn the value of the practices so that they, too, are able to seek the divinity within their own being.