Feb 26, 2003

The evening program began with aarti (waving of lights) and was followed by the chanting of Vitthal Vitthal Paduranga Vitthal and a video of the Kumbh Mela at Allahabad. Then, Gurudev spoke, saying, among other things:

The great tradition of the Kumbh enables saints and devotees to gather together for a common purpose, the pursuit of God. They worship and chant, and bathe together in the holy waters, but it is their faith that makes God manifest, that evokes that presence.

In the Bhagavad Gita, the Lord says that it is difficult to free ourselves from the trap of maya (the illusory appearance of the physical as the true reality) but through complete surrender to God the wise can attain liberation.

So it is why it is said that worldly knowledge is the cause of bondage but the wisdom of the Self, put into practice, leads to liberation.

Worldly knowledge is the cause of bondage
but the wisdom of the Self, put into practice,
leads to liberation.

One who lives in that state of knowledge does not need to blow his trumpet for he experiences complete, unending contentment.

In his earlier days, Bhagwan Nityananda lived in the jungles of Kanhangad in South Karnataka wearing only a lion cloth. He began building an ashram. Hearing reports of an almost naked ascetic spending money on construction works the police wondered where it was coming from and thinking he might be a thief went to interview him.

They were quite hostile and demanded to see where the money was kept.

Bhagwan suggested they accompany him to a nearby, crocodile-infested lake and the policemen agreed, reluctantly, for they knew of the lake's dangerous reputation.

The policemen followed Bhagawan, shaking with fear at the sight of the huge crocodiles as some eased towards them and others slid into the water. When they reached the lake's edge Bhagawan dived in and disappeared, re-emerging shortly after with a bundle of money in his hands.

"This is where I keep it," he said. "If you want to check, please dive in." The terrified policemen fled.

It is not easy to comprehend the greatness of beings such as Bhagawan, to understand their state.

That is why the most important virtues a true seeker should possess are single-minded bhakti (devotion) and shraddha (faith). As the Lord says, "Such a seeker is very dear to me."

The most important virtues a true seeker should possess are
single-minded bhakti (devotion) and shraddha (faith).

When the mind becomes still, absorbed in God, we experience the actuality of God manifesting within. Just as salt loses its separate identity as it dissolves in water, so the Lord and the devotee become one.

In the Mahabharata there is a story of the time Lord Krishna visited the home of the absent Vidur.

Vidur's wife, who was in the middle of bathing, was so overwhelmed with joy when she heard of his arrival that, completely forgetting herself, she rushed from the bathroom, ill-clad, to greet him. Still, in an exalted state, she ran to the pooja room and sat on the seat of the deity, the Lord at her feet on the floor. Then, with great love and devotion, she peeled and ate bananas, giving the peels to the Lord. She had completely lost herself in ecstasy.

About that time, Vidur returned home. When he entered the pooja room he was shocked to see his wife's condition. He immediately started to bring her to her senses, finally making her realize what she was doing.

Embarrassed, she went to her room, dressed, then returned to sit before the Lord who was now on his seat. She respectfully offered him some bananas which he accepted and ate, remarking, "The peels were tastiest of all for they were offered when you were wholly identified with me, when your sense of a limited self was no more."

The scriptures tell us, Satya jnanam anantam Brahma, God is truth, the supreme knowledge, all-pervading and endless. That is our experience when we become the witness of all that happens, observing the Lord's maya, his play of consciousness, without getting caught in it.

Like the spectator who enjoys a cricket match, equally disinterested in victory or defeat, a true seeker, through continuous sadhana, severs their ego-attachment to the people and things of this world and attains liberation.

A true seeker, through continuous sadhana,
severs their ego-attachment
to the people and things of this world
and attains liberation

Feb 27, 2003

During his stay in Delhi Gurudev accepted the ardent requests of some devotees to bless them by visiting their homes and holding satsang.

During one visit, Gurudev said:

"It is a good tradition to hold a puja or satsang at home to celebrate joyous occasions. Just as parties are held to celebrate birthdays, weddings and house warmings, we hold our satsangs, our Vedic parties, where devotees get together and invoke God, offering him their recognition, devotion and love with worship and prasad.

Though twenty years have passed since Baba Muktanand left his physical form, we still experience his shakti today. Such a liberated, holy being is born in human form for the upliftment of the devotees. As the scriptures say, 'Bhakta kaaryai ka dehaya, tasmai shree gurave namah.'

Baba held satsang every day because he was constantly absorbed in the thought of God. Sometimes, during darshan, he would temporarily disappear into his room and sit in front of his Guru's picture, totally absorbed. He would then re-emerge, charged with the divine energy of that connection.

Like Baba, we must all put forth effort to attain what he achieved, the goal of Self-realization. This is possible only through detachment, breaking free of the grip of the mind and the ego by surrender to God, to the Guru.

In the Gita the Lord says that sannyas, renunciation, is not about giving up action, it is about letting go of our expectations, abandoning the desire for the fruit, relinquishing attachment. After all, what causes us to be bound to the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth, or to be liberated from it? Nothing other than our own mind and ego.

Renunciation is not about giving up action,
it is about letting go of our expectations,
abandoning desire for the fruit,
relinquishing attachment.

Though we think we are living the present, we are constantly worrying about the future or repenting about the past. Instead, we must try to live in contentment, enjoying the present moment to the fullest. That is why do sadhana, to still the mind, bringing harmony and stability to our life.

In the Yoga Vasishtha, there is a story of a King and his wife, the enlightened Queen Chudala. The King had become increasingly hungry for true knowledge and one day announced to the Queen that he was renouncing palace, abandoning the pleasures of the world and going to live like a hermit in the forest.

When he had settled into his hermit's abode the Queen visited him one day and told him that it was only through renunciation that one could attain peace.

The king immediately thought that she must be suggesting he renounce his small hut, too. So he decided to live in the open, unsheltered from the elements.

Some time later the Queen again visited him and told him that peace could only be attained through renunciation. So the King decided he must give up wearing clothes.

After the Queen's next visit, when she gave him exactly the same message about renunciation, he decided to stop eating food.

When Queen Chudala returned again she found her husband in an emaciated, pitiable condition and said, "It is not material things that need to be renounced, it is the ego, the notion, 'I am the doer,' or 'I have renounced' that has to be discarded. Renunciation is an inner quality not an outer action."

Renunciation is an inner quality not an outer action.

The purpose of celebrating Mahashivratri is to offer to the Lord our ego, thereby attaining peace.

28th February

At a session with Grade 11 students at the Green Fields School, Gurudev answered diverse queries from the teenagers, saying, during the interactions:

"Meditation teaches us how to still our mind and become perfectly focused. It is a powerful technique for concentration."

Gurudev spoke of the increasing incidence of medical problems such as hypertension and stress and pointed to the need for regular physical exercise or sports for both children and adults. He urged the students to plan their day so that they had enough time for both study and play, and emphasized the importance of striking a balance between the two.

Reflecting on the Guru-shishya relationship in the context of a modern school, he said that the vital pre-requisites of a teacher's personality are confidence, authority and loving compassion while the pre-requisites for students are the virtues of humility and respect. He suggested that the foundation of a successful student-teacher relationship was the need for communication and dialogue and concluded by saying:

"The receiving cup has to be lower than the cup from which it receives. Humility is the quality we must all cultivate."

"The receiving cup has to be lower than the cup from which it receives.
Humility is the quality we must all cultivate."

Feb 28, 2003

On the day before the Meditation Intensive and Mahashivratri celebrations, Gurudev held a final public satsang at the Green Fields school hall. The hall was packed with seekers who not only participated wholeheartedly in the chanting but were able to ask questions of Gurudev, following his talk.

During the talk, Gurudev said:

"Some people preach a lot. Others like to listen. But until one imbibes and puts into practice the teachings, true knowledge and understanding cannot arise. If there is confusion in our mind, we have not understood. If our actions are driven by the selfish motives of the ego we have not understood. We must give up our limited perceptions and let the desire for God be the driving force behind all our actions.

We must give up our limited perceptions
and let the desire for God
be the driving force behind all our actions.

The scriptures tell us, Bhoga na bhukta vayameva bhukta - it is not we who enjoy through our senses but the senses that derive pleasure at our expense. The body becomes frail yet the desires of the senses remain strong and as we proudly celebrate each consecutive birthday, time mocks us, for the years that remain have diminished.

The scriptures also tell us, Sookshmaati sooksham kalilasya madhye - the knowledge of the Self is subtler than the subtlest. It cannot be understood by the mind, intellect or speech for they themselves are driven by its divine energy. That is why contemplation is a most important aspect of sadhana. Gossip leads us nowhere."

Following his talk, Gurudev explained, in response to a seeker's question, that, "To maintain balance in an increasingly materialistic world the first step we must take is to be committed to the path. Unless we make a firm decision, a wholehearted commitment, change cannot occur."

To maintain balance in an increasingly materialistic world
the first step we must take is to be committed to the path.
Unless we make a firm decision, a wholehearted commitment,
change cannot occur.

Gurudev gave some simple examples of how we can use technology to our advantage in our sadhana. "For a wake-up alarm you could play the Guru Gita sung solo by Baba and start the day on a positive note. If you drive to work you could listen to any of the recorded chants. Some people have Baba's picture as a screen-saver on their computer monitor. Others use Om Namah Shivaya as 'filler music' in between phone calls. These are all simply practical aids that have the same purpose - to remind us of God, to maintain that awareness."

Pointing out how the ego's materialistic pursuits corrupt the mind, Gurudev urged everyone to think about what each will take with them when they die and narrated a story to show how we can lose the way in our race for material benefits. He said:

"Once, an executive for a multinational corporation was holidaying at a beach resort and noticed a fisherman resting peacefully on his hammock. Observing huge schools of fish in the sea the executive urged the fisherman to not waste his time and offered him money so that the fisherman could buy some big boats and hire men to expand his business.

The fisherman asked, 'But why should I expand the business?'

The executive explained, 'If you have more money you can buy more boats and earn even more money and so on.'

'But what will I finally achieve with all that money?' the fisherman asked.

The executive smiled, 'Then, you can just sit back and relax.'

'But that is exactly what I am doing now,' said the fisherman.

We should be clear about what will uplift us and thereafter work towards it with firm conviction. When there is such commitment, the negative tendencies such as laziness, which can be a big hindrance in sadhana, begin to dissipate.

Finally, when we break the bonds of the mind and ego we discover that true liberation is liberation from the notion of liberation."

When we break the bonds of the mind and ego
we discover that true liberation is
liberation from the notion of liberation.