Dhyana Vahini - Post 19

Chapter VII

Swami continues with His gospel on the relevance of focussing on Name and Form of Lord.

Do not discuss the path with everyone

"However, be careful not to discuss these paths with all and sundry, because each one’s path appears the best. If the people consulted are treading another path, they will decry your practice of repetition of the name and meditation and treat them with scant respect. They will look down upon them, as if they were very elementary and as if you were but a beginner in school. As a result, you will start doubting the efficacy of your chosen path! You will get concern where before you had joy, disgust where before you had love.

Therefore, reflect within yourself which among these is sweeter. Or you can approach those who have tasted the nectar of that name and ask for details of their experiences. Do not argue about these things with everyone you meet. The time spent in these haphazard disputations is best used for the cultivation of joy through the repeated bringing of the name (nama) to memory and meditation on the form (rupa) of the Lord."

 

Introspection

Hallmark or the identification of a true and sincere spiritual sadhaka is that “He / she shall never criticize the path followed by the other, though it may be totally / partially different from the path he / she  has been following”.

Criticism, comparison of my path with your path etc. would be there only when there is ego, when one has not reached advanced stage in sadhana and one has not experienced the unity in all, in everything.

The more one gets deeper into one’s sadhana, more silence, more acceptance of all, more love towards all would be there automatically.

Even when the other person argues with such a sadhaka and puts down the path followed by the sadhaka, upholding the path followed by the other, drawing reference to supports the other person’s argument with relevant quotes by Swami / other masters, all that this sadhaka would be transmitting would be “Love” in “silence”.

Swami continues,

Mere weighing of the pros and cons, like which is greater among the two, will end only with the quick loss of all the success gained after great efforts through spiritual discipline. Until you become an expert, bring the name constantly to memory and repeat it firm and unruffled, either alone or in the company of devotees. Then, nothing can waver you.

Look at the fish! In early stages, it breeds its newly hatched young ones in a quiet shallow spot. Then, it pushes them into the wide-open sea, rough and rude with its monstrous denizens! They can then survive there, courageously, and grow without fear. 

If the young ones were bred in the open sea from the earliest stage, they would certainly be swallowed up even by minor fishes! So, remembrance of the name (namasmarana), repetition of the name (japa), and meditation (dhyana) must be practised with a great deal of care, according to a planned routine, and without any discussion with others.

Repeating the name is safest and easiest

Nowadays, many aspirants are discarding the name and taking up yoga and breath control (pranayama). These are fraught with many dangers. To follow them correctly is difficult. Even if correctly followed, preserving, and protecting the fruits achieved is even more difficult.

If people grope in the water while spreading the net on the bank, can they find fish in the net? To give up repetition of the name and faith in that path and to sit in yoga and penance is as foolish as hoping to catch fish by this means. If the name is taken as the refuge and support, He can be realised tomorrow — if not today. If the name of a thing is known, the thing itself can be easily acquired. But if the name is not known, even if the thing is right in front, it cannot be recognized.

So, repeat the name without intermission or faltering. By means of the name, love (prema) is developed; through love, meditation of the Lord can be practised. If love is deeply rooted in you, God, who is composed of love, becomes your own. However, many the paths for the realization of the Lord, none is as easy as this.

Note this. When a peculiar disease is prevalent in a country, the drug that can cure it is also found in that very country, more so than anywhere else. Though available after vigorous search in other lands, it will not be so good or plentiful. Similarly, this specific drug is available now, in the present age (the Kali-yuga)! In this age (yuga), the ghastly evils of injustice, immorality, and falsehood infect the world. 

That is why the scriptures (sastras) have been proclaiming again and again, with greater and greater emphasis that in this Kali age, there is no means of salvation other than the name! Of the four ages, the Kali-yuga is the best on account of this. Remembrance of the name, repetition of the name, and meditation strain out the evil in mankind. Human nature is guarded and protected by these three. Hence, the fruits of meditation are greater than those secured with great difficulty through yoga, sacrifice (yajna), or breath control (pranayama).”

Introspection

Swami has emphasized that yoga should not be merely physical, should not be aimed at physical perfection. The meaning of “Yoga” itself is Union and hence, even in the path of yoga, the aim / goal should always be drawing ourselves nearer to the supreme, call it SELF or GOD.

This Kali yuga avatar, Bhagawan Baba has always stressed the importance and value of Namasmarana.

Since the age of Kali has witnessed drastic decline of values, of dharma, the chances of a human being getting astray and succumbing to the tempting call from this objective world is huge, Swami has prescribed namasmarana, constant remembrance of Lord’s name  as the most effective means to always feel / experience the divine presence and divine guidance within."

 

Love.

 

Dhyana Vahini - Post 18

Chapter VII

 

Remember God and Meditate

 

Whatever the tangle in which people are caught, if they get immersed in the Lord’s name, it will make them free. Moreover, by this means, they can realise without fail the name and form through which they constantly remember the Lord. There is no iota of doubt in this.

All religions remember the Lord’s name

The spiritual disciplines of yoga, breath control (pranayama), and penance (tapas) are beset with pitfalls at every step, and they are also full of dangers. But in the spiritual practices of repetition of the name (japa), meditation (dhyana), and remembrance of the name (namasmarana) there is no likelihood of a fall or of any other danger. 

In the former type of spiritual disciplines, the practices differ according to the caste or religion. 

In the practice of the name (nama-sadhana), there is not even a trace of such distinction. Hindus, Muslims, and Christians may differ on many points, but they are all one in the glorification of the name of the Godhead. 

All of them take the name of the one Lord, though the language through which the name is expressed is different. Each one recites, repeats, and remembers the name as formed on his own tongue. Each one turns with his fingers the rosary appropriate to their religion. But for everyone there is nothing so fruitful, so universal, or so holy among spiritual disciplines as these: repetition of the divine name, meditation, and remembrance of the Lord’s name.

Crave the Lord’s name rather than the form

The Lord and His name are both one, but the sweetness of the name is seldom found in the form. 

When the name of the flower, rose, is remembered, its fragrance, tender petals, and deep color spring to memory; its thorns and the trouble one has undergone to get the flower are all forgotten. Instead, if its origin and previous story are considered, and if the plant, leaves, and branches are taken into account, the flower — the most important, most beautiful, and most attractive part— is likely to be forgotten and only “the plant” is discussed. 

See this from another angle. As soon as the name mango is mentioned, one is reminded of an incomparable sweetness. Instead, if an actual mango is held in the hand, the doubt first arises in the mind whether it is sweet or sour; then one is engaged in distinguishing the skin, fibre, juice, nut, rind, seed, etc. When the name alone is repeated, these things do not come to mind. Only the sweetness is brought to memory.

Such is the difference between the Lord and the Lord’s name! The pure essence of sweetness is in the name. In the case of the form, there is the chance of dread mixed with respect — sometimes, even attributes causing fear show themselves.

Here is another reason why the name of the Lord is to be craved more than the form. Riches are needed to secure any article in the world. With riches, articles are acquired, so it follows that the riches are superior to the articles obtained by means of them, right? With riches, one can get any article, any time. So too, it is by means of the riches of the name that the article, “the form (rupa) of the Lord” is to be earned. If the riches called name (nama) are steadily accumulated, the Lord can be realised through the path of meditation, easily and without difficulty.

Another special thing about repetition of the name (nama-smarana) is this: It is possible to acquire various occult powers (siddhis) through yoga and penance (tapas). And there is every likelihood of the Lord being forgotten when these powers come. Blinded by this pride, a person might even let go the basic victory won by their spiritual practices. This is not the case with remembrance of the name, repetition of the name, and meditation; no such dangers beset these paths. These three paths make love (prema) grow in people more and more. 

Through love, peace (santhi) is achieved. Once peace of mind is achieved, all other conditions are automatically attained. Through yoga and penance, extraordinary power; through remembrance of the name, repetition of the name, and meditation, extraordinary love — this is the difference between the two.

Introspection by a devotee

A sage writes, 

“Like human beings are called by a name, God also is summoned by a name. In ordinary parlance, this art of summoning the Almighty Creator is done by the recitation of a name that we associate with God's nature. 

The name of God is a description of the characteristic of God. According to Indian traditional parlance, when a name is given to a person at the time of birth, it is not that you just give any name that you like, as in modern days; considering the stars, the planets, and the day on which the child is born, a particular name is chosen indicating the influence exerted upon that child by the entire stellar and planetary system. So, the name suggests the actual characteristic and nature of the person. 

God also can be summoned by a name, provided that the name chosen, with which you summon, indicates the might and the majesty, and the affection God has for you. The mantra that people chant in japa sadhana, for instance, is supposed to be an indicator of the name of God. The mantra that you chant, into which you are supposed to be initiated, is the modus operandi adopted to create in one's own mind a suggestion of the nature of the God whom one worships and adores. In the Vishnu Sahasranama, the thousand names are a thousand different characteristics of the Supreme Being, and they are not just anything and everything.

There are infinite ways of calling God, because there are infinite qualities that we can associate with God. You can call Him by any name, provided it is in consonance with His nature. What are His qualities? They are immense capacity, and indomitable power; Almighty He is called. He is the greatest power you can think of before which nothing can stand; this is one quality of God. And He is the greatest beauty, enchanting, stunning, filling you with joy, making you feel as if you are drinking nectar; it is utter beauty, incomparable, the kind of which you cannot see in the world.”

 

Dear All,

In today’s text, Swami has spoken about the superiority of God’s name over God’s form.  

Why is it so??

Suppose, let us assume, we are looking at Swami’s form in photograph and keep looking at the image of Swami.

Initially, we would feel ecstatic but slowly, our thoughts may dry and we may not be thinking much about the form. Also, From childhood up to 2011, Swami’s form has under gone so many changes and each image may look different. 

Whereas, let us assume, we are chanting Swami’s Ashtothara namavali  in a slow pace, absorbing the inner beauty and significance of each of the 108  namavali. 

Such Japa Sadhana would take us to a great joy, an immense sense of completion because, we are able to go beyond the form and focus on the leelas / glory of the avatar while chanting the namavali and after some time, even the thought on Glory of Avatar somehow goes and even while our lips may be chanting, there is a deep silence within. We have almost merged with Swami (if the namavali is chanted slowly, in a particular scale, giving all the time to focus on the significance of each of the 108 names). The “Namah:” expression, which is at the end of each name, really takes us to the deepest inner prayer to our Lord. 

Thus name is subtler than the form and Japa Sadhana can take us to union with God, if taken up sincerely.

 

Love.

 

Note:- All that has been explained is relevant when we are not having direct darshan of the Lord. If one has ever been blessed to have darshan of Divine Lord in close proximity or even more blessed to be inside the interview room, watching and observing Swami for some time, then the inner experience one gets while being nearer to the form is million / trillion times more powerful, more impacting, more complete than any other possible experience in the world.

 

Love.

 

Dhyana Vahini - Post 17

Chapter VI

Dear All,

Continuing from the previous post, let us look at few very important lines from the last post in which Swami has spoken at length about the temporary / transient nature of all worldly objects/ attachments. 

Quoting Swami

“Ignoring God (Madhava), who is free from illusion (maya), and spending time in things immersed in illusion is fruitless; sorrow alone is the final gain. Nothing here is fit to be worshipped as eternal. Whomever you love, that love has to come to an end”

“The attachments of the world are short-lived. People have been born many times before and have lived out their lives, loving and getting immersed in love and attaching themselves to others. But does anyone now have a trace of all that? Does anyone know where all that has gone? Does anyone worry about those they loved then? Does anyone remember them at least now and then? No. The same type of love and attachment were there then also, but with the passage of time, it has been forgotten.”

“Everywhere, people are plunged in worry, all twenty-four hours a day. Is it right to increase their burden? Who can be so cruel as to torture instead of lessening the suffering of a dying person? Already, the sea is rough; dare we blow a typhoon over it? “

“Therefore, learn to spread a smile on the faces of the desperate. Keep smiling yourself and make others smile. Why make a sad world sadder by your desperate counsel, your lamentation, and your suffering?”

“Adopt repetition of the name and meditation to assuage your own grief, to overcome your own sorrow, and to plunge in the cool waves of the sea of the grace of the Lord.”

Unquote

 

Dear All,

The temporary / perishing nature of all objects, all relations and everything in this creation in each birth taken by us has been very clearly explained by Bhagawan in the above quoted lines.

Does it mean, we have to develop dispassion, aversion towards this creation and all its objects?? No, not necessary. We only need to change our glass with which we see, approach, interact and fetch experience from this world.

If we approach our kith and kin, family members, so called friends and everything else in this world with excessive attachment (or hatred), then we are in for sad experiences in our life. 

Change your glass. Realize that the life is like a travel in Flight from Oman to India. It has a starting time, it has a travel time and it has an ending time and you cannot forcefully keep sitting in the flight saying that you have booked your seat and hence, you won’t get down.  Also, each trip is a stand alone trip and cannot be linked with your earlier flight journey.

Similarly, each birth taken by us has a start time, a time for our life in which we go through the stages of growth, disease, decay and the ending time of this birth of ours is our death. We carried nothing from our earlier lives exactly as it is stated that there is no link between the earlier flight travel and the current flight travel.

Swami Krishnananda puts a thought provoking question -

 

“You were alone before you were born, you were alone while you were born and you will be alone when you die, then why do you gather so many things while you are alive???”

So, realizing the transient nature of this world and its objects and all relationships, search for the everlasting reality, GOD, in each and everything you encounter in this life, in this world, daily!!!

Instead of seeing the world as something separate from Divinity, through sadhana, aim to experience divinity. You will realize then that upon experiencing divinity in this entire creation, you can no more experience the misery / the transient / ephemeral nature in this world. You can experience only one of the two - either real (divinity) or unreal (world)!!!!

Swami leaves us with a moola mantra for achieving the above, for experiencing the divinity when He says, “Adopt repetition of the name and meditation to assuage your own grief, to overcome your own sorrow, and to plunge in the cool waves of the sea of the grace of the Lord”

Swami continues, 

We are actors in the Lord’s play

“All living beings are actors on this stage. They take their exit when the curtain is rung down or when their part is over. On that stage, one may play the part of a thief, another may be cast as a king, a third may be a clown, and another a beggar. For all these characters in the play, there is ONE who gives the cue!

Here, some points have to be understood clearly. 

 

v     The prompter will not come upon the stage and give the cue, in full view of all. If He does so, the drama will lose interest. Therefore, standing behind a screen at the back of the stage, He gives the cue to all the actors, regardless of their role —  be it dialogue, speech, or song —  just when each is in most need of help. 

 

v      In the same way, the Lord is behind the screen on the stage of creation (prakriti), giving the cue to all the actors for their various parts.

 

v      So, each actor must be conscious of His presence behind the screen of illusion (maya); each must be anxious to catch the faintest suggestion He might give, keeping a corner of the eye always on Him and having the ear pitched to catch His voice. 

 

Instead of this, if a person forgets the plot and the story (that is to say, the work for which one has come and the duties that appertain thereto), neglects to watch the presence behind the screen, and simply stands dumb on the stage, the audience will laugh at their folly and charge the person with spoiling the show.

 

v      For these reasons, every actor who has to play the role of a person on the world stage must first learn the lines well and then, remembering the Lord behind the screen, await His orders. The attention must be on both: the lines one learned for the role and the stage manager’s directions. Meditation alone gives one this concentration and this awareness.”

How wonderfully Swami has explained how to lead our life, with the above analogy of the Director (God), Stage (World), actor (we human beings) and acting (our leading this life). How else can we extend our gratitude to our Sairam except for folding our hands and prostrating with tear-filled eyes and say, "JAI SAIRAM"

 

Love.

 

Dhyana Vahini - Post 16

Chapter VI

 

 

Swami deals with attachment to this temporary world in this post, in great detail and depth.

 

Swami writes,

 

Why worry over short-lived attachments?

 

Everything in this world is ephemeral, transitory; it is here today but may not be here tomorrow. So, if you want to crave something with a full heart, seek the Lord, who has no decline. Instead, if you crave progeny, wealth, and all comforts, you will suffer untold misery when you are called upon to leave everything and depart. 

 

At that moment, you would lament, “oh, did I love so deep that I may weep so loud?” In this transitory life, joy and pain are also perforce transitory. 

 

So, it is indeed humiliating to get immersed in the search for the evanescent and to forget the Supreme and the Everlasting. Ignoring God (Madhava), who is free from illusion (maya), and spending time in things immersed in illusion is fruitless; sorrow alone is the final gain. Nothing here is fit to be worshipped as eternal. Whomever you love, that love has to come to an end.

 

The self-same Lord gives and takes! He gives and takes as and when He wishes. Everything is His, so how foolish it is to lament when things belonging to Him are taken back by Him! Therefore, the wise person doesn’t pine over anyone or feel undue attachment to anything. 

Let all the pining and all the attachment be for the Lord; He alone is eternal, the source of all joy. For the rest, love a thing as a thing, not more. Love a person as a person, not more. If you love them more, it is a sign that you have been deceived about their real nature. You can behave only for a short time as if the house you have rented is your own! For as soon as the period is over, it passes on to another.

 

If you think on these lines, you will know that spouse, children, possessions, and relatives are not yours for long, but only for a short time. So why waste away, worrying over these impermanent things? 

 

A millionaire can eat only one bellyful, not more. You have to come to this world like the traveller taking refuge at nightfall in a caravanserai; he departs when dawn breaks! You go toward your goal, from caravanserai to caravanserai, stage by stage. It is good to take life in this light.

 

Animals with many legs creep along the ground. People have only two legs, so they can move freely about.  The larger the number of legs, the greater the bondage, the tighter the restriction. 

 

When one marries, one has four legs, one has become a quadruped. Later, when one gets sons, daughters, in-laws, and grandchildren, one is transformed into a regular centipede, capable of moving only by crawling along the ground! One cannot stand erect; one loses freedom of movement; one has to creep slowly along the mire of material objects; one has no time or inclination to secure the Lord’s grace.

 

The attachments of the world are short-lived. People have been born many times before and have lived out their lives, loving and getting immersed in love and attaching themselves to others. But does anyone now have a trace of all that? Does anyone know where all that has gone? Does anyone worry about those they loved then? Does anyone remember them at least now and then? No. The same type of love and attachment were there then also, but with the passage of time, it has been forgotten.

 

So too, when one departs from this world, the love one had for others and the joy, pain, and happiness one had through that love will be forgotten. Like the playgrounds of children, the senses of action of man will also change, from here to there and from there to somewhere else!

 

Fixing their minds on the insecure changing love, how tragic it is that people forget the cultivation of the disciplines that will give them the permanent bliss of the Lord!

 

Everywhere, people are plunged in worry, all twenty-four hours a day. Is it right to increase their burden? Who can be so cruel as to torture instead of lessening the suffering of a dying person? Already, the sea is rough; dare we blow a typhoon over it? 

 

Therefore, learn to spread a smile on the faces of the desperate. Keep smiling yourself and make others smile. Why make a sad world sadder by your desperate counsel, your lamentation, and your suffering? Adopt repetition of the name and meditation to assuage your own grief, to overcome your own sorrow, and to plunge in the cool waves of the sea of the grace of the Lord.

 

Why should travellers wrangle through the night over useless things, instead of getting ready to leave the caravanserai at dawn and starting out on the next stage of their pilgrimage? By wrangling, they lose sleep and deprive themselves of rest; they will not have the energy to continue the journey. So do not worry too much about things of the world. Worry ends in meaningless hurry and waste of time. That time is better used in meditating on God.

 

continued......

 

Love.

 

 

Note - As the author is undergoing a hectic schedule, he thought he would elaborate on Swami's writings in the next post. But as he posts Swami's writing on Attachment in this post, he sees that there is nothing more to actually elaborate or introspect on the above gems poured by the source, the Poorna avatar. Still, if something comes to mind, author shall explain in the next post.

 

 

Love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dhyana Vahini - Post 15

Chapter VI

 

Meditation Reveals the Eternal and the Non Eternal

 

“The seen is transitory; this is seen through meditation. When people wander helter-skelter in a strange land, not knowing the road, and when someone comes to direct them along the right path, it is not right to laugh at and dishonour them — it brings about only ruin and confusion! 

 

But today, it has become the habit of people to curdle the love (prema), these embodiments of love, into poison through ignorance of the role of helpfulness that these guides have come to play.”

 

Introspection

 

What to talk about sages, masters and holy men who devote their life for transforming / guiding their fellow being(s), Even an Avatar is not recognized, even an avatar’s guidance is not taken seriously, even by those who believe that He is God Incarnate

 

Swami continues,

 

"Note this! Love and destruction arise from the same native spot. The same sea that yielded gems, the moon, nectar, and the goddess of wealth also brought forth the world-destroying halahala poison. 

 

Under these conditions, one must, like Sri Narayana, accept the good and the auspicious; otherwise, one cannot have nectar and Lakshmi. The heroic and the adventurous, like Siva, can have the poison as their need."

 

The Lord’s grace is needed to cross the sea

 

This sea of life (samsara), turbulent with the waves of joy and misery, can be crossed only by those who have an unflinching desire for the essence of bliss; the rest will be submerged.

 

The capacity to overcome the qualities (gunas) of nature (prakriti) is not inherent in everyone; it comes to one with the grace of the Lord. And that grace is to be won by repetition of the divine name and meditation. This must first be clearly understood: it is impossible for everyone to control the tendencies of nature; the power is possessed only by those who have nature in their grip and whose commands nature obeys.

 

Nature (prakriti) is the basis of everything in the universe. It is the basis of creation and existence. All this is nature: men and women, beasts and birds, trees and plants. In fact, all that can be seen is inseparable from nature. In this endless creation, the active element is the Lord (Purusha). 

 

This truth has to be experienced, so that it will not slip away from consciousness, and the discipline needed for this is also repetition of the divine name and meditation. This nature is like an ocean; even if it is agitated a little, millions of living beings will be destroyed. When the sea becomes slightly ruffled, ships turn into hollow reeds. You can never cross this sea by your own effort, alone. The Lord’s grace is essential. So pray for that raft, and when you secure it, you can reach the shore in a trice.

 

Introspection

 

Purushartha and Divine grace has been covered elaborately in Karma session / Blog posts under Karma theme.

 

There can be a contradiction / confusion after reading Swami’s writing above on Grace.

 

An intelligent being (who has not undertaken intense purushartha as yet) may think that the whole thing is confusing. On the one hand, it is said that the ultimate emancipation is not possible without divine grace and on the other hand, it is also said that divine grace is possible only with sincere efforts. So, Grace first or efforts first? If efforts would surely be undertaken, then what can stop God from bestowing His grace?? And why any grace is required at all if efforts is complete??

 

 Most convincing answer for this is,  

 

“Undertake Purushartha to your fullest capacity”

 

If all Artha and Kama are subjected to, screened through Dharma, with Moksha as the only aim all through, then such a ripened Sadhaka would never ever think / wait / hope to get Lord’s grace as a give and take policy. His Dharma is to pursue goal of Self-Realization. Only when such a life is led, Yes, God cannot wait / hold back to bestow His grace on the sadhaka!

 

So, if one does not get Lord’s grace at his penultimate step in the path of Self-Realization, one has to introspect whether his purushartha is really complete and selfless or not.

 

When you gain a deeper insight into Grace you naturally start putting forth effort in your life; you don’t just sit around brooding over a task that confronts you. You remark with a smile, “Even if it appears momentous I will do my best—and God within me will do the rest.” With this kind of attitude you will find your life filled with success. But when you stop your effort, relying entirely on Divine Grace, you have misunderstood.

 

God’s Grace operates through your intellect, through your mind, through your personality. Whenever you are exerting your effort in life, it is Divine Grace that is guiding your actions in that direction. As you do your best, it is God within who prompts you.

 

To the extent that you recognize God within yourself by subduing your ego, to that extent Grace flows, expressing itself in these four aspects.

 

Thus, to receive Grace, sadhana is important. Self-effort must never stop. Rather it must be done with a cheerful disposition, with the philosophical understanding that God will not put you into a task unless he has given you the strength to perform it. He will never place you in a situation for which you do not have endurance. No matter how adverse the situation may appear, there is a meaning behind it.

 

If you have this understanding you strive with faith in your heart and tenacity in your effort. Faith is the secret of spiritual advancement as well as of worldly prosperity. But when faith is lacking, life is empty.

 

So, with faith and effort, one begins to experience the Divine Grace that purifies one’s ego, promotes sattwa (purity of nature), and removes the subtle impurities of the mind. There is no effort on an individual’s part that can remove the subtle roots of egoism, hatred, greed and pride. 

 

You may be highly rational and reflective, but it is only when you recognize the Divine Power within you and bow down to that power with love and devotion that Divine Grace will clear your path in a mysterious way.

 

Love.