POSTPONED - Live Session on Moksha Gita - Part 1

Dear All,

The live session tomorrow on Moksha Gita Series is postponed until next week.

The YouTube link for the session will be posted in due course.

Love.

Sadhana Panchakam - Post 42

Sri Sankara seems to have deliberately and cleverly worded this to invite two different interpretations, both of which carry some merit.

1. Hunger as a Disease: Hunger is regarded as another bodily disease that needs to be treated with the appropriate medicine – food. As with any disease, so with hunger – we should not ignore it, but treat it properly with the most effective means to “cure” it. It comes three times a day – and is treated by breakfast, lunch and supper!

The body is the “temple of God”; it is wise to take good care of it, and not subject it to foolish austerity. It is the only vehicle we have for the soul’s journey to gather further experiences. If the body’s hunger is ignored, it will hit back at us with vengeance.

2. Hunger as a Treatment: Here, both hunger and disease are regarded as treatments. For what disease? The disease is our spiritual illness – ignorance of the Self. We do not cure the pangs of hunger and disease but are cured by the pangs. The cure is for the soul, not the body. In other words, self-denial or Fasting is advocated here as a purificatory or expiatory treatment. It is a Prayaschitta Karma. Hunger is voluntarily accepted as a Tapas.

Many seekers often are made to believe, on the basis of misinterpretation of the scriptures that there is separate and distinct identity of the physical form the spiritual essence, there being no need to attending to one's physical form in the evolution of the spiritual essence. 

The general impression is that the ego or the 'I' is transient and not the essence or the self within; therefore, it is not necessary or much less essential part to preserve the form for the essence. Intense austerity and perfection in penance with complete disregard to the physical body or its proper maintenance is often commended, assuming that noble thoughts can never arise in a gross body.

This is not proper because no noble thought could ever arise in a diseased body and a sick mind. Healthy mind is possible only in a healthy body. Therefore, seers recommend Yoga saadhana for perfection of the instrument for having a perfect body and mind. 

Bhagavad Gita (VI.16) declares that yoga is not for one who eats too much or abstains too much from eating; neither for one who sleeps too much nor for one who keeps himself awake. It is for one whose is heart is pure and mind receptive, with his self, well-equipped with Knowledge and Wisdom, master of his senses, clod, stone and gold being equal in perception, who is equal to friends and foes, saints and sinners, serene and fearless, consciously aware and firm in commitment to the Supreme Essence.

In Yoga Vashishtha, Rama is told that deluded by external forms of sacrifices, austerities, alms giving, pilgrimages and worship of gods, men pass many years in misery like beasts. Therefore, disciplined approach to life is recommended regulating thirst, disease and the rest for the body.

A monk writes,

"If we are hungry spiritually, we would like to take spiritual food. 

We feed our body; we should feed the body with good healthy food. 

We feed our mind through our studies—the ideas should be good. 

Similarly, we should feed the soul. How to do it? Through the practice of worship, japa, meditation.

There is a parable of Sri Ramakrishna: A child was going to bed and said, ‘Mummy, if I feel hungry, please wake me up,’ and the mother said, ‘I need not do that. Your hunger itself will wake you up.’ 

There comes a time in the course of the evolution of the soul when we become spiritually hungry and wake up from our age-long slumber. But then, mere waking up is not enough. We must be up and doing.

 

Love.

 

Sadhana Panchakam - Post 41

Arguing is just another strategy of the ego not to yield an inch of ground. The egoistic intellect has an insatiable desire to win an argument. We may win, but we must consider ourselves to be defeated spiritually. We are digging our own grave!

To argue with perverse people is bad enough; we saw that in Step 19. How much more should we avoid arguing with holy men, whom we revere as our superiors? It is unpardonable to win an argument against the wise. Spiritually that spells disaster.

The spiritual aspirant, having worked so hard to reach this high stage, would be very foolish if he wasted all this merit on merely trying to win an argument. Arguing is a sheer waste of effort in terms of one’s spiritual progress; it achieves nothing.

Arguing with intelligent people, is very enticing for a developed intellect. It sees in it a chance to “tickle” itself for the fun of it. The true seeker is advised never to get into arguments with anyone, however intelligent that person may be.

Wisdom of the Prime Existence which is the highest state of communion, yoga, can be sourced  only when the five sense organs of Knowledge together with mind cease their operation and even the intellect does not stir. Therefore, while scriptures and teachers are essential for knowing about Truth, and arguments may assist in approaching the Truth, the Truth has to be experienced exterminating the web of words and intellectual confrontations. 

It is observed that with efflux of Time, resonance of scriptures lose their resonance and vibrancy, needing palpable presence of the Divine presence to declare afresh and rejuvenate the ancient Wisdom. Yoga Sutras, therefore, advise one to remain aloof from divergent thoughts because they distract being in union with Brahman.

 

Swami Chidananda, the able disciple of Swami Sivananda, writes,

 

“Guru-Kripa (The grace of the Preceptor) is a wonderful mysterious factor that will enable the aspirants to seek and to attain the summum bonum of life, Self-realization, the vision of God, or Moksha. Whether the disciple is deserving, or undeserving, Guru-Kripa sets aside all normal laws that operate in the spiritual plane and takes one to the transcendental Bliss.

There is absolutely not the least bit of exaggeration in the statement and also in the fact that the Guru is always gracious. But then, Guru-Kripa has not only to be bestowed, not only to be given, but it has also to be received. In receiving it, we immortalize ourselves and divinize ourselves.

There must be joy in obedience to the Guru and there should be a real craving in the spirit that “I should obey.” To be a disciple, you should obey even in dream. Day and night our Sadhana should be to cultivate this attitude of obedience to perfection.”

 

His Guru and Guru of all Gurus, Swami Sivananda writes on both kinds of disciple, the arguing and the obedient one in poetical form, thus:

 

The Frog And Faithless Disciple

 

“A frog lives near the lotus;

But it does not drink the honey of the lotus,

A bee from a distant place comes

And drinks the honey of the Padma

 

Some aspirants who live near the Guru

Do not imbibe the wisdom of their Guru;

They find fault with their Preceptor

And remain near him like the frog.

 

Some people who live in distant places

Who have intense faith in their Guru,

Who strictly follow life-instructions,

Obtain the grace of the Guru,

And attain the goal of life quickly.”

One must never exhibit one’s ego with argument on any spiritual matter with learned one, especially with their own Guru. Such argument defeats the very essence of “Guru-Shishya Parampara”.

Discussions for getting clarity on any teaching imparted by Guru forms part of the “mananam process”. In Discussion, one strives to get clarity, one wills to learn. In Argument, one wants to destroy the other!!!.

 

Love.