Discarding the path and wasting one’s life is an insult to the very name of the species! Instead of getting enslaved to the evanescent and the false, and wasting precious time in their pursuit, dedicate every minute to discovering truth and contemplating on the everlasting, ever-true Lord. Such dedication is the real function of the soul. On the other hand, spending time in illusory appetites is the drag of the world. One shouldn’t fall victim to the poisonous attractions of worldly luxuries or the wiles of seductive beauty. One day, all these fascinating scenes will vanish as a story unfolded in dream! The characteristic of a spiritual aspirant is the attainment of truth, not the search of the unreal in this evanescent world. In this false world, there can be no true living (sathya-achara). There can be only false living (mithya-achara). True living consists in the realisation of the Lord. This must be borne in mind by everyone every moment of their life.
Jun 27, 2015
How precious is this human body? How should we use it?
Deho Devalaya - The body is the temple of the Lord. You are going about your daily journey with a temple where God is present in your innermost shrine. The body is not a mass of flesh and bone. It is a medium for sacred vibrations (mantras) which save you when they are meditated upon. The body is a sacred instrument earned after long ages of struggle. It is equipped with reason and emotion, and is capable of being used for deliverance from grief and evil. Honour it as such; keep it in good condition so that it might serve that high purpose. Maintain it even more carefully than the brick and mortar houses you live in, and always preserve the conviction that it is a divine instrument and nothing more. Use it for that pure purpose for which it has been designed and gifted to you.
Are the practices such as bhajans and meditation sufficient to give us spiritual bliss?
If a person is ill or if his mind is immersed in something else, the taste of food cannot be grasped. So also, if the heart is full of ignorance (tamas) or is wayward, no joy can be experienced even if one is engaged in remembrance of the Lord, devotional singing, recitation of the name, or meditation. The tongue will be sweet as long as there is sugar on it. Likewise, if the pillar of light called devotion continues to burn in the corridor of the heart, there will be no darkness. A bitter thing on the tongue makes the whole tongue bitter. Similarly when greed and anger enter the heart, the brightness disappears, darkness dominates the scene, and one becomes the target of countless griefs and losses. Therefore, those who aspire to attain the holy presence of the Lord must acquire certain habits, disciplines, and qualities. The usual ways of life won’t lead to God. They have to be somewhat modified by means of spiritual discipline.
With what attitude should be serve and show respect to those around?
Just as the body is the house you live in, the world is the body of God. An ant biting the little finger of your foot is able to draw your attention to the spot, and you react to the pain, making an effort to remove the tiny enemy. You must similarly feel the pain, misery, or joy or elation, wherever it is evinced in the entire land; you must make an effort to protect the land from the enemy, however remote may be the place where the enemy has presented himself. Be kind with all your kin. Expand your sympathies, serve others who stand in need to the extent of your skill and resources. Do not fritter away your talents in profitless channels. Respect for the parents, who started you in life and brought you into this world which has enabled you to gather such a vast and varied treasure of experience, is the first lesson that Dharma teaches. Gratitude is the spring which feeds that respect.
Why should we reform our character?
Look at the crane; it walks about pretty fast in water. But while walking, it cannot catch fish. When it wants to catch fish, the very same crane becomes quiet and stands motionless. So also, if you proceed with greed, anger, and similar negative qualities, you can never secure the fish of truth (sathya), righteousness (dharma), and peace (shanti). With any spiritual practice you observe, please add the practice of uninterrupted remembrance of the Lord's precious name (namasmarana). Only then can you master the natural attributes of greed, anger, etc. All the scriptures (sastras) teach but this one key lesson! Since the Lord is the universal goal and this journey of life has Him as the destination for each and every one of you, keep Him constantly in your view and subdue the mind, which makes you wander from the path.
Often we calculate the calories we intake and burn. What should we really calculate? Why?
Those, who are trying to build the human community on a foundation of wealth (dhana), are building on sand; those who seek to build it on the rock of righteousness (dharma) are the wise. Every person consumes specific quantities of food and many even calculate the calories consumed and burnt. Just think for a moment: Have you ever calculated what you have given back to the society that helps you live and enjoy in the world? You must transform the food into service, either to serve your best interests or for the well-being of the society. Mere feeding and care of the body is profitless, for the body is just a container. When the spark of Divinity leaves the body, it becomes a corpse. No one will even keep the corpse for more than a few hours. People will avoid the sight and smell of a dead body; it is disgusting. Never be your own enemy nor be a burden on anyone.
What will set us free?
In our country, there is a peculiar method of trapping monkeys. This process consists of bringing a big pot with a small mouth and putting some material which is attractive to the monkey inside that pot. A monkey, out of curiosity would put its hand inside the pot and get a handful of that material. It will be trapped, unable to pull its hand out! The monkey imagines that someone inside the pot is holding its hand. Then it will attempt to run away along with the pot! No one is holding the monkey. The monkey trapped itself, due to its own attachment. The moment it lets the material go, it will be free. Similarly in this big pot of the world with narrow mouth of temporal pleasures, people are tempted! When they are lost with involvement in those pleasures, they think that someone or something is binding them down. No one is responsible for this bondage. The moment you give up the pleasures and detach yourself, you will be free!
What must we do to get the best value out of this birth?
This human birth is the consequence of countless good deeds, and it should not be cast aside; the chance must be fully exploited. As the Kenopanishad says, “This present precious life should not be thrown away (Na Chath Iha Avedheen Mahathee Vinashtih)". When there are many chances of saving oneself, isn’t it a big loss if no thought is spent on ways of escape? The Kathopanishad exhorts, "Arise, awake! (Uttishthata! Jagratha!)." Those who are agitated by doubts about what to accept and what to reject, those who are blinded by illusion, and those who cannot distinguish between darkness and light, death and immortality —all these should approach great people who can show the path to understand the eternal truth, the self-illumined basis of all creation. Then both this world and heaven will be merged in the same effulgence! For the sake of this realisation, you should have deep yearning and hard, disciplined practice.
Oct 27, 2013
strongest link between God and Man
What is the strongest link between God and Man? Where can we get it from?
Most agriculturists feed on hope for their survival. Hope sustains them while they plough, sow, plant and manure the crops that they raise. That hope, must become a mental habit not just during agriculture, but as part of everyone’s daily life, in all the manifold activities. Never give any chance for that vile thing, despair, to eat into the vitals of activity and effort. Despair is a sin against God. When He is within you, why do you lose hope? That is why the Lord says, “Why fear, when I am here?” Be always joyful, optimistic and courageous. Know that the strongest connection between you and the Divine is when the life-giving waters of courage and hope, flow in your heart.
Most agriculturists feed on hope for their survival. Hope sustains them while they plough, sow, plant and manure the crops that they raise. That hope, must become a mental habit not just during agriculture, but as part of everyone’s daily life, in all the manifold activities. Never give any chance for that vile thing, despair, to eat into the vitals of activity and effort. Despair is a sin against God. When He is within you, why do you lose hope? That is why the Lord says, “Why fear, when I am here?” Be always joyful, optimistic and courageous. Know that the strongest connection between you and the Divine is when the life-giving waters of courage and hope, flow in your heart.
valuable tip for harmonious living.
What is it that can guarantee success?
The greatest instrument by which success can be ensured for all your efforts is devotion. That will grant you health, wealth and prosperity too. It will also eliminate hatred and faction, and give more strength to you. A person with devotion will do every act as worship of the Lord, and so the act will be done effectively without any malingering or insincerity. It will also win the Grace of the Lord, so the devotee will be able to do more and enjoy greater health and mental happiness. If every one of you unite and sing the glory of the Lord, it will produce greater harmony and social cohesion than thousand people clamoring and shouting one against the other. Divine Love will flood the area and fertilize all your efforts if all of you sing the Lord’s name together in unison. Do it for some time and you will yourself bear witness to the loving and serene atmosphere.
The greatest instrument by which success can be ensured for all your efforts is devotion. That will grant you health, wealth and prosperity too. It will also eliminate hatred and faction, and give more strength to you. A person with devotion will do every act as worship of the Lord, and so the act will be done effectively without any malingering or insincerity. It will also win the Grace of the Lord, so the devotee will be able to do more and enjoy greater health and mental happiness. If every one of you unite and sing the glory of the Lord, it will produce greater harmony and social cohesion than thousand people clamoring and shouting one against the other. Divine Love will flood the area and fertilize all your efforts if all of you sing the Lord’s name together in unison. Do it for some time and you will yourself bear witness to the loving and serene atmosphere.
best way to attain peace and bliss
What is the best way to attain peace and bliss?
A mother holds a child that has soiled its shirt and puts on it a new one. Death is the removal of the soiled shirt and putting on the fresh one. Let the Mother do Her will, be a willing child in Her hands. Have full faith in Her love and wisdom. Be an instrument; submerge your will in the Will of the Lord. That will save you from worry and pain. Do not lose your mind, seeing people who have gone astray. It will be like seeing a stagnant pool and then judging rainwater to be dirty. Rain water is pure; it is the soil that soils it. Also be careful not to decry anyone. It amounts to decrying God. Be aware of the God within you and the God in everyone else. If you do this, there is nothing to equal the joy and peace that you will be rewarded with. I bless you, so that you may attain that bliss.
A mother holds a child that has soiled its shirt and puts on it a new one. Death is the removal of the soiled shirt and putting on the fresh one. Let the Mother do Her will, be a willing child in Her hands. Have full faith in Her love and wisdom. Be an instrument; submerge your will in the Will of the Lord. That will save you from worry and pain. Do not lose your mind, seeing people who have gone astray. It will be like seeing a stagnant pool and then judging rainwater to be dirty. Rain water is pure; it is the soil that soils it. Also be careful not to decry anyone. It amounts to decrying God. Be aware of the God within you and the God in everyone else. If you do this, there is nothing to equal the joy and peace that you will be rewarded with. I bless you, so that you may attain that bliss.
twist and turn in most relationships
Why do we see a twist and turn in most relationships? What can we do to support, collaborate and live peacefully?
Sometimes the cloud of envy and hatred come to darken relationships. This is primarily due to fear; fear that causes anger. The emergence of devotion, and the humility and wisdom resulting from it, will make fear and anger disappear. Anger wastes health, time and character. Never allow it to have a free play. Just like you cultivate the field, you must cultivate the fields of feelings, motives, desires and promptings. People are often ruined because they cannot tolerate the prosperity of another. Most people are bent on pulling down another. Jealousy is the chief cause of ruin and it is born due to the undue importance attached to the body, the senses and the accumulation of objects that cater to the senses. Develop the spirit of mutual help. See things in proper perspective; give everything its worth and no more.
Sometimes the cloud of envy and hatred come to darken relationships. This is primarily due to fear; fear that causes anger. The emergence of devotion, and the humility and wisdom resulting from it, will make fear and anger disappear. Anger wastes health, time and character. Never allow it to have a free play. Just like you cultivate the field, you must cultivate the fields of feelings, motives, desires and promptings. People are often ruined because they cannot tolerate the prosperity of another. Most people are bent on pulling down another. Jealousy is the chief cause of ruin and it is born due to the undue importance attached to the body, the senses and the accumulation of objects that cater to the senses. Develop the spirit of mutual help. See things in proper perspective; give everything its worth and no more.
Oct 2, 2013
I am the traveler in an endless journey
Dreams and hopes show me direction
Treading an unknown, long path
In the repeating cycles of death and birth
Many an experience I have en-route
Sorrows to mourn and joys to gloat
Friends, parents, siblings and others
Have come and gone in many lives
You being the only one
To be with me time and again
My existence entwined with yours
Delight and ecstasy I had in your presence
False Ego Overpowering my conscience
I neglected you for Ephemeral world’s opulence
You have gone leaving me alone
Standing like a stone I am in silence
Those unforgettable emotions and affections
Alive in reminiscences, seeming to be dreams
Your presence and my experience, was it an illusion
The garland of my dreams- withered and forsaken
Traveling in time on the journey of life
I find myself in troubled waters
Building a boat with hopes and dreams
With the oars of knowledge and action I travel
The tides of time and storms of circumstance
Destroy the structure of my hopes and dreams
Amidst the turbulence in the sea of change
I am in danger of being drowned
To you I surrender myself, My Lord
You build my ship and be its rudder
With devotion, under your guidance
I will cross the ocean with ease.
~Raghu Ram Malladi
Sep 28, 2013
Thirst we must all strive for
What is the one thirst we must all strive for and why?
Thirst for Krishna, to see Him, to hear Him, to listen to His Flute, for installing Him in the heart and mind, and for grasping His reality through the intellect - this thirst is most conducive to peace and joy. Devotion to Krishna is the chain by which the monkey mind can be fastened and subdued. The word Krish means to attract (as in aakarshana). Lord Krishna attracts your mind towards Him and turns them away from sensory desires that torment you. He satisfies the deepest thirst of all beings, for peace, joy and wisdom. Hence thirst for Krishna is a sign of health in the spiritual field. Repetition of the name Krishna is useless, unless the contemplation of the Glory of Krishna starts purifying your character. The Grace of the Lord is very powerful and is endowed on the deserving alone. Hence begin today to sublimate your character saturated with piety and devotion. Then you will secure the Grace of the Lord.
Thirst for Krishna, to see Him, to hear Him, to listen to His Flute, for installing Him in the heart and mind, and for grasping His reality through the intellect - this thirst is most conducive to peace and joy. Devotion to Krishna is the chain by which the monkey mind can be fastened and subdued. The word Krish means to attract (as in aakarshana). Lord Krishna attracts your mind towards Him and turns them away from sensory desires that torment you. He satisfies the deepest thirst of all beings, for peace, joy and wisdom. Hence thirst for Krishna is a sign of health in the spiritual field. Repetition of the name Krishna is useless, unless the contemplation of the Glory of Krishna starts purifying your character. The Grace of the Lord is very powerful and is endowed on the deserving alone. Hence begin today to sublimate your character saturated with piety and devotion. Then you will secure the Grace of the Lord.
overcome the ocean of birth and death
Why is faith in the Lord necessary to overcome the ocean of birth and death?
Look at Arjuna! When the choice was placed before him to decide which he should receive – the entire army of redoubtable Yadhava war heroes or Lord Krishna alone, unarmed and refusing to fight – without any hesitation, he chose Krishna alone! He knew; he believed; and so, he was saved. What profit will an individual or country make if it accumulates money, gold and grain? The bliss derived from the worship of the Lord which arouses spiritual joy is, any day, far more desirable than the above. Want of faith is a source of true weakness. Love (Prema) is the seed, the overpowering experience of merging with the Divine is the tree (thanmayathwam), and inexhaustible bliss (Anandam) is the fruit. Achieve this consummation with firm faith in the Divine.
Look at Arjuna! When the choice was placed before him to decide which he should receive – the entire army of redoubtable Yadhava war heroes or Lord Krishna alone, unarmed and refusing to fight – without any hesitation, he chose Krishna alone! He knew; he believed; and so, he was saved. What profit will an individual or country make if it accumulates money, gold and grain? The bliss derived from the worship of the Lord which arouses spiritual joy is, any day, far more desirable than the above. Want of faith is a source of true weakness. Love (Prema) is the seed, the overpowering experience of merging with the Divine is the tree (thanmayathwam), and inexhaustible bliss (Anandam) is the fruit. Achieve this consummation with firm faith in the Divine.
Acts soaked in devotion and dedication
Why should we do all our acts soaked in devotion and dedication to the Lord?
Every one of you has in possession a ticket for liberation from the cycle of birth and death. But most do not know the train that has to be boarded; many get down at intermediate stations, imagining them to be the terminus and wander helplessly in the wilderness, or are carried away by sights and scenes. Until the wound heals, and the new skin is formed and hardens, the bandage is essential. So too, until Reality is realized, the balm of faith, holy company and holy thoughts must be applied to the ego-affected mind. It is dedication to the Lord that sanctifies all activities. He is the Prompter, the Executor, the Giver of the required strength and skill, and the Enjoyer of the fruit thereof. So dedication must come naturally to you, for all is His, and nothing is yours. Your duty is to believe that He is the impeller of your activities and draw strength from that belief.
Every one of you has in possession a ticket for liberation from the cycle of birth and death. But most do not know the train that has to be boarded; many get down at intermediate stations, imagining them to be the terminus and wander helplessly in the wilderness, or are carried away by sights and scenes. Until the wound heals, and the new skin is formed and hardens, the bandage is essential. So too, until Reality is realized, the balm of faith, holy company and holy thoughts must be applied to the ego-affected mind. It is dedication to the Lord that sanctifies all activities. He is the Prompter, the Executor, the Giver of the required strength and skill, and the Enjoyer of the fruit thereof. So dedication must come naturally to you, for all is His, and nothing is yours. Your duty is to believe that He is the impeller of your activities and draw strength from that belief.
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