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“I wish to perform puja in a grand manner. But, I cannot afford it. Can I borrow things from others and perform puja?”

Sri Swamiji:

“One should perform puja with whatever one possesses, without any fanfare. This is the highest kind of puja. The Lord accepts only this kind of puja. Puja is not offering things to the Lord; it is about offering our mind and heart to Him. Borrowing paraphernalia from others and performing puja is but mediocre. If we begin to collect articles for puja, in due course, a situation would arise whence puja would be performed as there are things.’

“Is it true that Bhakti is meant only for those who are unable to practice Self-Enquiry (Vedanta Vichara)? “

Sri Swamiji:

“Vedanta Vichara is meant for those who are incapable of doing Bhakti. Bhakti is emotion (rasa) filled. It cannot be practiced by any and everyone.”

“It is said that Vishnu is a Deva. Then, why do we refer to him as the Supreme Entity?”

Sri Swamiji:

“Even ‘Kalpaka Vruksha’ (the Divine Tree that grants one’s wish) is referred to as a tree. Though it is a tree, it is not an ordinary tree like the other trees. Similarly, though Lord Vishnu is referred as Deva, He is not like the other Devas. He is the Supreme Entity.”

“You say that the pronunciation and diction should be perfect while chanting the Vedas and the Mantras, failing which it would prove detrimental! At the same time, you also say that it is all right to read Srimad Bhagavatam though with mistakes! Why so?”

Sri Swamiji:

“A child, in its own infantile slang, asks its mother, for “Tachi Mammu” (an infantile slang denoting curd rice). From these words, the mother understands what the child asks for and feeds it with curd rice. Moreover, she is not angered by the child’s way of speaking; instead she feels happy. The same mother as a teacher at school is not happy when a child at school speaks so. She corrects the child and teaches the proper pronunciation. Similarly, Mantras are chanted for the Devas. Devas take note of pronunciation and diction only. Slokas, however, are sung unto God. God takes note only of the heart of the person who recites them. Hence, it is not wrong to read Bhakti-Granthas like Srimad Bhagavatam with errors. But, it doesn’t mean that we should read it with mistakes only.”

“The birth of Mahans is like any other human being. But, the end of each Mahan differs! For instance, great ones like Mira have mingled with the Lord. Sri Bodendra Swamigal, Sri Raghavendra Swamigal, Sri Sadasiva Bhrammendraal have attained Jiva Samadhi. The Sage of Kanchi, Yogiramsuratkumar have abandoned their mortal coil like any other human being A ‘jyoti’ (divine light) emerged from Bhagawan Ramana at the time of Siddhi. In the case of Saint Thyagaraja, a ‘jyoti’ shot up through an aperture formed on his head. Is there any difference in the states attained by these Mahans due to the difference in their ends?"

Sri Swamiji:

“There is no difference in the divine state attained by these Mahans. The difference lies only in their ‘mano bhaava’. During their lifetime, each of them has followed different Sadhanaas (practices) and attained Jivan Mukti. Similarly, their ends also differ according to their ‘mano bhaava’. In Jiva Samaadhi, Mahans live in Siddha Sarira (supernatural body). There is no physical activity here. The divine visions experienced by those who have darshan of the Samadhi are only due to the ‘sankalpa’ of the Mahans. The reason for this is only to create devotion combined with faith to those who visit the place as also to show that they do exist there.”

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