Devi Kãlotram - Day 1
(Page 2)

< Prev

Page 1     Page 2

Sri Sri Swamiji has been rendering ‘Upanyãs’ (discourses) in Tamizh. This is being brought to you here.

There may appear to be variations in the ‘tense’ of the language. This is due to the fact that great effort has been taken to maintain the original style of the ‘Upanyãs’. Therefore, we request you to keep this in mind while reading the translated ‘words’ of Sri Sri Swamiji.

Sri Sri Swamiji,

" A Sãdhak (one who practices spiritual discipline) should first choose the right path. You should know the various paths available viz. Jnãna, Yoga, Bhakti. In Vedãnta mãrga, solitude is necessary: while in Bhakti marga company is sought. Bhaktãs get together. You must first of all understand that no mãrga is superior or inferior to other mãrgas. Once you have chosen the path and learnt the way to go about it, begin practicing it.

Bhagavãn might (without any reason) just bestow liberation on anyone. This is very rare, though. This is akin to offering cooked food. There are some who await only Bhagavãn's 'kripa' (God's grace). They are ever weeping and crying for His grace, "Oh! Lord! When would you bestow Your grace on me?" They have no other thought and practise no sãdhana. Gopis belonged to this category. Just as the Chakora (bird that existed in days gone by) used to cry for 'Chandra' (the Moon) the Gopis awaited the arrival of Bhagavãn. The whole day the Chakora bird would look up at the sky awaiting the Moon. This is a very rare case indeed. Instead of cooked food, you may be provided with stove, rice, dhal, etc. to cook and eat. The sãdhakas are like these who have to practise the sãdhana taught to them. Bhagavãn Ramana gave liberation to his mother, a cow, a crow and a dog. They did not do any sãdhana. But, it was not so in the case of others. There are people who come here regularly, morning and evening. Such people should practise their sãdhana with concentration. There are many who come here seeking some solace or solution to their worldly problems. Well! The question of spiritual practice does not arise in their case. But, the darshan of a Mahãtma is not wasted on them! One day it will work in them, too. A boy sits with his book for an hour or two, under compulsion, due to fear of his father. He keeps leafing through the pages of his books without actually studying. The boy who spends two hours just leafing through the pages may as well study with concentration. This would do him a lot of good. Would it not? Similarly, those who come and spend their time here regularly may as well show more concentration in their Nãma japa or chanting 'Hare Rãma Hare Krishna' or whatever path shown to them. Would it not help them progress spiritually? There is an incident in Shirdi Sãi Bãba's life. A sanyãsi (ascetic) who did not lead the life as befitting his 'ãsrama' came to have Bãba's darshan. Bãba chased him away. Bãba did not wish to even look at such a person. But this sanyãsi kept sending messages to Bãba of his deep desire to meet him. Finally, one day Bãba sent for him and advised him to do Bhãgavata Pãrãyana. The sanyãsi did the same and returned to Bãba. Bãba sent him back saying that it should be done with concentration. Once again the sanyãsi did Bhãgavata Pãrãyana and returned to Bãba. This time he had shown a little more concentration. Bãba sent him back for reading the Bhãgavatam with total concentration. This time the sanyãsi did the pãrãyana with total concentration and returned to Bãba. Bãba called him to his side. The sanyãsi went up and fell down dead on Bãba's lap! He had attained Moksha! Through concentrated effort one can attain Moksha. Did not the 16 disciples of Rãmakrishna Paramahamsa attain the end goal? Did not disciples of Ramana Maharishi - Kãvyakanta Ganapati Muni, Muruganãr, Viswanãtha Swami, Yogi Rãmaiah and many others attain? Have not Aurobindo's disciples attained the goal?

Everyone is seeking only happiness through marriage, job, education, etc. But, the only happiness is Self realization/Bhagavat Sãkshãtkãra. When I speak on a particular path I will speak very highly of that path. This does not mean that the path shown to another is low. One should have no 'chalanam' (restlessness of mind/doubt). This afternoon I visited a devotee who has been hospitalized. There I found innumerable people suffering from various kinds of diseases. But, here we are endowed with normal faculties and enjoying good health. Even while all our faculties are under our control should we not practise sãdhana? What I generally find is that people do not have patience. They take to their sãdhana in full vigor and practise for sometime. They soon begin to feel dejected and stop their sãdhana. When they take it up again they have to start all over again. When we dig a well, we first strike only at the stones. To find water, one has to go deep in. Instead, if we stop at a certain level, out of despair, we shall have to start all over again. Would this not be a sheer waste of time? With steady digging one reaches the waterbed. Likewise, Sãdhana should be steady. It will seem difficult in the initial stages, but becomes easy as time passes. Be cheerful. Do not, at any point of time, feel lost or desperate. One should exercise patience. Do incessant Nãma Japa. You will get (spiritual) 'experiences'. These experiences are only to encourage you in the path and are not final. During his spiritual practise Papa Rãmadãs had vision of Jesus Christ. Jãnaki Mãta had a vision of huge jyoti in Sri Sailam. She wondered how could a small linga answer the prayers of devotees and went to Sri Sailam to have darshan of the linga of Mallikãrjuna. What she saw there was a huge column of joti! On her visit to Tiruvannãmalai, none less than Lord Muruga took Ãndavan Pitchai around the temple. Lord Muruga appeared before her in her house in Chennai and threw peacock feathers all around the room floor. Goddess Karpagãmbãl gave her darshan in Mylapore, Chennai. Lord Muruga Himself taught and guided Thiruvalam Swamigal in his sãdhanas.

Sãdhana should be done with love for the fruit that is to be attained. A woodcutter labours hard all through the day. But, the thought that at the end of the day he would be able to purchase food, sweetmeats for his children and flowers for his wife lessens the burden of his labour. Does it not? One should have the fruit of the sãdhana in mind and that would help you perform it with ease and enthusiasm. No one Nãma is greater than another - Be it Dwãdasãkshari Mantra or Rãma/Krishna Nãma. It is traditional to speak highly of the one taken up by oneself. Chaitanya Mahãprabhu, a great scholar that he was, threw away everything and took to incessant chanting of 'eka nãma' (One Name) 'Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare! Hare Rãma Hare Rãma Rãma Rãma Hare Hare!' Occasionally he would recite a sloka from the Bhãgavatam. Likewise, in Ãnandãshram only 'Sri Rãm Jaya Rãm Jaya Jaya Rãm' is being chanted. They go around a lighted lamp ('kuttu villakku') singing only this one Name of Rãma as Divya Nãma kirtan. Mahãtmas such as Bodendra Swami, Thiagaraja Swami, Yogi Rãmsuratkumar, Papa Rãmdãs performed incessant chanting of Rãma Nãma. Did this not take them to the highest state? Nãma japa is very powerful. It brings in 'siddhis' (supernatural faculties). There once lived an old lady known by all as 'thukkiri pãtti'. She was a child widow who took to incessant chanting of Nãma of the Lord. She did crores and crores of Nãma japa. She had kept count of the Nãma by drawing lines on the walls of her room. When anyone approached her with problems she used to give him or her the Nãma, which helped him/her a great deal. If the rich approached her she asked them to invite Bhagavatãs home to get Nãma chanted and honour them. To the poor she gave the Nãma from her own tapas. God helps those who call out to Him. So, call out to Him. Let the Name of the Lord play on your tongue always because only then will it come to you at the moment of crisis-just as Draupadi called out to Krishna.

One should be able to differentiate between hatred and dispassion ('veruppu' and 'vairãgya'). Dislike or hatred is common amongst all people. But dispassion is what comes from love for God: through penance and diverting the whole attention towards the goal, which is Bhagavãn/Self-realisation, as the case may be.

Different Mahãtmas may advocate different ways of conducting your sãdhana. Papa Rãmadãs used to say that a sãdhak should wander about. But, we find Sivaprãkasa Ãnandagiri Swami advocating devotees to remain in one place. Do anything - roam around or stay in one place - but attain the purpose! Sivaprakãsa Swami has said, "If you want to become a 'crorepati' well! I can make you one. Do you want to become a great scholar? Well! I can turn you into one. But, do not ask me to make you a Jnãni! You have to exert effort and become one!"

While describing a beautiful girl, her eyes are likened to a lotus, cheeks to apple, etc. But, do we really get to see one like that? It is only a description to say how beautiful the girl is. One may know the technique of cooking but will mere knowledge or just speaking about it satiate hunger? There is, therefore, no use of speaking of high things and doing nothing. You may keep speaking about Bhagavãn or Guru and not practise the sãdhana taught. Of what use is this? Do your sãdhana without strain. If done with strain, it will lead to headache; you will hear some sound in your ears, etc. So, do your sãdhana with ease. It is not advisable to do it intensely even at the very initial stage. Do it smoothly with ease. But, if your sadhana is chanting 'Hare Rãma Hare Krishna' or reading the Bhãgavatam or chanting a Nãma/Mantra it can be done incessantly, any number of times. If you are one who is doing Pãrãyana of the Bhãgavatam and You look at the Holy Text as Bhagavãn it will definitely be so (Bhagavãn). Do not write in this Holy Text or handle the Holy Text disrespectfully. Handle it with care and respect. Place the Bhãgavatam in your puja room and even offering flowers to it will suffice. It is, indeed, 'swayam' (verily) Bhagavãn. Do pradakshina, some simple puja, prostrate before the Deity, do something. Try to judge your progress in your sãdhana by gauging how far you have been able to win over anger, frustration, lust, jealousy and desires. You must be able to like yourself. You must be pleased with yourself. The greatest 'ishwarya' (wealth) is not holding crores of rupees but feeling pleased, happy with yourself!

One moves from tamas to rajas to sattvic nature. It is only from rajas that sattvic state is attained. This is the reason that one finds that many kings had attained the state of Jivan mukta. Kings possess rãjasic nature. In those days the kings were highly learned in the Shãstras. Kings never rest till they attain that on which their minds have been set. Say, a king learns that the best horse is found in a particular kingdom. If he has set his mind on possessing it, he will not rest until the horse has been captured. Thus, when they learn about the real purpose of life and set their minds on it they do not rest till achieving the set goal. The whole rãjasic nature is turned towards this achievement. Thus, one finds that Prahlãda, Dhruva, Viswãmitra, Katvãnga, Jadabharata, Janaka, etc. who attained the high state were all Kings.

Great men (Saints) first set out with the goal of re-establishing Varnãshrama dharma, revive the Vedas, Hindu Sãmrajya, etc. But, what happens? When they attain the real purpose of life (Bhagavat/Ãtma sãkshãtkãra) they stay quiet, for, they realize that it is Bhagavãn who is running the affairs of the whole universe. Vãsudeva Thãtha, deeply disturbed about the ways of the world, cried to Bhagavãn. Lord Ranaganãtha said to him, "I have kept it so. Kali Yuga will give birth to the wicked." This Kali Yuga is a big 'pravãham' (mighty rush as that of a flooded river). None can change its course. An individual should try to save himself.

Well! We have spoken of Jnãna and Bhakti mãrga. Taking up Yoga mãrga, one can without hesitation point out that it is the most difficult marga. One can do Bhakti and even Vichãra well but Yoga is a very dangerous mãrga that should be handled properly. Any deviation or wrong adherence can lead to mental imbalance. In this mãrga one can attain the highest state through churning of the breath. But, it is a very difficult mãrga, indeed.

One of the questions thrown by the Yaksha to Dharmaputra was, "What is the path?" The Yaksha did not mention what was the attainment but only asked the way! Dharmaputra very wisely answered, "The way of the Mahãtmas!"

'Who Am I' of Ramana Maharishi contains everything. In this, Ramana Maharishi says, "As far as possible do not interfere in others' affairs. Whatever you give unto others is giving unto yourself. If one knew this truth would he hesitate to give? "

GOPIKA JEEVANASMARANAM!
GOVINDA! GOVINDA!”

< Prev

Page 1     Page 2

NOTE: Any discrepancy/lapse in the translated version of the Upanyãsam is the sole responsibility of the person/s who translated the work from Tamizh into English.

Home • e-MM • Contact

Radhe Krishna