• Many say that you do not approve of Social service, Swamiji, Is it true?

• Should we give importance to Raghu Kalam etc for spiritual matters ?

• Some say that when we say, we should be afraid of God and should not offend Mahatmas, we ought to do this and that, etc. makes a man a coward. What do you think of this ?

• What happens to people who commit Athma Hatti? (literally meaning "killing the soul" which implies suicide)

• There are many defects in the formation of our caste system. Is such a system ever necessary ?

• Swamiji, you insist that we should respect and worship Vedic scholars and Bhagavatars . But when we do find them with faults , why should we worship them ?

• How can common people solve their day to day problems ?

• Many say that now-a-days the world is taking a ruinous path....

• So many Mahatmas are called "Avataras", still the world is in bad shape. Why?

• What is your advice to householders?

• You say that we should always strive to perform a lot of Punya Karma ( good deeds that accrue virtue). Don't we need a lot of money for that?

• Swamiji, I wish to serve you in some way. What should I do ?

• Can we perform Karma as laid out by our scriptures (like homam or yagnam) , abroad? Will it bear the same fruit as done in India ?

• What should we do to enhance the well being of all ?

• It is said that Education should not be given for money , but as a gift. But now a days we see that , educational institutions take money even for admission. Over and above this they collect funds as donation , fees etc. Is this proper? Why can't our institutions come forward to provide free education to all ?

• How can our religion really progress ?

Many say that you do not approve of Social service, Swamiji, Is it true?

They have grossly misunderstood what I meant. So this idea prevails.

Working towards the betterment of one's neighborhood is better than serving just his family. Serving the society, the country and the world at large is even better. No doubt we should contribute our mite for such a cause.

But if a person is a real seeker of truth he should not indulge in such social service, as it will distract him from his spiritual path. What everyone should understand is that, showing the path of liberation to the people, which saves them from the miseries of repeated rebirths is the greatest of services to mankind.

Once again, I want to reemphasize that a social worker is far greater than a man who wastes his precious time just eating, drinking and watching television.
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Should we give importance to Raghu Kalam etc for spiritual matters ?

For spiritual matters, there is no such necessity.
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Some say that when we say, we should be afraid of God and should not offend Mahatmas, we ought to do this and that, etc. makes a man a coward. What do you think of this ?

In order to get rid of foul smell from our body, we take bath. We eat to drive away our hunger. Our ancestors have formed rules and regulations even for performing these, right ? That's because a person should not just follow what all his mind dictates. If he does so, the result would be catastrophic! We have to control these, by righteous conduct. Religion asks a man to be respectful to saints and God, and certainly it does not want to make a person a coward. It tells a man to be afraid of committing sins .

We should be God loving, and not God fearing.

Sri Anjaneya was repository of great qualities like intelligence, strength, valour, devotion, purity, austerity, penance and fame. Yet was he not very humble ?

So is it not evident that being humble and being cowardly are totally different?

Strength can arise only in a mind which is always composed; and composure can be got only from humility.
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What happens to people who commit Athma Hatti? (literally meaning "killing the soul" which implies suicide)

It is wrong to say "Atma Hatti". Atma (Soul) cannot be destroyed. Some people who cannot bear even little sorrows commit suicide. By committing suicide, they suffer unimaginable pain and moreover will not get a place in this world or in other worlds.
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There are many defects in the formation of our caste system. Is such a system ever necessary ?

As such, there is no defect in the formation of this system.

Democracy, which is regarded as one of the best systems for governing a country, is existing in many countries. But still we see bribery , anarchy ,injustuce in those countries. Does it mean that democracy as a system ,itself is faulty ?

Because of various faults, we see that Companies fall to the state of Lock outs. Does it then imply that the very formation of the Company itself is defective?

All systems are formulated after a lot of thinking, with a dedicational attitude , with the spirit of serving the society. It is the selfish people, cheats and fools who create disorders. Similarly there is no defect in the actual formation of our Caste system. But the defect is in the execution and in the poor understanding of the the real intent and the spirit of the system.
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Swamiji, you insist that we should respect and worship Vedic scholars and Bhagavatars . But when we do find them with faults, why should we worship them ?

In an office , if a young man happens to be an officer, even older people respect him for the post he holds. Similarly, we give respect to Prime Ministers and Presidents only when he holds the office of the government. So we see that, this respect is not for the person, but only for the post.

Similarly, respect given to a Vedic scholar is for his Vedic erudition and knowledge, and not for the person per se. On the same lines, we respect Bhagavatars only because they chant and sing Bhagavan Naama (God's name)
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How can common people solve their day to day problems ?

By praying earnestly... If they pray sincerely and wholeheartedly, their prayers shall be fulfilled.
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Many say that now-a-days the world is taking a ruinous path....

If we go back to the Puranic times, we read about many asuras (demons) disturbing the people and the saints. Even in the historic times, all along we see evidences of violence and tyranny. It is my view, that good and bad , has been happening in all ages, with a varying degree, that's all.
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So many Mahatmas are called "Avataras", still the world is in bad shape. Why?

Let me draw a simple parallel.. In a room , books and other articles are found scattered. Somebody rearranges it and for some time it remains in order. But in due course of time it goes back to its old state. Similarly, even after a Mahatma come and set things right, world ,after some time shifts back to its disorderly state as before. So to set it right, once again incarnations come and establish Dharma.
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What is your advice to householders?

God talks to great Bhaktas and Yogis, and not to ordinary people. It is God's nature to always hide himself. So householders can take the help of a Guru to reach God.

Time can catapult anybody , no matter how great that person is, to abysmal depths. So we should not feel proud or haughty of our wealth or other comforts

We should keep performing deeds that accrue virtue for us (Punya Karma), by some means or the other. It is because, only these can really protect us.
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You say that we should always strive to perform a lot of Punya Karma ( good deeds that accrue virtue). Don't we need a lot of money for that?

Not necessarily... Prostrating to Mahatmas, Naama keerthana, Naama Japam, (chanting /singing God's names), bathing in holy rivers, feeding a cow with grass, doing service to temples and to sadhus .. Even these little things can make you pure - without spending a pie.
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Swamiji, I wish to serve you in some way. What should I do ?

If you can sit at home and chant

daily, alone or with your friends and relatives, that would be the greatest service you can do to me. I really cannot help loving those who do Naama Kirtanam regularly, more than anybody else.
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Can we perform Karma as laid out by our scriptures (like homam or yagnam), abroad? Will it bear the same fruit as done in India ?

No, performing such karma abroad will not be fruitful. On the other hand, it may even yield negative , adverse results.

If you take a home , you have different rooms and a kitchen for cooking. And, we cook food only in the Kitchen. Similarly, only Bharath (India) is the correct place to perform these Karma.

When abroad, you can take on other spiritual practices like meditation, Naama Japam (Chanting God's names), reading Puranas, giving and listening to religious lectures, etc.
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What should we do to enhance the well being of all ?

The well being of this world can be ensured only by protecting Vedas and Saints.
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It is said that Education should not be given for money , but as a gift. But now a days we see that , educational institutions take money even for admission. Over and above this they collect funds as donation, fees etc. Is this proper? Why can't our institutions come forward to provide free education to all ?

Of all the virutes, gifting (as charity) is the foremost one. Gift of education is the greatest of all gifts.

In the olden days education was imparted to cater to this life and the life after. Even in those days the teachers used to take Guru Dakshina (fees for the teacher) from their disciples. But this was not made compulsory ; it was not demanded ; and the fee was such that it wasn't beyond the capacity of the disciple. This was a voluntary offering by the disciple to the guru as a token of love and respect for the erudition of the teacher. Hence it was given depending on the respect and regard the disciple had towards his master and on his individual capacity.

The education was not denied to disciples who were not in a position to offer any fee. Further, education in those days focused not only on the intellectual development of the pupil, but also on righteousness and on the way to lead a harmonious life. Education also inculcated eternal values like Humility, honesty, duty-consciousness, truthfulness , selflessness, etc. in the pupils. Hence, those who got educated this way came out as fully developed and mature persons.

The present day education largely focuses on worldly matters only. Importance is being given only to such education which can ensure a comfortable life with a fat pay packet. The curriculum is largely decided by opportunity to earn a good social status and opportunity to go abroad. Since the institutions are chosen by this opportunistic and businesslike attitude by the pupils, they in turn have started running education as a business.

In our religion, act of renouncing the family and wife - whom one marries with the sacred fire as the witness - to take up Sanyasam (renounciation) is solely for the pursuit of the divine force; and not to get one's self tied up again in social service. This is because, if he gets tied up in social service, etc. his mind would be polluted by one of two detrimental tendencies ( Tamas - inertia leading to laziness,etc. , Rajas - of activity leading to attachment ) which would divert his attention from the goal. Even if we look at this in the view point of Karma Yoga, it would be possible only to the few with a lot of mental strength. This sort of strength is rare even among the total renouncers (Sanyasis).

So such educational institutions can be established by benevolent philanthropists , rather than religious institutions. This can be done effectively by an individual or by a group of philanthropists. When such people form the institution , it would not be businesslike but would be more service oriented.

In spite of all this , traditional religious acharyas themselves - since they don't have a choice - are compelled to run the institutions which impart education on the Vedas and the Shastras.
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How can our religion really progress ?

We find that no two Mutts' disciples agree with each other. We see frequent quarrels between disciples of different Mutts. We need to break down this narrow constricting walls. Though we have some differences, we should live in harmony. Only if we have an attitude that we are all children of one and only Paramatma (the almighty), our religion can really progress.
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