Satsangam

To, All Members, The science of Yoga asserts that there are states of consciousness, currently beyond our normal mental human state of awareness, which are both possible to achieve and the evolutionary goal of Nature. In particular, the states associated with the “causal body” are considered to be both beyond the mind and divine in their nature. Sri Aurobindo describes this: “There is, we say, a harmony of supreme faculties, corresponding roughly to the psychological faculties of revelation, inspiration and intuition, yet acting not in the intuitive reason or the divine mind, but on a still higher plane, which see Truth directly face to face, or rather live in the truth of things both universal and transcendent and are its formulation and luminous activity. And these faculties are the light of a conscious existence superseding the egoistic and itself both cosmic and transcendent, the nature of which is Bliss. These are obviously divine and, as man is at present apparentl...

To, All Members, Escapism is not spirituality . If you are a real devotee , you can accommodate or accept every thing and everybody in your life. Living a spiritual life does not mean that you have to leave your family life and neglect your loved ones. It is indeed expanding your family and friends and seeing everybody as part of your family . We should treat everything that happens as God's own Prasad . Realize that the real problem is not what is happening, but how you are reacting to it. Swami Udit Chaithanya.

To, All Members, Mr. Ward Jackson: "The lady’s difficulty is real and I sympathise with her. She asks, “If we could see the Self within ourselves, why should we have come all the way to see Him? We had been thinking of Him so long and it is only right that we came here. Is it then unnecessary to do so?” M.: You have done well in having come. “Isvaro gururatmeti” (The Self is the God and Guru). A person seeks happiness and learns that God alone can make one happy. He prays to God and worships Him. God hears his prayers, and responds by appearing in human shape as a Master in order to speak the language of the devotee and make him understand the Reality. The Master is thus God manifest as human being. He gives out His experience so that the seeker might also gain it. His experience is to abide as the Self. The Self is within. God, Master and the Self are therefore seeming stages in the Realisation of the Truth. You have doubts on rea...

To, All Members, ( Sri Sabari mala - Sri Ayyappa Swami ) All great masters convey the truth to the masses through the instrument of mysticism. Through it these men of perfection sing the song of their experiences, finding their way into the heart of man. Whenever they try to explain the experience beyond the worldly knowledge of the ordinary man, they have to employ this peculiar technique called mysticism. These expressions of their transcendental experiences are the literature of mysticism. It is there in all religions. Whether it be Buddhism, Jainism or Islam. But of all religions, it is in Hinduism that this technique of conveying the highest form of thought has been developed into a perfect art. So, to carry the message of the Vedas to the average man, the great masters have used this vehicle of mysticism. But, quite often, this technique is not understood by the Hindus themselves. The pundits take it literally and start explaining it from the aspect of a god ...

To, All Members, Devotees would often come to Sri Ramakrishna and discuss about the struggles in spiritual life. They would also lament about the difficulty in finding real and capable guides or spiritual teachers. Sri Ramakrishna, while agreeing with these observations of the devotees, would explain to them about the nature of realised souls. The nature of spiritual life is extremely demanding and one has to dive deep. Comparing this to the digging of a well he would say that great souls would adopt several means such as the practice of viveka, vairagya, japa, meditation and so on intensely for realising the goal. It is like using a spade, shovel and other instruments for digging a well. One encounters several obstacles when one has to dig deep to find water. The task is by no means easy. Those who are focused on the spiritual goal of life and struggle in a determined way, do reach the goal at the end. But such realised souls belong to two different classes. Both ...

To, All  Members, Do not imagine that every one''s life is smooth.  And it is upto you to work sincerely and prove your worth. Give auto suggestion to your mind that "God is great and HE has given me a good life . There are lots of people who do not have a job or enough food ,and house to sleep. I love my work ,I love my life ,I love my people and it is so easy for me"always convince your mind those lines . Develop an attitude of gratitude and decide that you will not complain. Remember, gratitude brings abundance. When you complain and degrade yourself, you will develop hatred towards your job,life and family.. So it is not the job or people , but the negative attitude of your mind that creates all the problems. Remember all the great people either in the field of science, technology, or politics were once upon a time mere laymen in their fields. They had faith, confidence and patience to wait and see the development. So you too s...

To, All Members, There can be a debate about whether the mental capacity in humanity is something newly evolved by Nature for the first time, or whether in fact it is a capacity that has had previously high attainment, later degenerated, and now must be re-established. We see that Nature’s progress often occurs in fits and starts. A leap forward is made, and then there may be a retrogressive movement in reaction, which calls back the farthest stage of advancement, but works to solidify and broaden the establishment of the principle, as a platform for later taking up the capacity and extending, expanding and increasing it. From our vantage point, while we see the true intellectual capacity developed unequally, we also note that the general ability is widespread and when given the proper opportunity through education and societal support, can blossom forth in just about any individual who has a fit and sound physical, vital and mental organization of the physical instrum...

                                                          Sri Ramanujacharya To, All  Members, "A Realized Soul has really no love for his body. For one who is the embodiment of bliss, the body itself is a disease. He will await the time to be rid of the body. When he has the body, he has to clean its teeth, has to walk, bathe, and give food to the body; and has to do many other things besides. If a boil grows, it has to be washed and dressed; otherwise it becomes septic and emits a bad smell. In the same way, if the body is not kept clean, it will get diseased. A Realized Soul looks upon his body in the same way that a coolie does regarding his load. He will look forward to putting down the load at the destination. That being so, will he try to keep on his body as a tool and prolong its existence by breath contr...

                                                    Sri Ramanujacharya To, All Members, But there are signs that distinguish the man of Knowledge. Some people think they have Knowledge. What are the characteristics of Knowledge? A Jnani cannot injure anybody. He becomes like a child. If a steel sword touches the philosopher's stone, it is transformed into gold. Gold can never cut. It may seem from the outside that a Jnani also has anger or egotism, but in reality he has no such thing. A child has no attachment. He makes a play house, and if anyone touches it, he will jump about and cry. The next moment he himself will break it. This moment he may be very attached to his cloth. He says: 'My daddy has given it to me. I won't part with it.' But the next moment you can cajole him away from it with a toy. He will go away with you, leaving the c...

To, All  Members, If I have one inspiring ideal of a personal God - Narayana or Allah or Christ or Rama, it will shed its glow on all the thoughts that flow through my mind. I will follow a life of dedication and act in the world outside in that spirit. Instead of egocentric activities prompted by the ideal of selfishness, let us surrender unto Him and act with love. Then we shall find that the quality and texture of thoughts change very quickly. As a result, our personality gains a fragrance and people will be attracted towards us. Even people who were your enemies will place a confidence in you which you never expected. You will slowly find that your friends increase. You will become such a positive force of action that anyone who comes near you will feel the dynamism, love and elevating vision. ~ Swami Chinmayananda

To, All  Members, There are pearls in the deep sea, but one must hazard all to find them. If diving once does not bring you pearls, you need not therefore conclude that the sea is without them. Dive again and again. You are sure to be rewarded in the end. So is it with the finding of the Lord in this world. If your first attempt proves fruitless, do not lose heart. Persevere in your efforts. You are sure to realize Him at last. -Sri Ramakrishna Parmahamsa.                                                       Sri Ramakrishna Mission

To, All  Members, "Unless one attains that state (thought-free awareness), the ego will not be completely destroyed. Persons whose ego is destroyed are so detached that even if they appear to see they do not really see; though they appear to eat they do not really eat; though they appear to hear they do not really hear; and though they appear to sleep they do not really sleep. Whatever they do is not really ‘doing’.” (Bhagavan in 'Letters from Sri Ramanasramam' 163)

                                        Sri  Ramakrishna  Mission To, All  Members, You have your minds pitched high and steady, it will do you no harm. May you have exceeding love for one another among yourselves, and it would be enough to have an attitude of indifference towards public criticisms. Kalikrishna Babu has deep love for the cause and is a great man. Please convey my special love to him. So long as there is no feeling of disunion amongst you, through the grace of the Lord, I assure you, there is no danger for you, "[(Sanskrit)]-- be it in battle, in the forest, or on the top of mountains". "[(Sanskrit)]-- all noble undertakings are fraught with obstacles". It is quite in the nature of things. Keep up the deepest mental poise. Take not even the slightest notice of what puerile creatures may be saying against you. Indifference, i...

To, All  Members, The child has not the wisdom and calculation that a grown up person has and he is always protected.  The world is powerless to resist the charm, the appeal of a child.  When a child is born, it seems to bring fragrance from an unknown region.  Let us learn the art of being like little children.  We are so grown up, we have such a sense of independence and self-importance that we cling to our burdens.  When we gain a trusting spirit and give them up in complete surrender and simplicity of heart, our burdens drop from us . Swami Udit Chaithanya

Satsangam : No more grovel in darkness ... know, then, that ... : To, All Members, Silly fools tell you that you are sinners, and you sit down in a corner and weep.  It is foolishness, wicke...

To, All Members, Silly fools tell you that you are sinners, and you sit down in a corner and weep.  It is foolishness, wickedness, downright rascality to say that you are sinners!  You are all God.  See you not God and call Him man?  Therefore, if you dare, stand on that — mould your whole life on that.  If a man cuts your throat, do not say no, for you are cutting your own throat.  When you help a poor man, do not feel the least pride.  That is worship for you, and not the cause of pride.  Is not the whole universe you?  Where is there any one that is not you?  You are the Soul of this universe.  You are the sun, moon, and stars, it is you that are shining everywhere.  The whole universe is you.  Whom are you going to hate or to fight?  Know, then, that thou art He, and model your whole life accordingly;  and he who knows this and models his life accordingly will no mo...

Satsangam : SELF ENQUIRY : : To, All Members, Part-1. From Conscious Immortality. Conversations between P.Brunton and Ramana Maharshi : - 1.Question:...

To, All Members, Part-1. From Conscious Immortality. Conversations between P.Brunton and Ramana Maharshi : - 1.Question: What certainty is there, that something else waits there to welcome me? Bhagavan: When one is a sufficiently developed soul, he becomes naturally convinced. 2. Question: How is this development possible? Bhagavan: Various answers are given. However, whatever the previous development, vichara (an earnest inquiry or quest into the true nature of the self) quickens the development. 3. Question: That is arguing in a circle. I am developed and so am strong for the quest. The quest itself gives my development. Bhagavan: The mind always has this sort of difficulty. It wants a certain, definite theory to satisfy itself. Really, no theory is necessary for the man who seriously desires to approach God, or to realize his own true being. Part-2. From : 'Spiritual Instruction' ('Upadesa Manjari'), Ch. 3: 'Experience' (...

Satsangam : Give up all these mad pursuits : : To, All  Members,  Be free; hope for nothing from anyone.  I am sure if you look back upon your lives you will find that y...

To, All  Members,  Be free; hope for nothing from anyone.  I am sure if you look back upon your lives you will find that you were always vainly trying to get help from others which never came.  All the help that has come was from within yourselves.  You only had the fruits of what you yourselves worked for, and yet you were strangely hoping all the time for help.  A rich man's parlour is always full; but if you notice, you do not find the same people there.  The visitors are always hoping that they will get something from those wealthy men, but they never do.  So are our lives spent in hoping, hoping, hoping, which never comes to an end.  Give up hope, says the Vedanta.  Why should you hope?  You have everything, nay, you are everything.  What are you hoping for?  If a king goes mad, and runs about trying to find the king of his country, he will never find him, because he is the king hi...

Satsangam : Swabhava and Swadharma As the True Basis of Action... : To, All  Members, When we understand the mechanism of the outer Nature and the impact of the Gunas on the action that we are s...

To, All  Members, When we understand the mechanism of the outer Nature and the impact of the Gunas on the action that we are steered or driven to undertake, it becomes quite clear that we have not yet discovered the true basis of action. Sri Aurobindo points out that it is necessary to identify with the inner being: “The real truth of all this action of Prakriti is, however, less outwardly mental and more inwardly subjective. It is this that man is an embodied soul involved in material and mental nature and he follows in it a progressive law of his development determined by an inner law of his being; his cast of spirit makes out his cast of mind and life, his Swabhava. Each man has a Swadharma, a law of his inner being which he must observe, find out and follow. The action determined by his inner nature, that is his real Dharma. To follow it is the true law of his development; to deviate from it is to bring in confusion, retardation and error.” We see here, then, th...

Satsangam : Keep your mind focused : : To, All  Members, Many devotees would approach Sri Ramakrishna and unburden their hearts to him. They would narrate in great de...

To, All  Members, Many devotees would approach Sri Ramakrishna and unburden their hearts to him. They would narrate in great detail their tales of sorrow and suffering. Of course, Sri Ramakrishna knew that the world was full of problems and difficulties and that it was really difficult to steer clear of the obstacles one faced in life. The devotees would ask Sri Ramakrishna how to carry on with their lives in such difficult circumstances and yet keep their minds focused on a spiritual goal. Although Sri Ramakrishna was aware that people were placed in different circumstances in this world as per the results of their actions in their past lives, or in other words, according to the Law to Karma, but there was a way of overcoming the problems that arose in one's life. Sri Ramakrishna would explain this idea using a very powerful illustration. Once a man developed a boil on his back. It grew big and was diagnosed as a carbuncle. He was in great pain. He was poor and had...

Mind : ( 24/10/2012. ): Defence Mechanisms of the Mind : 2. : According to ancient systems of spiritual practice, self-control is effected by three main methods: the control of the prana, the co...

Satsangam : FREEDOM AND DESTINY : : To, All  Members, Mrs. P. C. Desai quoting the Bhagavad Gita asked Bhagavan, “If (as Arjuna was told) there is a certain work ...

To, All  Members, Mrs. P. C. Desai quoting the Bhagavad Gita asked Bhagavan, “If (as Arjuna was told) there is a certain work destined to be done by each and we shall eventually do it however much we do not wish to do it or refuse to do it, is there any free will?” Bhagavan said, “It is true that the work meant to be done by us will be done by us.  But it is open to us to be free from the joys or pains, pleasant or unpleasant consequences of the work, by not identifying ourselves with the body or that which does the work.  If you realise your true nature and know that it is not you that does any work, you will be unaffected by the consequences of whatever work the body may be engaged in according to destiny or past karma or divine plan, however you may call it.  You are always free and there is no limitation of that freedom.” Sri Ramana Maharishi source: Day by Day 3-1-1946 afternoon

Satsangam : Should anyone follow Dharma when they get very pai... : To, All  Members,  Every mind wants peace of mind, happiness, love , care etc. When the mind is disturbed because of var...

To, All  Members,  Every mind wants peace of mind, happiness, love , care etc. When the mind is disturbed because of various reasons, mind may become a victim of that situation. However if we deeply observe or introspect, every one can understand Life is a choice between happiness and sadness. So everyone can ask this question to themselves. ' Today I am in this world and I have a choice to choose between happiness and sorrow' I choose the first and strictly keep myself engaged in that irrespective of the situations. Such bold minds cannot become the victim of any adversities.  Following such a positive attitude is called real Dharma. Swami Udit Chaithanya.

Satsangam : The Doubting Mind : : To, All Members, Those who are constant doubters can enjoy neither here nor there. Such men are psychologically incapable of en...

To, All Members, Those who are constant doubters can enjoy neither here nor there. Such men are psychologically incapable of enjoying any situation, because the doubting tendency in them will poison all their experiences. He whose teeth have become septic must constantly poison the food that he is taking; so too those who have this tendency of doubting everything, will never be able to accommodate themselves to any situation, how perfect and just it might be. In the Bhagavad Geeta Lord Krishna condemns such men of endless doubts, and points out their tragedy in life. The Lord says that such men who “doubt the Self” will not find any joy or happiness anywhere—”neither here nor in the hereafter.” When through the practice of Karma yoga, we have learnt to renounce our attachments to the fruits-of-action, and yet to work on in perfect detachment—when every doubt in us regarding the Goal-of-life has been completely removed in our own inner experience of the nobler and t...

Satsangam : "The Threefold Delight of the Yoga of Devotion and... : To,  All Members, We have different parts of our being that find their fulfillment through different activities. The mind o...

To,  All Members, We have different parts of our being that find their fulfillment through different activities. The mind of knowledge, the will in action, the devotion of the heart are each aspects that are part of the complete human experience. While one part may take the lead in a particular individual, all three eventually need to find their fulfillment to be an integral and complete experience. Just as there are three major aspects, there is a path of yoga that is based on the primary role of one or the other of these aspects. These paths are not in conflict with each other, but actually quite complementary. At any point in time, we may take up and focus on one of these, to meet the needs and tendencies of our nature, but eventually all three join together to yield the complete result. For each of these paths, there is a form of delight that accompanies the focus. Sri Aurobindo explains this further: “The knowledge of the impersonal self brings its own A...