Gems of wisdom
by Shree Maharajji
If you desire spiritual advancement, you must trust a Guru completely,
allow Him to take you by the hand and guide you to God. You have heard that faith can move
mountains. Let these words become your
own experience by trusting a Guru in the same way as you trust worldly people.
***********
We wash our clothes with clean water to rid them of impurities. If we wash them with dirty water, they will
only get worse. Similarly, we have to wash our hearts clean by inviting only
pure personalities in. If we let the impure into our heart, it will only get
worse.
***********
The only pure personalities are God and
Saints. Therefore, it is in our best interest to fill our hearts with God, His
names, His forms, His pastimes, His qualities, His abodes and, most of all, His
Devotees...the Saints!
***********
At the time of death, wherever your mind is
attached, you will attain that object. That is why the Vedas and Saints advice
us to remember God constantly. You never know when your last moment will arrive.
If you remember God at that moment, you will attain Golok
***********
Devotion
done only by our material senses is not admirable. This type of devotion is
called as Anasang Bhakti. Anasang means without attachment of
mind. This type of Bhakti will not
work. True Bhakti will always involve
the mind.
***********
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Check out the latest lectures, yoga and meditation videos, bhajans, subtle body
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Upcoming Events
Synthesis of Spirituality and Materialism
Sept 25th
Dallas, TX
An exclusive evening with Swami Mukundananda
Click here for details
Swami Mukundananda's
Last
Lecture of USA Tour 2009
Topic - "Importance of Hinduism and
Buddhism"
Sept 26th
Lanham, MD Click here for details
Special Satsang Programs with Swamiji
Sept 21st - Connecticut
Sept 22nd - Boston
Sept 23rd - Boston
Sept 24th - Dallas
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You can find more information about other programs in the events section of our website.
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Maharajji
celebrated Radhashtami on 27th August in Rangeeli Mahal, Barsana. He
then celebrated 'Chatti' (6th day of birth) in Delhi and 'Barau' (12th
day of birth) in Mangarh.
Annual Sadhana Program
Mangarh
village in Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, India, is Jagadguru
Shree Kripaluji Maharaj's chosen place of appearance.
It is here that Shree Maharajji conducts a month long intensive Sadhana program for the benefit of all devotees.
This year's program will start on Sept 28th (Dushera) and will conclude on the 4th of Nov.
Sharad
Poornima, the auspicious night of Shree Maharajji's appearance is
celebrated with great enthusiasm in Mangarh. This year, it will be
celebrated on the 3rd of October.
Bhakti Bhavan (Artist Impression)
A
new meditation hall, 'Bhakti Bhavan' is being built in Bhakti Dham,
Mangarh to accommodate the increasing number of devotees yearning to
attend the Sadhana camps in October and Holi in March. It is estimated
to seat more than 10,000 devotees at a time and will be one of the
largest prayer halls in India.
JKY News
Dallas Retreat
A
long and hard prayer was finally answered! Swamiji graced over 150
lucky devotees at the Camp Carter YMCA Retreat over the labour weekend.
With Yog, Meditation, Subtle-Body Relaxation, Kirtans, Lectures and
lots of activities for the kids, it was a holiday to remember!
Hindu Mandir Executive Conference 
Swamiji lectures at MassBay Community College
Swami Mukundananda was invited by MassBay Community College, MA
as a guest speaker to share his knowledge on the topic, The Goal Of
Human Birth. This special event was organized on the 17th of September.
Swamiji addressed a gathering of students and academicians over a Video
Conference.Orissa Health Camp
A Health check up camp was held on Sept 6th in Orissa to assist the poor and needy of the villages close to Cuttack.
Radhashtami
Radhashtami celebration was held in Cuttack ashram on the 27th of August.
Orissa Yog Camp
Jagadguru Kripalu Yog
organized Yog camps in Cuttack, Jajpur, Berhampur and other towns of
Orissa. The camps were conducted over two months by our expert JKY
instructors.
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The Editor
Jagadguru Kripalu Yog
XVII/3305, 1st Floor,
Ranjit Nagar, Near PUSA,
New Delhi - 110008
India
PO Box 4003
Santa Clara, CA 95056
USA
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Welcome to the
Jagadguru Kripalu Yog e-Magazine |
There are 8.4 million species on the earth
planet. Amongst them, the human form of life is the only one where
spiritual
practice is made possible to get rid of all sorrows and attain eternal
happiness. This human life is so rare that even celestial Gods long for
it. This human form can only be attained by the ultimate grace of God.
We
are already aware that Supreme God, Shree Krishna is synonymous with Bliss.
Therefore, this proves that the attainment of God is the only goal of human
life, since we all seek happiness. We also know that the only way to achieve
this is to practice Bhakti (Devotion). In Bhakti, all we need to do is remember
God in our mind and keep increasing our love for Him. We have to increase the
longing for His Divine vision. This alone has the power to purify our hearts
and when the process is complete, our guru will bestow upon us the priceless
Divine love of Shree Radha Krishna.
There are many types of Bhakti, but three of
them are most significant: - Shravan
Bhakti, Kirtan Bhakti and Smaran Bhakti.
Shravan Bhakti means to listen to knowledge related to God,
understand it and follow it. To chant, sing and immerse ourselves in the Divine
names of God, His virtues, His glories and His pastimes is known as Kirtan Bhakti.
Smaran Bhakti is to deeply meditate on the form of God in
your mind. This is called as Roopdhyan.
Every individual is qualified and has the right to do Bhakti, unlike other paths (Gyan and Yog) where there are many rules, conditions and pre-requisites.There are three main conditions which every
follower of the path Bhakti has to
fulfill.
trinādapi sunīchen tarorapi sahiṣhṇunā |
amāninā mānden kīrtanīyaḥ
sadā hariḥ ||
Humility trinādapi
sunīchen - A devotee must be more
humble than a blade of grass. A devotee must realize and consider oneself to be more humble than a
blade of grass. When you crush grass under your feet, it never protests or
complaints. It bends as directed and then becomes straight after a while. In
the same way, one should always be humble in his/her behavior.
Forbearing / Tolerance tarorapi
sahiṣhṇunā
- A devotee must be more forgiving/tolerant than a tree that bears
fruits. When someone throws a stone at the tree, it does not get angry
but in return, gives us a fruit, is
it not amazing! It replies to your anger with a sweet fruit for your
benefit! Svayam
na khādanti phalāni vṛikṣhāḥ. The tree itself does not eat the fruits. It feeds
everybody.
Respect for others - A devotee should not be
looking for praise or compliments, but rather have respect for others. A devotee should always give
respect to others and should not desire respect in return.
In this way, one should lead a life filled with humility,
tolerance and respect for others. A devotee should always chant, sing and
remember God, His pastimes, His grace and virtues with affinity every moment.
Having respect for others without seeking any compliments, being humble
and always forgiving, all of these virtues can be expressed in one word, Humility. It is the foundation of devotion. Devotion starts, stays, and
develops only on the basis of humbleness. Any touch of pride and ego spoils it,
just like a pinch of salt spoils a cake. Pride or ego is an obstacle in
devotion. Humbleness of a devotee develops dedication to his master and
dependence on God's Grace.
We like to be appreciated by others. This is a major reason
for a person's downfall spiritually. We should try to become a good person, rather
than expecting others to appreciate us even though we might have ill-feelings
for others. When someone criticizes or scolds us, we start feeling bad. We get
angry and annoyed with that person and we sometimes turn hostile towards that
person. We harbor hatred and negative feelings for others. This kind of
feeling is very harmful for us.
If
we continuously remember people or incidents that increase negative
feelings inside us, then we are causing harm to ourselves by dirtying
our mind. Our aim should be practice the art of continuously
remembering God and Guru, who are pure and Divine personalities. This
alone will cleanse our heart and mind. In our lives, we have developed
a one-sided attitude where we only like to be appreciated and not
criticized.
Once, a person started to abuse and criticize
Lord Buddha and continued to do so for the whole day. By evening, he
could hardly speak a word. Lord Buddha advised His disciple, "Give him
something to eat. He has been at work since morning and he must be
tired". The man abusing Lord Buddha was completely surprised. He said
to Lord Buddha, "Are You made of stone? I have been humiliating you the
whole day and you give me food to eat?"
Lord Buddha replied,
"Tell me something my friend. If you give something to a person and he
does not accept it, what will happen to that gift? It will remain with
the same person who gifted it in the first place. In the same way,
whatever abuse you hurled at me has remained with you since I did not
accept it. If you had spoken a few words about God, His virtues, His
pastimes or His abodes, I would have gladly accepted them."
Hence,
we should aim to develop a liking for criticism and resist the
temptation to be appreciated. When we reach such a stage where we like
to be criticized and dislike being complimented, then we will progress
at a very fast pace.
We should always remember a very important
fact. Till the moment we attain God, we will be under the influence of
Maya and we will continue to suffer from the diseases of the mind like
desire, anger, jealousy, hatred, ego, etc. We have also accumulated
innumerable sins from our past lives and all of these will be destroyed
only with the attainment of God.
sarvadharmān parityajya māmekam śharaṇam vraja aham tvām sarvapāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi mā śhuchaḥ
Here
is an interesting analogy. When we introduce a policeman as a
'Policeman', he never complains or asks us to identify him as a
'Director General'. He is happy to be called as a 'Constable'. In the
same way, when we people are sinners, why do we feel bad about being
criticized?
Saint Tulsidas says:
nindak niyare rākhiye āṅgan kuṭi chhavāy
The
one who points out our faults or mistakes is our well-wisher. When a
snake or a scorpion creeps up our body, and someone alerts us, we call
him our well wisher.
There is one more point that we
should remember. As long as we remember God, only that period (moment)
can be considered as 'good' or 'right' deeds. The rest, we can conclude
that only bad deeds are performed since that time (moments) are not
dedicated to God. Have we ever realized how many hours do we think of
God in a 24-hour day?
We must repeatedly think and resolve
that even if someone criticizes us, we will not feel bad. Practice
makes a man perfect. Everyday at night, before we sleep, we must
recall, "How many times have I erred today? How many times did I commit
the same mistake?" The next day, we will be more alert and cautious. In
this way, by constant and relentless practice, we will stop feeling bad
when others talk ill of us.
Shree Krishna resides in our heart
and notices each and every idea of ours. We should not get hurt or feel
bad or get disturbed, because His Grace is dependent on our mind being
detached from worldly feelings and completely attached in Him.
Constant
remembrance of this thought will lessen our faults, and at the same
time, we will attempt to remember God. We should not have any ill
feelings towards the one who criticizes us because Shree Krishna
resides in his heart also. Be neutral with the one who finds fault in
you and do not have a feeling of hatred towards anyone.
Shed tears by this saying prayer again and again:
yadi dainyam tvatkṛipāheturnatadasti mamāṇvapi
tām kṛipām karu rādheśh! yayā te dainyamāpnuyām
It
means "O Shree Krishna! If you bestow your grace on humble ones then I
am not at all humble. Therefore, grace me in such a way that I develop
the feeling of being humble and shed tears." Remember that there is no
way out of this and it is absolutely mandatory to practice
this Sadhana, as human life is temporary and momentary.
Eventually
by constant practice, our faults will vanish. Hence, with
practice, all our faults will slowly and gradually vanish and you will
feel calm and peaceful. |
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Secrets of Spiritual Sadhana
Continuing from the last issue...
These are the next two lines of "Sadhana Karu Pyare" series.
pratham śhraddhā yukt ho jā śharaṇ guru pad pyāre guru kī buddhi me.ṁ joṛ nij buddhi, hai śharaṇ yaha
pyāre
In this verse, Shree Kripaluji
Maharaj teaches us how to practice Sadhana
(Devotion). He says, we should first faithfully surrender to a Guru (a God-realized
Saint whom we have chosen to be our Spiritual Master). We should wholeheartedly
follow His every instruction and teaching. This is the true beginning of
Sadhana or spiritual practice. By
surrendering ourselves to a Guru, we begin our spiritual journey.
In the material
world, we gain knowledge by trusting the words of people with a higher
intellect. Let us suppose that a person without any knowledge of law visits an advocate.
The advocate teaches him how to tackle questions in a court to escape penalties.
If the person does exactly as told by his advocate, he might win the case. We
see that by having faith in the advocate's words, the person overcomes his
challenges.
Similarly,
when we are sick,
we completely trust a doctor for our treatment without having any
knowledge of
medicine. We follow his instructions with full faith to get well. If we
take medicine
according to our wish, then it could be harmful to us. Even at school,
we follow the words of people with a higher intellect (teachers), and
complete our
education.
We have to apply the same principle in the spiritual realm also.
First, we have to search for a true Saint. Till we find a true Saint (God-realized
Saint) we have to keep searching for Him. Once we find and accept such a Guru, we must stop
searching and visiting other Saints. We have to surrender our mind to that
Guru and do exactly as He instructs, without any questions or arguments. This
is true or complete surrender - surrender of the mind.
Arjun committed the same mistake as above, with respect to the point
of surrender of the mind. At the start of the great war (Mahabharat), Arjun
said "O Shree Krishna! I do not know what I have to do. You are my Guru and my shelter."
Shree Krishna said "If you consider me as your Guru, then I order you to go to war".
Arjun replied "That is alright but..."
Here we see that Arjun applies his mind
(intellect) against the wishes of his Guru. He is not following his Guru's
instructions. Shree Krishna replies "If you use your mind then why do you
consider me your Guru? Arjun says, "If I kill, it will be considered as a sin
and the wives of soldiers will become widows. Their next generation will
suffer." Shree Krishna replies, "If you know more than me, then why don't you
become the Guru, and I will be your disciple?"
Accepting a saint as a Guru implies,
"I do not know anything. You are my master (guide) and hence I am surrendering my
mind (and intellect) to you."
So, in this way we
have to surrender our mind to our Guru, and govern our intellect according to His
teachings and instructions.
Shree Krishna said in Geeta-
ajñaśhchāśhraddhdānasya sañśhayātmā vinashyati | nāyam lokosti na
paro na sukham sañshayātmanaḥ
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"A sceptic or the one who doubts the authenticity of the spiritual
path is bound to fall down". The one who has no faith in God or Guru is
destined to fall down. That person will neither be happy in this world, nor can
he aim to attain happiness in the spiritual realm. Even in this material world,
we survive on the basis of faith, which is the pillar of our lives. For ex., we
work all day in an office in the hope and faith that at the end of the month we
will get paid. If we begin to doubt whether we will be paid or not, then we will
not be able work.
Similarly, when we deposit money at the bank, the cash is
presented at the counter to the cashier. The banker counts the money while you
wait outside. Finally, he gives you a receipt/voucher. Now, if you begin to doubt
the banker and say, "Why don't you give me receipt first, I will then give you
the money"? The banker will surely be surprised and will advice you that it does
not work that way. So, without faith there is no transaction.
Even in the spiritual realm, faith plays a very important role.
It is only on the basis of faith that we can surrender to our Guru. We should
have a firm faith that, whatever our Guru instructs is for our own benefit. We
should have this unwavering belief that our Guru will never cheat or betray us.
A Saint always wishes the best for any person, so whatever He advices or
instructs is for the welfare of that person. When we gain complete faith in His
words, then we will surrender to Him blind-folded and without any fear.
Ved Vyas said -
dhāvannimīlya vā netre, naskhalennapatediha
"Bhakti is such a Divine path
that you can embrace it blind folded."
God Himself protects his devotee or Bhakt in this path. If we take one step towards God, He will
take many more towards us. Be faithful and you will undoubtedly receive His
Grace in the form of true devotional feelings. Hence, Faith is the foundation of
surrender on which we can move ahead in the spiritual path.
The Bible says:
We walk by faith and not by sight.
This
means we move towards God on the basis of faith and not what we
perceive with our material senses. In the beginning, we can only
associate with a Guru and cannot meet God directly. So, we have to
first build that trust in a Guru.
There is a very good story
related to faith. Once upon a time a Saint and his disciple were
traveling. To beat the afternoon heat, they decided to rest under a
tree. It so happened that the Guru woke up in between and to his
surprise, saw a vicious snake about to sting his disciple. At that very
moment, Guru decided to kill the snake. Startled, the snake said "Don't
kill me. I cannot rest in peace till I drink his blood to avenge his
actions from a past life." The Guru replied, "If you want his blood, I
will give it you, do not bite him." The snake agreed to this deal.
So
the Guru held a knife at his sleeping disciple's neck, to draw blood
for the snake. Meanwhile, the disciple woke up and saw his Guru sitting
on his chest and cutting his neck with a knife. The disciple was not at
all worried. He was completely relaxed. He closed his eyes and went
back to sleep. The Guru continued to cut one of the veins and gave the
snake what it asked for.
When the disciple finally woke
up, his Guru asked him "I held a knife at your neck, yet you did not
doubt my intentions. Why?" The disciple answered "Guruji, I know that
you are my well-wisher and you will always think of my benefit. That is
why I was totally relaxed and slept peacefully."The Guru said "Very
Good Son! Well done. You have made me proud today."
If
anybody can develop such a strong faith in a Guru then God realization
is not very far. But it is difficult for a disciple to have this kind
of faith in the preliminary stages, even if the Guru is a God-realized
Saint. This is because the disciple is under the influence
of Maya (eternally existing, lifeless, cosmic power of God)
and a Guru is beyond Maya.
That is why in the
beginning, a disciple tries to judge the capabilities of a Guru and
starts doubting or arguing with his Guru's instructions. "Why did
Guruji order me to do this job? should I do this or not?" The
disciple questions and argues in his mind, but the Guru also knows his
disciple's thoughts. He knows that a child learns to walk step by step.
What
is the meaning of true surrender? Shree Maharajji tells us to use our
mind in accordance with the desire of our Guru (unite our mind with
that of our Guru). That alone is the true surrender of the mind. If we
say that "Guruji, I am your disciple and under your shelter", Guruji
says "Ok then, do this task". If we reply, "No Guruji, I cannot do
this", then this is not true surrender.
King Harishchandra
demonstrated true surrender to his Guru, Sage Vishvamitra, who asked
him to give away all his wealth. Harishchandra surrendered all his
wealth without an argument. Vishvamitra again asked for ten thousand
gold coins. Harishchandra was penniless, yet he never refused. All he
said was "I want some time to carry out your instruction". He worked
hard but could not collect the required money. He then sold himself and
started working in a cemetery. In this way he paid the money and
fulfilled the desire of his Guru.
After this
incident, Harishchandra's son died of a snake bite. Harishchandra's
wife came to the graveyard with her son's body and said "I want to
cremate the body but I do not have the money for it. Harishchandra said
"I cannot disobey my master. Instead of money you can give me a part of
your clothes."
At that very moment God
and Guru appeared in front of them. His Guru said "Stop! This is
enough. You have exceeded your Guru's expectations and set the finest
example of surrender to a Guru."
Therefore, Kripaluji Maharaj writes in 'Radha Govind Geet' -
guru ājñā pālan hī govind rādhe |
hariśhchandra ko golok dilā de ||
By faithfully obeying Guru's instructions, Harishchandra attained Golok. So, surrender of the mind alone is true surrender.
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