Gems of Wisdom
Shree Maharajji
If someone becomes disillusioned with the world,
and learning from the experience, turns towards God, consider it as a great fortune.
***********
Worldly desires are
the basis for sorrow in life. Satisfaction of these desires leads to greed (for
more) and failure to satisfy leads to frustration and anger.
***********
The
most important thing is, that even in adverse situations, a devotee
should not feel disheartened. He must have full confidence and
faith in the gracious kindness of the Divine beloved of his soul, Radha
Krishna and Guru. He should use all the available time in remembrance
and try to increase love and longing for them. ***********
One should
be as desperate to reach God as a drowning human is desperate for air.
***********
Do not think your life to be yours. Consider it to
belong to your Sharanya (the one to whom you have surrendered). Always
think of serving him every minute of your life.
***********
Following
the instructions of the spiritual master and faithful remembrance of him is the
only form of servitude which a disciple has to do.
***********
Faith is the foundation of surrender, and selfless service is
the evidence of surrender.
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Stay Connected
Check out the latest lectures, yoga and meditation videos, bhajans, subtle body
relaxation and much more on our YouTube channel!
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Discourse & Kirtan
November, 2009
Contact: 609-203-1107
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Upcoming Events
Swamiji's Orissa Tour
Oct 20th Shri Ram Chandra Bhanj Medical College Cuttack
Oct 21st - Oct 30th Cuttack
Nov 5th - Nov 19th Sambalpur
Nov 22nd - Dec 6th Bhavanipatna
Dec 10th - Dec 24th Brahmapur
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Shree
Maharajji's
87th birthday was celebrated on Sharad Poornima, 3rd October. The
devotees gathered in Mangarh, celebrated it with full zeal and
enthusiasm. Subsequently, they celebrated Maharajji's
Chatti (6th day of birth) and then Barau (12th day of birth).
Sharad Poornima is that Divine night when Shree
Radha Krishna revealed the supreme Bliss of 'Maharaas' to uncountable Gopis in
Vrindaban about 5,000 years ago. It is the full moon night which falls in
October every year. This particular day is very precious in our lives because
our beloved Shree Maharajji appeared in the world on that night,
in 1922 in Mangarh. This is the most important celebration at JKP Bhakti Dham,
Mangarh. The ashram overflows with devotees who come from across India
and the world to participate in the festivities.
A Helping Hand
The
Jagadguru Kripalu
Parishat undertakes many philanthropic activities as part of the
mission. Mass
feeding programs for villagers, medical aid, bicycles for the
physically
handicapped and blood donation camps were some of the charitable
activities conducted during the Sharad Poornima week. Shree Maharajji
also
donated a large quantity of clothes and utensils to the poor and needy.
Dining Hall A massive Dining
Hall is under construction close to the existing Sadhana hall in Mangarh. It will have a
seating capacity of more than 2000 people, with all modern facilities.
Diwali at Mangarh
Hundreds of devotees from across the world gathered with great
joy
and enthusiasm to celebrate the auspicious festival of
Diwali with Shree Maharajji in the Divine land of Mangarh. A
special fireworks display was arranged for the occasion and was
the highlight amongst all the evening festivities.
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Trivia Time
Learn
exciting facts and concepts about Hinduism, Yog, ancient Indian
history, philosophy, eminent saints and wise men with our new
section, 'Trivia Time.'
Yog
The 'Hatha Yog Pradeepika'
states
that Yog Asans originated from God Shiv Himself, and His first student
was Goddess Parvati. It also states that there are 8,400,000 Asans,
corresponding to each species of life. Of these, about 200 have been
included
in the Hatha Yog Pradeepika, which was written about two millennium
ago. However, even amongst these, sages and Yogis
have selected only a handful of Asans that are sufficient and can be
easily
practiced by us humans!
Another
amazing fact about Yog is that, by practising asans (and pranayam), one
can alter his/her body parameters like heart rate, breathing rhythm,
body temperature, hormone generation, blood flow and other vital
systems without much movement of the body!
Normally, we would have to exercise or take medication to attain such results.
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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
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Goal of Life by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj
Every destination has two ways. One is the
right way and the other is the wrong way. If one knows the right way, then no
matter how far the goal is, the destination will be reached one day. On the
other hand, if the wrong path is chosen, then no matter how far or near the
goal is, disappointment is certain. We already know that every soul makes constant effort
to attain happiness. Even though the tasks are different, the aim of performing
all actions is one - HAPPINESS. So in this world, there are different paths and
religions to attain happiness. There are 11 religions active in the modern
world - Sanatan vedic (Hinduism), Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism,
Islam, Christianity, Judiasm, Taoism, Confucianism and Shinto. We can classify
all these religions in two -
- The religion of the mortal body - Materialism
- The religion of the soul - Spirituality
According to materialists, the creation,
development and destruction of the world are according to the rules of nature
and not by the rules of God. They say that everybody wants happiness and by the
fulfilment of every material desire, one can be happy. They believe that we
are not eternal souls but mortal bodies, and by the fulfilment of the material
senses one can be happy. The sense of seeing, hear, smell, touch, taste are
five senses of our body. With the help of these senses we make use of this
world. So, according to the materialists the means of happiness in this
material world is this corporeal body.
On the other hand, according to spirituality, we
are eternal souls and not this physical body. This body is destroyable
and is made up of five structural elements (water, air, fire, ether and earth)
whereas, the soul ('I') is spiritual, eternal, and is an eternal part of God. Bliss is
the other name of God and being a part of "Him", we naturally desire for happiness-
raso vai saḥ
Now which way to choose? This is a very difficult question for an
individual to answer. Every religion claims to be perfect in its own ways. The
answer to this can be explained in the following way: We have two entities - the soul and the physical
body. It is true that we will achieve our goal of attaining supreme bliss only
by surrendering to God, and that the soul needs God. Similarly, we have to
realize that this body requires the material world because this body is made up
of five elements and this world is also comprised of these five elements.
No spiritualist can oppose a materialist, and
no materialist can oppose a spiritualist. It is only with the help of this material
body that devotional practice (Sadhana) is made possible and without God
realization, mental afflictions, i.e. material desires, anger, jealousy, ego,
etc. will never go away and we cannot have peace and happiness. Therefore, with
the point of view of keeping our body healthy we have to do devotion. We have
to keep our body healthy with the idea of serving and worshipping God. Shri
Krishna says in Bhagwad Geeta: "O Arjun, keep remembering me in your mind and go
to war." If we don't provide the
necessary proteins, minerals, vitamins and all the required nutrients to our body,
we will surely fall sick and instead of remembering God we will only remember
pain and misery. To summarize, we could say that we have to
follow spirituality along with materialism. This can be explained with the help
of example:
A
nurse takes care of thousands of children in a hospital over her
lifetime. She feeds and cleans them, gives them medicine, etc. She
performs these
tasks as part of her duty and not because she is attached to them. Her
love
and attachment are mostly for her children and family. She does not
love the
babies in the hospital as much as she does her own. The sickness of her
own child brings her
anxiety and pain. She will do everything possible to bring her own
child back to
normal health at the earliest.
But if a child falls
sick in the
hospital, the nurse will tend to it immediately and perform her duties
well.
Her reaction to the sickness will be quite normal and not emotional.
She is not emotionally attached to the sick child. In the same
way, we have to perform
our material duties without any attachment for sake of duty and not
being
bothered of the loss or profit. This is called as Karm-yog.
man hari meṁ tan jagat meṁ, karmyog tehi jān | tan hari meṁ man jagat meṁ, yah mahān ajñān ||
Attaching our mind to this material world
and worshipping God with our body and material senses is a sign of great
foolishness. Hence, both materialism and spirituality are necessary
for us because we are spiritual by nature - soul and we have this material body.
We need this material world for existence. Now we have to understand that who
is God? How can we realize and attain Him? Because the supreme bliss that we
are searching for can be achieved only by attaining Him. If we do not realize
God in this human form, then this will be our greatest mistake and we will have
to suffer the endless pain of life and death of 8.4 million forms of life.
However, we do not need to worry about attaining God. He is easily attainable.
We will understand this science in the coming topics.
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Secrets of Spiritual Sadhana by Swami Mukundananda
Continuing from the last month... This is the next line of "Sadhana Karu Pyare" series.
tan se man se dhan se guru kī, karahu sevā pyāre
Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj has explained in his self
composed series "Sadhana Karu Pyare" that every individual wants to attain
Divine selfless love of Shree Krishna. He says "Dear souls! Do Sadhana (devotion). By practising
devotion your aim of attaining Divine Love of God will be fulfilled." We are
already aware that in the spiritual realm, there is a necessity for a true saint
(Guru or spiritual master). Only a Guru can take care of our self-interests. We
have a lot to gain from our Guru. First of all, we have to gain knowledge -
guru binu hoy ki jñān
With our human and material intellect it is
impossible to understand God. Even if the most intelligent person tries to attain God
through his intellect, it will not be possible. This is because spiritual knowledge
is Divine and beyond our material senses, whereas our mind is material or Mayic in nature. With this material mind
and intellect we can only understand material concepts.
Once upon a time, a swan and an owl began to argue. The Swan
said "This is day time." The owl said "No, it is night now." The owl
started to
mock at the swan. He said "I can prove that this night." The owl took
the swan
to a jungle where many owls lived in a cave. The owl said to his fellow
mates,
"What kind of a living being is this? He says that it is day time."
Listening
to this, all the owls started laughing and said "This swan has gone
mad. Let us beat him up." The scared swan flew far from cave and
soon left the owls behind. Later,
the swan started to wonder why the owls felt it was night time. It
realized that
the problem was with the owl's vision and not the external environment.
In reality,
it was day time but the owls felt it was night time. In the same way, our senses, mind and intellect are material
in nature and can only understand material subjects. In the spiritual realm,
our material intellect will not help. Therefore, we cannot understand God with
our material mind. Hence, we can gain spiritual knowledge only through a Guru.
tadviddhi praṇipātena
paripraśhnen sevaya
One
should faithfully surrender to a Guru and learn the secrets of devotion from
him by asking him devotional questions. One should question a Guru with keen
interest, curiosity, humility and piety, not with the intention of challenging
him or his intellect. 'Pranipat' means complete surrender of the mind, to have
full faith in the words of a saint and to obey him. 'Pariprashnen' means to learn the secrets of devotion from him by
asking him devotional questions. So the spiritual master, i.e. Guru will help you
understand and impart the knowledge of God. 'Sevaya' means to serve Guru in order to please him.
upadekṣhyanti te jñānam jñāninas tatvadarśhinaḥ
Only a Guru can help you attain Divine knowledge. This is
due to the fact that he has practically realized God and at the same time,
possesses theoretical knowledge. Shree Krishna says, along with gaining knowledge of God from
a true Saint (Guru), we must aim to please our Guru. How to please a Guru? It
can only be done by doing his seva or
by serving him. Seva means to serve our
Guru (and God) without any expectation of self gratification. This devotional
service is done with the sole aim of pleasing God and Guru. Hence, this spiritual
knowledge that we have to gain from a Guru is beyond our material intellect and
grasp. This is not comparable to the study of worldly subjects. For
example, we are aware of entrance exams for the school of medicine or engineering. We
seek admission in a college; pay the fees and attain full knowledge of that
course or subject. This is not the case in the spiritual realm.
śhraddhāvān labhate jñānam
In the spiritual world, it is only by the grace of Guru that
we will attain knowledge, not solely by our own efforts. So, in order to
receive his grace we will have to serve him. What is the meaning of seva? Seva means to continuously feel that one has no capability of serving
the Lord. Secondly, doing seva with
complete surrender of the mind and increasing the feeling of 'giving' and not 'receiving'.
Lastly, we should not have any pride of having served him or having done a lot
of seva. Now, only a God-realized
Saint can perform this type of seva,
whose heart has been completely purified. Those who are under the influence of Maya cannot have this kind of servitude.
So God says: "In the preliminary stages,
you will not get seva of God but you
will get the opportunity to serve a Guru. If you serve your Guru to the best of
your capabilities, you will then receive the seva of God."
Now how will we perform this kind of Guru seva? There are various grades and classes of seva. General seva in the
ashram, or personal service to Guru etc. Practically, there are three forms of seva: physical, monetary and mental.
Consciousness of surrender, faithful and constant remembrance of one's Guru is
called seva of the mind. The best form of seva
is done with the complete involvement of the mind. To constantly think about how to
give pleasure to our Guru is true seva.
This thought should be firm in our mind. How will we reach that stage? One can
say, "We are not able to attach our mind." This leads us to the next (lower) level
- seva done with our physical body.
To give comfort to the lotus feet of our Gurudev, cleaning, cooking,
washing, etc. Now one can say that "Swamiji, I work in an office so I cannot
afford to spend my time at the ashram. How can I serve my Guru?" This category
of devotees can do seva through
wealth. Most of us have full time employment and tend to work 10-12 hours a
day. We should dedicate this work to our Guru. After retaining enough to run
the house, we must surrender the fruits of this labour to him. This is the third
class of seva. In the starting stages, one should start with the third class of seva and reach the top most class of seva (service with full involvement of
the mind). That means when we start
doing sincere seva
through wealth, then we will automatically get a feeling of serving with our
body. When we start doing seva with our body, the mind will
gradually be attached in God and Guru. With the attachment of mind, complete
surrender (mind
and intellect) will automatically follow. A Guru will never measure how much seva you have done. He
will judge you based on your seva bhavana
(feeling of servitude). Supposing one does seva
of wealth. The importance of his contribution depends on his capacity or
ability. One rupee of a poor man could
be more valuable than 1 lakh rupees from rich person. Here is an interesting piece of history. When the Hindu Banaras
University in Kashi was
being constructed, the names of the donors were displayed on a board. Amongst them
was the name of a 'Rickshaw' puller who donated 75 paise. Everybody asked why
his name was put on the board as he had donated such a small amount. It was
told that the 75 paise were equal to 5 days of his income and hence it had a
lot of significance, as it was a great sacrifice for him.
What seva we do is
not a matter of importance, rather how much feeling of servitude and surrender
we have towards a Guru is important. So, we have to reach the state of complete surrender
one day.
Kabir ji said:
prem piyālā jo piye śhīśh dakṣhiṇā dey | lobhī śhīśh na de
sake nām prem kā ley ||
The
one who wishes to drink the sweet nectar of Divine Love will have to pay the
price with his head and surrender it to a Guru. The one who is attached to the
material world and is greedy will not able to do such a seva. God will not consider devotion that is done at the physical
level. Even if we visit a place of worship everyday and donate some money, God
will not consider it has pure devotion since the mind is hardly involved. When
Hanuman ji met Vibhishan in Lanka, Vibhishan asked "I have been
chanting the
name of 'Ram' for a long time, yet He has not bestowed His grace upon
me." Hanuman ji
replied "You chanted the name of Ram many times but never served Him.
You never
had feeling of servitude that is why you have not yet received His
Grace." Hence, by serving our Guru with a deep feeling of servitude and
by pleasing
him, we can receive his grace in the form of knowledge about God, Soul
and Maya. Some
people think that devotion alone is a more effective way to improve devotional
experiences than seva. So, ignoring seva, they stick to devotion, but actually
it is the seva which enhances devotional experiences. Seva is synonymous with surrender. Normally every faithful disciple
renders all the three types of services to his Guru according to his means and to
the extent of his surrender. His
amount
of seva becomes the degree of grace which he receives from his Guru. This grace
purifies his heart and improves his devotional experiences. Thus, seva (not devotion
by itself) becomes the cause of spiritual progress. Hence,
a faithful servant is called a disciple and he receives the grace of his Guru
according to the intensity of his faithfulness and the amount of his service.
Selfless seva followed by devotion ensures Divine Love, and willingly following
the wish or order of one's Guru is called seva.
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Annual Sadhana Program
Mangarh
village in Pratapgarh district of Uttar Pradesh, India, is the appearance place of
Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj.
The sadhana program
is conducted for one month.
It starts on 'Vijaydashami' day or 'Dusshera', which usually arrives in
October. Thousands of devotees pour in from all over the world to drown
themselves in a completely devotional and spiritual environment, filled
with Divine nectar showered by Shree Maharajji's Grace and presence. This
intensive devotional program is an exceptional opportunity to experience higher
states of Radha Krishna love. During these precious weeks, Shree Maharajji
constantly Graces souls with his Divine association, his unparalleled knowledge
and his Divine chantings of the names of Radha Krishna. Fortunate devotees who
have attended these sadhana programs feel the enhanced closeness of their
beloved Radha Krishna and an increased longing for their Divine vision and
Love. Throughout
the sadhana program, ecstatic chanting sessions are scheduled in the satsang
hall from early morning till late in the evening. Shree Maharajji educates sadhaks about the leelas of Radha Krishna and expounds the deepest devotional theory
and practical aspects of devotion through his Divine discourses. Devotees also
have the golden chance to do seva (devotional service) in the ashram during the
sadhana program. Magnificent
celebrations are organized for the auspicious occasions of Sharad Poornima,
Diwali and Govardhan Puja. On these festival days huge crowds of thousands of
devotees throng the enormous campus to dance, chant and drown in the love of
Shyama Shyam and Shree Maharajji. Generous
donations of clothing, utensils and blankets are distributed to the needy
villagers with the Blessings of Shree Maharajji, who is renowned for his
kindness and compassion. Many other charitable activities are also undertaken by the mission. Attending
the sadhana program in Mangarh is a priceless Divine gift. It is an opportunity
of countless lifetimes to fully immerse oneself in continuous devotion and
service. Having Shree Maharajji's satsang for an extended period of time
elevates the consciousness of the devotees and establishes their mind in Radha
Krishn love. The
Mangarh sadhana program leaves an unforgettable mark of love and devotion in
the heart of sincere devotees.
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Jagadguru Kripalu Yog
Jagadguru
Kripalu Yog (JKY) is an unparalleled system of Yog that integrates the physical
techniques (for healthy body) with devotion and meditation (for cleansing the
mind). It focuses on the mind and is based on the five sciences from the
ancient heritage of India
- Yog Asans, Pranayam, Subtle Body relaxation, Meditation and Science of Proper
Diet.
Jagadguru
Shree Kripaluji Maharaj, the Supreme Jagadguru of this age, explains that the
attainment of a healthy mind in a healthy body requires a synthesis of material
and spiritual knowledge. The body, which is made from the five material
elements and sustained by what we eat and drink, has to be kept in good shape
with the help of material science. Moreover, the mind must be cleansed and
elevated through spiritual science.
However,
in the name of "Yoga", merely asanas, or physical exercises, are
being taught. There is no doubt that exercises are helpful, but without
emphasis on the purification of the mind, their effectiveness in curing
physical diseases is limited, and mental diseases remain ignored and untouched. Jagadguru
Kripalu Yog incorporates both material and spiritual knowledge for the complete
physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual health of humankind. It is based upon the timeless wisdom of the
Vedic scriptures. The techniques of Jagadguru Kripalu Yog are not something
new; they have been practiced by 'true' yogis in India for centuries. They are the authentic scriptural form of the
various techniques - Yogasans, Pranayam, Dhyan (Meditation), Subtle-body
Meditation, Divine Love, and Healthy Diet - all in one place. For anyone desiring to learn the holistic
science of healthy living, sincere practice of these techniques will definitely
bring about well-being from within. A
healthy body and a composed mind are the building blocks for attaining our goal
in this life. Without their support,
life itself becomes a painful experience.
No matter how successful we are in our field of work, if the body is
ailing and the mind is disturbed, we will remain unhappy. Hence, our most valuable possession is not
our wealth, but our own body and mind. The old adage states: "Health is
wealth". Realizing the truth in
this statement, an intelligent person should spend time and effort to learn the
science of healthy living for physical and mental wellbeing. Sincere
and regular practice of all the five arms of Jagadguru Kripalu Yog is the best
method of attaining inner peace and tranquility. We would be covering each
aspect of JKY in future editions of the e-Magazine.
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Ask Swamiji
Question: How can we inflame our aspiration to traverse the path to
God-realization?
Answer:
One of the most important virtues that will stand you in good stead as you
move ahead towards God, is the intensity of your aspiration. A strong
aspiration will help you cut through the greatest hindrances as a knife cuts
through butter. However, if your aspiration is weak, then every little
obstacle will appear like a mountain to you. So, you must endeavour not
to remain luke warm, but to keep the desire for spiritual attainment burning
brightly. It is on this basis that the
Bible says: "Be either hot or cold; if you are luke warm I spit you out."
How can you inflame your aspiration for God?
This requires chintan, or
contemplation. Repeatedly contemplate upon the Divine knowledge of the
scriptures, and the knowledge you have heard from the lotus mouth of your Guru
and the Saints. Usually seekers feel
great inspiration when they attend the lecture series, but once it is over,
they find their enthusiasm declining.
The reason is that while hearing the lectures, the knowledge remains
fresh in their intellect. But due to
lack of revision of it, the knowledge starts evaporating, causing the dip in
the enthusiasm. In order to fix it in
the mind, you must repeatedly contemplate in it. Such chintan will strengthen your decision: "God alone is mine." A strong decision will be your asset to further steps
The Vedas describe a powerful formula for
progressing quickly on the path:
Sa yat kaamo bhavati tatkratur bhavati, yat kratur bhavati tat karma kurute, yat karma kurute tadabhi
nishpadyate
"The stronger your decision that God alone is mine,
the more intense will be your desire to meet Him. And the more intense
your desire, the deeper will be your resolve to do the things that take you
closer to Him. The deeper your resolve, the harder you will try.
The harder you try, the more Grace you will attract, and the closer you
will come to Him."
So,
appreciate the importance of a strong aspiration on the spiritual path, and
endeavour to ignite it within yourself. Do your sadhana on a daily basis.
Read "Prem Ras Siddhant" regularly, watch the lecture DVDs you have
procured, and keep revising the tattvagyan with your intellect.
Note:
Swamiji
answers selected questions related to Yog, Spirituality and Philosophy every
month on our e-Magazine. If you have a question on any of these topics, please
email editor@jkyog.org.
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