Jagadguru Kripalu Yog e-Magazine: Twelfth Edition, June 2010

JKY e-Magazine, Issue No. 12 June 2010

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In This Issue

Gems of Wisdom - Shree Maharajji

Announcements

Stay Connected

Upcoming Events

Current News

Importance and Role of a Guru - Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj

Secrets of Spiritual Sadhana - Swami Mukundananda

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Jagadguru Kripalu Yog

wisdom

At the time of death, wherever your mind is attached you will attain that object. That is why the Vedas and Saints advise 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, His Divine abode.

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Once we understand that it is in our self-interest to get happiness by seeking God and not the world, we will be able to remove the expectation of happiness from the world and focus on our devotional practice to reach Shree Krishna.

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Worldly people love only those who have wealth and prestige in the world. But Shree Krishna loves and takes care of humble souls.

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It is said that there is water in the ocean and it is also said that the ocean itself is water. Similarly, the scriptures sat that God Shree Krishna is Blissful, and that He Himself is the Divine Bliss.

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If you desire spiritual advancement, you must trust a Guru completely, allow Him to take you by the hand and guide you to God. Guru will help you along the spiritual path with obstacles and problems as and when you face them.

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It is not enough to have access to your Guru. You have to have faith in Him, only then will he be able to guide you out of the world of Maya, and into the embrace of Shree Krishna Himself. Remember, God and Guru can love and protect you only to the extent of your love and faith. If you want their hundred percent love, then surrender yourself hundred percent.

Announcements

Forthcoming
Fresno Retreat

Devotees have another opportunity to have a close association with Swamiji at the Fresno retreat in early July. Do not miss this golden opportunity! Register now and be a part of this Divine event.

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A Unique Spiritual Retreat with Swamiji
Camp Olympia, TX
Sept 4th - 6th 2010

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Welcome to the
Jagadguru Kripalu Yog
e-Magazine

Importance and Role of a Guru
by Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj

Continuing from the previous article......

The Chandogyopanishad states:

āchāryavān puruṣho hi veda

"Only that person can understand the importance of the Vedas who surrenders and takes guidance from a Guru." This is the statement of the Vedas. The Bhagavad Geeta states:

tadviddhi praṇipātena paripraśhnena sevayā
(Bhagavad Geeta 4.34)

Shree Krishna says to Arjun: "Surrender yourself to a Guru and serve him faithfully. Learn the secrets of devotion from him by asking him spiritual questions with a curious mind." Questions such as: Who is God? What is a soul? What is Maya? What is the mind? What is the intellect? Why are we under Maya? What is the goal of our life? How we will attain God? What should we do to attain God?

upadekṣhyanti te jñānaṁ jñāninastattvadarśhinaḥ

"It is only through the grace of a Guru that we can attain Divine knowledge. This is because he has practically realized God and also possesses theoretical knowledge of the scriptures."

This bhakti, or devotion, is received by the grace of Saints:

milaī jo sant hohiṁ anukoolā (Ramayan)

Without theoretical knowledge, God realization is out of question. In the material world, we are not able to learn anything by our own effort. In the spiritual realm too, it is impossible. When we want to learn a subject, we go to a person who has knowledge of that subject. Why are so many schools and colleges open throughout the world? As per the choice of our subject, we enroll in an institution. Even then, we do not receive complete knowledge of that subject. It is well known that even the biggest and most famous advocates of law refer to books. How can an advocate remember every aspect of every law? This is impossible. No advocate of any country can remember all aspects of that country's law. So, the need for a Guru or a teacher or a Mahapurush. This is necessary not only for practical knowledge, but for theoretical knowledge as well. That is why the Vedas say: "Consider Mahapurush and God as one.

yasya deve parābhaktihi yathā deve tathā gurau

(Shwetashwataropanishad)

One has to do devotion and worship the Guru as good as God. Why? Because Guru and God are one, they are the same. If somebody gives you a hundred rupee note or puts it in an envelope and places it in your hand, it is the same thing. Both have same value. Similarly, after God-realization, God Himself is seated inside the Mahapurush and governs his activities. Thus, God performs every action of a Mahapurush and that is why God and a Mahapurush are considered one. After God-realization, the duty of a Mahapurush gets over as he has attained his goal of Divine Bliss.

But one can may say that it is written in the Vedas that, after God-realization Dhruv, Prahalad, Ambarish, etc. ruled for crores of years. Arjun, Hanuman fought a war and killed thousands of people. So, how is this possible? The answer to this is that, in reality, Hanuman's mind was constantly experiencing the Bliss of God, and the doer of those actions was God Himself.

God Shree Krishna Himself says:

āchāryaṁ mā vijāniyānnāvamanyeta karhichit (Bhagavatam)

This means, "Do not consider Guru as separate from me. I am seated in the Guru's body and perform all the actions". It is as if a ghost has entered into one's body. Till the time the ghost remains inside the body, all the work is performed by that ghost. And when that ghost comes out of the human body, the individual becomes normal. In the same way, a Mahapurush is captured by a Divine ghost, God. So, the sayings of a Mahapurush are considered as the words of God, and they are devoid from all the faults and doubts. That is why all the scriptures like Ramayana, which are written by Mahapurushas, are considered as the words of God, and are trusted by us.

The definition of a true Saint is that he or she should be shrotriya as well as brahmanishth. Shotriya means, one who has full and thorough knowledge of the scriptures; and Brahmanishtha means one who has practical experience of God.

So, after God-realization, a Mahapurush gets a serious disease of working for the welfare of humankind. After this, the cause of all his actions is primarily for the welfare of humankind. He writes various books, delivers discourses for the welfare of humankind, performs different types of actions, and tolerates various kinds of criticism and humiliation, only in the hope that one day, in some way or the other, individual souls will attain Divine Bliss and get rid of all the miseries of the world. Now, here arises a question. Why did a Mahapurush get this serious disease? Why not God? Because before God-realization, the Mahapurush was like one of us, an individual soul who experienced miseries and unhappiness in this material world. Hence, he very well understands the condition of souls under Maya. That is why he feels pity on us. So, Saints are constantly concerned and care for the betterment of humankind.

par upakār vachan man kāyā, sant sahaj svabhāv khagarāyā.
(Ramayan)

History bears evidence how Saints descended in this world and tolerated all sorts of sorrows just for the sake of welfare of humankind. The Saint cannot desire anything for himself as he has become complete and attained the Divine Bliss of God. Therefore, all his actions are for the benefit of individual souls. That is why Ved Vyas says:

nāsti tattvaṁ guroḥ paraṁ

"There is no entity higher than the Guru." Also, the Guru has a higher and more important position with respect to the fulfillment of our self interest. It is the Guru who will reveal to us the Divine knowledge of God. Without having correct understanding of the philosophy, an individual soul cannot move forward in the spiritual path.

Only a Guru will teach us how to do spiritual practice and guide us in the path of God-realization by removing all the doubts that arise in our minds, so that we progress speedily in our path.

Even highly learned scholars cannot fully understand the Vedas and Shastras because they contain contradictory statements that cannot be reconciled by the human intellect. The literal meaning is different from the actual meaning. Without a practical Saint, even the creator of this universe, Lord Brahma, cannot understand the Vedas. That is why a Guru is necessary and is respected in the same position as God.

Secrets of Spiritual Sadhana
by Swami Mukundananda

Continuing from the last month...

unakī sevā hī chahahu nit, aṣhṭayāmī pyāre

Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj cautions us in the next line of "Sadhana Karu Pyare" series. He advises us to abandon our desire for happiness and also our independent wishes. A devotee can say, "Yes, I will give up the desire for my own happiness and also all my wishes. I will give up the desire for God's happiness and the desire for His seva too. I shall have no desire at all." If a devotee gives up all desires, then there will be no bhakti, or devotion left. The devotee could say that he or she has now become selfless.

However, such a selfless behavior leads you away from God and towards atheism. Shree Kripaluji Maharaj says that you should not give up all desires. You should desire to serve Him and to attain His Divine vision. But desire these two things for His happiness alone. If He wants to Grace us by giving His Divine vision, we gladly accept it. If He does not Grace us with His vision, we should not be disappointed. We must be prepared to wait patiently.

ā yā nā ā muralivāre, ro ro kar ham tumheṁ pukāreṁ

In this line from one of his keertan compositions, Shree Kripaluji Maharaj says: We will remember Him and chant His name and constantly shed tears. However, we leave it to His wish, whether to come and grace us today, or in future lifetimes.

baiṭheṁ haiṁ tākayāmat, dar pe lagāke nārā, bas ek too hamārā, bas ek too hamārā.

In this line of a kawwali composed by him, Shree Maharajji says, "We shall wait till eternity for a vision of God and keep singing this slogan, "Only You are mine, only You are mine."

At the same time, we should not lose the desire and longing for His vision. It should keep increasing. Shree Kripaluji Maharaj says that our desire to reach God must reach such an intensity that each moment without Him seems like an era. We must aim to develop this intense yearning in our hearts.

Once, a Muslim desired to go on Haj. When he was about to leave, he was delayed by some urgent work at home, and the program was cancelled. This made him very sad. He then made plans to go for Haj next year. Unfortunately, due to some other commitment, the program was cancelled again. By sheer misfortune, this continued for 40 years. When the program was cancelled for the fortieth time, he started weeping loudly.

A saint asked him the reason for his sadness, and why he was crying. He replied that his program for Haj was cancelled for forty years in succession, and he could tolerate it no longer. The saint replied that he had been to Haj forty times. He said, "Please take all the blessings that I have received by going to Haj forty times, and give me the craving, the longing, that you have for the Haj yatra." This story highlights that the result of devotion should be the growth of our eagerness to meet God. The saint is asking the other man for this longing to reach God in exchange for his pious deeds.

Shree Kripaluji Maharaj says that we need to increase this longing to reach God.

Question:
I am working with a finance firm. My dilemma is my job asks for too much of sales pressure and by the time I go home, my head is filled with the hardships of my work. I am not able to do sadhana because of that. I had read in one of your message that enthusiasm is very necessary for sadhana. Because of my work, I am not able to do anything and nirasha, or disappointment, is covering me completely. I am feeling very helpless. Not able to remember Maharajji, not able to go and meet him.

Answer:
There are two ways of remembering God and Guru. The first way is to sit down and meditate on Them. The second way is to work with this consciousness, "I am doing this work for their pleasure." The second may be more difficult, but it takes us to a higher level of Divine love. This is because it develops the spirit of service, or seva.

Even though your present job may be burdensome, you can easily do the second kind of remembrance. Whatever you earn from your job, use a portion of it to serve the mission of your Gurudev. In this way, by offering the fruits of your work to God, after having met your basic needs, you will develop the consciousness that you are working for His pleasure. You will then not look at your work as separate from your devotion, but as an integral part of it.

This is the Karmyog of the Bhagavad Geeta:

yatkaroṣhi yadaśhnāsi yajjuhoṣhi dadāsi yat |
yattpasyasi kaunteya tatkuruṣhva madarpaṇaṁ ||

"Arjun! Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever austerities you perform, and whatever you give away, do it as an offering to Me."

Along with working in this spirit, whenever you find the time, you should also practice the first kind of remembrance. Whenever you can spare the time, simply sit and think of Them. This will help you block out worldly consciousness from your mind and strengthen your devotional sentiment. So, do go and spend some days a year with your Gurudev as well, whenever your yearly schedule permits.

You may be thinking that if you did not have to work at all, then you could have spent all your time in devotion. However, there are two kinds of vairagya, or detachment. The first kind is when you find the world as painful and burdensome, and want to run away from it. Shree Krishna calls it rajasic detachment (detachment in the mode of passion):

duḥkhamityeva yatkarma kāyakleśhabhayātyajet |
sa kṛitvā rājasaṁ tyāgaṁ naiva tyāgaphalaṁ labhet ||

"Giving up one's work, thinking it to burdensome and painful, is to be considered rajasic detachment, which it does not lead to divine fruits."

The second kind of detachment is where you continue working, while giving up attachment to the results. In other words, you practice to become equanimous in pain and pleasure, success and failure, hardship and luxury, favourable and unfavourable situations. Shree Krishna calls this sattvic detachment (detachment in the mode of goodness):

kāryamityeva yatkarma niyataṁ kṛiyaterjuna |
saṅg tyaktvā phalaṁ chaiva sa tyāgaḥ sātviko mataḥ ||

"Performing one's work, simply because it is to be performed, while giving up attachment to the fruits, is sattvic detachment."

Hence, the proper path for spiritual progress is to practice devotion along with our prescribed work, even though it may be painful and burdensome. When our detachment develops to such an extent that we no longer find our work burdensome, no matter how difficult it may be, on then should we consider giving up work, and performing devotion full time. However, this step of karma sanyas is taken only under the guidance of the Guru. The vast majority of the people will have to do karmyog, where they continue doing their work, but make their consciousness divine.

While doing karmyog, you can remember God and Guru in other ways as well. Practice to feel Their presence with you. Think that They are with you and are watching you. Make Them your witness in every activity that you perform. This will help you keep your mind in the Divine realm, while you do your worldly duties with your body.

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A Young boy named Mohan - The Faith of a Child

Once, there lived a very poor widow of a Brahmin in a small village. There was nobody in the family except her 6-year old boy, Mohan. She used to beg for alms and earn her livelihood for herself and her son. She used to chant God's name and worship Him sincerely.

The village did not have a school. There was a school a few miles away where children of Brahmins of the village studied. The mother requested the teacher to admit her son in that school as that was the only school near that village. The teacher took pity and mercy on her and admitted the child.

The Brahmin children used to live in the hostel, but Mohan was very young and her mother could not be without seeing her child. So, Mohan used to go every morning to the school and return in the evening.

The small kid used to go walking in the morning to school, and come back home walking in the evening. On the way, there was a jungle. While coming back home, it used to get dark in the evening. Mohan would get scared.

One day there was an occasion in his Guru's home. So it got very late. Mohan was very scared. He started shivering out of fear by hearing the sounds of animals in the forest. Her mother also started searching her child and went out as it was very late. Somehow, she managed to find her child and was relieved. Out of innocence, the boy said, "Mother, other children have servants to take them home. I feel very scared while crossing that jungle. Please bring me a servant too."

The poor mother started crying loudly. She did not have enough money to keep a servant. Mohan also started crying after his mother and said, "Mother, don't we have someone of our own?" His mother was very touched from his question and replied, "There is nobody of our own, except Gopal. Mohan understood only that much there is somebody of his own, named Gopal. He asked her mother, "Who is Gopal? What is my relation with him? Where does he live?" His mother answered, "He is your older brother. He lives everywhere. But He is not seen anywhere. He comes to our home daily but we cannot see Him. When one calls Him with a longing and faithful heart, He comes to them and gives His vision to them.

Mohan asked, "Mother, I feel very scared while coming back home in the evening. If I call Him at that time, will He come?" His mother replied, "Yes, if you call Him with a true heart he will definitely come."

The next day while returning, when the boy again felt afraid, he cried out, "O Brother Gopal!" But there was no response. He began to weep loudly, "Where are you, Brother Gopal? Please come to me. I am afraid." There was a very sweet voice which replied, "Brother, don't be scared. I am coming." Listening to this voice all his fear went away. Then God could not hold it any longer and soon, Mohan saw a charming boy wearing yellow garments coming from behind the trees, and said: "Here I am. Why are you frightened?"

Saying this, He held Mohan's hand, showed him the way home, and made him cross the jungle. He talked to him and played with him while crossing the jungle. When he took leave, God said: "I will come whenever you call me. Do not be afraid."

Moral: One must have this faith of a child and call God's name with a faithful and a longing heart.

Trivia Time

The Jagadguru Tradition

In the past 5000 years, this world has been graced by four Divine personalities in the form of spiritual teachers, known as the Jagadguru. The word 'Jagat' refers to the entire world and 'Guru' refers to the 'person who vanquishes darkness'. Jagadguru implies 'Universal teacher and master'. India has been the seat of spiritual learning and wisdom for many thousands of years. People from across the world revered and sought the wise saints from the east, most notably from India.

The title of 'Jagadguru' is conferred on saints with unparalleled knowledge of the Divine scriptures, after intense debate on ancient scriptures, philosophy and religion featuring an elite congregation of erudite masters. It is an honor bestowed upon such a Divine saint who brings about a spiritual revolution in the minds of people, and after the unequivocal acceptance by the Vedic masters about the supreme mastery of the saint over all the scriptures.

In the ancient days, scholars traveled great distances to challenge a well-known master of the scriptures. Kashi (Benaras) and Prayag (Allahabad) were two centers of Hindu learning that attracted the learned elite from far off lands. Kashi Vidvat Parishad in Varanasi (Benaras) is the oldest body of Vedic scholars and is recognized as the foremost institution of learned professors and masters.

We have had four authentic Jagadguru Saints who have graced us in the last five millennia. Jagadguru Nimbarkarcharya, Jagadguru Shankaracharya, Jagadguru Ramanujacharya and Jagadguru Madhvacharya re-established the glory of the scriptures and wrote extensive commentaries on many of the sacred texts for the benefit of the people, as commensurate with the social, economic and religious conditions prevalent at the time of their descension.

In 1957, a gathering of 500 scholars at Kashi Vidvat Parishat sat spellbound as a thirty-four year old Saint, Shree Kripaluji Maharaj delivered his Divine discourses in Sanskrit for ten days. Invited by the President of the institution for a series of spiritual lectures, he demonstrated consummate authority over all the holy Scriptures and effortlessly reconciled the differences and controversies that existed in various philosophies, tenets and commentaries, including those of the previous four Jagadgurus.

The body conferred the title of Jagadguruttam, or the 'Supreme amongst all Jagadgurus' in addition to the title of Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj. He is also revered as 'Bhakti-Yog Rasavataar', the embodiment of the Nectar of Divine Love. Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji Maharaj reveals the path of true 'Yog' with God by teaching and practicing selfless devotion for Radha Krishna.

Jagadguru Kripalu Yog

Meditative Asans

Dandasan

Method
Sit with your legs together, outstretched in front. Hands by the side of the body (on the floor) fingers pointing backward. The spine should be staright and errect but not tense. This is the initial position for most of the meditative asans.