Spiritual Quote Of The Day

Some believe in existence.

Others believe nothing exists.

Rare is the one who believes nothing

And is never confused.

Astavakra Gita.

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Honor Your Father And Your Mother

Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you. – Exodus 20:12 (NIV)

None of us showed up on this planet by accident. God, in his sovereignty, has chosen the time and place that each of us would live. He also chose who our parents would be. Because of this, we can honor and respect our parents-not because they are perfect-but because God is perfect. If we live with unforgiveness or distance between our parents and us, we actually place our self in the position of being God. That would violate the 1st Commandment of having no other gods before God. We are not God! If we reject our parents, we are rejecting God’s perfect will for our life. To honor our parents is to respect them, as fellow flawed image bearers of God, and allow God to love them through us. To honor our parents is to honor God as LORD in our life.

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Honor Your Father And Your Mother

People don't need to be born again

‎"People don't need to be born again - they need to grow up". Priceless.

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Christian The Lion

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

There is a magnet in your heart

Paramahansa Yogananda

"There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first... when you learn to live for others, they will live for you.”

"Learn to be calm and you will always be happy."

“The happiness of one's own heart alone cannot satisfy the soul; one must try to include, as necessary to one's own happiness, the happiness of others.”

"From Joy we came; for Joy we live; and in the sacred divine joy we will one day melt again."

- Paramahansa Yogananda

Hazrat Inayat Khan

"Words that enlighten are more precious than jewels."

"Untill the heart is empty, it cannot receive the knowledge of God."

"Our success or failure depends upon the harmony or disharmony of our individual will with the Divine will."

"All the disharmony of the world caused by religious differences is the result of man's failure to understand that religion is "One", truth is "One", God is "One"; How "can" can there be two religions?"

- Hazrat Inayat Khan



Buddha

"Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense."

"Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others."

"There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting."

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without."

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly."

"On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him."

"Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity."

"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."

"You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection."

"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it."

- Buddha
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Dont worry be happy

Dont Worry Quotes

Shree Maa



Guru/Disciple



"These are the qualities of a disciple: humility, modesty, causing harm to none, patience, the purification of knowledge, worship of the teacher, purity, consistency, self control, constant equanimity of consciousness, unswerving devotion, distaste for the society of gossip, always residing in spiritual wisdom. All that is opposed is ignorance."















Tukaram



"He who utters the Name of God while walking

gets the merit of a sacrifice at every step

His body becomes a place of pilgrimage.

He who repeats God's Name while working

always finds perfect peace."



- Tukaram Extract from "Name of God"

Sri Aurobindo



"The last stage of perfection occurs when you are completely identified with the Divine Mother and feel yourself to be no longer another and separate instrument, servant, or worker but truly a child and eternal portion of her consciousness; it will be your constant, simple, and natural experience that all your thought and seeing and action, your very breathing or moving come from her and are hers."



- Sri Aurobindo



Peter Deunov



"Nothing else is demanded of you but to be in harmony with the entire Universe."



"Peacemakers are living in the Divine Fire.

Peacemaking is the Divine beam,

which comes from the depth of the human soul.

The peacemakers are the Sons of God.

Peacemaking is a Divine Light and it comes from the flame that has created it."



"The greater the sacrifice one makes, the bigger one becomes.

The more sacrifices one makes, the wiser one becomes,

the stronger one becomes, and the better one becomes.

Good people have sacrificed themselves, that is why they are strong."



"Open your hearts to the Divine and do not think about what will happen to you.

Open your minds to the sublime and bright thoughts and do not worry about tomorrow."



"Joy should accompany you. Your mind cannot grow without joy.

Your mind cannot be strong if you have no peace."



"Love is the only force that acts without any bias.

It opens your eyes instead of clouding them.

When you love, you can see clearly.

Only through love can you know people."



"Love is the basis, the foundation of everything,

for it is a virtue that is blind to human mistakes, and is never offended.

Even in in the worst mistakes it only sees something positive."



"I teach a great love, an active love, a love of kisses but also meaningful,

a love of feelings but also intense and noble, a love of power but of a light-giving power,

so that there may be love wherever we go!"



"Until now, man was living for himself. But from now on Mother Love,

as an impulse within the consciousness of humanity,

is urging an improvement for everyone without exception.

Therefore, all people must act together for the well-being and happiness of the whole of humanity".



"Unconditional Mother Love is the door through which man can enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

Christ also pointed out to us that Love is the only path for salvation of the human soul."



"Your Mother is coming."



- Peter Deunov



Ramprasad Sen (1718 - 1775),

the ecstatic poet-mystic of Bengal.



"O foolish mind, do not indulge in hatred for any sacred way if you wish to enter pure Reality. With desperate longing for truth alone, the singer of this song has plunged into the ocean of ancient Scriptures, discovering at last that my blissful Mother, her black hair falling free in ecstasy, is the living power within every religious symbol, the coherent core of every philosophy. She is the warrior spirit, Kali dancing, and she is Shiva, all-transcending. She is ineffable sweetness, Radha-Krishna, the love play that dissolves conventionality. She is Sita-Ram, compassionately wise, the complete evolution of humanity."



- Ramprasad



Teresa of Avila



"It is love alone that gives worth to all things."



"Accustom yourself continually to make many acts of love, for they enkindle and melt the soul."



"Do not dismayed, at the number of things which you have to consider

before setting out on this divine journey,

which is the royal road to heaven.

By taking this road we gain such precious treasures

that it is no wonder if the cost seems to us a high one.

The time will come when we shall realize that all we have paid

has been nothing at all by comparison with the greatness of our prizes."



"Each of us has a soul, but we forget to value it.

We don't remember that we are creatures made in the image of God.

We don't understand the great secrets hidden inside of us."



"Prayer is nothing else than being on terms of friendship with God."



- Teresa of Avila



Haidakhan Babaji



"Everything in this world is transient. It has no reality. True reality is to proceed on the path of truth, to keep the company of saintly people, and to render service to men."



"There is no saint without a past, and no sinner without a future."



"You all think devotion is fun. Some day you will have to jump without fear of life or death; then you will be able to make progress. When the time comes, you will have to walk through fire and water."



"You should become pioneers of this age and search for truth. You have to become adventurous and awaken truth within you. This is real yoga."



"Courage is the most important thing...Wake up yourselves and others. Control your mind and have firm determination... Be firm like a rock, deep and serious like the sea. Think of the earth as a mother. Have great courage and patience - and be not afraid of water, fire or great storms - face them bravely. Face the fire and it will turn to ice. This requires control of mind and a firm determination."



"Awake! Arise! And be exalted! Make your life a success!."



-Haidakhan Babaji



Meher Baba



"A mind that is fast is sick. A mind that is slow is sound. A mind that is still is divine."



"Love is essentially self-communicative: those who do not have it catch it from those who have it.... No amount of rites, rituals, ceremonies, worship, meditation, penance and remembrance can produce love in themselves. None of these is necessarily a sign of love. On the contrary, those who sigh loudly and weep and wail have yet to experience love. Love sets on fire the one who finds it. At the same time it seals his lips so that no smoke comes out.



"Love can attain what the intellect cannot fathom."



"Don't worry. Be happy."



-Meher Baba



Ramana Maharshi



"Happiness is your nature. It is not wrong to desire it. What is wrong is seeking it outside when it is inside."



"Nearly all mankind is more or less unhappy because nearly all do not know the true Self. Real happiness abides in Self-knowledge alone. All else is fleeting. To know one's Self is to be blissful always."



" Bliss is not something to be got. On the other hand you are always Bliss. This desire [for Bliss] is born of the sense of incompleteness. To whom is this sense of incompleteness? Enquire. In deep sleep you were blissful. Now you are not so. What has interposed between that Bliss and this non-bliss? It is the ego. Seek its source and find you are Bliss."



"Nobody doubts that he exists, though he may doubt the existence of God. If he finds out the truth about himself and discovers his own source, this is all that is required."



"That inner Self, as the primeval Spirit, Eternal, ever effulgent, full and infinite Bliss, Single, indivisible, whole and living, Shines in everyone as the witnessing awareness. That self in its splendour, shining in the cavity of the heart This self is neither born nor dies, Neither grows nor decays, Nor does it suffer any change. When a pot is broken, the space within it is not, And similarly, when the body dies the Self in it remains eternal."



"Reality is simply the loss of ego. Destroy the ego by seeking its identity. Because the ego is no entity it will automatically vanish and reality will shine forth by itself."



"God dwells in you, as you, and you don't have to 'do' anything to be God-realized or Self-realized, it is already your true and natural state." Just drop all seeking, turn your attention inward, and sacrifice your mind to the One Self radiating in the Heart of your very being. For this to be your own presently lived experience, Self-Inquiry is the one direct and immediate way."



"Heart" is merely another name for the Supreme Spirit, because He is in all hearts. The entire Universe is condensed in the body, and the entire body in the Heart. Thus the Heart is the nucleus of the whole Universe."



"Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world. "



- Ramana Maharshi

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Dont Worry Quotes

Wisdom is intelligence

Sri Trilinga Swami

Sri Trilinga Swami of Benares, born in Andhra Desa, lived some fifty years ago. He lived for 280 years. He made his Tapas in Manasarovar, Tibet. Once Ramakrishna Paramahamsa also saw him at Benares.


From "Kundalini Yoga" by Sri Swami Sivananda

Trailinga Swami was a great devotee.

He closed his door and sat inside for three days.

One of his devotees was standing outside the door and wondered, "What's going on here ?"

He went and knocked on the door.

Trailinga Swami asked , "Who's there?"

He replied , "I am , Guruji, I am."

Trailinga Swami did not make any move at all. He sat silently in his room.

The disciple was thinking, "What happened to my Guru ? He is sitting inside. Before he was always happy to see me, and now he is not replying at all."

He sat outside and began to think, "What happened to the Guru?"

The next day he came again and knocked on the door.

Trailinga Swami said ,"Who is there?"

The disciple once again replied, "I am, Guruji."

Trailinga Swami kept silent.

All the day and all the night, the Guru did not open the door, and the disciple sat outside. The disciple sat through the whole night wondering why the Guru didn't open the door.

On the third day he went and knocked on the door. Guruji asked, "Who's there?"

The disciple replied,"You are."

And the Guru opened the door.

Pilot Baba

"Drop everything that has come from outside. Throw it out.
Suddenly you will find your mind is giving way into no-mind.
You have only to drop the rubbish.
Your body is only a temple.
Your subjectivity - is a silent , peaceful, just an empty space -
is the very source you have come from and is the very goal - are going towards.
When the source and the goal meet, you are enlightened .
The whole circle , the whole piligrimage is complete."

"One birth is given by your parents.
Another birth you have to manage by yourself.
The first birth is going to end up in death.
The second birth is the beginning of ETERNITY -
no death - no end - no beginning."

"Remember that only individuals have ever become enlightened.
Others have become a part of a crowd as a Hindu, as a Christian, as a Muslim.
Crowds never become enlightened. Only individuals.
Only those people who have guts and courage to be alone -
are capable of stopping the movement of the mind
and can settle into their inner innocence.
The deeper you go within yourself the purer the sources of consciousness that you will find.
When you reach to the very centre of your being,
you have reached to the center of the Universe.
Then blossoms wisdom, you become a sage - a Realised one ."

"Truth of life cannot be " NO ", neither can it be the ultimatel goal.
Because creation does not exist in "NO" but exists in "YES."
Because the flow of the life is in "YES."
To live with "YES" (Sanyasa) means that one is ready to dissolve into the existence,
that the dew drop is ready to drop into the ocean.
But the moment the dew drop drops into the ocean,
it also becomes the ocean.
Go beyond "NO" try to reach to the ultimate "YES."
Knowledge is quantity. Wisdom is not quantity - it is quality.
Knowledge is intellectual Wisdom is intelligence. Knowledge can be quantified -
you can measure it - B.A, M.A, Ist Div, II Div. etc.
But Wisdom cannot be quantified - there is no way to measure it, it is eternal."

- Pilot Baba

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Debt to the Guru

Swami Muktananda

Debt to the Guru

Question: You once said that it is impossible to ever repay the debt to the Guru. Is there no way for the disciple to repay the Guru for his divine grace?

Baba Muktananda: If you could tell me how to get free from this debt I would welcome your suggestion. Then I too would be able to free myself from this debt to my Guru, along with you.

Being fully aware that I can never repay that debt, I am honoring him here so much: I am holding arati [sacred ceremony of waving of lights] to him three times a day. I am following his teaching. Whatever I am doing is exactly what he wanted me to do.

What could a disciple possibly give to repay the debt to the Guru? We had only one thing and that was bondage, and the Guru took that away.

The Guru has awakened our inner Shakti; he has transformed our inner being and has made us like himself. How can we ever repay the Guru for this?

What do we have which could clear the debt? Nobody should think that the Guru's debt can be repaid by offering so many acres of land, which belong to the Lord in any case, or by offering him a few bundles of cloth. The Guru has transmitted his own power into us and has brought about a radical change in us.

Jnaneshwar Maharaj writes eloquently on this theme in his poetry. He says, "I am trying to find out how I can repay the debt to You, O Lord, but I have not succeeded. I could not repay this debt with anything of this world, so finally I have decided to give myself to You—the whole of myself—and I will no longer remain me.

Take my sense of separateness away from me forever so that even the question of repaying your debt may vanish from my mind." A disciple should therefore give himself to the Guru. He has nothing else by which he can repay the Guru.

- Swami Muktananda




Swami Sivananda

The Guru Disciple Relationship

Swami Sivananda once wrote that no person should think he is so great that he does not need the help and guidance of a superior person. There are so many things that the aspirant cannot see at the outset, and as he continues along the path of spiritual practice he will encounter difficulties that might otherwise overwhelm him. For these reasons the instruction and support of a guru are essential.

At the same time, it is probably not the verbal instruction from the guru that is the most important gift from him - rather it is his own life and shining example. Swami Sivananda did not spend much time giving lectures to his disciples; they all learned from him by watching the example he set. "My life is my teaching," he once said. Merely being with him, in his presence and under his protection could transform a person. One need only look at the truly great ones who Gurudev brought forth into the spiritual world: Swami Chidanandaji, Swami Krishnanandaji, Swami Venkatesanandaji, and Swami Satchidandandaji among so many others.

However, in this modern world, one must be extremely careful when choosing a guru. There are many persons who have crowned themselves "gurus" who abuse the authority of that trusted position. Until an aspirant has been able to observe a teacher over time, form a clear opinion of him and his character and trustworthiness, only then should the seeker commit himself heart and soul to that guru.

This guru-disciple bond is the most important relationship in a human life. It is in actual fact not a relationship between two human beings, but is the divine reaching out to the divine. This association is therefore not limited by time and space, but is an expression of the infinite.



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Always try to perform your duties

Paramahansa Ramakrishna

"Perform your duties in an unselfish spirit. Always try to perform your duties without desiring any result. All, without exception, perform work. Even to chant the name and glories of God is work, as is the meditation of the non-dualist on 'I am He'. Breathing is also an activity. There is no way of renouncing work altogether. So do your work, but surrender the result to God." - Paramahansa Ramakrishna

Devotee: You mean we can do the work of the world and also contemplate God?

Ramakrishna: Yes, you will do them both. You have to perform the work of the world, but from time to time go into solitude and pray that you can perform those activities without personal desire. Then you will say, "Hey, God, reduce my worldly desires because when I see that there is so much work in front of me, I forget you. I think that I am acting selflessly, but I actually have lots of desires." If you are pursuing name, gain, and fame, you cannot be free from desire.

"Devotion to God may be said to be 'green' so long as it doesn't grow into love of God; but it becomes 'ripe' when it has grown into such love. A man with 'green bhakti cannot assimilate spiritual talk and instruction; but one with 'ripe' bhakti can. The image that falls on a photographic plate covered with black film is retained. On the other hand, thousands of images may be refelected on a piece of bare glass, but not one of them is retained. As the object moves away, the glass becomes the same as it was before." - Sri Ramakrishna

"There are certain characteristics of God-vision. One sees light, feels joy, and experiences the upsurge of a great current in one's chest, like the bursting of a rocket."
- from "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna" (Abridged Edition): The Master and Keshab

Once, Sri Ramakrishna was asked: "Where is God? How can we reach him?" Sri Ramakrishna replied: "Adopt adequate means for the end you seek to attain. You cannot get butter by crying, "There is butter in the milk!" If you wish to make butter, turn the milk into curds, and churn it well. Then alone can you get butter. Therefore, if you long to see God, practice spiritual exercises. Everything depends upon the will of the Lord. Effort is necessary for God-vision. 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 conclude that the sea has none. Dive again and again. You are sure to be rewarded in the end. So is it with the finding of the Lord. If your first attempt proves fruitless, do not lose heart. Persevere in your efforts. You are sure to realize him at last."

Ramakrishna: The devotion that sadhus derive from their sadhana is not the same as the devotion of worldly people. Worldly devotion always calculates, "I have to do this much japa. I have to sit for so many hours in meditation. I have to do that much worship." They keep an account of how much they do.
- from Ramakrishna The Nectar of Eternal Bliss Copyright 2005 Devi Mandir Publications First Edition

SAYINGS OF PARAMAHANSA RAMAKRISHNA

More are the names of God and infinite are the forms through which He may be approached. In whatever name and form you worship Him, through them you will realize Him.

One should not think, 'My religion alone is the right path and other religions are false.' God can be realized by means of all paths. It is enough to have sincere yearning for God. Infinite are the paths and infinite are the opinions.

You see many stars in the sky at night, but not when the sun rises. Can you therefore say that there are no stars in the heavens during the day? Because you cannot find God in the days of your ignorance, say not that there is no God.

Little children play with dolls in the outer room just as they like, without any care of fear or restraint; but as soon as their mother comes in, they throw aside their dolls and run to her crying, "Mamma, mamma." You too, are now playing in this material world, infatuated with the dolls of wealth, honour, fame, etc., If however, you once see your Divine Mother, you will not afterwards find pleasure in all these. Throwing them all aside, you will run to her.

As the cloud covers the sun, so Maya hides God. When the cloud moves away, the sun is seen again, when Maya is removed, God becomes manifest.

The sun can give heat and light to the whole world, but he cannot do so when the clouds shut out his rays. Similarly as long as egotism veils the heart, God cannot shine upon it.

Rain-water never stands on high ground, but runs down to the lowest level. So also the mercy of God remains in the hearts of the lowly, but drains off from those of the vain and the proud.

If you feel proud, let it be in the thought that you are the servent of God, the son of God. Great men have the nature of a child. They are always a child before Him; so they are free from pride. All their strength is of God and not their own. It belongs to Him and comes from Him.

To explain God after merely reading the scriptures is like explaining to a person the city of Benares after seeing it only in a map.

Common men talk 'bagfuls' of religion but do not practise even a 'grain' of it. The wise man speaks a little, even though his whole life is religion expressed in action.

The nearer you come to God, the less you are disposed to questioning and reasoning. When you actually attain Him, when you behold Him as the reality, then all noise, all disputations, come to an end.

Sugar and sand may be mixed together, but the ant rejects the sand and carres away the grains of sugar. So the holy and pious men successfully sift the good from the bad.

The spiritually minded belong to a caste of their own, beyond all social conventions.

A boat may stay in water, but water should not stay in boat. A spiritual aspirant may live in the world, but the world should not live within him.

Forgiveness is the true nature of the ascetic.

As a toy fruit or a toy elephant reminds one of the real fruit and the living animal, so do the images that are worshipped remind one of the God who is formless and eternal.

God comes not where reign timidity, hatred and fear.

A young plant should always be protected against goats and cows and the miscief of little urchins, by means of a fence. But when it becomes a big tree, a flock of goats or a herd of cows can freely find shelter under its spreading boughs and fill their stomachs with their leaves. So when your faith is yet in its infancy, you should protect it from the evil influences of bad company. But when you grow strong in faith, no worldliness or evil inclination will dare approach your holy presence; and many who are wicked will become godly through their holy contact with you.

In a potter's shop there are vessels of different shapes and forms — pots, jars, dishes, plates, etc., — but all are made of the same clay. So God is one, but He is worshipped in different ages and climes under different names and aspects.

One can ascend the top of a house by means of a ladder or a bamboo or a staircase or a rope; so too, diverse are the ways of approaching God, and each religion in the world shows one of the ways.

He who has faith has all, and he who lacks faith lacks all.

As one thinks, so does one become.

Unless one always speaks the truth, one cannot find God Who is the soul of truth.

It is very pleasant to scratch an itching ring-worm, but the sensation one gets afterwards is very painful and intolerable. In the same way the pleasures of this world are very attractive in the beginning, but their consequences are terrible to contemplate and hard to endure.

To drink pure water from a shallow pond one should gently take the water from the surface without disturbing the pond in the least. If it is disturbed, the sediments rise up and make the whole water muddy. If you desire to be pure, have firm faith, and slowly go on with your devotional practices, without wasting your energy in useless scriptural discussions and arguments. Your little brain will otherwise be muddled.

Sunlight is one and the same wherever it falls; but only a bright surface like that of water, or of a mirror reflects it fully. So is the light Divine. It falls equally and impartially on all hearts, but the pure and pious hearts of holy men receive and reflect that light well.

Who is whose Guru? God alone is the guide and Guru of the universe.

It is immaterial whether one believes or not that Radha and Krishna were incarnations of God. One may believein God's incarnation. Or one may not believei His assuming form, human or otherwise. But let all have a yearning for this Anuraga (intense love for the Lord). This intense love is the one thing needful.

As water, when congealed, becomes ice, so also the visible form of the Almighty is the materialised manifestation of the all-prevading formless Brahman. It may be called in fact Sachchidananda (Existance - Knowledge - Bliss Absolute) solidified. As the ice, which is a part and parcel of water, remains in water and afterwards melts into it, so the Personal God, Who is a part and parcel of the Impersonal, rises from the Impersonal, remains there, and ultimately merges into It and disappears.

As the shell, the pith and the kernel of the fruit are all produced form one parent seed of the tree, so from the one Lord is produced the whole of creation, animate and inanimate, spiritual and material.

A jar kept in water is full of water inside and outside. Thus the soul immersed in God sees the all-prevading Spirit within and without.

When the head of a goat is severed from its body, the trunk struggles for some time, still showing signs of life. Similarly, though ahamkara (egotism) is slain in the perfect man, yet enough of its vitality is left to make him carry on the functions of physical life; but it is not sufficient to bind him again into the world.

The body is born, and it will have to die. But there is no death to the soul. When the betel-nut is ripe, the nut seperates from the outer case, but it is very difficult to seperate it while the nut is green. When God is attained, there dawns the conciousness that the soul is separate from the body.

When the tail of the tadpole drops off, it can live both in water and on land. When the tail of delusive ignorance drops off from man, he becomes free. He can then live in God and the world equally well.

Do yourself what you wish others to do.

Reality with attributes, saguna Brahman, has been unanimously declared by the Vedas, Puranas, and Tantras to be Mahakali, the primordial energy of awareness. Her Energy is like the rays of the sun. The original sun is attributeless Reality, nirguna Brahman, boundless Awareness alone. Proceed to the Original through its Radiance. Awaken to non-dual Reality through Mother Kali. She holds the key.

My Mother is the principle of consciousness. She is akhanda satchidananda; indivisible Reality, Awareness, and Bliss. The night sky between the stars is perfectly black. The waters of the ocean depths are the same. The infinite is always mysteriously dark. This inebriating darkness is my beloved Kali....

Think of Brahman, Existance, Knowledge - Bliss Absolute, as a shoreless ocean. Through the cooling influence, as it were, of the bhakta's love, the water has frozen at places into blocks of ice. In other words, God now and then assumes various forms for His lovers and reveals Himself to them as a Person.

The one goal of life is to cultivate love for God, the love that the milkmaids, the milkmen, and the cowherd boys of VrindAvan felt for Krishna. When Krishna went away to Mathura, the cowherds roamed about weeping bitterly because of their separation from Him.

Live in the world like a waterfowl. The water clings to the bird, but the bird shakes it off. Live in the world like a mudfish. The fish lives in the mud, but its skin is always bright and shiny.

He who is called Brahman by the jnanis is known as Atman by the yogis and as Bhagavan by the bhaktas. The same brahmin is called priest, when worshipping in the temple, and cook, when preparing a meal in the kitchen. The jnani, following the path of knowledge, always reason about the Reality saying, 'not this, not this.' Brahman is neither 'this' nor 'that'; It is neither the universe nor its living beings. Reasoning in this way, the mind becomes steady. Finally it disappears and the aspirant goes into samadhi. This is the Knowledge of Brahman. It is the unwavering conviction of the jnani that Brahman alone is real and the world is illusory. All these names and forms are illusory, like a dream. What Brahman is cannot be described. One cannot even say that Brahman is a Person. This is the opinion of the jnanis, the followers of Vedanta. But the bhaktas accept all the states of consciousness. They take the waking state to be real also. They don't think the world to be illusory, like a dream. They say that the universe is a manifestation of the God's power and glory. God has created all these - sky, stars, moon, sun, mountains, ocean, men, animals. They constitute His glory. He is within us, in our hearts. Again, He is outside. The most advanced devotees say that He Himself has become all this - the 24 cosmic principles, the universe, and all living beings. The devotee of God wants to eat sugar, and not become sugar. Do you know how a lover of God feels? His attitude is: 'O God, Thou art the Master, and I am Thy servant. Thou art the Mother, and I Thy child.' Or again: 'Thou art my Father and Mother. Thou art the Whole, and I am a part.' He does not like to say, 'I am Brahman.' They yogi seeks to realize the Paramatman, the Supreme Soul. His ideal is the union of the embodied soul and the Supreme Soul. He withdraws his mind from sense objects and tries to concentrate on the Paramatman. Therefore, during the first stage of his spiritual discipline, he retires into solitude and with undivided attention practices meditation in a fixed posture. But the reality is one and the same; the difference is only in name. He who is Brahman is verily Atman, and again, He is the Bhagavan. He is Brahman to the followers of the path of knowledge, Paramatman to the yogis, and Bhagavan to the lovers of God.

Man cannot really help the world. God alone does that - He who has created the sun and the moon, who has put love for their children in parents' hearts, endowed noble souls with compassion, and holy men and devotees with divine love. The man who works for others, without any selfish motive, really does good to himself.

A man cannot realize God unless he gets rid of all such egoistic ideas as 'I am such an important man' or 'I am so and so'. Level the mound of 'I' to the ground by dissolving it with the tears of devotion.

Can you weep for Him with intense longing of heart? Men shed a jugful of tears for the sake of their children, for their wives, or for money. But who weeps for God?

Whatever appears in the Pure Mind is the voice of God. That which is Pure Mind is also Pure Buddhi; that, again, is Pure Atman, because there is nothing pure but God.

God is realized as soon as the mind becomes free from attachment. But in order to realize God one must go beyond dharma and adharma.

Knowledge leads to unity; ignorance to diversity.

Once a man realizes God through intense dispassion, he is no longer attached to woman. Even if he must lead the life of a householder, he is free from fear of and attachment to woman. Suppose there are two magnets, one big and the other small. Which one will attract the iron? The big one,of course. God is the big magnet. Compared to Him, woman is a small one. He who has realized God does not look upon a woman with the eye of lust; so he is not afraid of her. He perceives clearly that women are but so many aspects of the Divine Mother. He worships them all as the Mother Herself.

God is realized by following the path of truth. One should always chant His name. Even while one is performing one's duties, the mind should be left with God.

All will surely realize God. All will be liberated. It may be that some get their meal in the morning, some at noon, and some in the evening, but none will go without food. All, without any exception, will certainly know the real Self. * It is said that truthfulness alone constitutes the spiritual discipline of the Kaliyuga. If a man clings tenaciously to Truth he ultimately realizes God.

To be humble is to be on the first leg of the journey to purity. The humble has yet to be on the first leg of the journey to purity. The humble has yet to be pure. He is on the way to it. One cannot be pure without being humble, because there is no greater impurity than ego."

Spiritual discipline is necessary in order to see God. I had to pass through very severe discipline. How many austerities I practised under the bel-tree! I would lie down under it, crying to the Divine Mother, 'O Mother, reveal Thyself to me.' The tears would flow in torrents and soak my body.

The great Goal can never be reached unless a man makes his mind strong and firmly resolves that he must realize God in this very birth, nay, in this very moment.

God can be realized through all paths. All religions are true. The important thing is to reach the roof. You can reach it by stone stairs or by wooden stairs or by bamboo steps or by a rope. You can also climb up by a bamboo pole. * The formless Absolute is my Father, and God with form is my Mother. God reveals Himself in the form which His devotee loves most. His love for the devotee knows no bounds.

If you desire to be pure, have firm faith, and slowly go on with your devotional practices without wasting your energy in useless scriptural discussions and arguments. Your little brain will otherwise be muddled.

A poor devotee points to the sky and says, "God is up there." An average devotee says, "God dwells in the heart as the Inner Master." The best devotee says, "God alone is and everything I perceive is a form of God."

- Sri Ramakrishna

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Teachings of Jnanesvar

Jnaneshvar

Jnaneshvar was a great Siddha, mystic and poetic genius of Maharashtra, India who died at the age of 21 in ecstasy. His spiritual roots were in both the Nath and Bhakti traditions and listed his lineage as Shiva, Shakti, Matsyendra, Gorakhnath, Gahini and Nivritti (his elder brother). At the age of fifteen (1290) he is said to have delivered ex tempore the nine-thousand verses of his poetic commentary on the Bhagavad Gita; Jnaneshvari (Jnaneshwari) or "Goddess of Wisdom" [ also called Bhava-Artha-Dipika ("Light on the meaning of Being")]. Jnaneshvar's teaching was non-dualist, saying that the mainifest world is a "sport" (vilasa) of the Absolute; the Love of the singular Reality, and regarded bhakti (devotion), the means to liberation.

Excerpt from Jnaneshwari

[The devotee] regards the Guru as a holy place, his deity, mother, and father, and knows no other path than service to him.

It is the joy of his life to live in his Guru's house, and he loves others who serve the Guru as his own brothers.

The repetition of the Guru's name is his only prayer, and his only scripture is his Guru's words.

For him the water that touches his Guru 's feet embraces all the holy places in the three worlds.

If he should find some of the leftovers of his Guru's meal, they would be a feast far more sumptuous for him than even the bliss of samadhi.

O Arjuna, he would take a speck of the dust raised by his Guru's feet as the price with which to obtain eternal joy.

What more can I say? His devotion is boundless. Out of overpowering inspiration, I have described it in this way.

A person who has this kind of devotion and who enjoys nothing but serving the Guru is a treasure house of wisdom. Wisdom is even honored by his existence. He is a god and wisdom is his devotee.

Wisdom enters him through open doors and lives in him. It is enough to satisfy the whole world.

Jnanadeva says, My soul takes delight in serving my Guru. This is why I have explained it in such detail.

Otherwise, if I am not occupied in serving him, I am helpless even though I have hands, I am blind to worship even though I have eyes, and I am less able than a lame man to walk around the temple.

I am mute in praising his glory even though I have a voice, an idler who eats others' food. Yet in my heart I have the sincere desire to serve him.

The "King of Saints" was Jnaneshwar (1271-1293), who, while living only twenty-two years, made an indelible mark on the whole of Hindu spirituality. Before Jnaneshwar's time, the scriptures of India were in the secret language of Sanskrit and completely unavailable to the lower classes. Breaking from tradition, Jnaneshwar not only translated the central Sanskrit text, the Bhagavad Cita, into the common language of Marathi but added a magnificent commentary which expounds the complete path of yoga and spiritual practice. His commentary, the Jnaneshwari, still stands among the greatest spiritual works ever written.

It cannot be spoken of or spoken to; by no means may It be comprehended by the intellect.

Salutations to the Lord of all, who is concealed with-in the visible universe. It is He who causes this universe to appear, and it is He who causes it to vanish as well. When He is revealed, the universe disappears; when He is concealed, the universe shines forth. Yet He doesn't hide Himself, nor does He reveal Himself; He is always present before us at every moment. No matter how diverse and varied the universe appears, He remains unmoved, unchanged. And this is just as one would expect, since He is always one, without a second.

... It's that one pure Consciousness who becomes everything-from the gods above to the earth below. Objects may be regarded as high or low, but the ocean of Consciousness, ever-pure, is all that ever is. Though the shadows on the wall are ever changing, the wall itself remains steady and unmoved. Likewise, the forms of the universe take shape from Consciousness-the eternal, primordial One.

Sugar is only sugar, even though it may be made into many forms. Likewise, the ocean of Consciousness is always the same, though it becomes all the forms of the universe. Various articles of clothing are made from the same cotton cloth; likewise, the varied forms of the universe are creatively fashioned of the one Consciousness, which remains forever pure.

Whatever form appears, appears because of Him. There is nothing else here but the Self. It is the gold itself which shines in the form of a necklace or a coin; they are made of nothing but gold. In the current of the river or in the waves of the sea, there is nothing but water. Similarly, in the universe, there is nothing which exists or is brought into existence other than the Self. Though it may be smelled, or touched, or seen, there is nothing else in camphor but camphor. Likewise, no matter how He experiences Himself, the Self is all that is. Whether appearing as the seen, or perceiving as the seer, nothing else exists besides the Self.

Through Her, The absolute Void became the primal Person (Purusha); And She derived Her existence from Her Lord.

Shiva formed His beloved Himself; And without Her presence, No Person exists.

Because of Her form, God is seen in the world. Yet it was He Who created Her form of Himself.

When He embraces Her, It is His own bliss that Shiva enjoys. He is the Enjoyer of everything, But there is no enjoyment without Her.

She is His form, But Her beauty comes from Him. By their intermingling, They are together enjoying this feast.

Shiva and Shakti are the same, Like air and its motion, Or gold and its lustre.

Fragrance cannot be separated from musk, Nor heat from fire; Neither can Shakti be separated from Shiva.

If night and day were to approach the Sun, Both would disappear. In the same way, the duality of Shiva and Shakti Vanishes, when their essential unity is seen.

Since He appears because of Her, And She exists because of Her Lord, The two cannot be distinguished at all.

When He awakes, the whole house disappears, And nothing is left.

They became two for the purpose of diversity; And both are seeking each other For the purpose of becoming one.

Each is an object to the other; And both are subjects to each other. Only when together do they enjoy happiness.

The lover, out of boundless love, Has become the Beloved. Both are made of the same substance And share the same food.

Out of love for each other, they merge; And again they separate for the pleasure of being two.

When sleep comes to an end, a man returns to his senses. Now my individuality has come to an end, and I have returned to Shiva and Shakti.

Salt gives up its salty taste to become one with the ocean; I give up my individual self to become Shiva and Shakti.

When the covering is removed, the air inside a plantain tree merges with the air outside. And this is how I honor Shiva and Shakti by removing all separation and becoming one with them.

Out of Supreme love they swallow up each other But separate again for the joy of being two.

They are not completely the same but neither are they different. No one can tell exactly what they are.

How intense is their longing to be with each other. This is their greatest bliss. Never, not even in jest, Do they allow their unity to be disturbed.

They are so averse to separation That even though they have become this entire world, Never for a moment do they let a difference come between them.

They created a difference to enjoy this world. When that "difference" had one glimpse of their intimacy It could not help but merge back into the bliss of their eternal union.

They become two for the sake of a divine play, But in every moment they seek to become one again.

How can we distinguish these two from each other? He appears because of Her, And She exists because of Him.

To capture light we take hold of fire. To capture the Supreme Shiva we must take hold of Shakti.

An object has a reflection: When looking we see two images, yet there is only one thing. Likewise, this world is a reflection of the Supreme Lord. We may see two, Yet only One exists.

Out of pure emptiness She gives rise to the entire world. Everything depends on Her. Yet She exists only because of Her Lord.

Merged in unity there was nothing to do. So Shakti, the bringer of good fortune, Created this world for the sake of divine play.

She reveals Her Lord's splendor by melting Herself and becoming everything; And He glorifies Her by hiding Himself completely.

He is so mysterious and subtle, That while apparent He cannot be seen. It is by Her grace alone that He comes into being.

While He is sleeping, She gives birth to all that exists and all that does not exist. When She is sleeping, He has no form at all.

Look! He is hidden, and cannot be found without Her. For they are mirrors, each revealing the other.

She is His very form, But Her radiance comes from Him. Blending into one, they enjoy the nectar of their own union.

Shiva and Shakti are one, Like air and the wind, Like gold and its luster,

Shiva and Shakti cannot be separated. They are like musk and its fragrance, like fire and its heat.

In the light of the Sun there is no difference between day and night. In the Light of the Supreme Truth there is no difference between Shiva and Shakti.

Jnanadeva says, I honor the union of Shiva and Shakti, who devour this world of name and form like a sweet dish. All that remains is the One."

Embracing each other they merge into One, As darkness merges with the light At the breaking of dawn.

When we discover their Unity, All words and all thoughts dissolve into silence, Just as when the Universal Deluge comes, the waters of the ocean, and those of the Ganges, will merge into one.

The air and the wind will merge into the endless sky; The sun and its light will merge into the Universal Fire.

With a true vision of them, the seer and the seen merge into one. Again I honor the two who are one.

They are like an ocean of knowledge. And only those who throw themselves in can drink of their waters.

I appear separate from them just so I can honor them. But that separation is not real, it is only in name.

- Jnaneshwar




Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

If you look at me I look at you.

Nicholas Roerich

"Each man bears “a balance within his breast”; each weighs for himself his karma. And so now liberally, the living raiment of beauty is offered to all. And each living rational being, may receive from it a garment, and cast away from him that ridiculous fear which whispers, “This is not for you.” One must be rid of that gray fear, mediocrity. Because all is for you if you manifest the wish from a pure source. But remember, flowers do not blossom on ice. Yet how many icicles do we strew, benumbing our worthiest striving through menial cowardice.

Some coward hearts inwardly determine that beauty cannot be reconciled with the gray dross of our day. But only faint-heartedness has whispered to them, the faint-heartedness of stagnation. Still among us are those who repeat that electricity is blinding us; that the telephone is enfeebling our hearing; that automobiles are not practical for our roads. Just so timorous and ignorant is the fear of the non-reconciliation of beauty. Expel at once from our household this absurd unsounding “no” and transform it, by the gift of friendship and by the jewel of spirit, into “Yes.” How much turbid stagnation there is in “No” and how much of openness to attainment in “Yes”! One has but to pronounce “Yes” and the stone is withdrawn and what yesterday still seemed unattainable, to-day comes nearer and within reach. We remember a touching incident: a little fellow not knowing how to help his dying mother, wrote a letter as best he could to St. Nicholas, the Miracle Maker. He went to put it in the letter box, when a “Casual Passer-by” approached to help him reach it, and perceived the unusual address. And verily the aid of Nicholas the Miracle Maker came to this poor heart.

Thus through the work of heaven and earth, consciously and in living practice, will the raiment of beauty again be enfolded about humanity.

Those who have met the Teachers in life, know how simple and harmonious and beautiful They are. The same atmosphere of beauty must pervade all that approaches Their region. The sparks of Their Flame must penetrate into the lives of those who await the Soon-Coming! How to meet Them? Only with the worthiest. How to await? Merging into Beauty. How to embrace and to retain? By being filled with that Fearlessness bestowed by the consciousness of beauty. How to worship? As in the presence of beauty which enchants even its enemies.

In the deep twilight, bright with a glory unequaled, shines the Star of the Mother of the World. From below, is reborn the wave of a sacred harmony. A Tibetan ikon painter plays his lay upon a bamboo flute before the unfinished image of Buddha-Maitreya. By adorning the image with all the symbols of blessed power, this man, with the long black braid, in his way, brings his utmost gift to Him Who is Expected. Thus shall we bring beauty to the people: Simply, beautifully, fearlessly!"

Nicholas Roerich - Talai-Pho-Brang, 1924.


Sai Baba of Shirdi

Eleven Assurances of Sai Baba of Shirdi

Whoever puts his feet on Shirdi soil, his sufferings would come to an end.

The wretched and miserable would rise into plenty of joy and happiness, as soon as they climb the steps of my Mosque.

I shall be ever active and vigorous even after leaving this earthly body.

My tomb shall bless and speak the needs of my devotees.

I shall be active and vigorous even from my tomb. M y mortal remains would speak from my tomb.

I am Ever living to help and guide all, who come to me, who surrender to me and who seek refuge in me.

If you look at me I look at you.

If you cast your burden on me, I shall surely bear it.

If you seek my advice and help, it shall be given to you at once.

There shall be no want in the house of my devotees.

- Sai Baba of Shirdi

Yeshe Tsogyal

"For a time now, while your dualistic minds persist,
It will seem that I have left you, but take heart.
When your dualistic minds subside,
you will see that we were never parted.
May health and happiness embrace the very limits of the sky!"

- from "Lady of the Lotus-Born: The Life and Enlightenment of Yeshe Tsogyal"

Bardo Dieties

Remember the clear light, the pure clear white light from which everything in the universe comes, to which everything in the universe returns; the original nature of your own mind. The natural state of the universe unmanifest.
Let go into the clear light, trust it, merge with it. It is your own true nature, it is home.

-Tibetan Book of the Dead




Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Never Walk Away

NEVER WALK AWAY

Dear friend, guard Clear Thinking and Common Sense with your life;
don't for a minute lose sight of them.

They'll keep your soul alive and well, they'll keep you fit and attractive.

You'll travel safely, you'll neither tire nor trip.

You'll take afternoon naps without a worry, you'll enjoy a good night's sleep.

No need to panic over alarms or surprises, or predictions that doomsday's just around the corner, Because God will be right there with you; he'll keep you safe and sound.


Never walk away from someone who deserves help; your hand is God's hand for that person.

Don't tell your neighbor, "Maybe some other time," or, "Try me tomorrow," when the money's right there in your pocket.

Don't figure ways of taking advantage of your neighbor when he's sitting there trusting and unsuspecting.

Don't walk around with a chip on your shoulder, always spoiling for a fight.

Don't try to be like those who shoulder their way through life.

Why be a bully? "Why not?" you say Because God can't stand twisted souls.

It's the straightforward who get his respect.

God's curse blights the house of the wicked, but he blesses the home of the righteous.

He gives proud skeptics a cold shoulder, but if you're down on your luck, he's right there to help.

Wise living gets rewarded with honor; stupid living gets the booby prize.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Gajendra Moksham

Gajendra was the king of elephants. While roaming in the jungles, the elephants were drinking water from a forest lake, when a crocodile caught hold of Gajendra's legs. The kith and kin of him realised that Gajendra is going to be no more since crocodiles are invincible in water as elephants in the terrestrial area. So they left him abandoned and started away.

For a few hours, Gajendra was trying to fight the crocodile by kicking it but the valour of the crocodile was so high that Gajendra's energy started dwindling. Most of us cry out to the God in hopeless (nis-sahaya sthiti) situations and so did Gajendra. It took a Lotus from the pond and prayed to the Lord.

No sooner did the Lord realize that the little elephant had surrendered itself to Him, relinquishing the ego and his over-self-confidence, that he started on His Garuda Vahana and equipped with Sri Sudharsana Azhwar.

Now the wind direction changed. The crocodile has to see its death and Gajendra got freed up.

Well. This is not just a story. There is a tight linking of this story to mankind. Here goes the linkage.

The human is Gajendra.
The world is the lake, where human plays with his kith and kin.
The crocodile symbolizes the Death and Difficulties that attack man.

The lesson that is being learnt from here is that nobody can liberate a human from the clutches of death. God alone answers the prayers. Hence there is also a Hindi saying 'Nirbal key bal Ram', which indicates that the God is the strenght of the weak.

Here goes the Gajendra Moksha Stuthi:

AUM NAMO BHAGAWATE TASMAY YAT ETCCHIDATMAKAM

PURUSHAAYAA DIBIJAAY PARESHAAYAABHI DHEEMAHEE

YASMINNIDUM YETASCCHEDUM YENEDUM EEDUM SWAYAM

YOSMAAT PARASMAASCH PARAH TUMPRAPADYE SWAYAMBHOOWAM

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

How to Treat People

Five Lessons About How To Treat People


1. First Important Lesson - "Know The Cleaning Lady"

During my second month of college, our professor gave us a pop quiz. I was a conscientious student and had breezed through the questions, until I read the last one: "What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?"

Surely this was some kind of joke. I had seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would I know her name? I handed in my paper, leaving the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count toward our quiz grade.

"Absolutely," said the professor. "In your careers, you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say "hello."

I've never forgotten that lesson. I also learned her name was Dorothy.


2. Second Important Lesson - "Pickup In The Rain"

One night, at 11:30 p.m., an older African American woman was standing on the side of an Alabama highway trying to endure a lashing rainstorm. Her car had broken down and she desperately needed a ride. Soaking wet, she decided to flag down the next car.

A young white man stopped to help her, generally unheard of in those conflict-filled 1960s. The man took her to safety, helped her get assistance and put her into a taxicab.

She seemed to be in a big hurry, but wrote down his address and thanked him. Seven days went by and a knock came on the man's door. To his surprise, a giant console color TV was delivered to his home.

A special note was attached. It read: "Thank you so much for assisting me on the highway the other night. The rain drenched not only my clothes, but also my spirits. Then you came along. Because of you, I was able to make it to my dying husband's bedside just before he passed away. God bless you for helping me and unselfishly serving others."

Sincerely, Mrs. Nat King Cole.


3. Third Important Lesson - "Remember Those Who Serve"

In the days when an ice cream sundae cost much less, a 10 year-old boy entered a hotel coffee shop and sat at a table. A waitress put a glass of water in front of him. "How much is an ice cream sundae?" he asked. "50¢," replied the waitress.

The little boy pulled his hand out of his pocket and studied the coins in it.

"Well, how much is a plain dish of ice cream?" he inquired. By now more people were waiting for a table and the waitress was growing impatient. "35¢!" she brusquely replied.

The little boy again counted his coins. "I'll have the plain ice cream," he said. The waitress brought the ice cream, put the bill on the table and walked away. The boy finished the ice cream, paid the cashier and left.

When the waitress came back, she began to cry as she wiped down the table. There, placed neatly beside the empty dish, were two nickels and five pennies. You see, he couldn't have the sundae, because he had to have enough left to leave her a tip.


4. Fourth Important Lesson - "The Obstacles In Our Path"

In ancient times, a King had a boulder placed on a roadway. Then he hid himself and watched to see if anyone would remove the huge rock. Some of the king's wealthiest merchants and courtiers came by and simply walked around it. Many loudly blamed the King for not keeping the roads clear, but none did anything about getting the stone out of the way.

Then a peasant came along carrying a load of vegetables. Upon approaching the boulder, the peasant laid down his burden and tried to move the stone to the side of the road. After much pushing and straining, he finally succeeded. After the peasant picked up his load of vegetables, he noticed a purse lying in the road where the boulder had been. The purse contained many gold coins and a note from the King indicating that the gold was for the person who removed the boulder from the roadway. The peasant learned what many of us never understand - "Every obstacle presents an opportunity to improve our condition."


5. Fifth Important Lesson - "Giving When It Counts"

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at a hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liz who was suffering from a rare and serious disease. Her only chance of recovery appeared to be a blood transfusion from her 5-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the illness. The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and asked the little boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save her."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded. He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice, "Will I start to die right away?".

Being young, the little boy had misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give his sister all of his blood in order to save her.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You

Every action has a reaction

Every action has a reaction which creates a chain of follow up actions.

What you sow you reap; though you sow one seed, it grows into a thousand new seeds which further give rise to new seeds and new trees. This is the eternal law of karma.

There is a cause for every effect and every effect has a cause. We may be able to see the cause, and it is equally possible that we may never be able to recall it. This is due to the inability of our mind; we are so restricted in the knowledge held by the brain! Our brain does not remember most of the actions of this life, what to say of knowing or recalling our past karmas.

No one can evade, mould or change this all-powerful ‘Law of Karma’. It is not easy to fully understand how it functions, but let us make an attempt to know how it works.

Every action has a route which it follows. Our subconscious carries the sum total of all our desires, passions, good and bad experiences, which we carry with us from our numerous past lives.

Our defeats, victories, pain, pleasures and all our animal instincts are embedded in it. At the top are innumerable unfulfilled desires and hopes which are waiting to rear their head.
Now here is the process you need to understand:

First the samaskaras trigger the thought and then the thought matures into desire. This may happen with or without any outer stimulation. As this desire arises, it gets more attention or afflictions of our attachments, the deeper it gets. With time, it is further strengthened and then it changes into sankalpa (the conviction to achieve the object). When this conviction matures, it converts into action or karma.

This is the theory of how deep-rooted samaskaras or impressions shape our thoughts, convert them into desire, and desire into conviction, till finally the action takes place. The whole process may happen in just a fraction of a second or even in lesser time! Do you have any idea how many trillions upon trillions of samaskaras are lying in your subconscious? And consequently how many wishes and desires are lying unfulfilled in the deep recesses of your mind?

While strolling on the road, one sees scores of men, women, girls and boys. The mind registers all these faces and keeps making a non- stop commentary on them. Standing by the road and seeing the traffic pass by, how active your mind is! Seeing flashy cars, the desire to own one arises. A beautiful woman passes by and your heart aches with desire for her. Watching television has become a fixed ritual for modern men and women; seeing the glamorous lifestyles of actors and actresses on screen, how eager your mind gets to have it all. One wishes to go to all those wonderful places, to have sex with that curvaceous woman seen on TV and in films. The name, fame, glory and glitter of the silver screen lures the mind in a myriad ways. People living in an ultra-modern society want to have it all, see it all, do it all.

Know this: samaskaras have the ability to take the shape of thought – desire- conviction, and finally of action. Whether that action will be good or bad and what its consequences will be is a different story.

Upanishadic wisdom says that every action will bear a fruit which is of two types: one part is the happiness or pain experienced right there, in that moment; the second part remains hidden and gets added to the bank of other past karmas – it becomes a part of our ’sanchit karma’ i.e. the accumulated karmas of innumerable past lives. We are not new on this earth, we have been born here many times, and in each life we made a home, had a family, had some kind of livelihood and had friends and enemies. We were never idle even in the past births – we were doing something (good or bad) and every action that we did is going to bear some fruit.

The law says that if you do an evil action, the fruit will be dukha or pain, and if you do a pious karma then the fruit is sukha or happiness.

Well, no one wishes for dukha, yet we experience pain in our lives. The question is why? Yes, we do not wish dukha, yet we do get it. It is because of our lust, greed, ego, anger and attachments. We do so many actions, and though we justify our actions as valid, sometimes in reality they are not.

The police catches criminals and the courts punish them for their heinous crimes of theft, burglary, murder, rape, arson and loot.

But has anyone ever been arrested for anger, lust, ego or greed? The answer is a very definitel no! But aren’t these vices the very reasons for a person’s criminal act? Society punishes a person after the act has been committed and the person has been caught. But in the court of dharma, when you do an evil act, you are punished in two ways, one part of fruit is received on the spot in the form of the turmoil felt by the mind, the anguish, palpitation, rise in blood pressure, the agitation and frustration of the mind. And the other part of karma fruit gets deposited in the bank of our past karmas, where, in time it causes pain, dukha, diseases, losses or unfortunate situations in life.

Vedas say that all actions are of two types: dharma and adharma. Actions that are endorsed by seers are dharma and the those which are forbidden are adharma. Servitude, donation, charity, penance, japa, chanting, compassion and humility are all dharma. And all actions arising from lust, greed, anger, revenge and ego are adharma. Dharma will give you happiness and adharma will give you pain. This means that if ones actions are of adharma, then it may be pleasurable at that moment, but later on the fruit will be of pain. And dharmic actions might seem unattractive but give purity, clarity and happiness in the end.

Suppose you are served delicious food which looks good to the eyes, smells good and tastes good too, but is laced with a slow poison; then there is food which is nutritious but not as inviting to the senses – which one would you prefer? Most of the time, a person who is a slave of the senses will prefer the first type without realizing that the end result would be pain.

The wise ones have said that karma is of three types – sanchit, kriyaman and agami. Sanchit karma are those which we did in the past, kriyaman are those which we are doing now in the present moment, and agami karmas are those which we will do in the future. Man, driven by his weaknesses, mental afflictions and vices, performs karmas without thinking about their consequences. When pain and failure result, he blames god for his misfortunes and never realizes that it is his own past karmas which are punishing him in the present moment.

This is the story of all human beings – they wish for instant gratification of the senses and do not wish to think about the fruits of their action. The wise ones think deeply and then make the right choices. Today it may not seem to be a thing of deep concern, but indeed it is. Actions of dharma and adharma are going to shape your mind and further desires; the desires into actions and the fruits of action. An uncontrolled mind gets motivated to act irresponsibly and then suffers from the ill effects of its own actions.

Your destiny is nothing but the sum total of your past actions. The past is gone but you have this moment in your hand. Every action you do now shapes your future.

But what about the past karmas which are going to reward or punish you? Can we do something about them today? The answer is no! Those fruits will come to you and you will have to accept them. No one can run away from his or her karmas – no one! This seems really depressing, isn’t it? Do not feel sad for there is a ray of hope. Read on.

The present moment is in our hands, and by acting responsibly we can use it to bring about a total transformation in our lives. If one performs pious deeds, serves all, is compassionate and generous – in other words if we develop positive karma, it will prove to be a great leveler and will slowly lead to a bringing down of the adverse effects of past karma.

The theory of karma says that doing pious deeds will slowly scale down the effects of negative karmas, bringing them at par, first, and then more in favor of, dharma. As dharma begins to dominate a person’s life, new and positive developments begin to take place. One gets opportunities for being blessed by pious souls and saints. As the Ramayana says, when good karma fructify, only then the chance of meeting a seer or rishi is possible. And the chance of meeting a saint means an opportunity to not only be blessed but also to receive wisdom and the tools of evolvement that help one come out of the cycle of karma.

The Bhagavad Gita says that the power of good karma makes a person a deserving candidate for receiving higher knowledge which will bring forth a whole new approach to living one’s life in dharma.

Good and bad actions happen through the mind with a sense of ‘I’ being the doer. As long as the doer is there, one or another kind of karma will keep on generating. All karmas create bondage – if bad karma is like an iron handcuff, then pious karma is a handcuff made of gold. Both bind you and keep you in the whirlpool of samsara. One has to understand the truth: mind- senses-body are entities totally different from the ’self’ which is beyond these corporeal elements. Once you begin to understand who you really are and begin to cultivate a distance and discrimination, all actions will happen without binding you. When all karma is performed with the sense of being a ‘non-doer’, and one follows the righteous path, then the person transgresses the cycle of karma.
The real self is unknown and this self-ignorance binds man. Once we have understood the real self, then life is lived while witnessing it.

The present moment is lived in the spirit of a non-doer and the old karmas or sanchit karmas get burnt in the fire of gyana (true knowledge) and then what is left is kriyaman karma. Such a person with his new-found wisdom has great patience and tolerance, and accepts the fruits of his karma without discrimination.
Try to understand it like this: a person has some arrows in his basket, one arrow has been mounted on the bow and one has already been shot. This person can destroy the arrows in his basket, he can throw the arrow which is strung, but he can do nothing about the arrow that has been shot. The arrows in the basket are sanchit karma, the one on the bow is agami karma and the arrow that has been shot is kriyaman karma. The Bhagavad Gita says that we can destroy our sanchit karma with gyana and samadhi; the present actions can be performed as a non-doer; but the fruits of actions which are functional in the present moment cannot be wiped out. Remember that this statement is applicable only to a realized person. For an ignoramus, even sanchit karmas work along with kriyaman karma!

When ones actions are motivated by ill, evil, negativity, one doesn’t even realizes what one is doing. But when the fruits of karma fall in the lap, then the person either suffers meekly or is angry, dejected and agitated.

Impressions (samaskaras) and unfulfilled desires are the root of all the wrongs in a man’s life. Only if the root agyana is eradicated with true knowledge – can one live a life filled with happiness and contentment. We are responsible for our actions and the results of our actions.

Lovely Thoughts for Lovely People Just Like You