The Importance of Good Company
Feb 27, 2007
The importance of the company of spiritual souls has been very well depicted in one of the verses of the Bhaja Govindam. Bhaja Govindam is a very popular hymn in Sanskrit composed by Adi Shankaracharya to foster bhakti(Love for God) in the hearts of devotees.
One of the Verses means
'From Good company (Satsangh) arises the quality of non-attachment, from non-attachment you get freedom from delusion, being free of delusion you become steadfast and from that arises liberation (Jeevan Mukti)'
Posted by Dhruv Patel 11:55 PM 1 comments
Labels: Thoughts
The Lord Liveth There
Feb 20, 2007
The priest says
Come to the church
the Lord liveth here
The pundit says
Come to the temple
the Lord liveth here
The prophet says
Come to the mosque
The Lord liveth here
The Lord says
Come to your hearts
I liveth there
Posted by Dhruv Patel 8:56 PM 0 comments
Labels: Poem
Oasis of Eternal Bliss
The scorched heat of the unmerciful sun, burning my burnt skin, but had to walk on, for I was in search of that elusive Oasis, in the midst of this eternal desert, ran away from the caged mindset of the house where I was born.
Had heard about this eternal Beatitude, not far away from home
As I walk this lonely arid place, in search of that Unseen
Part of my mind turning my feet towards from whence I came
Parched I was, thirsty I was, not a friendly sight in sight
Walked and walked, and walked a bit more
A mirage I could see, the hallucination of my Dream World
My mind getting weaker with each step, But my heart pulled me towards That
Then I tripped and got up and walked, till I tripped again, and the mind getting weaker and weaker.
Till I could no longer walk, lying in the sand I saw a horrid sight
Shriveled carcass of the departed, was this my fate, was this my fate
Strengthened my mind and gathered my will, again walked but not far
The mirage was still a mirage, Thought to myself will I ever make it.
Fell again on the flaming sand, but didn’t lose hope
Thence came an old man, was thin and lank and fresh as fresh
Pointing to those bones he said ‘Told them they should listen to me, as I know the Way’
Suddenly my spirit rose, told him to guide me to that Oasis
‘Followed your heart unto here, no effort shall go in vain
For those who are deluded and weak, by this fictious flames
Shall fall onto the sand, like a pack of sticks
From thence they shall arise again, to continue their journey
Look at the mirage and hear my words, It is as real as you believe to be’
And then he vanished in the air, from whence he came
I put my heart in his words, and with all I got, gave it a go
Looked at the mirage and said
Don’t deceive me no more for I have been following your path for a long time, through all the torture and still alive, with my devotion and the wisdom of my seer I have arose, to realize my dream which is as real as I have imagined it to be. For I shall not arise from whence I die, I shall drown in your ethereal ocean. Thy has been so evasive for that is how I think, I know now that Thou art omnipresent, I humbly command to reveal thyself, from where I shall sip from thine divine energy to free me from this burning Hades. Reveal thyself, Reveal thyself.
And Lo Behold! I am floating in this opalescent etheric beatitude, the multi colored rainbows, the glowing mountains, the sparkling ocean, Alas I am in my Paradise, My Dream World!
The Omnipresent spirit speaketh
‘Thou didn’t lose hope, thou has given up everything for Me, thou always believed in Me, Thou are very dear to Me, now thy shall never leave, now thy shall never leave!’
Posted by Dhruv Patel 8:36 PM 0 comments
Labels: Poem
The Sins
The semblance of the various sins described in the different religions is striking. When the Ego or ‘I’ consciousness has sided with the materialistic forces of creation, it is said to have these faults (sins).
click here for full size
The following excerpts are taken from
‘Bhagavad Gita’ by Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
published by Yogoda Satsanga Society of India
Pride: Pride means the Love for the “I” or ego self that is constantly on the defensive (or offensive) to support and promote the interests of that self. Because of the mada, within the ego there arises arrogance, conceit, haughtiness, presumptuous behavior and passionate or wanton lust after the desires, interests, or demands of the “I, Me, and Mine”.
Jealousy/Envy: The word derives from matsara, meaning “envy jealousy, selfishness, hostility, passion for, exhilarating; intoxicative and addictive".
Lust: It is the compelling desire to indulge in sensory temptations. It applies to the abuse of any or all the senses in the pursuit of pleasure or gratification. Through the sense of sight man may lust after material, objects; through the sense of hearing , he craves the slow sweet poison of flattery, and vibratory sounds as of voices and music that rouse his material nature; through the lustful pleasure of smell he is enticed towards wrong environments and actions; lust for food and drink causes him to please his taste at the expense of health; through the sense of lusts after inordinate physical comfort and abuses his creative sex impulse.
Delusion: It is the basic attachment of the Ego, its indivisible cohesion to delusion, causing the mind to become darkened, unable to perceive what is truth and reality.
The basic meaning of the word is delusion, illusion, ignorance, bewilderment, infatuation and attachment.
Greed: The enslavement to whims, likes and dislikes is Greed
It is covetousness, avarice, acquisitiveness, a confusion of the mind between necessary necessities and unnecessary “necessities”
Anger: Desire that is frustrated leads in anger.
Attention > Contact > Desire > Unfulfilled > Anger > Delusion
Even if the anger is supposedly justified, so-called “righteous anger”, it must never take the place of calm, discriminating judgment and action
In sum, the principle practical evil that comes long with ego consciousness and its six faults is the increasing compulsion to forget ones Self-the soul-and its expression, manifestation, and requirements; and to become stubbornly inclined to engage oneself in pursuing the insatiable “necessities” of the ego.
References:
1: Sri Sri Paramahansa Yogananda, ‘The Bhagavad Gita – Chpt I Verse 9’
2: Drubwang Konchok Norbu Rinpoche, ‘The significance and the benefits of the Six-Syllable Mantra recitation’.
http://www.kmspks.org/download/ebook/Ombk201205.pdf
3: Catechism of the Catholic Church, Para 1866,
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/__P6D.HTM
Posted by Dhruv Patel 3:06 PM 0 comments
Labels: Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
