A saadhak who has a Satguru in life is very fortunate

According to Sant Mahatmas:

To be born as a human being is a blessing which is very difficult to obtain.  Much more difficult is to have God’s blessing and to start a journey as a saadhak (devotee).  And it is extremely, extremely, extremely difficult to have a Satguru in life.

So my beloved brothers and sisters, we the saadhaks are most fortunate to have a loving Sadguru in our lives.  We are not able to live our daily lives as shown by Maharajji in Sadhana Satsang and as in Pravachan Piyush by Swamiji Maharaj.  It helps to cry in front of Ma (Divine Mother – Lord Ma) and talk to God about our weaknesses and ask for mercy and grace (kripa).

Each one of us need to wake up to the fact that, “Main shaktimayi atma hoon” (I am a powerful soul), powerful to walk on the path as shown in Sadhna Satsang and discourses given delivered by our Gurujans.  No matter how many times we get off the path we simply need to get back on it and know that our Gurujans and Shree Ram are always with us,  helping, and protecting us.

Dhanya Huva Main Satguru Paake (dhun) – watch video clip

uva Main Satguru Paake

How to surrender to God

According to Pujya Maharajji:

(The following is only an understanding of this sadhak, who needs more and more of this practice.  Corrections and comments are welcome.)

According to Pujya Maharajji, everyone says to surrender to God, but they do not tell us how to do it.  He shows us the way:   Paramatma (Supreme Soul) Sri Ram … This  body, wealth, intellect, and mind .. they are all yours,  all the actions done with mind, body, speech, and sense organs (due to lust, greed, anger, jealousy, etc.) , teri vastu hai  – yours (English?)… Ram, Ram, Ram, Ram.

Shree Swamiji Maharaj clarifies about God and how to surrender to God in Amritvani:

SARVA SHAKTIMATE PARMAATMANE SRI RAMAAYA NAMAHA (Amritvani can be downloaded from http://www.shreeramsharnam.org/) –

I bow before Sri Ram, who is vested with all powers!

I bow before the source and reservoir of all powers!

I bow and seek shelter with the Supreme Soul, Sri Ram!

I dedicate and surrender myself unto Him!

‘Parmaatmaa’: The Supreme soul.

Kartavya Buddhi – Right actions using our intellect

Shree Swamiji Maharaj and our Gurujans remind us that we (Sadhaks) are to take actions with Kartavya Buddhi or using our intellect and doing our duties. Sometimes we do not feel like taking care of our health, do exercise, do spiritual practice of reciting amritvani, jap, or dhyan, etc.

While we may not feel like it or feel lazy we must take care of our physical, mental, and spiritual health. That is our duty. It seems as if our loving Gurujans, saint-souls have come here on earth again and again us and shown us the way. Our Gurujans have done “Marg Darshan” in every Sadhana Satsang.

Now it is up to us to seek Shree Rams’ blessings and the blessings of Swamiji Maharaj to do our duty while immersed in Ram Naam.

There is a beautiful dhun sung by Pujya Dr. Vishwa Mitter Ji Maharaj in the open Sadhana Satsang in USA in May, 2009 which goes as follows:

Baba meri raksha karna .. Baba meri raksha karna.

Baba meri banh pakarna … Baba meri banh pakarna.

Baba mujhe bhakti dena … Baba mujhe bhakti dena.

Baba mujhe darshan dena … Baba mujhe darshan dena.

(Baba protect me ….. Baba hold my arm …. Baba give me devotion …. Baba give me darshan – vision and blessing)

Divine Mother

Recently Pujya Maharajji  mentioned (in USA Open Satsang) that we don’t get close to God or Divine Mother because .. “Shayad Hamne Dusri Ma Kar Lee Hai” (Maybe we have adapted another Mother).

A few days after I heard It seems as if Maharajji was saying that we  bow, and say namaskar to Maya … “Dusri Ma”  but not to Divine Mother , at least not with all of our being.  Our mind and intellect are still in the world and want the world, more than God.

Shree Swamiji Maharaj also says in Amritvani:

Sarva Shaktimate Parmaatmane Sri Ramaaya Namaha. (I bow before Sri Ram who is vested with all powers … source and reservoir of all powers… seek shelter with the Supreme Soul … dedicate and surreder myself unto Him!)

Also in the end of Amritvani we read and hear:

… Ramaaya Namaha, Sri Ramaaya Namaha.

So let us not do Maya Namaah, instead follow our Gurujans and do Sri Ramaaya Namah.

(Let us not get caught up in Maya but as our Gurujans teach us to bow and seek shelter in Lord Ma, Divine Mother, Supreme Soul Sri Ram only then with the Grace of our Gurujans and Sri Ram we can be liberated).

Baar Baar Sant-Mahatma ke paas jayen

Jahan se hamein paise ki kamaai hoti hai, chaahe naukri se ya vyapaar se, wahan hum baar baar jaate hain.  Hamein jahan se Ram-Naam ki kamaai milne ka mauka mila hai, Sant-Mahatma se wahan hum baar baar kyon nahin jaate.

Sant-Mahatma ke paas baar baar jaayiye aur satsang aur sankirtan kariye, aur iss ka pura laabh uthaiye.   Sab Sant-Mahatma kehte hai aur hamare Pujya Gurujano ne bhi kai bar kaha hai ki Ram Naam se bar kar aur koi kamaai nahin hai.

Hamein paise ki kamaai ke saath saath jahan jaana hai uski bhi kamai karni chaahiye.  Pujya Dr. Vishwa Mitter JI Maharaj kehte hai – Khubh paisa kamayo magar, saath saath utna hi Ram Naam bhi japo – adhik se adhik japo.

Sab par Ram Kripa bani rahe.

Ram Kripa – Kab Hoti Hai

Pujya Dr. Viswamitter Ji Maharaj says we just keep on saying, Paramatma ki kripa hai, but we really don’t mean it. He adds if we really meant it, we will be constantly remembering Ram through Ram Naam Jap, simran, dhyan, etc.

Ram Kripa Kab Hoti Hai? – Ram Kripa tab hoti hai jab ham Ram main mast ho jaaye. It seems that Shree Swami Ji Maharaj has mentioned about in a dhun, “Teri buti ne masti keeti, Ram! Teri Buti ne masti keeti”. In Amritvani, Ram Kripa is mentioned several times with clarity and authority.

Pujya Maharaj JI tells us not to think of Ram Kripa when we are getting more income or some other material gains but think of Ram Kripa when our mind turns toward God. Some sadhaks report of Ram Kripa when our Gurujans appear in our dreams or in our dhyan giving us guidance and encouragement. Others report of Ram Kripa when we get inspiration to do more sadhana or get an insight on how to do serve others while taking care of our present responsibilities.

In Pravachan Piyush, Shree Swami Ji Maharaj has mentioned about appearing in a sadhaks dream and helping remove some obstacles from that sadhak’s life.

Shudh atma and Shudh Vichar, Shudh karma

Shree Swami Ji Maharaj in Pravachan Piyush mentions that we need to remind ourselves by saying, “Mai… shudh atma hoon” and also in Bhakti Prakash he has described Pavitra Bhavana.

We may remind ourselves of this and surely that helps. Listening to Pujya Dr. Vishwa Mitter Ji Maharaj’s pravachan it really strikes a cord that we also have to have shudh karma in our life and shudh vichar. This is not an easy practice to do in life but as advised by our loving Gurujans we must do it. We also need to remember that they have given us their blessings and Ram Naam, so we need to stay alert in all our thoughts and actions and keep them pure and honest.

We may make mistakes, not be alert all the time, but that is the whole point of sadhana. Making effort over and over again and as Pujya Maharaj Ji says, “When we make a mistake we say sorry to people in our lives … do we say sorry to Ram Ji?” We can ask Shree Ram to forgive us our mistakes and remember that our Gurujans are always with us helping us and protecting us.

Sab par Ram Kripa sada bani rahe – Guru Kripa tau bin maange hi milti rahti hai.

Two ways for Sadhaks to progress spiritually

One way for us, the sadhaks, to progress on the spiritual path is to remember the truth about ourselves or our essence or our authentic self. That is to remind ourselves again and again that,”Mai satya, nitya, shudh, chaitanaya, shaktimayi atma hoon” as mentioned in the Pravachan-Piyush by Shree Swami Ji Maharaj. It also helps to read the twelve Aatmic Bhavanain from the Bhakti Prakash in order to really understand our essence or the truth about ourselves.

Another way for the sadhaks to progress is to practice letting go of Mai or “I”. In one of story Pujya Maharaj JI tells us in his discourse about two Sant Mahatmas who are great friends …. one of them goes to the other’s home and asks him to open the door.

Mahatma inside – “Who is there?”.

The Mahatma outside – “I am here friend, open the door!”

Mahatma inside – “Kaun Murakh hai jo apne aap ko mai keh raha hai?” (Who is the stupid person who is calling himself “I”?)

Letting go of Mai or “I” is what Pujya Maharaj Ji has told us in one of his discourses, “Apna astitva hi mita do”. The more we let go of the “I” or Mai the lesser we will be concerned with small problems we face in the material life and more we will be inclined to do our sadhana.

This morning Shree Ram, the Param Guru, inspired this mind with the following three thoughts:

1. “Whenever the word “I” keeps coming up – I should think, ” Kaun hai murakh …. Who is the stupid person who is saying “I”?
2. Whenever the mind or intellect says,” Yeh maine kiya hai , ya yeh mai kar raha hoon…. I have done this or I am doing this – immeditately think, “Kaun hain murakh … or who is the stupid person who is saying I have done this or doing this?” (“Lord is the sole doer” – Pujya Maharaj Ji)
3. Same thing goes for “yeh mera hai or this is mine”

Anyone who can practice the above two ways is very likely to grow spiritually with Shree Ram’s Kripa which one can experience by doing “adhik se adhik simran … More and more simran or loving Jap of Ram Naam while keeping its meaning in mind”

Of course, needless to say, the best way for each one of us to progress spiritually is to follow the instructions given by our loving Gurujans.

Last two days – the practice and disappointment in self

Over the last two days the practice of Satsangati by listening to discourses and feeling the presence of Gurujans is going fairly well. The disappointment is in my not exercising self-control in eating habits … not eating on time, and eating in between meals, and also watching TV a little too much (although it is much less than before).

Pujya Maharaj Ji says in his Pravachan not to loose hope. I not only trust that Satsangati along with Jap is going to help with sanyam or self-control, I am already seeing signs of Guru Kripa and Ram Kripa in that matter. In my understanding the seeds of Satsangati and Jap are sown and fruit will be in the form of sanyam or self-control, simran, and whatever else Shree Ram wishes. Together they can help any sadhak’s practice. I pray that all of us have love for Naam and the Naami.

Jai Jai Ram.

Listening to Pujya Dr. Viswa Mitter Ji Maharaj’s discourse

The following is my humble understanding only. Please feel free to correct and comment below in the box.

In his discourse Pujya Maharaj Ji says that four things are essential in our sadhana.

1. Simran
2. Sanyam
3. Sadachar
4. Seva

Then he tells us that all of these four we can’t get unless we have Satsangati.

It is clear that the association of Sant is very important in our sadhana and bhakti. If we can’t be there with the Sant physically we should try to feel that the Sadguru or Sant is with us always while we do simran (loving Jap while remembering the meaning of mantra), have sanyam (self-control) in our lives, sadachar (Right behaviors for sadhaks), and seva (selfless service). With Sant’s presence we are bound to not only get all of the four required for our sadhana but also with Sant’s grace we are going to get a stronger connection with Shreeram and our sadhana will become mangalmayi. This is what Sant-Mahatmas tell us again and again. Let us listen to them and make our practice of Ram Naam consistent, loving, and blissful.

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