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Today the Satsang was very eventful and colorful. The whole TTC participants went crazy today in Satsang (you know the reason if you’ve done TTC) – few people acted like Robots, few people tried to sell clothes and other stuff, and so on.

Here are the questions Guruji answered today, as we understood (Not exact verbatim).

Q – What is the difference between Selfishness, Self Love and Self Realization?

Ignorance and small mindedness brings selfishness. When you become little bit aware, it turns to self love. Self realization is, knowing that you are part of others, and others are part of you.

In Self Realization, there is no demand for love. Demand for love destroys love.

Love is not an act. It is your very nature. When you realize that you are love, you won’t get sick of love. For example, a Mother won’t say “Oh I’m sick of love”. A mother won’t get tired, loving her baby.

When you realize this, nothing can shake you.


Q – What is Enlightenment? How to recognize whether a person is enlightened or not?

Enlightenment is becoming a child again. When I was in Sweden, a journalist came and asked – “Guruji, are you really enlightened?”

I told “No”. When you say “Yes”, you have to bear the burden of proving it.

Then this gentleman again asked. “No, you are not telling the truth. Tell me the truth!”

(When you are near a master) If you are sensitive, something with in you can feel the difference.

Your eyes can only see the flower, but cannot taste it. Similarly, your tongue can only taste a fruit, it cannot see it. You cannot see a fruit by go and licking it.

Similarly, it is impossible for intellect to understand enlightenment. Only heart can realize it.

Then, Narayana Naryana swamy gave a wonderful discourse on Tripura Rahasya.

In the end, some body started singing a very beautiful song, and we all joined, with full of gratitude - looking in to HIS eyes.

Aap ki nazron ne samjha pyar ke kaabil mujhe
Dil ki ae dhadkan thaher jaa mil gayi manzil mujhe
Aap ki nazron ne samjha

Ji hamein manzoor hai aap ka yeh faisla
Keh rahi hai har nazar banda parvar shukriya
Hanske apni zindagi mein kar liya shaamil mujhe
Dil ki ae dhadkan thaher jaa mil gayi manzil mujhe
Aap ki nazron ne samjha


[Your eyes have understood me to be worthy of love
Stop, oh heartbeat I have found my destination
Your eyes have understood

Yes I agree to this decision of yours
Every glance is saying oh Lord thank you
With a smile you included me into your life
Stop, oh heartbeat I have found my destination
Your eyes have understood]

Jai Gurudev

Compiled by Satish, Anoop

Posted in: on Friday, August 31, 2007 at at 9:22 PM 0 comments  

Each expression of Guruji is total and complete.

Today he was overflowing with compassion as usual, but still, the authenticity in his tone was so clear that it spread a serene silence and attentiveness among the entire crowd, when he addressed the TTC participants. Even the doves in VM unusually kept themselves quiet for some time.

Here is what Guruji discussed today, as we understood (Not exact verbatim). He started with the question.

Are you all doing Padma Sadhana?

If you do Padma Sadhana, you’ll have access to your inner strength, and then your words will have power. Padma Sadhana makes you very strong. If all your buttons get pushed here, then your buttons won’t get pushed anywhere else.

Though we want to spread this knowledge everywhere, I don’t want to create teachers with out quality. You should have focus and interest in three things - Knowledge, Knowledge, and Knowledge.

Q – How can we bring peace in and around?

A- Let us see what all reasons are causing disturbance. When people are stressed and shaken, they get angry and depressed.

To bring peace and calmness,

• De stressing should happen – we have various tools for that, like Pranayams, Yoga, Sudarshana Kriya, Meditation, Being with Nature, Being with Animals. Nature does not create stress in you.
• Understanding yourself and others – Understanding yourself is spirituality, and understanding others is a little bit of psychology and commonsense
• Accommodate people – not everyone is same in this world.
  

If you are not well founded, you cannot be much useful. You cannot change the world.

When you shake hand with others for blaming some one, know that you are becoming not better than them. In Kannada, there is a saying, which states, “Somebody committed a sin, but the sin entered in to the mouth of some body else gossiping about the same”

There is a story of Mulla Nassiruddin. He met with an accident, and got bandages all over his body. Then one of his friends visited him, and asked him – “How you are doing?” – The question which generally people ask (Laughter). Mulla replied with the same automatic answer – “I’m alright”. He continued – “It only pains when I laugh”.

“Oh, can you laugh even at this condition?” Mulla’s friend asked with surprise.

“If I cannot laugh now, then I’ve never learnt to laugh”.

If a child is grown up with out getting scolded even once, he becomes so vulnerable – so that he can’t stand even a single criticism or argument.

You see what is happening in various places – people cannot stand even minor criticism, and they start spreading waves of negativity and violence. People go into streets, burning trucks and vehicles. This is utter foolishness, isn’t it?

About some one's question about making mistake, Guruji replied. If you keep making the same mistake again and again, it is not acceptable. One drop of lemon in a jar of milk is enough to spoil the whole milk. So you have to be careful.

Compiled by Satish, Ishan, Anoop. Jgd.

Posted in: on Thursday, August 30, 2007 at at 9:14 PM 4 comments  

Here are few questions and answers from today's Satsang, as we understood.

Q – Who is a true Sadhak (Seeker)? What are his characteristics?

The one who is having thirst (Pyaas) is a true Sadhak. There are two types of Sadhak. One who is weak, and the one who is strong. The weak, who wants to come out of his weakness is also a Sadhak. The one who doesn’t want to come out of his weakness and misery is not a Sadhak.

Q- What is the difference between a ‘Sadhu’ (Saint) and a Sadhak (Seeker)?

The one who is between Sadhak and Siddh is a Sadhu. The one who is calm and wise is called a Sadhu. Outer appearance doesn’t make one a Sadhu.

Q – What is the purpose of Life?

Give a pat on your back first. Very few people in this world even ask this question. You are in the right path. Continue with these practices, and you’ll get the revelations from time to time.

Start finding what not the purpose of life is. You are not here to be miserable and make others miserable. You are not here to worry on small little things.

Q – What is the difference between ‘Childlike’ and ‘Childish’?

Even if a person is 30-40 year old, and mind is still in ten years, that person is called Childish. One who has both wisdom and innocence is called Childlike.

Q – Why are you still a bachelor?

Because I refuse to grow up (Laughter)


Compiled by Satish, Ishan, Anoop

Posted in: on Wednesday, August 29, 2007 at at 9:14 PM 0 comments  

Yesterday Guruji came to the stage with both the hands full of 'Rakhis' .. Still he moves round the stage, accepting the all forms of love from the devotees (rakhis, flowers, sweets, tensions and what not :) )

He's removing rakhis, one after other,and simultaneously pours knowledge , very gently ..

"Dekho, kitne sare bandhano mein hum ko bandh diya.. (look, i'm tied in so many bonds...)
Love ties you down, so these love ties"

Rakhsabandhan means -"I'm Here For You"

Now people celebrate Friendship day. Everyday there should be friendshipday.. Friendliness..
"Bandhano mein baandhana hai, aur phir bandhano se sulajhana bhi hai"

Like this , every nation should tie the rakhi of friendship to each other., Care for each other, protect each other.

Posted in: on Tuesday, August 28, 2007 at at 11:03 PM 0 comments  

Somebody asked a Question - "Guruji, your grace has become such an important pillar in my life now . I'm so happy. But I'm worried, whether I'll be having this always or not ?? "

Guruji replied in his usual style - "You need to ask , whether the sun will rise tomorrow or not?" You ever worry that - Wow,this full moon is so beautiful, whether it will come again or not ... etc'

Like That . . (grace too) whatever is yours , will always remain yours - you dont need to worry about it.

Posted in: on at at 10:57 PM 0 comments  

Here is what Guruji discussed today, as I understood (not exact verbatim)

In Eastern school of thought, God is expected to take care of the evil, while in West, the individual is left to take care of the evil and fight it by himself. This is very interesting.

In India, God is seen in anything and everything, including trees, animals, people etc. Even the formless space is considered as divinity - Niraakar. The same divinity is seen in everything.

A child is first taught that his mother is God. Then he is taught that his Father is God. Then, Guru and Guest are also taught as God to him.

The whole world is seen as the manifestation of love or consciousness.

If a person asks the question - "Whether the divine is form or formless?", a saint will answer it with another question – “What is your form? Are you form or formless?”

In all religions, the innocence with in you is considered as the divinity. In India, God is also considered as a child, a friend, and a companion. Christianity also, this concept is there as Infant Jesus.

If you see, there is only one Buddha, but there are more than thirty schools of Buddhism. Similarly, in Christianity, there is only one Christ, but several schools of thoughts are there. In Islam also, various schools of thoughts exit. In Hinduism, you can’t even count the number of schools and sects.

Diversity is good and it adds beauty to the entire creation. If nature created only potato for you to eat, you’ll get tired of eating the same potato again and again.

But we should find the common thread of love and spirituality among all these various schools and religions, so that everybody will honor and love each other.

Posted in: on at at 9:18 PM 0 comments  

Today was Onam, a festival normally celebrated across Kerala. In Ashram too, we had onam celebrations, and during Satsang, people from Kerala performed various art forms.

Guruji told the story about Onam in Satsang.

Once upon a time, there was a king in Sounth India, named Mahabali. He was so generous, and he used to donate anything to anyone at anytime. He was known as 'Danveer' Mahabali. With time, he started taking pride in this quality. Often, when people aquire good qualities, they become arrogant and start taking pride in their qualities.

Lord Vishnu decided to teach Mahabali a lesson. He took the avatar of a dwarf, called Vamana, and came to Bali and asked for three foot of land. Though Bali's Guru warned him against satisfying the desire of Vaman, Bali decided to give Vamana what he asked for.

Soon, Vamana became very huge - and with the first footstep he measured the entire world, and with the second, he measured the entire sky. And he asked Bali, "Tell me where should I put my foot next?"

At that moment, Bali realized about his own ego. He realized that he is not the giver - and divine is giving through him, and he is just an instrument. Once he understood this truth, he bowed down to Vamana, and showed his head requesting the divine to take care of his givership and ego.

People celebrate Onam to remember this - that There is celebration only when there is no doership and ego.

Posted in: on Monday, August 27, 2007 at at 10:28 PM 0 comments  

Some questions and answers from the Satsang (Not exact verbatim)

Q- What should I ask you Guruji?

If I tell you, then it is my question, and not yours. (Laughter) The question should come from with in. Only then it'll be a genuine question.

Q-Guruji, Is "Everything is fair in love and war"?

I'm not going to comment on these English proverbs. It is fair if there is love in war and there is war in love. If there is love in a war, civilians are not affected by the war. Unfortunately, recent wars are not like this.

And in love, often you see people fighting each other.

Q-You said that there is free will. If there is free will, then why there is so much misery in life?

There are few things that you can't change. If it is a rainy season, you can't stop the rain. But you can prevent yourself from getting wet, by carrying an umbrella - It is your free will, to carry an umbrella or not.

Q-Mind always like to do easy jobs. What to do Guruji?

The definition of 'right' is the action that gains you short term misery, and long term joy. The definition of 'wrong' is the action that gains you short term joy, and long term misery.

Posted in: on at at 10:03 PM 0 comments  

In Ashram, when Guruji is here, each day unfolds with an untold tale. Today was no different.

Today morning there was Mahakriya, where almost eight thousand people did Kriya and meditation in the Yagyashala.

After Kriya, every body rushed to the dining hall for their lunch, and Sundar bhayya's wonderfull efforts proved too good once again - today the food was very good, and more importantly, the sincere efforts of a large group of volunteers made sure that every one is having a great lunch.

In the Satsang, Guruji addressed the whole crowd and answered some questions (mostly in Kannada). - "This is your second home" - He told everybody. "When you feel yourself down, just come to the Ashram, spend some time and go back so that you bring up your spirit"

Few people from Iraq, attending the large Arab course going on in Ashram, shared their experience.

One of them told - "We are sincerely thankfull to Guruji for the support he is giving us, to re establish peace and democracy in Iraq. We'll take this knowledge and techniques back to Iraq, to give it to the people there"

The satsang was followed by a short meditation. Contentment filled the whole space.

Posted in: on Sunday, August 26, 2007 at at 6:12 PM 0 comments  

Today during Sat sang, Vishalakshi Mantap was erupting literally and metaphorically – literally with the thousands amassed here for various courses like TTC and Advance course – and metaphorically with the vibrancy of love, joy and laughter.

Apart from this, tomorrow, around ten thousand people will come to the Ashram to take part in the Maha Sudarshan Kriya.

Here are few points Guruji discussed, as I can recollect.

About the importance of trees - In ancient India, we had various rituals – like, a person has to plant at least five trees in a year. New generations discarded a lot of such good rituals, considering them as superstitions, with out understanding the values behind them.

About the meaning of Bharat – Bharat also means brilliance. Earlier, the entire continent, from Iran to the tip of Indonesia, was called Bharat Varsh. Some places in Indonesia, like Kalimantan and Sumatra, are having Sanskrit names. The word meaning of Kalimantan is ‘where the place kali is churned’.

About today’s work culture – No body will make you work fourteen hours and all, if you don’t want to. People work for fourteen hours and all in call centers, because of Greed. It is essential to mix meditation and pranayams with your work, if you are working long, which help you to sustain your energy. A lot of companies are having M & M sessions today – Meditation & Meals session – where meditation provides food for your mind, and meals provide food for your body, so that you can be at ease through out your work time.

In reply to some one, Guruji also asked to read Yoga Vasishta and Thripura Rahasya

Guruji was rocking as everyday, few devotees bought a huge picture of HIM printed on glass. A person from Bihar shared his experience with transforming terrorists.

And, in the end, he danced in style with this tune..

tujhe dekh dekh sona..
tujhe dekh kar hain jagnamaine yeh zindagani
sang tere bitaani
tujhmein basi hain meri jaan haai

dhadak dhadak jiya..dhadak dhadak jiya..

and vanished :(

Posted in: on Saturday, August 25, 2007 at at 9:30 PM 2 comments  

"You are a happening in this ocean of consciousness. Your heart beats by itself; you're not making it beat. Your breath moves by itself, sleep comes, you feelhunger, you feel thirsty, you feel good, you feel bad.

All these phenomenon are happening in your life. Whenthis realization comes, a deep relaxation, a trust, afeeling of "at home" and fullness arises in you. That is surrender. "

Posted in: on at at 3:53 PM 0 comments  

Once again, a precious opportunity to do Maha Kriya with Gurudev tomorrow at Bangalore Ashram. It's happening after a period of 18 months (the last one was during the Silver Jubilee Celebrations - Feb'06).

Date :- 26th Aug'07 (Sunday)
Venue:- Bangalore Ashram (Amphitheater - Opp Vishalakshi Mantap) Time :- 11 AM

It is advisable to be there by 10 AM along with mat & water bottle. Make sure you inform all your AOL contacts.

Posted in: on at at 3:44 PM 0 comments  

Here is what Guruji told, as I recollected

In the presence of the sat guru; Knowledge flourishes (Gyana raksha); Sorrow diminishes (Dukha kshaya); Joy wells up without any reason (Sukha aavirbhava); Abundance dawns (Samriddhi); All talents manifest (Sarva samvardhan). Guru is just like a mirror, to show yourself your SELF. You can be at ease with Guru, because he won't judge you, because he already knows. Judging comes out of prejudices.

Posted in: on at at 12:20 PM 0 comments  

Today, Guruji talked about the difference between intention and desire. Here is how I understood the same (Not exact verbatim).

If you have an intention to goto Mysore from Bangalore, you get into the car, relax yourself, and drive calmly to your destination.

On the other side, what if you get into the car and say all the way 'I need to goto Mysore, I need to goto Mysore' - you may end up in mental hospital. A desire brings craving to you.

Once you have an intention, offer it to the nature to get it fullfilled, and drop the botheration regarding the same. It is a skill to transform your desire to an intention. Pay attention to your intention, and if your intention came out of true need, it will be fullfilled.

People often concentrate on lack of something, rather than abundance. Where ever you have attention, it'll grow. If you pay attention to your lack of something, it'll grow. So better be positive. This does not mean that you have to be self affirmative. Auto suggestions like "I am strong" or "I am happy" will not work, because when you repeat this, it'll kindle a doubt about the same in your inner being.

Hence, if you have an intention, pay attention to it, and offer it the nature - then drop it and wait for the time to get it manifested. Meditation will bring this skill to you.

You should be sincere with yourself to get your intentions get manifested into actions and objects. If you are so self centered and installed yourself in non-violence and truth, nature will take care of all your intentions.

Posted in: on Friday, August 24, 2007 at at 11:30 PM 3 comments  

The soft yellow light spreading to infinity through the lamp shades combined with the light green shades of the leaves to weave magic around us, as me and Ishan unusually decided to take a walk to the other side of the Ashram for almost no reason.

The nature stood so alive in front of us, with all its glory, just like an extension of our own body. I felt the liveliness in each moment.

The serene silence of the night was spreading through us, and we were listening to the sound of our own footsteps with great interest, with a child like innocence.

The impact of that silence was so profound that my mind was transcending itself, to take me back to a joyful, blissful realm which was so familiar to me – something that I mislay at times.

Solitude is best when celebrated with the Self! Perfect!

Posted in: on at at 11:30 PM 5 comments