Mount Shasta Magazine - New Age, Spiritual Health Magazine | GURU DAKSHINA ~ a love offering, Part 9

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GURU DAKSHINA ~ a love offering

Sw. Vandana Jyothi

(Part 9, Chapter 3 in its entirety)

Chapter 3 ~ Pillars of Bhakti (devotion)

At one point near the end of the satsang, before the arati and announcements, Guruji stops speaking and looks over towards the entrance of the living room. There in the foyer framed by the open French doors is his beautiful, black-haired wife, Rama Mata, whom everyone calls Mother. Her oiled hair is pulled back tight to her scalp and confined in a bun at the nape of her neck. She has the biggest, reddest, roundest tilak mark on her forehead Vandana has ever seen. It signifies she’s married. “Mother!” calls Guruji. “Give us your darshan!”

Mother quickly steps forward into the room, smiling shyly, and turns her face to the whole gathering. Vandana leans a little forward from the wall to get a better glimpse of Mother’s smile and tiny wave. But in an instant, a tsunami of jealousy within her rises to dash her bliss to bits. “Damn it! I’ll have to share him now!” The force of the thought throws her back up against the wall and surely—oh, most surely!—the flash appearance by the brutal demon matsarya is not lost on Guruji. Before the night is over, however, that demon with respect to Mother has been permanently defeated, because Mataji is the epitome of unselfish sharing of the phenomenon which is both her husband and guru. Fled with respect to Mother. But not dead... at all.

If Vandana thought things had been pretty high energy so far, it is nothing compared to what gear all the girls shift into after Mother arrives. First they serve Guruji food after the satsang, as well as his guests up and downstairs; they also prepare a feast for his birthday celebration—rounds of cooking and mounds of dish washing—all in a 10x12 kitchen with one range. And that table in the middle. Mother directs her symphony—saying things twice if she needs to because she’s still working on her English—and they get it done in time to sleep for perhaps all of three hours.

The fete itself is held in a Berkeley elementary school auditorium rented for the occasion. Indian classical dancers from Michigan, also devotees of the guru, come to perform. G.S. Sachdev gives a haunting flute concert, but many Indian attendees, a far greater percentage than show up for satsangs, are shockingly rude during Sri Sachdev’s performance, especially the women who chatter and mill about and allow their kids to shout and run rowdy.

Everything is so different in this culture. Guruji doesn’t seem to mind and Sachdev doesn’t appear to be present, anyway. He’s obviously off somewhere serenely surfing some incredible sound wave coming from his magical bamboo flute. Today, as I write thinking back, what really is the difference? An outside racket, a cacophony of sound vs. an inside racket in one’s mind—a cacophony of thoughts? Who in that auditorium really was offering that beautiful music their full attention?

Martha gives the clue that these shindigs last all day. There’s a break for serving food and cleaning up after that, then Guruji prepares to inaugurate his latest book, Essence of Bhagavad Gita and Bible. He waxes long and effusive with praise for the different devotees who helped bring it into production, especially the lady who sings every night between bhajan and Guruji’s talks.

Vandana is sitting somewhat far away in the auditorium, perhaps halfway back and Guruji is on the stage up front. As he concludes his remarks and announces that the book is for sale and there are copies available here, he lifts the dark maroon book up with its front cover facing the audience. A brilliant star-flash of bright light zooms straight out from the center of the book and zings Vandana in the forehead. She determines to purchase and read the book immediately. This little week-long jaunt of hers is making the money meter spin wildly. She’s already purchased every one of his other books and three cassettes. And the saris.

The birthday affair eventually ends, everything gets back to the ashram, there’s another general cleanup and then all are allowed finally to sleep. It’s already Sunday morning.

A very short time later, after showering and breakfast, the girls go upstairs to get ready for the puja. Vandana puts on her golden choli and chafes at how tight it is. She has a very broad rack of shoulders and this feels constraining. Well, she’s a bit of an unruly horse anyway. It’ll do her good to feel restrained. Then she dons the full length white slip and her attitude changes. That’s right! Belle of the puja. She starts to feel a little bit like Cinderella putting on undergarments before the super duper ball gown.

Janaki comes from her room with a sari already tucked around her waist and trailing a long length of it to demonstrate the art of pleating one. Vandana already has hers tucked in, too, watches and mimics her, gets things all pleated relatively nice, extra material (the paloo) over left shoulder, ready to go. But when she walks, she trips on the hem just a little bit. The pleats pull out from the slip some; no problem, she tucks them back in and vows to stand up straighter and walk tall.

Waiting while car doors get unlocked, etc., the bevy of beautiful birds bedecked in their colorful saris makes nearby flowers wilt in shame; the sunlight glints briefly on a few sequins while a slight breeze riffles a paloo here and there. It’s a beautiful day for an outing, not too hot, either. Everyone piles into the vehicles to travel to the home of the Indian devotee. Guruji is conducting a Sri Satyanarayana puja (worship ritual conducted for a specific purpose). Wonderful Indian mothers are there, old ones and young ones and a bunch of kids and the hubbies, too. Now the cacophony seems warm and friendly, like family.

Walking into an Indian devotee’s home is always a treat. There are the wonderful, intoxicating aromas of spices and sambhar and fragrant Basmati rice and hot oil and all the yummies for prasad after the ceremony and usually the lingering waft of burnt incense, too. A riot of colors shimmers in the silk saris so gracefully draped on the women and in the comfortable two-piece Punjabi outfits of kurta and drawstring pant.

The puja goes well. Satsang goes well. All stay seated throughout the whole thing and then it’s time for everybody to stand up and participate in the arati. Cinderella, whose hair is coifed just so and held back discreetly with real flowers just like the pretty Indian girls do, stands up also. But her bare toe is hooked in the hem (fall) of the sari.

Oh, no! The entire fancy white ball gown with golden yellow butterflies, sequins and beaded detail disengages itself from her waist and floats gently—oh! so gently, because it’s filmy as befits Cinderella—down to the floor in a heap and leaves the young lady, mortified, standing there in her matching golden choli and slip at a puja... at the Indians’ home... in front of her guru!

She gathers what dignity she has, along with the fancy white fabric on the floor at her feet, covers herself, turns to Rama Mataji and mutters just loud enough for Mother to hear, “You better bless me to keep these things on or so help me, I’ll turn every single one of ‘em into skirts and blouses!” and flees, red-faced, down the hallway and into a bedroom.

The sweetest, kindest little ol’ Indian grandmamma follows her in, smiling broadly. She doesn’t speak any English. Boom boom boom, she gathers that sari up, pulls one end around Vandana’s waist, knots it to itself (the secret!), reserves a portion and whips the balance into pleats so fast she surely must have used four arms to do it, brandishes a big pin, fastens slip and sari together, pleats and tosses the paloo over Vandana’s left shoulder, snugs the balance around under her right arm and tucks it into the front at her waist. All done in maybe 10 seconds flat.

Then the old lady steps back, beams with approval at her handiwork, clasps Vandana’s young, soft hand into her gnarled, old one and leads them both back to the arati. Never said a word, the whole time. As a matter of fact, neither did anyone else... ever. Thank you.

Returning to the ashram in early afternoon, Martha and Vandana both realize this sojourn in association with their unequivocally remarkable guru is drawing inexorably to a close. They know they must depart soon because first they have to get back to Petaluma and then Vandana has to drive to R&R. Work starts at 8:00 in the morning. She changes back into Western clothes, they gather their gear including all the new purchases and pack the VW, then return to the ashram to say goodbye to Guruji.

Hmm. He’s gone to take rest, they say. Involuntarily, both women simultaneously draw in a deep breath. They look at each other and exhale forcefully. Apparently their plan is not his plan and they won’t be leaving now. No need for discussion, they both know there’s no way in hell they can leave without first offering pranams (salutations) to Guruji.

“Well, then…” sighs Vandana, after taking another breath. “What’s the tea situation, Raja?” She plops her purse down besides a chair. “How long might Guruji be… uh, resting?”

“Oh, it’ll only be an hour or so, that’s all. Not long.”

Vandana draws another long, long breath but what can she possibly say? It isn’t called the ‘time/space continuum’ for nothing. Statements of color like ‘not long’ are obviously relative when her body in space continues to be a whole lot farther away than where it needs to be by day’s end.

What had Guruji said the other day? That even in just the next sphere (loka) up, one of the days there is our two weeks here and the night is of equal duration? And further up, our six months is their day. Or something like that? She sighs again. A mind like a sieve. And a day of Brahma was something like 432 billion human years? Criminy, the details. She understands the concept though and can even relate. When she was a kid with any awareness at all, the years between Christmases obviously took much, much longer to pass than a year does now and in fact, the sense of time accelerating is unmistakable.

Guruji does eventually open his door and call down for hot tea. The ashram girls prepare and deliver it, along with the required hot milk and some toast and fruit, then relay his message that he’s ready to see Martha and Vandana. The farewell is unremarkable, warm but unremarkable, and the two ladies are dismissed.

They seek Mother’s blessings, as well. Then they find Raja, who is already upstairs ironing, to thank her for her superb hospitality. And Janaki who has started to vacuum the temple. Both of those girls have been here a while. They see devotees come and go all the time. Some come for good. Some leave for good. It doesn’t pay to get attached.

Martha and Vandana finally hit the road. As they draw farther and farther away from the Temple, a whole family of little demons all about the same length, that of a cigarette, begin to rattle somebody’s cage. Theirs in the glove box? Or theirs in Vandana’s mind? Oh, what difference does it make! She hears a staccato rhythm in her head and it ain’t no tabla. Will my life be nothing but sighs from now on? She asks herself the question while reaching for the latch of the glove compartment. It still won’t open.

She sighs again. Exhausted from their efforts the past week, the two finish the drive in utter silence. They reach Martha’s home safely and transfer Vandana’s stuff to her car. After the hugs goodbye are exchanged and thanks are said, Martha, seeing the interior dome light on in her car, turns to close the passenger door.

But on impulse, first she reaches in and grabs the detents of the glove box latch. They retract easily, the door drops down and Vandana’s demons practically leap into her arms. Well, they fall to the floorboard anyway. Martha is shaking her head no, but it’s incongruous. She’s laughing way too hard. “Oh, no! Oh, Guruji, no!” And she laughs again.

It requires God to get Vandana safely to her home and ‘living her life’ again. She’s so stunned out of her mind that although it appears to the outside world like she’s functioning the same, it’s not the case at all. The home, the work, all is getting done just fine. But in her spare time after work, before the kids come home from school and after they’ve gone to bed, whether her husband Benji goes back to work or not, she devours every one of the books Guruji has written. Actually, it is more like imbibes. She even picks up a smattering of Sanskrit.

It is Essence of Bhagavad Gita and Bible though, which rings her chimes just right. The unusual poetic admonition style which appears in portions of this particular book by the learned Master resonates with her. He writes in that style to lay out the four ‘D’s (as she calls them) and they form the pillars of her sadhana (spiritual practices).

Dedication

To give your mind, heart, and soul to God in total, forever, is dedication. By unreserved surrender to God, real dedication comes. Dedication is an act of pure devotion. Dedication expects nothing in return. When you want to die for a cause because you love it, that is dedication. The highest achievements of world prophets are due to their dedication. “Come what may, I stand very strong for my ideal. I shall do all that is in my power and strength for the realization of my ideal. Whether I am successful or not, I shall not change my ideal. God, make me a worthy instrument to spread Thy peace; use me as Thy instrument; I shall cling to Thy lotus feet with all my love; I am Thy bond slave; I am Thine.” This is the prayer of dedication. Life is precious. Let it not be wasted in idle things. Dedicate this life for God’s love.

By giving alone you receive. By emptying you are filled. By losing thyself in God, you will find yourself in Him. After all, life is given by God. What right do you have over it? It is given as a gift. By offering it to His service, you become a worthy son of God. Dedicate your life for His cause. Have no second thoughts. Billions of people throw away their lives in momentary pleasures. Be thou an example unto them through thy dedication. This certainly needs great Himalayan courage and patience. God shall give thee all these no sooner than you decide to dedicate. Dedicate.

Christ dedicated his life to realize God’s love. Gandhi dedicated his life to realize God as Truth. Sages and saints brought the blessings of God to humanity through their unflinching devotion and dedication. Unless the candle burns, it cannot give light. Unless the sandalwood is rubbed, it cannot share its perfume. Unless the gold is put into the fire, it cannot give up its impurity. Unless the river flows into the ocean, it cannot remain pure. Life should flow towards the eternal life. This flow into the Divine is the purpose of all evolution and existence. Dedication is devotion in action. Dedication is the door to perfection. Dedicate.

By holding we lose the charm of life. By hoarding we miss the joy of wealth. By attachment we lose the enjoyment of freedom. By giving we are given. By offering we make our life full. In expecting a gain, we suffer a pain. When we do our duty for duty’s sake, then we perform yoga. This brings balance of mind, serenity, and peace. Meditate on God and dedicate your whole life for this love.

Look at the creation of God! It is a free gift to you. Realize now how much God loves you. The sun and the moon give you life-supporting light. Air sustains your life. Food nourishes your body. Water quenches your thirst. The earth is holding you. The whole creation is spread before you as a gift of God. The gifts of consciousness, of love, of memory, of life, of soul, of compassion—all these and more are given to thee by our munificent God. Even as a river finds its fulfillment by offering itself through continuously flowing into the ocean, similarly let your thoughts, words and deeds flow into God to find thy fulfillment. Dedication is the continuous flow of yourself in God. Dedicate.

Oh brother, God has given you certain talent. These are given to express yourself better and evolve yourself to higher destinies. By not using them or misusing them selfishly, God will withdraw them from you or will not give again that which you wasted. So, express your talents in bringing out the highest in you and dedicate them to God. That which you offer to God shall return to you in abundance. Develop this feeling of offering, and dedicate yourself for God’s love.

Make the whole life a flower, and offer it to God. Plow the heart with discrimination; remove the weeds of lust and anger. Sow the seeds of meditation and devotion. Water them with constant practice of self discipline. When the flowers of virtue and the fruit of wisdom come, offer them all unto God. You shall find your salvation through dedication to God. Dedicate.

Make the whole life a song of dedication and sing it in His presence. Let the body be the musical instrument; let the nerves be the strings; realize that when ego plucks the strings, there will be discordant notes. When God plucks them, there will be concord. So, offer your body, mind and ego in the hands of God, the master musician. Now let your soul sing its song of dedication; God shall accompany you; you shall realize the beautiful. Dedicate.

Without dedication, realization of Truth is impossible. Without dedication, there will be no success in any endeavor. Strong willpower and formidable faith are required for a decision to dedicate. The greatest goal in life is God or Truth. The whole world is benefited when Truth is realized even by one man in the world. He becomes a source of inspiration to the rest of the world. Dedication demands total sacrifice. By giving ourselves totally, we receive in abundance. Dedicate to realize God’s love.

The world is in need of men of dedication. In every field there is a dearth of such men and women. People find strength in souls of dedication. A dedicated man naturally becomes a leader of men in that field for which he has dedicated his life. The ideal that is shown by such people is followed by the generality of humanity.

A few dedicated men have built the great world religions and movements. It is their gigantic willpower and selfless sacrifice that was the strength behind those movements. For its inspiration the world really needs such dedicated men. Be thou dedicated to the cause of God’s dharma (Divine Law).

Life is short. Life is precious. Life is meant for God-realization. When we die all we carry with us is our karma, good or bad. This karma brings us back to the round of rebirth. So, a wise man transcends both good and bad through meditation and dedicates his whole life for selfless service to God and man. To obtain the wisdom of God and to share this with humanity should be the aim. Such a yogi helps humanity by inspiring them in their evolution. Be thou a dedicated yogi.

Unity of humanity is possible through unity of world religions. The essence of all religions is love. First realize this love. Dedication follows love. Now dedicate your whole life for the noble cause of spreading this love through the teachings of world masters, prophets and saints. Bring an understanding among people of different religions that their essence is the same. This is the most efficacious way to contribute towards world peace. Unity of world religions is Cosmic Religion. This brings cosmic peace.

Dedicate your life for this great cause!

Discrimination

There is an immense dimension revealed before us. A vast world is spread before us. Nobody knows about its beginnings; none know its end. You have to find the answer about the cause of the origin of this universe. Only then will you agree with the utterance of the great masters. Knowing thus, discriminate.

Silently the universe stands; diligently and obediently it follows the law. Seasons rotate; night and day follow each other. Waves roll by; the sun shines; fire burns; the wind blows since time immemorial without any change in the law. What is behind all these? Discriminate.

Countless stars peep through eternity. What is the power that holds all these vast galaxies? What an amount of light the sun brings and gives this earth every day, every moment in various countries continuously! Marvel in the reading of this open book of God, nature, and the universe. Discriminate.

Don’t you see innumerable worms, flies, insects, birds, animals, and creatures? They are so beautiful with colored wings, colored skins with endless varieties to suit their environment. Who will not wonder at seeing the majestic elephant and awe-inspiring snakes! What a joy to see the peacock dancing with its rich plumage and to hear the songs of the skylark and nightingale! Wherefrom this perfection? This variety? Are you contented to say this is all just nature? Will that answer all your questions? Can’t you go beyond this? Discriminate.

Observe the beauty of the flowers. Their smile and fragrances have inspired innumerable poets. They give their peace and joy to everyone who has eyes to see. What precision and perfection in the petals, colors and fragrance! Who will not be inspired to see a bud blossoming into a flower and creating honey for the bees. Don’t we see law and order in everything? Discriminate.

Fruits and nuts, rice and grains, their colors, tastes—everything is absolutely wonderful. Take any one thing in nature and inquire after its origin; you will find the law at last. Could law emerge in matter automatically, or does the law emerge from intelligence? Discriminate.

Is it not the greatest wonder that a sperm enters and grows in the mother’s womb with a spirit tabernacled in the body, and emerges as a baby girl or boy, manifesting hidden talents and latencies? Have you pondered over this? Can you find an answer? If not, you shall find the answer in realization. Discriminate.

Coming to human existence, if you just think how many lives you might have lived before, that will be an astonishing fact. For consciousness to manifest in this human body is considered the crowning success of evolution. All experiences of past lives are hidden in you, which you will discover. Discriminate.

Not even for a moment can a living being exist here without action. So this is the field of cause and effect. This law of karma operates perfectly. Transgressing this law, man errs, sins, and suffers. Obeying it, man evolves into perfection, which is the goal of life. You will know the law. Discriminate.

Wealth and prosperity (artha), desire and enjoyment (kama), one will receive according to his karma; whereas spiritual discipline (dharma) and liberation (moksha) are attained only through sadhana or constant effort. Knowing life to be precious, reach perfection here and now. Discriminate.

To obtain human birth, O soul, you have traveled endlessly in various lower wombs. You have suffered a lot in various bodies. In no other body have you had enough instruments and such manifestation of consciousness as in the human body. Illimitable powers are at your command now to reach perfection; make use of them before it is too late. Discriminate.

Sages are of the opinion that human birth is rare and precious. They also say that there is no guarantee that one will obtain a human body again and again, birth after birth, unless one has accumulated enough meritorious deeds. Being born in this body, know the secret of life here and now. Discriminate.

Many die in the womb. Many die when they are children. Many die in accidents, diseases, wars and from poison. Unless an opportunity is there for man to grow enough, he cannot learn, he cannot obtain the wisdom to end this birth-death cycle. God has saved you from all calamities and has blessed you with this opportunity of knowing thyself. Sit quietly sometime and discriminate.

Light shall come to one who meditates. Meditation should begin with discrimination. Who am I? Why am I here? Who is my Creator? How shall I realize Him? What have I done until now? How shall I go beyond the pairs of opposites? Such a Self-inquiry gradually leads one to realize the Truth. Knowing thus, with all earnestness—discriminate.

The birth-death cycle is miserable. It is inevitable unless you exhaust your karma. Karma is reduced to ashes by the fire of wisdom. Wisdom comes through discrimination. Discriminate.

Discrimination (viveka) lies in distinguishing what is real from what is momentary and what is permanent from what is impermanent. If the mind and intellect are settled in that which is real, realization of the eternal Self will be the result. Self-realization, therefore, shall never come to one unless one discriminates. Knowing thus, discriminate.

All of us mistake the impermanent to be the permanent, the ephemeral to be eternal. That’s why you are caught in the cobweb of rebirth. Unless you know the absolute, the field of relativity is not distinguished. Discrimination alone can help you to know the absolute. Discriminate.

Wakeful, dreaming, and deep sleep states you enjoy. What is this mind that marvels at creation during the wakeful state? What is the light that gives you the dream experience when you see so many things without the aid of this physical body? What is the happiness you enjoy in the deep sleep state where there are no dreams? Who holds united all these planes of consciousness and gives you these different experiences? Meditate and discriminate.

Discrimination leads you towards dispassion. Dispassion leads you to determination. Determination leads you to devotion toward God. Devotion leads towards wisdom. Wisdom leads towards Self-realization. Therefore, discriminate.

Through discrimination you negate that which you are not. You reach at last that which you really are. Most of the time you are ego conscious. The identification of the Self with the body and senses gives rise to the ego. Ego can be annihilated through discrimination. No sooner is ego eradicated then you gain purity and, hence, illumination. Knowing thus, discriminate.

You have a physical body. This is the food sheath. You have vital energy. That is the vital sheath. You have the mind and its desires. That is the mind sheath. You have the deep sleep state. This is experienced through the bliss sheath. The food and vital sheaths are in the gross body; the mind and intellect sheaths are in the subtle or astral body; bliss is in the causal body or the seed body.

Through the gross body you enjoy the wakeful state; through the subtle or astral body you enjoy the dream state; and through the causal body you enjoy a deep sleep state. You are moving in these three planes which are essentially the plane of ego. Through discrimination you will know you are none of these and you will reach your essential Self, the Atman. When you reach your real Self, you shall gain immortality. Discriminate.

Through the sword of discrimination, cut the knots of karma. Through the light of discrimination, dispel the darkness of ignorance that causes rebirth. Through the ladder of discrimination ascend to the superconscious state. Discriminate.

Unless you discriminate, you will never know the eternal Self. Unless you know the real Self you will cling to the false self, the ego. Unless you eradicate the ego, the whirling disc of birth and death never stops. Birth and death cycles are full of pain. Bliss is your real nature. That you can attain now with sincere discrimination. Discriminate.

Discrimination dispels doubts. Discrimination drives out desires. Discrimination leads you to Reality. Discrimination gives peace and bliss. Discrimination leads you towards Truth, Light, Love, Atman and God.

Knowing thus, discriminate!

Dispassion

Oh man, know that everything is momentary, and God alone is permanent. Be dispassionate towards all that is relative; be passionate about the Absolute. This is the key to peace.

Oh brother, the whole world is trying to escape pain by adjusting, creating, accumulating, and enjoying. But the soul of everybody is crying in agony, “I want peace, I want peace.” Seeking God, who is the abode of peace, you shall gain peace. Unless you cultivate dispassion, you cannot love God. Knowing thus, be thou dispassionate.

Seeking happiness outside, you wander endlessly. Seeking peace in relatives, you falter. Husband, wife, children, relatives, friends, wealth, property, nothing can give thee eternal peace. Realizing thus, cultivate vairagya or dispassion.

Oh tired soul, see how the civilized world of today is writhing with pain. If civilization, power, possessions and hoarding could give peace, why is man suffering today as never before? Is it not passion and attachment which have tempted him into this sorrowful bondage? Attain thou immortality by abiding in Truth. Cultivate dispassion and be passionate after the Truth.

Passion for God is love; passion for the world is desire. Desire comes out of ignorance. Ignorance is the root cause of misery. Cut the knot of ignorance by the sword of dispassion and attain freedom.

Discrimination leads to dispassion. Dispassion leads to devotion to God. Devotion leads to wisdom and wisdom to peace. Knowing thus, discriminate and be dispassionate.

Man, you are hoping aimlessly to realize permanent bliss through worldly endeavors. Painful experiences result and you feel disgust toward the things which brought pain, but only temporarily. Feeling attachment again, you try other things, hoping you will be happy. Before long, you find that misery always follows happiness. Peace is beyond misery and happiness. To go beyond the pleasures of the world, cultivate dispassion and attain peace.

Oh brother, when it is said, “Go beyond,” it doesn’t mean you should physically renounce this world. It only means do not be attached; it means you have to renounce desires mentally. Do this before it is too late. Any small desire has the power to toss you into the mire of the world. Cultivate dispassion and be fearless.

If you desire, desire for desirelessness; such a desire cannot bind. If you want happiness, crave for eternal happiness; then it cannot bring bondage. If you are after profit, gain the Kingdom of Heaven. Then you have no fear of loss. If you seek peace, take God by storm, then there is no cause for misery. Realizing non-attachment to worldly things alone can lead you to the eternal. Be thou dispassionate.

Love the world, but don’t lust after it. Love your wife and children, but be not attached. If you can see God in everything and everybody, you will love everything and everybody selflessly. For selfishness brings attachment, but selflessness brings peace. Knowing thus, be thou dispassionate.

How many lives have you lived till now! How many agonies you have suffered! How many times you thought of renouncing desires and how many times you were tempted not to renounce! Study the lives of Masters, sages and saints. None of them attain God without cultivating dispassion. Realizing thus, be thou dispassionate.

Practice any yoga, study any philosophy, read any Scripture, meditate any number of years, count the beads all your life, memorize all the verses of holy books, seek the cave of any mountain, go to the feet of any guru; but unless you practice dispassion, none can help you to attain God. All will teach you to cultivate dispassion. Knowing thus, be dispassionate.

Oh God, everything is Thine; nothing is mine. You are my everything. Accept me as Thine. Meditate on these thoughts ceaselessly and be thou dispassionate.

Birth, growth, old age, and death are inevitable stages of the body. Death may devour at any time; then you have to give up all physical things, including your physical body. Attachment clings to your soul through the subtle body, which brings you back to the abode of sorrows. If you cultivate dispassion, desires will die. A desireless man attains freedom here and hereafter. Realizing thus, be thou dispassionate.

Compassion follows dispassion, for when you are dispassionate, you cannot possess or remain attached to anything. When you have no desire, then alone can you truly love. True love expresses compassion, which is the highest of all virtues. Knowing thus, be thou dispassionate.

Fearlessness comes through freedom, freedom comes through wisdom, wisdom comes through devotion, devotion comes through passion for God, passion for God comes through dispassion towards sense objects. Knowing thus, cultivate dispassion.

Dispassion develops humility. Humility leads to purity. Purity leads to illumination, illumination leads to liberation, or mukti. Reflecting thus, be thou dispassionate.

The flesh is never satisfied, wants are never pacified, thirst is never quenched, ego demands more, more, more. Dispassion ends all games of the ego and gives the soul eternal rest at the lotus feet of God. Meditating thus, be thou dispassionate.

Do not postpone for tomorrow; every day ends in sorrow. Renounce mentally all desires right now. Serve all with love. To be eligible for immortality, be thou dispassionate.

The whole world weeps, there is no one to console; all hearts cry, nobody can pacify them. All souls are suffering; there is nobody to show the way. You have wept enough. You have cried a lot; you have suffered much. Take this message of dispassion. Show the world the way to be happy. Be thou first to the call of the flute. Be thou dispassionate.

All masters were dispassionate. All teachers have taught dispassion as the way to peace. But people worship God and guru for earthly benefits which destroy the peace. Then they blame God and saints for their misery. You have to find your own salvation. All incarnations and prophets guide you and help you to be dispassionate. This is the only way to fly to the bosom of the Infinite. Reflecting thus, be thou dispassionate.

Everything is fraught with danger and fear, for everything is ephemeral. If wealthy, you are afraid of robbers; if healthy, you are afraid that some illness might attack you. Beauty and youth are threatened by old age. Fame is threatened by ill fame, happiness by misery and life by death. There is only one weapon which can make you bold and fearless and that is dispassion. Knowing thus, be thou dispassionate.

Desire repeated makes habits; habits repeated make the character; character manifests personality. Personality influences the world. Therefore, a desirous man shall develop an egoistic personality. His influence will only enhance and encourage the ego of others. Ego will never bring peace. Peace is the one goal of man and humanity. A desireless man alone can influence and teach humanity the way of truth and blessedness. Reflecting thus, be thou dispassionate.

Dispassion does not mean physical renunciation. Dispassion does not mean physical escape from duty. Dispassion does not mean running away from problems. Dispassion does not mean renouncing family. Dispassion only means to face your problems boldly, to perform your duty without attachment. To love and serve all, work for work’s sake, love for love’s sake; ask nothing, give everything. Divine love, selfless service and perfect wisdom are the outcome of dispassion. Knowing thus the glory of nonattachment, be thou dispassionate.

All know that there is pain in suffering. All know that the world brings suffering. Even those who have suffered do not give up. Look at the power of Maya! This causes endless suffering. Show thy fellow beings the way of transcending the pairs of opposites. That way is dispassion. Be thou dispassionate.

The world wants an ideal, and that is Truth. The world wants the abiding happiness that lives in divine love. The world wants a way to attain it. The way is dispassion. The world wants a leader. Be thou the leader by becoming the servant of God. Dispassion makes you a worthy servant of God. Be thou dispassionate.

One who is dispassionate gains immortality. One who is dispassionate attains infinite consciousness. One who is dispassionate gains the ultimate victory. One who is dispassionate obtains God’s all embracing love. One who is dispassionate becomes a loving devotee of God. Realizing thus, be thou dispassionate.

The purpose of life is the attainment of perfection. Perfection lies in freedom from thralldom. Freedom lies in knowledge and knowledge in devotion. Devotion comes through dispassion.

Be thou dispassionate.

Devotion

Devotion is the cord that binds the soul to God. God is easily attained through devotion. The formless God takes a transcendental form and appears before the devotee. The soul receives the mystic embrace of the Lord. Give up all scholastic disputation and with faith, pray. To realize God and remain under His benign presence, be thou a devotee.

To be a devotee is to be very humble. To be a devotee is to be ‘poor in spirit.’ To be a devotee is to empty the ‘ego.’ God loves devotion. God reveals Himself to the humble devotee. “I am like a fish out of water,” is the cry of the soul of a devotee to God. This restlessness to see God, this pining for the vision of the supreme Beloved is the key to open the gates of the Kingdom of Heaven. God has never failed His devotee at any time. Cultivate humility, and be thou a devotee.

A devotee realizes that everything is impermanent and God alone is eternal and permanent. His soul longs to be united with God’s feet to have eternal life. So the heart of the devotee sings, “I am Thine, thou art mine forever.” He offers all that he does to God. He loves God in everybody and sees God in everything. What a blessing to realize that cosmic love! Take to the path of love, and be thou a devotee.

Oh soul, you are a part of the Divine. You are a drop of the ocean of bliss. It is the ego that has brought the feeling of separation. Meditate on your beloved Father-Mother God and break the wall of ego. Pray and melt your ego. Make the ego participate in worship, in chanting, in making obeisance to God. This is the way to reduce the ego to a zero. Humble the ego through devotion. Be thou a devotee.

Oh man, look at this vast universe created by God. All this is the expression of the love of our beloved God. Just think, when you were born, who placed the milk in the bosom of the mother? When your soul was passing through different stages of evolution, who lifted you up to be born as a human being?

Who is taking care of the rotation of planets, movements of galaxies, and the rotation of the seasons? Appreciating the magnificent beauty of the creation, your devotion will grow. Seeing the munificence of the compassionate God, your love shall expand. Meditate on the glory of God, and be thou a devotee.

Oh brother, who is watering millions of trees in the forests and on the mountains? Who is clothing various animals with different colored skin suited to the climate and the place where they dwell? Who supplies the varieties of food to the innumerable animals, birds, reptiles and worms? Who has painted and perfumed the endless varieties of flowers of variegated hues? Who has kept the honey in them for the humming bees? Who has kept an immortal soul in your mortal body? Just meditate on this eternal Beloved, and be thou a devotee.

Oh look at the majestic elephant! Look at the peacock gazing at the clouds, dancing happily, spreading its gorgeous plumage! Look at the awe-inspiring snake with its unfurled hood! Look at the green wings and the red beak of a parrot that speaks so lovingly to you! Look at the mother cow licking the calf when it is striking its mother’s dripping udders with its head! Oh, love is lavished by God on His creation! What more do you require as proof of His love than this vast universe spread before you? Bend your head and get on your knees and pray. Be thou a devotee.

Friend, have you observed the factory of your body? >From the time of birth until death, a heartbeat is continued rhythmically. Circulation of the blood is constant. Growth of the body is continuous. The process of digestion, assimilation and elimination, the flushing work of the kidneys, the miraculous work of the lungs, the complex structure of the brain—all these coming out of one tiny seed! Just marvel at this wonder of the formation of your own body, which is a veritable instrument given by God for realizing Him. Be thankful for this privilege and be thou a devotee!

Oh brother, God has provided water to a tiny frog in the bosom of a rock. God has provided amnion to the embryo while you were in the womb of your mother. God has created a pouch in the mother kangaroo for her young. God has given the necessary claws and teeth for animals to eat their food. He has given wings for the birds to fly. He has given the power to the pearl oyster to prepare a pearl out of a drop of rain water or from a grain of sand.

He has given the patience to ants to build an ant hill and selflessness for the bees to collect the honey in the hive! How beautiful is the structure of the cobwebs which the spider builds with the thread that comes from within its own body! Whenever it wants it can move its house, withdrawing the thread back into its body and rebuilding its web elsewhere. Look at the wonders of creation, marvel at them, and be thou a devotee.

A cat’s eye is so designed to see things both during the day and night. And owl’s eye is so provided to see only during the night. The nose of the dog is given the power to know anyone by their smell, and the eyes of the cobra are designed to both see and smell things! Oh! The endless varieties of fishes, birds, and their languages! Singing whales and powerful crocodiles—a vast creation itself is in the ocean!

Oh God, what a lila, what a play of Thine! And what a glory is displayed in the mineral world! What effulgence is kept in precious stones! How wonderful is the chemical process under the earth to have oil, minerals, gold and diamonds! “Oh God, everything is Thine. I am Thine. Accept me as thy humble servant.” Pray thus, and be thou a devotee.

Feel restless like the young birds in the nest, waiting for the mother bird to return to them. Feel like the calf that goes round and round the peg to which it is bound, calling the mother cow to return to it. Feel like the lotus bud waiting desperately for the morning sun. Seeing that alone, it blossoms!

Feel like a child that cries in agony for the presence of its mother. Feel like a drowning man desperately struggling for breath and some help to save him. Feel like a forlorn lamb desperately wanting to join its mother. It is this feeling of restlessness without the darshan of God that brings God’s darshan to you. Feel and pray—be thou a devotee.

Even an earthly mother rushes to the crying babe to console it. Even a cruel father forgives his children when they repent! Is not God a million times more compassionate and forgiving than any parents? God is the unfailing Mother. God is the merciful Father. Pray for His loving forgiveness.

(to be continued)

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