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Sharing the enlightened wisdom
Prabhuji Speaks Meditation – To be Aware of the Inner Self When the mind becomes deeply silent, in that silence you become aware of the inner Self. It can happen in medita‐ tion or prayers. 'Meditation is not just making the mind silent, but being aware of the silent mind'.
You might have seen many saints of the other cultures in other countries, how will they show their hands while pray‐ ing? They show their hands upwards. In India you see any saint, you can see them meditating. What is the difference? Many religions of the world are prayer oriented where as Indian system is mediation oriented. Meditation is seeing the God in you. He is there inside. To see him who is there inside you is called meditation. We have lost the track of the meditation‐oriented religion. Meditation is seeing the God within you. So see the divinity that is already there in you. Already the powers are in you. So invoke it. That’s why in India Saint means who is in peace (Shanta). But for us different imagination has come. One who sees what is inside us is called Saint. Don’t be under the impression that the prayer is to somebody sitting somewhere. The Bhagavaan is Sarvantaryami. God is eve‐ rywhere. Lord is in everything. Understood? In prayer you ask for what you don’t have. What is there inside you and bringing up that to the outside is called meditation.
Panchadasi - Tattva Viveka 33 is further ahead. Kosha is also limited but God has no limitations, these five koshas are also limitations. Through your Anandamaya kosha you can experience the bliss of God, you have to leave the Anandamaya kosha also to unite with him.
"As rivers flow into the sea and disappear, losing name and form, so the enlightened one, delivered from name and form, enters into God the higher of the high." (111.2.8) Mundakopanishad.
The soul of an Enlightened Person goes to God the Universal Soul and flows into Him, losing all individu‐ ality and becoming one with the Divine being. What prevents the Union of individual Soul with the Univer‐ sal Soul in this earth? Annam prāno mano buddhir ānanaśceti pañca te, kośā stairā vrtah svātmā vismrtyā samsrtim vrajet (33)
The food, vital air, mind, intellect and bliss sheaths are the five sheaths, covered by them, the Atma forgets its own essential nature, and is subjected to cycle of birth and death. (33)
Annam prano mano buddhir ananda are the five sheaths. The five kosa‐s or sheaths are the anna‐maya, prana‐maya, mano‐maya, vijnana‐maya and ananda‐ maya. Why are they called kosas? Because the pure sat‐cid‐ anand swarupam – Atma is covered by them.
God is beyond all experiences, even bliss! ‘Hira9maye kośe’. With practice of spiritual sadhana, many people experience bliss, bliss is experienced all the time; they will know that their form is bliss. Does that mean you got God? No, something is still missing. Who is experi‐ encing bliss? ‘I’ am experiencing bliss. I and bliss exist. I am the experience of bliss. Still there is someone ex‐ periencing. This is not the end. You have to go further. ‘Hira9maye kośe’ means Golden vessel. God is sitting inside the Golden vessel. How, what is this Golden vessel? We have Pancha Koshas or shariras or sheaths. Annamaya kosha, Pranamaya kosha, Manomaya ko‐ sha, Vijnanamaya kosha, Anandamaya kosha. When the light of the Lord, Light of Awareness falls on them, these shariras or koshas gets life. In these, the Anan‐ damaya kosha is the closest to the Lord, here the light of the Lord is the greatest, so it is filled with bliss. When you understand that you are the form of bliss, you are in the ‘Hira9maye kośa’, when you are filled with bliss, you are at Anandamaya kosha, but the Lord
It is the five sheaths (Pancha koshas) around the soul (Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vignanamaya and Anandamaya koshas) which prevents the union of the individual soul with the universal Soul. These five sheaths trap the soul and the cause for this trap is the load of sin accumulated from the cycle of births and rebirths. When their load of sins is removed by good deeds and is liberated, these sheaths collapse; the soul is liberated and flows back to the God.
"Aakasham Patitam thoyam , Sagaram Prati gacchati" ‐ Every drop of rain from the sky , flows towards the sea. Every individual Soul flows back to Universal Soul, its source to become unified with its origin when liberat‐ ed or God realized.
Sanatana Dharma
Naivedyam Naivedyam means, food offered to God as part of a worship ritual, before eating it. Let us see what our Sanatana Dhar‐ ma says about Naivedyam. Naivedyam means nothing Belongs to me. Naivedyam means nahi vedyam – this does not belong to me, that is what naivedyam means.You offer everything to God knowing that nothing belongs to you and offer it with an attitude of gratitude knowing that God does not need anything. God has provided everything – this hu‐ man life, food etc to survive and grow. That attitude is called naivedyam. Vedya means understanding nahi means no, understanding that nothing in the Universe belongs to you, everything belongs to the Lord. With this attitude what you offer is called naivedyam. The moment you live in a consciousness of abundance that God has given you, you will be filled with gratefulness that you have been given a life and given food to survive and grow, and in gratitude you offer everything to the Lord. The Lord does not eat anything that you offer as naivedyam, the Lord sees the attitude with which you offer the naivedyam to the Lord. The attitude behind the naivedyam is what God will accept.
Soundarya Lahari Tatil‐lekha‐thanvim thapana‐sasi‐vaisvanara‐mayim Nishannam shannam apy upari kamalanam tava kalaam; Maha‐padma tavyam mrdita‐mala‐mayena manasa Mahantah pasyanto dadhati parama'hlada‐laharim. Those souls great, Who have removed all the dirt from the mind, And meditate on you within their mind, Who is of the form of sun and moon, And living in the forest of lotus, And also above the six wheels of lotus, Enjoy waves after waves, Of happiness supreme.
Attracting every one, Making everyone happy Crest‐Moon – Crest‐Moon represents the mind of the human beings, which is under the control of the Universal Moth‐ er. In ignorance, the mind is full of materialistic desire and lots of sound. When one seek the Mother she destroys the ignorance by imparting the knowledge of wisdom through Sadguru Darshana. Crest‐Moon represents the spiritual evo‐ lution of the seeker. The word crescent is derived etymologically from the present participle of the Latin verb crescere "to grow", thus meaning "increasing", and so was originally applied to the form of the waxing moon (luna crescens).
Trishula – Trishula represent various trinities—creation, maintenance and destruction; past, present and future; the rajo, tamo and sattva guna. When looked upon as a weapon of the Universal Mother, the trishula is said to destroy the three worlds: the waking, dreaming and deep sleep. In the human body, the trishula also represents the place where the three main nadis, or energy channels (ida, pingala and shushmana) meet at the brow. Shushmana, the central one, continues upward to the seventh chakra, or energy center, while the other two ends at the brow, there the six chakras are located. The trisula's central point represents Shushmana, and that is why it is longer than the other two, repre‐ senting ida and pingala.
The universal mother looks after her children not in a worldly way but beyond that, she wants her children to come back to her, it may take births after births, but finally in one birth, which is auspicious, as that birth is the final birth and are back to the Universal mother.
Sri Lalitha Sahasranama (22) SumEru srunga madhyastha sriman nagara naayika She dwells on the middle peak of Mt. Sumeru. Ruler of the Beautiful city. Sumeru means beautiful mountains. On Meruparvata, there are three peaks and in the center of the three peaks there is one more peak and that is the abode of Sri Lalita. Sumeru means The Srimannagara means Sri Chakra and Sriman nagara means the body where the auspicious Universal Mother re‐ sides. This is the description of Srichakra in Brahmanda and Pindanda. Worship of Sri Chakra in human being - Pindanda and Sri Chakra for the entire Cosmos – Brahmanda. Sri Chakra in human being ‐ Pindanda: Muladhara ‐ (root‐support) or the foundational chakra in the form of triangular space in the midmost portion of the body at the base of the spinal column (meru‐danda), this is the basal chakra means 'root support' or foundation, its main character is to be the source of physical desires. It is a lotus of four petals, signifying the earth element. Above it is Svadhishthana ‐ (own ground) located in the region of the organ of generation in the form of a lotus with six petals signifying the water element. Third center is called manipura ‐ (jewel filled) located around the navel, it is in the form of lotus with ten petals, signifying the fire element. Anahatha (unstruck sound) is the fourth center; located in the heart, it is a lotus of twelve petals, representing the air element . Vishuddha (especially purified) is the center located behind the throat, in the form of a lotus with sixteen petals, representing the akasha element. The sixth center is ajna (all knowing or command), located between the eyebrows, in the form of a lotus with two petals. Beyond these six centers, which are contained within the individual constitution, is the thou‐ sand petalled lotus ‐ Sahasrara, which is said to be located about four finger‐breadths above the crown of the head, outside the body. This is the 'citadel without support ‐ niraalamba puri wherein dwells the primal power ‐ aadya‐ shakti. The six centers are said to house the six divinities Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra , Isvara , Sadashiva and Paramashi‐ va, and the seventh center is the residence of shiva shakti Ikya roopa ‐ Pure Consciousness and Energy. Sri Chakra in entire Cosmos ‐ Brahmanda: Bhupura the outer most enclosure is the gateway for spiritual accomplishment, where the powers of 10 spirits are acquired for self ‐ protection along the spiritual journey . Anima, mahima, lagima, gari‐ ma .... The surrounding square (bhupura) and the triple girdle (tri‐vritta) represent the Muladhara center (emanation, Srshti). The sixteen petalled lotus ‐ Shodasha patrika and the eight petalled lotus ashta‐dala that are outside the main pattern correspond to the Svadhisthana center (presentation, sthiti). The fourteen‐cornered figure Chaturdasara, the outer and the inner ten cornered figures bahir dasara and antar dasara represent the manipura center (absorption, samhriti‐laya). The eight cornered figure ashtara and the primary triangle trikona together corre‐ spond with anahata center at the heart. The central point bindu in its visible aspect represents the vishuddha center and its invisible aspect the ajna center. The transcendental import of the entire Yantra is beyond the ajna center stretching till the mystical thousand petalled lotus Sahasrara on the crown of the head, which is the seat of the moth‐ er goddess Sri Lalitambika ‐ Shiva and Shakti Ikya Roopa.
Vishu: Visualize Auspiciousness
Vishu is New Year Day for Kerala. Traditionally it is celebrated with keeping very auspicious objects in front of you previous night ‐ like statue of Bhagavan Vishnu ...kalasha etc. So that first thing when you wake up you see Auspi‐ ciousness. The legend of Vishu festival is that what you see first thing in the New Year sets the trend for the whole of New Year! A great way to celebrate New Year. Kalasha means Purna kumba the vessel with fullness. Generally, Kumba or kalasha means pot made of mud or earthen pot. It is filled with water and decorated with mango leaves and coconut. Mud pot represents that you have come from mud and after death the body becomes one with the mud. Water inside the pot is Parabrahma. Ocean, waves, every‐ thing is water and nothing else. Out of ignorance we identify with waves and say we are so and so. Once the ignorance is vanished, the waves become one with the ocean and that ocean is nothing but water alone. When one merges with Parabrahma, he is poorna. Earthen pot is the reality of Jivatma the individual soul and the one who is beyond all this is Paramatma ‐ Bhagavan Vishnu the Universal Soul. ~ Prabhuji
Akshaya Tritiya Akshaya Tritiya comes in the month of Vaishakha, astrologically both Sun and Moon are exalted during this period. Our ancestors fixed certain points of time called Muhurthas which they called as auspicious. In Universe eve‐ rything has a time everything follows certain cycle. Say, for example – dur‐ ing morning Sunrise, everybody get up and during night everybody goes to sleep. So this is a Universal phenomenon. During full moon, or during new moon there is a tide variation in the ocean. So nature affects our behavior and nature affects what we do. So this was the observation of our ancestors. So they said when the Sun and Moon is exalted whatever we do reaping, that will happen in a greater degree. During this vaishakha, rainy season or monsoon starts. During rainy season what happens, whatever you sow there is a growth and everywhere in the nature you can see greenery, plants. It is a period of fertility because of rainy season and all round greenery will start, greenery will come up. So whatever you do in this season there is a greater return for whatever you sow and reap in larger quantity, that is what they said. So the concept started with the tilling the ground and sowing the seeds so that when the rain comes whatever you sow you will get in larger quantity. So that concept has been extended to everything money, material wealth, gold everything. Initially it was agricultural country, the concept was by the time Akshaya Tritiya comes, you keep the land ready, and then sow the seeds, then rainy season comes, whatever you sow you will reap. So you will get prosperity, that was the concept behind Akshaya Tritiya. Now the concept has gradually been extended to other as‐ pects of life also. So you buy gold or you do something. Right, in general Akshaya Tritiya is associated with Akshaya which means infinity okay. Akshaya means, one which is imperishable. Kshaya means, something which diminishes, Akshaya means infinite. So Akshaya Tritiya means Infinite or infinity. Tritiya is third day, it is actually third day. So in spiritual terminology three refers to three gunas or nature. sattva, rajo and tamo guna. Okay, now what happens is that these three gunas play on at infinity, they keep on going. The play of three gunas is what nature is about; the play of three gunas is what Prakriti is about. This goes on throughout the year or as long as the Creation is there. Play of three gunas is also infinite in nature. Right, so the play of nature which goes on and on and on forever is represented by three. Akshaya is infinite consciousness, infinity which happens because Solar and Lunar exaltation, which happens because rainy season starts and whatever you do, you will get infinite returns. That is the meaning of Akshaya Tritiya. ~ Prabhuji
Bhageerata Prayatna
The Spiritual Struggle for the Highest Spiritual Truths Ganga Saptami or Bhageeratha Jayanti is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly in Northern parts of India. It is also known as Ganga Puja. It is believed that on this day the holy river Ganga descended onto the earth. This day falls on the seventh day of the Shukla Paksha in Vaisakha month. Ganga puja is slightly more than the physical worship that we do. Ganga has flown from the ‘Jata’ of Lord Shiva. What flows from the head of Shiva? Jnana Ganga, the wisdom. Ganga flowed down to the Earth because of the Bhageeratha Prayathna. What does Bhageeratha means? It is the tre‐ mendous effort made by the three generations of people. There was an emperor called Sagara Chakarvarthy. He had Sixty thousand children and he was performing Ashwamedha Yaghna where they allow the horse to go to any kingdom, and those kingdoms if they surrender, they become a part of this empire and if they don’t surrender they have to fight a war with this emperor. That horse went to the Paatala Loka and there these Sixty thousand children of Sagara could not find the horse. There was one sage, Kapila Muni, who was sitting there meditating, and these children thought that this sage has hidden their horse and they got angry and starting abusing him. Kapila Muni got angry and he cursed them to get burnt and all the Sixty thousand got burnt and their ashes remained there. This is called ‘Apamrithyu’, a death which happens at a wrong time. Those who get Apamrithyu, they become Prethas, beings without body and they cannot go to higher loka, they will be hanging around, it is a tri‐state. So somebody told Sagara that if those people have to get the actual mrithyu, he has to get Ganga from Vishnuloka, Vishnupada to wash the ashes and then they get liberated. Sagara Chakravarthy does Tapasya for Vishnu, gets old and dies and it happens with his son also. His grandson, Bha‐ geeratha does tapasya first time for Vishnu and after many years of intensive Tapasya, Vishnu will become pleased and asked him what he wants and Bhageeratha asks him to let Ganga flow down to the Earth. Vishnu asks him to pray to Shiva as Shiva alone can control the force of Ganga. Then Bhageeratha does Tapasya for Shiva and asks Shiva to con‐ trol the force of Ganga. So here, what happened was already three generations have done Tapasya and now in the Grandson’s generation, the first level of meditation, first 12 yrs of meditation is over, now again he does the second 12 yrs of meditation on Shiva and then the river flows with a force and Shiva captures Ganga in his hair knot. Ganga gives Mukthi to his ancestors.
In a sense this story is about physical Ganga. But in a sense it is spiritual Ganga, Jnana Ganga. It tells us the story of the struggle of generation after generation to get the highest spiritual truths from the Vishnu loka, the highest state of Consciousness to the level what human beings can understand. Flow of Jnana Ganga to the Earth from the Vaikunta which is the realm be could happen because of the struggle of many generations. It will not happen easily, the highest wisdom coming down from Vaikunta. India has dedicated ten thousand, fifteen thousand years for getting Jnana Gan‐ ga. Many and many Saints, Rishis have meditated on what is Atma Jnana, what is Realization and because of their struggle, the highest wisdom has come to us. The struggle to get these highest spiritual truths, wisdom is told in the form of this story of Bhageeratha. Whatever we are, at this given point of time, the good or bad that we are experienc‐ ing in this world are the results of good and bad actions committed by us in our previous births. The results of good actions performed in previous birth lead to happiness and the results of bad actions give sorrow in this life. These are the Karmic impressions and this cycle goes on and on forever. Every incarnation creates more Karmic impressions. The individual soul gets trapped into a never‐ending cycle of bondage due to Karma. Spiritual Significance : Effort of Bhageeratha represents the spiritual struggle. The Ganga represents Jnana Ganga. ‘Nahi jnanena sadrasham pavitramiha udyate’. Generations of ancestors will get liberated when a person attains Enlightenment through intense effort ‐ Spiritual sadhana.
Power of Maya Shri Naradamuni was a Brahmachari. One whose mind is constantly on Brahma is a Brahmachari. Shri Naradamuni was very egoistic and thought that Maya could not touch him. He told this to Lord Vishnu. Lord Vishnu laughed and took Shri Naradamuni on a walk. On the way the Lord asked him to bring a glass of water. Shri Naradamuni knocked the door of a house and a beautiful girl opened the door. He was mesmerized by her beauty and asked her to marry him. They got married and had six children. One day there was heavy ood and his wife and children were washed away. He was overcome with grief and then he suddenly woke up and realized that he had come to fetch water for the Lord. Lord Vishnu told that he was waiting for 15 minutes for him while Shri Naradamuni had spent 20 years in the dream world. So much had happened in such a short time. When the mind gets attracted to something, gets involved and loses self� awareness, it is trapped in Maya. ~ Prabhuji
Ego and bliss Hiranya Kasyapu and Prahalad – Ego and the Supreme Bliss Once there was great demon called Hiranya Kasyapu. What does Hiranya Kasyapu means? When in sleep the desire don’t leave him, that is called Hiranya Kasyapu. Desires go into your sub conscious mind is the meaning of this. His wife’s name is Kayadu. Kayadu when she was pregnant, Narada took her with him and daily he was telling the stories of Bhagavan, spirituality and Kayadu slept off. The child Prahlada inside the womb was listening to what Narada was saying, means he had Guru when he was in his mother’s womb. Prahalad was born Jnani, and the moment he was born and started speaking, he started saying ‘ Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevayah’. Pra‐ halad said Vasudeva means the one who is resident in all living be‐ ings; the whole Universe is the living place of Bhagavan. Hiranya Kasyapu dosent like this, as of him every one should say ‘ Om Namo Hiranya Kasyapuve’. So, who is this Hiranya Kasyapu? For all of us it is I, I, I and that I becomes more important than Consciousness. The ego is Hiranya Kasyapu, the child is Prahlada. Prahalad means Bliss, and this ego doesn’t like bliss, because if bliss is there, ego has no job. So, to suppress that bliss, he throws that bliss from top of the mountain, he drops in the sea, but wherever he throws that bliss will not be affected. It is the child of Divine, it will not go. Finally Hiranya Kasyapu asks, is your Vasudeva in this pillar? Prahalad says yes, the pillar is broken and Narasimha comes out of it. Hiranya Kasyapu had a boon, Nobody can kill him inside or outside; not above, not below; neither in darkness nor light; not with any weapons; neither animal nor human being; this was the boon he got from Brahma means existence. To kill him Narashima had to come; he is neither a human being nor an animal. He kills Hiranya Kasyapu in fillight, neither morning nor night; he kills him neither inside the palace nor outside the palace, he kills him on the threshold or door step. So, Narasimha came out of the pillar; the pillar is the stone heart of human be‐ ings; Narashima comes breaking the stone heart. Narashima is such a form where he kills Hiranya Kasyapu not out‐ side nor inside; not in the waking state (outside) nor in the dreaming state (inside); the state of meditation is, that the consciousness is neither outside nor inside, it is just Awareness. Meditation is neither unconscious nor conscious; nor above nor below; Narashima kills with his nails; and nails represents the Wisdom (Jnana) and the ego gets killed in meditation. Narashima represents Sadguru. With that knowledge of wisdom he kills the demon Hiranya Kasyapu, it is nothing but the ego. How can any weapon kill ego. It blows up if anyone praises you and shrinks when anyone hurts you. The nails of Narashima which is nothing but the Jnana of Sadguru kills the ego. He is neither Shima – ani‐ mal characteristics, nor Nara – human being; Sadguru can never be a human being, he has dropped his personality. This is Turiya. Turiya is explained in purans through the stoty of Hiranya Kasyapu. ~ Prabhuji
Buddha Poornima The Completeness of an Awakened One Poornima stands for fullness, Completeness ‐ Full moon. Buddha Poornima stands for the one who has reached the fullness. No trace of incompleteness. One who has reached the shore. Full of Bliss ‐ Ananda. Moon represents the mind. Full moon represents the purified mind. Mind symbolizes the Love. Universal Love. Buddha Poornima repre‐ sents the Divine light, the light of Wisdom of an Enlightened Being. Moon reflects sunlight. Sun cannot be seen directly. But we can see the moon. Moon’s rays are soothing. God is the Sun. Divine qualities cannot be understood by human mind. Divine qualities reflected in pure mind of Jnani can be understood. Buddha is the fullmoon ‐ re‐ flecting the Divine qualities. Buddha means the awakened one. If you are in a presence of a real master your mind will become silent. There was a Scholar, a very learned man called Moulinga who came to Budhda. He was expert in so many philosophical systems. He asked so many questions to Buddha; Buddha kept on smiling. One hour he didn’t answer. Then he told, ‘you have many questions? You want me to answer, so what you do is you stay here in this place for two years, don’t ask any questions. After two years whatever question you ask I will answer’. So, why is this two years? To test the sincerity. If he is very sincere to get an answer, he will stay for two years. If he wants the answers he will wait for two years. If he is not sincere he will go by saying ‘why to waste the time. In two years I can earn so much money, I can go here and there, I can do so many things in two years’. So here first thing he eliminates non‐sincere ways. At that time there is another Shishya Manjusri with Buddha. He started laughing. This guy Moulinga asked Manjusri, why you are laughing? Manjusri says, “If you have any questions ask now itself, after two years you will not have any questions left. I also came to ask so many questions to Buddha, and he asked me to stay for one year, at the end of one year I didn’t have any questions. so if you have any questions ask now itself. Don’t get trapped in words of Buddha.” If you are in a presence of a real master, the questions disappear from you. Your mind will become silent. Not that you don’t get answers, but the questions disappears. The questioner disappears; the one who ask the question disap‐ pears. Your mind becomes peaceful. That is what happened to the people who went to Ramana Maharshi. Shri Ra‐ man maharshi sat in front of them, they got the answers or the questions disappear. So the mind becomes peaceful this is Spirituality. The mind becomes deeply silent in presence of an awakened one – a Jnani. ~ Prabhuji
Sri Shankaracharya - The Advaita philosopher Around 7th century or later part of 6th century, there was a great Acharya called Shri. Goudapadacharya, who was Shri Shankaracharya’s grand guru. He was considered a living Triveni Sangama ‐ union of three streams of wisdom that included Buddhism, Vedanta Tattva and Kashmiri Shaivism. He wrote “Mandukya Karika” which is a commentary on Mandukya Upanishad that outlines Advaita principles. He taught Mandukya Karika and Vedanta to his disciple Shri Govindapadacharya who was Shri Shankaracharya’s guru. The Advaita principle was not discovered by these Acharyas but is an ancient principle and Vedantic truth which existed since Vedic times. These Acharyas structured, simplified and explained Advaita principle so that a common man could understand and realize the truths therein. Shri Shankaracharya arose and revived the Vedanta philosophy. He made it a rationalistic philosophy. In the Upanishads the arguments are often very obscure. By Shri Shankaracharya the intellectual side of philosophy was laid stress upon. He worked out, rationalized, and placed before men the wonderful coherent system of Advaita. In Shri Shankaracharya we saw tremendous intellectual power, throwing the scorching light of reason upon everything. The genius of Shri Shankaracharya upheld the true principles de‐ stroying all dogma and misunderstandings. Shri Shankaracharya up‐ held the path of Jnana – enquiry into the nature of the phenomenal world and nature of Self. He declared that phenomenal world is Maya and only Reality is Self. Advaita – non‐duality means not oneness not twoness it is a negative term it is A‐Dvaita, there is no duality, and it does not mean oneness is there, if oneness exists, it is a part of the mind. It is the mind that creates one two three four. So when the mind disappears, mind becomes no mind it is called Advaita, non‐dual. So the highest reality can only be explained in terms of negativity, ‘not this’ ‘not this’ (neti‐neti). Shri Adi Shankaracharya the Advaita philoso‐ pher commanded the neti‐neti approach. In his commentary, he explains that the function of neti‐neti is to remove the obstructions produced by ignorance. The negation, neti‐neti, does not have negation as its purpose, it purports identity. This neti‐neti process gradually negates the mind and transcends all worldly experiences that are negated till nothing remains but the Self. In non‐duality the oneness and twoness disappears, it is a state that cannot be ex‐ plained by words, any words will miss the point. Oneness is below this, Advaita is not oneness, it is not twoness, and it does not speak of oneness. Neti‐neti explains the expression of something that is inexpressible; it expresses or ex‐ plains the essence of that which it refers to when no other definition can be given to it. Let us bow down and respect Shri Shankaracharya who has shown us the path of liberation, enlightenment and become free (moksha). ~ Prabhuji
Sri Ramanujacharya & Vishistadvaita Seeker – Guruji, What are the main teachings of Sri Ramanujachar‐ ya? Prabhuji – Sri Ramanujacharya does not agree with the Advaita (Sri Shankara's View) that only the Parabrahman (God) is true and every thing else is Maya. He groups everything into 3 groups Chit (Sentient), A‐Chit (Non‐Sentient) & Eshwar (Para Brahman). He in‐ terprets Advaitic vedic verses such that, Chit & Achit constitute the Body of the Parabrahman. Hence Chit & Achit are not "Maya", but physically exits. Since "Chit & Achit" are the body ‐ they are the "property" of Parabrahman. And this Parabrahman who possesses the whole universe as his property is Advaitic, meaning there is no body to compare to him. He also is not "Nirguna" but has innumerable "Kalya Guna" or superior qualities such as Karunya (pity), etc. Para‐ brahman is Sriman Narayana. Sria‐Pathitvam (husband of Sri) is one of the most auspicious gunas of Parabrahman. Sri is the manifesta‐ tion of the Parabrahman's "Ahamtha" that which singularly identifies Parabrahman. Some of the main teachings of Sri Ramanujacharya are • Attaining Moksha is the purpose of any soul. By moksha, he refers the soul physically existing the known universe which is part of the creation‐destruction cycle to "Vaikunta" where the souls achieve "Samyapathi" with equality with Sriman Narayana's 8 of his gunas. • Any soul, in whatever body they might have taken, (man, women, animal, plant etc.,) can achieve moksha. There is no discrimination. • He mentioned that in Kali Yuga, there are at best 2 methods of attaining Moksha. Bhakti (love of God) and Prapatti (complete surrender to him). • Bhakti is still dependent on the effort of the Bhakta, and she/he has to like the life as prescribed by the Vedas and think about God at the moment the soul leaves the body. Here the soul cannot be assured of Moksha at end of cur‐ rent birth. • Prapatti (Saranagathi) is acceptance of our inability to adopt any other method of achieving moksha, and perform complete surrender to him. The most important concept in prapatti is faith. • Prapatti has to be first to Sri (the mother) and then to Narayana (the father) for it to work. • Prapatti needs to be performed through a Sri Vaishnava archaya who are a part of the guru parampara (guru‐shishya parampara) of the 72 acharyas identified by Sri Ramanuja. Seeker ‐ What is the path prescribed by Ramanujacharya for attaining Moksha? Prabhuji ‐ Sri Ramanuja prescribes the path of Bhakti – devotion and Sharanagati (Prapatti). Even in bhakti there is attitude of being Bhakta while in Prapatti (Sharanagati) there is total dropping of ego identity at the feet of Lord. Seeker ‐ How is the path different from that prescribed by Sri Shankaracharya? Prabhuji ‐ Shri Ramanujacharya speaks of Bhakti and Sharanagati as path for liberation. For Sri Shankara Bhakti and Sharanagati is necessary for purification of mind. Liberation happens through Jnana. As per Sri Ramanujacharya ‐ liberation happens at the time of death. Sri Shankara stresses the importance of Jivanmukti ‐ liberation when one is alive.
Mother’s Day Celebration
Respect Life Given by the Mother Universal Mother – The chanting of Sri Lalita Sahasranama starts with Srimata. Srimata means The Universal Moth‐ er. We have two principles operating in universe; one is Consciousness and the other is Energy ‐ Purusha and Pra‐ kriti. Purusha means the father Prakriti means mother. The principle of Consciousness; witness; sakshi is called fa‐ ther. Anything it manifests is nature; prakriti is mother. Human beings or animals see the nature; they do not see the consciousness. We always see the nature; mother, we cannot see the Consciousness because Consciousness is the seer. The Mother is the first Guru or teacher. The child only sees the mother; the child does not see the father. Moth‐ er has to introduce the father. This is role played by the Universal Mother. She provides an environment where you are born and you grow. When you are born and you grow you, have that feeling that you are different from Consciousness – from your father. This is ego. This ego also grows and you do not recognize father pure Consciousness – Shiva. This ego is also the protec‐ tion kept by Universal Mother. There is a coconut shell. Deep inside the coconut soft kernel is there. Outside there is hard shell. The hard shell pro‐ tects the soft kernel inside. Why is it so? The shell protects until the coconut sprouts and gives rise to another tree. In the same way, the ego also gives you a sense of protection until you evolve spiritually. When the time comes the ego breaks, the usefulness of the ego ends and the inner spiritual evolution becomes full – this is enlightenment. The pra‐ kriti provides facility for this; she is The Universal Mother. The difference between The Universal Mother and biological mother is – biological mother gave you the body, The Universal Mother gives you the Consciousness – The Father. Biological mother is for one lifetime but The Universal Mother comes in all life times. Many Buddhists does not dig the ground. By digging the ground, they have the feeling that they are killing the earth‐ worms. By killing the earthworms, you are killing your mother! You do not know how many life times you have taken and in some lifetime if you were earthworm, it must be your mother. When you are harming that, you are harming your mother. That is the concept. Every living being must have been your mother in one lifetime or other. Respect life – this is the celebration of The Mother’s Day. ~ Prabhuji
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