Vedanta Art 1

There was a Sufi mystic saint called Rabia Basri (714-801 CE). She used to say, I love God with all my heart and soul. Once she was asked, “Do you hate Satan?” Then she replied, “if there was any part of my heart which could hate Satan, with that very part also, I will love God.” So, there is no place for hatred for the lovers of God. Whoever is on the path of renunciation there is no question of hatred for anything for them. If hatred is there, then it is not at all a path approaching towards God! Detachment is the ideal state of mind for spiritual seekers. Whoever has too much of attachment or hatred cannot practice spirituality.

God-centric life is the life which revolves around God and godly thoughts. If all the activities we do, is done with the attitude of service to God then our life can become God-centric. If we do all work for Sri Ramakrishna it means that the fruits of actions also belong to Him. There are two results of this attitude. Firstly, we are unaffected by the success or failure of the action. Secondly, we would be able to perform selfless actions. We can work for Him, we can repeat His name, we can sing His name and glory. Then God takes a centre stage in our life. Glorifying one’s own name, working for self-appeasement or appeasement of others/superiors cannot be called selfless action.

Sometimes some people are de-motivated by not being able to see the effect of selfless work which is purification of mind. Holy Mother gave a beautiful example. Suppose a person is in deep sleep, sleeping on a cot. In that state if he is shifted from one place to another, he will not realize that change of place because he is in deep sleep. When he wakes up, he notices where he has come. Same happens with us also. Faith in the

power of goodness and faith in the words of the wise people are the real treasures for the spiritual seeker.

Logically speaking, every action has a reaction. Every cause has an effect and every effect has a cause. There is no action which does not produce result. Good action must produce good result and bad action must produce bad result - so what, if it does not show apparent results. The cause of unhappiness is always the unsatisfied desires. Satisfying desires gives happiness for a short time, till another desire surfaces in our mind. Permanent or long-lasting happiness come only by renunciation.

Devotees pray for other things of the world along with spiritual welfare. Most of the initiated devotees say that spiritual bliss still seems far away in their life though they repeat the mantra every day. True devotee of God asks for Him, they do not ask from Him. Instead of asking for the things of the world it is better to ask for little happiness in doing Japa. Getting joy while repeating the mantra is very essential in pursuing our spiritual life.

Swami Vireswaranandaji Maharaj, the 10th President of our order used to give a very nice example in this context. A patient suffering from jaundice tastes the sugarcane juice bitter. But that does not mean that sugarcane juice is bitter. Because of the disease he feels that bitter taste of sugarcane juice. As that patient gradually recovers from jaundice, he or she develops the true sweet taste of the sugarcane juice. HIS name is sweet, nay, He is Sweetness itself. As we are suffering from jaundice of worldliness and ignorance, we are not able to taste that sweetness while repeating HIS holy name.

As our mind becomes purer, gradually, we develop the taste and we start enjoying the sweetness in repeating the holy name of God.