ANNIHILATE THE EGO
Study the autobiography of Mahatma Gandhi. He never made any difference between menial service and dignified work. Scavenging or cleaning the latrines were the highest yoga for him, the highest puja. He annihilated his illusory little `I' through this service.
Many highly educated persons joined his ashram to learn yoga under him. They thought that Gandhiji would teach them yoga in some mysterious manner, in a private room. They thought that he would teach them pranayama, meditation, awakening of the kundalini, etc. They were asked to clean the latrines first.
Gandhiji used to mend his own shoes. He himself used to grind the flour. He would take upon himself the work of others when they were unable to do their allotted portion of work. When an educated person, a new ashramite, felt shy to do grinding work, Gandhiji himself would do the work in front of him. And then the man would willingly do the work the next day.
Try to do daily as many virtuous actions as possible. When you go to sleep have a review of your day's actions. Mark them in your spiritual diary. Performance of virtuous actions is the beginning of spiritual life.
Repeat mentally or silently with the breath, the Lord's name such as Hari Om, Sri Ram, or your own ishta mantra. Do this even when you are working in the office. A strong habit of repetition of the mantra will soon be formed.
Karma, according to Jaimini Rishi, is the performance of agnihotra and other vedic rituals.
According to the Gita, any action done with niskamya bhava (unselfishly, motivelessly), is karma yoga. Lord Krishna says: "Work incessantly. Your duty is to work but not to expect the fruits thereof." The central teaching of the Gita is nonattachment to work. Breathing, eating, seeing, hearing, thinking, etc., are all karmas.
Service of your guru or a mahatma (saint) is the highest form of karma yoga. This purifies your heart quickly. Contact with a great soul or guru has immense advantages. You will benefit by the magnetic aura of the great personage. You will draw inspiration from him.
SONG OF MEDITATION
Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram
Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram
Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram Ram
Ram Ram Ram Ram
Truth is Brahman, truth is your own self,
Realise this truth, be free, be free, be free, be free.
You must have a pure mind, if you want to realise
Practise karma yoga, be pure, be pure, be pure, be pure.
You cannot enjoy peace of mind
And cannot practise meditation
If you are passionate, kill this lust, kill this lust.
Be regular in your meditation,
And take Satvic food,
You will have peace of mind, this is the Truth, this is the Truth.
When you meditate on Hari, keep His picture in front of you,
Look at it with a steady gaze, you will develop concentration.
If evil thoughts enter the mind,Do not drive them forcibly,
Substitute divine thoughts, they will pass away, they will pass away.
Meditation leads to knowledge, meditation kills pains,
Meditation brings peace, meditate, meditate, meditate, meditate.
Samadhi is union with God, this follows meditation.
You will attain immortality, this is moksa, this is moksa.
SONG OF EIGHTEEN `ITIES'
Serenity, regularity, absence of vanity,
Sincerity, simplicity, veracity.
Equanimity, fixity, nonirritability,
Adaptability, humility, tenacity,
Integrity, nobility, magnanimity,
Charity, generosity, purity.
Practise daily these eighteen `ities',
You will soon attain immortality.
Brahman is the only real entity,
Mr. So and So is a false nonentity,
You will abide in eternity and infinity,
You will behold unity in diversity,
You cannot attain this in the university.
STRIVE
Strive. Strive to realise God. This is the purpose of human birth. The perfection of the realisation of absolute knowledge, supreme bliss and immortality is the one and only goal in human life. Release from the round of births and life in eternity is the goal of man.
Till self-realisation is attained, man is subject to the law of karma and rebirth. Finish your task - God-realisation in this life itself; do not postpone it. Just as food is necessary for the body so also daily meditation and prayer are necessary for the soul.
O man! Wake up from this slumber of ignorance. Why do you waste your life building castles in the air? Turn your gaze within. Stop all this hurry and worry. Sit down and relax. Dive deep within. Discover the pearl of atman. You will be freed from birth and death here and now.
Remember the goal every moment of this life. Strive incessantly to realise it by living a life of detachment, dispassion, devotion, deep meditation and samadhi (self-knowledge).
O man! Nothing is permanent. All things change. All things pass away. Seek the permanent, changeless, immortal atman and be free. He is truly wise who lives in the eternal and who is endowed with discrimination and dispassion.
Life is a transforming process by which attachment, fear, anger, hatred and lust are transformed by steady and rigorous discipline and meditation into joy, bliss, peace and love.
In simplicity is the secret of real beauty. Simplify your life. Be humble, pure, straightforward and true to yourself and others. Be good and do good so that each tomorrow will find you farther than today. Be humble, be meek, be pure, be holy, be godly and peaceful.Be charitable. Be moral. Be humble. Be courageous. Be pure. Meditate.Become wise. Whoever does anything with enthusiasm, patience and perseverance, never fails to achieve his object. Annihilate desires.
Seek the company of saints and devotees. Control the mind. Control anger. Be charitable. Help the needy. Kill the ego. Be grateful. Respect the great. Be truthful. Indulge not in gossip. You will attain the supreme blessedness.
PERSEVERE IN SADHANA
Let the sadhana (spiritual practice) always be regular, continuous, unbroken and earnest. Not only regularity but also continuity in sadhana and meditation are necessary if you want to attain self-realisation quickly.
A spiritual stream, once set going, does not dry up unless the channel-bed gets blocked, unless there is stagnation. Be vigilant eternally. Meditate regularly. Annihilate the undercurrent of vasana (habit-patterns).
Patience, perseverance, courage, determination, discrimination and dispassion are needed to tread the spiritual path. Put away thoughts, stimuli, perceptions, intentions, emotions, feelings, preoccupations and deliberations arising out of the senses and the sense objects.
You will attain supreme blessedness or the peace of the eternal. Keep the flame of thy aspiration ever kindled bright. Let purity, serenity, compassion, truth and oneness, manifest in thy thoughts and actions. Through penance, prayer and meditation the soul ascends on the divine chariot, to the realms of infinite bliss, to God's halls of wisdom.
Regularity is of paramount importance in spiritual practice. Spiritual aspirants must be arduous and efficient in performing their tasks without a break. Pray without a break. Have unshakable faith.Remember vairagya (dispassion) and abhyasa (constant practice).
Prayer is the wing by which you fly to God. Meditation or intuition is the eye by which you see God. Pray fervently unto the Lord. Pray for the Lord's light and guidance.
Meditate on the great truth within. Strive ever to keep thyself close to the divine centre. Day by day draw nearer unto the Lord. Strive inwardly to grow into the likeness of the divine ideal.
REALISE THY TRUE NATURE
First, learn to know yourself, the true value of your own character. Then alone you will be able to serve humanity and benefit people. You are taintless, tranquil, pure consciousness; you are beyond nature. All this time you have been duped by illusion, maya.
Know one individual (yourself) correctly – and you can know the whole world. To know thy self, is to know God. Seek perfection, freedom and eternal bliss in the atman or self, by the self and through the self. Talk only of atman. Purify, meditate, loose yourself in Brahman or the absolute and you will find your self, you will know your self.
Nobody doubts his own existence, though he may doubt the existence of God. Find the truth, the source of your own self and then you will know everything. The more you know the more you will grow in humility. I climbed the peak of vedanta and merged in the Light of Lights. How can I express it? To express the unspeakable – all words are feeble. I am the witness – the eternal, pure, infinite, internal self. I am Siva himself. I am changeless. None of the things of the world have touched meer touch me. I have no moods – I am beyond moods. I am the blissful atman. The light which illumines the intellect, the sun, the moon, the stars and also the yonder lamp, is bliss eternal. That light am I. Om.
If you find you need a place of perfect security and peace then come, sit in my heart and be one with me. There is a central harmony within you, a wisdom, a spirit of wholeness which is divine. That is immortal atman, your own innermost soul or self. Dwell in this atman. Realise this atman and be free for ever. The atman or supreme self must be realised. This is practical religion.
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Open the eye of your heart,
Enjoy the vision of the Lord.
Break the seal of your ego,
Realise the eternal bliss of your self.
Clean the dirt of your mind's mirror,
Behold the beauty of the majestic atman.
Sit on the horse of brahmakara vritti.
Reach your destination; the home of eternal peace.
Still the waves of the mind,
Take a dip in the ocean of bliss,
Shut up your mouth and the mouth of your mind
And enjoy the peace of supreme silence.
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