You are at the Blog site of Chandra Gadre

Sun, Oct 25th, 2026 - Forbearance (तितिक्षा / Titiksha)

In a town bordering the sacred Ganges River in Uttar Pradesh (India), many spectators were captivated by a play enacting the life of Lord Ram (Ram-Lila). Among them stood an ascetic, fully absorbed in the performance. Out of nowhere, a local rowdy lunged from behind and kicked him squarely in the back. Lurching forward, the ascetic barely kept his footing. He straightened himself up and walked off with silent composure without even turning back to see who kicked him. This behavior is called Forbearance! In Sanskrit it is called Titiksha!

Forbearance is a key spiritual virtue and a foundation of inner strength that protects the mind. It is not a weakness, but rather the ultimate sign of conscious self-control and strength.

Bible defines it as choosing to restrain your anger, delay a justified response, or withhold punishment—even when you are fully entitled to exact it. Scripture calls us to practice self-control, patience, and love.

Adi Shankaracharya (8th century) defines forbearance in Vivekchudamani (24) as “Titiksa or Forbearance is the capacity to endure all sorrows and sufferings without struggling for redress or for revenge, while always being free from anxiety or lament over them.” (सहनं सर्वदुःखानामअप्रतीकारपूर्वकम् । चिंताविलापरहितं सा तितिक्षा निगद्यते ॥)

In a letter written from prison by St. Paul calling for practical Christian living, he says in the book of Ephesians 4:1-6 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

External adversity comes in many forms—hostile individuals, wild animals, or natural catastrophes such as cold, heat, floods and earthquakes. Yet, we face an equally formidable challenge from within: the six inner enemies known as Shadripu (lust, anger, greed, delusion, ego, and envy). Forbearance means more than simply enduring external harm; it is also the mastery of the mind over these internal vices.

Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita-2.14 “O son of Kunti, the contact between the senses and the sense objects gives rise to fleeting perceptions of happiness and distress. These are non-permanent and come & go like the winter and summer seasons. O descendent of Bharat, one must learn to tolerate them without being disturbed.”

A) Saint Tukaram’s profound teachings and soul-stirring kirtans drew countless disciples and householders into deep spiritual absorptions, sometimes to the detriment of their domestic lives. One such devotee became so consumed by teachings on detachment that he abandoned his household duties and neglected his wife.

Seeking to make a point, the aggrieved wife invited Saint Tukaram to their home for lunch. The saint humbly accepted and arrived before noon. As custom dictated, a host was to wash the guest’s feet with lukewarm water. Instead, she brought out boiling water and poured it directly over Saint Tukaram’s feet.

Pain shot through the saint, yet his only response was to utter the name of Lord Vitthal. When the horrified husband began to scold his wife, Tukaram immediately intervened. Refusing to curse or retaliate, he advised the devotee to remain calm, viewing the agony as the working of his own past karma and the divine will of God.

His profound equanimity and total lack of malice humbled the household, offering a living example of (forbearance) patience and unconditional love. Saint Tukaram went on with his devotion and kirtans, demonstrating that no amount of external hostility can disrupt the tranquility of a true saint.

B) Here is a story of Joseph in Genesis 37–50. Despite facing severe injustice from his own brothers, a false accusation of adultery, and years in prison, he remains steadfast and ultimately emerges blameless—demonstrating profound forbearance (Titiksha).

Joseph was the eleven-year-younger half-brother to ten older men, born to Jacob (Israel) and his beloved wife, Rachel. Jacob favored Joseph above all his other sons and gifted him an ornate, multi-colored tunic—a symbol of status and leadership.

Joseph’s position as the favorite, combined with two prophetic dreams he shared with his family, fueled deep resentment among his brothers:

--The Sheaves of Grain: Eleven sheaves of grain bowed down to Joseph's sheaf.
--The Sun, Moon, and Stars: The sun, moon, and eleven stars bowed down to him.

When Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers’ tending flocks in Dothan, their anger boiled over. They initially plotted to murder him, but Reuben convinced them to throw him into a dry cistern instead, intending to rescue him later. However, while Reuben was away, Judah suggested selling Joseph to a passing caravan of Ishmaelite/Midianite merchants for twenty pieces of silver.

To cover their crime, the brothers slaughtered a goat, dipped Joseph's tunic in its blood, and presented it to Jacob. Heartbroken, Jacob grieved deeply, believing a wild beast had devoured his favorite child.

The traders brought Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. Joseph worked diligently, and because God was with him, Potiphar placed Joseph in charge of his entire household. However, trouble soon followed. Potiphar's wife attracted to Joseph; she repeatedly tried to seduce him. Joseph steadily refused out of loyalty to Potiphar and God. Spurned and vengeful, she grabbed Joseph’s garment as he fled and falsely accused him of attempted rape. Potiphar threw Joseph into the royal prison.

Even in prison, Joseph’s integrity shone through. The chief jailer soon put Joseph in charge of all the prisoners. During his confinement, Joseph interpreted the symbolic dreams of two imprisoned royal servants. The Royal Cupbearer dreamed of a vine with three branches yielding wine. Joseph interpreted that in three days, he would be restored to his position. The Royal Baker dreamed of three baskets of bread on his head being eaten by birds. Joseph interpreted that in three days, he would be executed.

Both interpretations came true. Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember him to Pharaoh, but upon his release, the cupbearer forgot Joseph completely for two full years. Two years later, Pharaoh was troubled by two disturbing dreams that no Egyptian wise man could interpret: 1) Seven fat cows eaten by seven emaciated cows. 2) Seven full ears of grain devoured by seven scorched, thin ears of grain.

Remembering Joseph, the cupbearer mentioned his gift to Pharaoh. Joseph was summoned, shaved, and brought before the king. Joseph made it clear that God, not himself, would give Pharaoh the answer. He explained that both dreams carried one warning: 1) Egypt would experience seven years of great prosperity. 2) Seven years of severe famine would follow, consuming the land.

Joseph advised Pharaoh to appoint a wise leader to collect and store 20% of the harvest during the good years. Impressed by Joseph’s wisdom and divine insight, Pharaoh appointed him governor over all Egypt—second only to Pharaoh himself. Joseph was given the Egyptian name Zaphenath-Paneah, married Asenath, and had two sons: Manasseh and Ephraim.

When the severe famine hit the ancient Near East, Jacob sent his ten eldest sons to Egypt to buy grain, keeping his youngest son, Benjamin (Rachel’s only other child), at home.

When the brothers appeared before Joseph, they bowed before him—fulfilling his childhood dreams. Joseph recognized them immediately, but they did not recognize him. Testing their character to see if they had changed, Joseph: 1) Accused them of being spies. 2) Kept Simeon imprisoned in Egypt. 3) Demanded they return with their youngest brother, Benjamin, to prove their story.

When the grain ran out in Canaan, a hesitant Jacob finally allowed Benjamin to go to Egypt under Judah’s solemn pledge of protection. Upon their return, Joseph wept privately at the sight of Benjamin and hosted a banquet for them.

Before sending them home, Joseph staged a final test: he had his personal silver cup hidden inside Benjamin’s grain bag. When his steward caught them on the road and found the cup in Benjamin’s bag, the brothers tore their clothes in grief. They returned to Egypt, and Judah stepped forward, pleading passionately to take Benjamin’s place as a slave so their elderly father would not die of grief.

Seeing that his brothers had truly repented and now cared for one another, Joseph broke down in tears and revealed his identity: "I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you."

Joseph invited his entire family to relocate to Egypt to survive the remaining five years of famine. Jacob was reunited with Joseph in an emotional homecoming, and Pharaoh granted the family the fertile land of Goshen.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sun, Sep 27th, 2026 - Restraint of the Mind

Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita-2.62,63 While contemplating on the objects of the senses, one develops attachment to them. Attachment leads to desire, and anger arises from desire. Anger leads to cloudy judgment, which results in bewildering memory. When memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when intellect is destroyed, one is ruined!

James 1:14-15 Each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Selfish dwelling on sensory pleasures is the root cause of all vice and moral decline. Saints have warned the seekers on spiritual path against three primary attachments, each reinforced by indulging in sense objects—that stand as major obstacles to divine realization:

Lust: Unchecked physical and romantic desire between individuals.

Wealth: The endless pursuit of material assets, including money, real estate, vehicles, and investments. People spend a lifetime accumulating which they must ultimately leave behind at the time of death.

Name and Fame: The desire for social status, prestige, recognition in business or employment. This cultivates pride and ego, distancing one from the Divine. As Scripture notes, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6).

Restraint of the mind is essential for God realization, for the mind cannot fully orient itself toward the divine while it remains bound to worldly desires, ego, and the illusion of personal choice.

In spiritual discipline, mental restraint is practiced across three distinct levels. The first level is the Renunciation of worldly objects, followed by Dispassion—a deeper stage of detachment to the worldly objects—and ultimately Cessation, where worldly desires and awareness of sense-objects cease entirely .

Renunciation (त्याग): At this stage, a person is not entirely free from desire but actively seeks to distance themselves from sensory distractions. Renunciation is the conscious act of relinquishing worldly desires, ego, and external attachments to achieve a divine connection. There is an internal struggle in this stage of Renunciation. A person might not completely master their desires, but they can still refrain from acting on them.

Consider this example: A person dieting to manage their weight will avoid sweet and fatty foods. Even when surrounded by friends indulging in those treats, they will manage their cravings (desires) and exercise self-control to stay on track toward their goal.

There is a saying, “If the mind strays (going after sense objects), let it go, but keep the body grounded; if you do not pull the bowstring, how will the arrow release? (मन जाता है तो जाने दे मत जाने दे शरीर, नही खीची कमान तो कैसे छुटेगा तीर?)

Dispassion (वैराग्य): This higher state of dispassion frees a person from pull of desires! When person sees the worldly object, he/she knows it is a sense gratifying object, but the person has absolutely no desire to experience it. This effortless control of mind comes from internal spiritual growth!

Even in material life, people have experienced a state of no desire. For example, People who stick to a disciplined diet over the long term eventually master their cravings (desires) for sweet and fatty foods. Even when friends indulge around them, they stay completely unfazed and feel no urge to join in.

Regarding selfish desires of all senses, Lord Krishna says (Bhagavad Gita-2.55 ) - When one discards all selfish desires and cravings of the senses that torment the mind, and becomes satisfied in the realization of the self, such a person is said to be transcendentally situated. (श्रीभगवानुवाच । प्रजहाति यदा कामान्सर्वान्पार्थ मनोगतान् । आत्मन्येवात्मना तुष्ट: स्थितप्रज्ञस्तदोच्यते ॥ 55॥)

There is a saying, “Desire has vanished, worry is gone, and the mind is completely at ease. Those who desire nothing are the true King of Kings. (चाह गई चिंता मिटी, मनुआ बेपरवाह। जिनको कछु न चाहिए, वे शाहन के शाह॥)”

Cessation (उपरती): The ultimate state of mind is achieved through the total cessation of material desires and sense-object awareness—a state experienced exclusively by God-realized Saints. While those on the path of devotion (Bhakti) behold the manifestation of their Divine Beloved everywhere, those on the path of knowledge (Jnana) perceive the all-pervading manifestation of Brahman.

(Bhagavad Gita-2.58 ) - One who is able to withdraw the senses from their objects, just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs into its shell, is established in divine wisdom.

(Bhagavad Gita-2.69 ) - What all beings consider as day is the night of ignorance for the wise, and what all creatures see as night is the day for the introspective sage.

Saint Tulsidas says, "Knowing all insentient (lifeless) and sentient (living) beings in the universe to be the forms of Lord Sri Rama, I forever bow to the lotus feet of them all with folded hands." (जड़ चेतन जग जीव जत सकल राममय जानि। बंदउँ सब के पद कमल सदा जोरि जुग पानि॥)

After attaining divine realization at the age of twenty-one, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (Master) perceived the Divine Mother in every aspect of creation and remained perpetually absorbed in devotional ecstasy. As a temple priest, his duty was to offer flowers at the feet of the Deity. Yet, frequently experiencing the Divine Presence within his own soul, he would place the offerings upon his own head, or shower a Cat passing through the temple.

His unconventional actions were deeply misunderstood by observers, who complained to the temple’s founder, Rani Rashmoni, and her son-in-law and manager, Mathur Babu. Attributing his spiritual frenzy to absolute sexual continence, Rani and Mathur Babu believed that breaking his vow of continence would cure his presumed mental ailment. Intending to aid him, they arranged for courtesans, including Laxmibai, to entice him—initially at the Dakshineshwar and subsequently at a house in Mechuabazar, Calcutta.

Reflecting on the event in later years, the Master recounted that he beheld the Divine Mother within those women. Uttering "Mother, Mother" repeatedly he lost outward consciousness and went into ecstasy.

Touched by his profound childlike purity, the women were overcome with maternal love. Sorrowful and filled with remorse for their attempted temptation, they wept, begged for his pardon, and reverently departed.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sat, Aug 22nd, 2026 - Saintly Benevolence

Even those who are considered the most immoral of all sinners can cross over this ocean of material existence by seating themselves in the boat of divine knowledge (holy fellowship, pious association). (Bhagavad Gita-4.36.)
(अपि चेदसि पापेभ्य: सर्वेभ्य: पापकृत्तम: । सर्वं ज्ञानप्लवेनैव वृजिनं सन्तरिष्यसि ॥)

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. – Galatians 6:1

Saints view wrongdoers not with condemnation or anger, but with profound empathy. They often perceive sinful acts as symptoms of spiritual ignorance, suffering, or delusion rather than irredeemable flaws.

Premanand Maharaj, a renowned saint of Vrindavan, highlights that just as hospitals exist to care for the physically sick people, saints welcome those who are spiritually lost or burdened by sin.

Unlike human forgiveness, which often depends on an apology or good behavior, Saintly mercey, just like God, requires no prior merit. It is granted purely out of the saint's inherent nature, not because the recipient has earned it.

A) Simon, a Pharisee, invites Jesus to dinner at his home. While Jesus is reclining at the table, an unnamed local woman known in the city as a "sinner" enters the house. Standing behind Jesus, the woman weeps, wetting his feet with her tears, wiping them with her hair, kissing them, and anointing them with expensive perfume from an alabaster jar.

Simon privately questions Jesus' status as a prophet, reasoning that if Jesus truly knew who was touching him, he would reject her due to her sinful repute. Jesus addresses Simon's unspoken thoughts by telling a story of two men indebted to a moneylender—one owing 500 denarii and the other 50. When neither can pay, the creditor forgives both debts. Jesus asks who will love the creditor more, and Simon correctly answers the one who was forgiven more.

Jesus contrasts Simon's lack of basic hospitality (no water for feet, no kiss of welcome, no oil for his head) with the woman's extraordinary devotion. Jesus explains that her great love is evidence that her many sins have been forgiven, stating, "He who is forgiven little, loves little." He then explicitly tells the woman her sins are forgiven and that her faith has saved her.

Jesus breaks strict social and religious purity taboos by allowing a "clean" religious figure to be touched by an "unclean" social outcast, showing that grace supersedes legalistic boundary markers.
(Above story appears in Luke 7:36-50)

B) Girish Chandra Ghosh was a play writer in Bengal. One of his plays on Sri Chaitanya was creating sensation in Calcutta in August 1884. Sri Ramakrishna heard about the play and wanted to see it, but some devotees objected because several of the roles were played by women of bad reputation. In those days girls from good families did not become actresses in the theater. Sri Ramakrishna told the devotees: “I shall look upon them as the Blissful Divine Mother Herself. What if one of them act the part of Sri Chaitanya? An imitation custard-apple reminds one of the real fruits!”

After the performance a devotee asked Sri Ramakrishna how he enjoyed the play? He replied with a smile, “I found representation the same as the real.” On this occasion he blessed the actress Binodini, who had played the role of Sri Chaitanya, by touching her head and saying, “Be illumined.” Binodini wrote in her biography: “I don’t care if people of the world look down upon my sinful life. I was blessed by Sri Ramakrishna. His loving, hopeful message still sustains me. When I am terribly depressed, I see his sweet, compassionate face in my heart and hear his voice telling me: ‘Say Hari guru, guru Hari (God is your Guru, and the Guru is your God).’”
(above excerpt is from the book written by Swami Chetananand, St. Louis)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mon, July 20th, 2026 - Philosophies - Shuddhadvaita (pure non-dualism) and Vishishtadvaita (Qualified Non-Dualism)

After rescuing the cowherd boys and calves from the demon Aghāsura, Lord Krishna invites His friends to a beautiful, serene riverbank to enjoy a picnic. In a pleasing atmosphere, blooming lotuses attract bees and birds by their aroma. The humming and chirping of the bees and birds is echoing throughout the beautiful trees in the forest. The riverbank sand is clean and soft. Krishna said to his friends, ‘We should have our lunch here, since we are already hungry. Here, calves may drink water and go slowly here & there and eat the grass.’ Then the boys opened their baskets of food and began eating with Krishna at great transcendental pleasure. As they happily share their food, the calves wander deep into the forest, being allured by green grass. When Krishna saw that His friends, the cowherd boys, were frightened, he said, ‘My dear friends, do not stop eating. I shall bring your calves back to this spot personally going after them Myself’. Krishna leaves the group to retrieve them, but during His absence, Lord Brahma—wishing to test Krishna's divine power—magically steals away both the calves and the boys. Upon realizing Brahma’s trick, Krishna uses His supreme mystic potency to expand Himself into exact replicas of every missing boy and calf, perfectly matching their forms, belongings (sticks, bugles, flutes, lunch bags, particular dress, ornaments etc.), and personalities, thereby demonstrating His all-pervading nature. (Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 10.13.5 – 19)

This narrative from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam illustrates that Lord Kṛishna, who is ultimate Brahman, has manifested Himself as the entire universe (insentient) and every living being (sentient) within it.

Vallabhacharya (1478–1530) was a devoted follower of Lord Krishna. He likely drew inspiration from the aforementioned incident in Krishna's life to formulate his philosophy of Shuddhadvaita (pure non-dualism). This doctrine asserts that both the universe and individual souls are entirely real, serving as direct, literal manifestations of Brahman (the Supreme Reality aka Lord Krishna). Rather than viewing the material world as an illusion (Maya), Vallabhacharya's philosophy recognizes it as a genuine expression of Brahman—a reflection of Lord Krishna's divine play, or Lila. Soul ultimately attains the liberation by merging back into God losing its separate identity.

A) It is Pure Non-Dualism because it states there is only one ultimate reality (Brahman), and the world and the souls are identical to it! God serves as both the efficient and material cause of the cosmos. Just as a spider weaves a web from its own substance, Brahman projects the universe and individual souls from Itself, yet remains entirely unaltered and undiminished by this manifestation.

In Bhagavad Gita, Lord Krishna says, ‘For those who see Me everywhere and see all things in Me, I am never lost, nor are they ever lost to Me.’ (Bhagavad Gita-6.30.)

B) One day, the Master (Sri Ramakrishna) spoke at length to Narendra (the future Swami Vivekananda) about the core principles of pure non-dual philosophy, explaining the ultimate oneness of the universe, the individual soul, and Brahman. Though Narendra listened attentively, he could not fully comprehend the concept.
Afterward, Narendra walked out to the veranda where Pratap Chandra Hazra was sitting. While sharing a smoke, Narendra brought up the conversation again, scoffing, “How could it ever be possible for this water pot to be God, this cup to be God, or for us and everything we see to be God?” Hazra readily joined in the skepticism, and both of them burst into laughter.
At that moment, the Master, who had been in a state of partial semi-ecstasy, heard Narendra’s laughter. He stepped out of his room, smiling like an innocent child with his cloth tucked under his arm, asked affectionately, “What are you two discussing?” He then gently touched Narendra and immediately slipped back into a deep spiritual trance.
Narendra later recounted the experience to Sarat (future Swami Saradanand) and Shashi (future Swami Ramakrishnananda): “With that wonderful touch from the Master, a total revolution swept through my mind in an instant. I was utterly spellbound to perceive that, in reality, there was nothing in the entire universe but God. Even when I returned home, the vision persisted; everything I looked at seemed to be Him. When I sat down to eat, I saw that the food, the plate, the person serving me, and I myself were nothing but Him! Later, as I walked down the street and saw a carriage rushing towards me, I didn't even feel inclined to step aside to avoid a collision. I simply thought; I, too, am that, and nothing but that.” Narendra’s experience beautifully illustrates the principle of Shuddhadvaita (Pure Non-Dualism).

C) As a member of Brahmo samaj, Narendranath Datta (the future Swami Vivekananda) was believer of formless Brahman. Sri Ramakrishna guided him on those precise terms. Conversely, even though Rakhal Chandra Ghosh (the future Swami Brahmananda) was also a member of Brahmo samaj, he displayed a natural inclination toward a personal God with form, Sri Ramakrishna warmly nurtured his devotional worship (Dualism). Ultimately, he gently reminded his followers to avoid spiritual dogmatism—cautioning them not to claim that only their "wristwatch" kept the correct time—and famously taught that all paths ultimately lead to the same Divine reality. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Vishishtadvaita (Qualified Non-Dualism): Grounded in the teachings of Jagadguru Ramanujacharya, this philosophy closely mirrors Dvaitadvaita (Dualistic Non-Dualism) but introduces a key distinction. While Dvaitadvaita views the material universe and individual souls as simultaneously distinct from yet dependent upon the Supreme Reality (Brahman), this system conceptualizes them as inseparable, integral attributes of Brahman itself. While Vishishtadvaita defines liberation as the soul realizing its inseparable unity with the Supreme, Dvaitadvaita posits that the soul remains eternally distinct from God, finding its ultimate fulfillment in eternal, localized service.

Conversation with Sri Ramakrishna - Mar 11th, 1885:

Narendra (future Swami Vivekananda): What is Qualified Non-dualism? (Vishishtadvaita)

Master (Sri Ramakrishna): It is the theory of Ramanujan. According to this theory, Brahman, or the Absolute, is qualified by the universe and its living beings: These three—Brahman, the world, and living beings—together constitute One. Take the instance of a bel-fruit. A man wanted to know the weight of the fruit. He separated the shell, the flesh, and the seeds. But can a man gain weight by weighing only the flesh? He must weigh flesh, shell, and seeds together. At first, it appears that the real thing in the fruit is the flesh, and not its seeds or shell. Then, by reasoning, you find that the shell, seeds, and flesh all belong to the fruit; the shell and seeds belong to the same thing that the flesh belongs to. Likewise, in spiritual discrimination one must first reason, following the method of 'Not this, not this': God is not the universe; God is not the living beings; Brahman alone is real, and all else is unreal. Then one realizes, as with the bel-fruit, that the reality from which we derive the notion of Brahman is the very reality that evolves the idea of living beings and the universe. The 'Nitya' and the 'Lila' are the two aspects of one and the same reality; therefore, according to Ramanuja, Brahman is qualified by the universe and the living beings. This is the theory of Qualified Non-dualism.

Master to ‘M’ (Mahendranath Gupta recorder of Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna): I do see God directly. What shall I reason about? I clearly see that He Himself has become everything; that He Himself has become the universe and all living beings. But without awakening one's own inner consciousness one cannot realize the All-pervading Consciousness. How long does a man reason? So long as he has not realized God. But mere words will not do. As for myself, I clearly see that He Himself has become everything. The inner consciousness must be awakened through the grace of God.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thu, June 25th, 2026 - Philosophies - Difference and Non-Difference or Dualism & Non-Dualism (Bhedabheda or Dvaitadvaita)

Saturday, May 9th, 1885, Sri Ramakrishna in conversation with devotees at Balaram Basu’s House:

Sri Ramakrishna: "When I first attained this exalted state, (as a priest in Kāli temple) I could not worship Mother Kāli or give Her the food offering. Haladhari (cousin of Sri Ramakrishna) and Hriday (Nephew of Sri Ramakrishna) informed me that, on account of this matter, the temple official had slandered me. But I only laughed; I wasn't in the least angry. Attain Brahmajnana (Knowledge of Absolute Truth) and then roam about enjoying God's Lila (Universe is play of the God). A holy man came to a town and went about seeing the sights. He met another sadhu (holy man), an acquaintance. The latter said: 'I see you are gadding about. Where is your baggage? I hope no thief has stolen it.' The first sādhu said: 'Not at all. First, I found a lodging, put my things in the room in proper order, and locked the door. Now I am enjoying the fun of the city.' " (All laugh.)

Bhavanath: "These are very lofty words."

Mahendranath Gupta (Author of Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna) (to himself): "Tasting God's Lila after Brahmajnana! Climbing down to the ordinary plane of consciousness after the attainment of Samādhi (Divine Ecstasy)!"

Permanent abidance in Divine Ecstasy is impossible for living beings; the mind must eventually descend back to body consciousness. Consequently, the experience of non-dualism (Advaita or Abheda)) is not continuous. To fill the remaining time, saints engage in dualistic practices: thinking of God, speaking of God, and singing His praises, a devotion predicated on the distinction between the devotee and the Divine (Duality or Bheda). It is precisely this movement of the mind—shifting between Divine Ecstasy and physical consciousness—that gave rise to the philosophy of Bhedabheda (Difference and Non-Difference aka Dualism and Non-Dualism).

Bhedabheda Philosophy categorizes the Universe into three components: 1) Brahman (Supreme Soul) 2) Individual Soul (Chit or Sentient matter) and 3) Material energy or Maaya (Achit or Insentient Matter).
Bhagavad Gita-7.4.
Bhagavad Gita-7.5.

The relationship of Brahman (God), Individual Soul and the Universe is defined as follows: If the Brahman is like Sun, the Individual Soul is Sunray and Maaya (World, individual body, brain, mind etc.) is the energy of the Sun. Therefore, the Individual Soul and Maaya are completely dependent on Brahman.

Bhaskara (8th–9th century) was the earliest proponent of the Bhedabheda (Difference and Non-Difference) philosophy, which was later developed by Jagadguru Nimbarkacharya (1130–1200) and Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1486–1534). Although they all adhered to the Bhedabheda tradition, their specific interpretations varied.

Bhaskara posits that the experience of Bhedabheda—the simultaneous perception of difference and non-difference—endures only for the duration of physical life. Upon the demise of the body, this distinction dissolves, allowing the God realized soul to revert to a state of absolute oneness (Abheda or Advaita).

Conversely, Jagadguru Nimbarkacharya posits that Bhedabheda is an innate and eternal reality. He maintains that the individual soul and the material universe are entirely dependent on God; they lack an independent existence and can never be separate from God, a relationship analogous to the sun, its rays, and its inherent energy. As one of the proponents of Bhedabheda philosophy, Jagadguru Nimbarkacharya emphasizes the loving devotion to Radha and Krishna.

Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu characterizes this relationship as Achintya Bhedabheda—inconceivable simultaneous oneness and difference. He posits that the intellect cannot grasp how God, the individual soul, and the material universe coexist in concurrent unity and distinction. Consequently, he maintains that this divine reality can only be understood through Prema, or a loving relationship with Radha and Krishna.

More recently, Jagadguru Kripaluji Maharaj (1922–2013) served as a prominent proponent of the Bhedabheda philosophy. He expounded upon this philosophy extensively throughout his poetic works. Below are a few excerpted couplets from his foundational text, Bhakti Shataka (100 Devotional Couplets):
1) Both Maaya (insentient matter or Achit) and Jiva (sentient matter or Chit) are energies of God. These energies and their energetic, the Supreme Lord, are simultaneously distinct as well as one with each other. ('जिवु', 'माया', दुइ शक्ति है, शक्तिमान भगवान| शक्तिहि भेद अभेद भी, शक्तिमान ते जान||42||)
2) The Supreme Lord Sri Krishna is like the Sun, and the individual souls are like rays. Maaya, with its three modes, is like darkness. (ब्रह्म श्याम है सूर्य सम, जीव किरन अनुहार| दैवी माया गुणमयी, जानु रूप अंधियार||73||) In this couplet, Kripaluji Maharaj calls Maaya as Darkness instead of God’s Energy because attachment to Maaya (worldly life) turns the Individual Soul away from God!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mon, May 25th, 2026 - Philosophies - Dualism (Dvaita)

Spiritual dualism is a path of devotion, whether that devotion is directed toward a formless divinity or a divinity with form.

Is it possible to direct one's devotion toward the formless Divine (Brahman)? Yes, it absolutely is. Lord Krishna confirms this in the Bhagavad Gita-12.3,4. However, while it is spiritually viable, it is also exceedingly difficult for the ordinary mind, as noted in Bhagavad Gita 12.5.

A far more accessible path is to anchor one's devotion in a manifested form of God—whether that be Lord Krishna, Lord Ram, Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva, Goddess Durga, or Goddess Kali.
Many people around the world struggle to understand or accept the devotion to a God with form. However, Swami Vivekananda brilliantly demonstrated the truth behind this concept to Maharaja Mangal Singh:

In February 1891, Swami Vivekananda arrived at Alwar, Rajputana (western India) and met Maharaja Mangal Singh. Maharaja was very westernized and although a Hindu, had no faith in worshipping images that to him were nothing but clay or stone figurines. Swamiji tried in vain to explain to him that Hindus worshipped God alone, using the images as symbols. The Maharaja was not convinced. Then Vivekananda asked the prime minister to take down a picture of Maharaja that was hanging on the wall; at Vivekananda’s request it was handed to him. He then commanded the prime minister and others to spit on it. Everyone was horrified. He said to the audience: “Maharaja is not bodily present in the photograph. This is only a piece of paper. It does not contain his bones, flesh and blood. It does not speak or behave or move in any way as the Maharaja does, yet all of you refuse to spit on it, because you see in this photo the shadow of the Maharaja. Indeed, in spitting on the photo, you feel that you insult your master, the Maharaja himself.” Turning to Maharaja, he continued: “See, Your Highness, though this is not you in one sense, in another sense it is you. That was why your devoted servants were so perplexed when I asked them to spit on it.” The Maharaja realized his mistake and begged Swamiji’s blessings.

In the path of devotion toward God with a form (Sakar Bhakti), a devotee cultivates a deeply personal relationship with the Divine. God is lovingly addressed as a Master, Father, Mother, Friend, or even a Beloved. Nurturing such a personal bond makes it naturally easier for the devotee to love the Divine wholeheartedly.

Throughout the day, in every single activity, the devotee remains anchored in the remembrance of God. Just as a child seeks their mother's approval before doing anything—or eagerly recounts their day to her when she is away—the devotee keeps God constantly involved in every aspect of life. This unceasing remembrance purifies the devotee's mind and paves the way for ultimate God-realization.
Sri Krishna assures this in the Bhagavad Gita-8:14 : "O Partha, for those yogis who always think of Me with exclusive devotion, I am easily attainable because of their constant absorption in Me."
Once the devotee realizes God, they ultimately merge and unite with the Divine, as beautifully confirmed by Sage Valmiki in the Sri Ramcharitmanas: "He alone can know You, to whom You make Yourself known; and the moment he knows You, he becomes one with You." > (सोई जानई जेही देहु जनाई। जानत तुम्हहि तुम्हइ होई जाई॥)

Just like in devotion toward God with form, devotion toward formless God unites devotee with formless Brahman as confirmed in Mundaka Upanishad 3.2.9: "He who truly knows that Supreme Brahman becomes Brahman himself” (स यो ह वै तत् परमं ब्रह्मविद् ब्रह्मैव भवति....)

Jagadguru Madhvacharya (1238 – 1317) was the architect of the Dvaita (Dualism) school of philosophy, which asserts that the individual soul and God are eternally distinct. However, other Hindu scriptures and schools of thought argue the opposite—that the individual soul is not eternally separate, but rather a devotee that ultimately unites with God, whether experienced as the formless Brahman or as a deity with a defined form.

Why did Madhvacharya champion the philosophy of Dualism—proposing an eternal separation between the individual soul and the Divine—when scripture seemingly contradicts it? An answer can be found in a conversation with the God-realized master, Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, which took place on the boat ride with Keshab Chandra Sen and his Brahmo Samaji disciples on Oct 27th, 1882:

Sri Ramakrishna said, “Devotees accept all the states of consciousness. They also take the waking state as real. They don't think the world to be illusory, like a dream. They say that the universe is a manifestation of God's power and glory. God has created all these - sky, stars, moon, sun, mountains, ocean, men, animals. They constitute His glory. He is within us, in our hearts. Again, He is outside. The most advanced devotees say that He Himself has become all this - the twenty-four cosmic principles, the universe, and all living beings. The devotee of God wants to eat sugar, not to become sugar. (all laugh)”.

Sri Ramakrishna continued: “Do you know how a lover of God feels? His attitude is: 'O God, Thou are the Master, and I am Thy servant. Thou art the Mother, and I am Thy child.' Or again: 'Thou art my Father and Mother. Thou art the Whole, and I am a part.' He doesn't like to say, 'I am Brahman or God.”

Even after achieving divine realization, a devotee may choose to retain a subtle, refined ego—viewing themselves as a servant, friend, child, parent, or lover of God. This allows them to maintain a loving distinction from the Divine rather than merging completely into Him, enabling them to return in a future life to continue their devotion. As the famous saying goes, they prefer "to taste the sweetness of sugar, rather than becoming the sugar itself." This sentiment beautifully reflects the philosophy of Jagadguru Madhvacharya, who taught that the individual soul and God remain eternally separate.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thu, Apr 16th, 2026 - Philosophies - Non-Dualism(2) (Advaita)

Neti, Neti (not this, not this): Neti, Neti appears in the verse 2.3.6 of Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.

In a recent Q & A session, Swami Sarvapriyananda addressed a common paradox in Advaita Vedanta: "If everything is Brahman, why must we first say, 'I am not the body' and 'I am not the mind'?"

He clarified this using the classic analogy of gold and gold ornaments:

Imagine someone who is familiar with jewelry—bracelets, necklaces, and rings—but has no concept of what "gold" actually is. To teach them, you must first point to a bracelet and explain that the "bracelet" is merely a temporary form and name. By mentally setting aside the specific shape (the bracelet), you reveal the underlying substance: the gold.
You can melt a bracelet down to its essence and reshape it into a ring or a necklace. While the forms change and disappear, the gold remains constant. Therefore, to "find" the gold, you must first look past the temporary forms.
The same logic applies to spiritual realization. Until we truly understand what Brahman is, we must practice Neti Neti ("not this, not this") to negate our identification with temporary forms like the body and the mind. Only after realizing the underlying "substance" of pure consciousness do we gain the higher perspective: the realization that the body, the mind, and indeed the entire universe, are nothing but Brahman.

Drawing on the Advaita principle of Neti, Neti ("not this, not this") and the transient nature of the world, Adi Shankaracharya concludes that Brahman, or absolute consciousness, is the sole reality. He asserts that the material world is merely an illusion (mithya) and that the individual self (Jiva) is, in its essence, identical to Brahman. This is encapsulated in the Sanskrit verse: Brahma Satyam Jagat Mithya Jivo Brahmaiva Naparah.

Sri Ramakrishna followed the path of devotion (Bhakti), achieving God-realization at the age of 21. Later, when he was 28, he was initiated into Non-Duality (Advaita Vedanta) by Totapuri Maharaj. Through this practice, he realized the ultimate truth: "There is only Brahman and nothing else" (Eko Brahman Dwitiyo Nasti). Even though he attained the state of non-duality, he preached devotion because of its practical simplicity for the average seeker. The following conversation features Sri Ramakrishna sharing his insights on Brahman:

Aug 5th, 1882, at the house of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar

A) Sri Ramakrishna: What Brahman is cannot be described. All things in the world - the Vedas, the Puranas, the Tantras, the six systems of philosophy - have been defiled, like food that has been touched by the tongue, for they have been read or uttered by the tongue. Only one thing has not been defiled in this way, and that is Brahman. No one has ever been able to say what Brahman is.
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar: Oh! That is a remarkable statement. I have learnt something new today.

B)A DEVOTEE: "Suppose a man has obtained the Knowledge of Brahman in Samadhi. Doesn't he speak any more?"
Sri Ramakrishna: Shankaracharya retained the 'ego of Knowledge' in order to teach others. After the vision of Brahman, a man becomes silent. He reasons about It as long as he has not realized It. If you heat butter in a pan on the stove, it makes a sizzling sound as long as the water it contains has not dried up. But when no trace of water is left the clarified butter makes no sound. If you put an uncooked cake of flour in that butter it sizzles again. But after the cake is cooked all sound stops. Just so, a man established in Samadhi comes down to the relative plane of consciousness in order to teach others, and then he talks about God.

Sri Ramakrishna: The person on the Path of Knowledge (Jnana Yoga) gives up his identification with worldly things, discriminating, 'Not this, not this'. Only then can he realize Brahman. It is like reaching the roof of a house by leaving the steps behind, one by one. But the ‘Brahman Realized’ person who is more intimately acquainted with Brahman, realizes something more. He realizes that the steps are made of the same materials as the roof: bricks, lime, and brick-dust. That which is realized intuitively as Brahman, through the eliminating process of 'Not this, not this', is then found to have become the universe and all its living beings. The realized person sees that the Reality, which is Nirguna, without attributes, is also Saguna, with attributes.

Sri Ramakrishna: "A man cannot live on the roof a long time. He comes down again. Those who realize Brahman in Samadhi come down also and find that it is Brahman that has become the universe and its living beings. In the musical scale there are the notes sa, re ga, ma, pa, dha, and ni; but one cannot keep one's voice on 'ni' a long time. The ego does not vanish altogether. The man coming down from Samadhi perceives that it is Brahman that has become the ego, the universe, and all living beings. This is known as Vijnāna (highest level of Realization aka Supra Consciousness).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sun, Mar 29th, 2026 - Philosophies - Non-Dualism(1) (Advaita)

One day Swami Vivekananda was sitting under the mango tree in the courtyard of Belur Math in Calcutta, facing west, as he often did. The monks around him were busy with their activities. One was sweeping the courtyard with a broom. Swami Premanand was climbing the steps to the shrine after his bath. Suddenly, Vivekananda’s eyes became radiant. Surcharged with spiritual fervor, he said to a disciple: “Where will you go to seek Brahman? It is immanent in all beings. Here, here is the visible Brahman. Shame on those who neglecting the visible Brahman, set their minds on other things! Here is the visible Brahman before you as tangible as a fruit in one’s hand! Can’t you see? Here – here – here is Brahman!” These words struck the people around him like an electric shock. For about fifteen minutes no one could move or function. Premanand went into ecstasy; others experienced an indescribable peace and joy. At last Vivekananda said to Premanand, “Now go to worship”, and all were released. The disciples were amazed to witness the spiritual power of Vivekananda.

Swami Vivekananda used to say, “I am externally non-dualist (Monistic or Advaitee) and internally dualist (Devotee) whereas my Guru Sri Ramakrishna was externally dualist and internally non-dualist.”

Eternal (aka Sanatan in Sanskrit) Hinduism is rich with diverse philosophies and multiple paths for God realization (or Self-realization) tailored to different human natures. Diverse philosophies accommodate various perspectives, including non-dualism, dualism, qualified non-dualism, pure non-dualism etc., all leading to the same ultimate reality!

Non-dualism, or Advaita, is one of the most profound philosophies in the Vedic scriptures. It asserts that reality is a single, undivided whole, and that the perceived separation between the individual, the universe, and the Divine is an illusion!

This thought is filtered into Vedanta or Upanishads. Upanishads contain ‘Mahavakyas’ or ‘Grand Pronouncements’ which are pillars of non-dualistic thought.
    1) Pragyanam Brahm or Consciousness is Brahman. This appears in Aitareya Upanishad.
    2) Aham Brahmasmi or I am Brahman. This appears in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
    3) Tat Tvam Asi or You are that; Sarvam Khalvidam Brahman or everything is Brahman; Ekameva Advitiyam Brahma or Brahman is One without second. All appears in Chhandogya Upanishad.
    4) Ayam Atma Brahm or Self is Brahman. This appears in Mandukya Upanishad.

In certain Upanishads, such as the Ishavasya, Brahman is referred to as Ishwara (God). Because the text does not assign a specific physical shape or attribute to this divinity, it represents the formless Brahman (Nirguna Brahman).

If the ultimate reality is the non-dual Brahman, why do we perceive a world of such immense multiplicity? Scripture attributes this to Maya, the inherent creative power of Brahman. The two are as inseparable as gold and the jewelry crafted from it; yet, we frequently fixate on the manifestation while overlooking the source. Just as one might be so enchanted by the design of an ornament that they forget the gold of which it is made, we are often too distracted by the names and forms of the material world to recognize the singular, formless Reality beneath.

To achieve this realization, one must detach the mind from worldly concerns and focus entirely on the ultimate reality. For most people, such a feat is nearly impossible while navigating the demands of daily life and physical existence; it requires a purified mind and the spiritual practice of many lifetimes.

Recognizing this challenge, Sage Vyasa introduced the concept of deity worship and authored the Puranas. Through these texts, he offered a practical path for everyone by establishing the worship of idols, which he identifies as manifestations of the supreme Brahman.
    1) In Vishnu-Puran (1:22:61), Lord Vishnu is called as Brahman (सर्वशक्तिमयो विष्णु: स्वरूपं ब्रह्मण: परम .....)
    2) In Rudra-Samhita (chapter 6:18 अमूर्ते यत्पराख्यं वै तस्य मूर्तिः सदाशिवः। अर्वाचीना पराचीना ईश्वरं तं जगुर्बुधाः।।) of Shiva-Purana, Sage Vyaasa calls the Lord Shiva as Brahman.
    3) In Shrimat-Bhagavatam the Lord Krishna is called as Brahman (अहमेवासमेवाग्रे नान्यद् यत् सदसत् परम्। पश्चादहं यदेतच्च योऽवशिष्येत सोऽस्म्यहम्॥)
    4) In Shrimat-Devi Bhagavatam (1:15:52), while speaking to little Vishnu, Goddess Durga says she is the Eternal Brahman in this world and there is nothing else Eternal (…. सर्वं खल्विदमेवाहं नान्यदस्ति सनातनम्‌)

In Ramayana (6:119:32), Sage Valmiki calls Sri Ram as Brahman. He (Sri Ram) is the unmanifest, and imperishable Brahman sung by the Vedas (एतत्तदुक्तमव्यक्तमक्षरं ब्रह्मनिर्मितम् | देवानां हृदयं सौम्य गुह्यं रामः परन्तपः ||)

We may now choose a deity that resonates with us and worship them with devotion as the manifestation of the ultimate Brahman. Devotion purifies the mind!

Vijay (Bijoy) Krishna Goswami, one of the Brahmo Samaj leaders, was in the direct lineage of Advaita Goswami, one of the disciples of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. Vijay was devotee of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.
On Oct 19th, 1884, he asked Sri Ramakrishna, "How, sir, can one have the vision of the Primal Energy and attain Brahmajnana, the Knowledge of the attribute-less Brahman?"
Sri Ramakrishna: "…. But if you seek Brahmajnana, the Knowledge of the attribute-less Brahman, then proceed to the real Sun through Its reflection. Pray to Brahman with attributes, who listens to your prayers, and He Himself will give you full Knowledge of Brahman; for that which is Brahman with attributes is verily Brahman without attributes, that which is Brahman is verily Sakti. One realizes this non-duality after the attainment of Perfect Knowledge."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sun, Mar 1st, 2026 - What is it meant by Surrender to God? - Part 5

RECAP:The six aspects are beautifully expanded by Swami Mukundananda for a devotee who is aspiring complete surrender to God. (BG-18:62,) They are 1) To desire only in accordance with the desire of God. 2) Not to desire against the desire of God. 3) To have firm faith that God is protecting me. 4) To maintain an attitude of gratitude toward God. 5) To see everything I possess as belonging to God. 6) To give up the pride of having surrendered.

The sixth aspect is 'To give up the pride of having surrendered.'

A) Sri Ramakrishna: After becoming priest of the Kali Temple at the age of 19, Sri Ramakrishna had completely surrendered himself to the Divine Mother (Mother Kali). At the age of 21, he had a vision of his Divine Mother in living form for the first time. He has described the experience of his God's realization to his devotees. Thereafter, he used to see the Divine Mother all the time. In fact, he used to see the Divine Mother in everything and everywhere. Narendra (aka Noren in Bengali, future Swami Vivekananda) asked in his second meeting with Sri Ramakrishna, 'Have you seen God?'. Instantly Sri Ramakrishna answered, 'Yes, I have seen God as I see you here, only more clearly!'. Sri Ramakrishna was 46 years old at that time.

Sri Ramakrishna was truly a God-realized saint of the 19th century. He was highly respected by the most renowned people in society, such as Keshabchandra Sen, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar and many learned scholars of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and Sikhism. Despite all this, he was always humble even to an ordinary person. Pride of having surrendered to God is dropped only after realization of God in everything, everywhere and all the time! Here are a couple of examples:

Monday, Oct 20th 1884:

Sri Ramakrishna (Master) had been invited by the Mārwāri devotees to the ceremony at 12 Mallick Street in Calcutta.

...................................
...................................
HOST: Rāma dwells only in the hearts of holy men. He cannot be seen in any other way. There is no Incarnation of God at the present time.

MASTER (smiling): How do you know there is no Divine Incarnation? The host remained silent.

MASTER: All cannot recognize an Incarnation. When Nārada visited Rāma, Rāma prostrated Himself before Nārada and said: 'We are worldly creatures. How can we be sanctified unless holy men like you visit us?' Further, Rāma went into exile in the forest to redeem His father's pledges. He saw that, since hearing of His exile, the Rishis of the forest had been fasting. Many of them did not know that Rāma was none other than the Supreme Brahman."

HOST: You too are that same Rāma.

MASTER: For heaven's sake! Never say that.

As Sri Ramakrishna spoke these words, he bowed down to the host and said, with folded hands: That Rāma dwells in all beings; He exists everywhere in the universe. I am your servant. It is Rāma Himself who has become all men, animals, and other living beings.

HOST: But sir, we do not know that.

MASTER: Whether you know it or not, you are Rāma.
...................................
...................................

Sunday, Oct 5th, 1884:

Nilkantha sang the song, "The beautiful Gaurānga, the youthful dancer, fair as molten gold."

Sri Ramakrishna sang again and again the line, "Everything is swept away by the onrush of love", and danced with Nilkantha and the other devotees. Those who saw that indescribable dancing were never to forget it. The room was filled with people, all intoxicated with divine joy. It seemed as if Chaitanya himself were dancing with his companions.

Manomohan was in an ecstatic mood. He was a devotee of Sri Ramakrishna and a brother-in-law of Rākhāl.

Several ladies of his family had come with him. They were witnessing this divine music and dancing from the north verandah.

Sri Ramakrishna sang again, this time about Gaurānga and Nityananda: "Behold, the two brothers have came, who weep while chanting Hari's name. . . ."

He danced with Nilkantha and the other devotees, improvising the line: "Behold, the two brothers have come, they who are mad with love of Radha."

Hearing the loud music, many people gathered about the room. The verandahs to the south and north, and the semicircular porch to the west of the room, were crowded with people. Even passengers in the boats going along the Gauges were attracted by the kirtan.

The music was over. Sri Ramakrishna bowed to the Divine Mother and said, "Bhagavata-Bhakta-Bhagavan. My salutations to the jnanis, my salutations to the yogis, my salutations to the bhaktas."

The Master (Sri Ramakrishna) was seated on the semicircular porch with Nilkantha and the other devotees. The autumn moon flooded all the quarters with light. Sri Ramakrishna and Nilkantha talked.

Nilkantha: "You are none other than Gaurānga."

Master: "Why should you say such a thing? I am the servant of the servant of all. The waves belong to the Ganges; but does the Ganges belong to the waves?"

Nilkantha: "You may say whatever you like, but we regard you as Gaurānga himself."

B) Jesus: Jesus completely surrendered to God the Father. He lived in absolute obedience, fulfilling the divine purpose to redeem humanity, and surrendered his own will to the Father, most notably at the time of the Last Supper, at the time of arrest and on the cross. The incident below will demonstrate how humble Jesus was:

John 13: During the Last Supper, Jesus demonstrated an ultimate humility. It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.

“You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sat, Feb 28th, 2026 - What is it meant by Surrender to God? - Part 4

The fifth aspect is 'To see everything I possess as belonging to God.'

While on the spiritual path of devotion, the devotee tries to see God everywhere even before 'God's realization'. Devotee tries to see the divine presence in all beings and forms. With this conviction, devotee see everything is God, any possession is God and any help, charity given is also to God. Guru Nanak (1469-1539), Sant Tulsidas (1532-1623), Damaji Pant (15th Century), Sant Tukaram (1608-1650) are some examples of Saints who practiced this before God's realization.

(A) King Harishchandra believed that everything he possessed belonged to God, which allowed him to willingly surrender his kingdom, wealth, and family to Sage Vishwamitra to uphold a promise. His actions demonstrated that his earthly possessions were temporary and secondary to his commitment to truth and divine duty.

Here is the story of King Harishchandra as narrated in the 'Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna'--

The great King Harischandra was the embodiment of generosity. No one ever went away from him empty-handed. Now, the sage Viswamitra, wanting to test the extent of the king's charity, extracted from him a promise to grant any boon that he might ask. Then the sage asked for the gift of the sea-girt world, of which Harischandra was king. Without the slightest hesitation the king gave away his kingdom. Then Viswamitra demanded the auxiliary fee, which alone makes charity valid and meritorious.

Viswamitra said to the king: "O King, you have given away the entire world, which was your kingdom. It now belongs to me; you cannot claim any place here. But you may live in the City of Benares, which belongs to Lord Śiva. I shall lead you there with your wife Saibya, and Rohitasva, your son. There you can procure the auxiliary fee that you owe me." The royal family, accompanied by the sage, reached Benares and visited the temple of Śiva.

At the very mention of Śiva, Master (Sri Ramakrishna) went into spiritual mood and repeated the holy name several times indistinctly.

The king could not procure the fee and was compelled to sell Saibya, his royal consort, to a brahmin. With her went Prince Rohitasva. But since even that was not enough to redeem his pledge to the sage, Harischandra sold himself to a man who kept a cremation ground. He was ordered to supervise the cremations.

One day, while plucking flowers for his brahmin master, Prince Rohitasva was bitten by a venomous snake and that very night died. The cruel brahmin would not leave his bed to help the poor mother cremate the body. The night was dark and stormy. Lightning rent the black clouds. Saibya started for the cremation ground alone, carrying the body of her son in her arms. Smitten with fear and overpowered with grief, the queen filled heaven and earth with her wailing. Arriving at the cremation ground, she did not recognize her husband, who demanded the usual fee for the cremation. Saibya was penniless and wept bitterly at her unending misfortunes. The impenetrable darkness was illumined only by the terrible flames of the cremation pyres. Above her the thunder roared, and before her the uncouth guardian of the cremation ground demanded his fee. She who had once been queen of the world sat there with her only child dead and cold on her lap.

(The devotees who were listening to this story, burst into tears and loudly lamented this tragic episode of a royal life. And what was the Master (Sri Ramakrishna) doing? He was listening to the recital with rapt attention. Tear-drops appeared in his eyes and he wiped them away.)

When the queen, wailing bitterly, uttered the name of her husband, Harischandra at once recognized his wife and son. Then the two wept for the dead prince. Yet in all these misfortunes the king never once uttered a word of regret for his charity.
Finally the sage Viswamitra appeared and told them that he had only wanted to put the king's charitable impulses to a crucial test. Then, through his spiritual power, the sage brought the prince back to life and returned to the king his lost kingdom.

(B) Abraham (Genesis 22) By willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac, Abraham demonstrated total surrender, treating his most precious possession as belonging to God.

God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”; “Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

Then Abraham returned to his servants, and they set off together for Beersheba. And Abraham stayed in Beersheba.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fri, Jan 30th, 2026 - What is it meant by Surrender to God? - Part 3

The fourth aspect is 'To maintain an attitude of gratitude toward God.'

Across all religions, gratitude towards God is foundational spiritual practice to recognize God's mercy and abundance. Regularly expressing thanks to God does bring positive change in our minds and lives over a period of time. It weakens our ego!

A faithful person thanking God in a favorable period of life is natural. He recognizes the role of the most powerful God in his life. What happens in an adverse period? Can he thank God all the time? Can he thank God for having a long distressful period in his life? Saints are defined as people who thank God continuously in their life! They live a life of constant gratitude, trust and devotion towards God, no matter what the circumstances are. It is possible only for Saints to thank God even when they are physically beaten and tortured.

A) Guru Arjan Dev ji (1563 - 1606) was the fifth Sikh Guru. He designed and developed the original Golden Temple which was repeatedly destroyed by invading Mughal armies. Guru Arjan Dev ji compiled the first edition of holy scripture 'Guru Granth Sahib'. He also wrote more than 2,000 hymns which are part of the holy scripture! Guru Arjan Dev ji formally instituted the practice of tithing for Sikhs! He encouraged Sikhs to contribute 10% of their honest earnings, goods, time to Guru's Langar and community! He was deeply revered by Sikhs as a compassionate spiritual leader who embodied humility and selfless service.

Jahangir, son of Akbar became emperor in Nov, 1605. Eldest son of Jahangir, Khusrau, was 18 years old at that time and he wanted to be the emperor. Khusrau revolted against Jahangir but was quickly defeated. While running away from Jahangir and his army, Khusrau came to Guru Arjan Dev Ji. One of the foundational principles of Sikhism is to protect and serve those in need, regardless of their background! Guru Arjan Dev Ji blessed him spiritually. Later Khusrau was captured and blinded by Jahangir. Emperor Jahangir also thought Guru Arjan Dev Ji helped Khusrau to revolt against him. Jahangir captured Guru Arjan Dev Ji and asked him to convert to Islam along with his followers. Arjan Dev refused the conversion. Upon his refusal, Guru Arjan Dev Ji was physically tortured! He was made to sit on the hot plate but Guru was very calm and he had a smile on his face. Red hot sand, boiling water was poured on him but he was still calm. Even in that state, he showed gratitude towards the God. He recited, 'O Lord, your actions seem so sweet to me...'. Guru Arjan Dev ji maintained continuous, unwavering attitude of gratitude and devotion towards God throughout his life, including during his brutal martyrdom.

B) Saint Paul: Paul and Silas were Roman citizen. Once when they were going to the place of prayer, they were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and others, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her. When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice.” The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. Instead of despairing, around midnight, Paul and Silas were heard praying and singing hymns to God, with other prisoners listening. A sudden, massive earthquake shook the prison foundations, causing all doors to fly open and everyone's chains to fall off. The jailer, waking up and assuming all prisoners had escaped, was about to kill himself to avoid punishment. Paul stopped him, saying, "We are all here". The terrified jailer asked how to be saved, and Paul led him and his entire household to believe in Jesus. The jailer washed their wounds, fed them, and was baptized that same night. The next morning, the magistrates ordered them released, realizing they had illegally beaten Roman citizens. (Acts 16)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tue, Jan 6th, 2026 - What is it meant by Surrender to God? - Part 2

Let us look at the third aspect, 'To have firm faith that God is protecting me.' There were many saints, like Prahlad, Saint Meerabai, Saint Tulsidas who had completely surrendered to God and believed God was their protector. Saints never asked for a favor from God! They didn't expect God to protect them but due to their devotion, God was compelled to protect them! Let us see how this aspect is illustrated in the life of a few saints:

A) During the war with the demon King Hiranyakashipu, celestial Gods were taking away his wife, Kayadhu, who was pregnant. Sage Narad intervened and asked the celestial Gods to spare her because she was pregnant with a great devotee! Sage Narad took her away to his hermitage. Kayadhu delivered a baby boy whose name was Prahlad. Prahlad began worshiping Lord Vishnu from infancy because his mother heard Sage Narad's teachings while she was pregnant. He constantly chanted the name of Lord Vishnu.

Hiranyakashipu hated Lord Vishnu because Lord Vishnu had killed his own brother, Hiranyaksh. Hiranyakashipu asked Prahlad to stop worshiping Lord Vishnu but Prahlad refused. Prahlad said, 'Lord Vishnu is the supreme Lord!' This infuriated Hiranyakashipu. Hiranyakashipu considered it a challenge to his authority. He tried various ways to punish and even kill Prahlad, but every time Prahlad received divine protection.

Hiranyakashipu's sister Holika had a boon from the celestial god of fire and, therefore, Holika was immune to fire. Hiranyakashipu asked Holika to take Prahlad on her lap and sit on a bonfire. Prahlad kept chanting the name of the Lord Vishnu and said, 'Fire is another form of my Supreme Lord Vishnu'. Lord Vishnu protected Prahlad and Holika was consumed by fire!

B) Emperor Akbar heard the name and fame of Saint Tulsidas. Akbar summoned Tulsidas and asked him to perform a miracle. Tulsidas refused and said, 'I am just the servant of Lord Ram!' It seems Akbar didn't like his reply and he put Tulsidas in jail. While in the jail, Tulsidas started composing hymns (Hanuman Chalisa) on Hanuman, who was the most respected devotee of Lord Ram. Tulsidas composed hymns to praise and show his gratitude to Hanuman. As Tulsidas completed 40 hymns, an army of monkeys descended on the city. There was chaos. The number of Monkeys outnumbered Akbar's forces and Akbar's forces couldn't control the chaos. Akbar had some Hindu advisers. They advised Akbar to release Tulsidas from the jail. Akbar agreed and Tulsidas was released. All the monkeys disappeared as soon as Saint Tulsidas was released!

C) King Nebuchadnezzar built a huge golden idol and commanded everyone to bow down and worship it when music played, threatening death in a fiery furnace for disobedience.

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the administrators of Babylon, answered the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to explain these things to you. If you throw us into the hot furnace, the God we serve can save us. And if he wants to, he can save us from your power. But even if God does not save us, we want you to know, King, that we refuse to serve your gods. We will not worship the gold idol you have set up.” Then Nebuchadnezzar became very angry with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave an order for the oven to be heated seven times hotter than it usually was. Then he commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He told the soldiers to throw them into the hot furnace. So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were tied up and thrown into the hot furnace. They were wearing their robes, pants, cloth caps, and other clothes. The king was very angry when he gave the command, so the soldiers quickly made the furnace very hot. The fire was so hot that the flames killed the strong soldiers. They were killed when they went close to the fire to throw in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the fire. They were tied up very tightly.

Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped to his feet. He was very surprised, and he asked his advisors, “We tied only three men, and we threw only three men into the fire. Is that right?” His advisors said, “Yes, King.” The king said, “Look! I see four men walking around in the fire. They are not tied up, and they are not burned. The fourth man looks like an angel.” Then Nebuchadnezzar went to the opening of the hot furnace. He shouted, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, come out! Servants of the Most High God, come here!” So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire. When they came out, the Viceroys, prefects, Viceroys, and royal advisors crowded around them. They could see that the fire had not burned Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their bodies were not burned at all. Their hair was not burned, and their robes were not burned. They didn’t even smell as if they had been near fire. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their God has sent his angel and saved his servants from the fire! These three men trusted their God and refused to obey my command. They were willing to die instead of serving or worshiping any other god. So I now make this law: Anyone from any nation or language group who says anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut into pieces, and their house will be destroyed until it is a pile of dirt and ashes. No other god can save his people like this.” Then the king gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego more important jobs in the province of Babylon.(Daniel 3:16-30)

D) King Darius thought it would be a good idea to choose 120 viceroys to rule throughout his kingdom. He chose three men to rule over the 120 viceroys. Daniel was one of the three supervisors. The king put these men in this position to keep anyone from cheating him. Daniel proved himself to be a better supervisor than any of the others. He did this by his good character and great ability. The king was so impressed with Daniel that he planned to make him ruler over the whole kingdom. But when the other supervisors and the viceroys heard about this, they were very jealous. They tried to find reasons to accuse Daniel. So they watched what Daniel did as he went about doing the business of the government. But they could not find anything wrong with him, so they could not accuse him of doing anything wrong. Daniel was a man people could trust. He did not cheat the king, and he worked very hard.

Finally, they said, “We will never find any reason to accuse Daniel of doing something wrong. So we must find something to complain about that is connected to the law of his God.” So the two supervisors and the viceroys went as a group to the king. They said, “King Darius, live forever! The supervisors, prefects, viceroys, advisors, and governors have all agreed on something. We think that the king should make this law and that everyone must obey it: For the next 30 days, whoever prays to any god or man except you, King, will be thrown into the lions’ den. Now, King, make the law and sign the paper it is written on so that it cannot be changed, because the laws of the Medes and Persians cannot be canceled or changed.” So King Darius made the law and signed it.

Daniel always prayed to God three times every day. Three times every day, he bowed down on his knees to pray and praise God. Even though Daniel heard about the new law, he still went to his house to pray. He went up to the upper room of his house and opened the windows that faced toward Jerusalem. Then Daniel bowed down on his knees and prayed just as he always had done. Then the supervisors and viceroys went as a group and found Daniel praying and asking God for help. So they went to the king and talked to him about the law he had made. They said, “King Darius, you signed a law that says, for the next 30 days anyone who prays to any god or man except you, the king, would be thrown into the lions’ den. You did sign that law, didn’t you?” The king answered, “Yes, I signed that law, and the laws of the Medes and Persians cannot be canceled or changed.” Then they said to the king, “That man Daniel is not paying any attention to you. He is one of the captives from Judah, and he is not paying attention to the law you signed. Daniel still prays to his God three times every day.”

The king became very sad and upset when he heard this. He decided to save Daniel. He worked until sunset trying to think of a way to save him. Then the men went as a group to the king and said to him, “Remember, King, that the law of the Medes and Persians says that no law or command signed by the king can ever be canceled or changed.” So King Darius gave the order. They brought Daniel and threw him into the lions’ den. The king said to Daniel, “May the God you serve save you!” A big rock was brought and put over the opening of the lions’ den. Then the king used his ring and put his seal on the rock. He also used the rings of his officials and put their seals on the rock. This showed that no one could move that rock and bring Daniel out of the lion’s den. 18Then King Darius went back to his house. He did not eat that night. He did not want anyone to come and entertain him. He could not sleep all night.

The next morning, King Darius got up just as it was getting light and ran to the lions’ den. He was very worried. When he got to the lions’ den, he called to Daniel. He said, “Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God been able to save you from the lions? You always serve your God.” Daniel answered, “King, live forever! My God sent his angel to save me. The angel closed the lions’ mouths. The lions have not hurt me because my God knows I am innocent. I never did anything wrong to you, King.”

King Darius was very happy. He told his servants to lift Daniel out of the lions’ den. And when Daniel was lifted out of the den, they did not find any injury on his body. The lions did not hurt Daniel because he trusted in his God. (Daniel 6)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sat, Dec 6th, 2025 - What is it meant by Surrender to God? - Part 1 Saints who have completely surrendered to God never act against the will of God. Yet they are always ready to relieve the suffering of other beings and people. They do not say that this is God's will and let them suffer. On the other hand, when it comes to their own lives, they firmly believe that all the events that happen are happening by the will of God. Whether those events are painful or pleasant. They never act against events. In fact, they work towards the fulfillment of those events.

How do we know if someone is completely surrendered to God? Sanatan Goswami, the disciple of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, has defined six aspects of complete surrender to God as a scriptural aphorism in his book 'Hari Bhakti Vilas 11.676'. These six aspects are six signs of someone who has completely surrendered to God. Here are those and their literal meaning (1) Favorable Decision (अनुकूलस्य संकल्प:), (2) Rejection of Unfavorable (प्रतिकुलस्य वर्जनम्), (3) Convinced He will protect (रक्षिस्यती विश्वासो:), (4) accepting as Guardian (गोप्तृत्व वरणं), (5) self submission (आत्म निपेक्ष), and (6) humility/meekness (कार्पण्ये). (Chaitanya Charitamrut-22.100,)

These six aspects are beautifully expanded by Swami Mukundananda for a devotee who is aspiring complete surrender to God. (BG-18:62,) They are 1) To desire only in accordance with the desire of God. 2) Not to desire against the desire of God. 3) To have firm faith that God is protecting me. 4) To maintain an attitude of gratitude toward God. 5) To see everything I possess as belonging to God. 6) To give up the pride of having surrendered.

Let us look at the first two aspects as stated by Swami Mukundananda. It would be very difficult for anyone to accept God's desire as a death, but not for saints who have completely surrendered to God. There have been many saints who have accepted God's desire for death and did not desire against it! One of them was Haridas Thakur (disciple of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu). Haridas Thakur was brought up in a Muslim family, but he was attracted to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who was preaching the Hindu Vaishnava practice of devotion to SriKrishna by chanting the name of the Lord Hari. As a Muslim, when Haridas Thakur started chanting the name of Lord Hari, the local Muslim authorities didn't like it. They saw it as a challenge to themselves. Muslim clerics asked Haridas to recite Muslim scripture but Haridas refused. So, he was sentenced to be whipped multiple times in 22 marketplaces. This was a severe punishment and it would have killed Haridas. While he was being whipped, Haridas kept chanting the holy name of SriKrishna (Hari) loudly. At one point, Haridas fainted, and Muslim clerics thought he was dead. So they threw Haridas in the river. Haridas Thakur survived the punishment and his survival led many to believe he was a mystical person.

These two aspects are also beautifully illustrated in Jesus's life as per the Book of Matthew, Chapters 17 onwards:

Jesus went to Mount Tabor to pray along with his disciples Peter, James and John. During this time, Jesus transfigured in-front of them. His face shone like sun and His clothes became as white as the light. While Jesus stood in His transfigured brightness, Moses and Elijah appeared alongside Him. They spoke with Jesus about His forthcoming suffering, crucifixion, death and resurrection. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed Peter, James and John, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Even though Jesus knew his near future death, he was ready to help the people. When they came down the mountain into the crowd, one man approached Jesus and requested to heal his son. The boy was possessed with demon. Jesus rebuked the demon and it came out of the boy. The boy was healed instantly.

When they came together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.”. Obviously, he was talking about himself!

As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him. Two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”. People rebuked them but blind men shouted again for help! Jesus stopped and called them. “What do you want me to do for you?” he asked. “Lord,” they answered, “we want our sight.” Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.

While travelling through Bethany, Bethpage; Jesus helped many others and he scolded the money changers in the temple courts for robbing people.

In Jerusalem, the priests had planned to arrest Jesus. Judas, one of the disciples of Jesus had agreed to betray Him for 30 silver coins. At the night time in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prayed three times. His disciples were sleeping so He said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!” While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”. Later Jesus was arrested, ridiculed, tortured and crucified to death. Jesus's body was wrapped in cloths and kept in a tomb. Jesus risen on the third day and met Mary and Mary Magdalene. He asked them to tell his disciples to go to Galilee where they will see him.

All along, Jusus was acting according to the desire of the Lord, never desired against the desire of the Lord and helped many people!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sun, Oct 19th, 2025 - Afterlife: Swami Vivekananda had an interesting conversation with well-known agnostic Robert Ingersoll, who always spoke against Christianity! One day, in the course of a discussion, Ingersoll said to the Swami, “I believe in making the most of this world, in squeezing the orange dry, because this world is all we are sure of.” He would have nothing to do with God, Soul, or afterlife, which he considered as meaningless jargon. “I know a better way to squeeze the orange of this world than you do,” the Swami replied, “and I get more out of it because I know I cannot die (BG-2:23, 24, 25, 26, 27) , so I am not in a hurry…...” (excerpt from the biography of Swami Vivekananda).

'You have only one life!'. We have heard this sentence from many people. Do we really have only one life? Two-thirds of the population of the United States believe in an afterlife. The majority of people in the world believe in the afterlife. Whether we have proof or not, most of us accept the idea of an afterlife and religions support it! In fact, the foundation of religion is based on the belief in continuity of 'life' after death. To attain a blissful afterlife, Religions provide us with the devotional and moral framework to live our current life. Here is how the Religions define the afterlife and how to attain a blissful one:

A) Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam share an idea of the afterlife as 'heaven' and 'hell'. They provide a path to attain eternal heaven and warn that if you ignore the path, you will attain hell. For example, Christians will attain eternal heaven if he or she surrenders to Jesus. Only through the mercy and grace of Jesus will one attain to eternal heaven (John 3.16). A person who has attained hell may be accepted in heaven only through the mercy and grace of the Lord. Judaism and Islam have similar concepts. None of these religions believe in any other form of afterlife.

B) Buddhism is an offshoot of Hinduism ('Buddhism is a rebel child of Hinduism', said Swami Vivekananda). Buddhism states, the Soul will continue in the cycle of birth and death until its desires are extinguished. Until Soul has unfulfilled desires in the current life as a human being; it will be born as a Ghost or tree, animal or Demon or Celestial God, or again as a human being. Once desires are extinguished in human life, the Soul will break through the cycle of birth and death and attain 'Nirvana' after death. ‘Nirvana’ is a state of unknown! Like a wave emerged on the surface of the ocean, merges back into the Ocean!

C) Sanaatan Vedic (Hindu) religion supports the concept of afterlife (BG-2:13,) based on the principles of Karma (intentions & actions) and it is complex (BG-4:17,) unlike any other religions. Some of those principles are:

1) Scripture says, after many births and deaths (in non-human form) one achieves the rare human life, which, although temporary, affords one the opportunity to attain the highest perfection (realization of God). (Bhagavatam 11:9:29,)

2) Once born as a Human being, if one performs the Karma without offering it to the Lord, he/she is surely going to be bound by good and bad Karma. (BG-3:9,)

3) The fruits (results) will be according to the Karma, and the effects of the Karma must be borne whether they be auspicious or inauspicious. [याद्रुशं कुरुते कर्म ताद्रुशं फलमाप्ंनूयात| अवश्यमेव भोक्तव्यं कृतं कर्म शुभाशुभम|| (Devi-Bhagavat Mahapuran 6:9:67)] If the good Karma are prominent in the human life, it will take the Soul to heaven after the death, but it is temporary. Once the Soul exhausts the fruits of good Karmas, Soul is sent back to earth (BG-9:21). Similarly, if the bad Karma are prominent, it will take the Soul to hell after the death (BG-16:21), but it is temporary. Once the Soul exhausts the ‘consequences’ of bad Karma, Soul is sent back to earth.

4) Once sent back to earth, Soul takes the form of living being (human or non-human form) due to unfulfilled desires according to its attachment to the objects/people in the past human life (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 4.4.6). If the attachments/desires were Animalic, next birth may be in the form of Non-Human to fulfill those desires because Mahabharat Shanti-Parv says, 'Eating, Sleeping, Fear, and Mating are common to both animals and humans. Desire for God realization is the one special quality of humans; without it, they are equal to animals.' ('आहार निद्रा भय मैथुनं च सामान्यमेतत् पशुभिर्नराणाम्। धर्मो हि तेषामधिको विशेषो धर्मेण हीनाः पशुभिः समानाः॥'). Consider one scenario: Someone is on the deathbed and constantly thinking of the pet in the house because he/she is very attached to the pet (attachment is a cause of desire). If the death occurs at this time, the next birth on the earth could be in the form of that pet (dog, cat etc.) where attachment was (BG-8:6).

5) Only human form offers an opportunity to contemplate & worship the Lord. (Bhagavatam-5:5:1).

6) Scripture shows us the way to break from the cycle of birth and death. It says, while doing all the work, constantly think/contemplate on the Lord all the time. Perform all duties for the Lord and offer results of the Karma to the Lord which is only possible in the human form. In this way, one will attain the Lord never to return into this cycle of birth and death. (BG-3:30, 12:11) Further Lord says, 'After many births of spiritual practice, one who is endowed with knowledge surrenders unto Me, knowing Me to be all that is! Such a great Soul is indeed very rare.' (BG-7:19)

Saturday, April 5, 1884:

Pranakrishna: "Sir, what is the nature of the life after death?"

Sri Ramakrishna: "Keshab Sen also asked that question. As long as a man remains ignorant, that is to say, as long as he has not realized God, he will be born again. But after attaining knowledge (realizing God), he will not have to come back to this earth or to any other plane of existence. "The potter puts his pots in the sun to dry. Haven't you noticed that among them there are both baked and unbaked ones? When a cow happens to walk over them, some of the pots get broken to pieces. The broken pots that are already baked, the potter throws away, since they are of no more use to him. But the soft ones, though broken, he gathers. He makes them into a lump and out of this, forms new pots. In the same way, so long as a man has not realized God, he will have to come back to Potter's hand. That is, he will have to be born again and again. "What is the use of sowing a boiled paddy grain? It will never bring forth a shot. Likewise, if a man is boiled in the fire of Knowledge, he will not be used for new creation. He is liberated.

Fri, Sep 12th, 2025 - Truthfulness: A very wellknown incident in the life of Chanakya, who was the founder of the Maurya Dynasty, during 300 BC: On one of the late evenings when it was getting darker, Chanakya was working on official papers inside his house in the light of an oil lamp. One man came to him at that time requesting help. Chanakya asked him to take the seat and wait. After a while, Chanakya finished his work, extinguished the oil lamp he was using and lit up another oil lamp. Chanakya asked the visitor to proceed with his request. Instead of narrating the reason he had come for, the visitor asked Chanakya, 'why did you extinguish one oil lamp and lit up another one?'. Chanakya said, 'the oil lamp I was using for official work was paid for by the government. I don't want to use it for personal work! That is the reason I have extinguished the government-paid oil lamp and am now using my own oil lamp. Go ahead and tell me the reason you have come for.' This incident explains the Integrity, Honesty and Truthfulness!

Using someone else's resources for our own use without the owner's permission is stealing!! Using client/employer resources for personal use, such as company printer, company stationery etc. is stealing and God doesn't approve it!

Truthfulness and integrity go hand-in-hand! Being truthful is not just telling the complete truth but also not hiding, not being pretentious, non-stealing, non-deceitful, walking the talk, keeping your word etc.!

Sri Ramakrishna's life (1836–1886) was established in truth and that truthfulness is the key to God-realization. Sri Ramakrishna developed throat cancer in the middle of 1885. Dr. Mahendranath Pal advised him to drink lemon juice every day. 24-year-old Jogin (future Swami Yogananda not to be mistaken as Yogananda Paramhamsa) was one of the disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, and he took the responsibility of supplying fresh lemons from his family garden. Sri Ramakrishna took the juice regularly but one day he couldn't drink it. Jogin wondered why and he started investigating. He learned from his father that their garden was leased to the third party on the very same day, and they had lost ownership. Sri Ramakrishna didn't know anything about it. He simply couldn't take the juice. Jogin realized that he hadn't taken the permission of the new owner of the garden before he plucked the lemons. That is the reason Sri Ramakrishna couldn't take the juice. The Truthfulness was deep in Sri Ramakrishna's mind that even without knowing the full story, he has repeatedly refused to accept certain things in his life which are ethically considered as 'theft'.

Sanatan Vedic Hindu Scritpure,'Taittariya Upanishad 2.1.1' proclaims, 'Brahman is the Truth, Knowledge and Infinite!'. In 'Tejobindu Upanishad 3.11, God is described as Truth, Consciousness, Bliss!'.

Similarly, the Bible declares, 'Truthfulness is one of the attributes of God!'. 'God is Truth!' (John 14:6) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mon, Jul 28th, 2025 - God, Formless or with Form?: In the afternoon a monk belonging to the sect of Nanak arrived. He was a worshipper of the formless God. Sri Ramakrishna asked him to meditate on God with form as well. The Master said to him: "Dive deep; one does not get the precious gems by merely floating on the surface. No doubt God is without form, but He also has form. By meditating on God with form one speedily acquires devotion; then one can meditate on the formless God. It is like throwing a letter away after reading its contents, and then setting out to follow the instructions provided in the letter." (Dec 21st, 1883)

Formless God with No Attributes: A) Vedic scriptures of Hinduism (Sanaatan Dharma) state the concept of Monism (Advait or Non-Dualism). As per Monism, there is only one truth, and it is called 'Brahman'. 'Brahman' is defined as 'Existence, Consciousness, Bliss (Sat-Chit-Anand)'. These are not its attributes but that is what it is! 'Brahman' is one side of the coin. The other side is 'Maaya (Energy)'. 'Brahman' and 'Maaya' are not separate! They are one! The Saankhya philosophy in Vedic scriptures has the similar concept in which 'Brahman' is called 'Purusha' and 'Maaya' is called 'Prakriti'. On the path of Duality / Devotion, 'Brahman' is called 'Sri Krishna' and 'Maaya (Energy)' is called 'Sri Radha'.

B) Whether Formless or With-Form; Buddhism does not believe in God! As far as birth is concerned, it believes in the theory of Cause & Effect of Karma and therefore it also believes in Re-birth. Buddhism believes that good or bad intentions will bring happiness or sorrow whenever it is conducive either in this life or in future life (lives) and it all happens Naturally (There is no God). Ultimate goal is to reach Nirvana state to liberate ourselves from Cause, Effect and Rebirth.

Formless God with Attributes: A) Hinduism (Sanaatan Dharma) also has a concept of God who is Formless with Attributes! When the other side of 'Brahman', which is 'Maaya (Energy)' becomes active; it exhibits the attributes such as Creator of the Universe and living beings. In the created world, mind can worship Formless God with just intense prayer and ‘Maaya (Energy) aka Sri-Radha' responds to the prayer! This is possible because ‘Brahman’ pervades everything, absolutely everything in this created world and 'Maaya (Energy)' co-exist with 'Brahman'. In fact, scriptures say, there is nothing but the ‘Brahman’ which is ‘Existence, Consciousness and Bliss’ (ever Existing with Energy and Bliss).

B) Most other religions in the world believe in God who is Formless with Attributes. Christianity, Islam are the main religions follow this concept. For them, the God is Formless with Attributes such as Blissful, Ever Loving, Ever Forgiving and always ready to help Humankind!!

C) Sikhism also believes in the Formless God with Attributes such as Love, Creator of this Universe etc.

D) Zoroastrians have similar belief. Their God is Ahura Mazda which is Formless. It has attributes of goodness.

E) Yahweh is the Formless God of Judaism with attributes such as Love, Mercy, Faithfulness etc.

God With Form and with Attributes: Though most religions in the world do not believe in God with form, Hinduism (Sanaatan Dharma) has a concept of God with Form and Attributes! Hindu scriptures say human mind through devotion can force the formless to take the desired form. Sri Ramakrishna explains this beautifully:

Dec 27th, 1883: Sri Ramakrishna is telling Srish, Son of Ishaan Mukherjee - "Well, what suits your taste, God with form or the formless Reality? To tell you the truth, He who is formless is also endowed with form. To His devotees, He reveals Himself as having a form. Consider formless ‘Brahman’ is like a great ocean, an infinite expanse of water, without any trace of shore. Here and there some of the water has been frozen. The intense cold has turned it into ice. Just so, under the cooling influence, so to speak, of the Devotee’s love, the Infinite appears to take a form. Again, the ice melts when the sun rises; it becomes water as before. Just so, one who follows the path of knowledge-the path of discrimination-does not see the form of God anymore. To him, everything is formless. The ice melts into formless water with the rise of the Sun of Knowledge. But mark this: form and formlessness belong to one and the same Reality."

Also, the Lord may take form when people pray for help whenever there is a decay in righteousness and virtue in society. The Lord will descend and take the form to destroy evil doers. (BG-4:7)

God with Form but No Attributes: There is no religion which believes in this concept.

Fri, Jun 13th, 2025 - Attachment to Wealth: Lord Krishna describes people with a demoniac nature in Chapter 16 of the Bhagavad Gita. While describing one of the demoniac natures, the Lord says, "Demoniac person thinks, 'I have gained so much wealth today, and I shall now fulfill this desire of mine. This is mine, and tomorrow I shall have even more as per my plan.'" (BG-16:13-15 - इदमद्य मया लब्धमिमं प्राप्स्ये मनोरथम् |इदमस्तीदमपि मे भविष्यति पुनर्धनम् || 13||).

May not be all, but many of us have tremendous attachment in our hearts to wealth! We are happy to see our bank balances growing! We like to accumulate more and more until we die one day! We very well know that we can't take away anything from this world, but we still want to have more! God knows our nature. So He has told us in scriptures to donate a minimum of 10% of our income.

In the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 14:22 says, 'Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year'.

Similarly, Skand Puran says, 'From the wealth you have earned by rightful means, take out one-tenth, and as a matter of duty, give it away for the pleasure of God!' (न्यायोपार्जितवित्तस्य दशमोशेन धीमत:। कर्तव्यो विनियोगश्च ईश्वरप्रीत्यर्थमेव च). (Offcourse, earnings should be always from rightful means!)

Saints ask us repeatedly to donate money to a good cause! Saints want to cut our attachment to worldly things. We understand it, but many of us don't follow. Sri Ramakrishna used to say, 'Detachment of wealth and worldly objects helps us to develop love for God and gets us closer to God!'. Kripaluji Maharaj says, 'Donate as much as possible. Donate more if you earn more!'.

Matthew 6:24 states, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and Wealth!

Here is what Sri Ramakrishna said to Bankim Chandra Chatterjee on Dec 6th, 1884 (Bankim was the writer of Vande Mataram)

"A householder, of course, needs money, for he has a wife and children. He should save up to feed them.....".

"If a householder gives in charity in a spirit of detachment, he really does good to himself... It is God alone that he serves God, who dwells in all beings; and when he serves God, he is really doing good to himself.... "If a man thus serves God through all beings, not through men alone but through animals and other living beings as well; if he doesn't seek name and fame, or heaven after death; if he doesn't seek any return from those he serves; if he can carry on his work of service in this spirit-then he performs truly selfless work, work without attachment...".

Tue, May 27th, 2025 - Grace of the Spiritual Master(Guru): The ultimate goal of the Disciple on the spiritual path is God's realization. The journey on the spiritual path is not smooth and can involve challenges due to interactions with others. A disciple's Spiritual Master guides them on this path, and unwavering faith in the Master is crucial for navigating difficult situations.

A) Giri was one of the disciples of Spiritual Master, Acharya Sankar. Like other disciples, Giri wasn't learned and sharp, but he was devoted to his Master. He used to wake up early in the morning before his Master and finish his bath in the river. Later, Giri used to carry clothes etc. for his Master and walk with him to the river. He would wait attentively for his Master to finish his bath and walk back with him. He would again go back to the river to wash his Master's clothes. Later, he would go out into the village and beg for alms and bring it back to the hermitage. He would cook the food and prepare lunch for his Master. Giri would eat only after his master had finished his meal. In short, Giri would be polite, respectful and attentive to his Master at all times.

One day, like every day, the Master was ready to give spiritual discourse to his disciples in the morning, but Giri wasn't there. He asked about Giri and the other disciples said he had gone to the river to wash clothes. The master waited for Giri. Other disciples were getting impatient. One of the disciples, Padmapaad, said, 'Master, why are you waiting for Giri? Anyway, teaching him is like teaching to the wall". The Master heard this and closed his eyes. With his eyes closed, the Master made a 'sankalpa' (intense desire) for Giri to receive scriptural knowledge instantly! On the banks of the river, Giri felt his Master was calling him. He collected the washed clothes and walked back to the hermitage. As he entered through the gate, he saw his Master sitting in front of all the disciples. The Master looked into Giri's eyes and Giri started singing the glories of his spiritual Master, Acharya Sankar, in Sanskrit in a specific metrical structure called 'Totaka' ! All the disciples were astounded. They were wondering how come suddenly Giri had acquired mastery of Sanskrit and constructed such beautiful verses in Totaka metre? Later, Giri became known as Totakacharya (the Master of Totaka metre)! It was sheer grace of his spiritual master, Acharya Sankar!!

B) Latu (Rakhtu-Ram) was born into a poor family. Latu's parents passed away when he was a toddler. His uncle took care of him for a few years and when he became 10 years old, his uncle took him to Calcutta for work. Latu found a living help (home maid - servant) job in the house of Ramachandra (Ram) Datta. Ram was a staunch devotee of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He used to visit Sri Ramakrishna very frequently. After coming back home, he used to tell the details of his conversation with Sri Ramakrishna to his wife. Latu used to hear those words and became curious. Latu wanted to see Sri Ramakrishna. Long story short, Latu got an opportunity as a live-in help for Sri Ramakrishna. Everyone knows, Sri Ramakrishna never touched money. Sri Ramakrishna himself was getting food from temple and devotees used to offer clothing. So Latu also started getting food from temple and Ram used to provide clothing for him. Latu got to hear spiritual discussions between Sri Ramakrishna and a number of devotees who used to visit Sri Ramakrishna. On one evening, Latu was taking a nap and Sri Ramakrishna saw him. Sri Ramakrishna told him not to sleep in the evening. Like mornings, evening is a time for meditation and recital of God's name, said Sri Ramakrishna. Since then, Latu never slept, not only in the evening but also in the night. He used to sit and meditate the whole night. One evening he was sitting on the banks of the River Ganga for meditation. His meditation was so deep that he wasn't aware of the rising river waves coming to his feet. Sri Ramakrishna ran towards him and brought him to worldly consciousness. Like Swami Vivekanand and others, Latu also renounced the worldly life and became Swami Adbhutanand after Sri Ramakrishna left this world. Latu was uneducated, and he was unable to read or write, yet he gained profound spiritual knowledge and wisdom through the direct influence of Sri Ramakrishna. Swami Vivekananda famously called Latu "Sri Ramakrishna's greatest miracle".

C) Jesus chose his disciples from ordinary people, not from the religious elite or the wealthy, and transformed them into powerful spiritual leaders. Peter was a fisherman and Andrew was a Tax Collector. All others were simply common people. Jesus empowered them to heal, cast out demons and spread the Gospel.

Wed, Apr 9th, 2025 - Spiritual Master(Guru) and Disciple: In the Spiritual realm, the Spiritual Master (Guru) shows the path to enlightenment or liberation! In spiritual tradition, to receive the Guru's grace and guidance, a true disciple always respects, loves and honors the Guru. The respect of the disciple manifests through surrender and submission to the Guru through service, care and love. Below are a few examples:

A) Once, Jesus told all of his disciples that he had seen God's plan and to fulfill God's desire, he had to go to Jerusalem, where he would suffer and die. Out of love and care for Jesus, when Peter heard this, he tried to stop Jesus from going to Jerusalem. Jesus rebuked Peter and went to Jerusalem, where he was arrested. Jesus had to suffer on the cross and die. After Jesus had left this world, Peter spent many years spreading the message of Jesus! One day, Peter was arrested by the Roman Empire for his faith in Jesus. He was sentenced to death by crucifixion! Out of love and respect for Jesus, Peter requested to be crucified upside down because he felt he did not deserve to die like Jesus!

B) Shashi-Bhushan Chakraborty was 20 years old (in 1883) when he came to Sri Ramakrishna in Dakshineshwar on the banks of the river Ganges. Shashi used to like to read spiritual books. He used to carry those books with him when he and his cousin, Saratchandra Chakraborty, used to come to see Sri Ramakrishna. Shashi always considered Sri Ramakrishna as his Guru. Shashi would spend time listening to spiritual discourses by Sri Ramakrishna. After those discourses, he would start reading books. After a few such visits, once Sri Ramakrishna said, 'Shashi, whenever you come here, spend some time doing service, chores and don't waste time reading!'. Shashi immediately got up, collected his books, went on the banks of the river Ganges and threw all the books in the Ganges! Shashi came back to the room and spent time in service. Even at that age, Shashi knew obeying his Guru and giving him respect was the most important part of spiritual practice. Sri Ramakrishna was bedridden because of throat cancer in 1886. Four months before he left this world, Shashi was taking care of him day and night. Looking at his dedication to the Guru, Narendranath (future Swami Vivekanand) gave him the name, Swami Ramakrishnananda, during the renunciation ritual. Saratchandra became Swami Saradanand and Narendranath Datta became the very well-known Swami Vivekanand.

C) Brahma-Chaitanya Maharaj (Guru) of Gondawale, Maharashtra State, India had many disciples. One of the disciples was Brahmanand Maharaj. This is an incident from the 1890s: once Guru decided to go to Naravani village for some work in a horse-cart on a hot sunny afternoon. He asked Brahmanand to accompany him. The passenger seat of the horse-cart could accommodate 2 people, and it is back-facing. Guru asked Brahmanand to sit next to him. Brahmanand felt he didn't deserve to sit next to his Guru. Instead, he said, 'I would walk behind the horse-cart'. Guru was OK. Brahmanand started walking behind the horse-cart, looking at his Guru who was facing him. The horse-cart picked up its speed in a few minutes. Brahmanand wasn't wearing footwear, and he had to run behind the horse cart. So, Guru threw his footwear towards Brahmanand. Brahmanand took the footwear and kept it on his head because he felt it would be an insult to Guru to wear Guru's footwear. After reaching the destination, some people said to Brahmanand, 'you must be tired running behind the horse-cart!'. Brahmanand said, 'Not at all! As soon as I kept the Guru's footwear on my head, I felt like I was taking a stroll on a cool, moonlight night!'.

Fri, March 21st, 2025 - Events in our life: We do see good and bad events in our life without any of our efforts. Obviously, when something good happens, we are delighted, but we seldom ask ourselves, why did this happen to me? Why has God been so merciful? Usually, we don't think that someone else is more qualified than us for the good things that happen to us. But, we always want to know why the bad thing happened to us. Why do bad things happen to good people? This is a very common question that comes to everyone's mind. There are various theories to answer this question.

A) The Spiritual Masters on the path of Devotion may explain it this way: God is always loving, and He would never do any harm to anyone. God knows everyone's heart and when He wants to attract someone's attention, He will arrange bad events in someone's life. These events would force that person to think about God. Once God thinks He has attracted enough attention of the person, He may turn the events around. Another explanation is given: if the person is already on the path of Devotion, God may test him/her by bringing bad events just to check if the person still loves and trusts in Him.

B) The Spiritual Masters, who believe and teach Karmic reactions, may explain it this way: Major events in our life are fixed at the time of our birth. God has fixed those events based on our karmas in past lives. Those events will happen. We should continue to do good, pray and trust in God, so our future lives will be better.

C) Explanation from other Spiritual Masters: We are ignorant of the way God works. We should not try to understand everything in our life. When we were little, we used to ask explanations for certain things from our parents, or we used to ask what they were discussing among themselves. Our parents used to say," you are little, you won't understand!" You need to grow up to understand it. Similarly, we are little children of the highest God and we will not understand His works. Therefore, we should love and trust in God. Continue to do good. God is like our parents. We are in the palm of His hands.

Sat, Feb 22nd, 2025 - PEACE: Ultimate goal of human birth is to realize God by extiguishing all desires but our mind is a factory of desires. Once the desire becomes strong, it puts us into action to fulfill it. We are frustrated, stressed, anxious until the desire is fulfilled. We find the peace once the desire is fulfilled. That peace of material life is short lived. Are we done if our desire is fulfilled? No, we will have new desires. We get disappointed, frustrated if the desire is not fulfilled and we start all over again! This is never ending!! That is the reason, we are never at true peace!

We can't live without desires and without actions. Usually the results of our actions determine if our desire is fulfilled or not. Lord Krishna tells Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita-2:47 to perform your duties but do not attach yourself to the (or expect) favorable or unfavorable results! Become neutral towards the results! That will bring the peace!

Same principle is told in Bible in words such as 'Cast Your Care'. It means, you perform your duties but do not be anxious of its results. Lean on God for Him to take care of You!

1 Peter 5:6-7 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Psalm 55:22 Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Saints have said, "If you truly trust in God, you wouldn't be worried in your life. As long as you are worried, anxious and stressed; you don't completely trust in God.". Saints have said, you need to surrender to the God to be free from stress, anxiety and leave the results to the God and trust Him to take care of you like an infant is completely dependent on Mother!

Thomas à Kempis, the author of The Imitation of Christ, says, "Imagine the dialogue between Jesus and disciples where Jesus said, if you want to have peace, do these four things: 1) Always seek to have less than more 2) Look always for the last place and seek to be beneath all others 3) Always seek to do will of others rather than your own 4) and finally, In all things see and accept the will of God. Behold, such will enter into the realm of peace and rest.".

Fri, Feb 7th, 2025 - Transcendental Ecstasy: After defeating Raavan, the King of Lanka; Lord Ram and Sita returned to the City of Ayodhya, the capital of Kosala Kingdom. He also brought with him all the lead warriors who helped him in defeating Raavana; such as Sugriva, Vibhishana, Angad, Jambavant, Hanumaan et al. Lord Ram was returning after 14 years and he was to become King of Kosala.

After the spectacular coronation ceremony of Lord Ram and Sita to the throne of Kosala Kingdom, Lord Ram decided to give parting gifts to all the leaders he had brought with him. He presented gifts to everyone but he didn't have anything for Hanumaan. At the end, he asked Hanumaan to come forward. Hanumaan came forward but Lord Ram had nothing in his hand to give Hanumaan. Lord Ram said, 'Hanumaan, how can I repay for your dedication and service? There is nothing in this world which would compensate for your service!'. Lord Ram took a pause and said, 'I can only embrace you, come forward'. Hanuman came close to Lord Ram and Lord Ram embraced him! As soon as Lord Ram embraced Hanumaan, Hanumaan went into transcendental ecstasy and he sat down. Hanumaan was in that state for sometime. When he came back to worldly consciousness, Lord Ram asked, 'Hanumaan, what do you see me as?'. Hanumaan said, 'Hey Lord, when I am bodily conscious, I know I am your servant! When I am conscious of myself as living soul, I know I am part of you and when I am conscious of myself as Divine Soul, I know we are not separate! You and me, we both are one and the same!'. (देहबुद्‍ध्या त्वद्दासोऽहं जीवबुद्‍ध्या त्वदंशकः। आत्मबुद्‍ध्या त्वमेवाहम् इति मे निश्चिता मतिः॥)

Sun, Jan 26th, 2025 - Dwellings of the Lord: Scriptures say, entire universe is created by the Lord and Lord dwells in everything. Even the space, planets, stars, earth and absolutely everything on this earth is the dwelling of the Lord. That's why Saint Kabir says, 'God dwells in every form and there is no form without God. But, I would surrender to that form in which God manifests!' (सब घट मेरा साइयां, सुनी सेज न कोय। बलिहारी वा घट्ट की, जो घट परगट होय।।). These forms are Saints!

Usually, all the virtues such as Compassion, Love, Peace and Bliss are associated with the God and we find these virtues in Saints!

A) Sun, Mar 5th, 1882 at Dakshineshwar -- Conversation was about worldly men, who look down on those who aspire to spiritual things. Sri Ramakrishna was talking about the great number of such people in the world, and about how to deal with them.

Sri Ramakrishna to Narendra (future Swami Vivekanand): "How do you feel about it? Worldly people say all kinds of things about the spiritually minded. But look here! When an elephant moves along the street, any number of curs and other smallanimals may bark and cry after it; but the elephant doesn't even look back at them. If people speak ill of you, what will you think of them?"

Narendra: "I shall think that dogs are barking at me."

Sri Ramakrishna to Narendra: Oh, no! You mustn't go that far, my child! (Laughter). God dwells in all beings. But you may be intimate only with good people; you must keep away from the evil-minded. God is even in the tiger; but you cannot embrace the tiger on that account. (Laughter). You may say, 'Why run away from a tiger, which is also a manifestation of God?' The answer to that is: 'Those who tell you to run away are also manifestations of God - and why shouldn't you listen to them?'

B) Aug 5th, 1882: At the house of Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar -- Sri Ramakrishna: 'Just see how picturesque this universe is! How many things there are! The sun, moon, and stars; and how many varieties of living beings! - big and small, good and bad, strong and weak - some endowed with more power some with less.'

Vidyasagar: 'Has He endowed some with more power and others with less?'

Sri Ramakrishna: 'As the All-pervading Spirit, He exists in all beings, even in the ant. But the manifestations of His Power are different in different beings; otherwise, how can one person put ten to flight, while another can't face even one? And why do all people respect you? Have you grown a pair of horns? (Laughter.) You have more compassion and learning. Therefore people honor you and come to pay you their respects. Don't you agree with me?'

Vidyasagar smiled.

C) Sun, Feb 18th, 1883: At Govind Mukherji's house in Belgharia, near Kolkata -- Sri Ramakrishna: It is God alone who has become all this. But in certain places- for instance, in a holy man-there is a greater manifestation than in others....... God dwells in all beings. He is the gold in all. In some places it is more clearly manifest than in others. God dwells in the worldly-minded, no doubt, but He is hidden there, like gold under deep layers of clay.

Sat, Dec 14th, 2024 - Season of Giving: The third time Jesus said to Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, 'Do you love me?' Peter said, 'Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.'. Jesus said, 'Feed my sheep.'. Here, 'Feed my sheep' has multiple meanings and one of them is to care for others. Remembering the Love of Jesus, Fortunate ones are asked to share their happiness with Less Fortunate ones.

Bhagavad Gita-17:20 Charity given to a worthy person simply because it is right to give, without consideration of anything in return, at the proper time and in the proper place, is stated to be in the mode of goodness. (दातव्यमिति यद्दानं दीयतेऽनुपकारिणे | देशे काले च पात्रे च तद्दानं सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् || 20||)

A) While explaining above verse, Swami Mukundananda quotes the verse from Ramayan and expands as below: 'Dharma has four basic tenets, one amongst which is the most important in the age of Kali—give in charity by whatever means possible. The act of charity bestows many benefits. It reduces the attachment of the giver toward material objects; it develops the attitude of service; it expands the heart, and fosters the sentiment of compassion for others. Hence, most religious traditions follow the injunction of giving away one-tenth of one’s earnings in charity as stated in Skandh Puran.'.

B) 1 John 3:17 - If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?

Proverbs 19:17 - Whoever is kind to the poor, lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.

Hebrews 13:16 - Do Not neglect to do good and to share what you have with needy, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

C) Joyce Meyer says, 'You are given more so you can share with others who are in need'. Essentially meaning that when God blesses you with abundance, it's not just for your own benefit but to use that abundance to help and give to others!

Sun, Nov 17th, 2024:

Sri Madbhagavatam 5.5.1 - Lord Ṛishabhdeva told His sons: Of all the living bodies in this world, one who has been awarded this human form should not work for sense gratification which is available even for animals. One should engage in penance, austerity, devotion to purify heart and attain eternal, blissful life! (ऋषभ उवाच, नायं देहो देहभाजां नृलोके कष्टान् कामानर्हते विड्भुजां ये। तपो दिव्यं पुत्रका येन सत्त्वं शुद्ध्येद्यस्माद् ब्रह्मसौख्यं त्वनन्तम् ॥ १ ॥)

A) One of the Saints, Shri Kripaluji Maharaj has said, 'Human birth is rare! God Realization is only possible in the human birth, so do not miss the opportunity of God Realization in this human life.'. He further says, 'Many Government Officers, Judges, Lawyers, Doctors etc. have come to me and said, Maharajji, we will step on the spiritual path once we retire.'. Kripaluji Maharaj says, 'They have retired and found another job because they can't live without getting into worldly affairs. In few years the news come, so and so has left the world!'. 'It is so sad the people don't understand the importance of human life and God realization!', says Maharajji.

Many Saints have alerted us about this. Someone has said, 'O unfortunate one, you have missed the worship of the eternal Lord in this life. Your Life is in vain!' (श्यामसुंदरकी सेवा चुकी, उपजत क्यु न मरे अभागी, काहे को देह धरे, अभागी काहे को देह धरे).

Shri Samarth Ramdas Swami says, 'Those who have understood the importance of the human life, they have spent their life on spiritual path! Others have only caused pain to their mother and their family!'. (जेणे परमार्थ ओळखिला, तेणे जन्म सार्थक केला, येर तो जन्माला, कुलक्षया कारणे)

B) Excerpts from the 'Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna': Dec 14th 1882 - Sri Ramakrishna says, 'The worldly man is like a snake trying to swallow a mole. The snake can neither swallow the mole nor give it up. The worldly man may have realized that there is no substance to the world but still he cannot give it up and turn his mind to God.' 'I once met a man fifty years old. He was playing cards. As if the time had not yet come for him to think of God!' 'There is another characteristic of the worldly man. If you remove him from his worldly surroundings to a spiritual environment, he will pine away. The worm that grows in filth feels very happy there. It thrives in filth. It will die if you put it in a pot of rice.'

Thu, Oct 24th 2024:

Saint Tulsidas says, just like Sun and the Night cannot exist at the same time, when Lord Ram arises in the mind, the deceitful desires run away! (जहँ काम तहँ नहीं राम जहँ राम तहँ नहीं काम। तुलसी दोनों रह न सके रवि-रजनी एक ठाम।।)

All deceitful desires are extinguished from mind by repeatedly chanting the name of the Lord! Saint Eknath says, in this period of 'Kaliyuga' there is no better way than chanting the name of the Lord! (वेळोवेळां वाचे उच्चारावें नाम । तेणें निष्काम प्राणी होय॥ एका जनार्दनीं नामविण काहीं । आणिक थोर नाहीं कलीमाजीं॥)

A) Yogindra (Yogin) Chaudhary (future Swami Yogananda) was 16 years old when he came to Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa. Once Yogin asked Sri Ramakrishna, 'how can I get rid of sensual thoughts from my mind?'. Sri Ramakrishna told him to chant the name of the Lord. Yogin didn't say anything but he didn't agree with the idea of chanting the name of the Lord. He thought Sri Ramakrishna would tell him some Yogic processes including breathing exercise etc. In a short period of time, one 'Hatha Yogi' arrived in the area of Dakshnineshwar where Sri Ramakrishna used to live. He was showing Yogic feats to people around there. Yogin happened to be there and he was attracted to the yogic processes. Yogin thought, these Yogic practices will help him to control his mind. As Yogin was watching the 'Hatha Yogi', Sri Ramakrishna came there. When he saw Yogin is watching the Yogic process, Ramakrishna got hold of Yogin's arm and took him to his room. Sri Ramakrishna told him not to practice 'Hatha Yoga'. It will keep your mind on your body and get you distracted from God. Though Yogin didn't agree with Sri Ramakrishna, he decided to start chanting the name of the Lord. To his surprise, he started experiencing change in his mind and found bliss in chanting the name. After few years, Sri Ramakrishna left this world and along with other devotees of Sri Ramakrishna, Yogin also renounced the worldly life. He became Swami Yogananda. After Swami Vivekananda returned from USA, he established Ramakrishna Mission and asked Swami Yogananda to be the Vice President of the mission. Swami Brahmananda was the President.

B) Proverbs: 18:10 - The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. Isaiah 12:4 - Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted. Psalm 105:1-4 - Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.

Fri, Sep 13th 2024:

Saint Kabir says, everyone in this world is penniless, poor but only the ones who have experienced the love of the Lord are rich! (कबीर, सब जग निर्धना, धनवंता ना कोय। धनवंता सो जानिये, जा पै राम नाम धन होय।।)

The man spends entire life in amassing wealth but cannot even take the loin cloth with him when it is time to leave this world!(कौडी कौडी माया जोडी, रुपया लाख करोड| नारायण घर की चिठ्ठी आयी, गये लंगोटा छोड||)

A) Ramachandra Datta was one of the householder devotees of Sri Ramakrishna! He was in a high position in British Government in India and was wealthy! Here is what he writes about himself in his book, 'The First Biography of Sri Ramakrishna'--: I lived for money. I considered money as being quintessence of this world. I was concerned with earning money by any means. Telling lies, cheating on others or being treacherous to them, I could do anything that helped me to earn money. Seeing Sri Ramakrishna to go to houses of other devotees, I thought wistfully, if he would ever come over to my place and make it sanctified. In due course, I made my wish known to him. But he declined to come. Swelled with pride I was then indeed! Unmindful of my standing, I was taking pride in introducing myself as one of his disciples and thinking there was nothing to impede my way. So, his refusal caused me pain in no small measure. Days passed until one day he suddenly asked me, 'When do you want me to go to your house? Thinking a while I said, 'Any day you feel disposed'. He made a date. I looked happy but only outwardly, in my heart I felt terrible upset, because of the expenses his visit entailed! Whenever he went, there would assemble a hundred or two people to see him and hear him speak; and to feed them all lavishly, one needed to spend at least 10 rupees (in 1880s). Truly speaking, this caused resentment, nay distress to my worldly mind. So I decided against letting him come to my house but he wouldn't listen. He came! He came along with his devotees, made merry the whole time and returned thereafter. I felt happy but upset with the money that I had to spent and therefore deprived of experiencing the joy!

In a very short time with Sri Ramakrishna, Ramachandra Datta was completely changed. As per the instructions from Sri Ramakrishna, he spent his money and bought a garden house in Kankurgachi (West Bengal, India) in 1883. Sri Ramakrishna blessed the place by visiting it and singing devotional songs & chanting the name of the Lord along with his devotees! Ramchandra Datta became one of the main householder devotees! After Sri Ramakrishna left this world, Ramachandra Datta kept his relics in this house for worship.

B) Luke 12:13-21 The Parable of the Rich Fool: Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

C) Luke 19:1-10 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Mon, Aug 5th 2024: In Sundarkand 47-2,3 and 4; Lord Ram says to Vibhishan, 'Hey Vibhishan, saints like you are dear to me and I hold them in my heart like a covetous man holds the worldly things to his heart; because, you have conquered all vices, detached yourself from all worldly relations and surrender your mind to me! (तजि मद मोह कपट छल नाना, करउ सद्य तेहि साधु समाना| जननी जनक बंधु सुत दारा, तनु धनु भवन सुहृद परिवारा|२| सब कै ममता ताग बटोरी, मम पद मनहि बांध बरि डोरी| समदरसी इच्छा कछु नाही, हरष सोक भय नहि मन माही|३| अस सज्जन मम उर बस कैसे, लोभी हृदय बसइ धनु जैसे| तुम्ह सारिखे संत प्रिय मोरे, धरउ देह नहि आन निहोरे|४|)

A) 'Truely the Lord lives within us! You don't see it because you don't live within yourself (your mind is dispersed all over the world!) - says Swami Ramakrishnananda (direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa).

B) 'God Realization is not difficult, what is difficult for you is to detach your mind from worldly things and discard vanity, infatuation of various kinds!' says Pramanandji Maharaj of Vrindavan.

C) 1st John 2:16 and 2:15 (New Living Translation) - The world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father(Lord), but are from this world. Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father(Lord) in you.

Sat, Jul 13th 2024:

BG-5:18

The Lord says, truly learned person, with the eyes of divine knowledge, see with equal vision a Brahmin (upper-class), a cow, an elephant, a dog, and a dog-eater (विद्याविनयसम्पन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि |शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिता: समदर्शिन:||)

BG-6:30

The Lord says, For those who see Me everywhere and see all things in Me, I am never lost, nor are they ever lost to Me (यो मां पश्यति सर्वत्र सर्वं च मयि पश्यति | तस्याहं न प्रणश्यामि स च मे न प्रणश्यति||)

BG-12:13

The Lord says, Those devotees are very dear to Me who are free from malice toward all living beings, who are friendly, and compassionate. They are free from attachment to possessions and egotism, equipoised in happiness and distress, and ever-forgiving (अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां मैत्र: करुण एव च | निर्ममो निरहङ्कार: समदु:खसुख: क्षमी||)

A) Hriday (Hridayram Mukhopadhyay 1840-1899) was nephew of Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He was from village Shihad. Like Sri Ramakrishna, Hriday was also a priest in Dakshineshwar temples. Like all the saints, Sri Ramakrishna had a soft, compassionate heart towards everyone including animals, trees, shrubs and even grass! One day, Hriday brought a calf (bull-calf) to Dakshineshwar and tied it to the pole. When Sri Ramakrishna saw that, he asked, 'Hriday, why have you brought the calf?' Hriday said, 'I am going to send it to village Shihad and once it grows strong, I will use it for ploughing the Farm.’ Sri Ramakrishna heard this; he was horrified. The thought that calf must walk a long distance (about 85 kilometers) and then spend its entire life pulling the plough on the farm made him unconscious! He couldn’t bear the thought of the hardship calf has to go through entire life!

B) On another day, Sri Ramakrishna was looking at the river Ganges from the balcony. There was a boat sailing towards the shore. There were two men on the boat, and it looked like they were arguing with each other. As the boat approached the shore; taller, bigger man started pushing and punching the other man who was shorter and smaller. The bigger man beat up the smaller man so much that Sri Ramakrishna felt the pain of the man and Sri Ramakrishna started wailing. Hriday, nephew of Sri Ramakrishna came running and asked, ‘Uncle, what happened?’. Sri Ramakrishna told him; he has a pain on the back side of his body. Hriday raised up the shirt Sri Ramakrishna was wearing and saw his back had red marks as if someone had beaten him. Hriday asked him, ‘Who did this to you? Let me know I will take care of the person.’. Sri Ramakrishna told him what he saw on the boat.

C) Bhai Hanuman Prasad Poddar, Sri Radha-baba and other devotees were walking towards the Sri Krishna temple. It was a long distance. After some time, Bhaiji noticed that Sri Radha-baba is not with the group. He asked everyone, ‘Where did Radha-baba go?’. No one knew where he went so Bhaiji said, ‘let us turn back and see where we lost him.’ As they were returning on the same path, they saw Radha-baba was sitting on the road next to a donkey. It looked like a donkey was about to die. Bhaiji asked Radha-baba, ‘What happened? Why are you sitting here?’. Radha-baba explained that when they were walking towards the temple, he saw this half-dead donkey. It was injured everywhere. Crows were sitting on it and pecking at the wounds. I couldn’t go further and decided to sit here. Bhaiji saw that Radha-baba had covered the donkey with his shawl so the crows will not peck at his wounds. Radha-baba sat there chanting the name of the Lord until the donkey passed away peacefully.

Sun, June 30th 2024:

In one of the poems written by Saint Kabir (1398 – 1518), The God / The Lord is answering a question everyone has, where to find Him? The Lord says, ‘Hey Living Soul, where are you searching me? I am very close to you!

You will not find me living like a Hermit. You will not find me if you go out and visit Holy places or look for me in Idols. I am neither in Temples, Churches nor in Mosques! I am not in chanting, neither in austerities, rituals nor in renunciation of the world! I am not in your breath nor in meditation! You can find me in seconds if you realize that I live in Faith! (मोको कहाँ ढूंढें रे बन्दे, मैं तो तेरे पास में । ….. कहे कबीर सुनो भाई साधो, मैं तो हूँ विश्वास में ॥)

(A) A very large crowd always followed Jesus in and around the region of Gerasenes. He performed many miracles. Scripture says, on one of such days, there were so many people around him that it was impossible for anyone to meet him. There was a sick woman who had believed that if she can touch him, she will be cured from 12 years of sickness. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak and immediately cured. (Note that, she did not even touch Jesus. She only touched a very small corner of his cape/cloak.)

Jesus stopped and asked, ‘Who touched me?’ Peter said, ‘Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.’. But Jesus said, ‘Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.’

Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed! Jesus said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has healed you! Go in peace.’.

(B) Shabari was only a teenager when her Guru/Master Sage Maatang left this world. Before he left the world, Shabari and other disciples of Sage Maatang were sitting with him. Shabari had tears in her eyes. She said to her Master, ‘Guruji, I want to see the Lord but now you are leaving the world, how and when can I see the Lord?’. Sage Maatang said, ‘The Lord himself will come to see you! His name will be Shri Ram!’. Sage Maatang left the world. From the next day onwards, Shabari used to wake up early, take bath in the river, collect some fruits and used to wait for the arrival of Shri Ram. Days, weeks, months and years had gone in waiting for Shri Ram, but she never had a doubt on what her Master Sage Maatang said to her. She had complete faith in her Guruji that what he had said would come into fruition. Scripture says, almost 80 years have passed. One day she heard that two handsome warriors are in the vicinity. She had a thought that one of them must be Shri Ram. On the other side, Shri Ram, along with his brother Lakshman, was in search of his wife. Shri Ram suddenly turned off the road and went into ecstasy. Lakshman said, ‘Shri Ram, where are you going? You are going off the road!’. Shri Ram did not listen to Lakshman and kept walking until he came in the front of Shabari’s cabin. Immediately Shabari recognized Shri Ram! Shabari couldn’t control her joy! She was overwhelmed seeing Shri Ram standing before her very eyes but she controlled her emotions and offered fruits. Shri Ram gave her a discourse on Nav-vidha bhakti (ninefold devotion). Later, Shabari conveyed the message of Sage Maatang to Shri Ram. She said, Sage Maatang has said, ‘You approach to King Sugriv of Kishkindha and he will help you further!’. Shabari says, ‘With you in sight, my all desires are fulfilled! With your permission, I want to leave this world in your presence!’. Shri Ram approves, and Shabari dissolves her body in the clear sky! (this world and everything in this world is made of five basic elements: Sky/Space, Air, Fire, Water and Earth! The God realized saints can dissolve their body in one of these five elements.)

Mon, May 20th 2024:

Out of many thousands, one may endeavor for God realization, and of those, hardly one knows Me (Supreme Lord) in truth, says Lord Krishna! (मनुष्याणां सहस्रेषु कश्चिद्यतति सिद्धये | यततामपि सिद्धानां कश्चिन्मां वेत्ति तत्त्वत: || Bhagavad Gita 7:3)

Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa (1836-1886) used to narrate a parable. It goes like this: When fisherman spreads his net to catch fish and pulls it up, the fish behaves in 4 ways.

1) A lot of fish caught in the net, dive to the bottom of the net thinking that they are safe there. They are completely ignorant. Ramakrishna says most people in this world are like these fish. They think the right way to live in this world is to immerse themselves in the worldly vanities. They never understand, they will never find happiness in this world! These people may visit temples, churches etc. only to ask for God's help in achieving worldly things or they may ask God to preserve what they have already achieved in this world!

2) Second type of fish are the ones who try to jump over the net and become free in the ocean! Similarly, only a few people in this world understand there is no happiness here and they turn towards the Lord to escape from the illusion of this world! They truly seek the Lord and His Bliss!

3) Third type of fish are the ones who jump over the net successfully and escape in the ocean! Similarly, there are hardly a few people who not only turn towards the Lord, but they realize the ever blissfulness of the Lord! Ramakrishna gives examples of Shankaracharya, Buddha, Jesus etc.

4) Fourth type of fish are the ones who knows there is a net spread there and they never get caught in the net! These are very rare! Similarly, there have been only a few saints who were God realized right from their childhood! Ramakrishna used to give examples of Shukadev (शुकदेव) and Narad (नारद)! They were always God realized since the time of their birth! They take birth only to bring people closer to the God!

Sat, Apr 20th 2024:

Prayer by Saint Gyaneshwar: May the evil minded shed their wickedness, May their mind turn to pious and good deeds, May all living beings respect and bond with each other! (जे खळांची व्यंकटी सांडो, तया सत्कर्मी रति वाढो, भुतां परस्परे पडो, मैत्र जिवांचे)

Saints are compassionate and softhearted that they never even think to punish or hurt anyone even when someone is unfaithful, criminal and evil minded! They love to change the heart of wicked people! That is what Saint Gyaneshwar is asking in his prayer!

Girishchandra Ghosh was a playwriter in Kolkata, India. He never liked the people on the spiritual path and particularly those who are spiritual teachers. The first time when Girish saw Sri Ramakrishna (1836 - 1886), Girish ridiculed Sri Ramakrishna's teachings and his ecstasy. Girish used to drink a lot and used to go out to prostitutes! Girish was hated by even his family members. In the first few meetings, he was very rude with Sri Ramakrishna but Sri Ramakrishna used to always respect him. One night, Girish was completely drunk and decided to see Sri Ramakrishna. Girish went with his friend who was also drunk. They reached in the middle of the night to Dakshineshwar where Sri Ramakrishna used to live. Most nights, Sri Ramakrishna used to walk around in his room and chant the name of Divine Mother. As soon as Sri Ramakrishna saw Grisih at the doorstep, he came forward, took Girish's hand in his hand and said, 'Come Girish come!' and Sri Ramakrishna started dancing & chanting Divine Mother's name by holding Girish's hand. Girish was stunned! He thought, 'Everyone hates me because of my vices and here Sri Ramakrishna is so compassionate, welcoming! This changed Girish and he became one of the closest disciples of Sri Ramakrishna! As the days and months passed, with his own experience, Girish started telling everyone that Sri Ramakrishna is the reincarnation of Supreme Lord!

Once, the religious people brought an adulterous woman in front of crowd sitting with Jesus. They said as per the law of Moses, she should be stoned to death. What does Jesus thinks? Jesus sat down and wrote something in the dust. Crowd was ready to stone her to death but Jesus asked them to throw the stone at her if they have never sinned! People dropped the stones and walked away without hurting the woman. Jesus asks the woman to go and never sin again! Jesus changed the heart of everyone who were ready to stone the woman and the woman herself!

Wed, Mar 20th 2024:

श्रीमद्भागवतम 7:10:7 where Prahlad says, यदि दास्यसि मे कामान्वरांस्त्वं वरदर्षभ । कामानां हृद्यसंरोहं भवतस्तु वृणे वरम् ॥ [O My Lord, best of the givers of benediction, if You at all want to bestow a desirable benediction upon me, then I pray from Your Lordship that within the core of my heart THERE BE NO DESIRES.]

One of the Saints have said; O Lord, You can kill me if you like or protect me. Deal with me in whatever way it pleases you because I am your eternal servant! [मारा भी राखा भी जो इच्छा तोहरा, नित्य दास प्रती तुवा अधिकारा!].

When the death is closer, the common man would do everything to escape from it. He would request, pray to the Lord repeatedly for more time. Not the God Realized saints.

Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa was suffering from throat cancer and he was brought to beautiful Kasipur (near Kolkata,India) Garden on 11th December of 1885. Narendranath (future Swami Vivekananda) and other desciples were at His service day & night. Apparently, Sri Ramakarishna had tremendous pain in the throat and all the areas where cancer had spread. One day, with tears in their eyes they asked Sri Ramakrishna to use His spiritual power and ask Divine Mother to cure Himself. Sri Ramakrishna said, 'I have never asked anything for this body and even today, I just can not ask Divine Mother anything for this cage of flesh and bones!'.

Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane. One of His desciples cut ear of the slave of high priest who was trying to arrest Jesus. Jesus knew, he will be arrested and ultimately crucified but Jesus scolds his desciple for cutting ear of the slave. Jesus says, if I request to my Lord, he will provide 12 legions of Angels [which is 72,000 Angels. One Angel has power to destroy 185,000 men of enemy] to my disposal. Jesus was saying, if he wants, he can easily not only defend himself with help of God but he can destroy the enemy. Jesus neither asked Lord for legions nor defended himself in the Court during the fake trial. Ultimately, Jesus was crucified.

Sun, Feb 18th 2024:

Supreme Lord doesn't like the Proud but He is fond of Humble. (ईश्वरस्याप्यभिमानिद्वेषीत्वादैन्यप्रियत्वाच्च! from Narad Bhakti-sutra:27)

James 4:6 - God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble!

Proverbs 16:5 - The Lord detests all the proud of heart!

Shri Ramkrishna Paramhams (श्रीरामकृष्ण परमहंस 1836-1886) was the God realized saint who used to experience monism (अद्वैत) but used to live & preach Devotion (भक्ति) towards the Supreme Lord. Keshubchandra Sen was social reformer and used to lead Brahmo-samaj in the same time period. Brahmo-samaj members did not believe in the worship of God in the idol form. Once Shri Ramkrishna Paramhamsa was with Keshubchandra Sen along with Brahmo-samaj members. Suddenly one of the Brahmosamaj members called Keshubchandra Sen as re-incarnation of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu* (1486-1534). Another member, who knew Shri Ramkrishna as God realized saint, asked him, if Keshubchandra Sen is Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, then, what should we call you? Shri Ramkrishna quickly said, 'I am the dust of the feet of the servant of Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu!'.

*[Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was the incarnation of Supreme Lord Shri Krishna himself and had spread the path of Devotion throughout India. ISKCON members are followers of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.].

Thu, Nov 23rd 2023 (Thanksgiving Day):

'There is redemption for one who kills a brahmin, a drunkard, a thief and a violator of sacred vows. But there is no atonement for an ungrateful man.' (ब्रह्मघ्ने च सुरापे च चौरे भग्नव्रते तथा। निष्कृतिर्विहिता सद्भिः कृतघ्ने नास्ति निष्कृतिः।।) This verse has appeared in many scriptures; such as Ramayan, Mahabharat, Skand Puran etc. In Ramayan, Lord Ram helps King Sugriv to get his kingdom back and in return, Sugriv is supposed to help Lord Ram in finding Mother Sita. Six months have passed but looks like Sugriv has forgotten his promise. Lord Ram conveys a message through brother Laxman using this verse that there is no redemption for the ungrateful man!

King David and St. Paul have been grateful to the Lord! They have given thanks to the Lord throughout their lives and through all circumstances. On many occassions, David recounts the greatness & faithfulness of the Lord in his own life. In Psalm 138:1-3, David says, 'I will praise you, LORD, with all my heart; I will sing your praise. I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your unfailing love and your faithfulness, for you have so exalted your solemn decree that it surpasses your fame. When I called, you answered me; you greatly emboldened me.'. In 1 Thessalonians 5:15, Paul says, 'give thanks in all circumstances....'.

God's power works through people! When someone helps us, it is the Lord helping us through that person. We are expected to give Thanks to that person and don't forget the Lord, who's power has worked through the person!

Thu, Nov 9th 2023:

One of the Saints has said, 'चाह गयी चिंता मिटी मनवा बेपर्वाह, जिनको कछू न चाहीये वोही शाहनशाह!' (Those who have conquered the desires of material life have also conquered the worries. Only those are called the King of the Kings who have conquered cravings of the worldly pleasures!)

Once a Marwari man came to Sri Ramakrishna in 1879. While in the room, he saw the bedsheet on which Sri Ramakrishna was sitting is ripped in couple of places. Marwari man was saddened to see such a holy man has to live in poverty and no one is taking care of him. Marwari said to Sri Ramakrishna, 'I will set aside Rs.10,000 in your name in East-India Company Bond so you will receive Rs.40 per month as a Dividend.'. Sri Ramakrishna refused but Marwari didn't stop. He was insisting. At that time, Sri Ramakrishna went into ecstacy and started talking to Divine Mother. Sri Ramakrishna said to Mother, 'O Mother, why do you send such people to me? They are pulling me in material life.'. Listening to this, Marwari was scared and he apologized.

1 Timothy 6:10-11 says: For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

In Philippians 4:12-13, Paul says, 'I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.'.

Sun, Aug 13th, 2023:

One of the Hindu scriptures, the Mundokopanishad (Mundaka Upanishad) uses a metaphor of two birds to describe the Man and the Lord. It states that there is a tree (life or living being) and there are two birds sitting on that tree. One (Man) is on the lower branches and the other one (the Lord) is all the way up on the tree. The bird on the lower branches is constantly moving around and eating the fruits of the tree. It is visibly happy when it eats the sweet fruit. It is unhappy when it eats the bitter fruit. After eating the bitter fruit, the bird on the lower branches looks up on the tree for a moment and sees another bird just sitting quietly in its own bliss. In the next moment the bird on the lower branches find the sweet fruit and it forgets the bird sitting up on the tree. This goes on until the bird gets closer to the bird on the top of the tree and surprises to see that the bird on the top of the tree is exactly like itself. They both are mirror image of each other!

Genesis 1:27 states, 'So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.'. Just like the Path of Devotion in Hindu/Sufi/Islamic Philosophy, Bible explains how one can attain the Supreme Lord. 2nd Corinthians 3:18 says, 'And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.'.

Sat, Jun 17th, 2023:

Having realized an existence of the Lord throughout the world and having merged self desire with the Lord; whatever Saints do is unselfish! Whatever they do is with complete absence of Self or Ego. Hence Saint Kabir says in one of his couplets; 'Whatever act happens through this body, O Lord, is done by You because I don't exist! In case if anyone says I have done this, it is only because I see You within me!!' (जो कुच्छ किया सो तुम किया, बंदे से कच्छू नाही! कहु जो की मै किया, तुम ही थे मुझ माही!)

While in Jerusalem, Jesus cured a crippled man by just uttering words! He asks a crippled man to rise and walk! The man gets up and walks away. When the man tell others that Jesus cured him, Jesus says in John Chapter 5 Verse 19, 'Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself! He can do only what he sees his Father (the Lord) is doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does!'.

Thu, May 4th 2023:

It has been said that everything comes from God! We are His stewards on this earth and everything we possess belongs to the Lord! John 3:27 says, ‘A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.’.

King David prayed to the Lord in 1 Chronicles 29:14: ‘But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from You, and we have given You only what comes from Your hand.’.

Abdul Rahim was one of the 9 ministers in Emperor Akbar’s court. He was generous and was very well known for giving alms to the poor. He had a strange habit of looking down while giving alms. Saint Tulsidas had seen this and asked him, ‘where have you learnt this amazing way of giving? As your hands rise (to give), your eyes look down.’ (ऐसी देनी देंन ज्यूँ, कित सीखे हो सैन ज्यों ज्यों कर ऊंच्यो करो, त्यों त्यों निचे नैन). Rahim replied, ‘The Giver is someone else (the God almighty), giving day and night. The world has misunderstood that I am the giver. So, I lower my eyes in embarrassment.’(देनहार कोई और है, भेजत जो दिन रैन, लोग भरम हम पर करे, तासो निचे नैन.).

Mon, Dec 26th 2022:

He who runs away from the material life and spends time in caves of the Himalayas to meditate and die, has missed the way! He who plunges headlong into the vanities and foolishness of life in worldly things has also missed the way! So, what is the way? Divinize the life itself to see God in every existence of elements in and around us! Said Swami Vivekananda. Swamiji was devout fan of Yoga-Vasistha!

At a very young age, Lord Rama asks permission to his father to go on pilgrimage. Father permits him. Rama and his brothers go around the country and Rama sees only the cycle of life-and-death everywhere. He finds the life is like a drop of water on a leaf. There is no happiness in this world. When Rama returns to palace, he remains detached from everything. He prefers to live in seclusion. Yoga-Vasistha is a conversation between Lord Rama and his Master, Sage Vasistha. Lord Rama asks questions and Sage Vasistha answers, sometimes through parables. In a long conversation, Sage Vasistha explains Lord Rama what the truth is! At one point Sage tells Lord Rama, ‘O Rama, there is nothing but pure consciousness in this world! God alone manifests in all objects. Therefore, abandon even the concepts of liberation and bondage! Remain in egoless, pure state!’.

Sun, Sep 11th 2022:

There is general misunderstanding that the so-called Satan exist on its own against the God. That is not true. Colossians 1:15-17 and other scriptures clearly tells us that God is the Father of all Creation. The only entity who was not created is God Himself. God is invisible. The Son is the image of the invisible God. In God, all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. Lucifer [meaning is ‘Shining One’] is Chief of all Angels. God created him as most powerful, intelligent, and beautiful angelic being. Ego and pride filled into his heart because of beauty and wisdom. That is the reason, Lucifer revolted against his Creator. His strategy is to enlist mankind to join him. Thus, the Satan [aka Lucifer] was born.

The concept of Satan is just like the concept of Maayaa [or Maya or Prakriti] in Sanatan Dharma [aka Hindu Religion]. In Monism of Hinduism, God is invisible [aka Brahman], and God created Maayaa [Prakriti]. Maayaa exists in the form of Stars, Planets, and everything we see by our eyes. God also created Jeeva [living things] in this Maayaa. Maayaa acts like Satan in Christianity. Maayaa rules over Jeeva. As long as Jeeva thinks Maayaa is the ultimate truth, Jeeva stays away from God.

Sun, Jul 24th 2022:

PROVERB 3:27 says, ‘Do Not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to act.’

Mind is very unstable, wavering; particularly when it comes to give away something or donate something. Instantly it will bring excuses to either procrastinate the good act or it will reduce its value. There lived a Saint in India in the 18th century who passed away on Dec 22nd, 1913. One day, the Saint was sitting early in the morning and chanting the name of the Lord. Someone came to see him and offered a silver cup as a gift. The man kept the cup on the left side where the Saint was sitting. After half-an hour a very poor man came to see the Saint. While talking, this poor man kept glancing at the silver cup. The Saint asked him, would you like to have the silver cup? Poor man said, yes. Instantly, the Saint picked up the cup with his left hand and gave it to the poor man. One orthodox pandit who was standing next to the Saint; saw this. After the poor man left with the silver cup, this orthodox man said to the Saint, ‘according to scriptures, we should use right hand to donate something not the left hand.’. Saint looked at him and said, Mind is very wavering! It may take 2 seconds to move the object from left hand to right hand, but those 2 seconds are enough for the Mind to change its decision to do something good for others! Don’t even give those 2 seconds to the Mind!

PROVERB 3:28 says, Do Not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I will give it to you’ – when you already have it with you.

King Dharmaraj was well known for his generosity. One day a poor man came to him and said, ‘Can you give me some Gold to spend in my daughter’s wedding?’ King was busy and asked him to come back tomorrow. Younger brother of King Dharmaraj, Bheema, was standing next him and heard that his brother King asked the poor man to come back tomorrow. Bheema went out and asked everyone to prepare for celebration! Immediately the message was sent out to prepare for celebration throughout the city. After some time, King Dharmaraj saw that everyone is preparing for celebration. He was confused. He called Bheema and asked, what is going on? Why is everyone preparing for celebration? Bheema said, ‘you have conquered the death!’. It’s certainly a reason for celebration! King said, ‘are you gone mad?’. ‘Has anyone ever conquered the death?’. Bheema said, looks like you have otherwise you wouldn’t ask that poor man to come back tomorrow! It means, you know you are going to live until tomorrow! King realized his mistake, called for the poor man, and gave him the gold he was asking for.

Mon, Jan 17th 2022:

Mary and Martha were the sisters of Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from the dead. The three siblings were also close friends of Jesus Christ. They lived in a town called Bethany, about two miles from Jerusalem. One day while Jesus and his disciples stopped to visit in their home, a wonderful lesson unfolded. Mary sat at the feet of Jesus listening intently to his words. Meanwhile, Martha was distracted, working frantically to prepare and serve the meal for her guests. Frustrated, Martha scolded Jesus, asking him whether he cared that her sister had left her to fix the meal alone? She told Jesus to order Mary to help her with the preparations. "Martha, Martha," the Lord answered, "you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her."

ऊंचे पानी न टिके ,नीचे ही ठहराय , नीचा होय सो भरि पिये ,ऊंचा प्यासा जाय। By Saint Kabir [Spiritual meaning: Only those who are ready to surrender and sit at the feet of Guru/Lord will acquire pearls of wisdom; others will miss the opportunity due to their ignorance, pride and ego!]

Mon, Jan 17th 2022:

In ancient Greece, Socrates was reputed to hold knowledge in high esteem. One day an acquaintance met the great philosopher and said, 'do you know what I just heard about your friend?' 'hold on a minute,' Socrates replied. Before telling me anything, I'd like you to pass a little test. I call it the triple filter test.' 'triple filter?' 'that's right,' Socrates continued. 'before you talk to me about my friend, it might be a good idea to take a moment and filter what you're going to say. That's why I call it the triple filter test. The first filter is truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you're about to tell me is true?' 'No,' the man said, 'actually it was just something I heard.'

'All right,' said Socrates, 'so you don't really even know if it's true or not. Now, let's try the second filter, the filter of goodness. Is what you're about to tell me about my friend something good?' 'No, it's actually on the contrary.' 'So,' Socrates continued, 'You want to tell me something bad about him, but you're not even sure that it's true? Well, you may still pass the test though because there's one filter left, the filter of usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my friend gonna be useful to me?' 'Well, no, not really.' 'Well,' concluded Socrates, if you want to tell me is not true, not good, and not even useful, then why bother telling me at all?'"

Sun, Oct 17th 2021:

In Bhagavad Gita, Arjun asks (Chapter 3, Verse 36 aka 3:36) the Lord Krishna; Why is a person impelled to commit sinful acts unwillingly, as if someone is forcing? Lord answers in Verse 37. He says, it is the lust of the things in this world and later transformed into anger! From Chapter 3 through 18th, Lord bestows the eternal knowledge upon Arjun but repeats the 3:36 in His own words in 18:60: Lord says, O Arjun, that action which, out of delusion you do not wish to do, you will be driven to do it by your own inclination, born of your own material nature. And in Verse 61 Lord provides the real answer to 3:36 and 18:60. Lord says in 18:61, Supreme Lord dwells in everyone's heart and according to their intentions behind Karmas (from past lives as well as this life), He directs the wanderings of the souls. So, Lord says, you are forced to commit sinful acts when you know it is not right, is only because of your past Karmas (this life and past life) which create the impressions on your mind and your mind is inclined to behave accordingly. Supreme Lord is the witness of intentions behind Karmas and the Desires. He helps soul to reap the fruits of intentions behind actions and unfulfilled desires from the past life.

Bhagavad Gita

Sun, May 2nd 2021:

Law of Karma is usually thought to be associated with eastern philosophies, specifically with Vedic Philosophy. Though it is true, there are references in Bible which recognize the Law of Karma. For example, Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.". In another place Paul says in 2nd Corinthians 9:6, "He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.".

Just like Vedic philosophy, Bible also gives importance to the intentions. You may show one expression on your face or do good physically but if the heart is not clean, God will not reward! Proverbs 16:2 says, "People may be pure in their own eyes, but the Lord examines their motives". James 4:3 says, "When you ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives.".

Karmas are piled up from many births and the fruits of the certain Karmas are reap in a lifetime when the conducive situation arises. All of us have gone through good situations and bad situations. We never complain when everything goes our way, but we complain about the distress, sufferings, miseries! When we are experiencing pleasures, happiness; we never ask Lord to give some of our pleasures, happiness to those people who are suffering! But, when it comes to disappointments, setbacks; we say, "why this is happening to me?". When we take birth, we do not choose the life and its events. If we had that option, we will never choose disappointments, sufferings, miseries! It means, based on our intentions, desires and thereby actions in the past life, we are given the new birth and new life. Fruits of our past karma are arranged in such a way that when bad times come, we will look for help from God. God wants us to realize the ultimate truth and God uses disappointments, sufferings, miseries in our life to turn our mind towards Him! Current CORONA-19 Virus pandemic is a great example. Pastor T.D.Jakes says, "More people have turned towards Jesus through the online streaming facility. It was available even before the Pandemic but no one took advantage of it. Now everyone logs into the Youtube Live Streaming to join Church Services!". We see this across the religions and across the globe!

Sun, Feb 21st 2021:

Trying to understand what is going to happen in the future is human nature. Some people use scientific methods to predict the future events and some people use unscientific methods. Look at the weather forecast. Looking at the Jet Streams and various computerized models, meteorologist forecast the weather. Most of the time they are right on the money but occasionally they are completely wrong. Some 'experts' look at the statistical records and try to extrapolate what is going to happen. Look at the Superbowl event. The Statisticians say if the NFC wins, Stock market goes up in the year and if AFC wins, it goes down. In summary, everyone wants to know the future events.

If we could predict the future all the time, it would mean everything is pre-destined. Sometimes our aimless actions define our future, and we say, now I understand how it all came together. Joyce Meyer says, "We live the life forward and understand it backward". This is what happens to us and it happened to Steve Jobs. Listen to his speech at Stanford. He dropped out of college because it was too expensive, and he did not want his parents retirement money to be spent on his education. Instead, he took the Calligraphy classes because he liked it, but he did not know when and how he is going to use it to develop his career. He says, Calligraphy classes helped him to design the fonts of Apple computer. His design skills further helped him in PIXAR. He said, now I am able to connect the dots. The dots or aimless events in his college days formed his career, his future. In his speech he said, you may call it destiny.

When the Corona-19 virus spread all over the world and U.S. was in lockdown, people searched if this event was predicted by anyone in the past and they found the book, "End of Days" by Sylvia Brown. It was published in 2008 and it warned, "In around 2020 a severe pneumonia -like illness will spread throughout the globe, attacking the lungs and the bronchial tubes, and resisting all known treatments. Almost more baffling than the illness itself will be the fact that it will suddenly vanish as quickly as it arrived, attack again ten years later, and then disappears completely.". Human nature is such that we do not want uncertainty and unanswered questions. We want to know the future!

Saints and Sages know the future. Jesus took Peter, James and John to the mountain for prayer. Prophet Elijah and Moses appears in-front of Jesus and speak to him. As Jesus descends down the mountain, he tells Peter, James, John not to tell anyone what happened on the mountain until his Resurrection. Jesus was telling them the upcoming events, he will be crucified and he will resurrect. From this event onwards, on many occasions, Jesus predicts the betrayal by Judas, crucifixion thereafter and the resurrection. This is all described by disciples of Jesus in their writings. Well before the War, Krishna tells Arjuna (Gita 11:34) that He has killed everyone and Arjuna is going to act as an instrument.

Sat, Dec 5th 2020: Causeless Joy

All of us experience the happiness when our desires are fulfilled and sad when they are not. That happiness and joy is dependent on material life gains. But what is causeless Joy? There was a 14-year-old boy named Poorna living in Calcutta. He used to come to Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa in 1884. He had written a letter to Sri Ramakrishna that, "I am not able to sleep because my mind is constantly immersed in Joy". He said I do not find any reason. This was causeless Joy which is Bliss. Sometimes we may think that we are experiencing Joy and I do not find reason. Think again and again. There would be a reason, most likely something related to material life. If you are in devotion and singing glories of the Lord, you may experience Joy. Even then it is not causeless. Joy is always dependent on something but the Bliss is causeless. God is Bliss, the direct experience of God dwells in Bliss! God reveals itself through Bliss, Causeless Peace of Mind and Love.

Mon, May 25th 2020:

Creation of Universe has always been the fascination of human kind. When we look through the scriptures, we find some details. John 1:1 says, \ "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God". Genesis 1:2 says, "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters". The "Word" and the "earth was formless and empty" indicates there was only Space! Vedic scriptures also tells us the Space was created first and its attribute is "word" or "speech sound". We cant figure out the size of the Space and therefore, it is considered as Infinite. In fact, scripture calls it "kha: brahma", means Space is as good as "brahma" or ultimate truth which is limitless, infinite. After the Space, "Vaayu" or Air was created and its attributes are "word" and "touch" (felt by skin). Then the "fire" was created with attributes of "word", "touch" and "form". Then came Water and its attributes are "word", "touch", "form" and "taste". Followed by Earth (solid part of earth) and its attributes are "word", "touch", "form", "taste" and "smell". All these five attributes are associated with our sense organs which are; Ear, Skin, Eye, Tongue and Nose. The physical body is created with these five attributes and the physical creation was completed.

Mon, May 25th 2020:

Our experiences are felt by our mind, not by physical body. Everyone knows this. Our desires created from past impressions also appear in the mind and the intellect takes the decision to fulfill the desires. Followed by the decision, mind & physical body jumps into action. If the desire is fulfilled; joy, satisfaction is felt by the mind. It creates an impression which again stays deep into our mind. If the desire is unfulfilled, combination of mind, intellect and physical body may try it another time. Ultimately the pain or joy is experienced by the Mind not by Physical body. So, does it matter if we have a human body or animal body? That is where the concept of rebirth takes shape. After the death, our physical body disintegrates into soil or ashes if cremated, but the Mind moves on to take another form of body. Mind of a Cow or Deer finds joy and satisfaction in eating fresh grass! That joy, satisfaction is same as that of human body which finds joy in eating ice-cream or burger. The joy is not different, only the physical body is different. Therefore, the theory of "rebirth" says, if your desires are not satisfied in human body, you may take birth again, not necessarily as human being if your desires can be satisfied in animal body. Human desires are born out of gratitude, hatred, competition and so on. Unlike humans, Animal desires are born out of instinct and therefore, they are not creating the seeds of karma. They are not bondage. Unfortunately, throughout our life, we make so many desires and many of those can be satisfied in the form of animal body! But there are certain desires which cannot be fulfilled in animal body. The best example given is the desire to stay on the path of spirituality. If the desire is strong to make progress on the path of spirituality and if it is unfulfilled, only human body can satisfy such desire.

Wed, Dec 25th 2019:

Person with strong faith, an unwavering faith in the Lord knows that My Lord will never abandon me and whatever He does, is for my benefit! Both, the Bible and SriMud Bhagawatam tells us the same thing. Joseph arose from pit to the palace with unwavering faith in the Lord. Child Prahlad had an unwavering faith in the Lord! This faith helped him to go through many life threatening incidents and he came out unscathed. That unwavering faith has built-in subtle expectation that the Lord is putting me through the test and it is for my benefit. This unwavering faith in the Lord with built-in expectation that everything is going to turn out for good made the life very joyful for Joseph and Prahlad!

Sun, Oct 20th 2019:

Whether it's a Bible or Bhagavad-Gita, both scriptures give utmost importance to the Mind. Here are couple of verses in Bible: 1-Corinthians 2:16 says, "....But we have the Mind of Christ.". Romans 8:6 says, "For to set the Mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is Life and Peace.". Here Flesh means wordly things including body and Spirit means the God. Isaiah 26:3 says, "O Lord, You will keep in perfect peace whose Minds are steadfast in You, because they trusts in You.".

In Bhagvad-Gita 10:22, God says, "....Amongst the senses, I am the Mind and amongst the living beings, I am the Consciousness.". Because the God is Mind, God knows our Thoughts!! Here is what Psalm 139:1-2 says, "..O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit and when I rise. You understand my Thoughts from afar.". Therefore, in Bhagvad-Gita 8:7, God says, "....With the Mind and Intellect surrendered to Me, you will definitely attain Me!"

Sat, Sep 14th 2019:

There was a boy named Richard lived in Highland Park of Chicago suburbs. He was in Jewish family. From his very young age, he used to like to sit on the floor for meals. His Mom used to scold him and ask him to sit with other family members, his brother and Mom & Dad at the table. He used to like to eat vegetarian food. Again, Mom used to force him to eat meat and eggs. He used to try but throw-up. Since Mom was insisting, he slowly developed the taste to eat but as he turned 20s, he gave up and turned permanently vegetarian. After schooling he went for a college in Miami. As he was growing up, he had a thirst for God's love. He was spiritual and wanted to experience that ultimate Love of God. In search of right path of spirituality he went to London and from there to India. It's a long story but very fascinating. This Richard Slavin is today's Radhanath Swami of ISKCON and he is in Governing Body of ISKCON. He is staunch devotee of Sri Krishna, the Hindu God. He has several speeches recorded and available on YouTube. He spoke at UK Parliament, at Google, Harvard and Princeton Universities and at several other places. How this happened? How a Jewish boy becomes a Hindu Monk? How he became spiritual and got attracted to Krishna Devotion? It has been said, in two ways the thought appears in our mind. First, due to circumstances / incidents in this life and second due to past life impressions. Clearly, Richard Slavin had no situations, circumstances or incidents in his early childhood, teenage years which will attract him to Krishna Devotion. I see a trace of past life impressions. The past life impressions force us to take actions, take us to different places, people, communities to fulfill our desires. So, do we reborn again and again? Hindu scripture says, yes, we do reborn to fulfill our desires!

Sun, Aug 4th 2019:

Many times we hear, 'these days will also pass!', the simple advise given by the motivational speakers to the person going through hard times in his life. This advise tells him to have a hope. One day the things will turn-around and you will see good days.

Someone asked the Wise person, 'what advise would you give to the person who is having good days and sees everything is favourable in his life?'. The Wise said, advise is same, 'these days will also pass!'. Why? The Wise says, the advise is, don't be rude and don't show-off. Don't let it go to your head. Just keep in mind, life is always changing. Nothing is constant except the change. Joyce Meyer says, you experience spiritual growth only during the time of trials and tribulations!

Sun, Dec 16th 2018:

      One of the incidents in Jesus's life attracts my attention. There are minimum two lessons for us to learn from it. Here is this very well known story.

      Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha is ill and dying. Sisters sent a message to Jesus for help who is far away. Jesus doesn't start right away. He stays in his place for 2 more days. He comes to the place of Mary & Martha after a few days. Lazarus has been dead for 4 days and buried in a cave with a stone infront of its opening. Sisters are lamenting his death. Jesus comes to the place where Lazarus is buried and asks people to remove the stone. He says a prayer and asks Lazarus to come out of death. Lazarus walks out still wrapped in grave-cloth.

      It teaches us that God has his own timing to deliver the results. Until then, God wants us to go through the phase (pain, distress, mourning) we are required to go through but keep praying and be Thankful to Him for all good things happened in our life! This experience of pain, distress would strengthen our faith in Him further once we receive the miraculous results we are looking for. It also teaches us to do what is Possible to us. If it was possible for Jesus to make Lazarus alive, it was much easier for Him to remove the stone from the cave but he asks people to remove it because that was the only thing possible for them in this incident. Jesus does what is Impossible to a common man which is making Lazarus alive.

Sun, Sep 30th 2018:

God Speaks to Everyone: In one of the sermons on Sunday, Dr. Charles Stanley of Intouch Ministry said, 'God often speaks to our hearts through His Holy Spirit in an inaudible but compelling way.'. I understood what Charles Stanley said because I got the experience right away, while watching the sermon. All of us, all the time hear an inaudible voice inside our heart which tells us what is right and what is wrong. Even in small incidents we hear that voice and many times we just ignore it. Here is one example. There is an ethical rule of not to use workplace facilities such as Printer, for personal use. Holy Spirit will talk to us not to use it. Take another example. When we get upset or angry and hurt someone's feelings knowingly, we know inside our heart that we have done something wrong but we ignore it. We hear the inner voice asking us to apologize to other person but we ignore that voice. If we start listening to the voice of Holy Spirit, we will get messages from God in all the incidents. I think, as we develop this practice of listening to the God all the time, our mind will purify. We will realize that God is helping us everyday in every step we are taking in our life.

Sun, Jul 29th 2018:

Vibhishan, the brother of King Raavana was a staunch devotee of Lord Rama. After the King Raavana was killed, Lord Rama asked Vibhishan to be the King of Sri Lanka. It has been said, once the love for the Lord is developed in the heart & mind, it does not go after the worldly things. Vibhishan said, "My Lord, I have received your love, I do not need anything else". On this Lord Rama said, "Vibhishan, you become the King for the sake of ignorant, otherwise they will ask what did you get by siding with Lord Rama". It is true. Most people pray to Lord for the material life. So it is obvious that ignorant are going to think, what did Vibhishan receive in return when he sided with Lord Rama? Their thought can not go beyond material life but someone when receives the love of Lord, he/she can’t love material life. Sri Ramakrishna Paramhamsa says, “you can not receive the love of the Lord unless your mind has completely detached from the material life”. Similar sentiments are expressed in John 2:15. It says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.”. So how is it possible that who have received the love of Lord, still live in material life ? Saints say, it is possible for them because their mind is constantly attached to the Lord. Their mind is merged with the Lord and hence, the Lord himself lives through them!

Sun, May 6th 2018:

"Circumstances arise in our life to teach us lessons"; says Swami Mukundananda in his spiritual series "Art of Mind Management" on YouTube.

Sun, May 6th 2018:

We hear from every Pastor not to listen to Devil. He is a lier. Devil asks us to do the things we are not supposed to do. We shouldn't listen to him, instead stick to the Word of God! I have always wondered who is this Devil. Is he as strong as God. How can he make us do the things which are wrong? Why God doesn't stop him from harming us? I have heard hundreds of sermons from many many pastors for many many years. For the first time in 2017, I have heard one Pastor saying, Devil is not independent. He has to take permission from the God. In other words, Devil is a servant of God. God uses him to test his devotees and those who are successful in completing the tests, get closer to the God.

Sun, Feb 25th 2018:

Joyce Meyer tweeted on Mar 1st 2015: God's not nearly as interested in changing your circumstances as He is in changing you!

Sun, Oct 2nd 2016:

The Mercy of God: Joyce Meyer says, when we want to purchase Sofa, we would test it by sitting in that Sofa. If the Sofa is not comfortable we would test another one. Same thing is true with the Mattress. We would lie down on the Mattress before purchasing it. Similarly, the difficult times in life are "testing" times for God. I would go one step further and say, those are the exact times when God is testing His "temple". God is testing the "seat" inside this temple, which is Heart & Mind and making sure it is comfortable for Him to sit. God chastise his dearest ones. Not every person understands this. 99.99 percent of God believers, would ask God for more and more Material life comforts. Some of them may not ask for more but they would atleast ask God to maintain what they have. They are not asking for just God's love. Those who are atheists, would think, good times and tough times in life are just part of life, God has nothing to do with it. Unfortunately, People who think in this way are having their back towards God. When God thinks someone is ready for His Love, He puts them through the test. God is Mercyful to those people who understands that it's a 'testing time' when they are going through tough times. In fact, they are able to see the Mercy of God in difficult times only because God is Mercyful. Many Saints have been thankful to God for tough times and tough situations in their Lives. Those are the times, they were more humble. Their hearts and minds were purified and they got closer to God.

Sat, Oct 17th 2015:

Whatever happens in our life, so called good or bad, is a part of big picture God is sketching to help us grow spiritually and to bring us closer to Him.

Sun, Apr 27th 2014 - Evolution and Religion:

Many religious people think that human being was not evolved from Ape. They do not agree with scientists and the evolution theory. They think human being was directly sent by God to this earth. Let us take a look at how the universe was evolved. It is now proved that our galaxy was born about 13 billion years ago. Since our Milky way galaxy rotates around itself in the anti-clock direction, Sun born out of the Milky way cloud also rotates in anti-clock direction. Since earth is born out of Sun, earth also rotates in anti-clock direction around itself and around the Sun. Earth exists for about 4.5 billion years and the first time life appeared on earth was 3.5 billion years ago. It took almost another 3 billion years before animals evolved on earth. Today's human has evolved only 200K years ago. It takes time for anything to evolve and become perfect. If God took 10 billion years to create life on earth after the big-bang, how can anyone think that human being was directly sent by God to the earth. I can only smell ego when someone says that. God is taking different forms and trying to be perfect in that form. Evolution is nothing but an improvement from previous version, just like the computers evolved from Apple-I in 1976 to today's Apple iPad. It is foolishness to say Human being didn't evolve.

Fri, Mar 14th 2014 - Heard on Joyce Meyer's show:

Don't take the things for granted, accept them with grateful heart!

Everything in our life should involve God. Don't just give Him 5 minutes in the morning, live for Him!

Sat, Nov 9th 2013: - Scriptures written in Sanskrit language thousands of years ago, claimed that there are 8.4 million species in the world. The Soul takes birth in these species to fulfil its desires until it reaches the State of Self-Realization or God-Realization. Today's scientists have successfully discovered and recorded 1.3 million species and they predict that there are about 8.7 million species in the world. Isn't that suprising? What was known to people thousands of years ago, is now being retold scientifically!

Saturday, Feb 23rd 2013:Reflection of the Almighty: Scriptures say the creator of this Universe was all alone. A thought sprouted in His mind to see Himself and experience Himself. This thought is the beginning of the Universe. That thought is a Desire. Once the desire arise, action follows and the event takes place. Everything doesn't happen in a moment. It takes time for event to take place. The right condition needs to form for an event to take place. Billions and Billions of years passed in creation of matter, cloud, dust, stars and planets. Even when planet Earth was born, it took about 4 billion years until the life was formed and Almighty appeared in different forms which can be called as living things. In reality, Scriptures say, not just the living things, but water, mountains, clouds, dust, planets and stars are all His forms. Though we say, 'Universe was created', in reality, creation and destruction are two sides of the same coin. They are like Day and Night. What is created is going to be destroyed. Scriptures say, Almighty created the whole Universe and when the time comes, absorbs everything in Himself and stays alone until the next cycle starts. Everyone has experienced in their life that when the desire arise, action follows and when the time is perfect, the event takes place. Many times, we have experienced that only the desire is there. We do not follow it with the action. We just keep thinking of the desire. The time comes when we are forced to take the action and the event takes place. So it looks like having the desire is important. If not today, may be tomorrow we will be forced to take action until the desire is fulfilled. Scriptures say, this desire is the root cause of the rebirth, because desire never dies and it will live until it is fulfilled, either in this life or next life when the time is perfect. It seems like we are all a reflection of the Almighty. Unknowingly behaving exactly like Him. Scriptures say, to realize that we are Him, we need to win over all the desires.