Gurudev gave this knowledge during the recent Tamil advance course…
Q: How to increase Bhakthi (Devotion), Shakthi (Power) and Yukthi (Skill)?
A: don’t ever doubt if you have bhakthi or not. Know that you have it in
plenty. The same is the case with love. You are made up of love. Like the body
is made of carbohydrates, proteins and minerals (also bones, flesh and blood),
you are made up of love. You don’t doubt shkathi either. You have so much of
power. You can actually supply one month of electricity to Chennai with your
power. Even that is just a small amount. Every atom has that much energy. The
power of the mind is so much more than the atom. Cloud veils the sun and in
sun’s presence moon cant be seen. But it is there. Shakthi is also like that.
It may not express now. But it may manifest later. But you need to make effort
to increase your yukthi. Bhakthi and Mukthi come on its own (almost
automatically). You make effort to increase shakthi and yukthi.
Doubt is a big problem. What is doubt? What are the types? You
analyse and see. You doubt only good things. If someone says he is a bad person
you don’t doubt that. But at the same time if someone says he is a good person
you doubt that. If someone says I love you too much. You ask Really? You don’t
doubt the anger that someone has. You doubt love, honesty. We doubt ability and
don’t doubt our inability. Once we feel we can do something we don’t doubt that
anymore. You doubt the doubt. That is wisdom. You doubt God? Why? Because god
is truth! A depressed person does not doubt his depression.
3 types of doubt. Self- doubt: It is a disease if it becomes too
much! People doubt themselves to an extreme. Once a couple had to reach a
satsang venue. What is supposed to be a 10-minute thing actually took 3 hrs.
the wife told guruji that the husband does not come easily from house. He
checks if he has locked 4 times. After a short distance of travel, he goes back
to check again. He repeated this exercise and it ended up taking 3 hrs!! In
Bhagavad Geetha, Lord Krishna says that if the Atma is immersed in doubts, then
that person cannot come up! The other type of doubt is about the people or
world or others. You begin to see everyone around with a suspicious eye. They
are here to do something to me, to take away something from me. You typically
see them as useless folks, thieves, and crooks. The third type is about god. Is
he there? You get such doubts even in meditation. How are others meditating?
You gently open your eyes and see what others are doing. They seem to be in
bliss and I am the only one who does not have any kind of an experience. I tell
you they also do the same when you keep your eyes closed.
Don’t think if you can medidate or not. We would have told you if
you are not elgible. You are actually fortunate to be here.leave self doubt.
Don’t doubt the technique or the practice. Your mind would go on asking why you
are wasting your time. Your mind would say observe breath when it stops. Now
when it is moving, you also run along. Doubts don’t allow you to progress in
life. Actually when you doubt, you don’t think it as a doubt. You believe in
that. If you become aware of the doubt when it arises, you are already out of
it!
Trust is key thing. You trust your company will pay your salary at
the end of every month. That’s why you work for them. It applies to the bank
with which you have deposited your money. With out much thought, people put
money in chit funds. They loot and disappear saying bye bye. You keep chanting
muruga muruga!! Then you get into astrology, horoscope and what not. We go to a
doctor with trust. If you ask him will it work? Its funny. Even if the doctor
provides you a guarantee you need to trust his words. You place more weightage
to the paper that he writes than his words! You can’t live life in doubt.
Trust is the foundation of life. Without the foundation, can you build a
building? For that matter, don’t go to the other extreme of carelessness. You
start leaving thing where you wish. Then it will start disappearing (Author’s
note – Put your trust in god but keep the powder dry). You neither be an
ignorant one nor be doubting ghost. Balance and walk the middle path. You move
on without any prejudice in mind. Keep your mind clear and practices are for
that
At this point of time, Arunji the advance course teacher read out a confession
written by one of the participants I suppose. [Author's note: There is a reason
for my doubt as to who wrote it. You will understand as you complete reading
this portion]. It went on like this
One who surrenders only when he does wrong things is a fool.
One who surrenders whether he does right or wrong is ignorant.
One who surrenders knowing that he has done right is a Husband.
Roars of laughter erupted. Guruji was laughing like anything and then he turned
around to coolly pass a comment. “Oh! Today is Arunji’s wedding annniversary!”.
You can imagine what would have happened to the entire crowd. They became
uncontrollable and arunji was at the receiving end. Guruji can be very naughty!
Q: Isnt Self trust sufficient? Why trust in god in needed?
A: Kadavul (God) = Kadal (Sea) + Ul (In). God is the ocean inside. God is the
all-pervading consciuousness. God is the light. God has no form. But you need
to celebrate the form so that you mind synthesizes. Mistake is to think that
god is inside form. We waste time dealing in the surface level. Whole world is
made up of love (God). Love is Supreme. It is the Supreme Light.
But then why there are so many devis and devathas? [That was the question
asked to guruji when he went to Pakistan]
If white light passes through a prism, 7 colors emerge out of it. It is very
much like that. Each quality of god manifests through different devis and
devatahas. Just like in Islam where you invoke 99 different names of God, we
chant 1008 sahasaranama or 108 ashtotram in India. Along with the name we gave
form. With the same wheat you make chapathi, Karachi halwa, poori, samosa and
naan. Why different things? Why not make the same thing. Similarly with rice we
make vermicelli, idly, dosa, lemon rice, curd rice, etc., we love variety. Isnt
it? God too loves variety. That’s why different kinds of people exist in this
world. It goes with the vegetables and fruits. Creation is of multiple
varieties. So why not the creator? But don’t stop at the form. Go beyond into
the meditative state. Mantra chants has a definite effect on the mind. And then
light dawns on you.
Q: we stand for hours together to see the deity. But when we go near the
sanctum our eyes close automatically. Why so? Is it allright?
A: Yes, it is allright. You experience only when you close the eyes. Get your
mind inwards and worship. Mind runs. Where? Ornaments. People are so crazy and
they go for window-shopping. Go all around the market; see things and no
intention of buying them. These days you all get glued to the television. But
30-40 years back, window-shopping was the in thing. Mind gets glued to objects.
It goes after attractive things and glamorous things. Eatables, good mucic.. so
in the ancient days, they put everything in the temple. They used to decorate
the temple nicely; serve delicious prasad; fill the air with fragrance. All
just to unify the senses and take us into meditation. Without understanding
this, we go on celebrating radha kalyanam, seetha kalyanam, on and on and
on…Kalyan means that which is good for everybody. We get stuck in these
rituals. Once in a while it is good to do these things so that the children
know about it. We don’t do either pranayam or meditation. So the atheists begin
to question why all the pomp and show?
Guruji had been to a temple near chennai. The deity is called
Nithyakalyana perumal. The priest of the temple was so interested in telling
the story to guruji. Rishi Kalanemi was living in that area. There were 365
people girls who could not get married. The Rishi prayed to god and god agreed
to marry all of them, one each day. Every day in the year there was marriage or
anniversary. Hence the name NithyaKalyana. [Author's note: Nithya – Daily ;
Kalyana – Marriage]. The Rishi got liberation afterwards. And these innocent
people believe that the story is true. Then they begin to doubt. What is the
need for god to marry so many? Why god could not find suitable bridegroom for
these girls? We need to understand the secret. The whole world behaves
according to the laws of nature. If you think of god on a daily basis, everyday
is going to be celebration [Author's note: like marriage]. Then even the laws
of the world will join the celebration. Life will be a big celebration.
Kumbabhishekam is a custom followed in temples. Shakthi which is in
space form is brought into air form; the shakthi is then transformed into fire
elemt; and through an utensil known as kudam (in tamil) it is brought into
water element and then finally into earth element. Agamam is to create shakthi.
It is good to know about the procedures. Without understanding people practice
and follow things. It is good to understand and then do things. You do mantra
chants and then sit and medidate for some time. Every atom will then be oozing
with energy. The inner awakening will then materialize.
balkrishnapatankar