Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Click for the Sitemap

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

One who understands the tattva of the Lord's birth and activities and uses it in his life become one with me. People are unhappy because they analyze each and everything. We should not live life thinking we are the body. As long as we don't feel this, nothing will have impact on us.

"Veeta raga baya Krodha"- There are many people who have become one with me. Raga or lust, Baya or fear and Krodha or anger are gates to hell. How do these enter our heart? When we treat anything as different from us, in the relationship towards that object, we have desire or fear or anger. The source of these reactions is due to the fact that we treat it as different from us. We want something and lust for it, fear that we might not get it and are angered of the obstacles in getting it.

How do we treat God ? We keep him in the puja room (locked so that he does not escape) or above in heaven. Then we keep wondering when will we get god ? Manmaya refers to those who are absorbed in me (Lord) and maamupashrittah refers to those who are dependent on me. If our only concentration is God then we will be totally dependent on him.

In a hospital, cleaning goes on all the time but cleanliness won't be present. When we go to a saint, they may not be externally clean but they are very clean at heart. There are many types of cleaning of the external objects but internal cleaning can be achieved only by removing bad thoughts and changing them to good thoughts.

Real cleanliness is obtained by the penance of knowledge (Wisdom). By Penance, our ego is destroyed and our real nature is realized. Sacrifice should be there in penance. Once Swamiji saw a person in Badrinath. He was holding his hand up and doing penance. The problem was, the moment he entered a bus also, his hand goes up.

In the penance of knowledge, three things are embodied. The knowledge, the knower and the one not known. Swamiji had gone to a disciple's house for dinner. The children were playing with him and fed him. The food got stuck in his beard. Later on the photographer told Swamiji to remove the dirt. The dirt he was talking about was food. So dirt comes when something is in the wrong place.

The penance of knowledge is one where there is no duality or difference between the knower and the known. Sacrifice the duality of self and the duality of God in the penance of knowledge. Once Swamiji traveled from Calcutta to Bombay by train during Christmas. There were many carolers. When Swamiji went past, one of them winked and Swamiji went and sat with him. One person asked Swamiji " What do you sell ?" Swamiji said " Krishna" He asked "What is the price ?" Swamiji showed the Gita and said "Let me look at the price list" and then showed Chapter IX, Verse 26, which says that God can be attained by offerings of even a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water which is given with a pure heart.

If we absorb everything in this world as one with us and accept everything's nature we start becoming one with God. Always keep smiling. Swamiji played riddles with kids in a camp. A child asked him " What is the difference between a man who falls from the first floor and one who falls from the 10th floor ? The child then said "A man falling from the 10th floor says Aaaaaaaahhhh Dab and the one from the first floor says dab Aaaaaaaahhhh. Swamiji then asked the children "What did the table tell Guruji ? After thinking the children gave up and asked what? Swamiji replied, "Fools, Does a table talk?". So, to become one with God we should keep smiling and be fearless.

Whatever a person is doing in this earth, whether he is eating or not, sleeping or not, reading or not, sacrificing or seeking objects, it is done for the sake of happiness. Why does a man marry? To be sad? Though he does become sad, he does it for happiness. When he divorces also it is for the same reason. So whatever we do is for happiness and happiness is the form of God. Every person's every act is for happiness and this happiness, the Lord says, is "ME".

Just as people approach me, I too approach them. I react in the same way I am approached. I can be a son, a father, a husband, a lover, a boss , a friend or whatever the seeker wants me to be. Once Swamiji was in Goa . There was a discussion on the purpose of life. Each person said something. But Swamiji said "there is no purpose in my life". Suppose there is a big machine and a small screw falls away. A person sweeps it away because on the floor, the screw has no use. But now the machine does not work and the same screw has to be purchased, whatever may be the price. So this screw which was worthless, has a price if it is to be fitted in the machine. So too unless we are attached to God we have no use in life.

Our only job in life is what the Lord wants us to do. Swamiji tried singing bhajans. Even when he tried hard, he was not able to. He then realized that God decides in what medium he wants our service. He decided that even if people pay him, he will not sing again.

"Why are we men?" Not because of not having a tail. Both devas and animals only seek pleasure and don't have any understanding of sins and punya. This is because they don't control their actions. Tigers kill but don't get sin. Only men attain siddhi through action. Once when Rama and Sita were sitting in the jungle, a crow pecked Sita and blood came. During the ages, animals haven't changed. Only men evolve with time. A bird can fly by nature and fish swim in water. But men can fly in air or swim in water as a fruit of action. People worship different Gods and try to get things by action. Hence man gets stuck in this cycle of action. There are many fruits of action and so, stuck in this cycle of action, man forgets God.

There are four classes in the society and this is also called caste. This is a wrong definition . The word Varna means definition and hence they are called orders because they are defined. Varna also means colors and so these classifications also represent the different colors of the society. In this hall, there are men and women, small and big, educated and more educated, good and better. Is there anything wrong in classifying this way? We classify animals as vertebrates and invertebrates. This is not saying anything wrong or trying to divide the unity. It is just a definition of the characteristics which are already existent and classifying for ease of understanding.

The Lord did not randomly classify but created different orders for particular purpose. Sattva, Rajas and Tamo gunas were used to classify into four groups but politicians have made this meaningless and tried to destroy the society itself with it. The four varnyas are Brahman, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. The three gunas are defined thus.In Sattva - the knowledge or Gnana predominates. In Rajas - activity or Kriya predominates. In Tamas - Dravya or matter predominates. So the four classes are

• Brahman - Predominantly Sattvic, a little bit of Rajas and an inkling of Tamas.
• Kshatriya -Predominantly Rajas, Sattva coexists and an inkling of Tamas.
• Vaishya -Predominantly Rajas, Tamas replaces Sattva and an inkling of Sattva.
• Shudra -Predominantly Tamas, very little Rajas and Sattva.

There was a girl who never used to study and her mother was worried. Her father did not want to force her. A person whose nature is not to study can't be forced.

A person whose knowledge is predominant is a Brahman. The person who has lot of activity, but does it for society is a Kshatriya. A Person who has activity, but is motivated by gain of self and very little Sattva is a trader. A person who does not think about actions, simply acts, does not use his brain and acts for his short term profit is a Shudra. He simply does what he is told. A person with more knowledge will automatically seek knowledge. Some students will only want knowledge. Some will help around all activities. Some will want their own benefits. Some will only eat and sleep.

These four classes do not talk good or bad about anyone. The body is also divided. The head is Brahman , the hands are Kshatriya , the body is Vaishya and the feet are Shudras. The same classification is also there in the four Ashramas.

The brahmachari refers to the Shudra. He only does service. If he does not serve, he cannot progress. The Grihastha refers to the Vaishya. He has to acquire wealth. The 4 purushaarthas, Dharma, Artha, Kama and Moksha are allowed. He has to take care of the other Ashramas. The Vanaprastha refers to the Kshatriya. He has to try and serve the society. The Sannyasin refers to the Brahmans. He seeks knowledge.

This is not for belittling, but for organizing the society. Whatever our strength is, knowledge or power, that should get predominance.

Sant Gyaaneshwar, talks about a Maharashtrian tradition called Vaarkari, in which people get up early and make Mala for the Lord. If Tulsi Mala is put, they should give up all bad habits. Anybody can do seva and they are all treated as equal. Everybody touches the others' feet irrespective of whether they are Brahmans or Shudras.

The mode of doing puja is getting up and doing puja by calling the Lord in our mind. All actions are carried out, keeping the name of the Lord in the mind. If we have pain in different parts of the body, do we treat one differently from the other. No, because, we exist in all our organs. So too, Lord does not distinguish between the classes.

One who knows me in truth, does not get bound by actions. A scientist makes a discovery, for e.g. Gravity. He does not get papa or punya by this, because he only discovered the truth of nature. The scientist who discovered electricity won't be blamed for the deaths due to electrocution!!

A villager went to Bombay. There, he is forced by his friends to smoke. In the beginning he does not want to, but soon it becomes a prestige issue and he starts it. He slowly becomes gripped by the vice and he starts doing more and more. Those actions which are not dictated by lust or anger, will not have lust or anger. Those actions dictated by anger or lust will continue to have these.

"Na me Karma phale sprihah" Every action will have a fruit. But while doing any action, one should only concentrate on the action. For e.g., Swamiji is giving a lecture. If he enjoys while giving the lecture, his life is complete. But If he thinks that after going out, people will praise him and then nobody does so, it will lead to disappointment and distress. In this case, neither the action, nor the fruit can give joy. As long as action itself gives joy, joy can never be destroyed. A person once asked Swamiji, "What shall I do?" Swamiji replied; "Do nothing and allow, God to express Himself"

Brahma, while creating the universe, got tired. Narada came and asked him, if he can help. Brahma did not have to turn to see Narada. After all, he had 4 heads. Narada then told him, "Create a person like you, but with one head." Brahma said OK, and created men. Only men can appreciate God. Animals eat the same thing again and again, while men make so many different things.

In South India, we have Idlis. Gujaratis refer to the same as Dhokla. When Swamiji was traveling, he wanted to take a break and stopped in a Dabba. A Lorry driver, a Sardarji, and his cleaner, a Gujarati were eating. The cleaner was running around so much, that the Sardarji got angry and said "Dhokle, come here"!!

If we experience happiness in action, then only, we have joy. Parents are always upset by their children. They keep worrying about their child and postpone their happiness. They imagine about the child, his future, his education and his marriage. For e.g., a couple had only one son and were constantly dreaming about him. They imagined that he will study hard, go to London and get higher education and then come back and he can be married to a girl from a good household etc. The boy studied,, went to London and then got a wife for himself. The parents were very upset and the mother told Swamiji, "Everything has gone waste, What will we do with all the money, since the boy has become so useless. "Swamiji said, "Don't worry, I'll take the burden off your hands, you can give me the money!! It is hence necessary to experience happiness in action and not postpone it in expectation of a result. If this is done, neither the action, nor the result will bring joy.