8/27/13

Shri Rama Dootham - Story Series - Part 8

Shri Rama Dootham 
Click here to read previous episodes - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

I immediately stood before the Messenger and with breaking voice, asked…

“Sir, did you had food since morning”… ?

The Messenger calmly replied “No Beta, I was with you whole time and waiting for you when you were away”….

How fool I was for not even caring to ask once the Messenger if he had food or if he is in need of anything…?

I felt I had committed a terrible sin and I hurriedly said, "Sir, please forgive me, just give me 5 minutes, I will go to Kitchen and get you something to eat…"

Messenger replied calmly, "No, it’s OK, I am not in hunger, leave it…" 

The Messenger didn't yield to my request though I tried to plead Him through various means. Finally I had to abandon my attempts to persuade him. 

With few moments of Silence, The Messenger spoke, "Don’t feel bad beta…."

"No Sir!, what I did is a big mistake. I didn't for once thought about you but only remembered my hunger. I should have atleast for formality asked you for food na…?"

"Hahaha… Formality with me… ", Messenger laughed loudly. 

"Sir you may laugh and take it lightly, but this habit is not at all good… I feel very bad inside … I cannot sleep in peace today thinking about this…. How can I commit such a stupid Crime… I feel miserable Sir…." I sobbed.  

"Bete! There is no need to condemn yourself by thinking, “I am bad, I am bad, I cannot do anything.” You waste so much time in condemning yourself. Who are you to condemn yourself? You don’t belong to yourself. Your body is made of five elements. You cannot create the body again, so your body does not belong to you. Your prana's do not belong to you; your mind does not belong to you; your soul does not belong to you. Who are you to claim that this is bad and that is good? Both claims are not helpful. One feeds the ego, the other cripples your creativity.

Do not condemn yourself. You have no right to do that. You are created by Providence and you should learn to respect its creation. When you stumble against yourself you will also stumble in the external world. Don’t hurt yourself. Be strong.

A human being commits many mistakes because he is not perfect. When you sit down in meditation, have a little dialogue with yourself. What did I do today that was not right? What did I say that was injurious and harmful? This way of keeping track of ideas, thoughts, action, and speech is called housekeeping.

When you have a dialogue with yourself and find that you have committed a mistake, do not repeat it. Why brood on mistakes and create a deeper feeling of guilt for yourself?

What is good and what is right, thinking makes it so. Surrender the mind for a while to God consciousness, and you will find peace.

So remember this always, OK" said the messenger looking at me deeply. 

"Sir, I think I have read this somewhere…." I replied...

"Hahah… Is it? You mean to say I am copying what others have said…" again Messenger laughed loudly. 

"Oh No sir, please don’t mistake me, I just felt I have read somewhere…" I replied softly. 

"What is the use of reading it, when you don’t follow anything…. Ah?" Messenger shot back loudly. 

"I agree Sir….  I need someone to keep hammering me with these great teachings, so that I redeem myself from the misery I have created for myself…" I tried to justify myself. 

"Yes, that’s why I this time brought Swami Rama Hammer… What I said above is what Swami Rama said once to teach children like you to come out from Self condemnation, so I knew you must have read it already from his books, but what' the use if you don't remember them?"

"Thank you Sir, I will certainly remember it… "

"Don’t lie to me, Tell me what story I told you One hour ago about Shiva & Shakti" ?, Messenger asked me sternly. 

"Ya, I know.. You told… "

Before I could say anything, Messenger interrupted stating, "Read the next line in Hanuman Chalisa…. "

I was little disappointed with the Messenger for not giving me a chance to prove my memory. Anyway, knowing His play, I kept silent and got ready to read the next lines in the Hanuman Chalisa from the book I had… 

I read loud with full brisk and strength, thanks to the good breakfast, :

Jai hanuman gyan gun sagar | Jai kapis tihun lok ujagar || 

Victory of Thee, O Hanuman, Ocean of wisdom and virtue, victory to the Lord of monkeys who is well known in all the three worlds 

Ramdoot atulit bal dhama | Anjani putra pavansut nama || 

You, the Divine messenger of Ram and repository of immeasurable strength, are also known as Anjaniputra and known as the son of the wind - Pavanputra. 

Mahabeer bikram bajrangi | Kumati nivar sumati ke sangi || 

Oh Hanumanji! You are valiant and brave, with a body like lightening. You are the dispeller of darkness of evil thoughts and companion of good sense and wisdom. 

Kanchan baran biraaj subesa | Kanan kundal kunchit kesa 

Shri Hanumanji's physique is golden coloured. His dress is pretty, wearing 'Kundals' ear-rings and his hairs are long and curly. 

"Sir, as I read these lines, I feel inside that you should kindly share some of your thoughts on how Lord Hanuman crossed the Ocean and went to Lanka and burnt Lanka into Ashes, could you please let me know"?....

"It's not Hanuman's power, It's all because of Lord Ram, any power that Hanuman have belongs to Him"...

"I agree, but yet something inside me pushes to hear from you again those episodes. If not in detail, atleast briefly let me hear from you how Hanuman managed to meet Sita Devi please..." I started to plead... 

"Son, even though you are asking this question so that you can spend more time with me, I still agree to it as what is more joy & bliss for me, than to remember Lord Ram & Sita Mata through this… I am happier to share briefly on these with you as you can understand, Listen!… " the Messenger adjusted his posture a bit and spoke:

"The Vanaras were glad that they had obtained reliable information from Sampati about the whereabouts of Sita. But who could cross the sea and enter Lanka? Leaders of Vanara groups said that they don’t have the strength to attempt the feat. Angada, the great warrior said he could by supreme effort cross over to Lanka , but that he could not trust himself to recross the ocean back to the mainland. Jambhavan, excused himself saying that his feet had become too delicate for such superhuman efforts. But he addressed Hanuman and reminded him thus of his prowess and his great qualities. 

Hanuman did not speak about his prowess – he was, as it were, unconscious of it - till Jambhavan suggested to him that he was  the only fit person to cross the Lanka and return with news of Sita Devi. But when he heard the words of Jambhavan, already filled as he was with his unbounded enthusiasm for the service of Lord Ram, he became conscious of his powers and thus proclaimed his determination and his confidence". 

"Wow!…. Even to feel this scene is so enthralling… during this incident, what must have been going through Lord Rama’s mind…. He must have been anxious too, isn't it?" I asked with full enthusiasm as I was liking this set up even though I have read & seen Ramayana innumerable times. 

"Bete, When you came inside the Dhyana Mandir, after having your breakfast what would have you thought, if you didn't find me here"?

I replied, "Sir!, I would have certainly felt much agony as my mind was occupied with your thoughts even while having my breakfast, I was in full anxiety and even doubted if you were trying to get rid of me by sending me to breakfast… But I am pleasantly happy that you were still here… "

"We met only today morning, yet with so much of love & affection, you didn't want to miss me. But think of my Lord Rama, how much suffering & pain He would have gone through missing Sita Devi?

If we say Rama was all affection for Guha, Sugriva and Vibhisana, and that he loved Hanuman, Lakshmana and Bharata, how shall one can describe his love for the beautiful, the holy, the all-suffering Sita ? It was all absorbing love, was his love for his incomparable spouse. The great composer Thiyagayya, from South India says, that Rama’s love for Sita was as unique as his loyalty to his pledged word and his skill in archery.  The great poet says:

Rama used to think, "The world is full of life and joy, but Sita is in agony somewhere. And I sit still here. Alas!, she walked cheerfully through the Dandaka forest, as if it were a palace-park. She did not mind the stony ground and the thorns in the path. What must be her suffering now?"

Rama’s passionate love for Sita appears most when at the time of giving final instruction to Hanuman just before the vanaras were sent all over the earth to search for Sita, he dwells with delight upon the beauty of her form, and calls to mind the little telling incidents of their marriage and pre-marriage days such as their first meeting, the incidents that took place when Rama broke Shiva's Bow, Sita's words when Ram decided to go to forest alone, what Sita told Ram when they entered the forest. He further tells Hanuman that, 'Even the lotus has its petals pale, The moon has got its spot, and where is form of any kind without the slightest fault? But none can see any imperfection on Sita. Even the taste of Amrit is nothing when compared to Sita's speech'

How deep, how tender, how loyal must be the love that could treasure up in Rama's heart, and dwell with intense delight upon such incidents as these? One cannot understand it, unless they understand the pure love between these two. Blessed are those who have such soulful partners..." stating this, Messenger closed his eyes, started singing beautifully:

Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram… Patita pavana sita ram…
Esvara Allah Tero Naam, Sabko Sanmati de Bhagwan

Jai Raghu nandan jai siya ram, janaki vallab sita ram
Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram… Patita pavana sita ram…

Mujme Ram, Tujme Ram, Sare jag Mein Ram hi Ram
Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram… Patita pavana sita ram…

With  tears flowing in his eyes, I could sense Messenger visually imagining the plight of Lord Ram and the enormous responsibility & trust that He has bestowed upon Hanuman in search of Sita Devi…

With more to hear from Him, I waited for Him to return back to his senses….

(To be contd..)

-'Bansuri'

(Please note that the views expressed in this fictional story series are the views of the author's own imagination taking reference from various sources which includes but not limited to Valmiki Ramayana, Kamba Ramayana, Hanuman chalisa along with Swami Rama & Guruji Pattabhiram's teachings. If you find any text inappropriate, the author seeks humble apologies.) 

8/23/13

Guruji & Amma US & Canada Tour details

Guruji & Amma in US & Canada
Dear All,

Guruji & Amma would be travelling to following places in US & Canada for public programmes. You may please share these details with your family & friends in these locations to attend the program & get benefitted. For any query regarding program details, venue, times etc., respective location coordinators provided below can be contacted. 


Place Date Contact
Minneapolis Aug 16-23 Vidyotham - 763-420-6565
St Louis Aug 23-29 Kumuda - 314 395 2584
Toronto Aug 30 - Sep 3 Vijay - 905 591 2382
Vancouver Sep 4-8 Prasad Karanth -778-985-6704, 604 999 9325
Calgary Sep 9-22 Murgavel - 403 919 2506
Toronto Sep 23-26 Vijay - 905 591 2382
Ottawa Sep 27-29 Vijay - 905 591 2382
Kincardine Oct 1-4 Kalpana Pandit Rao - 519 396 9874
Toronto Oct 5-14 Vijay - 905 591 2382
London, Canada Oct 15-17 Mohan Khandekar - 519 660 1183
Chicago Oct 18-20 Anil Saigal - 847 765 6525
Milwaukee Oct 21-23 Himalayan Yoga & Meditation - 414-273-1621
Pittsburgh Oct 24-27 Dr.Srinivas - 724 327 3277
New Jersey Oct 28 - Nov 8 Suresh Pauliwal - 732 274 9068
Washington DC Nov 9 - Nov 11 Kusuma Bhimesh - 703-464-7932

Jai Gurudev, Vande Guruparamparam...

8/13/13

Shri Rama Dootham - Story Series - Part 7

Dhyana Mandir Anjaneya
Click here to read Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

When I was collecting my Hanuman Chalisa book to leave the place with strong heart, I saw the Messenger sitting in meditative pose with mischievous smile waiting to see my reaction...

I said to Messenger, "OK Sir, I take leave, see you again if I am worthy of it…" 

"You are so clever with your words my boy", the messenger replied back..

I don’t know if it was a passing comment or is he really praising me… with confusion, I gave a dry smile and started leaving the place, with no more intention to trouble Him..

As I was near the door step, the messenger said “STOP” with roaring voice that echoed the whole Dhyana Mandir, at Sadhana Dhama

"Is the Hanuman Chalisa book that you have only contains first four Doha’s in it" ?...

I just stood confused as I really didn't understand what He wanted to convey…

He spoke again, “You only read the Doha’s and explained me the meaning… I am eager to know the remaining stances as well in Hanuman Chalisa, will you please explain my dear son”…. 

I just took some time to understand what I just heard from the Messenger. He is asking me to recite the remaining Hanuman Chalisa and explain Him the meaning ??!!!

I was so excited by this sudden turn of events. The Messenger whom I believed to be a great saint with immense knowledge, wisdom & powers, is seeking my help to read out the remaining stances of Hanuman chalisa and also to explain Him the meaning…  Am I so learned?

Ah! The little ‘I’ was trying to peep out with Ego, and dutifully, I immediately gave a stare to it, because of which it went to sleep again. How these ego's play with our life, I thought to myself, "just for a second, I started to feel so proud, even though I know I stand nowhere in front of the Messenger". I should feel humbled that the Messenger is only heading to my prayers for wanting to be with Him for some time, and hence He has created this situation to allow me to be with Him…"

With so much exuberance I started walking towards Messenger. Suddenly I could feel a creature inside my stomach, gaining for attention. I could sense it would not allow me to do anything further until I attend to it. Ah!, the H-U-N-G-E-R. I just noticed it must be atleast more than 2 hours ever since I walked into the Dhyana Mandir after I got up in the Morning… Didn't really realized that I haven’t had my usual morning Tea as well which has by now become a habit before starting any work.  

While the Hunger was silent all these time, now being noticed, it started to show its true form. It is now slowly taking its Vishwaroop and suddenly I felt I won’t be able to do anything until I attend to it…

I thought to myself, "How does great masters do tapas with limited food & basic needs in mountain ranges, when I could not even overcome one time meal in a day? What a Shame…"

"Hmm..... " Strong sound from the saint shook me from my thoughts. It was like a order from the Messenger to read further.

But I could feel the aroma of the breakfast dish that was getting prepared from the Ashram Kitchen. Is it my illusion again or am I really feeling the aroma ? I think they are preparing 'Poori' today as I remember our Ashram cook sharing this great piece of information yesterday to me.

With great difficulty controlling my senses, I sat near the Messenger, and opened the Hanuman Chalisa book…. 

My thoughts again were centered around “POORI”….

"Food at Sadhana Dhama Ashram is always deliciously made. Even yesterday's 'Poha' was very tasty. I only hope and they stick to their plan and prepare 'poori' as they told me yesterday", as I kept wandering with these delicious thoughts...

"Get our from here..." thunder voice from the Messenger blew my brains away.

Oh god, I just forgot that the Messenger can read my thoughts very well… and I felt I just missed a golden opportunity…. Is this how the spiritual aspirants slip when they start to grow in their Sadhana, by not able to overcome from their old habit patterns... 

"Eh Karunamurti…. Merciful messenger, Please forgive me, I am still to raise above from these things, please do not ask me to go out…. " I started to plead again...

"Bete, let me recollect what the great Himalayan Master Swami Rama said once about these food habits. He says;

Dietary habits play an important role during sadhana. The sadhaka should be careful in having such a diet that does not pollute the body or agitate the nervous system. Sugar, salt, and fat should be curtailed. This will give you a joy that is derived from having a healthy body, breath, and mind”

If you can change your dietary habits by avoiding too much roasting and toasting the food, killing the food, too much grease, extra sugar and salt, then you will not suffer on account of many, many diseases. Preventive medicine is an important part of modern life. Why should we be sick? We should be aware of health, we should be aware of diet and nutrition, we should be aware of good living, of how to eat right.

Eat whatever you want to, but eat the way I want you to eat. You do not chew your food well. If you go on chewing your food well, you cannot overeat, let me tell you this. You’ll find an improvement in your digestion. Count thirty-six and chew, you cannot overeat. You overeat because you don’t relish food, you just fill up the belly and it expands. Filling up your tummy, converting it into a pantry, is not good for you, is unhealthy for you. You are not paying attention to your meal, you are not tasting the food. You actually live to eat, yet you don’t have time to eat. What a horrible thing.

Meditation should not be done when you are hungry, when you have overeaten, when you are tired or sleepy, or when you have any digestive problem. Select a suitable time and do it

In all great traditions, when you sit at the dining table, there is something called saying grace. Remember God before you eat. Do you know why it is done? Do you mean to say that God comes down to eat your food? It has a scientific purpose. You are calming down and giving enough time for saliva and other gastric juices to flow in readiness to digest the food. That’s the point. 

So Son, remember your great Himalayan Masters teachings, and accordingly be aware of what you eat and how you eat. Now you can go and have your Poori, I will wait…."

"Sir!… It’s OK I can sit through…"

"You Fool!, I said, go and have your breakfast, I will wait… Don’t pretend before me…", the messenger roared…

In a whisk of time, I just rolled up my sleeves and ran towards the Kitchen to have my breakfast… As I guessed it right, it was indeed “Poori” which was prepared…

I hurriedly washed my plates and got served with delicious tasty poori’s with good supporting side dish….

The HUNGER got much stronger & stronger as I saw them in my plate.. I hurriedly took a big piece of Poori, mixed it with the side dish. My jaw opened as wide as it can, my tongue ready to taste it with full eagerness and my hand giving it the full support to stuff it inside my mouth…. The inner voice feebly said…"don’t you have to pray before having food”… 

With Strong push I made my tongue to wait for some more time and asked my hand to put down the piece of Poori that it was holding tight and requested my eyes, which was seeing the dishes as if it had never seen any food before, to shut for few seconds…

After few seconds of resistance, all my senses came under my command and it did exactly what I wanted them to do …

I started chanting the food prayer that I was taught, within myself:

Om  Brahmarpanam brahma havir brahmagnau brahmana hutam 
Brahmaiva tena ghantavyam brahmakarma samadhinaha 
Om shanti: shanti: shanti: 
Vishwatma Priyatam….

Next 20 minutes, I merged in the ecstasy of tasting Poori... 

I remembered to chew every bit as reminded by the Messenger today from Baba’s teachings. This certainly helped me to control myself from asking for extra poori’s apart from the counts served in my plate. Though the Ashram Cook and his wife, the two great Karma Yogi's, who have served thousands of people with utmost care & love for so many years, were again kind enough to serve more, I resisted their tempting offers and decided to be content with what is there in my plate which was sure filled my stomach considerably. 

Post my breakfast, the mind was reminding me that since I didn't had my quota of early morning tea, it ordered me to take a big cup, so that I can double my tea intake to nullify any deficiency. Again the hand cooperated to what the mind ordered and it took the big cup so that it can be served with double quota of Tea.

In these things, I really wonder how the sensory organs cooperate fully with the mind, whereas when I ask them to sit for Meditation, all of them immediately start their Non-cooperation Movement by moving in different directions. There is no synchronization between the senses when it comes to Sadhana, the Meditation, whereas for any pleasure seeking activity, all the senses are in perfect sync working systematically. 

Thinking myself that I still have a long way to go,  I put down the big cup that my hand initially picked and started searching for a relatively smaller up. Though I could find many smaller cups, still the war with the mind was 'ON' and eventually I gave it up by picking up a medium sized cup so as to keep a balance between my desire and my real need. 

After spending fruitful 30 minutes in the dinning hall having my delicious Poori and tea, I washed my plates and now briskly walked towards the Dhyana Mandir. 

Seeing the messenger still seated there near the Hanuman Deity inside the Dhyana Mandir, made me feel happy that he didn't ditch me by sending out so as to escape from me.  

I again bowed before him, sat and opened the Hanuman Chalisa book to recite the next stanza from where I left. I looked at the Messenger to seek his nod to go ahead. But he remained silent looking far ahead.

I waited for few minutes, but only the silence was prevailing. I started to feel restless by now but still decided to remain calm. 

After few more minutes, the Messenger looked up to me and asked,  “Bete did you had your breakfast well?”

"Yes Sir, I had, as usual it was very tasty…." I replied with sense of relief as the ice got broke. 

"Good son, Good…",  Messenger acknowledged and again he looked far ahead and remained silence. 

I wanted Him to say something but he remained silent. Confused, I started to think if I had done something wrong for which the Messenger is not willing to talk… 

I asked, “Sir, did I do anything wrong”?

"No son, you were alright… "

I thought to myself, then why is He silent? Is He wanting me to realize something that I shouldn't have done?

I started pondering… 

Didn’t I clean the plate cleanly?

Should I avoided taking that medium size cup and settled only for the small cup?

Was it because of my desire for few seconds to relish few more additional poori’s than what was being served in my plate?

Or my desire to complete my quota of tea which I missed in the early morning?

What is that?

Still confused…. I did a Google search inside my mind and after few seconds, it gave me the perfect result that sent a thousand watts shiver in my spine. 

I immediately stood before the Messenger and with breaking voice, asked…

“Sir, did you had food since morning”… ?

(to be contd..)

Ram siya Ram siya Ram jay jay Ram
Ram siya Ram siya Ram jay jay Ram"

- 'Bansuri'

8/8/13

Let's hear from Guruji - Intensify your Sadhana (Series 7)

Guruji Pattabhiram - Intensify your Sadhana
Pranams to all the readers of 'Let's hear Guruji" series, a series which looks upon various DVD's of Guruji's public programs and its contents. Today we are happy to share few info about "Intensify your Sadhana" - 2 DVD title, Based on One day workshop conducted at IIT, New Delhi by Guruji Pattabhiram & Smt. Jyothi Pattahiram. 

For any spiritual aspirant, Sadhana is very important as it gives a comprehensive knowledge of life with all its currents & crosscurrents. As Swami Rama puts it:
All sadhanas, all practices, are meant to purify and strengthen the mind that disturbs your being and prevents you from being aware of the Reality that is within you.

So Sadhana plays a pivotal role in any sadhaka/aspirant's life and it is equally important to know how to intensify our Sadhana. This DVD is divided into three sessions and below let us see briefly the contents of these sessions. 

Guruji Pattabhiram - Develop Intent deep inside
Session - I

Our Guruji explains beautifully what is Sadhana and what is required to Intensify our Sadhana in this session. Guruji says, "For any intensification, mood is very important. If the mood is positive, congenial and also very encouraging, then the very mood very attitude, very feeling, will lift our energy level. 

If there is no intent in doing the Sadhana, then Intensification is not possible. Intensification is possible when we develop intent deep inside. The intent here is the Sankalpa, an important dimension in life. Sankalpa means 'samyak kalpa', which means accepting completely what you want to do. When you accept something wholeheartedly, then the very acceptances gives you the confident energy". 

Guruji Pattabhiram - Develop 'Samyak Kalpa'
Guruji says, that most of us are not able to pursue our sadhana successfuly, because we have not accepted it totally. We have taken our Sadhana in a very lighter way as it is put in the list of other priorities and only sadhana becomes a victim in prioritizing our other values, issues and the activities. Guruji here beautifully explains the reason behind one's failure in their Sadhana. He says, When we put Sadhana in our priority list, we give importance to those which gives us immediate effect. Since Sadhana does not give anything instantly, we shift & postpone our Sadhana.

Hence developing the intent feeling completely is very important for your Sadhana to prosper. Guruji then goes on to explain how to develop that intent in all of us. This is very important aspect for any spiritual aspirant before starting the Sadhana. Guruji explains the ways to intensify the Sadhana. He talks about three important aspects i.e. Sadhya, Sadhana & Sadhaka.

Sadhya, Sadhana & Sadhaka
He then goes on to explain all these three aspects in detail and how they are connected with each other. Understanding these 3 aspects helps any students to intensify their Sadhana beautifully. 

Through these aspects, Guruji also explain what is the purpose of life according to Himalayan Tradition. Guruji breaks the conventional thinking and asks, "If you think that the purpose of life is God Realization, then you will not reach the destination because we don’t know what God is. When we don’t know what God is, how can we realize Him?. Guruji then puts it very clearly that according to Swami Rama, the purpose of life is not to realize God, but to get 'Freedom from the known & the Misery'. 

Guruji then goes on to explain what are those miseries and how to overcome them. 

He says, "If you trust life, it connects you with the right person". Guruji then recollects his younger days memories and shares few experiences from his own life, to make us understand how the Life helps a Sadhaka when He trust it. It is a great experience for all of us to hear few glimpses of our Guruji's younger days which itself can be a great inspiration for many especially the incident when he was travelling in a train towards Mumbai, where he apparently lost all the contacts and his belongings and how He got the right help at the right time. Must Watch!.

Session - II

In this session, Jyothi Ma shares few episodes from Swami Rama's life, taking reference from the famous book "Living with Himalayan Masters" and explains the take away from these episodes which in turn help us intesify our Sadhana. 

Jyothi Pattabhiram talking about Swami Rama's life

Jyothi Ma states that, "Students are many, but very few become disciples. Disciple is the one who has accepted the discipline in the path shown by the Guru in totality. Students do practice whatever the Guru tells him, he practices sincerely diligently, by that alone, one cannot become a discipline, he is a mere student. Then what additional quality, that is needed for a student to become a disciple, so that he can intensify his sadhana, by the grace of guru ? 

Jyothi Ma answers this question by stating, "To become a disciple, you have to have the Sankalpa Shakti (determination) which has no conflicting ideas, to do or not to do. You simply do it. Then she explains How does the Sankalapa Shakti can be attained. by referring to Swami Rama's life. 

Below is a brief excerpt from this Session that can be viewed from the youtube:




Session – III

This is a guided meditation session taken by our Guruji Pattabhiram. Before the meditation, He explains, what is Sri Vidhya, Shiva Shakti union, Bindu & how to keep uninterrupted focus on the Sushmna point. He also explains beautifully the message of Sri Vidhya practice in very simple words that we all can understand.  

If you are wondering why our Gurudev always ask us to concentrate on the Sushmna  point atleast for few minutes, you will get the answer by listening to this session. 

Guruji Pattabhiram showing the Sushmna point
He then guides the aspirants to a beautiful Three Minutes meditation at the Sushmna point, which is a must for any Sadhaka if they want to intensify their Sadhana. 

As Guruji says in this DVD, according to Swami Rama there are four types of people. They are:

- Target oriented people 
- Time oriented people
- Pleasure oriented people
- Purpose oriented people

A Sadhaka should always be purpose oriented and for that whatever quality that needs to be developed, that has to be developed. In that way, this DVD is a great help line for any aspirants to become purpose oriented by understanding the purpose of life, what is Sadhana, why one has to Sadhana and what is required to Intensify your Sadhana. 

Guruji Pattabhiram - Trust Life
Friends, hope you liked this coverage. If you are interested to get this DVD, please contact +91-9312796128 / 9868112750 or write to basantpnd4@gmail.com. For other list of DVD's please visit here

See you soon in another series, till then, let's hear Guruji...

- 'Bansuri'

8/1/13

Shri Rama Dootham - Story Series - Part 6

Selflessness & Surrender
Click here to read Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

After few silent moments passed away, the Messenger then looked back to me again, as if waiting for me to leave. 

My emotions were mixed. I certainly didn't want to leave the place. Sometimes, it feels so much of peace and inner satisfaction just being around with great masters. If one understands to listen to the voice of Inner silence, then there needs no discussion, talks, individual attention, just the mere presence of great Master around speaks volumes of divine inner experience. I felt I am beginning to experience that ecstasy and hence didn't want to lose it so soon. 

"Sir, Can I stay here for some more time…" I started to plead once again...

The messenger eye brows took its peak height as if asking what more you want from me.

Not knowing how to start, I mumbled, "Sir, Can I know who are you? I have never seen you here before…" 

He calmly responded back stating, "I already told you that I am just a Messenger to the lord, what else you need to know?"

Now sensing the opportunity to ask my next question, gently I folded my hands and asked , "Sir, how can I become a Messenger to my Guru? ".....

"You are already one my son…" the Messenger replied calmly.

I responded back, "But Sir, I feel sometimes, my actions are more selfish oriented when I do any service to my Master. In the name of service to the Guru Parampara, sometime my mind goes in search of recognition, it demands attention, it demands status. Sometimes it get hurts, when the service rendered are not noticed or sometimes there is a great fear if the service rendered does not go as per my plan…"

The Messenger now sat back with folded legs and said, "Often, in this path, everything is mystery which cannot be decodified by ordinary human beings. You plan your service according to your wish & how your ego wants to execute it. However, the result always goes not according to your expectation"

"In that case, how should I make myself effective to overcome these personal emotions when one is in the service of the Guru Parampara? How can I overcome my ego, which longs for recognition & expectations?" 

The Messenger silence, allowed me to pour out more that is occupying in my mind for quite some time.  I continued stating:

“Sir, Sometimes I feel what I am doing is so small that I regret my helplessness for not able to do much beyond this. Sometimes I feel so high thinking, even with my limited ability, when I am doing so much, I start to long for recognition & Guru’s attention & blessings. I want to come beyond both these stages, where I just want to be the Messenger, where I can deliver the best I am capable of, yet not worry about the outcomes. So kindly let me know how should I approach this issue sir". 

"Son what you have asked is a very important question. Often many disciples when they start doing service to the Humanity, they get struck with their own inner ego . When you are doing service to your Guru, there is no point in seeing the gain & pain. Rather one must feel blessed to have become an instrument to do this service". 

Messenger continued, “Never feel that it is YOU who is doing. The Guru parampara can always see better alternative than YOU. It is the sheer kindness & concern that they have in YOU, they have chosen YOU to render this service, so that in the same service you render, they silently teach you how to overcome from the issues created by your personal emotions & ego". 

"However if you start doing calculations of how much you have done for the Guru Tradition & how much you have got in return, then you are doing accounting system of Debit & credit. Unfortunately, if one does the calculation of Debit Vs Credit in this, the life become miserable and you are no where". 

Then looking straight into my eyes, the Messenger said sternly, "If you have to lose your identity, lose your esteem, lose your pride, be ready to face it. Never feel afraid losing them. If you are, then please never pretend to do any service to the Lord or the Guru". 

I took some time to understand what I heard from the Messenger just now. But still I thought I am still unclear on how to over come these emotions. I again asked, "Sir, I totally agree with you, but still sometimes these emotions keep coming and I find it difficult to keep it aside while rendering the service. I get struck & don't know what to do". 

The Messenger closing his eyes stated, "Bete, Selflessness & Surrender is the only way ahead.  Your Baba, Swami Rama also have given a wonderful talk on Selflessness & Surrender. 

Swami Rama used to say, “Do not work for yourself; that is not the way of life. You will become selfish. Learn to work for others. If the wife learns to work for her husband, and the husband learns to work for his wife, they both will be happy. Problems come when they both become selfish, demanding, and expecting. Learn the path of selflessness. That is the only way of liberation.”

Learn to give to each other, and then slowly that learning will expand to the whole universe. One day you will feel that the whole universe is your family, and you are one of the members of that family.

On the path of selflessness there is a great joy. Selflessness is the singular expression of love.

True enjoyment can never be had through the satisfaction of greed, but only through the surrender of the individual self to the universal Self.

When Christ was crucified, he never said, “Sorry, forgive me; release me from the cross.” Christ had conviction. He had faith in God. He had so much faith in God that he didn’t care what was happening to his body. This is something great. One can see the same thing in Buddha and Krishna. Buddha was very calm, and Krishna played the flute. Why the flute, when there are so many good instruments? Why did he not play another instrument, like the vina or the guitar?

A flute has many holes, just as all human beings have many weaknesses. However, a flute has nothing inside; it’s empty. Christ said, “Empty thyself and I will fill thee.”

Having many holes, if you become an instrument of God, a beautiful melody will come through. In all conditions, trust in God who is within you, witnessing your thoughts, speech, and actions.

"So bete, Become that flute, become that Bansuri with Selflessness & Surrender. Soon you can play beautiful melody", Messenger said with a twinkling smile in his face. 

"Sir, Thank you so much for explaining this to me. This means so much to me now". Having said this, I watched meditating Lord Anjaneya statue at the backdrop and I thought to myself that, when we talk about "Selflessness & Surrender", who else than Lord Hanuman, that perfect Messenger who always stood first in the service of Lord Rama is a great example for all of us. 

The Messenger calmly started speaking again, "Son, in the service of Lord Rama, there are thousands of great souls who are always in the service of the Lord. Some of their service though may be significantly small, but still they have it's own importance like the story of Squirrel in Ramayana." 

Even though I have heard about the Squirrel story in Ramayana, I wanted to hear again from the Messenger, so I gently asked him to share it for me. 

The Messenger now started to talk about it more enthusiastically and I was eager to hear it as a child hearing stories from the Grandfather. 

"When the great mighty monkeys were helping Rama to build the bridge to Lanka, a little squirrel also wanted to join to render service to the Lord. However seeing its size and strength, it was obvious that it cannot carry the mighty rocks & stones as the others were doing. 

However not for a minute, it stood aside & idle thinking of its helplessness & inabilities. You know what it did!? It thought for a moment, and then started collecting small pebbles lying on the shore, and dropped them in the ocean. After a while, it was too tired to even carry those pebbles, but still wanted to participate. It ran to the edge of the water, and, after rolling in the sand, ran to the water and washed himself. He ran back to the shore and rolled again, and more sand got stuck to him, since he was now wet. Again he ran to the water to wash himself. The small grains of sand which stuck to his body were all he could contribute to the massive task of building a bridge across the ocean!!

Though one may think the service rendered by the Squirrel is not significant enough, but when you see from the view point of squirrel, it did its best to its capacity, without any expectation, not longing for any recognition, not worried about its limitations. It only had two qualities, Selflessness & Surrender, and that is what one should learn from this episode. 

Always remember, however small, every task is equally important. A project can never be completed by the main people alone. They need the support of all, and however small, an effort should always be appreciated!

The Squirrel did not pretend to work only when the Lord was around, so that it can gain attention. For the squirrel, it is not relevant if Lord Ram is around seeing his work or not. For the squirrel, what is more important is the selflessness & surrender".

After speaking, the Messenger looked far ahead as if searching for something which only he could see.  But that doesn't stop me from disturbing him and I continued asking, "Sir, from your story, I get the self assurance that if one work with selflessness & total surrender, automatically they would get the blessings & attention from the Guru, isn't it sir?...

"Yes Son, also if you don't know where to start & if you want to gain your Guru’s attention, I am giving you a clue, take His projects. 'Guru ko pakadna hai to, unke Kaam ko Pakado'. So the moment you take Guru’s projects, you would automatically be in touch with the Guru". 

The Messenger continued, "But the word of caution is, it’s not easy to take up His projects. At the start, You may have to face humiliations, frustration, dejection, failures, sufferings, pains and what not. But that is the pure love from the Guru, who is silently working on you to overcome from your own clutches. So if you succeed in your project, surrender the fruits of it at Guru’s feet. If you have faced failures & humiliations, again surrender them at Guru’s feet and seek more strength to start again". 

Having said this, the Messenger closed his eyes gently. By now, I have learnt not to disturb him until he open his eyes again. 

Meanwhile I recollected what my grandmother used to say from oral tradition that Rama, delighted with the squirrel's selflessness & surrender, picked up the squirrel and stroked it; because of which, one can still see the imprint of Rama's three fingers in the three lines that are obvious on the back of every squirrel! 

I prayed to the divinity to make me that worthy instrument so as to receive those gentle three lines from my Master one day...

(to be contd..)

-'Bansuri'

(Please note that the views expressed in this fictional story series are the views of the author's own imagination taking reference from various sources which includes but not limited to Valmiki Ramayana, Kamba Ramayana, Hanuman chalisa along with Swami Rama & Guruji Pattabhiram's teachings. If you find any text inappropriate, the author seeks humble apologies.

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