Hello! How are you..?

Dear Sadhaka,

Swami Rama Tirtha used to say that the secret of happiness lies in static mind and dynamic body. Now-a-days, people are imbalancing themselves either by leading a lazy and lethargic life under the garb of meditation, or by a monotonous routine, thinking that they are active. The emphasis here is blending these two. One has to have a balanced approach--quietening the mind at the psychological level and making the body active at the physiological-level, and blending these two; and, making the psycho-physiological entity a balanced, healthy, and dynamic apparatus to express oneself completely. That’s the right approach.

Mind is an abstract thing, and comprehending it will take time. Whereas, the body is gross in nature. So one has to begin with the body first. That’s why, even in meditation, Pujya Gurudev Swami Rama insists on stabilizing the body as the basic essential step. Pujya Swami Rama used to say “if you know how to stabilize your body, then meditation happens in you”.

An analogy would make this point clear. Water is stored in Dams. If the water level exceeds the danger level, then it has to be discharged. At that time, if the flood gates do not open or if only few open partially, what will happen? Pressure will build up and the Dam will develop cracks and finally it will break down.

The same happens here as well. The capacity of the mind is something magnificent, whereas the body has its own limitations. And the beauty is, mind expresses itself through the body only. This being the case, if we don’t keep our body intact, if thoughts can’t express themselves through actions, our personality, like the Dam, develops cracks and eventually breaks down.

Beloved Sadhakas, it is happening every day with all of us, and with utmost concern I am writing this editorial. To be dynamic at the physical-level, one has to discipline oneself and give the physical body a good exercise. There are many asanas, stretching exercises which can help in removing the toxins and help the energy to flow freely within and through the body. Once the energy flow becomes smooth, then that body is really capable of translating the thoughts into action. The vitality of the body is very, very essential. Once this preparation is ‘pucca’, one will flower in meditation and then he will open out to higher dimensions of life.

May Baba, Pujya Gurudev Swami Rama, bless you all in your Sadhana.

In service of the Parampara,
Sri Pattabhiram

Shaki - the Female Power

Without woman, man is never complete. Tagore, a great Indian poet, has written, “O woman, you are half in reality but half in a dream.” That dream which all men have, that dream without which humanity will not survive, that dream which is inexplicable, is really woman. She should try to understand her status in society. I have always considered women to be living temples. The most ancient scriptures say that without shakti, without the female power, it is not possible for humankind to survive. The female power has been the force behind all the great leaders of the world. For example, if you study the life of Ramakrishna Paramahansa, you will learn that he became great because of a woman. Likewise, Krishna became great because of Radha. And Buddha became great because of many women who played important roles in his life from the very beginning.

Women have the real strength, but the problem is that they are not making creative use of that strength. The world needs their help today. Woman is suffering because of her own lack of awareness of her strength. The power of shakthi is being dissipated in advertising, television programs, movies, magazines, books-and we are reaping this consequences. Women do not exist for the fun of Men, but many women today have forgotten this. Many a woman is still looking for someone to appreciate her. This way of life is not helpful for our rising generation. Women are also mothers, and such an attitude of dependence on men is helpful for educating children. If we really love humanity, we should learn to understand this.

We have been building many churches and education institutions, but the main institution is the family. When it is ignored, we can never be happy. Dive into the heart of all problems, and you will discover that the base of all problems lies in the family life. If we do not appreciate the importance of the family, though our society may survive, it will create wild people with no understanding. So my first request to woman is that instead of being preoccupied with whether they are inferior or superior to Men, they re-establish the family life. Then there is a chance for future generation, a chance for the children to learn.

Swami Rama

Antardarshana

Even samprajnaata is a state of mind, and it is not complete; it is not Samadhi. Samprajnaata means a state where you have experienced the higher knowledge.

After samprajnaata, what happens? When you start doing this again and again as abhyasa, as it grows, then you will move on to the second dimension, that is anya, the state of otherness. Sage Patanjali is not giving any name to it. Many people call it as asamprajnaata. But it is not that. It is anya, where one can’t explain what it is. That is anya. What is it?

viraama pratyaya abhyaasa poorva samskara shesho anyah

When all contents of the human mind/consciousness have completely died, that state is called anya. It is a complete cessation of all the pratyaya. Pratyaya means content, experience, memory, concept.

For example, I have a concept about Krishna. When I meditate on Krishna for some time, and if I am still holding on to Krishna, it means, I am still in the samprajnaata zone. That is called ‘content’ or ‘pratyaya’. Here, ‘pratyaya’ is Krishna. I am meditating on Krishna and the content of meditation is Krishna. A time comes when even Krishna disappears. When I continue to meditate, and when even Krishna disappears, I experience a state where I don’t have words to explain; because all words are only at the mental plane; beyond mind, no word. Words can’t reach that zone. That is why words can’t explain, words have no power to explain that. That is why, as a sadhaka deepens his meditation, slowly he becomes non-communicating; words drop. He will not be able to share. Even if he wants to share, he can’t and he finds no words. What should one do then? Silence. One gets into a beautiful state of mauna. Everything springs from that mauna, everything expands in that mauna, everything merges into it. Mauna becomes the seat, and it is beyond ‘I’ consciousness. It is not in the purview of asmita, it is beyond asmita. It travels further. Then he experiences a zone called ‘anya’, a viraama pratyaya abhyaasa poorna, after completion of practice. After repeated practice of samprajnaata, one experiences anya.

When one comes back, the reminiscence of that samskara remains in the mind, but one can’t explain that samskara. That samskara will tend to dive into that state again and again - ‘anya’. If one is blessed by the Masters, one experiences ‘anya’. One can’t explain it. You are not there and nothing is there, but you are very conscious. You will not know what it is. Your body is not there, your mind is not there, intellect is not there, nothing is there, but only That is there.

bhava pratyayo videha prakriti layaanaam

Bhava means coming back to Prapancha, coming back to the conscious world through taking the body. Here pratyaya means just to experience. Patanjali says, there are two types of beings: those in whom the prakriti has completely merged itself (prakriti-layaanaam), and those who are not in the pancha-bhoota-shareera (videhi). Videhi means those who need not have body, Gods/Goddesses. That is why God doesn't have any form. Whenever he needs one, He can take any form. Infinite forms He can have; yet he is beyond forms. Prakriti-layaanaam means those who are great yogis, avadhootas, in whom there is no Prakriti, who are pure consciousness. They too can come on to this earth like, we visit a hotel and have coffee and snacks. They are called avadhoota. It means, those who are not bound by the rules and regulations of this world and are beyond them. That is why in the Himalayas one can see hundreds of such avadhootas. They will be sitting on the ice naked.

I met one avadhoota near Badrinath. He was on a snowy mountain, completely naked. I think, it was towards the end of October. I did pranams to the avadhoota. He didn’t speak anything. I sat down for a while. Then he looked at me and he made some gesture in the air and an apple came down. He gave it to me. There are many like that. Another avadhoota is Neem Karoli Baba. All the avadhootas are the Kings of this universe. Whatever they want, it is given to them. They worship the Prakriti so much that the Prakriti has lifted them up and it is serving them. They don’t come under any rules and regulations or any morality of this world. They are above morality. We are stuck in the moral plane, whereas avadhootas are not.

May you succeed in your Sadhana

Sri Pattabhiram

Put the Glass Down...

Study this small story; Hope that makes a BIG change

Professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see & asked the students,

"How much do you think this glass weighs?"

'50gms!' ..... '100gms!' .....'125gms' ... the students answered.

"I really don't know unless I weigh it," said the professor, "but, my question is:

What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?"

'Nothing' ..the students said.

'Ok what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?' the professor asked.

'Your arm would begin to ache' said one of the student

"You're right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?"

"Your arm could go numb, you might have severe muscle stress & paralysis & have to go to hospital for sure!" .. ventured another student & all the students laughed

"Very good.

But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?" asked the professor.

'No'. Was the answer.

"Then what caused the arm ache & the muscle stress?"

The students were puzzled.

"What should I do now to come out of pain?" asked professor again.

"Put the glass down!" said one of the students

"Exactly!" said the professor.

Life's problems are something like this.

Hold it for a few minutes in your head & they seem OK.

Think of them for a long time & they begin to ache. Hold it even longer & they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything..

It's important to think of the challenges or problems in your life, But EVEN MORE IMPORTANT is to 'PUT THEM DOWN' at the end of every day before You go to sleep...

That way, you are not stressed, you wake up every day fresh &strong & can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way!

Hello! How are you..?

Dear Sadhakas,

Hope by this time you would have begun to feel the gentle breeze of the winter. I feel like sharing something about “health” with you all in this Editorial. Health is an essential aspect of human endeavour for happiness in life. The word “health” can be dissected to get “he” and “al” (pronounced as “all”); meaning He (god) is all (he + all); i.e., He permeates the entire creation and works through all. Anybody who stays with this feeling will always be in a healthy mood. Even if you see the word “Heart”, it could be divided to get “He” and “Art” meaning His (HE) Art. All our emotions and feelings spring from Him and one who lives with this feeling, his life becomes an Aesthetic Life.

So friends our health (wherever I say health, it implies physical + mental + emotional health) should be in perfect balance if we want to live peacefully and happily. The kind of attitude mentioned above will go a long way in developing such an aesthetic life. Action is unavoidable. So, it will be wise if we learn to perform our actions in a skillful and efficient way. That is the only way to live rather. Those who resist this natural law experience what is known in common parlance as suffering, strain, misery, dejection, stress, psyco-somatic diseases and the list goes on. The absence of this list in one’s life is what is known as peace, happiness, bliss etc.

Friends, don’t you all feel that it is high time that we understood this simple secret and make our life a very healthy one, thereby influencing the surroundings around us to become healthy? I do sincerely hope that you will give a serious thought to what I have said. My only request is: Do not ignore your health as well as your near and dear one’s health. Take personal responsibility in this matter and see the difference in the quality of your life. I would like to see you all with the result of this experiment when I meet you next in person. Till then, please do take care and I assure you of the blessings of the Parampara in this venture.

In service of Guru Parampara
Sri Pattabhiram

Excellent Communication

Please take care to read till the last word...A very important message for both professional and personal Grooming...If we can remind ourselves , the essence of the message , we may be able to handle our stress more effectively...moment to moment...in everyday life...!

Why we Shout when we are angry?

A saint asked his disciples, 'Why do we shout in anger? Why do people shout at each other when they are upset?'

Disciples thought for a while, one of them said, 'Because we lose our calm, we shout for that.'

'But, why to shout when the other person is just next to you?' asked the saint.

'Isn't it possible to speak to him or her with a soft voice?

Why do you shout at a person when you're angry?'

Disciples gave some other answers but none satisfied the saint.

Finally he explained, 'When two people are angry at each other, their hearts distance a lot.

To cover that distance they must shout to be able to hear each other. The angrier they are, the stronger they will have to shout to hear each other through that great distance.'

Then the saint asked, 'What happens when two people fall in love? They don't shout at each other but talk softly, why?

Because their hearts are very close. The distance between them is very small...'

The saint continued, 'When they love each other even more, what happens? They do not speak, only whisper and they get even closer to each other in their love.

Finally they even need not whisper, they only look at each other and that's all.

That is how close two people are when they love each other.'

MORAL: When you argue do not let your hearts get distant, do not say words that distance each other.

(from a Sadhaka)

Antardarshana

Taking up sadhana in the initial days is bitter. But when you establish yourself in sadhana-life, it starts giving you a sweet feeling. Eating neem leaves is bitter; but after you eat, the taste it leaves is really worth experimenting. Initially sitting still is difficult, going inside our mind and emotions is difficult. Even if you go inside, it would irritate a lot, initially. Once you learn to withstand irritation, the sadhana will ultimately give you only nectar, amrita.

There are two types of knowledge working with us—inner and outside. The knowledge related to the outside world, its memory, its reactions, are all stored in the chitta. You would be able to tap the inner light only when you learn to empty what is stored in the chitta. In order to clear up the chitta, we need to understand how it got filled up with so many things. Chitta is a store house of mental impressions. As I have told you earlier, there is light within us but the only difficulty with us is we are not able to experience it, because the contents of the chitta are covering that light, and hence the emphasis on clearing the contents of the chitta. That is why we must move on from impulsive behaviour to intelligent behaviour. As you practice this shift from impulsive behaviour to intelligent behaviour, your very mastery over intelligent behaviour would automatically open the door of intuitive realm of your personality. Impulse, or the hurried action, relates to animal instinct. The intelligence relates to human, and intuition relates to the beyond. Whatever contains in the chitta relates to the external world. You can’t enter intuitive world directly; you must bring down the speed of your mind intelligently. Handle your affairs intelligently. Deliberately, try to act slowly and intelligently. When someone says something, don’t react immediately. Wait a while. This way, you develop a space in your mind, for you to relax, to see, to feel and to act intelligently. Even in day-to-day life, learn to listen silently, see silently without commenting, act silently without complaining. As you spend your time silently, you are introduced to the way of your speech, action and thought. Then whatever you do, they all will have to have your approval first and then they would be executed. That way, every action of yours would become responsible and intelligent action. Then, a question comes, what type of things were filled into it?

pramaana-viparyaya-vikalpa-nidraa-smritayah

The chitta operates from the above five vrittis. Pramaana means proof and it is the first vritti. Again, proof has three constituents:

pratyaksha-anumaana-aagamaah pramaanaani

The chitta wants some proof to defend itself and it employs the proof of the things seen. The eyes, ears, tongue, touch, and nose, collect things from the world and transmit it inside. The moment an impression goes inside, immediately, reactions would crop up from inside, it is called chitta vritti. Here, yoga asks you to restrain yourself from reacting though you might have seen/ heard/tasted/touched things directly. It asks you to pause for a while and then act intelligently.

An example. You are sitting in a room and outside you hear a comment on you—you don’t know in what context somebody made a comment on you—but you go and take that person to task. You react violently. This proof is called pratyaksha. The other type of proof is anumaana, inference. Suppose, a smell of garam masaala comes from the kitchen of a pious family. If you had experienced such smell from a non-vegetarian family, immediately you infer that that family is also cooking a non-vegetarian dish. The next proof is aagama, words of the trusted people. You might have seen it with your children. Even if you say the correct spelling of a word, the child would defend only the teacher. The child trusts the teacher more than you. In such beliefs, we strengthen the chitta. We don’t ponder whether our beliefs are right or wrong. Yoga asks you, though you believe the people, yet you test what they say. If you find them at fault, don’t even neglect them. Even if the Lord or Guru says something, without judging, find out for yourself what is right. Viparyaya is explained as - viparyayo mithyaajnaanam atadroopam apratishttham

Viparyaya means false knowledge, no truth, and it means labelling something which is not. In other words, the image which your mind is seeing is not there. But the mind projects something else over there. Sage Patanjali says, see rope as a rope, not as a snake. When you have related chitta vrittis, the rope is seen as a snake. The defect is in the mind. If you have a lot of fear inside, your dealings with the outside world will add up to the fear. The third vritti is vikalpa.

shabda-jnaana-anupaatee vastu-shoonyo vikalpah

Based only on the word-meaning, we go on building castles; it is also called day-dreaming or fantasizing. There is no object, yet we dream about it. The day-dream may be a dream of fear or of pleasure. The fourth vritti is sleep.

abhaava-pratyaya-aalambana-vrittih-nidraah

Patanjali says even sleep is a vritti. Atman doesn’t need sleep. Chitta needs it to get ready for the next day’s ordeal. Since chitta is engaged all through the day, it needs rest. When there is no experience, that state is known as sleep. The thoughts, emotions, imaginations are all pratyaya, contents. The absence of contents, or the absence of transactions in chitta, is called sleep. The mind doesn’t want to do anything for sometime, and it depends on no-action, and that is sleep. To cite an example, the engine of a car is on but is not moving. The biological activity is on, but chitta is resting. Only during sleep the growth and rejuvenation of body happens. That is why it is said that one should not disturb the sleeping child/man. How much we sleep is not important but how qualitatively we sleep is important. The fifth vritti is memory, smriti.

It means, an event has happened, I have experienced that; yet, I have not forgotten it. That unforgotten impression is memory, smriti. The characteristics of the memory is, one memory will give rise to so many other memories. Memory gives rise to aversion, sadness, frustration, fear.... Psychologically, we should try to erase all memories. We should not remember even what we have eaten in the afternoon. That would allow me to stay in the present. When one is in the present, the next meal would be really an enjoyable one. There are two types of memories, objective and subjective. For example, when I see you, I must remember your face. That is necessary. But I should not remember the subjective memories. Subjective memory means, when I met you, you might have said something which left a deep scar on my being. That I should not remember. Normally the mind doesn’t remember that which ended in happiness. But it remembers vividly that which ended in pain. That is why our Gurudev, Swami Rama says, “If you want to progress in sadhana, forget and forgive.” It is enough to say that the memory is the greatest impediment in one’s experience of pure consciousness.

May you succeed in your Sadhana
Sri Pattabhiram

What does Yoga science mean to you?

When people talk about Yoga they often think it has something to do with the physical being only. Yoga is a science that deals with body, breath, mind, soul, and ultimately, the universe itself. It is both practical and theoretical.

Patanjali* is not trying to teach any particular religion to you. Yoga is not a new religion, nor does it condemn any religion. Yoga does not teach that if you are Jewish, you should become Catholic, or if you are Catholic, you should become Hindu, or if you are Hindu, you should become Buddhist. All the great religions have come from one source. Religions tell people what to do and what not to do, and provide a set of rules or commandments that are not fully satisfying.

Yoga science does not tell you what to do and what not to do, but teaches you how to be. Yoga science is a science of life that helps you to know the known and unknown parts of life, that helps you to liberate yourself from pains and miseries, and that helps you to attain that state which is free from pains and miseries.

How can someone living in the world practice Yoga science? If you understand the fundamental principles of Yoga science and why Yoga science should be practiced, it will become easy for you to practice. First you have to decide to search. You have to feel the necessity of finding yourself. Yes, I want to know myself. Something is missing, something I could not receive from my church, from my religion. Millions of people, both in the East and in the West, are searching for Truth and Self-realization—or as the religionists put it, God. You may go to church or temple or synagogues, but the questioning mind is still there. Sometimes orthodox religions do not satisfy your needs, so you question life. When your mind questions, it means you are not fully satisfied. Life is a question in front of you. You want to know something more, but you are using this little mind, which is like a yardstick, to measure the vast universe and its mysteries. You do not understand your religion because you do not understand yourself.

The highest of all books is the book of life. Unless you open the book of life, you will not understand the teachings of the scriptures. The scriptures say what to do and what not to do, but you have to learn how to be. All the gates to higher knowledge will be opened to you once you understand yourself. Patanjali offers something to such seekers. Patanjali says the source of knowledge is within you. The world and external knowledge can only inform you and inspire you. To evolve does not mean going toward the external world. Evolution means going back to the source. If you put ten covers around a light, what will happen to the light? The light will be as it is, but it will appear dim to you. You will not be able to see it. If you remove the covers, you will see it clearly. You can compare yourself with the light. Before you go to the source of knowledge within, you have to go through many barriers.

Yoga science does not offer any new religion; it offers a methodology. Through Yoga science you can understand yourself better on all levels, including your physical well-being, your actions, thought process, emotions, and desires. You will also understand how you are related to the world, and how to lead a successful life in the world. Yoga science creates a bridge between the internal and external conditions of life. Yoga is a way of improving yourself, a way of understanding your internal states. Whosoever you are, you have all the potentials within you. Are you aware of this? If you are aware of this, do you know how to use them? Patanjali encourages us to be aware of the potentials that we have and to learn how to use them. This practical science says to explore more and more.

The word Yoga means “unification, to unite with.” You have to unite yourself with the whole. At present you are an individual and you are experiencing miseries. The cause of misery, according to Patanjali, is ignorance. Ignorance is self-created. You can be free from that misery because it has been created by you. It’s as if you constantly slap your face and then say, God help me. It’s as though you blindfold yourself and then say, O Lord of light, of life, and love, give me light. This prayer is in vain.

You have to light your own lamp. No one will give you salvation. I am talking of enlightenment. All individuals have the responsibility to enlighten themselves. Do not think you cannot do it. You have that spark. You are fully equipped. You simply need to discipline yourself. Discipline is not a prison. It simply means practice.

- Swami Rama

(Extracted from sites.google.com/site/swamiramateachings)

Hello! How are you..?

AUSTERITY IN SADHANA

Dear Sadhakas,

November 13th is very special day for all of us. It is the day on which our beloved Baba attained Maha Samadhi. Baba had a great concern for all of us, even to those who have not seen Baba in his physical form. Baba always said, have faith in the Guru Parampara and it will guide you in all walks of life. On the occasion of Baba’s Maha Samadhi, let us also remember some of his teachings.

While Baba strongly believed in austerity for everlasting transformation and highest spiritual attainment, he rejected the meaning of austerity or tapas being not eating food or drinking water for days together or giving torture to the self. In fact he used to say, “adopting a healthy way of living is austerity”. By eating of too much or too little, by sleeping too much or very little, by exercising too strenuously or not doing any exercise at all, by thinking too much or not using the mind at all, one disturbs the pranic forces which support and sustain both body and mind. To enjoy life, you have to be healthy and strong, by avoiding extremes. For, it is only in a healthy body there can be a sound mind. No matter how spiritual you are, when you are not well, a great deal of your mental and spiritual energy is wasted in managing the complaints of the body. When you spend so much of energy complying with the demands of the body, where do you have the time and energy to discover the higher purpose and meaning of life? Taking care of oneself is the first and the most important step in practicing austerity. Therefore, first take care of your body.

The Sanskrit word ‘tapas’ literally means heat or glow. The practices that help you to shine are called ‘tapas’. Unhealthy living smothers the fire within us. To blow off the ashes of sloth and inertia, and allow the fire to become active, is tapas. Keeping the body cleansed and nourished is the way to practice tapas. For a genuine and everlasting transformation, you must practice a systematic method of self discipline and self training. Mere philosophy or intellectual knowledge cannot stand in times of need. To start and complete any practice, first you must have a strong, burning desire. Such a desire leads to commitment. Commitment needs to be nourished by the power of determination. When you are determined that today you will sit in meditation, no one has the power to disturb you. The combined force of your burning desire, the actual practice and God’s grace will guide you and whenever you are about to make a mistake, the same force will protect you.


In service of Guru Parampara
Sri Pattabhiram

Swami Rama Message

I pray that you will all be happy and enjoy, and let the flower of your life bloom so that you can serve one an-other and help others. Enjoy all the time. Be happy. Learn to be Happy.

I too have a Guru. The spiri-tual path can’t be tread with-out kripa, Guru’s graces. But if you want to have the Guru’s grace, you would have to have your own grace. You should make sincere efforts, and then the grace of God will come. Let you be graced today, the day which reminds you that you have to follow the path of enlightenment, loving all and excluding none. That is the way to the Divine.

To that glorious Guru my homage,
who has shown me that state which is identical
with the unbroken full orb of the sun,
which pervades all things, moving and unmoving.
Om Shanti Shanti Shantihi. May God bless you.

Swami Rama

Antardarshana

tasya vachakah pranavah

It means, His own voice is Pranava, the Omkara. We all would like to reach Godhood. But how to reach Godhood? That is why we all go to temples, satsanga, and other such events. When we visit such places, what we get is a soothing feeling, a tranquil mind. But this tranquil mind doesn’t last long. The moment we come to the busy streets, immediately our minds get diverted and we remain the same before we went to the temple! The same restlessness, the same discontentment, the same negative thoughts.... Sometimes, one really wonders whether there is really God or not.

Why this Sutra? We all believe that we are in darkness. We continuously pray to the Almighty : Please lead me from darkness to light, from falsehood to the real, from mortality to immortality. Our buddhi is clouded with lot of negativities and that is why we don’t see clarity in our thought, positivity in our actions, and bliss in our being.

In the modern age, we live in fully lighted houses during nights. Even if current goes off, we have standby generators or inverters. We get enough light for a period of time. But imagine the days when you have no standby generators. All is pitch dark. You are sitting in a room, and your father is resting in some other room. Your father calls you to offer you something. How do you reach the place he is staying? Though you don’t see anything, you follow the voice of your father and as your father goes on calling you, you go on reaching him. Suddenly, you are there! You are at his feet!

Maharshi Patanjali had seen this long ago. That is why he has suggested this Sutra. When mind pushes the human being to get lost in the mad race of the modern times, he undergoes chaos, confusion & frustration. In other words, he is in utter darkness. Though he has all the gadgets to light his external living, there is no light within, no peace within. That is why, Maharshi Patanjali asks us to follow the voice of the Lord. He is testifying the voice of the Lord to be Om. This is also testified by those who have followed Om. It is the same truth for you and me. If you board the Karnataka Express train from Delhi, it takes you to Bangalore; it is the same for you and me. Even if a beggar takes this train, he is assured of his destination: Bangalore.

In the same way, if you sit in the ‘Train of Om’, the destination is sure: He Himself. Though you can chant it the way you like, the effective technique is as given in our Antar Darshana. You must sit quiet, stabilise the sitting posture, harmonise the breathing, watch your mind and allow the mental disturbance to settle down and then chant long Omkara for a few times. After that, chant short Omkara. You can go on chanting this. How do you have to chant it? It is said in another Sutra: tat-japah-tat-artha-bhaavanam.You must chant it with the meaning and feeling. What is the meaning? Om means the voice of the Lord, means He Himself. What can be the feeling? The confidence of reaching Him. Assure yourself that you would reach him one day or the other.

You can do this chanting anytime or everytime you feel like doing: whether walking, eating, giving, receiving, when you are angry, when you are sad, when you are elated. In all walks of life you can tune in to this Om as a background music. Inside, go on establishing this beautiful musical note. Om, om, om..... A day will come when this background music happens on its own. Then it is called ajapa-japa. You are not doing the japa, but it is happening. When this happens for a period of time, one day or the other, you would really listen to the Voice of the Lord.

I give you an example. You want to ring up someone, your dear one. You pick up the receiver and dial the number of your friend from your phone. The response you hear depends on the instrument and the number engagement. In the same way, you must attune yourself with the Voice of the Lord with the chant of Om. He may be busy talking to someone. Actually, our own instruments are faulty. We have a number of negative tendencies. These negative tendencies really come in the way of our tuning in to the Voice of the Lord. Continuously work with your tendencies towards life, towards yourself and towards the other. Just see how your tendency is towards your work, your wife, your family, your neighbours, and everyone around the globe. The more you divide, the more miserable you are. The more integrated you are, the better the tuning would be.

My request to you is, as you tune in with the Voice of the Lord, also work on yourself. Observe how do you perform your duties. Is it a burdened work? Is it a boring work? If so, change the attitude. Do you not like someone? Question yourself as to why you don’t like him/her.

Do you utter lies? For what? Do you avoid work? For what? Do you deceive people? Question the deceiving mind. What for is it deceiving? If you develop this deceit in you, the day is not far away when you yourself would be deceived totally by your own mind! Become aware of this! You may free yourself from some people. You can’t free yourself from this deceitful mind!

Set your instrument right. Keep yourself light by closely monitoring the way you work, the way you think, and the way you speak. Filtering of your actions should happen right at these planes. If you do it, nobody can stop you from regaining your Kingdom of Bliss. OM.

May your practice guide you and all.

Sri Pattabhiram