8/4/11

Guru Poornima Celebration


Guru Poornima was celebrated at “Sadhana Dhama” with great enthusiasm. Sadhakas reached Ashram & participated in the function with fervor and enthusiasm in large numbers. 

This time the message from Guru Parampara was “DON’T LEAVE ANY STONE UNTURNED” for Gurupoornima.  Emphasizing on this point, Guruji narrated following incident from his life:

Once, when our beloved Gurudev was in a Divine motherly mood, told me “Bete, whenever you are in a crisis, you contact me by meditating on Guru Chakra. I am there to pull you out of the crisis”. I was very happy and fell into the habit of contacting and troubling Gurudev for each and every silly problem and thus tending to become a parasite! Gurudev tolerated for a length of time.

I was in Dhronagiri, for a special Anustana, as per Gurudev’s instruction and one early morning I tried to contact Baba for a trivial problem. He appeared before me like enraged Rudra and shouted, “Bete, Nature has blessed all, with the faculties like intellect, body, skill etc to deal with all the problems and Guru parampara has invested a lot on every disciple to create a vibrant life not only for oneself but for everyone around. Here after don’t look up to Guruchakra; exhaust all potentialities, exert every effort completely and then surrender to Guruchakra. Don’t leave any stone unturned! With this warning he disappeared abruptly in great anger. From that moment, I gave up this habit. This has enabled me to assess myself, discover the variegated potential skills to handle both inside and outside world and has provided to take charge of my life completely, become responsible for every action of mine and the insight to touch the intuitive plane of reality. This has led me to be self-reliant, self-sufficient and self contented.

This was a message for every Sadhaka in the path to discover his/her inner potential to reach the “fullness” of life and attain Blissful living.

The day started with Group Meditation followed by Rudrabhishekha and Meditation in Cave. After that Guruji & Jyothi Ma initiated Lalitha Sahasranama Kumkumaarchana and all the sadhakas who were willing were asked to recite Lalitha Sahasranama with Kumkuma Archana. 

After completion of Lalitha Sahasranama, Guruji & Jyothi Ma started Guru Paaduka Homa wherein salutations to Guru was done and all the Sadhakas together performed the Homa. 

On the occasion, Guruji Spoke briefly about the importance and significance of Guru Poornima and taught us a new method of meditation on Guru. He said Gurupoornima is an important day wherein all sadhakas meet and pledge their faith and belief in the Guru Tatva and seek the blessings of the Guru and the Guru Parampara on this auspicious day

Guru Tatva


In the Himalayan Tradition, the Gurutatva started with Hiranya Garbha – Golden Womb supposed to be Brahma’s Manasa Putra. From there on the Guru lineage is continuing through Aadhi Sesha and Vyasa without any break and working in the entire universe. Pujya Swami Rama is the recent link in our Tradition. This Guru Tatva takes the form of Guru with a definite Mission on earth and works, by joining and uplifting sincere souls that are interested to uplift themselves. 

It is much easier for us when the Guru energy takes the form of a human being, to see, relate, talk, discuss and communicate and get connected with the energy. When the Guru is not limited by the human form it becomes the Mantra. The Mantra, then becomes the Devatha and all the three – Guru, Mantra and Devatha become one.

The emotion that obstructs in relating with the Guru energy should be given up. This message of the Masters should be remembered and reinforced within us.  Our experience in the Sadhana & Mantra should translate into Bhakthi. This Bhakthi should become Shakthi i.e. strength and this strength should become weapon for destroying all the obstacles in the path of Sadhana. For this to happen we should create proper environment that will facilitate the Guru Krupa to flow uninterruptedly. We should become the magnet attracting the Guru Tatva and for that there should be a clear and sustained transformation in our nature, habit pattern and attitude. 

Anybody can invoke Guru Krupa, provided one strives sincerely for it to happen. Life is a procession, a parade. Ups and downs are part of life. We have to seek the grace of the Guru to give us strength to retain our individuality and not be affected by the ups and downs of life.

Yoga & Married Life


Swami Rama


Marriage is called union and yoga is also called union. Yoga means union of individual soul with the ultimate soul or cosmic soul. Yoga recognizes that an individual suffers because of a limitation, of the separation that he fails to know and understand and finally he comes to know that his true self or highest self is universal self. Yoga never tells you to abandon your duties, to renounce your duty and live all alone without any responsibilities. There are three words. One is called yoga. Another is called bhoga and another is called roga. Those who understand the value of life and study life they know that sensuality comes in the way of their progress yet it is natural for anyone to live sensual life too. So somewhere sensuality is totally condemned and at other places, or from our daily life, we come to know that we cannot avoid sense pleasures. We cannot live without enjoying things according to our capacity and knowledge that we have. So we often find contradiction. Some have the yogic experiences. I tell you that if you are a yogi, if you become yogi, then you know the art of living. You know how to live in the world and yet remain unaffected from worldly fetters. The grief, pain and sorrow that we receive from the world if properly understood and analyzed you can have freedom here and now. 

For your personality is unfolded and you go to higher dimensions of consciousness and think that anything that you have in the world, anything that you desire for or want, is a means and not the end. When you understand the difference between means and the need and need and the want then we come to know that most of our problems are self created by wanting things whether we need them or not.  We need very little. We do not need as much as we desire for. But we want many things and, when we want many things, try to understand why do we want. We come to know that we have various pressures, pressures of our habits, tradition, other people who live around us, biological pressures, mental pressures, social pressures, economical pressures. But when we find many pressures coming to us and life is being forced towards a different direction then we come to know that we remain in search of peace, happiness and bliss, but we never get it. The most ancient traveler in this world is love. If you try to analyze what the love is you’ll come to know that it is love that alone is eternal and all things are running towards that nucleus which is called one-love. 

(contd.)

Summer camp at Sadhana Dhama Ashram - 2011


The theme of the summer camp 2011 was ‘Nitya Sadhana’ and hence the camp was aptly given the title ‘Nitya Sadhana Yoga Shibira’. The camp commenced on the 22nd of May. Guruji personally received all the participants and also supervised the arrangements. After freshening up, the participants gathered at the hall and Guruji explained in detail the purpose of the camp. He emphasized the need for physical fitness as a prerequisite to spiritual advancement.

As usual a tight schedule was given to be followed. The day started with pratasmarana followed by asanas, suryanamaskaraand kriyas to warm up the body. This was followed by various pranayamas and meditation. This was followed by breakfast, karmayoga and time for bathing. The main session was in the forenoontill lunch break. In this session Guruji addressed the participants through Bhagawan Ramana Maharshi’s ‘Upadesha Sara’. Guruji stressed the need to move from the ‘I’ consciousness to the ‘We’ consciousness.

In the evening after tea break Smt. Jyothi Pattabhiram addressed the participants. She shared a lot of interesting interactions she and guruji had with Baba and also explained the various stages in ‘Mantra japa Meditation” in detail.
 
After evening snacks all the participants had to go for long walks as a daily practice.

On 23rd evening Guruji initiated all the participants on a mantra on goddess Durga. The mantra was chanted every evening for one hour as an Anushthana. Guruji expounded the importance of mantra sadhana for spiritual purification. This  anushthana was concluded on the 27th evening with a havan with offerings to goddess Durga.

There was a cultural evening on the 28th with many participants showing their prowess in dance, drama and singing. It was a very enjoyable evening which was concluded with dinner prepared by some of the participants.

The camp concluded on the 29th with a Rudrabhishekamin the Sadashiva Chintamani Cave. The participants went home with the promise to follow the nitya sadhana without a break and with each one expressing ones desire to attend the summer camp each year.

A very encouraging aspect of this summer camp was the large number of participants. We had around sixty five participants which has been the largest participation till date. Let us look forward to a much larger participation in the coming years.

Antardarshana

For ordinary people who are not exposed to the deeper consciousness, and for those who have started the journey recently, Patanjali suggests:

shraddha veerya smriti samadhi prajna purvaka itaresham

My true nature is a stranger to me. I am still the Chitta consciousness. I am still living in images and those images do not constitute my true self. Image is not my true entity. Image is a false crutch and I hold on to it. I have developed an inferiority complex – I can’t do. I can’t do. This image is also responsible for the numerous strong sentiments like those towards my caste and my religion. I am this and I am that. This samskara has developed so strongly that even if the shruti says – You are akhanda –ananta-ananda, I don’t agree. Our guruji is asserting it, so let me just listen to him, but I know I am this small, petty being. I want to protect this image and I have been fighting to protect this image. Constantly I am fighting, every minute I am fighting to protect this small, petty image of myself. 

This Shastras say that this image is only a small bubble in the great ocean. When the bubble breaks its individuality, then it merges ith the ocean and becomes infinite. Allow the bubble to break. Patanjali says have Shraddha in your true nature. Have trust in the words of Rishi. Have trust in the words of your tradition. Depression is a cloud that wants to pass through the sky of my true nature. Let the cloud pass. Let me see how the cloud passes. It may stay for a few minutes. Let it stay. Let me watch the sky knowing pretty well that I am not the sky. Who am I? I am the bright sun behind the cloud. So the bright sun is the only sun that is shining in the sky and all the clouds come and go. 

What else do I need? Veerya. It is not enough to have a piece of information. You have to use it. You have to develop the energy to make that information a reality. That is real sadhana. Smoking is injurious to health – is a piece of information. Shradha is there on this statement but I cannot give up smoking. I agree that smoking is injurious. Researchers in America have proved that smoking causes cancer. I know this fully well but I have no veerya to give up smoking. I do not have the strength to give up smoking. So, patanjali says that a mere intellectual grasp of the fact that I am akhanda-ananta-ananda is not enough. So what do you have to do? You have to convert that shradha into veerya. Develop that energy. Yes, I am going through depression but I am not the depression. Let the depression stay with me for some time. I am staying in this body but I am not this body. Develop the strength to detach from this body. Detach from that which is impermanent, that which is constantly going through change, decay and death. That is veerya.

One has to convert shradha into veerya, the vital energy. After converting that energy, what I have to do? I have to make shradha and veerya enter the third level of Smiriti. Smirti means Knowledge. Swami Vivekananda makes it very clear that you are potentially divine. Your very nature is the nature of divinity. Never call yourself a sinner. You are a spark of that cosmic intelligence. That is smiriti, knowledge. 

One meaning of smiriti is knowledge. Another meaning is remembering. Remember the knowledge about yourself. Who are you? You are the spark of divinity. Remember it again and again. So shradha is charged with veerya and brightened with smiriti. Then you can enter Samadhi, the state of equilibrium. Then you realize that there is an outer city and an inner city and that you are the dweller of both but you belong to neither. You are free. You can travel. That is the state of Samadhi. 

So, to have Samadhi prajna, the knowledge, the experience, the awareness of Samadhi, where you have to start? You have to start with shraddha. How do you begin? Trust yourself. Then trust your Guru. Then trust your sadhana although all unwanted negative forces will attack you. 

Swami Vivekananda says – when you travel on this path of shraddha, veerya, smiriti, you have to go through three phases. The first phase is haasya. People will make fun of you. If I feel like having some pani-puri, they will say – Oh, so you are a yogi? A yogi needs pani puri? Face them. Accept them. When you are taunted, reply in the same tone of haasya. Then slowly the inner consciousness starts evolving. Then comes the second stage Virodha. The same people will start opposing your stance – Don’t do this in this house. You have to do this. You have to do that. Accept all the opposition. Don’t fight with anybody. Why do you fight? Don’t argue. The moment you get into the argument, then you are going to suffer. If you argue while you are going through lot of internal turmoil’s, conflicts and confusions, you will not be able to convince anybody. So, during the second part of sadhana, don’t argue with anybody. Convert the negativity into a positive fragrance and give this in return. 

Then comes the third stage of svekaara. The same people who laughed at you, the same people who threw stones, will do pranams to you. In my own life, I have experienced this but I had to pay heavily. Those who taught me became my students but only after I did tapas for 10 years continuously and silently. Understand one thing. Inner sadhana is not a revolution but an evolution. Revolution requires force, vengeance. Evolution requires love, humility and a great feeling of universal love. The consciousness has to evolve. This is an evolutionary process where the bud flowers. We have to allow time for the bud to flower. It will not flower in one day. It takes time. It has to receive proteins, vitamins and the necessary energy for all petals to open out. You have to have a great patience. You have to create an environment for the petals to bloom silently. This is Sadhana. 

If you protect the dharma, the dharma is going to protect you. What does this mean? Not external dharma – fighting with each other, insulting each other; that is not dharma. Your inner consciousness has to open out, has to flower, and has to become matured petals, opened out petals and start giving the fragrance of joy and bliss to humanity. 

May you succeed in your Sadhana
Sri Pattabhiram

Guruji’s forthcoming programmes at Canada & USA

Canada:

  • August 3 - 4:           Toronto
  • August 5 - 7:           Ottawa
  • August 8 - 11:         Toronto
  • August 13 - 19:       Calgary
  • August 20 - 21:       Edmonton
  • August 23 - 28:       London
  • August 20 - Sep.1:  Toronto

USA:

  • September 4 - 8:             Detroit
  • September 10:                Chicago
  • September 11:                Milwaukee
  • September 13 - 21:         Minneapolis
  • September 23 - Oct.13:   New Jersey
  • October 15 - 21:             Pittsburg
  • October 22 - 27:             Dallas
  • October 29 - 30:             Amarillo
  • November 1 - 5:             Jacksonville
For any program details contact at Email:yogicscience@gmail.com

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