Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 30

God Must be the Sole Aim of Every Observance

Take up an observance which will lead you to God the Eternal, and keep it with all your heart and soul. Keep the body busy with your duty, and the mind riveted to Him; that is the true way to propitiate Him, and achieve freedom from the painful cycle of life and death. Be ever contented, and never for a moment lose awareness of Him; be sure that this will bring His blessings on you. Keep the divine name ever on your tongue, and awareness of Him ever in mind; let your conduct never swerve from what is right and clean, and maintain purity in thought and feeling. Rest assured that if you do this much, Rama will bless you; experience this for yourself.
Never fail to feed a visitor, never turn away anyone in need of food. If you learn always to ascribe all doership to Rama, you will never be found wanting in any respect. One who believes that everything happens by His will, that He is the ultimate source of everything, there is nothing that you need to be afraid of. True, unperturbable contentment will be yours if you see Rama and His hand in everything.
To everything that happens to you or to the world, be an impartial, unconcerned, dispassionate witness. Entertain nothing but God in your heart of hearts.
The shastras say clearly that all physical happenings are but the result of past action, but man rarely credits this sincerely. Ceaelessly utter the Lord's Name, and fill your heart with love for Him to the exclusion of all other thought. Maintain this with a determination; God will certainly back you up in this resolve. Never for a moment be without nama, I urge you with all sincerity.
It is the 'body-am-I' feeling that is the source of all mental agony. The only way to purge the mind of this feeling is to resort to nama-smarana with sincere love. Nama-smarana will undoubtedly lead you to Rama provided you are absolutely sincere about it. Give up all thought of self, and give yourself up to the Cosmic Soul. One who is absorbed in the holy name will lose all awareness of pleasure and pain, and will forever live in joy.

Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan JUne 29

Celebrating a Saint's Anniversary

The spirit of a saint is particularly active, beneficent, on the day of his anniversary. The devout vow you make on such a day receives his special grace and support. Determine on the anniversary to live in the divine name.
I wish to be ever in the company of everyone who comes here to me, but you virtually shut me out of your heart by living in mundane interests. Keep uttering nama assiduously, persistently, to keep mundane interests away. Bad times loom ahead threateningly; you will ward off their evil influence if you keep faith in nama. If anyone, no matter how great or learned he is, tells you anything against nama, believe him not, and never leave off chanting nama. Just as a thing tied firmly to a deeply-anchored post will resist being washed away by a torrent, if you hold firmly on to nama, you will successfully resist the onslaught of the bad times.
As Shree Samartha says, the form is identical, co- existent, with nama; so you will undoubtedly perceive the form if you persist in nama. We have to realize the Lord in our own heart; it is in our own interest that we gradually realize Him there through persistent nama-smarana. Only thereby shall we perceive Him truly and permanently. There are those who show or perform miracles; one may see some divine aura, or a vision; even if true, such experiences are only occasional and short-lived. If a lanky person, desiring to look normally fat, prays for swelling over the body, it would be evidently foolish. If, on the other hand, he takes proper medicine, he may not look fat but will at least become tough. The 'spiritual experiences,' visions, and similar things may not be permanent. So, on a saint's anniversary, we should pray for his blessings and help in sterling spiritual progress, not for temporary or elusive 'experiences'. Constant nama-smarana will definitely give love for God.
Religious festivals, holy days, saint's anniversaries --- all remind us of our spiritual duty in the midst of the multifarious claims of prapancha. To do nama-smarana in all these various distractions does need a resolute heart. Nama is backed by God Himself, and includes company of the good. So resolve right now to chant nama continuously without expectation of reward.

Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 28

Paramartha is a Practice-oriented Discipline

A highly learned man once went to the palace of King Janaka, and sent in word of his arrival, expecting the king to order that he be immediately ushered in, and to shower honours on him. The saintly king divined that the guest was filled with pride, and so sent a reply that he come alone, meaning minus the pride. So we, too, should set aside our ego and sense of self-importance when we go to see Rama, or the sadguru. So long as I recollect who I am, duality evidently exists. We should not approach God in order that our ego or self-pride may be pampered. Even at the shadow of a desire that evil come to another person, take it as a sure sign that pride is lurking, nay, growing in the heart.
You should love God as much as, if not more than, your wife and children. Desire nothing but what God wills; that is the key to success in paramartha. Merge your desire into that of the Lord, and live contentedly and happily.
Duty done with complete selflessness is its own reward. A mortgagee is not entitled to put a mortgaged article to use; treat your wife, children, everything you have, as a mortgage to you by God; do your duty in everything, but keep off the idea that they belong to you. Protect them dutifully, but be unconcerned, detached, about them in your heart of hearts. It is, indeed, a crime to feel attachment or proprietorship for them and to feel pleasure or pain on their account.
A person who has turned to God must show an appropriate change in his attitude and behaviour. One should abide by certain moral standards, either out of understanding or by implicit faith. One should be firm on one's belief, free from confusion. The mind should be adequately determined, fortified. Just as a white garment is easily soiled, so are good deeds more prone to meet with opposition; we should resolve to disregard them. When thought and action are in consonance, words will automatically conform to them.
The more a man's learnedness, the weaker his faith. Read but little, ponder deeply over it, and act up to it. Paramartha is entirely a practice-oriented discipline; its goal is acquisition of unshakable contentment and joy. Joy comes to your life when you do your duty in the remembrance of God.

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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 27

HOW TO ACHIEVE IMPERISHABLE HAPPINESS

One who delivers moving and convincing sermons, or carries out religious rituals meticulously, may yet fail to realize for himself unalloyed, imperturbable contentment; he continues to suffer from one dissatisfaction or another. The reason is that his goal is not clear to him. People often observe moral rules for fear of popular disapproval rather than for personal thought or conviction. Anything done merely for social regard will fail to give genuine, lasting contentment. Nor, on the other hand, does contentment come to one who disregards the moral code and behaves contrary to public regard, for his own conscience constantly pricks him.
A man once bitterly complained that God is very unjust. "Why do you say so?" I asked. He answered, "I conducted myself righteously, morally correctly; and yet could afford only a humble house; whereas that mere assistant of mine amassed wealth by dishonesty enough to build a three-storeyed house right opposite mine!" "Why did you not do likewise?" I asked again. He replied, "What would people say about me?" Something done like this merely to avoid public comment and censure will never give genuine contentment. We observe morals for fear of social disapproval, and perform religious rites to earn happiness which rests only in God. An action, however good, but done without genuine devotion to the Eternal God, is bound to fail in yielding real contentment; nor, conversely, can the edifice of paramartha stand without the foundation of moral behaviour.
Paramartha is, as a matter of fact, very simple and straightforward; it is the professional philosophers, the argumentative erudites, who make or represent it as highly intricate. It can be easily attained with the help of one of three things; one, actual company of a living saint; two, keeping in touch with the saint's writings, and acting on them; and three, constant repetition of the divine name, for such repetition will keep us in the company of God, ceaselessly aware of Him. To follow a Saint's behests faithfully, doubtlessly, is the first step, and to persist in them with determination, faith, and love constitutes the last. This, indeed, is the easy way to unperishing contentment.


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Sri Brahmachachaitanya Pravachan June 26

Discover and Enjoy the Unity in Diversity

We carefully water, manure, and take other care of a plant that we particularly wish to grow. Conversely, we disregard the plant about which we care little. Similarly, we should carefully nurture the precious plant of firm faith in God, ignoring the mortal body and thoughts pertaining to worldly matters. We put a guard round a tree to protect it from cattle; our efforts for attaining God should similarly be protected from being noticed, lest they be affected by an evil eye. Our search for God should be sincere but unseen as far as possible. A seed we have planted is not to be dug up every day to see how much it has grown; similarly, hanker not after mystic 'experience' or 'realization;' it will only hamper and retard your progress.
In a way I do not dislike stubborn people and even addicts, for if their stubbornness and addiction are turned towards God, such persons undertake this pursuit also with vigour and determination. In our spiritual effort, we may make only a small rule, but it should relate to the Eternal, and be kept up sedulously. It should be maintained with the care with which we seek to protect our very life.
Dhyana, or concentrated meditation, is fit only for persons of a high order of capacity. In such meditation, the person becomes oblivious of the world and of one's own existence, of time and space. One may remain in that state not only for days but even for years, and yet his physical body may remain entirely unaffected.
For the common man, however, repeating the Lord's Name is the most convenient and fruitful sadhana; food is the best gift we can give; and of all upasanas, saguna upasana, the worship of God considered as having attributes, the best. These three eventually lead to oblivion of the physical body and the mind. So pursue these three means assiduously.
It is the natural tendency of life to go on expanding its field of activity, and then discover the unity that underlies the apparent diversity. Take the common bee-hive. The bees collect nectar from diverse flowers and convert it into what we call honey. So, too, we should see the unity in the multiplicity of life, the one God who pervades everything. One should treat everything and everyone as a manifestation of the one all-pervading God, and realize that the same God animates us too.
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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 25

Paramartha is Not in Conflict with Prapancha

Good books are those that inspire the reader with love for God and wean him away from the mundane. Good books induce us to eschew immoral behaviour and to walk in God's way. It is most important to read such books and meditate on them, act upon them. This gradually creates a liking, fondness, love for God. Of the different means advocated by Shree Samartha for the attainment of God, reading of such books is one.
Reading, however, is not merely browsing through idly, purposelessly, but making an earnest effort to understand and assimilate. One must make a serious effort to put into practice what one understands and agrees with. Mere voluminous or voracious reading without appropriate action to follow is futile. Not casual reading but rumination is required.
The pathway to God is straightforward; the way in prapancha is strewn with thorns and boulders. Prapancha should be treated as necessary for practice only and training in paramartha. On the contrary, we put them the other way round, and the hedge has overgrown the field instead of protecting it. The sooner we realize our folly the better.
One who carries on prapancha with an eye on the correct goal will undoubtedly attain to God, just as sugar moulded into the shape of even a bitter-tasting fruit will ever taste sweet. Similarly, even if we go through prapancha it will achieve paramartha provided we keep God as the target. Paramartha is definitely possible because that is what we are born for, and it is in our own interest that we never lose sight of this lodestar.
Just as the mouth is the venue for feeding ourselves, moral conduct is sine qua non for Paramartha. It is, in fact, the very foundation. It is true that mere morality is not paramartha; but evidently no edifice can stand without a proper foundation, and there can be no paramartha without the firm base of moral conduct.
We should think of paramartha with the same sincere care and affection with which we look upon our own child, and treat prapancha with the affection that we bestow casually and outwardly on another's child. Paramartha, in the ultimate analysis, is nothing else but going merrily through prapancha remembering God.

Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 24

Knowledge is a Two-edged Sword

He is a true writer who writes with a burning sincerity for the well-being of mankind; he is a true preacher who preaches only after acting up to what he preaches; and he alone can be called a real listener who puts into practice what has been preached. Means of disseminating knowledge have become proliferous nowadays, and these are often misused to spread knowledge which is untrue, unwholesome, demoralizing, or otherwise undesirable.
Knowledge is a two-edged instrument which can be used or misused; it is upto the nature and object of the person who wields it. Knowledge which respects social and personal morality and religious principles is beneficial to mankind. It is, by its very nature, sacred, and beneficial to man if founded on the abiding principles of morality and religion. Such knowledge is desirable and beneficial as augments mutual regard and goodwill between the rich and the poor, the learned and the unlettered, the young and the old, men and women. Such knowledge alone deserves to be spread. One should not disseminate knowledge which is likely to cause or augment hatred or disaffection between peoples and individuals, or spread disregard for moral discipline. They are not true scientists and technologists who bring forward inventions which only breed greed and selfishness, for they pave the way to the disintegration and destruction of humanity. Knowledge which does not impart and increase contentment is pseudo-knowledge. Only that knowledge deserves the name which enables us to understand the real nature of the universe.
Since I call this 'my' body, the real 'I' is evidently not identical with it, is different from it. A prapanchi person is one who knows only the tangible world, while a philosopher is one who understands the true nature of the world, the mystery of it. Happiness comes only from the knowledge of the subtle. The Cosmic Soul is like an ocean, whereas an individual is in every way no more than a drop in it. True philosophy is to realize the identity between the two. The importance, the greatness, the limitlessness, the prowess of nama cannot be understood by dint of study, but only through the grace of a saint. It is the greatest good fortune to have complete faith in nama. We should beware of this faith being shaken. True, firm contentment can only be achieved by ceaseless repetition of the divine name with full, unshakable faith in the word of a saint.
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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 23

Always Act with a Clean, Selfless Aim

Everyone of your actions should be motivated with a pure, selfless objective. A pure motive naturally results in clean action and is a step forward in progress. The object is like the spring that feeds a well; if it is a spring of clean water, the well will also yield sweet, drinkable water. We should therefore take care to keep the objective pure, and pray Rama for it.
If a person has enough to house, feed, and clothe himself, he should live in contentment and in nama. All that we should pray Rama for is to save us from indigence. On the occasion of a holy conjunction of the planets, God grants our wish whether holy or otherwise. We should beware of unholy incantations, and only wish for holy things and arousal of benevolent emotions. We should pray God and say, "Do as Thou wilt, O Lord, but grant that I never forget Thee. Forgive me for evil and sins I may have committed knowingly or unknowingly; never more shall I misbehave." God is bountiful and ever forgiving if we genuinely yearn to reform ourselves.
Those who indulge in the filth of material pleasures can never realize the sweetness that paramartha is. Insects wallowing in the gutters will never sicken of filth. Worldly-minded people, steeped in worldly pleasures, sling slander on the saintly, believing that they alone are wise and all-knowing. They overlook the fact that this wide world holds thousands who are more learned or wealthy or capable. Many of them do not realize the pangs of penitence that await them when the elation of worldly pleasures wears off.
Few indeed are those who live in the faith that God is omnipresent. The execution of prapancha involves effort and pain, whereas the experience of God is all Pleasureful. A fevered person hankers for a sweat; but mere hankering does not help; proper medication is required. Similarly, one who desires to have real devotion for God needs to resort to the divine name. This devotion, once acquired, will never cease.
Gold occurs in minute particles in pieces of rock in a gold-mine; so does God exist in us. Just as gold is recovered from the ore by removing the dross, so do we attain God when we cleanse the heart of all desire. God manifests Himself when the 'body-am-I' conviction is completely subdued.


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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 22

Happiness Lies in Detachment

We feel disappointed, miserable, when we fail to obtain what we desire. The best, the only remedy is, therefore, to renounce all desire. Be contented with what He is pleased to grant you, desiring no more, nothing else. This, in truth, is true renunciation, vairagya. As it is, we are sinking in the quagmire of mundane desires; to desire more of them is to hasten the sinking. What else can we conclude from this except that true and permanent happiness lies in abandoning desire, not in indulging it?
Why do certain things make us restless? Because we treat them as real. We should go about in life treating it as an actor treats his part in a play. True happiness is to be found only in what is real and lasting, not in what is unreal or transitory. Experience of mundane pleasures indulged in so far clearly indicates that they do not yield contentment; does it not mean that the pleasures they are supposed to yield are but hollow, illusory? And yet you continue to ask me what will make you happier in mundane life! How can you extract happiness from what is basically devoid of it?
Two little girls were playing at house-keeping. One, the daughter of a poor family, made simple bread and ate it with simple mango jam; the other, who belonged to a rich family, made cakes and sweets; but everything being only make-believe, which of the two could satisfy real hunger? Evidently, neither. So it is with prapancha. A wife and children are not indispensable for prapancha; anyone who seeks pleasure from anything tangible indulges in prapancha. So even an unmarried, single person lives in prapancha. In short, prapancha involves more than one; now, since each one has his own individuality and idiosyncrasies, how can they all meet the pleasures, whims, and fancies of any single person?
Prapancha needs a multiplicity of things; there can never be enough of them, for everything has in it the germ of the need for something else. God, on the other hand, is unique and complete, and independent of anything else. Attainment of God is, therefore, the fruition, the fulfilment, of all desire.
To feel that one is happy because of a certain thing, situation, or person, is futile, unreal. True happiness is independent of cause.

Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 21

Faith is the Foundation for Paramartha

Just as money is a basic requirement for prapancha, faith is a basic need for success in paramartha. Prahlad believed God to be present everywhere, so He manifested Himself even in a wooden post. Saint Namadeo's faith made even the stone idol of Shri Vitthal eat the food offering that he had brought. For success in paramartha we must also have the same genuine, unflinching faith in God. We say only verbally that God is omnipresent and omniscient; if we genuinely believed this, could we ever dare to commit sinful acts, or even to entertain immoral thoughts? It clearly means that we pay only lip service to Him, and our faith is not firm and genuine. We claim to be believers in God, and feel we need Him, but He is not considered indispensable. Prapancha we must have, while God we would like to have; the former is a necessity, the latter is a desirable superfluity. This, really, should be the other way about. We should feel that God we must have, prapancha we may or may not. We should have a liking for the duties of prapancha, not for prapancha itself; the body may be kept engaged in these duties, but the heart should be kept riveted on God.
We can control passions if we desist from doing anything that bites the conscience. We should do only such things as will not shame us in the eyes of God.
Those who have a lot of worldly business, toil, and turmoil to face, complain about it; but, then, those who are free from these are found equally complaining and unhappy. Wherein does happiness lie? Does money give it? Making money is not easy; and after all, money cannot last forever. The same is the case with all worldly things. And do we ever come across a person who has all kinds of happiness all the time? Everyone has one complaint or another, one deficiency or another. Everyone hopes to be happier tomorrow; this hope is never fulfilled, and the complaining never ends. And thus goes on the endless cycle of hope and frustration; for all things in the world are imperfect and perishable, and therefore, result in misery or unhappiness. It is in this sense that prapancha is illusory. One who thinks on this experience and remains unattached to prapancha can alone be happy; one who disregards this experience remains unhappy.

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Sri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj's pravachan June 20

Worry is Harmful to Paramartha

He is a good son who never blames or despises his parents for their defects and shortcomings, but who keeps them contented and pleased. In all actions his main aim is to secure their satisfaction. A mother has the most tender feeling for her child. Her heart grieves if the child is in grief, and buoyantly responds to its joy. So the child should ever be cheerful, free from sentimental upsets. The child should not get irritated if a parent happens to say harsh words or unpleasant things; it should itself, however, always speak pleasantly, pleasingly. It is necessary for everyone to work and earn his livelihood. One may even amass wealth, but should not be under the illusion that it is the wealth that is the means for all happiness. One should always avoid ill-considered acts or speech which may lead to loss in worldly life.
Give food to all who come to you, turn no one back empty-handed. Never feel frustrated or disappointed; never give up hope. Pay due regard to necessities of practical life, but never lose sight of the goal of human life, namely, the attainment of God. Remember that one who does not face practical life courageously cannot achieve much in paramartha either.
Worry about family life acts against paramartha like white ants. One who trusts in the Lord need have not an iota of anxiety. One who lives in God does not even think of pain, misery, or worry. One who realises that his true self is identical with the Brahman will cease to entertain worry. Trust in Rama as your protector and saviour, and say 'good-bye' to worry. One who attributes all doership to Rama worries not about sin and merit. Assuming oneself to be the doer is the basic cause of anxiety. Where is the anxiety for one who dedicates himself body and soul and assigns all doership to Rama?
What is past is, after all, past; what the future holds we do not know, nor can it be evaded; it is, therefore, improper to indulge in futile worry. Whatever I think belongs to me is really that of Rama and should, therefore, be consigned to His care, and the mind thus freed from worry. Rather than worry about the children, the family, etc., we should aim at doing what Rama will like.

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Sri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj's Pravachan June 19

The Feeling of Self-importance is Ruinous

On analyzing the causes of people's difficulties, one is driven to the conclusion that they spring basically from bodily pain or illness, and insufficiency of money. Help in these two respects would, apparently make most people happier, and so my mind started to ponder on the idea.
Considering first the item of money, I noted that being myself penniless, and devoid of a desire to earn or own money, I must first create such urge in myself, then acquire and conserve money, and thereafter spend it in the service of the needy. This, however, is not so easy as it appears; for who can guarantee that the basic desire to earn and conserve money will not dominate my heart and dissuade it from giving it away? That will amount to polluting the mind with greed from which, fortunately, it is free today, and the remedy will thus be worse than the disease. I shall, in that event, not only be unable to assist others, but also be losing the present purity of heart from base desires and tendencies.
The other item is pain of the body. One who has utterly rid himself of the 'body-am-I' feeling cannot adequately appreciate an other's body-pain. Consequently, I shall have to recreate in myself the 'body-am-I' feeling. Even if that is done, and the other's bodily ailment is cured, is there any guarantee that the trouble will never recur, or that another ailment will not arise? Today's colic may be stopped, but there are hundreds of disorders that may crop up at a later time. Thus, there is no permanent immunity from all types of human misery, and on the other hand, the curer himself may have to suffer spiritual degradation. I therefore think it best to pray to Rama to favour me by protecting me from both the desire and the power to bring about such things.
There are two principal causes that destroy the innocence of childhood: money, and worldly knowledge. Both these create a sense of self-importance, and this sense is harmful for the spiritual pursuit. The feeling "I belong to so-and-so" is greatly helpful, for then we tend to ascribe all doership and greatness and goodness to the Master, instead of taking credit ourselves and unknowingly pampering the feeling of self-importance.

Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 18

Secrecy is Necessary in the Spiritual Path

It is extremely difficult to escape from the clutches of desire, as it is the very cause of birth. Overcoming desire calls for complete effacement of the consciousness of being a separate entity, utter annihilation of the ego. Desire and its consequences can be conquered only by being constantly in the company of God, for He is the very antithesis of desire. Prapancha in itself is neither good nor bad. Paramartha consists in withdrawing all desire from prapancha, all attachment for it. Prapancha needs publicity or show of one kind or another; a woman, for instance, would think nothing of ornaments or fine clothes if prevented from showing them off. On the other hand, it is best to preserve paramartha unnoticed by others, for it is very prone to be affected by the evil eye, not only of some other person, but even of oneself. This can be achieved by taking care to see that it is unnoticed by others, and in the conviction that the sadhana is being performed by the grace of God or the guru. One should outwardly appear to be a common, worldly person; inwardly, however, one should devote oneself completely to God; it is really an art to play this double role.
A sick man has only to lie in bed patiently, and to accept passively, coop era tingly, the nursing tendered by others. The medication, however, must be taken by the patient himself. Even a prince will not get cured by relegating this task to a proxy. So, too, in the spiritual quest, one must oneself remember to have a constant awareness of God.
Do not follow an untried, unknown person, an impostor, a charlatan. First understand clearly and correctly what paramartha is, and then follow the path diligently. Beware of being misguided, for to be misled is as much disastrous as misleading others. Remember that prapancha carried out in constant awareness of God becomes paramartha. Conversely, even paramartha pursued with self-conceit is as harmful as mere prapancha.
Every day we read and hear of outrages, crimes, immoral behaviour, and discontentment in the world. All these can be traced to the spurt in greed for money and power. Generally, to those with whom God is pleased, He gives just about enough for livelihood, while He tests others by giving much more money than their needs call for.

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Shri Govind Sitaram Gokhale

Shri Govind Sitaram Gokhale

Our humble salutations to Shri G.S.Gokhale who left his mortal body on 12th June 2013.
He collected the Pravachans of Shri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj in Marathi and presented them to the world for the benefit of all devotees. He presented it in Marathi. But, his work is translated into English,Kannada, Telugu,Gujarathi etc. In his Preface to the Discourses (Pravachans), he states "I pray very humbly at the feet of Shri Maharaj that whatever strength, blessings, and grace, he showered on me during the compilation of these Discourses, may continue till my last breath. Let Nama be on my lips continuously till the end of my life. I earnestly and sincerely hoope that those who read these discourses would feel attached to the chanting of nama and thereby obtain peace of mind in worldlly life".

Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 17

Pursue Spirituality amid the Bustle of Worldly Life

Some people behave deceitfully, and justify it as a pragmatic necessity. Such unprincipled behaviour cannot be accepted as proper, nor will it give ultimate satisfaction. It will not contribute to spiritual advancement. Renouncing pracical life and becoming a recluse with the object of repudiating liabilities cannot be treated as spiritually prompted renunciation. The shackles of attachment are not forcibly severed but should genuinely and naturally drop off.
Suppose a person disgusted with the trials and travails of family life retires to the forest. Even there, he builds a hut for shelter from the elements; collects faggots to build a fire against cold; clears the land to keep out reptiles, etc. And on top of this, he worries about all these when he goes to beg alms. What is all this but a variant of the house and family life that he sought to escape from? The real trouble is not with the kind of things or life but with the attachment we bear for them. They cease to be harmful or painful the moment we stop feeling concern for them. Unconcern takes off the sting.
It is incorrect and unwise to defer paramartha to old age and the period of retirement. It is to be pursued while one is still active in the bustle of life. In the tumult, we have to be vigilantly aware of the ultimate goal of human life, namely, the attainment of God. Keep the mind fixed on the goal even as you go through life's turmoils. When sensuous pleasures and subjects distract you from thoughts of God, be alert and bring the mind back to Him. Surrender yourself to Him with the fervour of one yielding to a sensuous attraction. Disabuse the mind of prepossessions and prejudices, and judge impartially the degree of your surrender to sensuous pleasures and thoughts. Do we not bow to the orders, even the whims, of the employer or the superior? What we do to earn livelihood, should we hesitate to do to attain the divine, the overlord of the universe? It is easier by far, for it costs no money, needs no article or thing; we can mentally submit to Him the moment we feel like doing so. One who thinks 'I belong to Rama,' 'Everything that happens is by Rama's will,' will find himself always and automatically vigilant about allegiance to God and of worldly temptations.


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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 16

Paramartha Does Need Discerning Faith

Since we are born as humans, it becomes our natural goal to attain God. We have so long been through a cycle of births in various forms, and by the grace of God we have come to the human form which alone enables one to attain God. The saints wake us to our heritage and potentiality, but in supreme disregard we pull the covers over our heads and refuse to be made alive to the reality and our true and lasting interest. One who is really asleep can be awakened, but what can be done to a person who is purposely feigning sleep? Even those who undertake the long journey to Varanasi for a purifying dip in the holy Ganga do not believe themselves to be genuinely absolved of sin. Thus their faith in the pilgrimage and its efficacy is clouded by lukewarm feeling, whereas even an unlearned rustic with sincere, undoubted faith may derive true benefit. We overlook the fact that even in everyday life we go about with trust in persons even previously unknown, persons whose credibility is unknown or even doubtful. We start from home with a certain calculation of time, despite the experience that quite often we fail to make it. We reserve a sleeping berth on a train and travel confidently at night despite the knowledge that the driver of the train is, like any other human, far from being infallible, and that train accidents do take place now and then. On what ground can we refuse to trust God at least to the degree to which we trust the engine-driver who is absolutely an ordinary mortal quite liable to err?
Paramartha should be undertaken either with perfect understanding, or with the utter, undoubted faith of an ignorant person. We, however, go about with only half-knowledge 'or a conceit of knowledge; such persons are merely doubting Thomases, hard to convince and satisfy. He is a real ignoramus who does not put into practice what he is convinced of; truly wise are those who learn from experience and change themselves accordingly. Paramartha certainly demands faith, complete faith, but not 'blind' faith, nor superstition.
Our true Self is distinct from both the body and the mind and transcends them both; we should therefore practise and learn to live independently of both; this is easily and definitely achieved by no other means but nama.

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Sri Brahmachaitanya Sri Rama Mandir. 64th

                                                        Sri Rama Samartha
                                                        centenary celebrations
64th anniversary of Sri Brahmachitanya Sri Rama Mandir was celebrated for 3 days from 11/6/13 to 13/6/13,. with Great devotion . Large number of devotees participated.
One special feature is : This is the centenary year for the Aradhana of Sri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj. This is also the centenary year for the event of Sri G.Venkannaiah ( Founder of Chintamani Mandir) coming into the fold of Sri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj. It was in 1913, Sri Maharaj suddenly appeared before Sri G.Venkannaiah, in the afternoon at Malligere (Chikkanayakana halli Taluk, Tumkur Dist) and asked him to go to Gondavale (Gondavalyave). Sri  Venkannaiah went to Gondavale and was initiated by     Shri Maharaj with Rama nam. But, about a month after  returning from Gondavale, he received a telegram containing the sad news that Shri Maharaj left his mortal body.

  ( An artist's conception of Sadguru Brahmachaitanya Maharaj appearing before Sri G. Venkannaiah. Artist: G.S..Surya Prakash)


A detailed account of the divine event of how Chintamani Sri Brahmachaitanya Sri Rama Mandir came into existence follows:

                     :

Poojya Venkannaiah , was a Sub-Overseer in the Public Works Department of  Mysore State. In the year 1913, he was working in Chikkanaayakana halli Taluk. He had a task of supervising a tank construction in Malligere, a village near Chikkanaayakana halli. Every day, he used to go to the place of work in the morning and return to his home at Chikkanaayakana halli, in the evening.

From young age, Sri Venkannaiah was spiritually inclined and desired the Grace of a Sadguru. In his leisure time, he was always chanting Ram-nam, silently.

One day, after lunch, he was sitting  under a tree waiting for labourers  to return for work.. He was meditating on Sri Ram with closed eyes. Suddenly he heard a big voice “MAHA PURUSH! MAHA PURUSH!”. He opened his eyes and saw in front of him a saint dressed in Kapini and Kulavi. He had two disciples, one on each side. Sri Venkannaiah  prostrated before  the saint. He heard  a voice, “Gondavalyave”. When he got up after bowing, the saints had vanished.

Sri Venkannaiah did not know what was meant by “Gondavalyave”. He noted it down in his diary. In the evening, he returned to Chikkanayakanahalli.

When he narrated about this incident to his friends, one of them whose mother tongue was Marathi   said, it was “come to Gondavale”. But none of them knew where was Gondavale,

A few days later, Sri Venkannaiah dreamt of a Sri Vaishnava reading Bhagavadgita. Another Vaishnava pointed towards the one who was reading Gita and told, “Go to him, Your work will be done”

Sri Venkannaiah , thinking about this dream, went for his usual morning  walk. While returning, he was surprised to see the very person who was reading “Gita” in his dream coming in front of him. After he introduced himself, the SriVaishnava took him to his house which was nearby. His name was Sri Rangachar. It seems he was a Yogi. After listening to Sri G.Venkannaiah about the recent happenings, he sat in his pooja room for an hour on meditation. He told Sri Venkannaiah that on the rail route to Poona from Bengalooru, there is a station called Koregaon. From Koregaon, one has to go by bus or a cart to Gondavale, which is not far. He said , “ there is a saint called Sri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj in the Rama Mandir there.  It is he who has called you to Gondavale. “

Sri Venkannaiah went to Gondavale accompanied by Sri Rangachar. On the day, they reached Gondavale Sri Maharaj had cancelled an earlier schedule to go to some other place, stating that two devotees from a far off place were coming that day.

The devotees were received with warmth and were provided a room to stay.

After the dinner at night, Shri Rangachar who was in charge of the key of their room, found that the key was missing. They searched for the key in vain. One of the devotees told Sri Maharaj, who was sitting surrounded by several devotees, about the loss of the key. Sri Maharaj asked them to look in to the plate in which Sri Rangachar took food.  The devotees were perplexed. All the plates were washed and neatly stacked. But, as it was the order of Sri Maharaj, they removed the stacked plates, and were surprised to find the key in one of the plates.

In the morning, after taking bath in Managanga river, Sri Venkannaiah went to Sri Maharaj who was sitting surrounded by many devotees.  Sri Maharaj noticing Sri Venkannaiah standing behind the crowd, called him forward and made him sit on his lap, initiated him with Taraka Naam. Sri Rangachar was also initiated. Sri Maharaj  asked Venkannaiah to do 4 things:

1)             Do Namasmarana without break.

2)             Spread or propagate Rama naama

3)             Construct a small Mandir (of Sri Ram)

4)             Carry on Upasana

About a month after his return, he received a telegram from Gondavale about Sri Maharaj leaving his mortal body .He attended the last days of the funeral at Gondavale.

Soon, he was transferred to Mysore District.

He continued with his upasana at home, and visited Gondavale frequently. Having a transferrable job, he had to work and stay at different places. At all the places he toured during his work, He made many  friends who became devotees of Sri Maharaj.

However, his desire to construct a Mandir for Sri Ram came into effect only after his voluntary retirement from service.

In Chinamani, which is near his native place, Ganjur, he procured a site for the Mandir, and a foundation stone was laid in 1939. A small garbhagudi was built and poojas were carried out with Sri Guru Padukas and Photos. Anusthan was carried on. The marble idols of Sri Ram, Sita, Lakshman, Maruthi and Sri Brahmachaitanya Maharaj were installed by Poojya Tatya Saheb Ramachandra Ketkar Maharaj and Poojya Kundagol Narayanappa Maharaj on 13^th June 1949.

Since then Rama namasmaran and Annadaan are being carried on by the Grace of Sri Maharaj.

Sri Ketkar Maharaj suggested ‘Ramadasi bhiksha’ for the maintenance of the Mandir. Sri B.S. Ramaseshaiah, who was a land –lord and a contractor, offered himself to do the bhiksha. He went round the town doing bhajan and collected rice for the Mandir on every Thursday. This service, he carried out up to his ripe old age of 90 years.

Sri Venkannaiah used to visit Benakanakere (Tumkur Dist),the parental village of his wife. Many of the relatives and friends of Benakanakere became devotees of Sri Maharaj. Many of their youngsters  shifted to Bangalore in search of work. They formed a Bhajana mandali there. And in due course a beautiful Sri Brahmachaitanya Sthira paduka Mandir  was established in Bangalore, by them.  Also, at Malligere, where Sri Maharaj revealed himself to Sri Venkannaiah, the locals have established a small sthoopa and installed  Stone padukas.

In memory of  the person who is Graced by Shri Maharaj for the propagation of Sri Ram-nam, and who dedicated himself following the instructions of his Sadguru, an idol of  Poojya Venkannaiah was installed in the dhyana Mandir (at the basement) on Thursday, 13-6-2013.

Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 15

'I Live in and for Nama alone'

A person may be a great scholar, able to deliver excellent sermons and profound discourses on the shastras, talk lucidly on the scriptures and mythology; he may be a good man, even a godly man, and yet he may not be acknowledged a saint if he does not live immersed in nama, or if one is unable to learn to love God in his company. Relatives of saints are not necessarily saints, just as a son may not take up his father's calling.
Even a saint should outwardly behave like a common man. To behave eccentrically is by no means the distinguishing feature of a saint. Complete freedom from fear is the prime quality of a saint. What, indeed, can create fear in one who sees God everywhere and in everything? Being without a trace of fear, he is left undisturbed even by normally lethal creatures such as snakes, wolves, tigers, and lions. Even wild man-eating animals will not dare to meet a fearless gaze; besides, the purity of the saint's heart also has a disarming effect.
Association with a saint only comes from extraordinary good fortune. Generation of love for God or for His name is the true gain to be derived from such association. Unbroken association with a saint can only be obtained by ceaseless nama-smarana, for where there is nama, it is there that a saint likes to dwell. Shri Tukarama's prayer is: 'Grant, O Lord, that I may never forget You;' while Shri Ramadas prays for the favour that he may never have to live away from Him, to be ever associated with, attached to Him, and for the mind to be restored to awareness of Him whenever it happens to stray away from Him.
An order, however emphatically worded, remains ineffective unless signed by a competent authority; the signature imparts life to it. Nama plays the role of that signature with respect to any spiritual sadhana. The strength and vitality of nama have to be tried and experienced to be believed. It is nama and nama alone that I have been advocating all my life. Indeed, I came and lived for nama, I live in nama, I exist neither here nor there but only in nama. Whoever utters nama, there, about him I live and linger. That you should keep uttering nama is all that I exhort you to do, all that I expect from You.

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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 14

To Attain God is the Only Religion

Even extracanonical actions are permissible if they conduce to the attainment of God, which, after all, is the highest, the sole aim of human life, and true religion. No act performed with an egoistic attitude is acceptable to God. Benevolence, howsoever great, will yet do no real good if it stems from a desire for celebrity. This only pampers the ego, does not bring God any nearer. Actions prompted by real, selfless spirit of service, alone conform to true religion. Treat yourself solely as God's instrument, while He is the true doer. This, indeed, is true, utter surrender to Him.
Faith in God can be developed at any age and in any situation. True faith can face any challenge, and not yield to opposition. A person of true faith will never entertain worry or anxiety on any account. Anxiety vitiates the prospects of attaining the goal, and makes us forgetful of duty. Trust in God and do your best, and be content with the result. In worldly matters contentment comes from doing one's duty; in paramartha contentment is the reward of firm faith. Paramartha is achievable neither by hypocrisy nor by foolish simplicity. In financial matters, we should act with due regard to our capacity, taking care to see that we do not create debts. We should neither cheat others nor be a prey to others' deceit. One devoted to paramartha should carefully avoid hurting others.
One who is prepared to accept whatever situation comes will never feel the pinch of want. We should neither envy the rich nor scorn the poor. Remember that all are treated by God with justice, equality, and forgiveness. Justifiable distribution of wealth is that which ensures food and such basic necessities to all. If we recover or extort money from others without giving adequate return, such money is tainted with the desires of the owner. It is a funny thing that even one who carefully keeps his word in other matters does not exercise the same care in money matters. In the present state want of money and its profusion both cause us difficulty.
All that a sannyasin should seek to store is one day's provision. A householder should have enough to serve for three days, and should cease worrying. A person usually starts his life with the notion 'I am the doer,' while the first step in paramartha is the belief that Rama is the doer.

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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 13

Prapancha is the Ladder for Attaining Paramartha

Working many years in a subordinate position develops a slavish attitude of mind; this is undesirable. A person should live at least for some years as his own master. Even during his period of service or business, one should learn to live in consciousness of God so that, on retirement, he is able to occupy his spare time in such consciousness.
Everyone is in search of joy and contentment, all through life, and strives continuously for it; that is, everyone is after paramartha. Prapancha should be treated as instrumental for that purpose; pursued as an end in itself, it is incapable of yielding happiness. It is basically, essentially, the same all over, for the rich and the poor, for the superior and his subordinate, in this country and that; it is characterised by defectiveness, incompleteness, transiency. We should always bear in mind this characteristic of prapancha and not be led to envying another for having something that we do not possess; we should be content with what we have.
Position in the progress in paramartha cannot be granted by one person to another; it has to be attained by dint of one's own effort and action. The importance and need of paramartha is poignantly felt in times of pain, suffering, and misery, not while prapancha is apparently affluent and happy. This apparent happiness always culminates in unhappiness and misery.
When our sensual desires join hands with tempting circumstances, the desires become strong and we succumb to them. The desires gradually wane if we resolutely refuse to yield to them. The remedy to foil temptation is resorting fervently to nama-smarana. Those sensate pleasures which present themselves in the ordinary course should be accepted passively, without voluntary enthusiasm, only as a duty. This will weaken passions and render them harmless.
The clinical thermometer only indicates fever, but does not cure it. Similarly the shastras point out where we go wrong and how to correct ourselves; the action is entirely with us. Shree Samartha did meet Rama; why is it, then, that we do not? The plain answer is that we lack that staunchness of faith, and that persistence and regard for the devotional practices. Never forget that you belong to and live for Rama. He will certainly not expose you to want of life's necessities. If you repeat nama with firm faith, and forget yourself in it, you will live ever so joyfully.
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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 12

Paramartha is the True Goal of Human Life

The feeling of disunion with Brahman or the Ultimate Reality is the cause of pain, while happiness and bliss result from the realization of identity with Brahman. If we live in the conviction of this identity or unity, we shall always be in enduring bliss. The world appears manifold, but basically it is one and the same stuff. Paramartha, or the attempt to realize this fundamental unity, is uni-directional; and it is on this that we should focus our attention. To desist from mental involvement in life is paramartha. It calls for abandonment of all upadhi so that even 'I' or myself as a separate entity, has no existence. Prapancha, arising as it does from a feeling of duality or separateness, is bound to appear multitudinous.
Unless and until we recognize the true aim of human life, prapancha persists as our goal. As a matter of fact, man comprises not merely the body but also the mind, and therefore he must strive for both the physical and spiritual goals; but the real, ultimate goal of human life is realization of identity between all creation and the Cosmic Soul. So far as physical, worldly life is concerned, a sense of duality is essential for any sense of happiness. Consequently, in our transition from the present conviction of reality of material things to the realization of paramartha, the 'manasa-pooja' or mental worship pre-supposes the duality 'God' and 'I'; it is with this duality that we have to begin.
Until paramartha is assimilated in our flesh and blood, it is desirable to reinforce our sadhana with appropriate reading. We have to see what we must do to keep the mind fastened to God.
Prapancha carried out with only a material outlook fails to yield the expected fruit. The remedy advocated by saints is to supplement it by nama-smarana. We are, however, deterred from it by our pride and our 'wisdom'. Who creates this ego? Its small, almost imperceptible seed exists dormant in ourselves. It sprouts as desire for popular esteem. What the saints suggest for countering it is to be in nama-smarana, and simultaneously to suppress the urge for sensual pleasures. Reverses and obstacles in life should remind us that the aim of human life is to realize God, to take us closer to God. So, instead of getting scared by them, we should apply ourselves to nama more seriously.
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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 11

Pleasure and Pain are but Mental Reactions

A medicine will serve its purpose only if its effect reaches the affected part; similarly, if we want to remove unhappiness, we should trace its source. Any deficiency or shortcoming of prapancha causes unhappiness. We shall discover that unhappiness is the common result, whether a person is poor or rich. One person may have enough money, but may be unhappy for being childless, while another may have children and lack money. A third one has both, but is afflicted by persistent colic. And so on and so forth, ad infinitum. In short, we can find no one free from unhappiness. No matter how many things you bring in, there does remain or come about one deficiency or another.
A little thought shows us that our remedies for unhappiness are superficial or transient; we do not realize that it is the reactions of our mind that constitute the basis of our unhappiness. A man in deep sleep, while his house is being robbed, may continue sleeping merrily. He starts feeling upset only on waking and discovering the fact. What feels sorrow and happiness, therefore, is the mind. What needs treatment in life is thus the mind. It is the mind that the saints train to face calamities and reverses, with unflinching faith in God. On the other hand, we give free rein to our senses, and only subordinate value to spirituality.
The company we keep influences the mind and its reactions. Accustomed as we are to sensual pleasures, we naturally find enjoyment in such pleasures. As we sow, so must we reap.
It often happens that adversities and shocks in life prove conducive to driving a person towards, and to impart earnestness to, spiritual effort. Progress in spiritual effort, however, depends not on external factors such as wealth or poverty, health or sickness; it depends on peace of mind, purity of heart and of conduct. Convenience in life can be an impediment as much as difficulties. When we go out for some work, delay may be caused if we stop on the way watching a shop window, whether it displays dresses or books. Prapancha is neither favourable nor otherwise for spiritual progress; it affects us only because we approach it with mental attachment. Paramartha is nothing but cultivating detachment from it.

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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 10

Trust in God, the Sole Doer

It is not proper to feel or say, 'better had it been if a thing had happened in such and such a manner;' because whatever has happened has been willed by Rama and brought about by Him. The mind will certainly pick up courage in the faith that no one can go counter to His will. My very being is a matter of His will; what, then, of other things? Everyone's fortunes, good, bad, and indifferent, are controlled and directed by Him. Do not be puffed up by pride of doership; know that every happening is due to His will. Whatever takes place in the mundane or spiritual field is because He has willed it so. Let us, then, go down before Him in utter submission.
Understand that he becomes a favourite with God, whose heart is permeated by contentment; and contentment comes to him who places complete faith in Rama. Place yourself unreservedly at His disposal. Forget 'me and mine,' seek contentment in Him. Treat with scant attention the shortages and shortcomings of life and the circumstances and their changeability; preserve contentment through attacks of anxiety, ego, affection, undeserved trouble, deceit, disrespect, sharp talk, and such other things. Contentment is not like an article which somebody can hand over to you; it is a gift of God, unobtainable except through unreserved faith and surrender to Rama.
How can contentment be derived by feeding and nourishing sensualities and mundane desires? It just cannot be had so long as there is upadhi and an interest in and awareness of the tangible. It is not related or perceptible to the body, and can come only by completely belonging to God. Think of the Pandavas; they had to live in banishment in the forest, deprived of the amenities of civilized life, but happy in the company of Lord Krishna. We, too, can live contentedly if we commit ourselves completely to His care.
One should never say, 'I have done this,' 'I will do that,' especially with an emphasis on 'I'. One who says, 'I will strive by myself and attain God,' has no chance of success; it is just not possible. What is wanted is an ardent craving to meet God. Give up insisting on what you want or do not want. Learn to accept, cheerfully and with equanimity, what comes by God's will; that is the easiest way to conquer desire.

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Sri Brsahmachaitanya Pravachan June 9

Annihilate Desire, and Get Liberated

Most of us are unaware of the true meaning and significance of devotion and the pursuit of spirituality. Devotion may not spring from mere disgust of prapancha; what is required is disgust for sen-sate pleasures; indeed, one who is careless about duty in prapancha has slender chance of success in spirituality.
To achieve happiness is the ultimate goal for which every living being strives. Liberation is the attainment of transcendental happiness while still living in the body.
Truly, there is nothing that God, the Creator, can lack or need or be wanting. All that we need to do is to lay down our mind and heart at His feet, and be devoted to Him with unreserved faith. To worry is to expose faltering faith. To consign our body to Him unreservedly is real renunciation. It is a pity that no act of ours is free from desire or expectation. Our error lies in looking here and there for the peace and contentment which, actually, are there in ourselves. The contentment must remain suppressed, inexperienced, so long as there persists a desire for this and that. We cannot rid ourselves of avidity till the last; this is the basic trouble; and therefore, only he can be called liberated who has become devoid of desire.
No one can become a true servant of God until he gives up all desire and expectation. Whenever hope arises in the mind it should be dedicated to God. Prapancha is like a drama. Whether one acts as the prince or the pauper is of no consequence, so far as the actor's personal life is concerned. Indeed, a well-acted pauper may be more applauded than a luke-warmly-played prince. Similarly, in this drama of life, what does it matter if one is wealthy and another poor? It isn't life that matters but the awareness of God which one maintains. Provided only fair, moral means are used, amassing money is not at all objectionable; only, money must never be considered as a support to be rated above or even equally with dependence on God. It must never become either a substitute or an impediment to treating God as a support.
The supreme happiness to be found in devotion to God cannot be realized or appreciated so long as sensual pleasures continue to please. God is attained only when there is no desire whatsoever but Him.
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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 8

Divert Craving for Sense-objects towards God

What 'trust' is in worldly dealings corresponds to 'faith' in spiritual practice. Worldly life, being by its very nature imperfect and incomplete, can never yield satisfaction, which is basically, a natural quality of perfection and completeness. Acts done without expectation of any kind will lead to purification and ultimate liberation. 'Sacrifice', truly speaking is utter surrender of self, and unbroken awareness of God. In the sadhaka stage body may be subjected to suffering but, once liberation is achieved, the body becomes brimful with the bliss that is God. It is, of course, far from necessary for an aspirant to live indigently. He may live in luxury if he can afford it; but if, some day, he is beset by poverty, he should not even remember the past times of affluence.
The shastras have extolled the householder's life as blessed, and particularly congenial for spirituality. If, however, we get engrossed in the sensual pleasures which it affords and allows and ignore the duties and responsibilities, what is the gain? It be-hoves a person to engage himself in service or a business for his living, but if he forgets God to serve the employer or the business, it is certainly all to no purpose. Even, service should be performed in the remembrance of God.
Do not believe it if someone tells you that domestic life precludes attainment of God. You certainly can attain that goal; only you must take these precautions: Commit yourself and everything else to the care of God. Relate alike your pleasure and pain to Him. Be contented in whatever condition He pleases to place you in. Everything that you do should be dedicated to Him. Do nothing for which conscience may prick you.
A man is nowhere near spirituality so long as he feels prapancha to be the be-all and end-all. Even evildoers sometimes appear to be happy, but they are not so in reality. Repentance does strike such a person at some time or other and does make him unhappy.
We treat spirituality in a step-motherly fashion. What we need to do is to apply our genuine attachment to God instead of to prapancha. Learn to derive happy contentment in nama-smarana.


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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 7

God and My 'Self' are not Different

The surf may appear real, but in reality it is part and parcel of the sea. So, too, untruth or 'apparent' truth has a garb of truth itself. The world as we sense it today is really maya or illusion as it appears against the foil of the eternal truth, Brahman. When we understand or realize maya and its working and characteristics, we realize Brahman. In pursuing sensual objects and pleasures we live in maya, gasping uneasily in the chase; but when we realize that it is all nothing but a mirage, we achieve rest and peace.
The ultimate, everlasting, unmutable, essential truth is the Divinity; everything beside it is upadhi. To keep the mind fixed steadily on the Divinity is anusandhan. An awareness of one's ignorance is the first step in the spiritual journey, while a doubt-free realization of one's identity with God or Brahman is its fulfillment. To feel that 'God is the real doer of everything that takes place in the world, while we live only for duty', is detachment. 'What I do not get I will not desire, nor yearn for; whatever I get, accept un-grudgingly, cheerfully, with equanimity;' to live life with this attitude, is to act naturally.
To relinquish desire for or expectation of a particular result is non-attachment. To be free of desire for gratification of any sense or passion is an indication of true knowledge. An action leading to bondage of the individual soul arises from ignorance of the Absolute Truth; conversely, anything that leads to liberation indicates true knowledge. The path of action, the path of worship, the path of nine-fold devotion, all aim at one and the same thing, namely, attainment of God; just as the main object in arranging a wedding is to bring the bride and the bridegroom together in wedlock, the rest of the ceremonies being only incidental, supporting, and, may, differ in different communities.
The importance we attach to the body should not be allowed to become an impediment in our association with a saint. The 'body-am-I' feeling intervenes like a mountain between our 'Self' and God, that is, our real 'Self'. The aim of all sadhanas is the destruction of ego, that is, the 'body-am-I' feeling. Nama-smarana achieves this in the shortest time, and that is why it is the very essence of all sadhanas.

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Sri Brahmachaitany pravachan June 6

God and My 'Self' are not Different

The surf may appear real, but in reality it is part and parcel of the sea. So, too, untruth or 'apparent' truth has a garb of truth itself. The world as we sense it today is really maya or illusion as it appears against the foil of the eternal truth, Brahman. When we understand or realize maya and its working and characteristics, we realize Brahman. In pursuing sensual objects and pleasures we live in maya, gasping uneasily in the chase; but when we realize that it is all nothing but a mirage, we achieve rest and peace.
The ultimate, everlasting, unmutable, essential truth is the Divinity; everything beside it is upadhi. To keep the mind fixed steadily on the Divinity is anusandhan. An awareness of one's ignorance is the first step in the spiritual journey, while a doubt-free realization of one's identity with God or Brahman is its fulfillment. To feel that 'God is the real doer of everything that takes place in the world, while we live only for duty', is detachment. 'What I do not get I will not desire, nor yearn for; whatever I get, accept un-grudgingly, cheerfully, with equanimity;' to live life with this attitude, is to act naturally.
To relinquish desire for or expectation of a particular result is non-attachment. To be free of desire for gratification of any sense or passion is an indication of true knowledge. An action leading to bondage of the individual soul arises from ignorance of the Absolute Truth; conversely, anything that leads to liberation indicates true knowledge. The path of action, the path of worship, the path of nine-fold devotion, all aim at one and the same thing, namely, attainment of God; just as the main object in arranging a wedding is to bring the bride and the bridegroom together in wedlock, the rest of the ceremonies being only incidental, supporting, and, may, differ in different communities.
The importance we attach to the body should not be allowed to become an impediment in our association with a saint. The 'body-am-I' feeling intervenes like a mountain between our 'Self' and God, that is, our real 'Self'. The aim of all sadhanas is the destruction of ego, that is, the 'body-am-I' feeling. Nama-smarana achieves this in the shortest time, and that is why it is the very essence of all sadhanas.

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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 5

Non-attachment is Essential for Spiritual Progress

Just as the parent bird brings up its fledgling under the protection of its wings, the head of the family should extend loving protestion to all members of the family. Sure of such loving concern, a person would not mind his faults and shortcomings being pointed out to him.
A tonic will become actively invigorating when a patient is free from illness, fever or affection, because the natural metabolism can then work unhindered. Similarly spiritual progress gains momentum when the heart is purified. Spiritual progress demands mental effort, because it involves countering the present habits and tendencies of the mind. Therefore, spirituality is purely a personal pursuit. A sadhaka will realise the benefits comparatively early if he maintains an unbroken awareness of God within the heart, and simultaneously controls and modifies, trains, the tendencies and reactions of the mind. He must ever be cautious lest sensuous desires spy a weak moment or spot and strike. Spirituality therefore needs unremitting vigil over oneself.
Prapancha is not, basically, a rival to spirituality; the two, indeed are as related to each other as the obverse and the reverse of a coin. To conduct prapancha without attachment, and joyfully as a duty, is spirituality. What obstructs spirituality is neither material well-being, nor relatives and friends, but a sense of involvement, of passion and of belonging. Non-attachment does not necessarily mean not having a particular thing, but freedom from mental involvement or sense of belonging. To live happily in the conviction that "whatever is has been given by God and is His, not mine," is real vairagya or true non-attachment. It is this feeling which is a precondition for spiritual advancement.
Knowledge comes by study, skill comes by practice. Today, we do not have constant remembrance of God for want of true devotion; also, devotion will only arise from constant remembrance maintained by purposeful practice. A wise man is he who brushes aside all doubts, at least for the time being, and commences to practise remembering Him. For One who disregards the senses and their desires and pleasures, there is no harm in remaining apparently in prapancha, provided one is always absorbed in Rama at heart.
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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 4

Pride is the Prime Obstruction in Spirituality

The shastras set out in detail the way to succeed in worldly life as well as in spirituality. We, however, treat the former as pressing, the latter as a matter of leisure and convenience. Both require guidance by a knowledgeable person. One capable of giving guidance in spirituality is called sadguru. He alone can be guided adequately who concedes his ignorance. It is personal pride, ego, that prevents us from going to God in submission while, strangely enough, even in petty worldly matters we prefer a 'specialist' in the particular field!
We think that the world in which we live is a real one because it is tangible, experienceable, to human senses and logic, whereas the other, spiritual world is unreal, being only inferable. Isn't it funny that we remain addicted to worldly life discounting our repeated experience that altogether it is far from happy, is indeed, full of misery and disappointment? It is evidently duplicity, then, to plead lack of experience and experimental proof for not taking to spirituality.
'We conduct our life in a very straightforward manner, without deceit, dishonesty, or sin; where, then, is the need to do anything by way of spiritual quest?' This is a question posed by some. It should be understood that however pure worldly life may be, it cannot lead to the divine unless it is completely divested of 'self' or ego, that is, unless all doership is assigned to the Lord. The 'body-am-I' feeling is identical with ego, and rises from desire. He who kills, annihilates desire alone qualifies for divine knowledge.
It is most harmful to be a pseudo-saint; it is by far better to honestly remain a plain, well-behaved householder. Our contentment or otherwise depends on the nature of our outlook on life. What really counts in spiritual progress is, not worldly splendour or prosperity, but the balanced, composed outlook on the world and on life; and the sole way to achieve a steady mind is constant awareness of God.
The 'body-am-I' feeling make's one behave in a very strange manner. Such a person disdains worshipping the tangible image of God as militating against his habit, and a thing out of tune with the times. He decries nama-smarana as being too simple to be effective; and he disapproves of 'anna-daan' as indiscriminate free feeding of the undeserving !
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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 3

How to succeed in the spiritual quest

The easiest, quickest, surest way to achieve the spiritual goal is utter surrender to Him from Whom maya came into being. What is it that obstructs such surrender? Evidently, it is the impregnable screen in the form of 'I', 'me', and 'mine'. We go ostensibly to see a saint, and plead that my sick wife may get well; can we honestly call this a true meeting with the saint? The saints advise us to do nama-smarana for attaining God, and we try to obey. But when we see that a near and dear one cannot be saved from death, the faith in nama-smarana and in God is shaken, is lost. Does this not plainly mean that our faith is not genuine, not pure, and that it is looked upon only as a means for some worldly gain? We pray ostensibly for being absolved of sensate desires, and do not succeed, obviously because we do not sincerely wish it at all. A man stops at nothing in having his passion or vice catered to; and yet, when asked to do sadhana to attain to God, he pleads all kinds of excuses for not doing it! A man spends two decades for education which may qualify him for a mere pittance; and yet, he loses patience and faith in the prescribed sadhana because it failed to achieve the end in two years' time. Is this not truly unjustifiable?
Composure of the mind is a sine qua non for pursuing the path of God. It calls for a clear view of the object and the means, not mere strenuous or rigorous physical discipline and chastisement, nor merely a course of repeated reading of certain books, hymns, and such other things. Even the strenuous pilgrimage to Badri Narayan and similar spots in the Himalayas may be of no avail. Far more important and effective will be constant awareness of God.
The quest for God is a study to be pursured by each one singly, personally. This neither needs nor can be aided by any external instrument or situation. It is a study involving a purification, an ennoblement of thoughts, tendencies, instincts, and desires. The less it is exposed to others' view the more advantageous it is. Publicity in this regard is positively harmful. To live to please the world is worldliness; to live for God's approval and acceptance is godliness.


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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 2

Love the Lord without any Expectation

Nothing is lost by being uninformed about the world and its affairs. Indeed, it will be of great advantage in approaching God. Unless we give up this worldly knowledge, that is, realize its transitory nature and insignificance, we cannot have true regard for God.
When the son is to set out on a journey, the mother provides him with victuals; so, too, does God furnish an adequate fund of the sense of contentment when sending a soul out on its worldly journey; it is upto the soul, however, to avail itself of it. Where discontentment prevails, evil geniuses and evil tendencies can work rampantly. Contentment, on the other hand, provides a congenial atmosphere for good powers to assist us. If we stick to nama, adverse situations will leave us unaffected. The mind is intimately connected with the heart and the body; a contented mind will therefore substantially help in keeping good health and prolonging life.
In the process of freeing oneself from selfishness, a person may appear to be a misfit in the frame of pragmatism, for he will treat everyone with affection; but when he becomes truly and fully spiritualistic, he will be selfless while still appearing practical to the world. Spirituality is a logical, consistent science. It is absolutely unnecessary to abrogate worldly life; but because our thought and attention are easily enticed by sensate pleasures, they should be kept linked to God. A veritable passion for God should arise; for spirituality is nothing but intense, unexpecting love for Him.
Spiritual pursuit calls for patience and sanity. A certain man began seeing the figure of Rama all around. That led him to conclude that his quest had come to fruition, and that he had attained God. But this is far from the ultimate goal, which is, feeling His presence all the time everywhere. Impatience will not help in the spiritual journey; it will, in fact, create obstructions. Progress on the spiritual path should be steady and all-round, just as all the limbs grow proportionately with youth. It is foolish to try to gauge progress every now and then; how will a plant grow if we uproot it every day to see how much it has grown? The spiritual progress can be assessed from a man's talk and the light in his eyes.

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Sri Brahmachaitanya Pravachan June 1

Discarding Doership Constitutes Spirituality
One who takes a piece of rope for a snake is baddha (tied, illusioned) while he who correctly perceives it for what it is, is a mukta (free from illusion, 'realized'). One who realizes that he is the soul and not the body, is a mukta. A mukta has perfect, doubt-free knowledge of the absolute truth; he is one who is happy under any circumstances, one who has woken up from the dream of 'illusion'. The state of illusion is created by ourselves by ignorance of the truth, by the belief that 'the body am I', and it is this that gives rise to anxiety, yearning, and misery. Because I forget God I consider myself as the body. It is obvious that I am not the body, in as much as I do not have absolute control over it. We take credit of doership, and naturally then, subject ourselves to resulting feelings of pleasure and pain. One who holds himself aloof from both these feelings is truly mukta.
The sense of doership is undoubtedly very harmful. A worldly man feels proud for having built a grand mansion and maintained his family in dignity; the sannyasin may feel equally proud of his monastery. Neither is free from the pride of doership; it is so difficult to escape it. It can only be mitigated by conviction of the existence and supremacy of God. So one should live in ceaseless recollection of God and in contentment in the situation He pleases to keep us in. What makes us happy despite forgetfulness of God is mundane, non-divine. To live in forgetfulness of God is prapancha, whereas leading worldly life in full awareness of God is spirituality.
Whatever act we perform in the way of the world, that is with a particular expectation, becomes karma, whereas whatever is done without any expectation of anything whatsoever is pure duty. To keep doing such acts of duty is spirituality. To maintain awareness of God all the while is anusandhan. Suppose an ant bites a toe while we are engrossed in reading, we immediately feel it; an awareness pervades the body. Similarly, an awareness of God's presence should pervade our being while going through the business of life. We should studiously achieve such awareness and maintain it with firm determination.* * * * *