Saturday, May 25, 2013

Maya is not outside; it is in the form of thoughts.

An important point to be noted is one need to have a control over food and speech. One tends to eat more, and visits a doctor with various ailments. Our health is in our hands. We do not require a doctor to cure most of our ailments.
Have a restrain over food consumed.

Recently, a doctor told that about one fourth of his patients actually do not suffer from any disease or ailment. Their biggest ailment is their doubts in the mind. According to Bhagavad Gita, to get rid of fear, both desires and hatred have to be killed completely (100%). As long as these are present, you will not have happiness. Where there is love there is a desire. Wives like their husbands. So, they have a desire to make them happy. A wife cooks good food for her husband.
And in the process over feeds her husband.

Again in this world you like money. Money will lead to desires. To satisfy all your desires, you run after money. Similarly, if you develop a love towards God then you would like to visit temples and repeat His names.

So, far we have discussed about worldly issues. If a person’s desires are satisfied then there is a trace of arrogance in him. This is because of maya (illusion). If your desires are not satisfied then you get angry. Maya is not outside; it is in the form of thoughts.

From the mind desires arise, but not from the body. Both thoughts and illusions are in the mind. To attain a total mindless state, the sages have meditated at this place. Through meditation they have killed their thoughts and overcome illusion. In this world, the enemies outside are not dangerous. But the enemy within you in form of thoughts and desires is very dangerous because it will bind you to this world. It becomes difficult to remove the shackles of life and death.

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Mother. a great attachment even for a realised soul

This post is dedicated to the holy feet of Sri Rajyamma Garu, Sri Nannagaru's mother.

Once a devotee approaches Kanchi Paramacharya for initiation. Paramacharya doesnt heed to his request. Paramacharya asks the devotee: " Do you speak to your Mother?" The devotee replied: " I didnot speak to her since last 15 years." When Paramacharya asked for the reason, the devotee replied: " My Mother's character is not good." Paramacharya said: " It is your duty to look after your Mother irrespective of her character. When you can't have reverence for
your Mother, How can I believe that you will have reverence for your Guru?"

It is the belief of Krishna's devotees that Sri Krishna Chaitanya is an incarnation(form) of Krishna. He loved Brindavan and had an intense desire to stay there forever. But Sri Krishna Chaitanya's Mother took a promise from him. She said: " You should not go away to Brindavan which is far away. Rather stay at Puri Jagannath which is nearer, so that I can atleast see you occasionally." Sri Krishna Chaitanya sacrificed his intense desire to stay at Brindavan and promised his Mother that he would stay at Puri Jagannath. He kept his word till his last moments. Ultimately His body merged into the sea in Puri only.


Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of our Nation loved his Mother intensely. When Gandhiji was going abraod for higher studies, his Mother said: " It doesnt matter whether you will study or not. It doesn't matter whether you will earn more or not. I am contended with whatever we possess currently. My only desire is that you should not get habituated to smoking or eating meat or drinking wine or any other bad habits. I will not be happy even if you possess a foreign degree along with these bad habits."Gandhiji remembered these words forever and protected his character.

In his childhood, Gandhiji used to steal money from home and used the same for smoking.He did this being influenced by bad company. Gandhiji's father scolded his wife for the loss of money.Oneday, unable to bear his Mother being scolded, Gandhiji writes a letter to his father accepting all his mistakes. His father reads the letter and doesnt scold back Gandhiji. Rather tears roll down from his eyes. Gandhiji later said that these tears washed away his entire sins and weaknesses and changed his course of life.


George Washington is the first President of U.S.A. The city of Washington D.C has been named after him. In his childhood his Mother told him: " Remember these words through out your life. There may be many people who may excel in education or possess more money than you. There may be many people who may excel in their respective fields. Dont become jealous of them, rather admire them." Washington said in one of his speeches in his last days: " I never felt jealous of anyone in my entire life. Being jealous, I never tried to degrade myself." Thus Washington reiterated whatever his Mother said in these beautiful words.


Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa is viewed as Modern incarnation. Even he was scolded by his Mother. She used to say:" Your digestive power is less. Therefore take soft food like curd rice. Dont eat all the offerings made to the Lord that you get from temple." Not every one can take this freedom, how much ever they make like Ramakrishna. That is Mother. Even when Ramakrishna was alive , his Mother passed away. Who else is left out to scold him? The next day Sri Ramakrishna was asked why he cried like an ordinary man on the death of his Mother? Then he replied: " I didnot cry intentionally. I am not aware of the sorrow experienced by a common man on the death of their family members.God showed me their sorrow in this form.It is an experience.


When Swami Vivekananda returned back from America, he established the Belur Math in Calcutta. Swamiji was very busy and always travelled from one place to another. When his mother, Bhuvaneswari Devi heard that Swamiji is currently in Calcutta, she would visit him occasionally. Whenever she comes she would sit under a tree and wait till someone informs Swamiji of her arrival but would never enter the office premises of Swamiji. Only Swamiji would come down to her. Oneday Swamiji asked her: " Mother, do you have any requirements that I can fulfill?" She said: " What shall I require in this age? My only needs would be food and clothing which I possess sufficiently. I came here only to see you." She never took any money from Swamiji in her life. When She was about to leave, Swamiji said: " I will come to you within 2-3 days." She then replied: " Why should you take that trouble? Wherever you may be, you must be happy. You need not come to me. Whenever you are in Calcutta and whenever I feel like seeing you, I will only come to you. You need not waste your time." Swamiji said: " Your son has become a great man, a big man in the eyes of the society, but has not been even a penny's worth to you." Thus Bhavaneshwari devi never took advantage of the fame of Swamiji.


Adi Shankara's Mother, Aryamba tells him that the river Poorna being very far, she is unable to bring water from it on a daily basis. Then Shankara makes a prayer which changes the course of flow of Poorna river and it starts flowing near Shankara's house. Shankara asks his Mother to grant him the permission to take up ascetism but she refuses stating that he is her only son and her only support.Shankara then creates a dummy crocodile and enacts as if caught by it while taking bath. He asks his Mother to fulfill his last wish of becoming a monk.Aryamba then gives her consent. As and when Aryamba gives her consent, the crocodile leaves Shankara. Aryamba then says: " You need not live with me. Where ever you may live, you must be happy.But promise me that you will come to me in my last moments and also conduct my funeral rites." Therefore Adi Shankara came all the way from Sringeri to Kaladi(by flying) for the sake of his Mother in her last moments. Aryamba adored Vishnu through out her life. Even now there exists a krishna's temple in Kaladi which was worshipped by the ancestors of Shankara. Even though the Truth is nameless and formless, our mind settles down only on that name and form whom we adore.There is nothing wrong in having a personal God. It is enough if we can view all the other gods in our personal God. Shankara tried to make her concentrate on the Self but failed to do so.Then he tried to make her concentrate on the form of Shiva but she couldnot do so. However she has been worshipping Lord Krishna through out her life.Therefore Shankara ensured that She took the name of Vishnu, concentrated upon his form and meditated upon him and thereby attained the Supreme state of Brahman. As a monk is not eligible the villagers refused to help Shankara in conducting the funeral rites. Then Shankara created fire using his yogic power and thereby fulfilled his promise made to his Mother.



Before crucifixion, Jesus called his Mother ‘Mary’ and said : " I did not have any house to live in till date. I also do not ask you to live in any other’s house. I am your son only till today. From tomorrow onwards, Yoha, my disciple, would be your son. You stay at his house." Jesus had brothers who were not righteous. Jesus knew thatthey would not look after his mother. But Jesus neither spoke ill of them nor asked his Mother to stay with his brothers. Handing over his Mother to Yoha, Jesus said: " Till today, she has been my Mother. From tomorrow on wards, she is your Mother. Look after her carefully." Yoha promised Jesus accordingly. Therefore Jesus became GOD Himself. Mother Mary lived for 12 more years after crucifixion of Jesus. In order to keep his word, Yoha never moved out of his village as long as Mother Mary was alive ie for 12 years.It was only after Mother Mary left this world did Yoha go out for preaching.


Buddha's Mother, Mayadevi invited one of her childhood friends for the naming ceremony. The child was named Siddhartha. After the completion of the naming ceremony, Mayadevi put the child in the lap of her friend. On viewing the child, the friend compeletly lost the time sense and kept looking at the face of the child for 15 minutes uninterruptedly. Later, Mayadevi's friend felt : " No woman should marry in this world. Even though she gets married, they should not give birth to any child for they will not be able to give birth to a child like Siddhartha." Thinking thus she remained as a celibate through out her life without marrying . Later within a very short period of time, Mayadevi expired. Then her friend thought: " Goddess Earth herself incarnated as Mayadevi to give birth to Siddhartha. Since her task has been accomplished, she left her mortal frame. " When Siddhartha became Buddha, Mayadevi's friend visited Him. When Buddha spoke out, it looked as if a wall is speaking. He was such a flawless person. His body remained motionless. His face was devoid of emotions. Such Buddha stood up involuntarily and came to Mayadevi's friend and called her 'MOTHER'. Buddha would normally call anyone by their name. However he called Mayadevi's friend as 'MOTHER'.Then Mayadevi's friend felt: " When Buddha called me as Mother, the purpose of my advent onto this earth has been fulfilled. When Goddess Earth taking the form of Mayadevi gave birth to Siddhartha, the purpose of her advent has been accomplished."


In the last moments of Alagamma, the Mother of Bhagwan Ramana, Ramana places one of his hands on her heart and another hand on the head. He thus makes her experience all the karma left out and removes all the tendencies that obstructed her liberation. The world blames Bhagwan Ramana that he granted liberation to Algamma as she is his Mother. But this is not true. Ramana taught her in a very unique way. He seldom spoke to her for many days. He would also enact anger for petty things. When his Mother cried in a manner that would melt even the stones, Bhagwan would say: " It is good that she is crying.Let everything that exists within (as obstacles)come out." Though Algamma didnot receive the reverence of Bhagwan, she refused to leave him. She completely surrendered to him and said:" I would like to die only in your hands. It doesnt matter even if you throw this body somewhere on the hill with your own hands." In her last days she never left Arunachala fearing that she may die in the place where ever she may go.
Therefore Bhagwan granted her liberation only after she attained complete surrender. When Bhagwan's Mother passed away, he did not cry rather his face reflected peace and his face filled with glory. Perphaps Bhagwan thought there would be none to bother him and he can lead a carefree life. The attachment with the Mother is a greater bond. The Mother never stopped questioning him. Who will ask him as to why he is roaming in the hot sun? If he doesnt eat on time, it is only Mother who would ask as to why he didnot eat. Who else can ask? Whether he listened to her or not,she never stopped questioning him. Bhagwan thought the questioner has vanished away. Therefore the attachment with the Mother is a great bond even for a realized soul.

In Aksharamanamala Bhagwan says: " What is Mother's Love when compared to that of Your's Oh! Arunachala. Mother's Love is physical and relating to this earth but God's Love is Divine. You took away my ego and granted me Self Realisation without any pain. It is all your Grace. How can the Mother shower this Grace?