The Boon of Self-realization

(Excerpts from Satsang of Pujya Sant Shri Asaramji Bapu)

No one in this world, be that person a scholar, doctor or a person of authority, can alleviate all the sufferings of an individual forever.

A doctor can alleviate physical ailments but is unable to deal with mental afflictions. A psychiatrist can help in mental disorders but is unable to tackle physical ailments. Morever, neither of them can relieve the pain of birth and death. But Self-realization, as such, removes all afflictions forever.

If you are dejected, sorrowful or grumble, your life force diminishes. Your loved ones will become estranged from you. But, when you remain cheerful, even strangers become friendly towards you.

It is rightly said, ‘The world laughs with one who laughs; nobody is interested in one who weeps.’

Cheerfulness of the chitta (Mind) is possible only through Self-realization. One, who has attained Self-realization, is forever free from the sorrows of birth and death, old age and sickness, for he considers that bodily afflictions like old age and sickness do not affect his True Self. Those who have the opportunity to imbibe the satsang of (Self-realization) are truly blessed. A person who regularly listens to satsang becomes elevated to a much higher state of mind than someone who earns millions. Many millionaires are languishing in hospitals in the U.S.A. They have no peace of mind, no happiness in life.

Therefore, the first principle is to be cheerful.

The second is to accept that God is our own, 'God is mine and I belong to Him.' The virtues earned by such a belief far outweigh those attained through fasting and penance. Bathing in the Ganges or performing Hom-havan (Fire sacrifices) is external (physical) sadhana. But one considers, “God is mine” in the mind. Therefore it is internal (mental) sadhana.

The third principle is smaran (Remembrance) and doing japa. Occasionally, one should confine oneself to a room and do japa of God’s name of one’s liking or the Guru-mantra.

What if one has no Guru…?

The life of those without a Guru is as futile as the ornamentation of a widow.

Even though they perform severe penance, vrata (A religious vow) and fasting, they fail to attain bliss and realize the spiritual heights that are easily experienced by the beloved disciples of a Guru. When one worships the Guru or the Lord, converses with Him and looks at His image with a fixed gaze without blinking, one experiences bliss. The heart becomes filled with bliss and one gets inspiration when one does japa while looking at the photo of the Guru. This increases one's inner happiness and contentment which in turn augments one's spiritual powers. Then worldly comforts follow you like a pet dog. Whether you make use of them, disregard them or distribute them is purely a matter of your own choice.

It is but natural that spiritual progress brings about material advancement.

Therefore being cheerful, believing that God is our own and that we belong to God, and doing smaran of the divine name along with constant japa, kirtan (Devotional songs), etc. purify the mind and the body, sharpens the intellect and finally leads to the realization of the True Self. And once having attained Self-realization, you will be saved from the sufferings of taking birth in 84 lacs of species.

Source - http://www.ashram.org/Publications/ArticleView/tabid/417/ArticleID/211/smid/1189/reftab/536/Default.aspx

God Realization is Pretty Simple

I make original posts only, but this time I would like to copy an article from a website, link of which I have shared at the end.

(Excerpts from Satsang of Pujya Sant Shri Asaramji Bapu)

Self-Realization becomes very easy for those who consider God

To be the Supreme Reality and endeavour to attain Him.

'Shri Yoga Vashishtha Maharamayana' propounds that God is not far from us, there is no distinction between Him and us and it is not difficult to realize Him either.

Indeed it is not difficult to realize God and yet it seems difficult, because we do not listen to or contemplate on divine knowledge and hence we fail to develop love for Him. Just as one who is illiterate and has not practised reading and writing thinks that it is difficult, so too one who has not practised spiritual discipline thinks that it is difficult to attain God. However if he practises spiritual contemplation, it is not difficult at all. During the formative years in school, learning the alphabets appeared quite cumbersome, but today you can write them with ease; so is the case with respect to God. Practice alone brings perfection and is the key to success!

'My Beloved dwells in my heart. I can meet Him at will by just delving within.'

'My brother slapped me'' the memory causes pain. Find out who feels the pain. Pain is felt in the mind. Be a witness to your mind and the pain will disappear. Your body is sick and is paining. Be a witness to the aching body and you will laugh at it. Once this (my) body suffered from a malarial fever and an adverse reaction of anti-malarial drugs. A severe pain left me groaning. I would ask my body, 'Hey! What is this nonsense' Why do you groan'' 'and laugh out at its condition. Then I would tell my mind, 'Keep groaning. I am watching you.' 'and it would stop groaning. Those who saw me were extremely pained and would secretly shed tears, 'What a painful state!' But I did not feel that way. The body suffered the pain and I watched it like a detached observer. Once this practice is developed, one can see oneself as a separate entity from the body, even in deep slumber. Like we observe another person, we can observe our own body. Sustained practice increases the subtlety of the intellect and one can develop such witness attitude towards the world.

Similarly, we can become a witness to even pleasures and pains. If one practises being a detached witness, it becomes easy. An actor in a play claims, 'I am king Vikramaditya' I will not allow this to happen in my kingdom'' but in his heart he knows what he is. In the very next scene he dons the garb of a beggar and evokes a sense of profound sympathy among the audience. Only a while ago he was acting the part of an emperor and now he is playing the role of a beggar. But he knows fully well that he is only playing a role. Similarly, he who practises detachment from the body, transcends pleasures and pains.

The deceitful, dishonest and cunning people cannot succeed in this endeavour. The more innocent and honest one becomes, the quicker progress he achieves on this path. Identifying oneself with the body and trying to seek happiness in this illusory world, assuming it to be real, is at the root of all cunning and deceitful acts. Howsoever dishonest one may be, if he starts believing in the truth of his own Divine Self and comes to realize the futility of this world, his deceitfulness and vices will disappear and he will soon attain greatness.

So long as one is ignorant about the glory and greatness of Self-realization, one suffers all types of misery. Treachery, deceit and other vices exist only so long as people do not realize the importance of Self-realization and appreciate that God alone is the Absolute Reality. Once one realizes the importance of satsang and of Self-realisation, gradually one's mind becomes pure; deceit and treachery begin to wither away and all complaints disappear. Then one will admit to have committed mistakes and will be ready to rectify them as well, rather than making excuses for the same. One, not inclined towards Self-realization, tries to give excuses when a mistake is pointed out to him; thus unwittingly he only strengthens his own faults, little realising that he is hurting nothing but his own interests.

Those, who have become used to giving excuses and practising deceit and dishonesty, impede their road to real progress in life. Those trying to cheat others are badly cheated by some greater cheat. A fraud is bound to suffer the consequences of his evil deeds and dishonesty engages one in evil pursuits with their root cause lying in the erroneous notion of taking the body and this world to be real. When the world is taken for real and one remains engrossed in the thoughts of this world, having no love or devotion towards the Supreme Self, it becomes the root of all misery.

Self-realization becomes very easy for those who consider God to be the Supreme Reality and endeavour to attain Him. Self-realization becomes easier still when the aspirant renders sincere and selfless service only for the sake of attaining Divine love, Divine grace and Divine knowledge. Such an aspirant realizes God very soon and is also delivered from all his troubles forever. He experiences Self-love and an everlasting contentment in the unity of his True Self with the Bliss-personified Supreme Self.

SOURCE - http://www.ashram.org/Publications/ArticleView/tabid/417/ArticleId/208/God-Realization-is-Pretty-Simple.aspx