Gurucharanam Saranam
Spiritual Cleansing - Gurupooja at Santhigiri
(Sacred words of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru)
Translated from the original Malayalam
We fought one another remaining in a system which laid down that we should not touch, step into, accept or perceive the sanctified aspect within all performances. In that fight, varnashrama dharma was lost and the caste system arose. The castes were also not to touch one another. All the karmas were hit by this system. We (at Santhigiri) are taking back that bruised karma, which many had tried in vain earlier. Santhigiri’s karma is directed at reverting to the caste-less state and not at devoleping a sanyasa cult. Nor is it aimed at tracing the root of the Indian civilization with a view to retrieve it. It is not necessary to lift it up. Because this is Kali: The dharma of Kali is not to step on the shoulder of the errors that have arisen in the whole world and then revive it. Our karma as well as the dharma of Kali is to wipe out the aspect of error.
In this karma, both the genders of householders should earn a great level. The householder-life (grihasthashram) is a great concept wherein a householder elevates himself (in such a manner) that through his offspring and lineage, he acquires the intelligence to rule the world; the karma (way of action) to impart goodness to the world or even become capable of assuming the role of the protectors of the world or its motherhood. Without knowing this, you live and perish as opportunists.
You don’t know what God-worship is. You do not know even to act distinguishing what is the Householder, Sanyasi, Yogi and Karmi. None of these karmas is now with us. Our success in life lies in retrieving them. This is the first effort in the world (in this direction). No where else has this effort taken place. Let it come if it is going to come elsewhere. We have reached the stage of the humbleness of the performance of God’s creative contemplation.
When I first reached this place for the actualization of this performance, I was told not to stay where I could be seen by two persons together. Many sort of things happened here at that period. The people of this place also know some of it, but their knowing was of no avail. When I first made a hut here, I handed over its care to some local residents here. And you came in (here) witnessing their fall. What is that fall like? These people had come and witnessed the happenings here. Despite many events which took place in front of them, being caught by cognitive lacking, they were distanced (from here) forever in a manner that it is impossible for them to come back or take it back. Some of them repent today saying that it was (their) flawed action. However, there is no use of their saying so.
The karma now being performed here today is aimed at moulding such offspring who can give birth to the array of deva (god), devi (goddess), rishi (seer), sanyasi (renunciate) and jnanis (the wise) who were worshipped by our forefathers with love and reverence. Nobody who came until now has done this performance, for God has not ordained them for it. But God has granted us that karma. You should realize that, but you fail to understand it in whatever way it is said. In this institution, where more than 15,000 families performed Gurupooja, there are no people even countable by fingers who live knowing it in that greatness. How will you then discern this karma? Many children of this place who were once associated with this have forgotten this. I have not told them anything. Whenever they come to me, sometimes I try to prick them saying it like a story, but they have no pain. Why so? Because all of us are the progeny of people who have read the ancient tales and epics like a story and, turning that story into play, made it into recklessness.
When it is mentioned that our subject is to correct this ignorance - what becomes necessary is your children. But they are not able to be brought forward because the dharma by which we worshipped, and were made to worship with the offerings of love and wealth, is entangled with our soul. (Such being the truth), when a girl is born, she is led away from her virtues in such a manner that her goodness is unable to be known. When a male-child is born, he is transformed into a drunkard in such a manner that he is unable to know what duty he has towards the world. There is a great effort in changing these vices. This effort in one way is good. For, at least, for that sake, you would get in contact (with Guru) and act.
There’s a saying among us that the husband is God! Is the meaning of this saying then a fool, who fulfilled (his life) with theft and one who has never shown justice to anything? Does it mean an unchaste person who has not learned to live in righteousness, living without humility and virtue, pulling down the undergarment of women? It is all this we are creating and letting out. How can they manage this country? What all this depravity (depredators) cannot perform?
The ‘Gurupooja’ here is the foremost karma which I am doing for this for you. (I am) not talking about its greatness. I don’t understand such greatness. I am not leaned, great by virtue of wealth, capability or education. God has not led me into any such things. But there is one thing. God has granted you a suitable setting where irrespective of your status, you can assemble. And through this, together through you and your offspring, children are taking birth from whom will be born several great souls who are capable to do whatever (good) for the country and indeed the whole world. We don’t know how it is made to happen.
But we do it in the Sankalpa (conception) called ‘Sankalpamathrena Parameswarah’, whereby, after envisioning everything that has come until now in the law of Devi-Devas - giving whatever they require (they are not abandoned) - a way is found by the path shown by God to give them an opportunity to take birth or make them entitled for liberation. We are handling this exactly the way the revelation is received from God to perform this. It’s not performed, as someone might think, attracting some evil spirits by sitting and chanting. Nor is it performed bringing a ‘root’ from the places where I spent life. I have not taken any ‘root’ of others. I have not found a suitable scenario also wherein I could take this ‘root’. There are no suitable ‘roots’ either. In fact, it is being nurtured by scraping off all these ‘bottoms’, then burning them with fire, scooping good mud and then planting the sapling there. What is required for it is, suitable children. You do not know how I perform it. That is my sadness.
What I am making you do is a performance, which, by correcting the flaws in the traditions that have come from the beginning until now in the deva and rishi lineages (trimurty and seer traditions), without exterminating the essence of these lineages, will transform them into a great status. Then how great should be your eminence? It is a performance in humility to bring within you the privilege of not only ancestral souls, gods, goddesses and rishis but even some genderless ghosts also to be born of you (for release). Retaining the truth in that path, transform yourself as the sanctified work emerging from that truth. This is the goal. I have no other rationale or doctrine. I have done this for 15,000 families in this manner, but they are unable to take it. Not merely that but building up contrary attributes in their actions, make it the cause for its destruction. There are about fifteen households who have perished like this in this locality despite performing it with genuine sacrifice, prayers and contemplations; rest of the families (perished) leaving this place.
The ancestors did have (their share of) good and bad (in them). The difficulty was great when these (the deeds of ancestors) were tried to be eliminated. You will understand it when you reflect on the great souls of the past, in order to realize that. But the biographies made up on them are unsuitable for such evaluation.
For instance take ‘Geeta Govindam’. What is the purpose of making children enact Krishnaleela? You are inflating the sensuality already present in them, by adorning and bringing up children in this manner and spoiling them - adding to the fulfilment of such action and taking it up. This is what the Saktheya, Saiva and Vaishnava have done here. You cannot change it at all. This is the fact behind the coming of so many great souls. We don’t have the aptitude to remove it through (our) lifetime. But we have the luck.
You will not be able to find a similar thing (Gurupooja) elsewhere in the world. Nor has it ever happened in the world. In your epics mention is made about the ‘Bhageerata Prayatna’ (the effort of Bhageerata). Bhageerata was a king and he could do many things, but there too, not this. Here, you are endowed with awareness in a manner of witnessing it yourself and accepting with discrimination. God has ordained it for you. It is in the said awareness the deva, devi, rishi, monk, jnani (seer), the devout, the pitru [ancestral souls] are all guided and placed in auspicious constellations. Your children, after living truthfully, are entering into that constellation. Even if you are unable to become so, it should be made possible through your children. This is the great work that you do for the world. After performing this (Gurupooja) for you, I am guiding you how you should live till the birth of a progeny. (However), you do not understand that. Instead, making your children listen and obey, describing it as some other big thing, you are not allowing them to come in front, in (the matter of) dharma.
*****
A View of Santhigiri Ashram
Lotus Parnasala and Sahakarana Mandiram , Santhigiri Ashram, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala
Showing posts with label dharma. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dharma. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Origin of Trimurthi Tradition
Gurucharanam Saranam
The Origin of Trimurthi Tradition
(The sacred words of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru)
Translated from the original Malayalam
An annunciation was received soon after I started an Ashram: ‘You need to think about your life’. At that time I could not figure out what it meant. I asked for a clarification from my Guru, Pattani Swami. He said: ‘I have received two indications only. You will get the rest’. The first idea was that it was not enough to seek only the spiritual. The second was that it would become necessary to reform the practice of Sanyasa.
Prayer and worshipful observances were done as directed thirty four times in the name of ‘completion’. On the seventh day after the prayer began, on the thirty fourth time, an annunciation was received that a ‘kumbham’ (earthen pot) should be prepared and kept (ceremonially). For four years we were not able to do it properly. In the fifth year we performed this in a humble manner.
We have been shown this for the sake of humanity which is the characteristic of an actualization from the five elements (panchabhuta) through the five senses (panchendriya) and five sheaths (panchakosha). This observance is being done here by effecting a change in the system of such rites performed so far. Not everyone gets such a right.
This is a path in which working of miracles (siddhi) is not allowed. Siddhi is not Jnana (knowledge). Those who were with me had also insisted that it was in order to perform some miracles. Permission was also sought from Brahman and it was given. Later it was indicated that it is not good. Therefore it was not pursued. That is the history of this place. The details of preparing Kumbham were given to us some years ago. Direction was given to do it with the strength of will that our Parampara should have the abundant power to carry this.
The tradition of Trimurthi worship is strongly alive among the Hindus. At one time, it remained so powerful that no one could avoid it. When it was veiled in Varnasrama Dharma, it became rootless in the soil of Kerala. It is with the British rule that Varnasrama broke down and started wearing out. This blight has not gone fully. The theoreticians have kept this away from public knowledge. Though independence was gained through the theoreticians of nation-state who followed it, so far good things could not be touched, using that benefit. This can only be achieved through children who have such a vasana (propensity). This should be realized with the family as a base and it should be imparted to the society and the young children. For this, a great deal of effort has to be made, because the foulness of each region is latent in its people.
It has been shown here (through revelation) about all the worship traditions that have come up in the world and also all the past preceptors and their glorifications. From the beginning of Kali Yuga preceptors (Gurus), have been made to take birth for this purpose. It was revealed later that we were made to perform the aforesaid acts of Poortheekaranam (completions) for the sake of bringing a new generation of progeny from whom the negativity from a certain phase of Kali has been removed. Even I was not let into the mystery of this. If I were to know it directly, pride could arise. Therefore the Will of the Brahman got it carried out without letting me know.
Nothing goes on without the gross (sthoolam), the subtle (sookshmam), the causal (karanam) and the effect consequential (karyam). It is the householders (grihasthashramis) who have to come up as the most qualified. They have got deteriorated the world over. But through the householders who believe here the essence of Truth is being proved. There are householders here who have perceived it in totality. Some of them had rich experience of even receiving the Word from the Supreme. But because of a lack of vasana (propensity), they are not able to put in their efforts with steadfastness. Steadfastness can come only to celibates (Brahmacharis).
It was mentioned earlier that we could not prepare the Kumbham in accordance with the directions received; at that point the circumstances were not favourable. Kumbham can be carried as a vow to eliminate incurable diseases. Those who have undergone a mental breakdown can take the vow. To remove bad habits also this vow can be taken. Besides, it can be done also for the fulfilment of a wish. It has been revealed that the Kumbham vow will yield the desired results if it is taken with true devotion.
It is a rare happening in aeons (Yugantaras). If there is a lapse in following the Will of Brahman, you can get an opportunity for correction through this. That is what has been revealed. This will lend infinite punyam as well as an earning which can never be exhausted. Whatever has to come let it come and whatever has to go let it go – thinking thus, you should boldly carry this forward. Whatever is done here has been done out of conviction, resulting from direct experience. All this is yours. The responsibility to bring up this as an organisation and to sustain it is yours.
Q: What is the reason for the cyclic nature of the four yugas?
Guru: This question itself is the result of the incalculable antiquity of the Hindu tradition. The Sanatana religion means the culture of great souls who came from time to time. We find in history that cultures based on the worship of Sakti, Shiva and Vishnu have tried to improve the quality of life. In between some preceptors have come up, following a religious parampara, but those who have emerged that way do not belong to the tradition of the primal Manu. In the present Manvantara, in the tradition of Vaivaswata Manu, at the end of the third chaturyuga to be exact, a preceptor called Satyatrana faltered in Selfhood due to certain shortcomings following which life deviated from the Cosmic Law given by the Almighty. Satyatrana’s concept was like a transformational ideology (parivarthanavadam). Thereafter the Trimurthi (Trinity) tradition was brought in the seventh chaturyuga to actualize the Will of God.
Q: So there was no Trimurthi tradition before this?
Guru: No. It is the line of Manus who control, each for a given time span, the dynamics of the evolution or dissolution of the world in accordance with the Will of the Brahman. The origin, creation, sustenance, and dissolution come through fourteen such epochs called Manvantaras. The spiritual character in accordance with the Will of Brahman has evolved in this manner.
Q: Why is it that most of the people do not know about the existence of a Manu tradition?
Guru: it was mentioned earlier. The feeling of ‘I’ (Aham Brahmasmi) developed in the line of Manus. In the higher planes of knowing it was seen that all the wisdom and knowledge attained so far have come through it (the Manu tradition). This ‘I’ ness can be seen in any of the books of Vedanta. You talk to any common people - this bloated notion of a free ‘I’ (ego) can be seen. When this comes up in the circle of ascetics (brahmacharis), then such notions come forth through the master-disciple lineage. In the tradition of deity- worship (devaparampara), the ‘deva’ (god) I am devoted to or the ‘devi’ (goddess) I am devoted to is the greatest and most glorious. Because of such possessiveness in individuals, all kinds of deities, chamundi, yakshi, pey, maruta, matan, mantramurthi (dark, evil spirits such as succubi, ghosts, ghouls etc.) became the ‘Lords’. This has happened because of people’s selfishness and egoism.
Q: Why has it happened so?
Guru: It was mentioned already that when the Brahmic Will could not be conducted because of certain failings in the Manu lineage, the Trimurthi tradition came into being from the Will of that Brahmic power. Vedanta (jnana) was lost to this trinity tradition. Ritual worship, prayers and ‘manifestations’ became all its character. When that character worsened to become the ‘exhibition of power’, induced by spirit possessions, the human kind could not perceive fully the greatness of God nor carefully know or learn its extent or its sources of knowledge.
Q: If Guru says so, wouldn’t it come to mean that all that has come so far is wrong?
Guru: Yes, whatever I said so far is that – that they are not correct.
Q: But Guru said that the Trimurthi system came into being for carrying out the Will of Brahman consequent to a mistake that happened in the Manu lineage.
Guru: (Due to the) emergence of Varnasrama, castes and castes upon castes, those who worshiped according to the Trimurthi tradition could not function in accordance with the goodness of the Age. Earlier to this tales were created using the mediacy of srutis and smritis and they were presented as authentic. Before that, as there appeared the creed of ‘materializations’ some sanyasis themselves handled the traditions of siddhi. As it all came up to this, the tradition of Manu faded away even from memory. This degradation of the times is due to the refusal to modify the customs that required a change according to the age and the falsification of the ideology that the abode of Brahman should all the time be with the celestials (deva) and Brahmins.
The Origin of Trimurthi Tradition
(The sacred words of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru)
Translated from the original Malayalam
An annunciation was received soon after I started an Ashram: ‘You need to think about your life’. At that time I could not figure out what it meant. I asked for a clarification from my Guru, Pattani Swami. He said: ‘I have received two indications only. You will get the rest’. The first idea was that it was not enough to seek only the spiritual. The second was that it would become necessary to reform the practice of Sanyasa.
Prayer and worshipful observances were done as directed thirty four times in the name of ‘completion’. On the seventh day after the prayer began, on the thirty fourth time, an annunciation was received that a ‘kumbham’ (earthen pot) should be prepared and kept (ceremonially). For four years we were not able to do it properly. In the fifth year we performed this in a humble manner.
We have been shown this for the sake of humanity which is the characteristic of an actualization from the five elements (panchabhuta) through the five senses (panchendriya) and five sheaths (panchakosha). This observance is being done here by effecting a change in the system of such rites performed so far. Not everyone gets such a right.
This is a path in which working of miracles (siddhi) is not allowed. Siddhi is not Jnana (knowledge). Those who were with me had also insisted that it was in order to perform some miracles. Permission was also sought from Brahman and it was given. Later it was indicated that it is not good. Therefore it was not pursued. That is the history of this place. The details of preparing Kumbham were given to us some years ago. Direction was given to do it with the strength of will that our Parampara should have the abundant power to carry this.
The tradition of Trimurthi worship is strongly alive among the Hindus. At one time, it remained so powerful that no one could avoid it. When it was veiled in Varnasrama Dharma, it became rootless in the soil of Kerala. It is with the British rule that Varnasrama broke down and started wearing out. This blight has not gone fully. The theoreticians have kept this away from public knowledge. Though independence was gained through the theoreticians of nation-state who followed it, so far good things could not be touched, using that benefit. This can only be achieved through children who have such a vasana (propensity). This should be realized with the family as a base and it should be imparted to the society and the young children. For this, a great deal of effort has to be made, because the foulness of each region is latent in its people.
It has been shown here (through revelation) about all the worship traditions that have come up in the world and also all the past preceptors and their glorifications. From the beginning of Kali Yuga preceptors (Gurus), have been made to take birth for this purpose. It was revealed later that we were made to perform the aforesaid acts of Poortheekaranam (completions) for the sake of bringing a new generation of progeny from whom the negativity from a certain phase of Kali has been removed. Even I was not let into the mystery of this. If I were to know it directly, pride could arise. Therefore the Will of the Brahman got it carried out without letting me know.
Nothing goes on without the gross (sthoolam), the subtle (sookshmam), the causal (karanam) and the effect consequential (karyam). It is the householders (grihasthashramis) who have to come up as the most qualified. They have got deteriorated the world over. But through the householders who believe here the essence of Truth is being proved. There are householders here who have perceived it in totality. Some of them had rich experience of even receiving the Word from the Supreme. But because of a lack of vasana (propensity), they are not able to put in their efforts with steadfastness. Steadfastness can come only to celibates (Brahmacharis).
It was mentioned earlier that we could not prepare the Kumbham in accordance with the directions received; at that point the circumstances were not favourable. Kumbham can be carried as a vow to eliminate incurable diseases. Those who have undergone a mental breakdown can take the vow. To remove bad habits also this vow can be taken. Besides, it can be done also for the fulfilment of a wish. It has been revealed that the Kumbham vow will yield the desired results if it is taken with true devotion.
It is a rare happening in aeons (Yugantaras). If there is a lapse in following the Will of Brahman, you can get an opportunity for correction through this. That is what has been revealed. This will lend infinite punyam as well as an earning which can never be exhausted. Whatever has to come let it come and whatever has to go let it go – thinking thus, you should boldly carry this forward. Whatever is done here has been done out of conviction, resulting from direct experience. All this is yours. The responsibility to bring up this as an organisation and to sustain it is yours.
Q: What is the reason for the cyclic nature of the four yugas?
Guru: This question itself is the result of the incalculable antiquity of the Hindu tradition. The Sanatana religion means the culture of great souls who came from time to time. We find in history that cultures based on the worship of Sakti, Shiva and Vishnu have tried to improve the quality of life. In between some preceptors have come up, following a religious parampara, but those who have emerged that way do not belong to the tradition of the primal Manu. In the present Manvantara, in the tradition of Vaivaswata Manu, at the end of the third chaturyuga to be exact, a preceptor called Satyatrana faltered in Selfhood due to certain shortcomings following which life deviated from the Cosmic Law given by the Almighty. Satyatrana’s concept was like a transformational ideology (parivarthanavadam). Thereafter the Trimurthi (Trinity) tradition was brought in the seventh chaturyuga to actualize the Will of God.
Q: So there was no Trimurthi tradition before this?
Guru: No. It is the line of Manus who control, each for a given time span, the dynamics of the evolution or dissolution of the world in accordance with the Will of the Brahman. The origin, creation, sustenance, and dissolution come through fourteen such epochs called Manvantaras. The spiritual character in accordance with the Will of Brahman has evolved in this manner.
Q: Why is it that most of the people do not know about the existence of a Manu tradition?
Guru: it was mentioned earlier. The feeling of ‘I’ (Aham Brahmasmi) developed in the line of Manus. In the higher planes of knowing it was seen that all the wisdom and knowledge attained so far have come through it (the Manu tradition). This ‘I’ ness can be seen in any of the books of Vedanta. You talk to any common people - this bloated notion of a free ‘I’ (ego) can be seen. When this comes up in the circle of ascetics (brahmacharis), then such notions come forth through the master-disciple lineage. In the tradition of deity- worship (devaparampara), the ‘deva’ (god) I am devoted to or the ‘devi’ (goddess) I am devoted to is the greatest and most glorious. Because of such possessiveness in individuals, all kinds of deities, chamundi, yakshi, pey, maruta, matan, mantramurthi (dark, evil spirits such as succubi, ghosts, ghouls etc.) became the ‘Lords’. This has happened because of people’s selfishness and egoism.
Q: Why has it happened so?
Guru: It was mentioned already that when the Brahmic Will could not be conducted because of certain failings in the Manu lineage, the Trimurthi tradition came into being from the Will of that Brahmic power. Vedanta (jnana) was lost to this trinity tradition. Ritual worship, prayers and ‘manifestations’ became all its character. When that character worsened to become the ‘exhibition of power’, induced by spirit possessions, the human kind could not perceive fully the greatness of God nor carefully know or learn its extent or its sources of knowledge.
Q: If Guru says so, wouldn’t it come to mean that all that has come so far is wrong?
Guru: Yes, whatever I said so far is that – that they are not correct.
Q: But Guru said that the Trimurthi system came into being for carrying out the Will of Brahman consequent to a mistake that happened in the Manu lineage.
Guru: (Due to the) emergence of Varnasrama, castes and castes upon castes, those who worshiped according to the Trimurthi tradition could not function in accordance with the goodness of the Age. Earlier to this tales were created using the mediacy of srutis and smritis and they were presented as authentic. Before that, as there appeared the creed of ‘materializations’ some sanyasis themselves handled the traditions of siddhi. As it all came up to this, the tradition of Manu faded away even from memory. This degradation of the times is due to the refusal to modify the customs that required a change according to the age and the falsification of the ideology that the abode of Brahman should all the time be with the celestials (deva) and Brahmins.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
The Difference Between Guru and the Deities
GURUVANI
(The Sacred Words of NavajyotiSree Karunakara Guru)
Translated from the original Malayalam
The Difference Between Guru and the Deities
What is the range of the term ‘Guru?’ From someone who does a job to a person engaged in the virtuous work of (imparting) self-realization comes under the definition of Guru. Leaving the field of occupation, when one reaches the spheres of pranamayam (energy sheath), jnanamayam or vijnanamayam (knowledge and wisdom sheaths), mere bookish knowledge becomes inadequate as instructions are to be sought here.
The lack of punyam in the soul gets expressed as various diseases in the body. This has to be cured by employing different methods. Textual knowledge does not help in this. Where textual knowledge does not help, that path of dharma, which enables one to seek merit (punya) through karma (action), helps. Such dharma has influence on the soul as well.
The dynamic of action being such, action without dharma hinders the soul and the body in course of time. A person follows his basic instincts and propensities (vasanas) accrued from past births.
Some may do more good deeds and some tend to do bad deeds more. Sometimes, the individual is not in a position to distinguish between good and bad. Therefore when he does a bad deed, taking it to be a good one, his entire activity turns bad.
Unless one confesses to Guru about one’s negative karma, no solutions can be found and one comes to a dead end. In an excess of devotion (bhakti) some resort to strange deeds and invite people’s displeasure. Yet others imagine themselves to be persons of still higher attainment and would act and even move like a yogi or mystic.
In course of time, the activity of such persons loses clarity. It becomes incomprehensible (even) to themselves. They will not be able to assess for themselves whether the path of initiation (upadesa margam) or the path of concentrating on a favourite deity (ishta devata sampradayam) is suitable for them. Beings in the subtle plane start manifesting before a person who follows either of these paths for some time.
Such manifestations would be according to the evolution of the soul of the devotee. If there is a manifestation, the devotee will be full of zeal in his pursuit. His devotion (bhakti) would also increase. He would start getting visions in the waking state of consciousness (jagrat), dream state (swapnam), profound sleep (sushupti), the higher fourth state (turiyam) and a still higher state (turiyatitam).
The inner visions start with the elementals, go on to lower beings such as matan, maruta, and mantramoorti, and to apparitions of mystics such as yogi, jnani, karmi and so on. Demonic beings capable of creating powerful movements in the five elements are among them.
These are the ‘lords’ in some households and ‘gods’ in some others. The devotee who has visions of them might even get the feeling that these ‘lords’ and ‘gods’ are pleased in his presence. He would then feel proud that he has attained certain heights. He might get visionary experience in dream as well as in the waking state. He would become respected in the locality. In terms of the soul’s growth, some of these persons get stuck at this stage.
If there is no Guru to guide, at this stage a situation may arise, which invites the displeasure of family and neighbourhood. They could say bad things about him and he may even be physically beaten up. Since the devotee has extrasensory experiences, he would still cling on to his object of worship. He would carry on as if his experience is spiritual. He would indeed have many matters to present as authentic! As indicated above, there would also be deeds to his credit that ought to make those around him believe (in him).
Those who follow the path of worshipping a favourite deity like matan, maruta, or mantramoorti would sprinkle holy ashes, engage in tantric rites and initiation rituals, in order to earn people’s respect. These are minor tricks inspired by the deity itself. The devotee and those who believe in him get caught and even incarnations could be wasted this way. This could have happened in past births also (to the devotee).
The practitioners of such devotion might take to wandering, and their end might come on the roadside somewhere. Yet others would practice yoga, initiation through mantras and worship of favourite deities and just pass away (without much progress).
Some work towards altered states of consciousness like pratyaharam and dharana related to the samadhi state. Striving thus, they earn certain spiritual experiences as well as perceptions of life. As they are meticulous about their personal cleanliness and bodily purity, they will be held in high esteem at home and outside.
As they go forward, the lack of soul’s merit (punya) as well as the needs of the body will block their progress. Here things get mixed up. Correction and direction can be received at this stage only from a Guru; Guru becomes inevitable here. That is the depth of the riddle that is Guru.
When visions, as indicated above, are received, and 7444 of them realized, an aspirant attains one ‘stage’. If an individual with a healthy body and punya in the soul strives relentlessly and consistently, it would take 181/2 years to complete this one stage.
Even such completion would take an aspirant (if he is a beginner in spiritual life) only to ‘Vetalanagaram...’ – the realm of powerful but dark (tamasic) beings. If a mistake is made at this level, one would stagnate at the same level through many births and deaths without progress. The line from the Gurugita, “aneka janma samprapta karma bandha vidahine”, could be reflecting this cycle of birth and death.
An aspirant could fall into such error whichever path he takes – be it jnana, karma or bhakti. Some who have come up in the jnana path also have written about this.
Sri Narayana Guru’s Daivachintanam refers to the same experience. It is from his spiritual knowledge that he draws and speaks. To get out of the negative, one must pursue the positive, he says. But he does not make it clear as to how to go about it.
It is one among millions and millions of tyagis (seekers who lead a life of self sacrifice) who becomes capable of getting such a perspective. Many souls incarnate and depart in a variety of ways. In all this there would be truth also. The truth, in words of dharma, is in the correction by discriminating between right and wrong.
A person who completes 70748 visions of this kind will evolve to a high plane (daivasannidhanam) moving closer to the Supreme. Until and unless the human race realizes the value of this great and inexplicable astral process, no one can even guess what the plight would be. Even the rationalists turn out to be exponents of futile efforts in this field.
More dangerous than these aspirants and rationalists who create perverse karmic streams are those poets and thinkers who present a world vision based on intellect, without an inkling of the gross-subtle-cause-effect (sthoolam-sooksmam-karanam-karyam) relationships. The above mentioned rationalism (yuktivada) and liberationism (muktivada) have led to the philosophy of people like Charvaka.
These people have a handicap. They don’t have the maturity of awareness that can lead them to their own liberation. But we keep in mind that they have the skill to open up the storehouse of knowledge of the entire world.
The effort in this area is of two types of devotion -- without using intelligence (mooda bhakti) and devotion born of knowledge (jnana bhakti). Of these, the second group pursues the path of jnana bhakti and will not have any touch with real spiritual experience.
The subjects that their intellects absorb and the writings of those who are in tune with them are of intense value to themselves; everything else would be senseless to them. But legs tire equally for the person who is chased, and the person who chases. Both will fall pathetically in the end. Rationalism and liberationism have only this much of essence.
But the real liberationist is not in these lists. The author of Gita has qualified him with great words: the one who combines intelligence with spiritual power – “budhya yukto yoga balena chaeva.”
Some of the scholars who enthrall people with their textual knowledge are projected as jnanis by some (other kind of) rationalists. There are also persons who are stuck in unthinking devotion (mooda bhakti) till the end. These are the type of people who were described earlier as scapegoats of the sorrow that is Vetalanagaram. People of textual knowledge, no matter how great they are, are slaves to this realm of the spiritual world.
The aspects of gross-subtle-cause-effect (sthoolam-sooksmam-karanam-karyam) are related to the soul’s karma and dharma. The Guru who lends gross-subtle-cause-effect to soul’s karma and dharma should be a bold doer with direct spiritual knowledge and should respect and consider the five elements (panchabhoota), five senses (panchendriya), five sheaths around the soul (kosas), the individual soul (jivatma), the Absolute (paramatma) and dharma.
Without Guru, the aspirant may reach the aberrant state of the liberationist/rationalist whose action does not bear any fruit.
Thiruvalluvar does not seem to have discussed dharma, artha, kama and moksha but he has made references based on them. It is not possible for an ordinary person to function without these.
As far as liberationism and rationalism are concerned, they do not rise up to any conceptual height. It does not help to forget the fact that at this point every one falls. Reason and liberation are two ideas which deserve special and serious consideration. Such consideration is a way to freedom.
The dharma of Guru is eternal and inscrutable. Guru is the giver of vision (knowledge) pertaining to the level of the atom, the indivisible totality (akhandata) and the object of one’s worship.
He possesses the clarity of knowing the past, present and future. He can impart that proof to others as well; he causes recurrence of their life situations, to reach a corrective solution.
The difference between Guru and deity is immense. A life without realizing this is fruitless. The deities worshipped – devas and devis - are nothing at all in comparison with the visionary disciple of such a Guru.
(The Sacred Words of NavajyotiSree Karunakara Guru)
Translated from the original Malayalam
The Difference Between Guru and the Deities
What is the range of the term ‘Guru?’ From someone who does a job to a person engaged in the virtuous work of (imparting) self-realization comes under the definition of Guru. Leaving the field of occupation, when one reaches the spheres of pranamayam (energy sheath), jnanamayam or vijnanamayam (knowledge and wisdom sheaths), mere bookish knowledge becomes inadequate as instructions are to be sought here.
The lack of punyam in the soul gets expressed as various diseases in the body. This has to be cured by employing different methods. Textual knowledge does not help in this. Where textual knowledge does not help, that path of dharma, which enables one to seek merit (punya) through karma (action), helps. Such dharma has influence on the soul as well.
The dynamic of action being such, action without dharma hinders the soul and the body in course of time. A person follows his basic instincts and propensities (vasanas) accrued from past births.
Some may do more good deeds and some tend to do bad deeds more. Sometimes, the individual is not in a position to distinguish between good and bad. Therefore when he does a bad deed, taking it to be a good one, his entire activity turns bad.
Unless one confesses to Guru about one’s negative karma, no solutions can be found and one comes to a dead end. In an excess of devotion (bhakti) some resort to strange deeds and invite people’s displeasure. Yet others imagine themselves to be persons of still higher attainment and would act and even move like a yogi or mystic.
In course of time, the activity of such persons loses clarity. It becomes incomprehensible (even) to themselves. They will not be able to assess for themselves whether the path of initiation (upadesa margam) or the path of concentrating on a favourite deity (ishta devata sampradayam) is suitable for them. Beings in the subtle plane start manifesting before a person who follows either of these paths for some time.
Such manifestations would be according to the evolution of the soul of the devotee. If there is a manifestation, the devotee will be full of zeal in his pursuit. His devotion (bhakti) would also increase. He would start getting visions in the waking state of consciousness (jagrat), dream state (swapnam), profound sleep (sushupti), the higher fourth state (turiyam) and a still higher state (turiyatitam).
The inner visions start with the elementals, go on to lower beings such as matan, maruta, and mantramoorti, and to apparitions of mystics such as yogi, jnani, karmi and so on. Demonic beings capable of creating powerful movements in the five elements are among them.
These are the ‘lords’ in some households and ‘gods’ in some others. The devotee who has visions of them might even get the feeling that these ‘lords’ and ‘gods’ are pleased in his presence. He would then feel proud that he has attained certain heights. He might get visionary experience in dream as well as in the waking state. He would become respected in the locality. In terms of the soul’s growth, some of these persons get stuck at this stage.
If there is no Guru to guide, at this stage a situation may arise, which invites the displeasure of family and neighbourhood. They could say bad things about him and he may even be physically beaten up. Since the devotee has extrasensory experiences, he would still cling on to his object of worship. He would carry on as if his experience is spiritual. He would indeed have many matters to present as authentic! As indicated above, there would also be deeds to his credit that ought to make those around him believe (in him).
Those who follow the path of worshipping a favourite deity like matan, maruta, or mantramoorti would sprinkle holy ashes, engage in tantric rites and initiation rituals, in order to earn people’s respect. These are minor tricks inspired by the deity itself. The devotee and those who believe in him get caught and even incarnations could be wasted this way. This could have happened in past births also (to the devotee).
The practitioners of such devotion might take to wandering, and their end might come on the roadside somewhere. Yet others would practice yoga, initiation through mantras and worship of favourite deities and just pass away (without much progress).
Some work towards altered states of consciousness like pratyaharam and dharana related to the samadhi state. Striving thus, they earn certain spiritual experiences as well as perceptions of life. As they are meticulous about their personal cleanliness and bodily purity, they will be held in high esteem at home and outside.
As they go forward, the lack of soul’s merit (punya) as well as the needs of the body will block their progress. Here things get mixed up. Correction and direction can be received at this stage only from a Guru; Guru becomes inevitable here. That is the depth of the riddle that is Guru.
When visions, as indicated above, are received, and 7444 of them realized, an aspirant attains one ‘stage’. If an individual with a healthy body and punya in the soul strives relentlessly and consistently, it would take 181/2 years to complete this one stage.
Even such completion would take an aspirant (if he is a beginner in spiritual life) only to ‘Vetalanagaram...’ – the realm of powerful but dark (tamasic) beings. If a mistake is made at this level, one would stagnate at the same level through many births and deaths without progress. The line from the Gurugita, “aneka janma samprapta karma bandha vidahine”, could be reflecting this cycle of birth and death.
An aspirant could fall into such error whichever path he takes – be it jnana, karma or bhakti. Some who have come up in the jnana path also have written about this.
Sri Narayana Guru’s Daivachintanam refers to the same experience. It is from his spiritual knowledge that he draws and speaks. To get out of the negative, one must pursue the positive, he says. But he does not make it clear as to how to go about it.
It is one among millions and millions of tyagis (seekers who lead a life of self sacrifice) who becomes capable of getting such a perspective. Many souls incarnate and depart in a variety of ways. In all this there would be truth also. The truth, in words of dharma, is in the correction by discriminating between right and wrong.
A person who completes 70748 visions of this kind will evolve to a high plane (daivasannidhanam) moving closer to the Supreme. Until and unless the human race realizes the value of this great and inexplicable astral process, no one can even guess what the plight would be. Even the rationalists turn out to be exponents of futile efforts in this field.
More dangerous than these aspirants and rationalists who create perverse karmic streams are those poets and thinkers who present a world vision based on intellect, without an inkling of the gross-subtle-cause-effect (sthoolam-sooksmam-karanam-karyam) relationships. The above mentioned rationalism (yuktivada) and liberationism (muktivada) have led to the philosophy of people like Charvaka.
These people have a handicap. They don’t have the maturity of awareness that can lead them to their own liberation. But we keep in mind that they have the skill to open up the storehouse of knowledge of the entire world.
The effort in this area is of two types of devotion -- without using intelligence (mooda bhakti) and devotion born of knowledge (jnana bhakti). Of these, the second group pursues the path of jnana bhakti and will not have any touch with real spiritual experience.
The subjects that their intellects absorb and the writings of those who are in tune with them are of intense value to themselves; everything else would be senseless to them. But legs tire equally for the person who is chased, and the person who chases. Both will fall pathetically in the end. Rationalism and liberationism have only this much of essence.
But the real liberationist is not in these lists. The author of Gita has qualified him with great words: the one who combines intelligence with spiritual power – “budhya yukto yoga balena chaeva.”
Some of the scholars who enthrall people with their textual knowledge are projected as jnanis by some (other kind of) rationalists. There are also persons who are stuck in unthinking devotion (mooda bhakti) till the end. These are the type of people who were described earlier as scapegoats of the sorrow that is Vetalanagaram. People of textual knowledge, no matter how great they are, are slaves to this realm of the spiritual world.
The aspects of gross-subtle-cause-effect (sthoolam-sooksmam-karanam-karyam) are related to the soul’s karma and dharma. The Guru who lends gross-subtle-cause-effect to soul’s karma and dharma should be a bold doer with direct spiritual knowledge and should respect and consider the five elements (panchabhoota), five senses (panchendriya), five sheaths around the soul (kosas), the individual soul (jivatma), the Absolute (paramatma) and dharma.
Without Guru, the aspirant may reach the aberrant state of the liberationist/rationalist whose action does not bear any fruit.
Thiruvalluvar does not seem to have discussed dharma, artha, kama and moksha but he has made references based on them. It is not possible for an ordinary person to function without these.
As far as liberationism and rationalism are concerned, they do not rise up to any conceptual height. It does not help to forget the fact that at this point every one falls. Reason and liberation are two ideas which deserve special and serious consideration. Such consideration is a way to freedom.
The dharma of Guru is eternal and inscrutable. Guru is the giver of vision (knowledge) pertaining to the level of the atom, the indivisible totality (akhandata) and the object of one’s worship.
He possesses the clarity of knowing the past, present and future. He can impart that proof to others as well; he causes recurrence of their life situations, to reach a corrective solution.
The difference between Guru and deity is immense. A life without realizing this is fruitless. The deities worshipped – devas and devis - are nothing at all in comparison with the visionary disciple of such a Guru.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Reordering Hinduism: A Workable Guruparampara
Gurucharanam Saranam
Reordering Hinduism: A Workable Guruparampara
(From the Teachings of Navajyoti Sree Karunakara Guru)
Navajyoti Sree Karunakara Guru said that in the re-ordering of Hinduism, the role of Santhigiri Ashram differs from other Ashrams. Other Ashrams have all followed the trodden path of their predecessors. That is what is going on even now. All this has to be reordered, not partially, but totally. In other words, today we are in possession of three traditions of worship in the Hindu system. A single comprehensive system is to be evolved in the place of these three. For this first of all we have to have the right understanding of the new principle and have full faith in it. The first step is to understand. Only then can it be translated into action. Most people have the old worship tradition in their blood, flesh and marrow: it is part of their very being.
Guru said that once a person’s faith is firm in the new way, the next step is a cleansing of his pitrus and the devas they had worshipped. All these entities as well as the powers he worships now are to be offered up to the Radiance of the Brahman. In their place faith in the Guru has to be established. This faith should be based on the conviction as to what Guru really is. God is to be worshipped in the image of the Guru. This is the ancient Hindu principle. Hence ‘gururbrahma’- that is the Guru is Brahman. And lastly he is ‘saakashaat parabrahman’ - the Absolute Itself. This has to be realized first, to reach it to the people at large. The qualities of such a Guru who has evolved and attained the state of Parabrahman also should be realized.
Guru further said:
"The Parabrahma Guru treats the good and the bad alike. The Guru would try to bring a wicked person to the path of goodness through making him struggle and suffer in life. The good person also is treated the same way. There is only a slight difference. This is the difference: The wicked man’s activities will have a high degree of faults and still the Guru will forgive and show lenience towards him. On the other hand a good person will be disciplined severely. If he is not responsive the Guru might even turn him out. The Guru would not discipline him further.
Why is this so? If the good man goes astray—even if it is just a step amiss— it will amount to a fatal flaw in his life’s dharma. Such a fault cannot be corrected in his lifetime. That is why sometimes gurus are found to reject disciples. It does not matter, let him go, is what the guru would think. If the man stays on and errs further a situation could develop where he can harm himself irreparably.
In the case of the wicked person the guru would go out of his way to give him a chance for reform. That is why in a conscious relationship between guru and disciple, the disciple strives to follow the guru’s words with utmost vigilance. The gurus who thus try to guide people will have numerous difficulties to face. It is because the guru’s word—however righteous or good—will not be in keeping with what people are used to. Look back and you will see the turbulence unleashed by each past attempt to change an existing norm.
Consider the recent religions—Christianity, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism and the Arya Samaj. It is enough to have a look at the history of these religions to have an idea of the enormity of suffering gone through by the founders and their followers. It is this suffering that has given value to their sacrifice. In the context of our times we have to adopt a more forceful and rational path. Otherwise apart from failing to guide people, our road in all likelihood might take a turn for the worse. We might regress immeasurably before we return to the right path again.
Therefore each one in this path should be firm of intent and have confidence in his own strength and reason to carry out his task. The travelers on this path—whatever be their particular way of life— should align themselves to the way of the Guru. We should completely absorb the idea behind it. Only then can we serve the cause and establish norms based on precedence. Otherwise we might break away from the path, impelled by desire or base anger.
It is for this that we need to acquire a complete understanding of this first and be able to glory in it. We should thereafter perceptively make restrained efforts towards progress. Each individual must necessarily be able to exercise reasonable tolerance. He must radiate love and be ready for sacrifice. Only paramparas consisting of such individuals have been able to progress.
All who embrace gurumargam should be courageous, loving and capable. Then all of us can realize the future ordained by God. This is how our guruparampara should set its goal and move forward. It is the householders who should take particular initiative and come to the forefront to propagate the ideal. Men and women should, in the mechanics of living, act only on the basis of mutual respect and affection. The family has unity and wholeness then. Such love fosters generations of good children! It will be easier for such children to acquire the vital knowledge for living. To transmit that knowledge to future generations, two or three other means also have to be adopted.
Firstly there should be no consideration of caste, creed or ethnic divisions in the guruparampara. All should function in unity. This unity will foster togetherness like that of a closely-knit family. Through this, work can be found and done together. Such co-operative efforts can be instrumental in lightening the struggle of life.
Education should evolve in accordance with the values of the parampara and its cultural traditions. Organizational ability and learning combine to develop a sense of unity. In this preparation, we have to be specially mindful of one fact. The guru has to be a person who has accumulated all the powers natural to the devas. It is not for following the path of the devas. But a guru who has not known the path of the devas cannot remedy the errors in that path, to lead humanity.
The guru should fully discover the paths of devas and rishis who were our predecessors and free them from faults. He should have also realized the stages of Devendra and Ganapati. He should have evolved further through the stages of Iswara, Daivam and the Brahmam. Only a Guru of such evolvement can bring about and establish this truth in its entirety".
Reordering Hinduism: A Workable Guruparampara
(From the Teachings of Navajyoti Sree Karunakara Guru)
Navajyoti Sree Karunakara Guru said that in the re-ordering of Hinduism, the role of Santhigiri Ashram differs from other Ashrams. Other Ashrams have all followed the trodden path of their predecessors. That is what is going on even now. All this has to be reordered, not partially, but totally. In other words, today we are in possession of three traditions of worship in the Hindu system. A single comprehensive system is to be evolved in the place of these three. For this first of all we have to have the right understanding of the new principle and have full faith in it. The first step is to understand. Only then can it be translated into action. Most people have the old worship tradition in their blood, flesh and marrow: it is part of their very being.
Guru said that once a person’s faith is firm in the new way, the next step is a cleansing of his pitrus and the devas they had worshipped. All these entities as well as the powers he worships now are to be offered up to the Radiance of the Brahman. In their place faith in the Guru has to be established. This faith should be based on the conviction as to what Guru really is. God is to be worshipped in the image of the Guru. This is the ancient Hindu principle. Hence ‘gururbrahma’- that is the Guru is Brahman. And lastly he is ‘saakashaat parabrahman’ - the Absolute Itself. This has to be realized first, to reach it to the people at large. The qualities of such a Guru who has evolved and attained the state of Parabrahman also should be realized.
Guru further said:
"The Parabrahma Guru treats the good and the bad alike. The Guru would try to bring a wicked person to the path of goodness through making him struggle and suffer in life. The good person also is treated the same way. There is only a slight difference. This is the difference: The wicked man’s activities will have a high degree of faults and still the Guru will forgive and show lenience towards him. On the other hand a good person will be disciplined severely. If he is not responsive the Guru might even turn him out. The Guru would not discipline him further.
Why is this so? If the good man goes astray—even if it is just a step amiss— it will amount to a fatal flaw in his life’s dharma. Such a fault cannot be corrected in his lifetime. That is why sometimes gurus are found to reject disciples. It does not matter, let him go, is what the guru would think. If the man stays on and errs further a situation could develop where he can harm himself irreparably.
In the case of the wicked person the guru would go out of his way to give him a chance for reform. That is why in a conscious relationship between guru and disciple, the disciple strives to follow the guru’s words with utmost vigilance. The gurus who thus try to guide people will have numerous difficulties to face. It is because the guru’s word—however righteous or good—will not be in keeping with what people are used to. Look back and you will see the turbulence unleashed by each past attempt to change an existing norm.
Consider the recent religions—Christianity, Islam, Jainism, Buddhism and the Arya Samaj. It is enough to have a look at the history of these religions to have an idea of the enormity of suffering gone through by the founders and their followers. It is this suffering that has given value to their sacrifice. In the context of our times we have to adopt a more forceful and rational path. Otherwise apart from failing to guide people, our road in all likelihood might take a turn for the worse. We might regress immeasurably before we return to the right path again.
Therefore each one in this path should be firm of intent and have confidence in his own strength and reason to carry out his task. The travelers on this path—whatever be their particular way of life— should align themselves to the way of the Guru. We should completely absorb the idea behind it. Only then can we serve the cause and establish norms based on precedence. Otherwise we might break away from the path, impelled by desire or base anger.
It is for this that we need to acquire a complete understanding of this first and be able to glory in it. We should thereafter perceptively make restrained efforts towards progress. Each individual must necessarily be able to exercise reasonable tolerance. He must radiate love and be ready for sacrifice. Only paramparas consisting of such individuals have been able to progress.
All who embrace gurumargam should be courageous, loving and capable. Then all of us can realize the future ordained by God. This is how our guruparampara should set its goal and move forward. It is the householders who should take particular initiative and come to the forefront to propagate the ideal. Men and women should, in the mechanics of living, act only on the basis of mutual respect and affection. The family has unity and wholeness then. Such love fosters generations of good children! It will be easier for such children to acquire the vital knowledge for living. To transmit that knowledge to future generations, two or three other means also have to be adopted.
Firstly there should be no consideration of caste, creed or ethnic divisions in the guruparampara. All should function in unity. This unity will foster togetherness like that of a closely-knit family. Through this, work can be found and done together. Such co-operative efforts can be instrumental in lightening the struggle of life.
Education should evolve in accordance with the values of the parampara and its cultural traditions. Organizational ability and learning combine to develop a sense of unity. In this preparation, we have to be specially mindful of one fact. The guru has to be a person who has accumulated all the powers natural to the devas. It is not for following the path of the devas. But a guru who has not known the path of the devas cannot remedy the errors in that path, to lead humanity.
The guru should fully discover the paths of devas and rishis who were our predecessors and free them from faults. He should have also realized the stages of Devendra and Ganapati. He should have evolved further through the stages of Iswara, Daivam and the Brahmam. Only a Guru of such evolvement can bring about and establish this truth in its entirety".
Friday, July 9, 2010
Present Degradation of Life and Its Interconnections
Gurucharanam Saranam
Present Degradation of Life and Its Interconnections
(From the Teachings of Navajyoti Sree Karunakara Guru)
Navajyoti Sree Karunakara Guru: Nowadays there is a plethora of ideas and their exponents. There are cultists, rationalists and godmen. And there are scholars of every shade making a variety of evaluations. Do you not see much of it in the media? What do you make of it? People do not understand one another. As before even now from one state of ignorance people move on to another.
Disciple: What then do you suggest? What is to be done to correct this situation?
Guru: What is needed here now is not correction—but an awareness of what the situation is. Will any group admit that they are in any way less than the others? If any group is criticized they organize themselves and the worst strains in their behaviour surface. Priests are skillful. Our university professors and principals are qualified in their own right. Theologians and the writers of mythology are all capable. There is one section which particularly believes that only the Vedas and Upanishads are right. They make even taller claims than the others. The rationalists and spiritual liberationists study all this and appear to know everything. What would be the position of someone who has come to know something and is desirous of sharing it? All those mentioned above would behave with him like some poisonous wasps to drive him out.
We should not say that all this is wrong. We should only say that it is right. At a glance it might appear wrong. But if one looks with a discriminating eye, a certain logic becomes apparent. In fact we will begin to think that this is very much right, when we consider the scriptural texts and legends.
All these godmen, rationalists and liberationists are people who would have reincarnated several times through vast periods of time. They would have subscribed to different doctrines and beliefs.
There is another self-important group who feel that they are the ones who are in possession of the actual truth. They are the scientists. Could we who have experienced the benefits of science and witnessed its growth say that their claim is wrong? However with the passage of time they will have to admit that their claim is not entirely right. Take for example some of the modern medicines created in the laboratories. They would be in general use for a while and the scientists themselves would later admit that the medicines have adverse side-effects.
Scientific conclusions are undergoing such rapid changes. In spite of all this there is a large section of people who support science indiscriminately. All these points of view are picked up and used by another group which has grown very strong here.
The fall of the Skylab unsettled people the world over and there were various opinions. We are already aware that science is creating imbalances and has unforeseen hidden dangers. Its attendant technology is filling the air with toxic vapours.
Atmospheric pollution affects human beings, planets and animals; leading to diseases and, probably, to the distortion of the human character. People seem to be already becoming like automatons. That is only natural. We eat the produce from the plants growing in this polluted atmosphere. Needless to say that this will affect not only our body but also our mind!
What we eat does affect our mind. There is ample proof in support of this. Take our artists for example. Many of them cannot write or act unless they are inspired by liquor. Once it goes in, songs burst forth. They might even dance though out of step. They will make up for their lack of natural charms through artificial means. This has become widespread. Even the medical profession is not free from it. Though evolved out of compassion it has drifted far from such life-giving vision. It cannot be wrong to point out this unhappy fact.
It is possible that toxic substances released into the atmosphere gather at certain points. This could lead to unpredictable disasters, because it can easily destroy the effects of the sun or the moon over us.
In this situation what does a person who gains some knowledge do to communicate it to others? It would be a great thing if he is not finished off by all these men swarming in on him.
Disciple: Earlier you mentioned that there is a strong group here which support all these. This is not quite clear.
Guru: You see, among the rich and the poor alike there is a race for the benefits of education. Mostly the children of the rich do not study. By hook or by crook, using money or otherwise they pass some examinations, get a degree and come out to discover a field of activity—politics. They become leaders, travel in cars and airplanes. Rich young men attain this goal and dazzle the world.
Whom does this unsettle? The children of the poor who do not have enough food and clothes! Even they are chasing a world of fantasy. Some of them aspire to be leaders. They turn clichés and platitudes into ideals.
A select among these, watching the whole process, rush for any opportunity they can turn to their advantage. This type uses everyone and everything and grabs power and takes over leadership.
Raising various issues small and big they arrogate power to themselves and push others into submission— into being the guards (outside) their door. This is the class that wholly supports the earlier mentioned groups. Is it not clear that toxic vapours in the environment affect all creatures and envenom their faculties?
If you consider the interconnection of things would the present degradation of life seem an accident to you?
Disciple: If we admit all this to be true, how is one to forge ahead?
Guru: I have been repeatedly telling you that from time to time such great men are born as would establish the wisdom appropriate for the yuga.
Through sacrifice and the grace of God they attain wisdom. After earthly life these jivas ascend to good planets and stellar spheres. These very same souls are born again by the Will of God. As objects of His unbounded compassion they start receiving the asariri. Only those sons who take birth by God’s Grace and Will are able to receive this voice. Only they can bring back to our memory the effulgent words of the Gita, Upanishads and Vedas and so lead us Godwards.
In the ordinary course no one receives the asariri. No matter who he is —a pundit or an ignoramus, a learned man or an unlettered one, a Vedantin or a rationalist. Therefore let us stop this discussion at this point.
Present Degradation of Life and Its Interconnections
(From the Teachings of Navajyoti Sree Karunakara Guru)
Navajyoti Sree Karunakara Guru: Nowadays there is a plethora of ideas and their exponents. There are cultists, rationalists and godmen. And there are scholars of every shade making a variety of evaluations. Do you not see much of it in the media? What do you make of it? People do not understand one another. As before even now from one state of ignorance people move on to another.
Disciple: What then do you suggest? What is to be done to correct this situation?
Guru: What is needed here now is not correction—but an awareness of what the situation is. Will any group admit that they are in any way less than the others? If any group is criticized they organize themselves and the worst strains in their behaviour surface. Priests are skillful. Our university professors and principals are qualified in their own right. Theologians and the writers of mythology are all capable. There is one section which particularly believes that only the Vedas and Upanishads are right. They make even taller claims than the others. The rationalists and spiritual liberationists study all this and appear to know everything. What would be the position of someone who has come to know something and is desirous of sharing it? All those mentioned above would behave with him like some poisonous wasps to drive him out.
We should not say that all this is wrong. We should only say that it is right. At a glance it might appear wrong. But if one looks with a discriminating eye, a certain logic becomes apparent. In fact we will begin to think that this is very much right, when we consider the scriptural texts and legends.
All these godmen, rationalists and liberationists are people who would have reincarnated several times through vast periods of time. They would have subscribed to different doctrines and beliefs.
There is another self-important group who feel that they are the ones who are in possession of the actual truth. They are the scientists. Could we who have experienced the benefits of science and witnessed its growth say that their claim is wrong? However with the passage of time they will have to admit that their claim is not entirely right. Take for example some of the modern medicines created in the laboratories. They would be in general use for a while and the scientists themselves would later admit that the medicines have adverse side-effects.
Scientific conclusions are undergoing such rapid changes. In spite of all this there is a large section of people who support science indiscriminately. All these points of view are picked up and used by another group which has grown very strong here.
The fall of the Skylab unsettled people the world over and there were various opinions. We are already aware that science is creating imbalances and has unforeseen hidden dangers. Its attendant technology is filling the air with toxic vapours.
Atmospheric pollution affects human beings, planets and animals; leading to diseases and, probably, to the distortion of the human character. People seem to be already becoming like automatons. That is only natural. We eat the produce from the plants growing in this polluted atmosphere. Needless to say that this will affect not only our body but also our mind!
What we eat does affect our mind. There is ample proof in support of this. Take our artists for example. Many of them cannot write or act unless they are inspired by liquor. Once it goes in, songs burst forth. They might even dance though out of step. They will make up for their lack of natural charms through artificial means. This has become widespread. Even the medical profession is not free from it. Though evolved out of compassion it has drifted far from such life-giving vision. It cannot be wrong to point out this unhappy fact.
It is possible that toxic substances released into the atmosphere gather at certain points. This could lead to unpredictable disasters, because it can easily destroy the effects of the sun or the moon over us.
In this situation what does a person who gains some knowledge do to communicate it to others? It would be a great thing if he is not finished off by all these men swarming in on him.
Disciple: Earlier you mentioned that there is a strong group here which support all these. This is not quite clear.
Guru: You see, among the rich and the poor alike there is a race for the benefits of education. Mostly the children of the rich do not study. By hook or by crook, using money or otherwise they pass some examinations, get a degree and come out to discover a field of activity—politics. They become leaders, travel in cars and airplanes. Rich young men attain this goal and dazzle the world.
Whom does this unsettle? The children of the poor who do not have enough food and clothes! Even they are chasing a world of fantasy. Some of them aspire to be leaders. They turn clichés and platitudes into ideals.
A select among these, watching the whole process, rush for any opportunity they can turn to their advantage. This type uses everyone and everything and grabs power and takes over leadership.
Raising various issues small and big they arrogate power to themselves and push others into submission— into being the guards (outside) their door. This is the class that wholly supports the earlier mentioned groups. Is it not clear that toxic vapours in the environment affect all creatures and envenom their faculties?
If you consider the interconnection of things would the present degradation of life seem an accident to you?
Disciple: If we admit all this to be true, how is one to forge ahead?
Guru: I have been repeatedly telling you that from time to time such great men are born as would establish the wisdom appropriate for the yuga.
Through sacrifice and the grace of God they attain wisdom. After earthly life these jivas ascend to good planets and stellar spheres. These very same souls are born again by the Will of God. As objects of His unbounded compassion they start receiving the asariri. Only those sons who take birth by God’s Grace and Will are able to receive this voice. Only they can bring back to our memory the effulgent words of the Gita, Upanishads and Vedas and so lead us Godwards.
In the ordinary course no one receives the asariri. No matter who he is —a pundit or an ignoramus, a learned man or an unlettered one, a Vedantin or a rationalist. Therefore let us stop this discussion at this point.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Discovering Sanatana Dharma
Gurucharanam Saranam
Discovering Sanatana Dharma
(From the Teachings of NavajyotiSree Karunakara Guru)
Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru said: “Till now we had been living behind the system in which there were different gods for lower castes and higher castes…. Kaliyuga requires the culmination of the faith in a single God.”
Speaking about the corruption in the spiritual practices, consequent to deviated worship and social customs, Guru said:
'The Sakteya, the man of the Sakti cult, made his cult into a complete system. Then Vedanta entered into it. Along with Vedanta was blended into the system, the helplessness of having to invoke ‘Matan’ (a tribal spirit worshiped in South India) as the Lord. That is how the Saiva blended Matan and Natesa.
The Vaishnava introduced more cultural refinements into his system. He also became an exponent of Advaita. With this development, the people had to accept everything that was written by the pundits. And, if they continued to be in a proto-Dravidian state, how could they evolve?'
‘The Sakteya and the Saiva traditions each took up different viewpoints which suited themselves. The Sakteya tradition regarded the Goddess as everything. Siva was everything in the Saiva tradition. The Vaishnava tradition considered Vishnu above all others. The learned pundits and their ilk had to accept what these three traditions proclaimed. All this has happened by way of expiation for not being able to discover the Error in perceiving the Brahmic Will.
Also, Yuga dharma is the Dharmic code of the Yuga, the Age. Now the Yuga dharma should be what pertains to Kali. From the beginning of the Kali itself, we failed to discern the transition of the Age. What we had to discern was the fluctuations in the human processes in the past three Ages. Now, what is the pervading nature of the present Kali? We might have been able to understand this from the beginning itself. That we could not get this awareness was because of the failure of the way in which we were governed.
The present Kaliyuga is the Kaliyuga of the 28th Chaturyuga in the Manvantara of Vaivaswata Manu, the seventh Manu. The state of society depends on its comprehension and assimilation of the wisdom of the sages, which is encoded in the Vedas and the Upanishads. Our rulers kept us away from this knowledge. As a result, we as a people degenerated; we lost the capacity to understand the words of the wise. This is why we were not able to discern’.
The fundamental aim of Santhigiri Ashram founded by NavajyotiSree Karunakara Guru is to reveal and rectify the spiritual error that had befallen Sanatana Dharma.
Mukundan P.R.
Discovering Sanatana Dharma
(From the Teachings of NavajyotiSree Karunakara Guru)
Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru said: “Till now we had been living behind the system in which there were different gods for lower castes and higher castes…. Kaliyuga requires the culmination of the faith in a single God.”
Speaking about the corruption in the spiritual practices, consequent to deviated worship and social customs, Guru said:
'The Sakteya, the man of the Sakti cult, made his cult into a complete system. Then Vedanta entered into it. Along with Vedanta was blended into the system, the helplessness of having to invoke ‘Matan’ (a tribal spirit worshiped in South India) as the Lord. That is how the Saiva blended Matan and Natesa.
The Vaishnava introduced more cultural refinements into his system. He also became an exponent of Advaita. With this development, the people had to accept everything that was written by the pundits. And, if they continued to be in a proto-Dravidian state, how could they evolve?'
‘The Sakteya and the Saiva traditions each took up different viewpoints which suited themselves. The Sakteya tradition regarded the Goddess as everything. Siva was everything in the Saiva tradition. The Vaishnava tradition considered Vishnu above all others. The learned pundits and their ilk had to accept what these three traditions proclaimed. All this has happened by way of expiation for not being able to discover the Error in perceiving the Brahmic Will.
Also, Yuga dharma is the Dharmic code of the Yuga, the Age. Now the Yuga dharma should be what pertains to Kali. From the beginning of the Kali itself, we failed to discern the transition of the Age. What we had to discern was the fluctuations in the human processes in the past three Ages. Now, what is the pervading nature of the present Kali? We might have been able to understand this from the beginning itself. That we could not get this awareness was because of the failure of the way in which we were governed.
The present Kaliyuga is the Kaliyuga of the 28th Chaturyuga in the Manvantara of Vaivaswata Manu, the seventh Manu. The state of society depends on its comprehension and assimilation of the wisdom of the sages, which is encoded in the Vedas and the Upanishads. Our rulers kept us away from this knowledge. As a result, we as a people degenerated; we lost the capacity to understand the words of the wise. This is why we were not able to discern’.
The fundamental aim of Santhigiri Ashram founded by NavajyotiSree Karunakara Guru is to reveal and rectify the spiritual error that had befallen Sanatana Dharma.
Mukundan P.R.
Monday, June 21, 2010
The Manus and Yuga Cycles
Gurucharanam Saranam
The Manus and Yuga Cycles
(From the teachings of NavajyotiSree Karunakara Guru)
‘The present Kaliyuga is the Kaliyuga of the 28th Chaturyuga in the Manvantara of Vaivaswata Manu, the seventh Manu. The state of society depends on its comprehension and assimilation of the wisdom of the sages, which is encoded in the Vedas and the Upanishads. Our rulers kept us away from this knowledge. As a result, we as a people degenerated; we lost the capacity to understand the words of the wise. This is why we were not able to discern’.
(NavajyotiSree Karunakara Guru)
The Brahmic Will to be self-responsible for the divine dispensation for God-realization existed from the beginning of creation itself and continues incessantly. It is the same Godly Conception that manifests as the Subtle Being (the Impersonal Truth), Godhead (Manifested Truth), as a Deva (Deity), Sanyasi (Sage) or a Rishi and accepts worship through these mediums down the course of ages. But, there is a concept known as Yuga Dharma. Different eons like Satya, Treta and Dwapara had their characteristic dharmic dispensation, which in the present age – Kaliyuga – undergoes change. These changes in the dharmic code (Yuga Dharma) are brought about by sages and seers of transcendental wisdom, who manifest as the embodiment of enlightenment and Godly abstraction. NavajyotiSree Karunakara Guru said.
According to the Rishis, the transition of Yugas, propelling the wheel of dharma, happens according to the Will of God and in accordance with the laws of Manu – the primordial human ancestor and preceptor. It is mentioned that the time period of a creation consists of 14 Manvantaras, or cosmic time segments. Each of this time segments is under a Manu, hence it is known as Manvantara.
There are thus 14 Manus in a creation. Each Manvantara is again divided into 71 Chaturyugas. One Chaturyuga consists of four yugas – Satya, Treta, Dwapara and Kali.
The preceptors or Rishis coming under the Manu lineage are known as Manu Parampara and the Dharma revealed through them is called Manu Dharma, or Sanatana Dharma (eternal dharma). Because of the error of a preceptor in the lineage of Manus, the real spiritual experience and grace of God was lost, as explained below in the words of Guru. This occurred in the 3rd Chaturyuga of this Manvantara. A great spiritual void followed subsequent to this, and mankind lost the knowledge about Manu and Manu Dharma.
'The present is the seventh Manvantara. In the third Chaturyuga of this Manvantara, a great soul in the tradition of Manu perceived that there is no action in this world that is not Manu’s. He saw this in all planes – the sookshmam (subtle), sthoolam (corporeal), kaaryam (cause), and kaaranam (effect). Out of this experience came the Chaturvakyas, or the four great enunciations. The very first one is, Aham Brahmasmi – I am the Brahman, the Absolute. He proved it to the people with the power of logic. He was full of his oneness with the Brahman, which he went on to mistake for himself being the Brahman.
Each one of us, each blade of grass, is full of the Brahman. But, is the Will of the Almighty confined to an individual evolute? One concludes: this sage did not have the grace to discriminate between the Absolute and the individual even if the individual has had the realization of the Absolute. Thus was blurred his awareness of the Will of the Absolute’.
Guru has further revealed that the cosmic time calculation of yugas was subsequently altered by a preceptor in the Trimurthy tradition. Only a ‘Kalanthara Guru’ – a Guru who brings about epochal changes – could see far deep into the cosmic time segments and evaluate this error.
‘What we are going through is the time-order of Manvantaras. That is our perspective or cognition of the world. In the Manu tradition, a great spiritual evolute fell from grace. As a result, the Brahman initiated a corrective in the seventh Chaturyuga, which was brought to a completion in the eleventh Chaturyuga. Thereafter, astral matters related to Mukti were revealed, which got codified as Vedas, Sastras and the Upanishads, without changing the old Manvantara order (to reaffirm that order).
Since the sages could not transcend those who received these astral matters, they did not inquire into the reason why they had received such knowledge, but used their intellect in understanding the path shown by the Almighty and charted their version of the Manvantara time-order – Chaturyugas, Manvantaras and Kalpas – as subservient to Brahma. Thus, they could not invoke Manu, the First Guru, and grasp the Error and correct it. This is a peril that has befallen us. The Error was repeated again and again as the evolutes, who were the spiritual authorities of revealed knowledge, could not discover the mystery and unravel it in full before us’.
Mukundan PR
The Manus and Yuga Cycles
(From the teachings of NavajyotiSree Karunakara Guru)
‘The present Kaliyuga is the Kaliyuga of the 28th Chaturyuga in the Manvantara of Vaivaswata Manu, the seventh Manu. The state of society depends on its comprehension and assimilation of the wisdom of the sages, which is encoded in the Vedas and the Upanishads. Our rulers kept us away from this knowledge. As a result, we as a people degenerated; we lost the capacity to understand the words of the wise. This is why we were not able to discern’.
(NavajyotiSree Karunakara Guru)
The Brahmic Will to be self-responsible for the divine dispensation for God-realization existed from the beginning of creation itself and continues incessantly. It is the same Godly Conception that manifests as the Subtle Being (the Impersonal Truth), Godhead (Manifested Truth), as a Deva (Deity), Sanyasi (Sage) or a Rishi and accepts worship through these mediums down the course of ages. But, there is a concept known as Yuga Dharma. Different eons like Satya, Treta and Dwapara had their characteristic dharmic dispensation, which in the present age – Kaliyuga – undergoes change. These changes in the dharmic code (Yuga Dharma) are brought about by sages and seers of transcendental wisdom, who manifest as the embodiment of enlightenment and Godly abstraction. NavajyotiSree Karunakara Guru said.
According to the Rishis, the transition of Yugas, propelling the wheel of dharma, happens according to the Will of God and in accordance with the laws of Manu – the primordial human ancestor and preceptor. It is mentioned that the time period of a creation consists of 14 Manvantaras, or cosmic time segments. Each of this time segments is under a Manu, hence it is known as Manvantara.
There are thus 14 Manus in a creation. Each Manvantara is again divided into 71 Chaturyugas. One Chaturyuga consists of four yugas – Satya, Treta, Dwapara and Kali.
The preceptors or Rishis coming under the Manu lineage are known as Manu Parampara and the Dharma revealed through them is called Manu Dharma, or Sanatana Dharma (eternal dharma). Because of the error of a preceptor in the lineage of Manus, the real spiritual experience and grace of God was lost, as explained below in the words of Guru. This occurred in the 3rd Chaturyuga of this Manvantara. A great spiritual void followed subsequent to this, and mankind lost the knowledge about Manu and Manu Dharma.
'The present is the seventh Manvantara. In the third Chaturyuga of this Manvantara, a great soul in the tradition of Manu perceived that there is no action in this world that is not Manu’s. He saw this in all planes – the sookshmam (subtle), sthoolam (corporeal), kaaryam (cause), and kaaranam (effect). Out of this experience came the Chaturvakyas, or the four great enunciations. The very first one is, Aham Brahmasmi – I am the Brahman, the Absolute. He proved it to the people with the power of logic. He was full of his oneness with the Brahman, which he went on to mistake for himself being the Brahman.
Each one of us, each blade of grass, is full of the Brahman. But, is the Will of the Almighty confined to an individual evolute? One concludes: this sage did not have the grace to discriminate between the Absolute and the individual even if the individual has had the realization of the Absolute. Thus was blurred his awareness of the Will of the Absolute’.
Guru has further revealed that the cosmic time calculation of yugas was subsequently altered by a preceptor in the Trimurthy tradition. Only a ‘Kalanthara Guru’ – a Guru who brings about epochal changes – could see far deep into the cosmic time segments and evaluate this error.
‘What we are going through is the time-order of Manvantaras. That is our perspective or cognition of the world. In the Manu tradition, a great spiritual evolute fell from grace. As a result, the Brahman initiated a corrective in the seventh Chaturyuga, which was brought to a completion in the eleventh Chaturyuga. Thereafter, astral matters related to Mukti were revealed, which got codified as Vedas, Sastras and the Upanishads, without changing the old Manvantara order (to reaffirm that order).
Since the sages could not transcend those who received these astral matters, they did not inquire into the reason why they had received such knowledge, but used their intellect in understanding the path shown by the Almighty and charted their version of the Manvantara time-order – Chaturyugas, Manvantaras and Kalpas – as subservient to Brahma. Thus, they could not invoke Manu, the First Guru, and grasp the Error and correct it. This is a peril that has befallen us. The Error was repeated again and again as the evolutes, who were the spiritual authorities of revealed knowledge, could not discover the mystery and unravel it in full before us’.
Mukundan PR
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Spiritual Experience - Sri P.D. Pradeep
Gurucharanam Saranam
Santhigiri Ashram: A Labour of Love
P. D. Pradeep, Idukki
Great souls go through difficulties so that everyone should realize about God’s love. Guru wanted everyone to have a mind to work hard and face difficulties for the prosperity of the world. Guru insisted that everyone live for others and work hard for others. Everyone should give importance to the welfare of others. By doing so we are serving God and earning merit. We should lead a life without jealousy; have a pure heart and an open mind. Guru planted the seeds of goodness and these are now flourishing in Santhigiri Ashram.
I was 14 years when I first came to Guru. I have understood from Guru’s life that when one stands for the Truth and tries to actualise it in one’s life, a lot of hardships have to be faced. I have experienced Guru’s love and compassion. I have heard Guru’s advice, suggestions and arguments and received his punishments. I have also seen and understood Guru’s patience, perseverance, tolerance, divine will, will power, generosity and determination. I have seen his ability to withstand any crisis as strong and stable as a mountain. The love, concern, compassion, sincerity and knowledge that Guru gave to the world, is a known truth and an inspiration for every person’s life and growth. Guru’s words have influenced and brought changes to their lives. Those who have listened to Guru’s advice have been ashore. Those who disobeyed and went against his way have had their own difficulties. The proof of this fact lies in our lives.
Guru gave us love, respect and goodness so that we have a better life. Our goodness and the world’s prosperity were his aims and he worked for them. He wished goodness for all those who came before him and whoever he had seen. Guru made them realize the deficiency in their soul and their mistakes through his good deeds and not through scholarly books like the Vedas or Puranas or through stories. Guru showed the deficit in our soul, behaviour and knowledge and he did this by being an open book and sharing his personal experiences. Guru didn’t have anything to hide from us. Guru lived as one amongst us. Guru laughed, had food, and did his duties, with us. He enjoyed our fancies but also scolded us if we ever crossed any limit. Guru loved us more than our parents, family and friends. In fact, he immersed us in his never ending love and became a permanent idol of love in our hearts. Our bond with Guru, and his with us, became inseparable.
It did hurt Guru when we made mistakes. Guru got upset when we lied, became uncomfortable when we disobeyed. Our sorrows became his sorrows, and our happiness was his happiness. Guru did not have any happiness or sorrow different from ours. In fact, we ourselves were his happiness and sadness. When our ingrained traits come to the fore, Guru rectifies them. If we do not get corrected, Guru gets hurt. This has happened more than once in my case itself, though it was never deliberate. I felt an unexplainable love and affection towards Guru. I lived in a very rough and rustic manner. I was born and brought up in a high range place known as Thannypaara, in Idukki, about ten kilometers south of Kallaar and closer to Tamil Nadu. I worked hard, ate, cut wood and sold ash (made out of burnt wood) to Tamil Nadu and earned money.
My mother had an illness. Her nose used to bleed all the time. We did treatment and conjurations but nothing changed the situation. One day, my grandfather (known to everyone in the Ashram as Bhanu uncle) brought Guru, who had come to Kallaar, to our house. At that time, we lived in a grass thatched hut. Guru got down at Kambham and walked about 20 km down the hill to come to our house. Other than my grandfather, Suma (now Sathwika Janani) and Babu Swami (who used to be with Guru before) came along with Guru. By the time Guru reached our house, he was tired. Guru had tapioca curry and black tea, made by my mother. When Guru heard about my mother’s illness, he said, “I can’t do much about it right now. I will call later. It’s the sin of the land that you live in.” While Guru was sitting on the porch he had seen my mother washing the vessels. Guru corrected her and advised her to wash them a bit aside. We only had that much knowledge and manners at that time. I was studying in third or fourth standard then.
Later, mother and I went to meet Guru at Kallaar. My father did not come with us because he did not approve of Guru. Later on, my father accepted Guru and became a good devotee. Guru was at the house of my uncle Vijayadas. Even though it was a small house with little comforts, it never mattered to Guru. Guru’s will power, perseverance and readiness to face hardships were that strong. I came to know that Guru often stayed with them. He received us and other children with utmost love and affection. He filled our hands with fruits and sweets. We used to be enthusiastic to get sweets and hence we visited Guru often with our parents. Since we started praying to Guru, my mother’s illness reduced and later it got cured completely. This is how my father accepted Guru.
During vacations, I used to go to Pothencode to meet Guru. That is when I got closer to Guru and came to know more about him. There were only a few people at the ashram then. They slept either on the floor of the prayer hall (Prarthanalayam), that was waxed with cow dung, in the kitchen or where the food was served. The morning bell would ring at 4 a.m. The elders would wake up and get busy with various duties. We (children) also would wake up somewhat early. Guru would wake up those who were lazy. There were times when Guru would poke us and then hide behind the door. We used to wonder who did it and murmur. Suddenly we would hear someone humming. On turning around, we would find Guru!
We would panic, get anxious with fear and devotion and run away taking our mattresses along. That day, we would tremble while going near Guru. “What if Guru questions or scolds us?” But Guru would say nothing. In fact, he would show us extreme love and affection. At other times, when we did some jobs well, we would go to meet Guru thinking he will approve of us. However, just the opposite would happen. Guru would become angry and scold, making us anxious and baffled about what was happening. Guru’s concern, affection, anger and punishment were all born out of his love for us and those were the moments when we experienced it. When we used to play, Guru would come near us and ask, “Can I join you,” and smile. When we got frightened, Guru would give us his token of blessing.
I was young when I came to stay with Guru, and had no idea about devotion. I was just thrilled about making the journey from the high range to the Ashram all by myself. On the way, I would stop to watch movies. On one occasion, when I reached the ashram, it was close to noon and I felt hungry. I thought of going to the kitchen to eat something. But then I asked myself how to eat without doing some work. People bring items, as a token of their dedication to Guru. After prayers, these very items are used to cook food at the ashram. These items would have other people’s meditations and prayers in them and if we eat the food made out of these, would we partake in those prayers and ‘sankalpams’ too, I wondered. If we do not earn the right to eat the food by doing some work dedicated to Guru, would not those prayers affect us too, I thought. I saw Satyan uncle doing some digging work next to the prayer hall. I joined him and dug sand, after which I washed my hands and legs, and had food.
During those days, Guru spoke to people for hours. Guru would sit on the small mats that were available for sitting. Being limited in number, mats were given to those who came first and the rest had to sit on the floor. However, they did not have any problem sitting on the cow dung daubed floor. There was a strong bond of love between the people and Guru. Later on, Guru sat on a chair when it became difficult for him to sit on the floor and then a table was put in front.
Guru shared his experiences with us, his hardships and sorrows, and spoke about the difficulties of other great souls, their sacrifices and the torments they faced. Why did they go through these difficulties? It is for the prosperity of the world and goodness of the human beings. They suffered so that everyone should realize about God’s love. Guru wanted everyone to have a mind to work hard and face difficulties for the prosperity of the world. Guru insisted that everyone live for others and work hard for others. Everyone should give importance to the goodness of others and by doing so serve God and earn merit. We should lead a life without jealousy; have a pure heart and an open mind. Guru planted the seeds of goodness and these are flourishing today at Santhigiri Ashram, testifying to the hardships taken by Guru for this purpose.
I had gone to the Ashram after my 9th standard final exams. At the end of my visit, I went to meet Guru to seek his permission to leave. He said, “Leave by 6 a.m. When you reach Kallaar, go straight to the ashram. Don’t go here and there. After visiting the ashram, go straight home.” Guru gave the oil and medications for my mother, sweets and holy ash (Bhasmam, made from the camphor used during prayers). Being ignorant and young, I disobeyed all that Guru advised. It was 6:30-6:45 a.m. by the time I left the Ashram. I pre-calculated that I needed to go to Kambham and watch two or three movies. I knew every single place in Kambham and most people from there knew my parents. When I reached Kumili, instead of going through Kallaar, I went to Kambham. It was a Saturday and the bus was more crowded than usual. The route was through forests and hills and we could see animals roaming around. I was standing two to three seats behind the driver’s seat. I had a gut feeling that the bus might fall over and an accident might occur. I prayed, “Guru, please do keep me safe”. Within moments, the brakes failed and the driver found it difficult to stop the bus. On one side was an abyss and on the other a dense forest. If the bus fell into the abyss, then nothing much would be left. I prayed with all my heart, “Oh God! Oh Guru! ” The bus was out of control. The driver hit the bus onto a granite cutting and due to the impact the bus skidded and then stopped. I was watching all this as if it were a scene on television. The commotion was horrible. People were crying, moaning, and struggling for their life. I removed the seat cushions that had fallen on top of me and tried to get out of the bus, but I could not find the doors since that side was underneath. I broke through the glass and got out. I could see that most of the passengers were struggling with pain and some were under the wheels of the bus. I did not have even a scratch on my body. I searched for Guru’s token of blessing, the sweet he had given me, and finally found it. I lost one of the shoes while getting out of the bus, but later found that as well, and started walking.
I later came to know that 12 people were killed in that accident, several were seriously injured. I wrote a letter to Guru, describing what all had happened. This was Guru’s reply, “These are the ways we experience God’s love towards us- your own Swami.” This incident made me feel closer to Guru. I wanted to be with Guru more and see him more often. I was sure that I would fail in my tenth standard exams, and if that did happen, how would I face the people, I wondered. Prompted by feelings of shame on the one hand and devotion to the Guru on the other, I came to the ashram right after my exams and that was the starting point of my life at the ashram.
The amenities at ashram were minimal at that time. The well at the ashram provided sufficient water only for Guru’s needs and for pooja. For other needs, we had to carry water from another well which was half a kilometer away from the ashram. We used to fill tin cans with water, tie them on both sides of a bamboo stem and carry them all the way to the ashram. We had to go some distance to perform our daily ablutions and wash clothes. It used to be more difficult at the time of Kumbha Mela and other festivities. To make arrangements for the people who came from distant places was even more difficult. Money was the biggest problem. A lot of work needed to be done and there were never sufficient funds. We used to get more upset on seeing Guru worried. What else could we do other than work hard? I have seen a lot of situations that used to upset Guru. I remember an incident.
It was the initial stage of the Santhigiri Vidhyabhavan. Children had just started to come to stay over. We had to arrange for their basic needs. We needed to cast a closet on a slab. There was enough sand, metal and cement but not even a single iron bar. There was no money to buy the bars and we had already exhausted all the sources from where we could borrow. We were worried wondering what we could do and Guru got upset seeing us in such a situation. Guru called us near him and asked, “Are there any bamboo stems available?” “Yes there are,” we replied. “Then cut and join them as iron bars and cast them. These will remain for a while.” We got a new insight from what Guru told us to do. We did accordingly and the slab lasted for a while. At the time of the concreting of the building where the provisions store is functioning at present, Guru said, “This would be the smallest building in Santhigiri”. How true!
I was talking about the festivity days. Guru was concerned that the basic needs of the guests and devotees, who arrived for the functions, should be met. Guru would call each one of us and assign various duties. He would oversee carefully that everything was done properly. He would be around us so that the things would not go wrong. Coconut thatched sheds would be made and covered with white cloth. We would carry tables and chairs on our heads from nearby places so that people coming from other countries could relax. There were no big vessels at the ashram then. We would borrow these from outside. People brought vessels from their homes. These were dipped in water and then washed a couple of times and used at the ashram. Guru took special care that food was served according to the people’s taste, especially for those who were coming from outside Kerala. Guru was attentive about each and every thing.
During festival days and special events, scarcity of water would become a big issue. Four or five of us would fetch water and get little sleep or rest during those days. Only a few of us were there and we had to do almost everything. The most important among all the duties was to keep the surroundings neat and clean. Velayudhan (Velayudhan Chettiar who works at the Ayurveda center) was the best person to do this job. He would set out with a spade and clean everywhere. Guru appreciated his work a lot and he always assigned Velayudhan for this job. During one of the Kumbha Melas, we had an idea. We thought of connecting a motor to the well and pumping water to a big brass cauldron and then using a diesel pump to supply water everywhere. Everyone liked the idea. Under Narayanan Sir’s (Dharmananda Swami today) leadership, we started work to implement it. Even though we worked hard for three or four days, through day and night, there was no result. At times the pipe would break or the motor would fail. On the fourth day, everyone got fed up. While three or four of us kept on working on this, the others got engaged in other work. The night before the Kumbha Mela, we got tired and slept off. I could not get any sleep as I was upset that the work we had set out to do did not turn out well. I was hungry on top of that. None of us had had much food.
I woke up at the first light of dawn. So what if the motor did not work? We still needed to pump water. I woke up the rest. One person got upset with this and started a fight. Even I got angry. We continued arguing for a while. Then we realized the seriousness of the situation and tried to figure out a solution for it. We got dressed up and when we were about to set out for work, we saw Guru in front of the Parnasala. He had been watching us as we were standing there wondering what to do. He looked at us with a smile filled with love and called us towards him. When we reached near him, he went inside the Parnasala and brought out a bunch of bananas. He gave it to us and smiled at us with all his heart. We cried literally, in front of his love. While we were sobbing, Guru said to us, “Children, we are working for goodness and when we do such a thing, there would be difficulties. No one would see this and there will be people to find mistakes and make comments. But God sees everything and His love is above all.”
On listening to Guru, there was this light that filled our souls and minds. Our hearts were filled with joy. Guru stood in front of us with a smile that never faded. How can I forget this? The love of Guru! This love should belong to the entire world; this is my prayer to Guru - the God of the entire world.
(Translated from the original Malayalam by Miss Anjana, USA)
Santhigiri Ashram: A Labour of Love
P. D. Pradeep, Idukki
Great souls go through difficulties so that everyone should realize about God’s love. Guru wanted everyone to have a mind to work hard and face difficulties for the prosperity of the world. Guru insisted that everyone live for others and work hard for others. Everyone should give importance to the welfare of others. By doing so we are serving God and earning merit. We should lead a life without jealousy; have a pure heart and an open mind. Guru planted the seeds of goodness and these are now flourishing in Santhigiri Ashram.
I was 14 years when I first came to Guru. I have understood from Guru’s life that when one stands for the Truth and tries to actualise it in one’s life, a lot of hardships have to be faced. I have experienced Guru’s love and compassion. I have heard Guru’s advice, suggestions and arguments and received his punishments. I have also seen and understood Guru’s patience, perseverance, tolerance, divine will, will power, generosity and determination. I have seen his ability to withstand any crisis as strong and stable as a mountain. The love, concern, compassion, sincerity and knowledge that Guru gave to the world, is a known truth and an inspiration for every person’s life and growth. Guru’s words have influenced and brought changes to their lives. Those who have listened to Guru’s advice have been ashore. Those who disobeyed and went against his way have had their own difficulties. The proof of this fact lies in our lives.
Guru gave us love, respect and goodness so that we have a better life. Our goodness and the world’s prosperity were his aims and he worked for them. He wished goodness for all those who came before him and whoever he had seen. Guru made them realize the deficiency in their soul and their mistakes through his good deeds and not through scholarly books like the Vedas or Puranas or through stories. Guru showed the deficit in our soul, behaviour and knowledge and he did this by being an open book and sharing his personal experiences. Guru didn’t have anything to hide from us. Guru lived as one amongst us. Guru laughed, had food, and did his duties, with us. He enjoyed our fancies but also scolded us if we ever crossed any limit. Guru loved us more than our parents, family and friends. In fact, he immersed us in his never ending love and became a permanent idol of love in our hearts. Our bond with Guru, and his with us, became inseparable.
It did hurt Guru when we made mistakes. Guru got upset when we lied, became uncomfortable when we disobeyed. Our sorrows became his sorrows, and our happiness was his happiness. Guru did not have any happiness or sorrow different from ours. In fact, we ourselves were his happiness and sadness. When our ingrained traits come to the fore, Guru rectifies them. If we do not get corrected, Guru gets hurt. This has happened more than once in my case itself, though it was never deliberate. I felt an unexplainable love and affection towards Guru. I lived in a very rough and rustic manner. I was born and brought up in a high range place known as Thannypaara, in Idukki, about ten kilometers south of Kallaar and closer to Tamil Nadu. I worked hard, ate, cut wood and sold ash (made out of burnt wood) to Tamil Nadu and earned money.
My mother had an illness. Her nose used to bleed all the time. We did treatment and conjurations but nothing changed the situation. One day, my grandfather (known to everyone in the Ashram as Bhanu uncle) brought Guru, who had come to Kallaar, to our house. At that time, we lived in a grass thatched hut. Guru got down at Kambham and walked about 20 km down the hill to come to our house. Other than my grandfather, Suma (now Sathwika Janani) and Babu Swami (who used to be with Guru before) came along with Guru. By the time Guru reached our house, he was tired. Guru had tapioca curry and black tea, made by my mother. When Guru heard about my mother’s illness, he said, “I can’t do much about it right now. I will call later. It’s the sin of the land that you live in.” While Guru was sitting on the porch he had seen my mother washing the vessels. Guru corrected her and advised her to wash them a bit aside. We only had that much knowledge and manners at that time. I was studying in third or fourth standard then.
Later, mother and I went to meet Guru at Kallaar. My father did not come with us because he did not approve of Guru. Later on, my father accepted Guru and became a good devotee. Guru was at the house of my uncle Vijayadas. Even though it was a small house with little comforts, it never mattered to Guru. Guru’s will power, perseverance and readiness to face hardships were that strong. I came to know that Guru often stayed with them. He received us and other children with utmost love and affection. He filled our hands with fruits and sweets. We used to be enthusiastic to get sweets and hence we visited Guru often with our parents. Since we started praying to Guru, my mother’s illness reduced and later it got cured completely. This is how my father accepted Guru.
During vacations, I used to go to Pothencode to meet Guru. That is when I got closer to Guru and came to know more about him. There were only a few people at the ashram then. They slept either on the floor of the prayer hall (Prarthanalayam), that was waxed with cow dung, in the kitchen or where the food was served. The morning bell would ring at 4 a.m. The elders would wake up and get busy with various duties. We (children) also would wake up somewhat early. Guru would wake up those who were lazy. There were times when Guru would poke us and then hide behind the door. We used to wonder who did it and murmur. Suddenly we would hear someone humming. On turning around, we would find Guru!
We would panic, get anxious with fear and devotion and run away taking our mattresses along. That day, we would tremble while going near Guru. “What if Guru questions or scolds us?” But Guru would say nothing. In fact, he would show us extreme love and affection. At other times, when we did some jobs well, we would go to meet Guru thinking he will approve of us. However, just the opposite would happen. Guru would become angry and scold, making us anxious and baffled about what was happening. Guru’s concern, affection, anger and punishment were all born out of his love for us and those were the moments when we experienced it. When we used to play, Guru would come near us and ask, “Can I join you,” and smile. When we got frightened, Guru would give us his token of blessing.
I was young when I came to stay with Guru, and had no idea about devotion. I was just thrilled about making the journey from the high range to the Ashram all by myself. On the way, I would stop to watch movies. On one occasion, when I reached the ashram, it was close to noon and I felt hungry. I thought of going to the kitchen to eat something. But then I asked myself how to eat without doing some work. People bring items, as a token of their dedication to Guru. After prayers, these very items are used to cook food at the ashram. These items would have other people’s meditations and prayers in them and if we eat the food made out of these, would we partake in those prayers and ‘sankalpams’ too, I wondered. If we do not earn the right to eat the food by doing some work dedicated to Guru, would not those prayers affect us too, I thought. I saw Satyan uncle doing some digging work next to the prayer hall. I joined him and dug sand, after which I washed my hands and legs, and had food.
During those days, Guru spoke to people for hours. Guru would sit on the small mats that were available for sitting. Being limited in number, mats were given to those who came first and the rest had to sit on the floor. However, they did not have any problem sitting on the cow dung daubed floor. There was a strong bond of love between the people and Guru. Later on, Guru sat on a chair when it became difficult for him to sit on the floor and then a table was put in front.
Guru shared his experiences with us, his hardships and sorrows, and spoke about the difficulties of other great souls, their sacrifices and the torments they faced. Why did they go through these difficulties? It is for the prosperity of the world and goodness of the human beings. They suffered so that everyone should realize about God’s love. Guru wanted everyone to have a mind to work hard and face difficulties for the prosperity of the world. Guru insisted that everyone live for others and work hard for others. Everyone should give importance to the goodness of others and by doing so serve God and earn merit. We should lead a life without jealousy; have a pure heart and an open mind. Guru planted the seeds of goodness and these are flourishing today at Santhigiri Ashram, testifying to the hardships taken by Guru for this purpose.
I had gone to the Ashram after my 9th standard final exams. At the end of my visit, I went to meet Guru to seek his permission to leave. He said, “Leave by 6 a.m. When you reach Kallaar, go straight to the ashram. Don’t go here and there. After visiting the ashram, go straight home.” Guru gave the oil and medications for my mother, sweets and holy ash (Bhasmam, made from the camphor used during prayers). Being ignorant and young, I disobeyed all that Guru advised. It was 6:30-6:45 a.m. by the time I left the Ashram. I pre-calculated that I needed to go to Kambham and watch two or three movies. I knew every single place in Kambham and most people from there knew my parents. When I reached Kumili, instead of going through Kallaar, I went to Kambham. It was a Saturday and the bus was more crowded than usual. The route was through forests and hills and we could see animals roaming around. I was standing two to three seats behind the driver’s seat. I had a gut feeling that the bus might fall over and an accident might occur. I prayed, “Guru, please do keep me safe”. Within moments, the brakes failed and the driver found it difficult to stop the bus. On one side was an abyss and on the other a dense forest. If the bus fell into the abyss, then nothing much would be left. I prayed with all my heart, “Oh God! Oh Guru! ” The bus was out of control. The driver hit the bus onto a granite cutting and due to the impact the bus skidded and then stopped. I was watching all this as if it were a scene on television. The commotion was horrible. People were crying, moaning, and struggling for their life. I removed the seat cushions that had fallen on top of me and tried to get out of the bus, but I could not find the doors since that side was underneath. I broke through the glass and got out. I could see that most of the passengers were struggling with pain and some were under the wheels of the bus. I did not have even a scratch on my body. I searched for Guru’s token of blessing, the sweet he had given me, and finally found it. I lost one of the shoes while getting out of the bus, but later found that as well, and started walking.
I later came to know that 12 people were killed in that accident, several were seriously injured. I wrote a letter to Guru, describing what all had happened. This was Guru’s reply, “These are the ways we experience God’s love towards us- your own Swami.” This incident made me feel closer to Guru. I wanted to be with Guru more and see him more often. I was sure that I would fail in my tenth standard exams, and if that did happen, how would I face the people, I wondered. Prompted by feelings of shame on the one hand and devotion to the Guru on the other, I came to the ashram right after my exams and that was the starting point of my life at the ashram.
The amenities at ashram were minimal at that time. The well at the ashram provided sufficient water only for Guru’s needs and for pooja. For other needs, we had to carry water from another well which was half a kilometer away from the ashram. We used to fill tin cans with water, tie them on both sides of a bamboo stem and carry them all the way to the ashram. We had to go some distance to perform our daily ablutions and wash clothes. It used to be more difficult at the time of Kumbha Mela and other festivities. To make arrangements for the people who came from distant places was even more difficult. Money was the biggest problem. A lot of work needed to be done and there were never sufficient funds. We used to get more upset on seeing Guru worried. What else could we do other than work hard? I have seen a lot of situations that used to upset Guru. I remember an incident.
It was the initial stage of the Santhigiri Vidhyabhavan. Children had just started to come to stay over. We had to arrange for their basic needs. We needed to cast a closet on a slab. There was enough sand, metal and cement but not even a single iron bar. There was no money to buy the bars and we had already exhausted all the sources from where we could borrow. We were worried wondering what we could do and Guru got upset seeing us in such a situation. Guru called us near him and asked, “Are there any bamboo stems available?” “Yes there are,” we replied. “Then cut and join them as iron bars and cast them. These will remain for a while.” We got a new insight from what Guru told us to do. We did accordingly and the slab lasted for a while. At the time of the concreting of the building where the provisions store is functioning at present, Guru said, “This would be the smallest building in Santhigiri”. How true!
I was talking about the festivity days. Guru was concerned that the basic needs of the guests and devotees, who arrived for the functions, should be met. Guru would call each one of us and assign various duties. He would oversee carefully that everything was done properly. He would be around us so that the things would not go wrong. Coconut thatched sheds would be made and covered with white cloth. We would carry tables and chairs on our heads from nearby places so that people coming from other countries could relax. There were no big vessels at the ashram then. We would borrow these from outside. People brought vessels from their homes. These were dipped in water and then washed a couple of times and used at the ashram. Guru took special care that food was served according to the people’s taste, especially for those who were coming from outside Kerala. Guru was attentive about each and every thing.
During festival days and special events, scarcity of water would become a big issue. Four or five of us would fetch water and get little sleep or rest during those days. Only a few of us were there and we had to do almost everything. The most important among all the duties was to keep the surroundings neat and clean. Velayudhan (Velayudhan Chettiar who works at the Ayurveda center) was the best person to do this job. He would set out with a spade and clean everywhere. Guru appreciated his work a lot and he always assigned Velayudhan for this job. During one of the Kumbha Melas, we had an idea. We thought of connecting a motor to the well and pumping water to a big brass cauldron and then using a diesel pump to supply water everywhere. Everyone liked the idea. Under Narayanan Sir’s (Dharmananda Swami today) leadership, we started work to implement it. Even though we worked hard for three or four days, through day and night, there was no result. At times the pipe would break or the motor would fail. On the fourth day, everyone got fed up. While three or four of us kept on working on this, the others got engaged in other work. The night before the Kumbha Mela, we got tired and slept off. I could not get any sleep as I was upset that the work we had set out to do did not turn out well. I was hungry on top of that. None of us had had much food.
I woke up at the first light of dawn. So what if the motor did not work? We still needed to pump water. I woke up the rest. One person got upset with this and started a fight. Even I got angry. We continued arguing for a while. Then we realized the seriousness of the situation and tried to figure out a solution for it. We got dressed up and when we were about to set out for work, we saw Guru in front of the Parnasala. He had been watching us as we were standing there wondering what to do. He looked at us with a smile filled with love and called us towards him. When we reached near him, he went inside the Parnasala and brought out a bunch of bananas. He gave it to us and smiled at us with all his heart. We cried literally, in front of his love. While we were sobbing, Guru said to us, “Children, we are working for goodness and when we do such a thing, there would be difficulties. No one would see this and there will be people to find mistakes and make comments. But God sees everything and His love is above all.”
On listening to Guru, there was this light that filled our souls and minds. Our hearts were filled with joy. Guru stood in front of us with a smile that never faded. How can I forget this? The love of Guru! This love should belong to the entire world; this is my prayer to Guru - the God of the entire world.
(Translated from the original Malayalam by Miss Anjana, USA)
The Emergence of the New Light
Gurucharanam Saranam
The Emergence of the New Light
Mukundan P.R.
‘Within 300 years now on, India will regain its lost glory and unparalleled spiritual leadership in the world’.
For a people mentally, physically and intellectually conditioned by age-old traditions, customs and faith, the belief system of Santhigiri Ashram presents both a riddle and also shock. Riddle, because they have difficulty in understanding such concepts as Manus, Manvantara, Yugadharma, Spiritual Error, Spiritual Vision, Karmic and Ancestral cleansing, Guru Margam etc. Shock, because they are exhorted to expunge the outdated, meritless spiritual practices and beliefs, which are thought to be incontrovertible, in favor of a spiritualism, which is universal and essentially rooted in Sanatana Dharma but with a new unheard of perspective.
A majority of the people are unable to connect life experiences – the ups and downs, fortune and misfortune, success and failure, both at the individual and the societal level – to the spiritual practices they follow, which might be misplaced in the context of the age or social reality. It was at such intervals of cultural and spiritual standstill and degeneration the sages and preceptors have manifested in the world.
As different from most other ashrams and sages who continue to live behind the old traditions and belief systems, Navajyoti Sree Karunakara Guru’s ideology calls for a fundamental shift in our understanding of Sanatana Dharma and the harmful risks and consequences we earn from misconceived spiritual practices. The universality of Guru’s message is unmistakable; it brings to our cognizance the true nature of Sanatana Dharma – the cosmic science of human existence and evolution guided by 14 Manus in creation and the Guru lineage under the Manus through the cyclical transition of yugas. Our period belongs to the 7th Manu. We must remember that the word ‘Manushya’ or ‘Manav’ in Indian languages and ‘Man’ in European languages originated from the Manus, the primordial human ancestors.
A basic error seems to have happened in the ageless tradition of Sanatana Dharma, according to the revelations made known to the disciples of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru from the Light of Brahman, the Supreme Almighty, in the year 1973, during the spiritual ascension of the Guru. Those revelations are:
i) A great preceptor in the Manu lineage committed an error of equating himself to the Brahman, the Almighty by uttering ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ (I am the God) which was against the Will of God. (An individual evolute may realize Brahman but cannot equate himself to Brahman. Can a drop of water claim itself as or become the great ocean, though it is originated from it? The mistake had egoistic origin).
ii) This above said error happened in the 3rd chaturyuga of the present Vaivaswata Manvantara.
(A Manvanatra has 71 chaturyugas; the present is the 28th chaturyuga. A chaturyuga is a composite of four yugas – satya, treta, dwapara and kali. We are in the kaliyuga of this 28th chaturyuga. The duration of kaliyuga is 4,32,000 human years. Kaliyuga began after the lifetime of Krishna approximately 5200 years ago, therefore kaliyuga is not at its peak (as some people misunderstand), but only in its dawn).
iii) As a consequence to this error, a curse ensued from Brahman and the awareness about the Manus, the original preceptors of mankind was lost to mankind in the subsequent ages.
iv) A dark age of spiritual eclipse followed in the world after this curse (from the 3rd chaturyuga to 7th chaturyuga).
v) In the 7th chaturyuga, Brahman initiated a correction through three spiritual entities – Siva, Vishnu and Brahma, which is known as the Trimurty system and it was perfected in the world by 12th chaturyuga.
vi) The same error - which happened to a preceptor in the Manu lineage - gets repeated in the Trimurty tradition also.
vii) A preceptor in the Trimurti tradition charts the cosmic time order of Manus as subservient to Brahma, the god of creation in Trimurti. Trimurti is erroneously equated with the supreme Brahman through mythological treatise.
viii) The Will of God is violated by humans. Interpolations take place in the scriptures - Vedas and Upanishads, epics, mythology etc.
ix) The Vedic priests (Vaidikas) promote a system of ritualistic worship abandoning the jnana portion (Jnana Kanda) of the Vedas.
x) Santana Dharma gets another blow by its dissection into many sects on the basis of Saiva, Sakteya and Vaishnava, each sect claiming superiority over the other.
xi) The concept of ‘Varna’ in the Vedas is changed into caste system by greedy priests. People are divided on the basis of birth.
xii) The spiritual leadership of the sages and gurus (under the Manu Parampara) is ignored. A system of worship based on the propitiation of Devi-Devas and Trimurty gains strength in which priests became the ecclesiastical authority - the custodian of dharma.
xiii) The fall of Santana Dharma is complete. India loses its leadership role, both spiritually and economically.
xiv) When Santana Dharma continued to suffer in India, the spiritual nerve-centre of the world, despite the efforts of great avatars like Krishna and Buddha and various other sages, Brahman sends messengers and prophets in different parts of the world such as Moses, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammed and others.
xv) It has been revealed that 2444 Gurus have taken birth in India and other parts of the world for this purpose since the beginning of this Kaliyuga.
xvi) The prophets and messengers of God are persecuted by powerful demonic powers in the subtle and these Guru lineages are affected. The Will of Brahman remains unfulfilled and humanity suffers again without true spiritual guidance of the Manu Parampara.
xvii) September 1st, 1927 – the birth of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru at Chandiroor in Alapuzha, Kerala. Brahman initiates a long awaited correction. Revelations are made to the Guru from the Supreme Light of Brahman about the heretofore unknown chronicle of spiritual setbacks occurred to the Sanatana Dharma, the spiritual fountainhead of humanity.
xviii) One of the revelations from the Supreme Light is about the impending rise of India. Within 300 years, India will regain its lost glory and unparalleled spiritual leadership in the world.
Word is Truth
Truth is Guru
Guru is God
The Emergence of the New Light
Mukundan P.R.
‘Within 300 years now on, India will regain its lost glory and unparalleled spiritual leadership in the world’.
For a people mentally, physically and intellectually conditioned by age-old traditions, customs and faith, the belief system of Santhigiri Ashram presents both a riddle and also shock. Riddle, because they have difficulty in understanding such concepts as Manus, Manvantara, Yugadharma, Spiritual Error, Spiritual Vision, Karmic and Ancestral cleansing, Guru Margam etc. Shock, because they are exhorted to expunge the outdated, meritless spiritual practices and beliefs, which are thought to be incontrovertible, in favor of a spiritualism, which is universal and essentially rooted in Sanatana Dharma but with a new unheard of perspective.
A majority of the people are unable to connect life experiences – the ups and downs, fortune and misfortune, success and failure, both at the individual and the societal level – to the spiritual practices they follow, which might be misplaced in the context of the age or social reality. It was at such intervals of cultural and spiritual standstill and degeneration the sages and preceptors have manifested in the world.
As different from most other ashrams and sages who continue to live behind the old traditions and belief systems, Navajyoti Sree Karunakara Guru’s ideology calls for a fundamental shift in our understanding of Sanatana Dharma and the harmful risks and consequences we earn from misconceived spiritual practices. The universality of Guru’s message is unmistakable; it brings to our cognizance the true nature of Sanatana Dharma – the cosmic science of human existence and evolution guided by 14 Manus in creation and the Guru lineage under the Manus through the cyclical transition of yugas. Our period belongs to the 7th Manu. We must remember that the word ‘Manushya’ or ‘Manav’ in Indian languages and ‘Man’ in European languages originated from the Manus, the primordial human ancestors.
A basic error seems to have happened in the ageless tradition of Sanatana Dharma, according to the revelations made known to the disciples of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru from the Light of Brahman, the Supreme Almighty, in the year 1973, during the spiritual ascension of the Guru. Those revelations are:
i) A great preceptor in the Manu lineage committed an error of equating himself to the Brahman, the Almighty by uttering ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ (I am the God) which was against the Will of God. (An individual evolute may realize Brahman but cannot equate himself to Brahman. Can a drop of water claim itself as or become the great ocean, though it is originated from it? The mistake had egoistic origin).
ii) This above said error happened in the 3rd chaturyuga of the present Vaivaswata Manvantara.
(A Manvanatra has 71 chaturyugas; the present is the 28th chaturyuga. A chaturyuga is a composite of four yugas – satya, treta, dwapara and kali. We are in the kaliyuga of this 28th chaturyuga. The duration of kaliyuga is 4,32,000 human years. Kaliyuga began after the lifetime of Krishna approximately 5200 years ago, therefore kaliyuga is not at its peak (as some people misunderstand), but only in its dawn).
iii) As a consequence to this error, a curse ensued from Brahman and the awareness about the Manus, the original preceptors of mankind was lost to mankind in the subsequent ages.
iv) A dark age of spiritual eclipse followed in the world after this curse (from the 3rd chaturyuga to 7th chaturyuga).
v) In the 7th chaturyuga, Brahman initiated a correction through three spiritual entities – Siva, Vishnu and Brahma, which is known as the Trimurty system and it was perfected in the world by 12th chaturyuga.
vi) The same error - which happened to a preceptor in the Manu lineage - gets repeated in the Trimurty tradition also.
vii) A preceptor in the Trimurti tradition charts the cosmic time order of Manus as subservient to Brahma, the god of creation in Trimurti. Trimurti is erroneously equated with the supreme Brahman through mythological treatise.
viii) The Will of God is violated by humans. Interpolations take place in the scriptures - Vedas and Upanishads, epics, mythology etc.
ix) The Vedic priests (Vaidikas) promote a system of ritualistic worship abandoning the jnana portion (Jnana Kanda) of the Vedas.
x) Santana Dharma gets another blow by its dissection into many sects on the basis of Saiva, Sakteya and Vaishnava, each sect claiming superiority over the other.
xi) The concept of ‘Varna’ in the Vedas is changed into caste system by greedy priests. People are divided on the basis of birth.
xii) The spiritual leadership of the sages and gurus (under the Manu Parampara) is ignored. A system of worship based on the propitiation of Devi-Devas and Trimurty gains strength in which priests became the ecclesiastical authority - the custodian of dharma.
xiii) The fall of Santana Dharma is complete. India loses its leadership role, both spiritually and economically.
xiv) When Santana Dharma continued to suffer in India, the spiritual nerve-centre of the world, despite the efforts of great avatars like Krishna and Buddha and various other sages, Brahman sends messengers and prophets in different parts of the world such as Moses, Jesus Christ, Prophet Mohammed and others.
xv) It has been revealed that 2444 Gurus have taken birth in India and other parts of the world for this purpose since the beginning of this Kaliyuga.
xvi) The prophets and messengers of God are persecuted by powerful demonic powers in the subtle and these Guru lineages are affected. The Will of Brahman remains unfulfilled and humanity suffers again without true spiritual guidance of the Manu Parampara.
xvii) September 1st, 1927 – the birth of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru at Chandiroor in Alapuzha, Kerala. Brahman initiates a long awaited correction. Revelations are made to the Guru from the Supreme Light of Brahman about the heretofore unknown chronicle of spiritual setbacks occurred to the Sanatana Dharma, the spiritual fountainhead of humanity.
xviii) One of the revelations from the Supreme Light is about the impending rise of India. Within 300 years, India will regain its lost glory and unparalleled spiritual leadership in the world.
Word is Truth
Truth is Guru
Guru is God
Hindu Dharma – Has it come through Manu or Trimurti
Gurucharanam Saranam
Hindu Dharma – Has it come through Manu or Trimurti
Professor (Dr) K. Gopinathan Pillai
About 30 years back Santhigiri Publications brought out a booklet authored by Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru titled 'Hindu Dharma, has it come through Manu or Trimurti?‘ (Haindava Dharmam-Manuvilkudiyo Trimurtikalil Kudiyo’).
By this question Guru wanted to draw the attention of the people of this country to the basic causations of poverty, social disintegration and cultural degeneration of this great land and civilization despite her unique spiritual legacy. Even today an average Hindu is incapable to answer the question posed by the Guru. In the heterogeneous and complex character of Hinduism, truth is veiled by untruth, myth and legends eclipse reality and distortions are legitimized.
Therefore, an ordinary Hindu lives in the midst of religious ritualism and spiritual ignorance unable to discriminate between Sanatana Dharma and Trimurty system. This incapacitated them to recognize and accept divine masters like Sree Krishna, Sree Buddha, Mahavir, Gurunanak and others who took birth to guide them to the right path. Guru’s revelation that the unabated sufferings and sorrows of humanity, despite the sacrifice of great souls, have resulted from the deviation in Yuga Dharma and distorted forms of worship, is an eye-opener to all God believing people. A proper understanding of Guru’s revelation is possible only when one understands Sanatana Dharma, its eclipse due to a spiritual error in the past and the advent of Trimurty system and the resultant degradation in karma and dharma leading to astral pollution, human sufferings and miseries of all sorts.
Sanatana Dharma
If we are to evaluate the worth of India, it becomes necessary to understand the purpose of Manusmriti - the perennial law of Manu which constitutes the basis of Sanatana Dharma, Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru said. But the name of the first Guru, Manu, and the dharma he gifted to humanity and the truth that Manu Dharma is the basis of Sanatana Dharma have all vanished from human memory and never taught. Interestingly Manu, the first Law Giver is characterized as the most reactionary and conservative whose laws were responsible for the rise of caste system and denial of liberty, especially to women. The basic reasons that contributed to the demise of Sanatana Dharma were first revealed by Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru. Guru pointed out that a small book that is circulated today as Manu Smriti is a distorted version of the original Manu Smriti, which was long lost and has nothing to do with the present one.
Manu was a fully realized Guru through whom the Supreme or Brahman revealed to humanity the divine design of cosmic time, dharma and evolutionary process in the nature. That is why Sanatana Dharma is also called as Manu Dharma. It encompassed the principles to be followed in each and every aspect of spiritual and material pursuit of human life. Those principles were considered eternal because they were given by Trikala Jnanis or realized Guru’s who could discern in spiritual vision the cause-effect relationship of all material and metaphysical phenomena.
The time scale given by Manu Smriti and the concept of Yuga Dharma forms the basis of Manu Dharma or Sanatana Dharma. According to this, the creation, existence and dissolution of the world occur in a time span of one Kalpa. One Kalpa is composed of 14 Manwantaras and one Manwantara consists of 72 Chaturyugas and one Chaturyuga consists of four Yugas, namely, Krita (Satya), Treta, Dwapara and Kali. An important fact to be noticed is that each Yuga has its own karma, dharma and worship system. In each Yuga great seers or Kalantara Gurus would take birth to impart to humanity the dharma and karma of each age. It is in this context an observation of Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru holds significance. Guru pointed out that the greatest mistake occurred to Hindu society is that it still follows the Yuga Dharma of Treta and Dwapara in the present Kali Yuga which has caused the loss of material as well as spiritual progress.
Upanishads exemplifies the depth and the intuitive power of Jnanis in unraveling cosmic laws and astral secrets that influence spiritual and material realms of human life. Rishis lived in the midst of people teaching them how to live properly. In the Jnana Marga there was no distinction based on caste, religion or any such man made inequalities. At a particular point of time Sanatana Dharma was weakened and slowly got eclipsed and sidelined. Thereafter the previous messengers of God could not fulfill their mission of guiding humanity in consonance with Yuga Dharma. It was the time of the advent of Trimurty system in Indian history. Guru has rightly said that we have deviated from the principles of Sanatana Dharma and observe customs, rituals and worship contrary to it.
Trimurty system
With the decadence of Sanatana Dharma, the Trimurty system gradually emerged. The most important shortcoming of this system was the absence of jnana path. Many aspects of Sanatana Dharma were incorporated into Trimurty system. While the time scale of Manu was accepted in the Trimurty system, the Jnana Margam of Sanatana Dharma was discarded. The ennobled concept of God or the Supreme Light in Indian spirituality is Brahman which the Vedas and Upanishads characterize as the only Truth. The exponents of Trimurty system covered the truths of Sanatana Dharma with mythical stories and interpolations. They characterized Vishnu, Maheswara and Brahma as the ultimate gods to be worshipped and all worship and spiritual practices were dedicated to Trimurties. Evolution of the soul to the Ultimate Truth was thus blocked as the Trimurties were recognized as the Ultimate. The decay of Indian society and social disintegration start from this point of time.
Manipulating and twisting the concept of Varnashrama Dharma, the priestly class in the Trimurty tradition created caste system. Varnashrama Dharma was based on the eternal law of the inherent quality of one’s jeeva, i.e., an individuals worth is determined on the basis of the dominant ‘colour’ of his soul. Thus the degree of brightness (punya) of one’s Jeeva, decides whether one is a Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya or Sudra. Thus Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra are born to parents in each family. This natural law was misinterpreted to suit the interests of the priestly class with the sidelining of Sanatana Dharma. The Caste system was legitimized by interpolations in scriptures. Majority of the people were included in the Sudra caste and the jobs that were allotted to them were also considered lower ones. Hard and fast rules were prescribed for each caste and vast majority of the Sudras were denied access to knowledge. The cruelest thing done to the Sudras was that they were denied the worship of the Trimurty and other deities that the higher castes worshipped. They were given evil spirits for worship or deities with ‘tamasic’ qualities. Thus majority of the Hindus had lost the opportunity for intellectual and spiritual pursuit and became ignorant and Sudra in the real sense.
Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru’s life is marked by incidents, events and developments of unprecedented character. Guru passed through uncertainties at each phase of his life. It was only at the time of His spiritual fulfillment in 1973, the mission of Guru was revealed from the Supreme that He was brought up by Brahman to shed light into unanswered and unresolved puzzles in spiritually. It was revealed on the occasion of Guru’s spiritual fulfillment that the mission of Guru is the restoration of Yuga Dharma and thus fulfilling the unfinished mission of previous messengers of God to guide humanity to the Truth.
It was revealed further that the past preceptors could not transform human nature and nourish virtues by eradicating the inherent bad instincts in soul because of the deviation in Yuga Dharma and the resultant practice of dharma and karma contrary to it. The previous seers despite their sacrifice could not get revealed this deviation in Yuga Dharma and how it occurred. That is why in spite of the best efforts of great Rishis, Gurus and Prophets and religions founded in their names, cruelty, violence, disquiet and scientific inventions that destroy the nature continue.
(The Author is Professor in Political Science, Govt. Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala)
Hindu Dharma – Has it come through Manu or Trimurti
Professor (Dr) K. Gopinathan Pillai
About 30 years back Santhigiri Publications brought out a booklet authored by Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru titled 'Hindu Dharma, has it come through Manu or Trimurti?‘ (Haindava Dharmam-Manuvilkudiyo Trimurtikalil Kudiyo’).
By this question Guru wanted to draw the attention of the people of this country to the basic causations of poverty, social disintegration and cultural degeneration of this great land and civilization despite her unique spiritual legacy. Even today an average Hindu is incapable to answer the question posed by the Guru. In the heterogeneous and complex character of Hinduism, truth is veiled by untruth, myth and legends eclipse reality and distortions are legitimized.
Therefore, an ordinary Hindu lives in the midst of religious ritualism and spiritual ignorance unable to discriminate between Sanatana Dharma and Trimurty system. This incapacitated them to recognize and accept divine masters like Sree Krishna, Sree Buddha, Mahavir, Gurunanak and others who took birth to guide them to the right path. Guru’s revelation that the unabated sufferings and sorrows of humanity, despite the sacrifice of great souls, have resulted from the deviation in Yuga Dharma and distorted forms of worship, is an eye-opener to all God believing people. A proper understanding of Guru’s revelation is possible only when one understands Sanatana Dharma, its eclipse due to a spiritual error in the past and the advent of Trimurty system and the resultant degradation in karma and dharma leading to astral pollution, human sufferings and miseries of all sorts.
Sanatana Dharma
If we are to evaluate the worth of India, it becomes necessary to understand the purpose of Manusmriti - the perennial law of Manu which constitutes the basis of Sanatana Dharma, Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru said. But the name of the first Guru, Manu, and the dharma he gifted to humanity and the truth that Manu Dharma is the basis of Sanatana Dharma have all vanished from human memory and never taught. Interestingly Manu, the first Law Giver is characterized as the most reactionary and conservative whose laws were responsible for the rise of caste system and denial of liberty, especially to women. The basic reasons that contributed to the demise of Sanatana Dharma were first revealed by Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru. Guru pointed out that a small book that is circulated today as Manu Smriti is a distorted version of the original Manu Smriti, which was long lost and has nothing to do with the present one.
Manu was a fully realized Guru through whom the Supreme or Brahman revealed to humanity the divine design of cosmic time, dharma and evolutionary process in the nature. That is why Sanatana Dharma is also called as Manu Dharma. It encompassed the principles to be followed in each and every aspect of spiritual and material pursuit of human life. Those principles were considered eternal because they were given by Trikala Jnanis or realized Guru’s who could discern in spiritual vision the cause-effect relationship of all material and metaphysical phenomena.
The time scale given by Manu Smriti and the concept of Yuga Dharma forms the basis of Manu Dharma or Sanatana Dharma. According to this, the creation, existence and dissolution of the world occur in a time span of one Kalpa. One Kalpa is composed of 14 Manwantaras and one Manwantara consists of 72 Chaturyugas and one Chaturyuga consists of four Yugas, namely, Krita (Satya), Treta, Dwapara and Kali. An important fact to be noticed is that each Yuga has its own karma, dharma and worship system. In each Yuga great seers or Kalantara Gurus would take birth to impart to humanity the dharma and karma of each age. It is in this context an observation of Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru holds significance. Guru pointed out that the greatest mistake occurred to Hindu society is that it still follows the Yuga Dharma of Treta and Dwapara in the present Kali Yuga which has caused the loss of material as well as spiritual progress.
Upanishads exemplifies the depth and the intuitive power of Jnanis in unraveling cosmic laws and astral secrets that influence spiritual and material realms of human life. Rishis lived in the midst of people teaching them how to live properly. In the Jnana Marga there was no distinction based on caste, religion or any such man made inequalities. At a particular point of time Sanatana Dharma was weakened and slowly got eclipsed and sidelined. Thereafter the previous messengers of God could not fulfill their mission of guiding humanity in consonance with Yuga Dharma. It was the time of the advent of Trimurty system in Indian history. Guru has rightly said that we have deviated from the principles of Sanatana Dharma and observe customs, rituals and worship contrary to it.
Trimurty system
With the decadence of Sanatana Dharma, the Trimurty system gradually emerged. The most important shortcoming of this system was the absence of jnana path. Many aspects of Sanatana Dharma were incorporated into Trimurty system. While the time scale of Manu was accepted in the Trimurty system, the Jnana Margam of Sanatana Dharma was discarded. The ennobled concept of God or the Supreme Light in Indian spirituality is Brahman which the Vedas and Upanishads characterize as the only Truth. The exponents of Trimurty system covered the truths of Sanatana Dharma with mythical stories and interpolations. They characterized Vishnu, Maheswara and Brahma as the ultimate gods to be worshipped and all worship and spiritual practices were dedicated to Trimurties. Evolution of the soul to the Ultimate Truth was thus blocked as the Trimurties were recognized as the Ultimate. The decay of Indian society and social disintegration start from this point of time.
Manipulating and twisting the concept of Varnashrama Dharma, the priestly class in the Trimurty tradition created caste system. Varnashrama Dharma was based on the eternal law of the inherent quality of one’s jeeva, i.e., an individuals worth is determined on the basis of the dominant ‘colour’ of his soul. Thus the degree of brightness (punya) of one’s Jeeva, decides whether one is a Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaisya or Sudra. Thus Brahmin, Kshatriya, Vaishya and Sudra are born to parents in each family. This natural law was misinterpreted to suit the interests of the priestly class with the sidelining of Sanatana Dharma. The Caste system was legitimized by interpolations in scriptures. Majority of the people were included in the Sudra caste and the jobs that were allotted to them were also considered lower ones. Hard and fast rules were prescribed for each caste and vast majority of the Sudras were denied access to knowledge. The cruelest thing done to the Sudras was that they were denied the worship of the Trimurty and other deities that the higher castes worshipped. They were given evil spirits for worship or deities with ‘tamasic’ qualities. Thus majority of the Hindus had lost the opportunity for intellectual and spiritual pursuit and became ignorant and Sudra in the real sense.
Navajyothisree Karunakara Guru’s life is marked by incidents, events and developments of unprecedented character. Guru passed through uncertainties at each phase of his life. It was only at the time of His spiritual fulfillment in 1973, the mission of Guru was revealed from the Supreme that He was brought up by Brahman to shed light into unanswered and unresolved puzzles in spiritually. It was revealed on the occasion of Guru’s spiritual fulfillment that the mission of Guru is the restoration of Yuga Dharma and thus fulfilling the unfinished mission of previous messengers of God to guide humanity to the Truth.
It was revealed further that the past preceptors could not transform human nature and nourish virtues by eradicating the inherent bad instincts in soul because of the deviation in Yuga Dharma and the resultant practice of dharma and karma contrary to it. The previous seers despite their sacrifice could not get revealed this deviation in Yuga Dharma and how it occurred. That is why in spite of the best efforts of great Rishis, Gurus and Prophets and religions founded in their names, cruelty, violence, disquiet and scientific inventions that destroy the nature continue.
(The Author is Professor in Political Science, Govt. Arts College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala)
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The Soul's Journey to the Core of Truth
By K.T. Sreekumar, Kottarakara
Man learns to become a self-sacrificing social being; he grounds himself on the foundations of justice, law, culture, community living and develops methods of governance. Incessant actions threading through many lives bring transformation in his thoughts; actions in life purify and refine the soul of man and a stage is set for his flight to the ultimate evolutionary perfection - ‘Anandamaya Kosha’ or the ‘blissful sheath’. Such a soul loses self-identity after passing through the states of annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya and vijnanamaya koshas and finds its eternal rest and fulfillment in the blissful state, which is the core of its being.
A soul’s journey to the core of Truth transcends the point at which Darwin concludes his theory of evolution: it is a pilgrimage to the climax of creational perfection, emerging from an evolutionary process which moves through water and land and culminates in the wholesome creation - man. But, a question remains. While an imperceptible power through its own mutative stirs has reached up to a state of perfection as represented by man - What next? Whither? Herein lies the relevance of a Guru; it is here how a seer becomes a guide.
Darwin’s hypothesis that life appeared first in water had been formulated in India in antiquity. For example, in Manu Smriti, it has been mentioned that in the beginning there was the sky; from the sky emerged air; from the air was produced fire; from the fire came forth water; the waters yielded earth and from the earth were born all living beings.
In the myth associated with the ten incarnations of God, it has been said that the first incarnation took place in water. According to Taitireeya Upanishad, owing to the creational vibrations in the Cosmic Consciousness, first the sound-impregnated sky was manifested. In that aural sky, there appeared water which is tactual - that can be experienced by touch. From the waters emerged the earth which is the abode of all sensory qualities – tactual, visual, aural, gustatory and olfactory as represented by touch, sight, sound, taste and smell respectively. From the earth came forth herbs; and from herbs food was produced; from food is produced essence (soul effulgence); and from that essence man.
For procreation, man and woman are the two fundamental aspects. Not dissimilar is the case with Cosmic Creation, which presupposes the interplay of a Cosmic Mind and a Cosmic Nature (Purusha & Prakriti). Both are reflections of Brahman itself. The binary of Prakriti and Purusha remains dormant in the Supreme Consciousness. At the time of Creation, Purusha and Prakriti become vibrant and manifest themselves. Along with Purusha and Prakriti, there emerges a third principle – Time. Time is a relative phenomenon; it becomes self apparent at the time of creation and disintegrates along with cosmic dissolution. The Indian philosophy avers that creation takes place when Prakriti, Purusha and the third element ‘Time’ converge in a creational axis.
After Vedic time, documentary proof is unavailable to establish that the genesis of man is from Manu, the primordial human ancestor. Modern science could also not formulate any conceptions in this regard. According to Bible, Jehova, the God, created all sentient and insentient beings, except Man, within the five initial days of creation. On the sixth day, God created Man to rule over them. He made the figure of man out of dust and water upon the earth and blew life into its nostrils. The first man born thus was named Adam. Next, taking a side bone out of him, God created a Woman for him - Havva. Let myth be myth; but the underlining concept is that all living beings were created from the elemental world consisting of air, water, earth, fire and space.
The Rigveda explains about the origin of life in a different way. The moon has a synonym – Soma. There is a subtle dust on the lunar surface named as Soma, because of which the synonym soma. This lunar dust, owing to the gravitational pull, falls on the earth; it is further compressed into a life molecule with the blending of powerful cosmic rays from the sun, other planets, stars and constellations. Thus, according to the Rigveda, life originates from the copulation of luminuous lunar light molecules and the vaporous dust on the earth. Time is another element that interlinks the origin of life to the union with cosmic rays.
Modern science hypothesizes the ‘big bang’ theory of creation. This theory is based on pivotal scientific principles such as the Theory of Relativity; the gravitational pulls between atomic particles; the simulations and permutations that create certain fundamental matter-molecules and gaseous energies; all these lead us to the theory that the origin of life is from the interplay of cosmic substances and energies diversely inherent in the astral world – the sun, moon, earth, stars and constellations. The soul of man inescapably pulsates in synchronization with the cosmic rays percolating down the solar system, 27 stars (nakshatram) and 12 zodiacs in the track of which spins everything. It is verily the manifest and unmanifest universe in the form of God; one with attributes (Saguna Brahman) and another attributeless (Nirguna Brahman).
The northern and southern transits of the sun cause uttarayanam, dakshinayanam and vishuvat. Likewise, the lunar swings cause alternate periods of light and darkness and also changes in the moods of nature. The moon represents the creative energy in living beings. The swings and tides due to the embrace of light-molecules of the earth and moon produce vibrations or currents of biological and physical propensities and emotional fermentations in the soul of man. In what state were we before birth and what do we become after death? An enquiry in this direction can begin only when we realize that man is an inseparable part of the cosmos.
What is the outer most crust or sheath of the Jeeva (soul)? It is the ‘Annamaya Kosha’ – the solidified soul energy or ‘food sheath’. This may be taken as the first insentient physical manifestation of the jeeva unencumbered with thoughts and emotions, as represented in the physicality of a sedentary plant kingdom entrenched in the earth with the help of roots and stumps. Certain microbial life cells in water also belong to this category.
The second evolutionary stage of the Jeeva developing from the Annamaya kosha is the ‘Pranamaya Kosha’ or the ‘energy sheath’. In this state, the Jeeva develops distinct qualities and shapes different from the plant kingdom. It develops into a creature with a head and starts breathing. It tries to move with the help of tails and wings, first in water, and then on land. The Jeeva has outlived its state of immobility rooted to the earth or confined to water.
By and by all sensory perceptions are accentuated – touch, sight, hearing, taste and smell. Now begins the evolution of the Jeeva to the ‘Manomaya Kosha’ or the ‘mind sheath’ from the state of creatures and animals. Now the Pranamaya kosha is filled with the Manomaya kosha. The animal kingdom, as against the plant kingdom, has freedom in its course of evolution and procreation; and due to biological and sensory pulls and pushes, variations take place in the process of multiplication of species. In this state, collective living of species with identical characterstics begins; for example the human family. In the humans, the soul, from the limitations of sensory existence, is raised to experience knowledge or existential awareness. This is the evolution of the soul to the ‘Jnanamaya Kosha’ or the ‘Knowledge sheath’. The soul becomes self conscious. From this self awareness, the thoughs of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ are born. Man begins to think about his existence and security. Herein is the genesis of human thoughts. Thoughts haunt man and ultimately he fumbles upon existential questions; who am I? What am I?
Man learns to become a self-sacrificing social being; he grounds himself on the foundations of justice, law, culture, community living and develops methods of governance. Incessant actions threading through many lives bring transformation in his thoughts; actions in life purify and refine the soul of man and a stage is set for his flight to the ultimate evolutionary perfection - ‘Anandamaya Kosha’ or the ‘blissful sheath’. Such a soul loses self-identity after passing through the states of annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya and vijnanamaya koshas and finds its eternal rest and fulfillment in the blissful state, which is the core of its being.
While annamaya kosha is the gross physical body, the other sheaths consisting of prana, mana, vijnana and ananda (with all karmic appurtenances) constitute the subtle body of a person. What is physically perceptible is the annamaya kosha which, after separation from the soul, goes back to the five fundamental elements from which it was formed.
Our pilgrimage thus goes beyond Darwinism to the evolution of the invisible soul through the five elements and five life-sheaths to its core to behold the Supreme Truth, the Brahman, and to merge with it. It is this effort through the five elements, five senses and five life-sheaths that Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru draw our attention to.
(Translated from the original Malayalam by Mukundan P.R.)
Man learns to become a self-sacrificing social being; he grounds himself on the foundations of justice, law, culture, community living and develops methods of governance. Incessant actions threading through many lives bring transformation in his thoughts; actions in life purify and refine the soul of man and a stage is set for his flight to the ultimate evolutionary perfection - ‘Anandamaya Kosha’ or the ‘blissful sheath’. Such a soul loses self-identity after passing through the states of annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya and vijnanamaya koshas and finds its eternal rest and fulfillment in the blissful state, which is the core of its being.
A soul’s journey to the core of Truth transcends the point at which Darwin concludes his theory of evolution: it is a pilgrimage to the climax of creational perfection, emerging from an evolutionary process which moves through water and land and culminates in the wholesome creation - man. But, a question remains. While an imperceptible power through its own mutative stirs has reached up to a state of perfection as represented by man - What next? Whither? Herein lies the relevance of a Guru; it is here how a seer becomes a guide.
Darwin’s hypothesis that life appeared first in water had been formulated in India in antiquity. For example, in Manu Smriti, it has been mentioned that in the beginning there was the sky; from the sky emerged air; from the air was produced fire; from the fire came forth water; the waters yielded earth and from the earth were born all living beings.
In the myth associated with the ten incarnations of God, it has been said that the first incarnation took place in water. According to Taitireeya Upanishad, owing to the creational vibrations in the Cosmic Consciousness, first the sound-impregnated sky was manifested. In that aural sky, there appeared water which is tactual - that can be experienced by touch. From the waters emerged the earth which is the abode of all sensory qualities – tactual, visual, aural, gustatory and olfactory as represented by touch, sight, sound, taste and smell respectively. From the earth came forth herbs; and from herbs food was produced; from food is produced essence (soul effulgence); and from that essence man.
For procreation, man and woman are the two fundamental aspects. Not dissimilar is the case with Cosmic Creation, which presupposes the interplay of a Cosmic Mind and a Cosmic Nature (Purusha & Prakriti). Both are reflections of Brahman itself. The binary of Prakriti and Purusha remains dormant in the Supreme Consciousness. At the time of Creation, Purusha and Prakriti become vibrant and manifest themselves. Along with Purusha and Prakriti, there emerges a third principle – Time. Time is a relative phenomenon; it becomes self apparent at the time of creation and disintegrates along with cosmic dissolution. The Indian philosophy avers that creation takes place when Prakriti, Purusha and the third element ‘Time’ converge in a creational axis.
After Vedic time, documentary proof is unavailable to establish that the genesis of man is from Manu, the primordial human ancestor. Modern science could also not formulate any conceptions in this regard. According to Bible, Jehova, the God, created all sentient and insentient beings, except Man, within the five initial days of creation. On the sixth day, God created Man to rule over them. He made the figure of man out of dust and water upon the earth and blew life into its nostrils. The first man born thus was named Adam. Next, taking a side bone out of him, God created a Woman for him - Havva. Let myth be myth; but the underlining concept is that all living beings were created from the elemental world consisting of air, water, earth, fire and space.
The Rigveda explains about the origin of life in a different way. The moon has a synonym – Soma. There is a subtle dust on the lunar surface named as Soma, because of which the synonym soma. This lunar dust, owing to the gravitational pull, falls on the earth; it is further compressed into a life molecule with the blending of powerful cosmic rays from the sun, other planets, stars and constellations. Thus, according to the Rigveda, life originates from the copulation of luminuous lunar light molecules and the vaporous dust on the earth. Time is another element that interlinks the origin of life to the union with cosmic rays.
Modern science hypothesizes the ‘big bang’ theory of creation. This theory is based on pivotal scientific principles such as the Theory of Relativity; the gravitational pulls between atomic particles; the simulations and permutations that create certain fundamental matter-molecules and gaseous energies; all these lead us to the theory that the origin of life is from the interplay of cosmic substances and energies diversely inherent in the astral world – the sun, moon, earth, stars and constellations. The soul of man inescapably pulsates in synchronization with the cosmic rays percolating down the solar system, 27 stars (nakshatram) and 12 zodiacs in the track of which spins everything. It is verily the manifest and unmanifest universe in the form of God; one with attributes (Saguna Brahman) and another attributeless (Nirguna Brahman).
The northern and southern transits of the sun cause uttarayanam, dakshinayanam and vishuvat. Likewise, the lunar swings cause alternate periods of light and darkness and also changes in the moods of nature. The moon represents the creative energy in living beings. The swings and tides due to the embrace of light-molecules of the earth and moon produce vibrations or currents of biological and physical propensities and emotional fermentations in the soul of man. In what state were we before birth and what do we become after death? An enquiry in this direction can begin only when we realize that man is an inseparable part of the cosmos.
What is the outer most crust or sheath of the Jeeva (soul)? It is the ‘Annamaya Kosha’ – the solidified soul energy or ‘food sheath’. This may be taken as the first insentient physical manifestation of the jeeva unencumbered with thoughts and emotions, as represented in the physicality of a sedentary plant kingdom entrenched in the earth with the help of roots and stumps. Certain microbial life cells in water also belong to this category.
The second evolutionary stage of the Jeeva developing from the Annamaya kosha is the ‘Pranamaya Kosha’ or the ‘energy sheath’. In this state, the Jeeva develops distinct qualities and shapes different from the plant kingdom. It develops into a creature with a head and starts breathing. It tries to move with the help of tails and wings, first in water, and then on land. The Jeeva has outlived its state of immobility rooted to the earth or confined to water.
By and by all sensory perceptions are accentuated – touch, sight, hearing, taste and smell. Now begins the evolution of the Jeeva to the ‘Manomaya Kosha’ or the ‘mind sheath’ from the state of creatures and animals. Now the Pranamaya kosha is filled with the Manomaya kosha. The animal kingdom, as against the plant kingdom, has freedom in its course of evolution and procreation; and due to biological and sensory pulls and pushes, variations take place in the process of multiplication of species. In this state, collective living of species with identical characterstics begins; for example the human family. In the humans, the soul, from the limitations of sensory existence, is raised to experience knowledge or existential awareness. This is the evolution of the soul to the ‘Jnanamaya Kosha’ or the ‘Knowledge sheath’. The soul becomes self conscious. From this self awareness, the thoughs of ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ are born. Man begins to think about his existence and security. Herein is the genesis of human thoughts. Thoughts haunt man and ultimately he fumbles upon existential questions; who am I? What am I?
Man learns to become a self-sacrificing social being; he grounds himself on the foundations of justice, law, culture, community living and develops methods of governance. Incessant actions threading through many lives bring transformation in his thoughts; actions in life purify and refine the soul of man and a stage is set for his flight to the ultimate evolutionary perfection - ‘Anandamaya Kosha’ or the ‘blissful sheath’. Such a soul loses self-identity after passing through the states of annamaya, pranamaya, manomaya and vijnanamaya koshas and finds its eternal rest and fulfillment in the blissful state, which is the core of its being.
While annamaya kosha is the gross physical body, the other sheaths consisting of prana, mana, vijnana and ananda (with all karmic appurtenances) constitute the subtle body of a person. What is physically perceptible is the annamaya kosha which, after separation from the soul, goes back to the five fundamental elements from which it was formed.
Our pilgrimage thus goes beyond Darwinism to the evolution of the invisible soul through the five elements and five life-sheaths to its core to behold the Supreme Truth, the Brahman, and to merge with it. It is this effort through the five elements, five senses and five life-sheaths that Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru draw our attention to.
(Translated from the original Malayalam by Mukundan P.R.)
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
101 Sacred Sayings of Navajyoti Sri Karunakara Guru
Gurucharanam Saranam
GURUVANI
1. The very truth, the method and medium of Santhigiri Ashram is to enable people (to) reach the goal of oneness of humanity, forgetting caste and religion.
2. What is taking place in Santhigiri is an effort to realize after evaluating everything that has happened until now, getting rid of its shortcomings and ordering it as required of the age to bring it forward to shape the future state of affairs. This is the revelation of Brahman given to us.
3. The ideology of Santhigiri is not religious law. It is an effort to reveal and correct the mistakes that had occurred in the midst of the society in order to make the people come up.
4. Let all the old remain in its place. Let us absorb the virtues thereof without destroying it. But, that which is evil will indeed be destroyed. This is our spirituality.
5. The truth of Guru is that which reveals or realizes and fulfils each aspect of knowledge. The greatness of this soul is such a truth, in which knowledge and life experiences are in harmony.
6. The religion I believe is of Friendship, Brotherhood and Truth.
7. Word is Truth; when that Truth becomes our experience that is Guru; when it is experienced still more profoundly, it becomes God.
8. Strive to gain purity in these three: thought, word and deed. By this, you will have love for God and God will have love for you.
9. Work without positions of power and achieve through self-sacrifice. It is this sacrifice that saves you.
10. What is taking place in the name of Gurupooja at Santhigiri is in fact Rishipooja – the worship of the sage, who is a Kalantharaguru (the Guru of authority for ages).
11. God is not particular about being worshipped. If you worship, do not distort it.
12. It is better to bring up your children endowed with ‘karmaseshi’ (capacity to perform life’s duty) than saving money for them.
13. Beginning from a grain of sand, for all things in the world that take birth and perish, there is a wholeness (or indestructibility) of its own.
14. The purificatory ways (karmasuddhi) shown to us by God are ‘griha suddhi’ (cleansing of the family line), ‘deva suddhi’ (cleansing of deities-soul’s celestial links), ‘pithrusuddhi’ (cleansing of ancestral souls). Fulfilling these three, entrust to Guru the fourth one (cleansing of one’s soul). This is the essence of Sanatana Dharma.
15. Guru is an unique entity that acts from the perception of the changing epochal processes as well as the traditions pertaining to each age.
16. Can you reach the abode described as ‘Self-Illumined’ (Brahman) just by talking about it? One must strive for it. Only by the strength of endeavour that abode can be reached.
17. We might have to go through some difficulties before certain goodness is achieved. Whatever happens, I would suffer anything for the sake of my generation. I will undergo any sacrifice to bring up the generation.
18. There is no need for self-sacrifice to bow down anywhere. All virtues are submissive to self-sacrifice. Even without any extraordinary feats or miraculous performances, the words of a renouncer will generate bliss in the heart.
19. If there is spiritual endowment in you, you will get it actualized. All the powers that had been the object of your worship will manifest before you.
20. The greatness of creation is that in all living beings the glory of God is manifest. Everything in Nature has been endowed with love, respect, devotion, humbleness and wisdom of its own.
21. God exists where science ends.
22. You should be as noble as an emperor and as humble as a servant.
23. To you who are of virtuous birth and fearless action, I am citing my own example to give courage to you. May you be convinced!
24. There is something to learn even from a small creature. Learning from everything, entertain a persistent desire that with your action you will improve at least one person.
25. The householder should cultivate a method (or wisdom) and effort, while leading an orderly life himself, in order to give the best upbringing to his children. You should take up the responsibilities (karmakanda) related to worldly life; otherwise, there is no use wasting time by wandering here and there.
26. Householders are not meant to live low. With their life, they should earn wealth, knowledge and riches and if necessary even the responsibility of governing the nations of the world.
27. The mind of a father should be as clear as the sky. And the mother should be one who utters profound words.
28. After making us aware of how to refine food and clothing and how to evolve a way of life, the Almighty today is guiding our intellect to the reflection on the Self, leading us to that path in which the soul gets entitled for liberation.
29. Joy and jealousy in excess are to be feared; therefore beware of them, for these will estrange you from God.
30. Do prayers to the One Almighty God and not to the deities and demigods, if you are not to wander for drinking water and food.
31. The law and justice evolved by human intellect are inadequate to sustain the laws of life -dharma of the human being. It does not occur to people why in the name of devotion, they should sway and dance in frenzy.
32. The ideology of Santhigiri is not Vedanta or something likewise. All people should have fulfilment in life.
33. You can attain all goodness and luck through your action. If unable to do anything good, there should be a thought not to perpetuate evil.
34. Do not commit sin for the sake of material gains.
35. It is better to practise self-sacrifice oneself than propagating it.
36. One’s propensities (Vasana) is the accumulation of the vices and virtues at one’s birth. The unique qualities in the soul become virtues and vices at birth.
37. We are not prepared to adopt the goodness shown to us by our ancestors through a life of self-sacrifice. What we see today is the light of their hardships of many ages.
38. The men and women who grow up here are the ones to decide on the course of the world. It is with this awareness of Dharma that we should become great. Our persistent prayer should be to get wisdom, experience and aptitude to act as per the call of time to correct all the mistakes that have happened down the tradition not only in relation to this solar system, but other solar systems too, establishing ourselves in this Dharma.
39. God does not sit where a few rationalists, liberationists, scholars and intellectuals debate together and establish Him.
40. We are all hurrying to take up the lowliest fulfilment in life because of our ignorance, lack of experience and wisdom.
41. The place of the bhakta (devotee) is on the lap of Guru and that of Guru in the heart of the devotee.
42. Be like a deaf, blind, dumb and ignorant person but with the vigilance to know everything. Then only one can gain whatever knowledge.
43. From where does the human life begin? Where do we end? What should we earn by human life, or in other words, after reaching to what extent of wisdom, have we commenced this life? To what extent we have reached today? First get this knowledge by contemplation. If not or if you are unable to do it, find a person (Guru) who is thus capable and following Him, perceive, experience and realize it.
44. Guru, the mother; Guru, the father; Guru, who has realized God; Guru who is God; Thus knowing from one’s birth and climbing up the steps of highest wisdom, seek peace. That indeed is the aim. That indeed is liberation. The human birth is for that indeed.
45. Gurupooja at Santhigiri is a fundamental spiritual performance based on the faith in the One Absolute God which unwinds the knots of accumulated karma of several births by cleansing the ancestral souls.
46. The Gurupooja at Santhigiri is a unique spiritual act that reveals the true aspects of the benign as well as malefic powers, including the deities (devas), manes (pithrus), sages (rishis) and renunciates (sanyasins), worshipped by the ancestors.
47. Gurupooja at Santhigiri is a spiritual act that imparts the knowledge about the (next) Age of Truth (Satyayuga) and the stages of the process leading to it, after completely removing the decadence of devotion due to (lack of awareness of the) shift in Yugadharma and showing the (path of) righteous devotion and wisdom.
48. Gurupooja at Santhigiri is an act ordained by the Absolute wherein the karmic entanglements of several births are perceived, disentangled and changed, lifting the souls to the levels of a deity (deva) or sage (rishi).
49. Is it possible for us to retrieve a good moment wasted by a distorted life?
50. Everyone has Love. But only through perpetual vigilance one can fulfil it to its fullest cognizance.
51. We, who live in this world, need a ‘One’ - an Absolute - for us to survive together. Remaining in that One spread out to everything. That One which embraces everything is the Truth.
52. How much have I done for the sake of my family, the nation, and if necessary, for the world. Each one of you should ask this to yourself.
53. None of us would wish to do an action harmful to ourselves. Then how come we have come to possess so much vice?
54. Each of us should be the possessors of the karma (action) that would (enable us to) go beyond everything that has been coming up (by way of development), contributing towards our happiness, convenience of living, be of advantage to society and become helpful to the whole world and every living being.
55. Realize through Gurudharma (Law of Guru) what was revealed in the past, what is put into practice today and what is to happen tomorrow.
56. Guru is a ‘deerghadarshi’ (far-sighted seer) who perceives and ordains what is needed and what is not needed for a yuga. Guru acts for the transformation of society at a particular point of time.
57. The reality of Guru manifests in the world in the Kaliyuga in its fullness and brilliance. Guru is the perceiver of times – the Trikalajna, who knows the past, present and future. Only a Guru, the beholder of three-fold time, can save you. The Trikalajna Guru is Perfectly Fulfilled.
58. When the evil deeds in the world becomes unbearable to Nature, God transforms these sins into wars, earthquakes and other natural calamities.
59. Do not forget that this world is established in Truth. Therefore, abandon the modes of worship contrary to the Yugadharma as well as sinful actions.
60. If humility leads to Truth, Truth will lead to Guru; and Guru to God. All of you should wish and also strive to become the servers of Truth.
61. The noble course is to comprehend the rights and wrongs that have come in the world until now - be it physical or spiritual - and to find out the reasons behind those rights and wrongs.
62. If you look a little deeply into this atmosphere, countless particles can be seen twinkling and disappearing even within the circle of a one rupee coin. Think that we are only one among such countless atoms.
63. Take up yourself the good and bad of others. It is like this: we should imbibe in our life whatever is good in a person. When you absorb the good in that person, the bad in him should also be taken up as yours. You should then tell him with love that there is such an error in him and that he should get rid of it. And when he gets rid of the bad, a certain vice in our soul also will have gone. If you feel that this person would not heed your words, pray for him everyday for three minutes. Then a God-given occasion will come to you to have an involvement with him. It would be the result of your prayer. Utilise this opportunity in a good way and tell him; he would have followed it certainly. That way we can remove a deficiency in our own soul.
64. This body is the layers (physical encasement) of a soul’s evolution formed through thousands of births. The lack of virtue (punyam) in the soul manifests in the form of different diseases in the body. Such karmic diseases are eradicated by the dharmic path that earns virtue through right action.
65. On getting up in the morning, reflect seated on the bed itself: ‘into what should I develop my home today?’ After attending to the day-to-day affairs at home, live aiming for the betterment of the organization, wasting not even a minute.
66. Life is the synonym of bliss concealed in the chronicle of the present, full of hardships.
67. The sense of ego will veil (block) the grace of God. We are actually nobody and nothing. We should have only this submission that we will pray to the best of our ability.
68. The benevolence of this path of dharma is the performance of Guru and disciple which enables a scholar as well as the ignorant to enquire about the dharma of the age after discerning the differences in the cycles of time – Satya, Treta, Dwapara and Kali.
69. We can distinguish our thoughts and emotions just like separating the different shades of one color, little by little. It is you (oneself) alone who can decide what shall be the path of your action (karmagati) and dharma. It would not do, if someone else decides it.
70. If you can perceive regarding Light, its Avrithi (different manifestations) as also how the Light dissolves, you will be able to know about your karmic propensity (karmagati).
71. Knowing all sorrows, behave with love and bring it in the ambit of your experience and identify yourself with it. Then you will know that the seat of sorrows and happiness is oneself.
72. It is the purity of action (karmasuddhi) in married life that creates the circumstances for the birth of a child useful to the family and society. Are you living in a manner befitting the justice of God? Ask yourself.
73. This atmosphere has in it layers of influence from any number of past yugadharmas (the code of living for an Age) and the five elements.
74. What you need to get is the benefit (virtue) of your actions. You should get that first from God. It is not for the sake of God that you worship God. You should think that it is for your own sake.
75. Prayer can bring goodness to us, our society and to the entire creation (living beings). It should be done as the ‘sankalpam’ of God (God’s Will).
76. You shed tears when there is pain. Even through those tears, pray to God that you should be able to perform His Will.
77. Even if (one is) able to do only a moment’s work, it should be done in the right manner. What is required is the mind and wisdom to work throughout our life with dedication, correcting the shortcomings in the soul.
78. God has given a place for anyone of you to come and assemble. The life of every man begins from the residue of the totality of action and will (sankalpa karma swaroopam), derived from his propensities. What exists embedded in a soul is the truth of interplanetary influences.
79. That the physical and spiritual have been separately considered, does not mean that they are separate. It is just for facilitating the knowledge of certain things. The physical body itself is the basis for spirituality.
80. Kali is the fourth quarter of a ‘Chaturyuga’. It has been taught to us and written down that Kali is bad as well as ruinous. The information that those who take birth in Kaliyuga are possessed by the passion of anger (kali) is not correct. We do not want such (mistaken ) farsightedness.
81. Earn virtue through Karma. Through that virtue, earn good fortune. That good fortune shall become the base for everything. The discipline of Santhigiri is the fulfilment of such action.
82. The fulfilment of monotheism is necessary in Kaliyuga (present era). Because, Kali is the epoch for soul’s liberation (mukti) and for Sudra, God realization.
83. It is in Kaliyuga, the Chaturyuga reaches its fulfilment. With 71 Chaturyugas, a Manvantara gets fulfilled. One cannot talk about the long range of Kali without respecting the epoch of Kali.
84. The long ranges of Kali (present era) need to be perceived transcending the faculties of intellect and thought. Kali is the time favourable – to the day, hour and second - to know the potential of the soul to endeavor with the help of the physical body (which is) experienced in the states of wakefulness (jagrat), dream (swapna) and deep sleep (sushupti). That is the science of the Kali Age.
85. Kali is the age of synchronization of the lives lived in the past, the present and those to come. If one is entrapped in the deviated contemporary ideologies, this synchronization will not be possible.
86. It could be because of the virtue of some past lives, we have got a human birth. We have had innumerable such human incarnations in the past. Even so, we are ruining our destiny ourselves committing numerous errors, unable to cut off from the tradition.
87. As per our faith, the gods and goddesses we have been praying to, as the objects of worship, are our Gods. The legacy of this is entrenched in the ferocious actions beginning from (and belonging to) the ‘satanic’ forces upto the domain of vetala (the state of extreme spiritual bewilderment). This is the greatest blunder we have inherited from our old tradition.
88. The path of Santhigiri is that of the wisdom that brings into our vision and understanding the mistakes of the bygone ages.
89. We have become degenerated with the concepts such as having a separate ‘god’ for each small caste. We can behold the history of long bygone ages, even while supporting the soul suitably in this body, the seat of our accumulated karma.
90. The message of Santhigiri works in accordance with the Will of Almighty. This message will exist always, in all ages, as a Dharma, like a sunrise of abounding blessedness. That is the aim of Santhigiri.
91. What is ingrained in a soul is the history and truth of nine planets. It is not possible to shed light on it with the power of knowledge that measures intellectually. Space Self-illumined: transcending thousands of such planes of illumination and traversing them with the cyclic aeons, the Guru who can determine the suitability of the dharmic path, which sheds light on several earthly planes, and the disciple who has internalised the dharma of that Guru - only can illuminate that (truth).
92. Jnani is the great sage who incarnates after traversing through several aeons in the pathway of the wisdom of changing ages (kaladharma). The Soul of that great Sage - whose austerities, ascending the wheel of time, in obediance to Yugadharma (law of the age), and who emerges sinless - is set apart by the Almighty’s Will. It is this Soul which is used for the voyage of time through many ages.
93. What can be done with those ‘valiant of action’ who bet in the name of great souls? They bring about intellectual ruin, turning the people into lifeless spectators and pushing them under the veil of ignorance. Hatred arising out of the rifts of caste, religion and class has grown among them to such an extent that even if God proceeds to pardon them, it is impossible to resolve these (animosities).
94. Can the field of action (karmabhumi) be gained if the karma (object) to be fulfilled by life is sung, narrated, written off and spoiled? Is there anything else in this other than the mind that obeys or makes others obey through laws? Seen in the world are the theaters of amusement of vices and virtues where God’s words are ‘sung’ (extolled) through one’s intelligence.
95. It would be appropriate if a small hint is given here of my experience for thinking people. I have not been able to find an explanation for my experience, in the tradition of knowledge including (the great text) Brahma Sutra. It is through intellectual exercise verses are written down and explanations attempted. The majesty of the Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu and Siva) tradition perfected in the Puranas, is an intellectual creation with words and images.
96. The great sages (Mamunis) extol what is seen in the present. The Mamuni is a seer of farsightedness. Mamuni is a great divine abstraction (Atma Sakti) at least in the category of an epochal Guru(Kalanthara Guru). Mamuni is the authority of a minimum seven solar systems.
97. Good things do not grow in all parts of the earth. Likewise, good water will collect only at certain places. When the lunar dust, with the contact of the sun’s rays and the even pressure of the atmosphere, falls down on earth, those dust particles are cultured by the turns of day and night, full moon and black moon and the characteristics of stars. The Soul that transcends all this, one by one, is the life codified in the concept of Guru. Living such a life, the Guru comes as the Word, as the Medium about whose sacred sayings it is said thus - Word is Truth, Truth is Guru, Guru is God.
98. The foremost education gained from the Ashram, is to correct through our wisdom, endeavour, self-sacrifice and action, whatever shortcomings we have in the family. It is not sanyasa (renunciation). Coming to the Ashram, having faith or living in the Ashram is not for adopting sanyasa. It is to learn through one’s life.
99. Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Law of God) has not prevailed here. What is said as Sanatana is confined in the framework of Manu Smriti (the book of sacred laws). Kaliyuga is not ruinous. The four varnas (classes of humans based on soul temperament) exist always. In the Kaliyuga also it is there as in the other yugas. I wish to see that all human beings work for the Light of Truth.
100. Aravind Maharshi has said that Sri Krishna is the Over-Mind who accompanied the Supramental Light to the earth. The Guru-manifestation has been brought by Krishna with the esteem it deserves. Aravind Maharshi was beholding through transcendental vision what Krishna, who was the Guru of Dwapara Yuga, did for the age of Kali, standing in the subtle.
101. I am not away from you. I exist in all of you, as everything. You will get relief from all diseases and attain all sorts of peace, abundance and goodness by your prayers to Me! (This particular Guruvani was received from Guru’s Light by His foremost disciple Sishyapoojitha Amritha Jnana Thapaswini after Guru left the body.)
GURUVANI
1. The very truth, the method and medium of Santhigiri Ashram is to enable people (to) reach the goal of oneness of humanity, forgetting caste and religion.
2. What is taking place in Santhigiri is an effort to realize after evaluating everything that has happened until now, getting rid of its shortcomings and ordering it as required of the age to bring it forward to shape the future state of affairs. This is the revelation of Brahman given to us.
3. The ideology of Santhigiri is not religious law. It is an effort to reveal and correct the mistakes that had occurred in the midst of the society in order to make the people come up.
4. Let all the old remain in its place. Let us absorb the virtues thereof without destroying it. But, that which is evil will indeed be destroyed. This is our spirituality.
5. The truth of Guru is that which reveals or realizes and fulfils each aspect of knowledge. The greatness of this soul is such a truth, in which knowledge and life experiences are in harmony.
6. The religion I believe is of Friendship, Brotherhood and Truth.
7. Word is Truth; when that Truth becomes our experience that is Guru; when it is experienced still more profoundly, it becomes God.
8. Strive to gain purity in these three: thought, word and deed. By this, you will have love for God and God will have love for you.
9. Work without positions of power and achieve through self-sacrifice. It is this sacrifice that saves you.
10. What is taking place in the name of Gurupooja at Santhigiri is in fact Rishipooja – the worship of the sage, who is a Kalantharaguru (the Guru of authority for ages).
11. God is not particular about being worshipped. If you worship, do not distort it.
12. It is better to bring up your children endowed with ‘karmaseshi’ (capacity to perform life’s duty) than saving money for them.
13. Beginning from a grain of sand, for all things in the world that take birth and perish, there is a wholeness (or indestructibility) of its own.
14. The purificatory ways (karmasuddhi) shown to us by God are ‘griha suddhi’ (cleansing of the family line), ‘deva suddhi’ (cleansing of deities-soul’s celestial links), ‘pithrusuddhi’ (cleansing of ancestral souls). Fulfilling these three, entrust to Guru the fourth one (cleansing of one’s soul). This is the essence of Sanatana Dharma.
15. Guru is an unique entity that acts from the perception of the changing epochal processes as well as the traditions pertaining to each age.
16. Can you reach the abode described as ‘Self-Illumined’ (Brahman) just by talking about it? One must strive for it. Only by the strength of endeavour that abode can be reached.
17. We might have to go through some difficulties before certain goodness is achieved. Whatever happens, I would suffer anything for the sake of my generation. I will undergo any sacrifice to bring up the generation.
18. There is no need for self-sacrifice to bow down anywhere. All virtues are submissive to self-sacrifice. Even without any extraordinary feats or miraculous performances, the words of a renouncer will generate bliss in the heart.
19. If there is spiritual endowment in you, you will get it actualized. All the powers that had been the object of your worship will manifest before you.
20. The greatness of creation is that in all living beings the glory of God is manifest. Everything in Nature has been endowed with love, respect, devotion, humbleness and wisdom of its own.
21. God exists where science ends.
22. You should be as noble as an emperor and as humble as a servant.
23. To you who are of virtuous birth and fearless action, I am citing my own example to give courage to you. May you be convinced!
24. There is something to learn even from a small creature. Learning from everything, entertain a persistent desire that with your action you will improve at least one person.
25. The householder should cultivate a method (or wisdom) and effort, while leading an orderly life himself, in order to give the best upbringing to his children. You should take up the responsibilities (karmakanda) related to worldly life; otherwise, there is no use wasting time by wandering here and there.
26. Householders are not meant to live low. With their life, they should earn wealth, knowledge and riches and if necessary even the responsibility of governing the nations of the world.
27. The mind of a father should be as clear as the sky. And the mother should be one who utters profound words.
28. After making us aware of how to refine food and clothing and how to evolve a way of life, the Almighty today is guiding our intellect to the reflection on the Self, leading us to that path in which the soul gets entitled for liberation.
29. Joy and jealousy in excess are to be feared; therefore beware of them, for these will estrange you from God.
30. Do prayers to the One Almighty God and not to the deities and demigods, if you are not to wander for drinking water and food.
31. The law and justice evolved by human intellect are inadequate to sustain the laws of life -dharma of the human being. It does not occur to people why in the name of devotion, they should sway and dance in frenzy.
32. The ideology of Santhigiri is not Vedanta or something likewise. All people should have fulfilment in life.
33. You can attain all goodness and luck through your action. If unable to do anything good, there should be a thought not to perpetuate evil.
34. Do not commit sin for the sake of material gains.
35. It is better to practise self-sacrifice oneself than propagating it.
36. One’s propensities (Vasana) is the accumulation of the vices and virtues at one’s birth. The unique qualities in the soul become virtues and vices at birth.
37. We are not prepared to adopt the goodness shown to us by our ancestors through a life of self-sacrifice. What we see today is the light of their hardships of many ages.
38. The men and women who grow up here are the ones to decide on the course of the world. It is with this awareness of Dharma that we should become great. Our persistent prayer should be to get wisdom, experience and aptitude to act as per the call of time to correct all the mistakes that have happened down the tradition not only in relation to this solar system, but other solar systems too, establishing ourselves in this Dharma.
39. God does not sit where a few rationalists, liberationists, scholars and intellectuals debate together and establish Him.
40. We are all hurrying to take up the lowliest fulfilment in life because of our ignorance, lack of experience and wisdom.
41. The place of the bhakta (devotee) is on the lap of Guru and that of Guru in the heart of the devotee.
42. Be like a deaf, blind, dumb and ignorant person but with the vigilance to know everything. Then only one can gain whatever knowledge.
43. From where does the human life begin? Where do we end? What should we earn by human life, or in other words, after reaching to what extent of wisdom, have we commenced this life? To what extent we have reached today? First get this knowledge by contemplation. If not or if you are unable to do it, find a person (Guru) who is thus capable and following Him, perceive, experience and realize it.
44. Guru, the mother; Guru, the father; Guru, who has realized God; Guru who is God; Thus knowing from one’s birth and climbing up the steps of highest wisdom, seek peace. That indeed is the aim. That indeed is liberation. The human birth is for that indeed.
45. Gurupooja at Santhigiri is a fundamental spiritual performance based on the faith in the One Absolute God which unwinds the knots of accumulated karma of several births by cleansing the ancestral souls.
46. The Gurupooja at Santhigiri is a unique spiritual act that reveals the true aspects of the benign as well as malefic powers, including the deities (devas), manes (pithrus), sages (rishis) and renunciates (sanyasins), worshipped by the ancestors.
47. Gurupooja at Santhigiri is a spiritual act that imparts the knowledge about the (next) Age of Truth (Satyayuga) and the stages of the process leading to it, after completely removing the decadence of devotion due to (lack of awareness of the) shift in Yugadharma and showing the (path of) righteous devotion and wisdom.
48. Gurupooja at Santhigiri is an act ordained by the Absolute wherein the karmic entanglements of several births are perceived, disentangled and changed, lifting the souls to the levels of a deity (deva) or sage (rishi).
49. Is it possible for us to retrieve a good moment wasted by a distorted life?
50. Everyone has Love. But only through perpetual vigilance one can fulfil it to its fullest cognizance.
51. We, who live in this world, need a ‘One’ - an Absolute - for us to survive together. Remaining in that One spread out to everything. That One which embraces everything is the Truth.
52. How much have I done for the sake of my family, the nation, and if necessary, for the world. Each one of you should ask this to yourself.
53. None of us would wish to do an action harmful to ourselves. Then how come we have come to possess so much vice?
54. Each of us should be the possessors of the karma (action) that would (enable us to) go beyond everything that has been coming up (by way of development), contributing towards our happiness, convenience of living, be of advantage to society and become helpful to the whole world and every living being.
55. Realize through Gurudharma (Law of Guru) what was revealed in the past, what is put into practice today and what is to happen tomorrow.
56. Guru is a ‘deerghadarshi’ (far-sighted seer) who perceives and ordains what is needed and what is not needed for a yuga. Guru acts for the transformation of society at a particular point of time.
57. The reality of Guru manifests in the world in the Kaliyuga in its fullness and brilliance. Guru is the perceiver of times – the Trikalajna, who knows the past, present and future. Only a Guru, the beholder of three-fold time, can save you. The Trikalajna Guru is Perfectly Fulfilled.
58. When the evil deeds in the world becomes unbearable to Nature, God transforms these sins into wars, earthquakes and other natural calamities.
59. Do not forget that this world is established in Truth. Therefore, abandon the modes of worship contrary to the Yugadharma as well as sinful actions.
60. If humility leads to Truth, Truth will lead to Guru; and Guru to God. All of you should wish and also strive to become the servers of Truth.
61. The noble course is to comprehend the rights and wrongs that have come in the world until now - be it physical or spiritual - and to find out the reasons behind those rights and wrongs.
62. If you look a little deeply into this atmosphere, countless particles can be seen twinkling and disappearing even within the circle of a one rupee coin. Think that we are only one among such countless atoms.
63. Take up yourself the good and bad of others. It is like this: we should imbibe in our life whatever is good in a person. When you absorb the good in that person, the bad in him should also be taken up as yours. You should then tell him with love that there is such an error in him and that he should get rid of it. And when he gets rid of the bad, a certain vice in our soul also will have gone. If you feel that this person would not heed your words, pray for him everyday for three minutes. Then a God-given occasion will come to you to have an involvement with him. It would be the result of your prayer. Utilise this opportunity in a good way and tell him; he would have followed it certainly. That way we can remove a deficiency in our own soul.
64. This body is the layers (physical encasement) of a soul’s evolution formed through thousands of births. The lack of virtue (punyam) in the soul manifests in the form of different diseases in the body. Such karmic diseases are eradicated by the dharmic path that earns virtue through right action.
65. On getting up in the morning, reflect seated on the bed itself: ‘into what should I develop my home today?’ After attending to the day-to-day affairs at home, live aiming for the betterment of the organization, wasting not even a minute.
66. Life is the synonym of bliss concealed in the chronicle of the present, full of hardships.
67. The sense of ego will veil (block) the grace of God. We are actually nobody and nothing. We should have only this submission that we will pray to the best of our ability.
68. The benevolence of this path of dharma is the performance of Guru and disciple which enables a scholar as well as the ignorant to enquire about the dharma of the age after discerning the differences in the cycles of time – Satya, Treta, Dwapara and Kali.
69. We can distinguish our thoughts and emotions just like separating the different shades of one color, little by little. It is you (oneself) alone who can decide what shall be the path of your action (karmagati) and dharma. It would not do, if someone else decides it.
70. If you can perceive regarding Light, its Avrithi (different manifestations) as also how the Light dissolves, you will be able to know about your karmic propensity (karmagati).
71. Knowing all sorrows, behave with love and bring it in the ambit of your experience and identify yourself with it. Then you will know that the seat of sorrows and happiness is oneself.
72. It is the purity of action (karmasuddhi) in married life that creates the circumstances for the birth of a child useful to the family and society. Are you living in a manner befitting the justice of God? Ask yourself.
73. This atmosphere has in it layers of influence from any number of past yugadharmas (the code of living for an Age) and the five elements.
74. What you need to get is the benefit (virtue) of your actions. You should get that first from God. It is not for the sake of God that you worship God. You should think that it is for your own sake.
75. Prayer can bring goodness to us, our society and to the entire creation (living beings). It should be done as the ‘sankalpam’ of God (God’s Will).
76. You shed tears when there is pain. Even through those tears, pray to God that you should be able to perform His Will.
77. Even if (one is) able to do only a moment’s work, it should be done in the right manner. What is required is the mind and wisdom to work throughout our life with dedication, correcting the shortcomings in the soul.
78. God has given a place for anyone of you to come and assemble. The life of every man begins from the residue of the totality of action and will (sankalpa karma swaroopam), derived from his propensities. What exists embedded in a soul is the truth of interplanetary influences.
79. That the physical and spiritual have been separately considered, does not mean that they are separate. It is just for facilitating the knowledge of certain things. The physical body itself is the basis for spirituality.
80. Kali is the fourth quarter of a ‘Chaturyuga’. It has been taught to us and written down that Kali is bad as well as ruinous. The information that those who take birth in Kaliyuga are possessed by the passion of anger (kali) is not correct. We do not want such (mistaken ) farsightedness.
81. Earn virtue through Karma. Through that virtue, earn good fortune. That good fortune shall become the base for everything. The discipline of Santhigiri is the fulfilment of such action.
82. The fulfilment of monotheism is necessary in Kaliyuga (present era). Because, Kali is the epoch for soul’s liberation (mukti) and for Sudra, God realization.
83. It is in Kaliyuga, the Chaturyuga reaches its fulfilment. With 71 Chaturyugas, a Manvantara gets fulfilled. One cannot talk about the long range of Kali without respecting the epoch of Kali.
84. The long ranges of Kali (present era) need to be perceived transcending the faculties of intellect and thought. Kali is the time favourable – to the day, hour and second - to know the potential of the soul to endeavor with the help of the physical body (which is) experienced in the states of wakefulness (jagrat), dream (swapna) and deep sleep (sushupti). That is the science of the Kali Age.
85. Kali is the age of synchronization of the lives lived in the past, the present and those to come. If one is entrapped in the deviated contemporary ideologies, this synchronization will not be possible.
86. It could be because of the virtue of some past lives, we have got a human birth. We have had innumerable such human incarnations in the past. Even so, we are ruining our destiny ourselves committing numerous errors, unable to cut off from the tradition.
87. As per our faith, the gods and goddesses we have been praying to, as the objects of worship, are our Gods. The legacy of this is entrenched in the ferocious actions beginning from (and belonging to) the ‘satanic’ forces upto the domain of vetala (the state of extreme spiritual bewilderment). This is the greatest blunder we have inherited from our old tradition.
88. The path of Santhigiri is that of the wisdom that brings into our vision and understanding the mistakes of the bygone ages.
89. We have become degenerated with the concepts such as having a separate ‘god’ for each small caste. We can behold the history of long bygone ages, even while supporting the soul suitably in this body, the seat of our accumulated karma.
90. The message of Santhigiri works in accordance with the Will of Almighty. This message will exist always, in all ages, as a Dharma, like a sunrise of abounding blessedness. That is the aim of Santhigiri.
91. What is ingrained in a soul is the history and truth of nine planets. It is not possible to shed light on it with the power of knowledge that measures intellectually. Space Self-illumined: transcending thousands of such planes of illumination and traversing them with the cyclic aeons, the Guru who can determine the suitability of the dharmic path, which sheds light on several earthly planes, and the disciple who has internalised the dharma of that Guru - only can illuminate that (truth).
92. Jnani is the great sage who incarnates after traversing through several aeons in the pathway of the wisdom of changing ages (kaladharma). The Soul of that great Sage - whose austerities, ascending the wheel of time, in obediance to Yugadharma (law of the age), and who emerges sinless - is set apart by the Almighty’s Will. It is this Soul which is used for the voyage of time through many ages.
93. What can be done with those ‘valiant of action’ who bet in the name of great souls? They bring about intellectual ruin, turning the people into lifeless spectators and pushing them under the veil of ignorance. Hatred arising out of the rifts of caste, religion and class has grown among them to such an extent that even if God proceeds to pardon them, it is impossible to resolve these (animosities).
94. Can the field of action (karmabhumi) be gained if the karma (object) to be fulfilled by life is sung, narrated, written off and spoiled? Is there anything else in this other than the mind that obeys or makes others obey through laws? Seen in the world are the theaters of amusement of vices and virtues where God’s words are ‘sung’ (extolled) through one’s intelligence.
95. It would be appropriate if a small hint is given here of my experience for thinking people. I have not been able to find an explanation for my experience, in the tradition of knowledge including (the great text) Brahma Sutra. It is through intellectual exercise verses are written down and explanations attempted. The majesty of the Trimurti (Brahma, Vishnu and Siva) tradition perfected in the Puranas, is an intellectual creation with words and images.
96. The great sages (Mamunis) extol what is seen in the present. The Mamuni is a seer of farsightedness. Mamuni is a great divine abstraction (Atma Sakti) at least in the category of an epochal Guru(Kalanthara Guru). Mamuni is the authority of a minimum seven solar systems.
97. Good things do not grow in all parts of the earth. Likewise, good water will collect only at certain places. When the lunar dust, with the contact of the sun’s rays and the even pressure of the atmosphere, falls down on earth, those dust particles are cultured by the turns of day and night, full moon and black moon and the characteristics of stars. The Soul that transcends all this, one by one, is the life codified in the concept of Guru. Living such a life, the Guru comes as the Word, as the Medium about whose sacred sayings it is said thus - Word is Truth, Truth is Guru, Guru is God.
98. The foremost education gained from the Ashram, is to correct through our wisdom, endeavour, self-sacrifice and action, whatever shortcomings we have in the family. It is not sanyasa (renunciation). Coming to the Ashram, having faith or living in the Ashram is not for adopting sanyasa. It is to learn through one’s life.
99. Sanatana Dharma (Eternal Law of God) has not prevailed here. What is said as Sanatana is confined in the framework of Manu Smriti (the book of sacred laws). Kaliyuga is not ruinous. The four varnas (classes of humans based on soul temperament) exist always. In the Kaliyuga also it is there as in the other yugas. I wish to see that all human beings work for the Light of Truth.
100. Aravind Maharshi has said that Sri Krishna is the Over-Mind who accompanied the Supramental Light to the earth. The Guru-manifestation has been brought by Krishna with the esteem it deserves. Aravind Maharshi was beholding through transcendental vision what Krishna, who was the Guru of Dwapara Yuga, did for the age of Kali, standing in the subtle.
101. I am not away from you. I exist in all of you, as everything. You will get relief from all diseases and attain all sorts of peace, abundance and goodness by your prayers to Me! (This particular Guruvani was received from Guru’s Light by His foremost disciple Sishyapoojitha Amritha Jnana Thapaswini after Guru left the body.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)