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Gurupoornima-2015
Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.
Our retreat session practically has started today with the morning program. We would like to give you a wholesome, overall and comprehensive view of this subject of spirituality. I would like you to understand that the spirituality is not something hard or difficult to practice. I would like to emphasize that it is something very easy and facile, everyone will cherish it. it will nourish our mind and heart. Every time it is intended to make the mind lighter, more and more joyous and cheerful and the intelligence will become more and more sharp, more and more brilliant and more and more illumined and illumining. These benefits are bound to come. If they don’t occur, you can take it that your practice of spirituality or understanding of it is still not correct.
Bhagavad Gita consists of eighteen chapters. These are divided into three sections. The first six chapters are given to explaining the intricacies of the mind and explaining what is this yoga, how it is based upon the mind and the intelligence. From the seventh chapter onwards, another six, the middle six, it is always given to a description of the supreme reality in the form of God consisting of all powers, all knowledge and an all-pervading presence. Sri Krishna develops the subject very beautifully or Veda Vyasa presents it very beautifully.
In the tenth chapter which is called vibhūti yoga, there is a description of how God means so many things especially the glory, the greatness, the splendor, the power, the potential, beauty and what not! It is better and easier to think about God in these aspects. But in reality God contains and includes everything. One has to rise above specifics and particulars and think of God in general and in fullness. So there are a few verses in the tenth chapter which are very important. I would like you to think about them during your stay here and in the evening you can raise questions if you so like.
iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ
See, after all this is wisdom. You should spend some time to understand the words, their meaning and message.
Ahaṁ sarvasya prabhavo– I am the source of all.
Mattaḥ sarvaṁ pravartate– From me and by me, all forms of activity, vibration and interaction take place. If your eyes see it is because of God. If your mind thinks it is because of Him. If your intelligence functions it is because of Him. If the earth revolves it is because of Him. The sun shines only because of Him.
Iti matvā – Thinking in this manner, mark the expression, thinking in this manner. This is a point to be thought about, not to be done, not to be pursued, it is not something to be spoken but you have to think in this manner, consider in this manner, evaluate in this manner, apprise and assess in this manner.
Budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ – when you start thinking in this manner about God, that He is the source of everything and everything is getting activated because of Him, then you become united to God through bhāva, through this attitude, through this consideration. So the unification, unitedness or merger with God takes place through the emotional level of your being.
Iti matvā bhajante māṁ budhā bhāva-samanvitāḥ , when this stage is reached he says,
kathayantaś-ca māṁ nityaṁ tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca
That is the time you start speaking about God, thinking about Him, speaking about Him, discussing the subject with your friends, trying to ask them some questions, there are so many scriptures we have and so many descriptions and elements are there.
This morning I was asking ‘X’, “What is the manner in which the army was arranged by Bhishma for the first day of the eighteen day war?” See, this is an information I wanted. It is from Mahabharata. So there are so many items mentioned in our scriptures. You will start enquiring about them. See, Srimad Bhagavatam is a full description of God. So you will start enquiring into instead of making so much of family enquiries and worries and anxieties, the mind will be involved in such considerations and probing.
mac-cittā mad-gata-prāṇā bodhayantaḥ parasparam
kathayantaś-ca māṁ nityaṁ tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca
Whenever you meet, the subject of discussion will be God. Just imagine a mind which discusses God. What will be the level? Think about it. And this process will, tuṣyanti ca ramanti ca, they will be romantically even delighted by such discussion. Ramanti ca, tuṣyanti ca - they exult, they rejoice, they revel.
When such a situation comes, he says, I will explain it possibly tomorrow, “That is the time I step into their heart, mind and intelligence and light the lamp of wisdom as a result of which they know me.” This transition from bhāva -emotion to the level of wisdom is very, very important. This is what the scriptures explain to you. You may not understand it otherwise or get the information. Devotees miss it because they don’t know.
“I will light the lamp of wisdom. ज्ञानदीपेन भास्वता, jñāna-dīpena bhāsvatā, when the lamp of wisdom is lit and it starts shining and it becomes brilliant, you will find things become clear to you and you will know, you will never be disconnected from God, God will be never distanced from you, He is so present outwardly in a material and energial form, inwardly as the mind, intelligence and ego so that there is no time either possible or actually occurring when there is a distance or separation between the two. This is the truth, this is the knowledge I make available to them by lighting the lamp of wisdom.” he says. (Bhagavad Gita 10.11)
So our retreat is actually fulfilling this second part. Try to understand it, evaluate it and imbibe it properly. I wish you well.
Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.