Don’t be Hurry

A man who was very found of trees wanted to see a green tree in the courtyard of his home. He thought that if he planted sapling, it would take a long time to grow into a tree. So he went to a garden and selected a fully grown tree. He then employed several laborers to dig it up and then transport it to his courtyard where he had it planted.
The man was very happy. He thought to himself; “I have traveled a long journey in a single day. Planting a sapling or a seed would have been a lengthy business and now I have found quick way of having a lush green tree”
But the next morning when he looked at the tree, he found that its leaves had begun to wither, and after a few days the whole tree dried up. He was disappointed. When one of his friends visited him, he found him in a very sad mood. When he asked the reason he said: “I am in a hurry, but God isn’t”
This story instructs us about the law of nature, which is based on gradual development and not on sudden leaps. One who follows this law of nature will be successful, while the one, who fails to follow it, will be doomed to failure.
This law of nature is applicable not only to tree; it is a universal law. In every field, one must follow this natural course; otherwise one cannot attain any worthwhile goal.
Why is it that when the tree was in the garden, it was green, but when the same tree was transferred to another place – the courtyard – it dried up? The reason is that when the tree was in the garden, it had its roots intact, but when it was transferred to the courtyard, it had very few of its roots left. And it is roots that give life to a tree.
This is a law of nature and this law of nature applies to all human activities. It is the need of every business, every profession, and every institution to have proper roots, that is, a sound basis. There is no exception to this law of nature.
For example, education is the basis for a job, reputation is the basis of a business, and infrastructure is the basis of national development. Constructing a really solid foundation requires a long period of time; you cannot have such a foundation by just taking wild leaps.
When you are in a hurry to achieve something. It means that you are denying the law of nature. You want to build a world on your own and this kind of procedure is not possible in this world. Those who engage in a gradual process will find support in nature and without such support no achievement is possible in this world.
Why did God decree this nature? He did so for the purpose of consolidation. If you try to achieve something by leaping into things, the final result will be like an uprooted tree. But when you adopt the gradual process, you consolidate your achievement.
An agriculturist once rightly pointed out that it requires only six months to grow a kakdi plant, but if you want to grow a tree like the oak, it will take 50 years to produce a fully grown tree. From this example one can understand how the law of nature functions.

The Flower and Its Fragrance

The most beautiful thing on earth is our gratitude to divinity. Children always see more beauty than grownups do; because of their tremendous inner purity they see beauty in everything. Therefore we have to appreciate and admire them because they are still in the world of the soul.

When the mind is “developed” it also goes through conditioning and so begins to find fault. We love to see ugliness and impurity even in things that are really beautiful and good. If an artist has created something, we look for anomalies. The child however regards everything as his very own, so he sees beauty in everyone and in everything. He feels that there is nothing in comparison with other thing is beautiful.

Divine love and divine beauty are inseparable. Love is the flower, beauty is the fragrance. They go together. A flower is an object, God’s creation. But the flower has to offer its quality, that is, its fragrance. Only when you come near a flower will you see and appreciate its beauty. But even when you are far away, its fragrance can permeate the air. If a flower does not have any fragrance, half its divinity is gone. Beauty comes forth from the flower which is love. Flower and fragrance are inseparably one.

When earth’s cry and heaven’s smile meet, beauty’s perfection dawns. Joy is a bird that we all want to catch. It is the same bird that we all love to see flying. What is the difference between pleasure and joy? Pleasure is followed by frustration, whereas joy is always followed by peace and more joy. There are two kinds of joy, outer joy and inner joy – there’s a subtle difference between them. We feel that the possessor of outer joy is somebody else, not ourselves. Very often we want to snatch this joy from others.

Inner joy is not like this. When we meditate or contemplate, at that time we feel that we are the soul of joy. This joy that we possess inside is like a fountain; it comes spontaneously. Inner joy has no fear. It can, if it wants transform our human nature in the twinkling of an eye.

If we can experience true inner joy even for a second we will feel that the world is totally different. Now, we feel that we will have to change our attitude towards certain aspects of the creation if we want to have joy, because the world is constantly fighting and doing all un-divine things. But if we can look at the world with our inner joy, we will see that the world has already changed?

How can we get this inner joy? If we really feel that inner joy is the breath of our life, if we feel that we cannot exist without joy and we will die at this very moment if we do not have it, then God showers his choicest blessing, which is joy, upon us.

Real joy comes from the feeling that we are constantly in the lap of the Supreme. Twenty-four hours a day we cannot meditate. But on the strength of our imagination we can feel that 24 hours a day we are in the lap of the Supreme.

Experiences

If some of us have felt the essence of love, the difficulty arises in keeping the flame of love alive. The very moment one transfers the experience of love into words and memory, the mind takes over only to end up in creating an unreal picture of love.

It is imperative to understand the fact that love can be felt only in the present. And all thoughts of love deny love and push the individual to ignorance so that one is in the unreal world of love.

The individual gets mired in the web of thoughts which is basically of attachment and dependency. The built up thoughts about love which bring false happiness, inexorably give way to pain and suffering arising out of losing it. Only an individual who is integrated, harmonious and sensitive can keep the flame of love going. It becomes indispensable for the individual to stay rooted in the present, so as to be in the pool of love. And only an individual who is in love with himself can know the art of loving others.

After knowing that love blossoms and expresses itself in the present moment, the question of whether one is rooted in the present becomes inevitable. If one is in the present and in love with himself and others, then meditation does not mean anything to him.

If you feel that you are not in peace, harmony and in exuberance, then meditation is a tool that can bring you back to love and life. Meditation creates the space in you so that you can witness your own insensitivity and habits. This very seeing of your own insensitiveness opens the doors of sensitivity in you.

This sensitivity of seeing one’s own shortcoming triggers the channel of intelligence. Seeing yourself and others without the interruption and interpretation of the mind frees the mind so as to be active and alert. The natural flow of moving along with the life source makes you supple and receptive.

False images which were products of the mind break down in front of reality. As an individual you once again regain your original innocence of being with yourself and flowing with the present. This being in the present inexorably opens the doors of love which comes along with pure intelligence to face reality without remorse.

Meditation cleanses the dust of ignorance that accumulates over time. The more you use meditation to get back to your source, your inner self, the more you become aware of your unconscious repressions which were hindering you from knowing your potential. Once the unconscious repressions are brought out and they pass through the channel of the conscious mind, you become free of bondages. Without this release, any attempt to love yourself and others becomes an exercise in futility.

Meditation bridge the conscious and unconscious, helping the individual to set himself free from his own bondage. And only the one who has freed himself from the fetters of mind can come back to his natural state – which is love itself. Only a loving person can be with reality and face it intelligently. Meditation becomes the tool which takes the individual to merge with the very ocean of love which is in one.

Ultimately the individual comes to face the truth that meditation is in love personified.

Focus on Your Breath

Concentration is the key to success. The student taking an exam but distracted by a popular song running through his head; the businessman trying to write an important contract; but worried over an argument that he had that morning with his wife; the judge distracted by the fact that a teenager to whose defense he is trying to listen bears  striking resemblance to his own son. All of these persons could tell us something of the disadvantages of poor focus.

A focused mind succeeds not only because it can solve problems with greater dispatch but also because problems have a way of somehow vanishing before its focused energies, without even requiring to be solved. A focused mind often attracts opportunities for success that to less focused (and therefore less successful) individuals appear to come by sheer luck.

Concentration awakens our powers and channels them, dissolving obstacles in our path, literally attracting opportunities insights and inspirations. In many ways, subtle as well as obvious, concentration is the single most important key to success.

This is particularly true in yoga practice. The mind in meditation especially, must be so perfectly still that not a ripple of thought enters it. God cannot be perceived except in utter silence. Much of the teaching of yoga therefore, centers on techniques designed specially for developing concentration.

Of these techniques my guru Sriram Sharma Acharya Yogananda, considered the most effective to be one which involves attentiveness to the natural process of breathing…. The simplicity of this technique causes many a beginner to ignore it; yet in its very simplicity lies much of its greatness.

Concentration implies, first an ability to release one’s mental and emotional energies from all other interests and involvements and second an ability to focus them on a single object or state of awareness. Concentration could be dynamic outpouring of energy to perfectly quiescent perceptions and in its higher stages. It becomes so deep that it is no longer just practice. The yogi becomes so completely identified with the object of his concentration that he and it, as well as the act of concentration itself, become one.

In this way he can even temporarily become one with something external to himself, gaining thereby a far deeper understanding of it than would be possible by scientific objectivity. But focusing on our own higher realities, identification with them becomes lasting. For we are the infinite light, and love and joy and wisdom of God. Consciousness of diligent practice ought to be refined into an effortless process of divine becoming.

The most effective technique of concentration will be one which both interiorizes the mind, and permits a gradual transition from technical practice to utter stillness. The technique of watching the breath fulfills both of these requirements – better perhaps than any other technique possibly could. For not only is the breath one of the most natural focal points for attention, the more deeply one concentrates on it, the more refined it becomes, until breathing is automatically and effortlessly suspended in breathlessness. Mediator, the act of concentration, and the object of concentration, become one.

Body Mind and Spirit

Human existence is trifarious, a combination of three currents, physical, mental and spiritual. Most people may not transcend the limits of their physical existence; they get enmeshed in crude worldly pleasures, tormented by desire. Subtleties of life expression and practice are perhaps beyond their reach. Their world is limited to their bodies and physical requirements.

There are others who are more concerned with their minds as they feel that it is the supremacy of mind that sets them apart. Their lives are guided by their desires for mental satisfaction. By virtue of their endeavors they create poetry, art, music and sculpture, for instance. They express the finer human feelings of mercy, sympathy, love, friendship, and pity. They believe that the mind flows for the sole purpose of attaining the infinite and hence they focus their energies on the contemplation of the Transcendental Entity. They are spiritual aspirants. Drawn by the magnetic attraction of Cosmic Consciousness they speed forward and reach the stage which marks the end of mental existence and the beginning of spirituality. At that stage one is no longer a human being, one is a veritable god.

It ought to be the mission of every person to achieve confluence of the mental and spiritual strata. It is the pinnacle of human progress. It is the beginning of divine existence. The meeting point of the highest attainment of humanity and the blossoming of divinity is the base on which the cardinal human principles re established.

Looking back, it is evident that nowhere have human values been truly honored. What is worse, nobody has looked upon humanity with sympathy. Only those were respected who, by serving their self-interests, climbed onto the higher rostrum of society. It is difficult to step down from the high position of the vainglorious to rub shoulders with the less privileged. The neglect of humanity was particularly acute towards the end of each era of the social cycle. The progeny of the noble kshatriyas, the physically strong, on gaining power, engaged themselves in the pursuit of pleasure and comforts utterly neglecting their cared duty to serve their people. They never cared to know people’s suffering.

King-hearted and philanthropic kings did exist, but very few, if any met the psychophysical needs of his people and opened the gateway to realization of the infinite. For self aggrandizement and in a bid to conquer the world they invaded countries, one after another. How could they afford to inquire into the tragic plight of the common people? The Vipra era or intellectual era illustrated the same thing; the scholarly Vipras were hardly accessible to the common people. The innocents were busy appeasing the Vipras with oblations, honorariums and floral offerings.

Service to the needy might not yield immediate results but the potential for future benefit is immense. Rabindranath says, “By standing aloof from your fellow man daily, you have hated the God enthroned in his heart”. Instead of hating anyone, the Sadvipras – physically fit, mentally strong and spiritually elevated – will encourage every one to build good careers. This will be Sadvipra’s principle duty. None should feel that they have been doomed forever.

Srirangam: Gateway to Heaven

To devotees, particularly Vaishnavites, the Ranganath aswamy temple at Srirangam near Trichy in Tamil Nadu is their sacred gateway to heaven.

Among the 108 temples in south India that are of utmost importance to Vaishnavites, Srirangam tops the list. Here, Vaishnavai saint Godha Devi is believed to have merged with the idol and attained salvation. According to legend the idol rose up from the celestial Milky Ocean. It is a large, monolithic black statue of Vishnu, reclining on Adsesha, the divine serpent. It was received by Brahma and left in his custody till Vishnu as Ram gave it to Vibheesana, the noble brother of the slain demon king Ravan.

Vibheesana wished to carry it back to Sri Lanka. Rama told him that it was not to be placed down under any circumstances. VBibeesana needed to rest and perform his ablutions. He found a little boy and asked him to hold it. When he came bach he found that the boy had placed the idol down and it was rooted to the spot. An angry Vibeesana chased the boy who was actually Vinayaka. The boy ran across the River Kaveri and sat atop a hill where he is worshipped today as Ucchipillaiyar.

The idol lay there for ages, deep in the forest, covered with vegetation, till a prince of the Chola dynasty. Dharma Varma, stumbled upon it and built a shrine to protect it. During the Muslim invasion, temple priests erected a wall and hid the idol and fled with a smaller deity. For 50 years, they moved from place to place and finally hid it in a ravine at Tirupati, another major Vaishnavite pilgrimage destination. Once the invaders left, the priest returned to Srirangam and reinstalled the idol. Since then subsequent kings of the Chola, Pandya, vijayanagar and Hoysala dynasty from the 10the century onwards, have made significant additions to the temple. Today, the Srirangam Ranganatha Swami temple is spread over 156 acres, making it the largest functioning Hindu temple in the world.

The number of festivals at Srirangam temple surpasses those celebrated in other south Indian temples. Vaikuntha Ekadasi is the most important festival here. Hindus believe that the doors of heaven remain open throughout that specific day and a visit to any shrine of Vishnu this day ensures unfettered entry into heaven. At Srirangam temple the Paramapadha Vaasal or Sorag Vaasal, the Gateway to Heaven, is thrown open on Vaikuntha Ekadasi day at 4:15a.m. for darshan. Busloads of devotees descend on Srirangam and wait for hours to get a glimpse of the Ranganatha idol. Preparations for the vaikuntha Ekadasi here commence in October itself when the first of the 47 pillers of a grand mandapam (stage) is erected in the presence of shloka-chantin priests. Festivities begin well in advance, lasting nearly a month.

Most festivals coincide with seasonal changes, thus providing a strong market for the agricultural and horticultural offerings of that season. To the residents of Srirangam, Lord Ranganatha is a live entity. They address him in the first person; they visit him as they would visit a family member. When they enter the temple, it is with a sense of ownership there! It is as though they have made the journeyr from the temporal to the spiritual, a hallowed journey that infuses them with extraordinary strength to face life’s challenges.

Finding Your Voice

The story of caedmon, the first documented poet to compose in the English language in the late sixth century, is about an ordinary man whom God took aside from his busy everyday activity and from his own limited sense of who and what he was, and spoke to him in the quiet of the night.

Caedmon worked as a lay brother in the community of Abbess Hilda of Whitby. The singing of psalms and hymns played central role in the community, and at a feast it was an accepted tradition that all should sing in turn.

It bothered caedomon so much that he knew no songs and could not sing that whenever this began, he would quietly slip away.

Once frustrated by his inability to contribute to the songs of praise to God, he left the gathering and went to the stables, falling asleep among the horses.

As he slept, he dreamt that someone addressed him by name saying, “caedmon, sing me something”. He answered “I cannot sing” that is why I left the feast and came here…. The voice insisted. “Nevertheless you must sing”.

Feeling strangely compelled to obey, Caedmon asked, “What shall I sing” And was told: “Sing. His hymn was new, pouring from his heart: “Now we must praise Heaven kingdom’s guardian/ the maker’s might and his mind’s thoughts, the work of the glory-father as he established the beginning of every wonder. He first shaped for men’s sons. Heaven as a roof, the holy Creator; then middle earth mankind’s guardian, eternal Lord afterwards prepared for men the earth the Lord almighty”

Walking from his sleep, Caedmon remembered all that he had sung in his dream. He went to his superior and told him of the dream. His superior took him to Hilda, who recognizing the grace of God at works, instructed Caedmon to set aside his secular clothes and to take monastic vows.

She received him into the community and ordered that he should be instructed in sacred history and the scriptures. He learned all he could by listening to the lesson, and then”…. Memorizing it and ruminating over it, like some clean animal chewing the cud, he turned it into the most melodious verse, and it sounded as sweet as he recited it that his teachers become in turn his audience”

He composed more verses in the same manner, “praising God in a worthy style”, and went on to become a creative and dynamic force in the spiritual community a poet and a beloved teacher.

It was Caedmon’s fear of not measuring up – maybe to his standards or to those of those around him – that held him back. It was his trusting the ‘voice’ that allowed him to make that first attempt.

Even if only just one of Caedmon’s poems survives, that it is still in publication some 1,300 years after his death and continues to touch us, speaks of how even a small legacy can have a huge impact.

Caedmon’s story tells us too of our ordinary selves, afraid to find our true voice; but by heeding the call of ‘the other’ – divine prompting, - we can give voice to out previously withheld beautiful creativity  - whatever shape or form this takes.