SriMani Dravid Sastrigal Courtesy The Hindu A sure clue to one’s spiritual quotient is present in the answer to the question “Who am I.” If one is conscious of his position as a man, in the context of his birth, status, society, education, etc., it is indicative of bondage. A Jnani always perceives the Atma Swaroopam and the concept of the involvement with the material world does not occupy any space in his consciousness. To detach oneself from bondage, we have to understand this truth and be able to see the Jnani’s viewpoint regarding one’s true identity, pointed out Sri Mani Dravid Sastrigal in a lecture. The Upanishads describe the omnipresence of the Supreme Brahman by stating that He is smaller than the smallest atom, and bigger than the biggest ever presence. The Isavasya emphasises that God is accessible to those who realise His presence in everything and everywhere — from the mundane to the profound. But it is difficult for the Jivatma, who is caught in the cycle of birth, to be aware of this truth always, though sometimes it is realised in flashes (for brief spells) in one’s consciousness. The involvement with the daily activities in the material world keeps us immersed in joy and sorrow. These worldly experiences delude and obstruct us from realising the essential truth of God. It is similar to our inevitable reactions, when in darkness, a rope is misconstrued to be a serpent. We are relieved only when the light reveals the absence of the serpent. When in sorrow we do think of God and seek His grace for alleviation of sorrow. Kunti prayed for difficulties to enable her to think of God at all times. God is both far and near says the Upanishad. He is far to those who are preoccupied with the material world and near to those who are always established in His presence. A Jnani seeks God for His sake and revels in His sheer glory at all times. He perceives only Him as the ever present reality and remains detached to the happenings of the world. Our lifetime becomes fruitful if we strive to seek Him — using the opportunities before us. The ability to learn to comprehend the views of realised sages is a faculty available only to human beings.
This is from An Intimate Note to the Sincere Seeker Book 1 by Art of Living. The knowledge I am reading was given by Sri Sri Ravi Shankar on 06 Sep, 1995 in Bangalore Ashram, India. — A LIAR IS INNOCENT A dear person whom you trust lies to you and gets caught. What do [...]
What does it mean to be on the spiritual path? A common notion is that spirituality means dedication to certain spiritual practices, particularly meditation, and attainment of spiritual experiences. However, for Swami Vishnudevananda, spirituality meant much more than that. It meant being a servant of humanity. While he did not minimize the importance of spiritual [...]
Nara-Narayana- Swamy Narayan Mandir Tools to know Truth By Sri,K.B.Devarajan Courtesy: The Hindu Lord Narayana’s foremost devotee is Adisesha, the serpent. Adisesha came along with the Lord, as He took avatars to save mankind. In the Rama avatar, Adisesha came as the Lord’s younger brother Lakshmana. In the Krishna avatar, he was the Lord’s elder brother Balarama. In the Kali Yuga, Adisesha appeared as the great Vaishnavite Acharya Ramanuja, who was born in Sriperumbudur. Why did Ramanuja take birth in this world? It was to show us that we can know happiness only if we know the Truth and that we can attain moksha only if we know the Truth. Now how does one know this Truth or Ultimate Reality? Only through ‘tattva gnana’ can we know the ultimate reality, We should know the ultimate reality to be saved from further births. All the Acharyas are agreed on this, whether it is Sankara, Ramanuja or Madhva. How does one reach this Truth? One must understand the Truth in the context of the Vedas. The religions that accept the primacy of the Vedas are known as the Vaidika mathas. Why do we need the Vedas to understand the Truth? Just as we need the microscope and telescope for scientific study, so also we need tools to understand the ultimate reality, and the tools that help here are the Vedas. We use our senses to make sense of the world. But when something is beyond our senses, how does one comprehend it? We need the help of the Vedas to understand that which is ‘ateendriyam’ – not comprehensible through our senses. So to understand God, we need someone to tell us about Him. Those who have seen Him do not talk to us about Him. Those who talk about Him are the ones who have not seen Him, says Thirumazhisai Azhvar in a verse. So the only way to know the ultimate reality is to see what the Vedas say in this regard, because the Vedas speak only the truth. Suppose you have not seen the Niagara Falls yourself, but you have a honest friend who has seen it. If he were to describe the Falls to you, you would believe him because he is trustworthy. Likewise, the Vedas that show us the Truth are to be trusted, and will help us know the ultimate reality.
