Bedtime story 4/27/2009

While hearing the story of Ram, Sriram commented, "When you tell me Ramayan, I only think of Ram".

The above statement by Sriram summarizes the principle of bhakti, Srimad Bhagavatam and Ram Charit Manas.

In Kaliyug, Ram has given us very simple way to reach Him. That is to hear and narrate Ram's pastimes, names etc. Our mind becomes automatically attracted to Him and we get the supreme gift of bhakti when we hear His pastimes. All glories to Gosvami Tulsidas who made this so simple for us by giving us Ramayan which is full of beautiful pastimes of Ram.

Spiritual Advancement

We want to advance spiritually. We want to do actions so that we can be great devotee. We want guaranteed recipe of success. We want to know what actions will make us great or take us to Vaikuntha. Many people or gurus give their own recipes of success like chanting names for specific number of times, rituals, meditation, sense control etc. We want to control our senses so that we can become great. We want to feel that we are a great devotee.

Sadhana or doing right actions is important. But in absolute sense, there is no action which can lead us to God. Actions are results of prakriti or inert matter (guna gunesu vartante). Inert matter cannot reach the self which is completely beyond inert matter. That is truth - the self is beyond inert matter.

Real devotee does not want to control his senses. He does not want to do jap for specific number of times. Real devotee is happy in whatever situation Krishna keeps him. He has internal eagerness for Krishna and that internal eagerness and remembrance of Krishna gives happiness to Krishna. He is satisfied whichever way the nature (prakriti comprising of three gunas) takes him.

My dear mind! Be happy with what Krishna has given. Remember Him and don't try to become great devotee. Don't try to become great controller of your body or this nature. Due to foolishness, you think that you are the doer. You are completely dependent on Krishna. Understand your dependence and surrender to Him. Be happy in whatever situation Ram keep you.

Worshipping perishable body

Our basic teaching is that our self is not body, mind and intellect. True self due to ignorance associates with body, mind and intelligence. Our true self is full of eternity (sat), knowledge or consicousness (cid) and happiness (anand). Inert matter like body are not us. Once our body is destroyed, it goes back to inert matter and it has no existence.

These days I read and follow Swami Ramsukhdas (the editor of Gitapress Gorakhpur) who left this world few years ago. He did not let anyone take his picture and never accepted any worship of his body. He said that we should have sradha over eternal principle and not on perishable body or name. Sradha on perishable body or name results in illusion. When this illusion takes form of sradha, it creates disaster. Apart from worshipping eternal, divine and spiritual form of Bhagavan and remembrance of His eternal names, giving importance to perishable bodies and names wastes our life and is like cheating our own self.

Our body is made of stool, urine etc. Even if we feed Bhagavan's prasad or ganga water, it is excreted as stood or urine. When conscious entity leaves the body, it becomes source of germs etc and sastra enjoins us to take shower after touching dead body. We cannot take picture of conscious entity within the body. One becomes saint when one removes his relationship with body. Saint people don't give importance to their own body as they realize their self as completely different from body.

One can question that we worship Gods like Ram, Krishna etc. Why we cannot worship perishable body?

Swami Ramsukhdas explains that Ram, Krishna and other avatar's body is not made of inert matter. Their body is sat chid ananda. Their body is not like us. Also, Bhagavan is everywhere and therefore, He is in the picture also. So, picture or diety of Bhagavan can be worshiped. Beauty of Ram defies description. Even countless cupids cannot equal Ram. Why? Because it is not made of matter. So, anything made of matter cannot equal that which is beyond it.

Bhagvan is omniscient. Omniscience of saints comes under omniscience of Bhagavan. Saints become omniscient when they dissociate their self from body. Worshiping Bhagavan includes worshiping saints.

Bedtime story - 4/16/2009

Children love stories. I have decided to narrate the stories of Ram to my kids, Sriram and Anjana. Sriram is not interested in Ramayana and wants to hear new stories. Sriram exclaimed, "Papa, I want to hear some new story. I have already heard Ramayan so many times". There is difference between normal story and the story of Ram. With normal stories, we get bored and we don't want to hear them again. But the story of Ram becomes more sweeter as we hear it more. How can I explain this to the child? I told Sriram, "When you will hear the story of Ram many times, then Lord Ram will appear in your heart. You need to hear these stories and then, meditate on them within your heart." Sriram understood and agreed to listen. He loves Ram and he knows that he needs to bring Ram within his heart.

We started with the story of birth of Ram. It is so amazing that Ram, whose each pore contain infinite universes, resided in the belly of Kaushalya. Out of His love for His devotees, the protector of devotees, who is beyond maya and the three gunas, took human form. I narrated the story of birth of Ram. Sriram and Anjana heard it with great bhakti. Sriram went and brought his bead bag and started doing jap. Gosvami Tulsidas says that those who hear the story of birth of Ram everyday, they are sure to attain Vaikuntha. Sriram was excited. He said, "Papa, I will hear the story of Ram everyday".

Sriram was filled with devotion and now wanted to participate in Ram's lilas. Sriram said, "I wish I was there when Ram was born." I assured him that if he continued thinking about Ram, he could participate in lilas of Kalki-avatar. I said, "Sriram you could be friend of Kalki avatar. Anjana, you could be friend of mother of Kalki avatar". Anjana's face became bright and she smiled beautifully imagining herself with Kalki avatar. But now Sriram wished to live for 400,000 years to be with Kalki. I explained to him that he is not this body but he is soul and the soul never dies. I said, "Sriram, your goal is to be with Kalki avatar. So, you can give up this body and take another body and be with Kalki. So be clear in what you desire. Your desire should be to see Kalki avatar." Now, another questioned arised. Sriram said, "What if I go back to Vaikuntha? Then, I won't be able to attend Kalki's lilas". I said, "Kalki avatar will come from Vaikuntha. You can always come back from Vaikuntha with Him." He immediately agreed.

Sriram said, "I want to go back to Vaikuntha with this body". Now, I had to go back to basics again. I explained him again that he is not this body and this body is just like dress for the soul. I gave many examples and still, Sriram wanted to go to Vaikuntha with his body. I was puzzled. Sriram knows very clearly that he is not body and then, why he wanted to go Vaikuntha with his body. I started questioning him. Sriram said, "I don't want to be like circle in Vaikuntha". Now, I understood his problem. He does not want to be formless in Vaikuntha. I immediately replied remembering Vishnu dutas in the story of Ajamila, "You will get the new body which is most beautiful when you go to Vaikuntha. That body is like Ram." Sriram became very happy and said, "Then I don't need to go to Vaikuntha with this body." But again came another big question, "Has anyone gone to Vaikuntha?". I became quiet. I don't want to lie to Sriram. I kept on wondering if I know for fact a person who went to Vaikuntha. There were so many thoughts going in my mind and so many names. Some time went by and I was still in my thoughts looking for a person who has gone to Vaikuntha. Sriram replied back, "I know. Tulsidas went to Vaikuntha. Dasarath went to Vaikuntha". Now, all his questions were answered and he went to sleep hopefully thinking about Ram.

The worship is saguna form makes so sense. It is difficult to comprehend formless or in Sriram's word "circle".

Let those who meditate on Brahman as unborn, the one without the second, the one who is beyond the mind and senses and the one who can only be perceived by experience, preach and believe like that. We, for our part, ever chant the glories of Your (Ram's) visible (sagun) form. O All merciful, and All effulgent Lord, O mine of noble virtues, this is the boon we ask of You: may we love Your lotus feet, casting off all aberrations of thought, word and deed. - (Prayer of Vedas to Ram during coronation ceremony of Ram. Ram Charit Manas Uttarkand 12.6)