We know that we don’t have permanent relationship with this world. We all acknowledge this truth and yet do not remember it. If we do not get attached we can experience an unspeakable joy this very moment.

We can remain without attachment in this world but not without detachment. When we are in deep sleep we are oblivious to our relationships in the waking world. The equanimity that prevails then is more that what we get by our associations in our waking state.

It is in our nature to sleep. In deep sleep we forget the waking world. We are strained if we spend even 24h continuously attached to worldly ties (attachment has been used purposefully). The replenishment that we get from worldly ties is not greater that what we get by sound sleep.

We are used to taking regular sleep from birth but we cultivate attachment while growing up. Attachment to toys, games, later money… in all these stages sleep remains dear. After marriage we develop attachment towards family. Some become monk. All enjoy sleep equally and renounce all worldly tags in that state be it monk-ship or a family. We make elaborate preparation for getting comfortable sleep. Mattress, pillow, fan, noiseless environment! We relish in a lot of worldly activity but when we get sleepy we want to put all of them aside.

There is a saint’s poem -- “बैरिन हो गई निन्दरिया” – sleep has become an enemy! Because her desire is to stay in a trance remembering the lord. We are willing to give up, nay, call sleep an unwelcome guest, when we find the one true, constant, eternal relation! The fabricated attachments in this world is transient and it is destined to be severed.

In Gita -- “कर्मणयेवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन” – We have the rights to perform our duty not on the fruits thereof. And mind should not be inclined towards non-working either. With full attention, dexterity, we should do our duty. Why? Because the primary purpose of this human body is to be utilized in service not for sense indulgence. Human form is not merely its physical manifestation – it is the discrimination, Vivek! This supernatural power is bestowed on us to develop rightful detachment. By doing duty with discrimination we practice karma yoga and use it to our favor in developing detachment.

We must serve our family, our parents, this world, everyone – and yet stand aside! The peace that is there in identifying as the doer of such duty is less than the satisfaction and peace obtained by exercising discrimination to stay detached from such identification!

Reference: Hindi Magazine क्लयाण Year 87, volume 10. Article by Ramsukhdas ji titled “साधकों के प्रति” on page 15-18. The above article is a selectively edited much shorter translation of that article in English.

#kalyan #ramsukhdas #spiritual

I have gone to weekly IT Milan on and off for almost three years now. We memorize one Subhashita every month. They are wise sayings, instructions and stories, either in poetry or in prose. I found myself humming a few of these on several occasions -- and so I decided to record and share some of them! The compelling motivation came from one of the Subhashita itself:

The knowledge which is residing in the book and one's wealth which is in possession of some other person is of no use at all. At the time of need they will not be of any help.

https://soundcloud.com/ekvastra/sets/subhashita

#itmilan #soundcloud #spiritual #subhashita

https://soundcloud.com/ekvastra/chicago-speech

Chicago speech by Swami Vivekananda from Yuvamanya By Acharya Devendra Kumar Dev.

#acharyadevendradev #mahakavya #spiritual #swamivivekanada #yuvamanyu

https://soundcloud.com/ekvastra/swami-vivekananda

A short intro to the exemplary work by Sekhar Sen -- His Unique Musical Mono Act in Hindi!

#biography #hindi #monoact #sekharsen #spiritual #swamivivekanada

The period of thirteen years that the Mother served the Great Master was inwardly characterized by her absorption in the Master's ideal and fusion of her life with his, and outwardly by her periodic migration from Dakshineswar to Jayrambati and back. During this period she went seven times to Jayrambati and back to Calcutta, a journey of about sixty miles,which she had often to make on foot. These visits were generally occasioned by ill health or for rendering assistance to her mother during the Jagaddhatri Puja. But as her services were very much needed by the Master, her stay at Jayrambati was perforce not very long. In 1874 her father died and her mother and brothers were reduced to poverty. The family had to be supported by her mother with wages earned by husking paddy, in which she was helped by her daughter Sarada also whenever she was at Jayrambati. After the performance of Jagaddhatri Puja was instituted in the family, their condition improved.

It was during one of these journeys to Calcutta that the Mother had to run the risk of facing some brigands after dusk. As she could not walk fast enough,the party she was accompanying had gone in advance, and she was left alone at about dusk half way across a solitary wilderness. A man who looked like a brigand and his wife converged on her path and halted her. She addressed them as 'father' and 'mother' in a tone that roused the parental instinct in them and she narrated to them how she had been left in that helpless condition. The 'brigand' couple, reciprocated the filial confidence she put in them; and behaved in a very tender manner towards her. They took good care of her for the night, and enabled her to join her party in the morning.

#spiritual

Man’s real nature is happiness. Happiness is inborn in the true self. His search for happiness is an unconscious search for his true self. The true self is imperishable; therefore, when a man finds it, he finds a happiness which does not come to an end.

#happiness #love #realnature #spiritual #trueself

The following words of advice given by him to his followers may very well serve as the message of his life to all spiritual aspirants: "Struggle is the beauty of life. This beauty vanishes as soon as our struggle ends. In spiritual life one moves backwards and forwards, but in this way gradually makes progress. No line is perfectly straight in this world. The mind fluctuates like the waves of the ocean. Don’t be upset when the mind goes down. It will rise again. There is nothing more harmful than to be despondent. Trials and tribulations make our minds strong, but despondency does not do us any good. Rather, it takes away our strength."

#beautyoflife #despondency #spiritual #spiritualaspirants #spirituallife #wordsofadvice

The desire to acquire wealth and multiply it is a universal phenomenon. Rare is the person who bucks the trend and become munificent enough to give away his hard-earned possessions. In most such cases, however, an element of ego creeps in with the feeling, "I am giving away my precious wealth."

Shambhu Charan Mallik was, perhaps, in this predicament, but his close association with Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa helped him to cleanse himself of this vain thought and attain God-realization.

As he became more and more acquainted with the Master, Shambu began addressing him as 'Guruji'. Sri Ramakrishna disliked the terms guru, master and father. "These three words prick my flesh," he would say often. "There is only one Guru, and that is Satchidananda. He alone is the Teacher." Annoyed, the Master would say, "Who is the guru and who is the disciple? You are my guru." Nevertheless, Shambhu continued to address him as guru all his life.

As part of his public service, Shambhu had a charitable dispensary in his garden house. One day during his talks with Sri Ramakrishna he found out that the Master often suffered from stomach trouble caused by irregular food and impure water. Shambhu advised him to take tiny doses of opium every day, and offered to give him a small quantity from the dispensary. As they kept talking both of them forgot about this matter.

When Sri Ramakrishna was about to return to the temple, he remembered this. The Master came back, but found Shambhu busy inside the house. So he mentioned this to the supervisor of the dispensary who gave him some opium. But as he began to walk back to the temple, he was reeling and could not find his way. He felt as if somebody was pulling at his legs. He said to himself, "What is this? This is by no means the road." When he turned and walked towards Shambhu's house, he felt quite all right. He came to the conclusion that since he obtained the opium from the supervisor, rather than from Shambhu himself, was he committing a theft. He surmised that the Divine Mother was preventing him from returning to Dakshineswar. Thus reasoning, he came back to the dispensary, but found that the supervisor had already left. He threw the packet of opium into the dispensary through the window, uttering in a loud voice, "Hello, here's your opium." He started towards the temple and found his way clear.

Recalling the incident the Master later told his disciples, "Have I not completely taken refuge in the Mother? That is why Mother has taken hold of my hand. She prevented me from a single wrong step."

Shambhu's philanthropic inclinations were legendary. One day he told Sri Ramakrishna. "So bless me, Sir, that I may spend all my money for good purposes such as building hospitals and dispensaries, making roads, and digging wells." The Master replied, "You think too highly of yourself. What power do you wield to do benefit to others? He who has created human beings also shoulders the burden of protecting them. You know everything, what shall I tell you? Do not desire the path of work, instead adopt the path of devotion. Put your mind on that work which will help you realize God. Faith and belief are the means to reach God. The first and foremost duty is to have the vision of the Lord, the Supreme. Afterwards, if you still feel inclined to work, just proceed."

On yet another occasion he told Shambhu, "Those are riches to you. What riches can you offer God? To Him these are mere dust and straw." These somewhat unsympathetic remarks, in no way, were meant to discourage social service as desired by Shambhu. The Master was making it clear that social service, per se, without spiritual dedication would only inflate one's ego and impede progress towards God-realization. With the good of Shambhu very much in his mind, the Master was charting out the right path for him which Shambhu accepted with gratification.

#religion #society #spiritual

Here is Akshay's own account of this first meeting: "Devendra and Dhirendra took the dust of the Master's feet, as usual, and took their seats. The humble author did likewise and the Master gave him a look full of compassion. What was there in that look, I do not know. It was beyond any description. The holy image of the Master entered his heart through his eyes and occupied it right away. That charming figure at once dazzled his eyes and mind and captivated his heart. Whatever had been left in the heart was cleared out by listening to the Master's sweet words. It was an invisible play, burglary in open daylight by breaking open hundreds of locks inside one's heart...All past remembrances disappeared in a moment, and I became completely oblivious of the world. I forgot my old self, a new current started flowing, a new being was born in my old body. The assembled people no longer seemed to be people, the houses ceased to be houses at all, and having lost everything old, it appeared as if I had entered a new territory and was moving forward in a dream. The story of the Master's glory has been chiselled in my heart. Where can I find adequate language to describe it?" Soon the kirtans began. Sri Ramakrishna burst forth into a rapturous song, "Behold, the two brothers have come, who weep while chanting Hari's name..." Intoxicated with divine joy, the Master began to dance, his face beaming with love and bliss. At times he went into samadhi and remained motionless, at other times he danced with great vigour. As the spiritual fervour reached a climax, Mahimacharan pointed to Sri Ramakrishna and exclaimed, "Here's our Krishna." Akshay, a Krishna devotee, felt deeply that the Master was verily Lord Krishna for whose vision he had been yearning for years.

#spiritual #spirituality

"Can you give me some wine," asked the man shamelessly to the Paramahamsa in the temple of Dakshineswar. It was surely a most insulting request to make to a holy man in a holy place. But strangely the Paramahamsa was not angered or displeased. His Mother Kali had sent one more player to the game. He glanced at the tall, well-built person of brown complexion, with large eyes and confident look and smiled. Here was one given to enjoy the pleasures of the world to the fullest. He replied: "Yes, I can give you some wine. But the wine I have is so intoxicating that you may not be able to bear it." "Grand. Is it real British wine? Let me have some to wet my throat." "No, it is not British wine. It is completely home made. If a person tastes this wine even once, all other drinks will be tasteless for ever. But not everyone can stand it. Are you ready for such a wine?" The man hesitated for a while, then replied, "Give me that wine which will make me intoxicated the whole of my life." The Paramahamsa touched him and the man started to weep and kept on weeping in spite of attempts by others to calm him. Thus began an extraordinary relationship between Kalipada Ghosh, worldly, passionate and given to enjoyment and Sri Ramakrishna, godly, austere, and prone to ecstasy at the merest hint of divine inspiration.

#religion #spiritual #spirituality