One cannot escape from disquiet as long as fundamental ignorance persists; mere change of occupation, prompted by the desire for more comfort or the need for satisfying some passing likes, will not give lasting satisfaction. It is like hoping to improve matters in a dark room by a mere readjustment of furniture. However, if a lamp is lit, passage across the room is rendered easier even without readjusting furniture. There is no need to interfere with the furniture at all.
So too, in this benighted world, it is difficult to move about truthfully, correctly, and peacefully without knocking against some obstacle or other. How then are you to succeed? Light the lamp! Let it reveal the reality; get the light of spiritual wisdom (jnana). That will solve all the difficulties. You may claim that you live according to dharma, but your basic flaw is that your acts are not done in the spirit of dedication. If so done, they get stamped with the authentic mark of dharma.
Some clever people might ra...
The name Bhagavatha can be applied to every account of the experiences of those who have contacted God and the Godly (Bhagavan and bhaktha). God assumes many forms and enacts many activities. The name Bhagavatha is given to the descriptions of the experiences of those who have realised Him in those forms and of those who have been blessed by His grace and chosen as His instruments.
The great work known by that name is honoured by all masters of the Vedas. It is a panacea that cures physical, mental and spiritual illnesses. The Bhagavatha is saturated with the sweetness of nectar, and it shines with the splendour of God.
The principle of descent (Avatara) of God on Earth, the incarnation of the Formless with form for the uplift of beings - this basic fact makes the Bhagavatha authentic.
By Bhagavatha we also mean those with attachment to God, those who seek the companionship of God. For such, the book Bhagavatha is most precious; it is the breath of their life. Being in the midst of suc...
The Lord’s incarnations are endless
The sage Suka adjusted himself in his seat and began. “The supreme sovereign Lord, manifesting as Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswara through the prompting of primal desire (moha), is engaged in creating, fostering, and destroying the worlds. In what is thus created, there is always the principle of dualism. There is difference and disparity between one and another. If these differences and disparities are harmonised wisely, the world will have happiness and peace. On the other hand, if living beings behave wrongly, the world will be sunk in anxiety, misery and confusion. When these arise, the Lord assumes appropriate forms and affords necessary protection and correction. He sets right the damaged world, removes the evil forces that caused the damage, and instructs mankind in the science of fostering the right and the good.
Lord incarnates as a boar and rescues Earth
“It isn’t possible to limit God’s freedom in assuming forms. He adopts endless f...
Devotee: Swami, the inner meaning of the Mahabharatha and the Ramayana, which You explained, is really very interesting. If only one probes deeply, what else is there in them? That kind of Mahabharatha and Ramayana is taking place in every heart, through the action and interaction of mind, subconscious mind, and intellect. You said that the Bhagavatha also occurs in the same manner. If you will kindly explain how that is happening, we can, after knowing its inner meaning also, start following the “subtle” Ramayana, Mahabharatha, and Bhagavatha, all three. Please tell me about the Bhagavatha.
Swami: Well, the Bhagavatha is not like the other two. It has no qualities and no form! It deals with the Atma, which is beyond and behind the qualities (gunas), senses (indriyas), mind (manas), and subconscious (chittha); it deals with the powers and prowess of the Atma and Its apparent activities (leelas). The Bhagavatha contains the stories of the incarnations of that which is the Witness of...
Parikshith is saved while in the womb
Maharaja Parikshith was the very self of Abhimanyu, who had attained the heavenly abode of heroes. When Parikshith was an embryo growing in the womb of Uttara, he saw the sharp arrow shot by Aswathama flying toward him, emitting sparks of fury and terror, bent on his destruction. But at that very moment, he also saw a person of brilliant charm armed with a terrific wheel, breaking that death-dealing arrow into a hundred pieces.
The royal foetus was filled with wonder and gratitude.
He pondered deeply on the identity of his saviour. “Who is he? He must be dwelling in this womb with me, because he could see the arrow at the very moment I saw it! But he has such intrepidity and skill that he could destroy it before it reached me. Can he be a uterine brother? How could he get hold of that wheel? If he is endowed with a wheel, why wasn’t I? No. He is no mortal.” He argued thus for a long time within himself.
He couldn’t forget that face, that fo...
Q. Why is this human body called pancha-bhauthikam?
A. Because it is a product of the five basic elements (pancha-bhuuthas).
Q. What exactly are the five elements?
A. Ether, air, fire, water, and earth (akasa, vayu, agni, jala, and prithvi).
Q. From where did these originate?
A. Each subsequent element originated from the previous one.
Q. What is the cause of the first and therefore of all five?
A. Brahman, the Supreme, the Unmodified, the Fixed, the total Basis.
Q. What is the relationship between these five elements and this human body?
A. From Brahman originated all universal cosmic principles; from these was born ether; from ether, air; from air, fire; from fire, water; and from water, earth. The human body is the result of the combination of all five.
Q. In what form do these basic elements persist in the body?
A. Each element has again become fivefold and has gone into the composition of the body.
Q. What five has the first, ether, become?
A. The cogniser, mind, intellect, ego, a...
Suka, the messenger
Looking at the sea, Rama asked how to cross it. Many monkeys suggested means and methods. At last, Vibhishana rose and addressed Rama, “Lord! The ocean owes its origin to your forefathers, Sagara and his sons.
It is the family ‘preceptor’ of your line. If you just resolve that it should be crossed, the monkeys can easily go across.” Meanwhile, a messenger sent by Ravana was seen by Vibhishana, and the monkeys bound him and took him to Sugriva. Sugriva ordered his limbs to be cut off, but when the monkeys prepared themselves for the execution of that order, the fellow raised a hue and cry. He shouted in his pain, “O monkeys! I swear by Rama! Don’t cut off my nose and ears.” Lakshmana heard his pathetic cry and asked that the demon be brought to his presence; he spoke softly to him and admonished the monkeys for torturing a messenger deputed by Ravana. Lakshmana wrote a letter and placed it in messenger’s hand, with the words, “Give Ravana this missi...
Bharatha and Satrughna went straight to the place where the ministers, the royal preceptor, and the leading citizens of the capital had assembled. All of them were awaiting their arrival, anxious to know what they had resolved upon and silently expectant to listen attentively to what they were about to tell them.
Bharatha fell at the preceptor’s feet. “Divine Master! I tell you my honest intention; please believe my sincerity, for I’m not hiding anything. I’m opening my heart without any reservations. The effect is harder than the cause; the metal that is extracted from the soil is harder than the soil, you know. Born in the womb of the hardhearted Kaika, I’m indeed even more hard-hearted. Or else, how can you explain that I’m still alive, despite the fact that Rama is far away from me?
Kaika sent Sita and Lakshmana into the forest and her husband into heaven, plunging the subjects of this vast empire into sorrow and anxiety and bringing eternal infamy on her son. And you d...
In those days in the region east of Ayodhya, the royal city, the sage Viswamitra was engaged in rigorous asceticism.
He resolved upon a holy rite (yajna). But however often he inaugurated it, the demons desecrated it and fouled its sanctity. They showered pieces of flesh on the sacred area and made it unfit for Vedic ceremonies. In many other ways, they cast obstacles and halted the holy mission. Viswamitra was at his wits’ end; he went to Ayodhya, to meet the ruler himself.
When reports arrived of his coming, the King sent his ministers to bring him with due honours into the palace.
They welcomed him at the city gate and accompanied him right up to the palace door. At the palace, brahmins recited Vedic hymns, while Dasaratha washed his feet and, as laid down in the sacred texts and as is customary in receptions of sages, sprinkled upon his own head drops of the water so sanctified. Viswamitra was led into the inner apartments and seated on a high chair, with the members of the royal...
As soon as they entered the palace, Vasishta, the royal preceptor, announced the date of the celebration of Rama’s coronation as the emperor of Ayodhya, giving details of the auspicious attributes of the day that had persuaded him to choose it for the great event. He also invited all the pundits and priests to take part in the ceremonies that the Vedas had enjoined, to consummate the coronation. They appreciated Vasishta’s decision, for they said, “a coronation so celebrated would confer peace and prosperity on all mankind.” Vasishta called Sumanthra and addressed him, “Assemble the armed forces - cavalry, elephantry, chariotry, and infantry - at the city, for Rama’s coronation is to be celebrated.” The words filled Sumanthra with extreme delight; he arranged for the presence of the army with all its components.
The elephants, horses, and chariots were decorated grandly for the occasion and posted in serried ranks outside the city gate. The horsemen and foot-soldiers wore...
