Welcome to the 2015 Saraswati Puja issue of e-Sanai

 

 

by Sri Sandip Dasgupta

Welcome to the Saraswati Puja issue of e-Sanai.  This is the auspicious day on which the Absolute decided to come to this mundane earth in the form of Sri Sri Babathakur, our Master.  During His lifetime, our Master realized his relationship with the Absolute “One” and has showered us with that light of “Oneness” – to help us identify ourselves with that “One”, which is the substratum of each and every one of us.  So, in this editorial, I will attempt to add some commentary on some his unique teaching:

• Don’t try to understand (the Absolute “One”) but stand under (that “One). Our Antahakarna is a reflection of the Absolute “One” – so we cannot use our Antahakarna to understand the Absolute “One” (just like we cannot hear through our nose or smell through our ears). Instead, we have the accept the “One”, surrender ourselves to that “One” (like standing under a tree) and find our true Identity.
• Brahman is a bundle of contradictions – Brahman is that eternal, “One” substratum. The good, the evil, the dark, the light, the young, the old – everybody is a projection on that one substratum. Contradictions appear to us mortal individuals – but they are all the same in essence (the same eternal Brahman)
• Live in Sama-Saar, instead of Samsar – Our Master has made it abundantly clear, that when we live Samsar – we are living in the ignorance of duality. He has constantly reminded us to live in Sama-sar, so that we can always remember (and be conscious) about the True Essence of the Absolute “One” at all times. He has emphatically stated that this is the panacea of today’s world.
• Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwara are all One in essence, but different in action – All our Gods are “One” in essence, but they have come to this world for different purposes. They play their role and then go away. Hence, our God may appear to be different – because of the roles they are playing. But they are all the same in essence.

As you can see, our Master has showered the light of Oneness to each and every one of us. It is now upto us to absorb this light of Oneness and view our everyday life with this light of Oneness. So, on this very very auspicious occasion, can we all pledge to make an effort to move towards that goal of re-establishing ourselves in that Oneness?

Joy Babathakur! Joy Babathakur! Joy Babathakur!

 

Pebble Riddle

by Sri P.C. Lahiri

Many years ago in a small Italian town, a merchant had the misfortune of owing a large sum of money to a moneylender. Those were the days of moneylenders ruling the roost. The moneylender who was old and ugly fancied the merchant’s beautiful daughter. So he proposed a bargain. He said he would forgo the debt if he could marry the daughter. The merchant was horrified by the proposal about the marriage of his beloved daughter to the ugly old man but the daughter did not betray any emotions.

The moneylender proposed a deal. He would put a black and a white pebble in an empty bag. The girl would then have to pick one pebble from the bag. If she picked the black pebble, then she would become the moneylender’s wife and her father’s debt would be forgiven. If she picked a white pebble, then she need not marry him and her father’s debt would still be forgiven.  But, if she refused to pick a pebble, her father would be jailed. A few village elders who were there seconded the offer of the moneylender as a very fair one under the circumstances for obvious reasons. The merchant, her father, was a devastated man and went into a state of stupor.

They were standing on a pebble strewn path in the merchant’s garden. While they were talking, the moneylender bent over to pick two pebbles. As he picked them up, the cool, composed and devoted girl noticed that two black pebbles were picked and put in the bag. The merchant then asked the girl to pick a pebble out of the bag.

What would you have done if you were the girl? If you had to advise her, what would you have told her? Careful analysis by management students and some professors of a top business school produced four possibilities:

1) The girl should refuse to take a pebble.

2) She should expose the moneylender as a cheat.

3) She should feign sudden illness/severe pain and save the day to gain time to tackle the issue another day.

4) She should pick a pebble and sacrifice herself to save her father from debt and/or imprisonment.

Let us look at these suggestions from the girl's perspective:

The first option puts her father in jail. Hence, it’s an obvious no-no from a loving daughter.

The second option may not help as the odds are heavily stacked against father/daughter in that hostile environment. The effort to expose the moneylender as a cheat could easily boomerang due to the widespread support he enjoys owing to being a rich and powerful man of the area.

Feigning sudden illness may/may not save the day because the job of picking a pebble can be executed in a few seconds. Despite feigning illness, the other side can insist on the execution of the deal in a few seconds. Also, once the third option is attempted, there is no way to back out.  If it fails (which is the likely outcome), all would be lost.

The fourth option ruins the life of a beautiful young girl and is a very weak option.  Even a person following the path of devotion should not be a weak person as the path of Godliness is not meant for weak people.

Intellectually trained minds, with ample time at their disposal, thought only of imperfect solutions. The girl had to arrive at a decision while standing on her two feet within minutes, if not seconds. What did she actually do?  It is not only an eye opener, but also provides a wonderful spiritual lesson.

She put her hand in the bag and drew out a pebble, clasped in her palm, in a closefisted position. Without even looking at it, she fumbled and let the pebble fall on the pebble-strewn path where it immediately got lost among hundreds of other pebbles. Oh!  How clumsy of me. I am so sorry!  Making many such statements she profusely apologized. The moneylender immediately suggested - never mind, let us do it again. The girl interjected and said that it would not be needed sir. If you look into the bag for the one that is left, you will be able to tell which color pebble I had picked. This was the master stroke. Since the remaining pebble was black, it must be assumed that she had picked a white one.  The moneylender dared not admit his dishonesty. The other village elders had to accept the final outcome, despite their original intention of helping the moneylender. The father was overwhelmed and had tears of joy as both he and his daughter were free now.

The management gurus gave the moral of the story — most complex problems do have a solution, sometimes we have to think about them in a different way, generally referred to as “out of the box thinking”. The answer satisfied most of the management students, barring only a few. On being questioned that how do you develop this out of the box thinking skill, unconvincing answers were given, such as: it comes by practice, or by cultivating an unconventional outlook, or by deep thinking accompanied by concentrated  involvement in work. The management gurus did not pay much attention to what the girl said on being questioned as to how she was able to arrive at that extremely innovative line of action. They just considered the girl to be an uneducated villager who had accidentally chanced upon a successful course. The girl on being questioned simply said that the “course of action just came to me”. She further added that she had faith in God as the ultimate Master of the universe. The whole thing is that simple but very difficult to comprehend and accept by our trained minds which bank only on acquired intellectual knowledge.

Unfortunately, the efficacy of an uncluttered, uneducated, simple and devoted mind is not properly appreciated by the realm of management/material science the world over. This is what they don’t teach at Harvard. It is extremely difficult for a conventionally educated mind which is highly active in the material world to go beyond its boundaries, despite having a scientific and analytical outlook. The flexibility that is generally shown by them is only within the boundaries of material management or material scientific knowledge. In other words, what is analyzed and understood is within the limitations of mental function. Out of the box thinking, as defined by them, is in fact nothing but “in box” thinking from a different angle — 'old wine in a new bottle' as is commonly said.  Only the packaging changes, without there really being any inherent change. Real out of the box thinking requires a fundamental or inherent change in the belief system. What is that change? It is the gradual build-up of faith/belief in God/Guru/Self as the Ultimate Divine Being which is appearing in this universe as all forms, names and ideas, including myself and all the circumstances around me at any given point of time. If the movement of mind, intellect and ego is around this faith, then that life will have a happy and truly successful tenure at all times. Calmness, steadiness and fearlessness shall descend in that life, like the girl of the story narrated above. Such a life ultimately qualifies to become a perfect instrument of the Divine for Its revelation. What is the use of a materially successful life which creates excessive tension and fear in that very life? The more successful you become, the more is your tension and fear.

Hundreds of highly enraged people were charging at a girl to kill her for her sins. To save herself from the mob she ran for help towards Jesus Christ and surrendered at His feet. Jesus heard her plight, stood up in front of that highly enraged mob without any trace of fear and spontaneously uttered that he who has never committed a sin in life can come forward to punish her. This is spontaneity at its best. No amount of intellectual knowledge and consequent mental conviction can produce this statement in front of such adversity within seconds. No amount of physical strength could have imparted such courage and conviction which was full of love and devoid of any malice or hate towards the perpetrators. Let us not fool ourselves by saying that it was possible for Lord Jesus but not for us. That way we would lose the golden opportunity of re-training our minds to first accept and then blend true spiritual science with the knowledge of material science prevalent in the world. In this context, presented below are chosen extracts from the book ‘Science of Oneness’ which is a compilation of spiritual divine speeches of Prajnanpurush Sri Sri Babathakur (the Master) by Dr S R Rajderkar (Rajuda). The excerpts have been taken from pages 28 to 32. 

‘The present day crisis of the world is that of proper education and proper security of life.’  

‘Dharma, religion, according to spiritual science, is the sustaining principle. It is the infinite process and technique of all-round development and balance of power and knowledge of both inner and outer nature of man as well as that of the entire creation. It contains the total essence of all manifestations.’ (This spiritual science is termed by the Master as the ‘Science of Oneness’.)

‘Natural science provided us with material advancement in numbers and it has given us two powers — physical and intellectual. It is not all-perfect. In spite of having well development of physical and intellectual powers, people are not satisfied and fulfilled. They feel insecure for the fear of death. For the attainment of perfection, balance and peace in life, spiritual science is needed. The ‘Science of Oneness’, if truly followed and cultured, can save all from the calamity of death, from the misery of bondage of transmigration. ….A scientific mind is essential for the culture of the ‘Science of Oneness’, in order to achieve the highest end or goal in life. If ‘Science of Oneness’ manifests a little in the heart of man, he will be able to conquer anger, fear, desire, and acquire inner spiritual power and knowledge with the fullness of its quality and quantity, and thereby be fully established in peace.’

The Master has given the tool to solve the “pebble riddle” in life of one and all, irrespective of any condition or discrimination whatsoever. Even ‘a little manifestation’ of the ‘Science of Oneness’ takes us to a highly peaceful and blissful state in this very life. Now, it is up to us to accept It and then follow It in our day-to-day life to get established in It forever.

Sincerity

by Smt. Susmita Devi

The use of the word ‘sincerity’ may contain a variety of shades like: genuineness, honesty, earnestness, authenticity, naturalness, seriousness and charitable actions, contingent upon the situation it is used in.

 

Sincerity is one of the first necessities or requirements for a seeker.  To be sincere on the spiritual path means to reflect, learn, follow up and practice the guidance received upon sitting at the feet and listening to a Sadguru, observing the behaviour of evolved souls, or reading spiritual books.  Some level of sincerity on the spiritual path can also be attained through Yoga since it involves control of the body and mind. The best, however, is to be instructed by a Self-realized Soul.  Only an utterly sincere state of mind towards spiritual development, through either devotion or Self-knowledge, is the way. The pinnacle of both is Self-realization. Sincerity carries other side benefits like joy of life, sympathy, compassion, kindness, consideration etc. towards other people. If a person is sincere in what s/he is thinking and doing, the outcome will always carry a constructive result (be it for good or the opposite).

 

The happenings of life, which may appear difficult to cope with, will be perceived less heavy to put up with when a spiritual path is followed. Misfortune or difficulties aren’t meted out as punishment, but ought to be considered a lesson of the functioning of the Law of Karma (‘as you sow, so you reap’). One gets only the fruit of what one has sown – even from previous lives, which most have no conscious knowledge of. That’s why the happenings in one’s life may appear perplexing.

 

Sincerity is, unfortunately, not practiced much in society now-a-days. Insincerity (not to say lying) has, in general, become a habitual behaviour and is extremely difficult to get rid of.  In conjunction with insincerity comes disregard for others’ needs, which often lead to utter pampering of the ego of both the recipient and the one who utters a falsity.  However, complete sincerity isn’t always appropriate in situations where one doesn’t want to hurt the self-confidence – or enlarge the misery of another person by saying something harsh. In such situations one must find ways to soften one’s expressions to project kindness.  If for example, I’m asked whether I like a gift, a person’s dress, the food being served etc. then I may soften the answer by saying, that the gift is most welcome (although not liked or needed), that the dress has a nice design (irrespective of difference in taste or suitability), or that the food offered may not suit my constitution (instead of using the word ‘dislike’).

 

Referring to the above, one must be aware that there are two kinds of lies – the white ones and the black ones. The white ones are meant to avoid hurting the sentiments of a person while the black ones are usually used to avoid punishment for some mischief or exaggeration of an utterance or behaviour.

 

Sincerity must be the very background for any service or gift (which includes charity). When service, help or charity is given, it must be done without expectation of any form of return. I have, unfortunately, heard and seen many making offerings to a deity only because they want something in return... be it health, riches, or even a child.  Privately given gifts are often perceived as a matter of keeping up one’s social status (I gave you a gift worth xxx, so my expectation for an eventual return is certainly no less) Insincere sycophancy is often used to get some undue advantage.

 

To think and act with unselfish sincerity is certainly not easy. The ego constantly produces desires and wants to remain perceived as an existing entity. The ploy is to train the mind to obey the elevated impulses only and negate the rest – and live as uncontaminated by the average social behaviour as possible. Such training is guaranteed to become fruitful, if one sincerely follows the directives rendered by a Realized Soul like Sri Sri Babathakur over an extended period of time.

 

Memoirs from Evening Sermons by 'Bombay Ma'

by Sri Sumit Duttagupta

 
I never knew Her real name nor do I know so now.  She was always referred to as “Bombay Ma” by Her devotees and I too worshipped Her as “Bombay Ma” - which She accepted with following response:  ‘What is in a name?  I’m physically here in front of you, but my presence is omnipresent in all creations.

So let me start recounting the journey of those precious years of getting Her blessings and listening to Her sermons which were so simple to practice.  In fact She used to answer all my questions in a very simple way as if She knew what the true purpose of those questions were.  I first met Bombay Ma (who for the remainder of the article I shall simply refer to as ‘Ma’) at Her Shivaji Park residence in Mumbai when we were stationed there following my father’s job transfer.  I would visit Ma along with my mother, and during such times She would only discuss routine household matters with my mother.  I never sensed anything remarkable about Ma during these visits, except perhaps a fascination for Her long, overflowing hair (jata). After many years, Ma suddenly expressed a desire to settle permanently in Kolkata to my sister.  She readily agreed to the request and my father constructed a house with one floor fully dedicated for Bombay Ma.  Well that is when the journey of knowing the un-known started for me, courtesy of Ma’s evening sermons.  Her sermons more often were focused towards answering the lingering questions I harboured, but would occasionally involve Ma spontaneously addressing a random topic.  I will try my best to put forth the contents of some of Her sermons that she imposed no restrictions on with regards to sharing with others.  There were however other sermons that Ma administered to a particular individual (for a specific purpose), the contents of which She insisted may not be shared with others unless the receiver of these sermons attained Self Realization.

Ma would always have a smile on Her face.  She never displayed any sign or anxiety, nor ever became perturbed over a particular incident.  She always used to tell me that everything has a time and do not try to push yourself against time.  Stay focussed on what you would like to achieve and it will come to you in its own time.  The harder you try, the more pain you will feel besides ushering in a negative impact on your environment.  Always try to make your environment, positive.   There is always someone who is within your soul to guide you, so why worry?  If you are honest in your deeds, positive results will follow eventually.  It’s just that certain elements of your past life’s actions impact the quantum of results and cause delays.  So be happy with your incremental gains rather than becoming sad on not getting the expected results.

In one of the evening sermon, She suddenly drew my attention to the balcony and said, “See so many souls are hanging out there on the grills, waiting to be freed” and smiled at me.  I could not see or sense anything but asked Her whether even after death, one is bound by the forces of nature?  Ma said “Yes, and you should always strive to know yourself and free yourself from this cycle of birth & death and the forces of nature.  You can only free yourself after being born as a human being.  It is a difficult path but can be achieved.”  I wanted to know then how to tell when one’s time to pursue (what Ma instructed to do) has come.

A few weeks later, I resumed the same topic of achieving Self Realization and asked Her “Ma is it necessary to leave home and take sanyas to achieve self-realization”.  She looked at me for a while and said, “If the past life’s deeds are good, then one can achieve the same by living within one’s home and family itself.”  Ma said that the only issue to consider is how many of your family members will appreciate your wish to attain Self Realization and cooperate with you.  “There are some intense practices and regular meditation to align your thoughts towards “Sattivic” goals which are very difficult to keep up with.  But yes, it is very achievable and one should always strive for it. I will not discuss much of the later sermons on how to achieve the same as “Ma” told me not to disclose the same unless you have achieved the same.  I am still on my journey but one hint which I can share is that most of Her sayings in this context are available in Sri Sri Babathakur’s “Knowledge of Knowledge – Part2”.  You all need to read it in detail and understand the essence.

Sometimes during sermons, I would feel intense energy around Her when She was meditating and on one occasion, felt some sort of vibration (similar to a static electric charge) going through my nerves.  She opened Her eyes and smiling at me said, “Never disturb or sit beside someone when someone is in meditation.” I instantly asked Her about the reason for this and Ma replied that all have masters and someone to adhere to and during meditation, it’s the time to connect with one’s master. So any disturbance distracts that connectivity, and in some cases, harms the person responsible.  From that time onwards, I never used to sit when Ma was in meditation.  Ma once told me that meditation is the only tonic to keep yourself Self-Realized even after you have realized yourself.  Ma said that even after freeing yourself from the forces of nature, you are free to come to this earth in different avatars and live simple life or energize the society towards spiritual journey. The earth is the only place where you will get the opportunity to free yourself from this bondage.

One day while discussing avatars, I mentioned to Ma that no great avatars had come to this earth after Lord Krishna.  Ma looked at me and said it is not necessary that avatars repeat what had been done by other avatars in the past.  Ma said “If I say to you that Sri Sri Babathakur and Lord Krishna are the same, but born in different times with different form, will you believe in this?”  I was stumped and said “Ma in that case, you have also taken a different form at different times.”  Ma smiled at me and said “This is enough.  To know more, you need to first realize yourself and then you will get all your answers."

Ma always kept to Herself and never displayed the immense spiritual power She had within Her.  In fact on some selected occasions, I used to go to Her to seek Her blessings for some day-day solutions.  She would simply look upwards and say that She had communicated my problem to the Lord and my entire problem will be solved.  Indeed all those problems would get resolved. I asked once, if all the problems arising are owing to one’s past actions and deeds, why then does the Lord sometimes make exception in resolving the same at the earliest.  Ma smiled at me and said that Lord is very kind and he is always there to help any devotee who believes in Himself/Herself and at the same time express full devotion towards Him.  I instantly asked “Where does the Lord reside”?  Ma smiled at me and said, “He is within you all and once you realize yourself and get freed from this cycle, you will get to know His abode.”  Ma said, “Do not stress over knowing the answer to this question, it will come to you on its own once you achieve self- realization.”

I will now take a break from narrating my interactions with Ma.  There are several other valuable lessons from Ma’s sermons that I shall reveal at a latter time.  One thing evident from Her sermons is that “Self Realization” is the only path, and it can be achieved through a self-belief and confidence while living within the confines of family life and by under a controlled environment and behaviour.  So friends, try practicing what I’ve attempted to convey in my earlier article and keep the incremental progress going; even if it is not achieved in this birth, you will get the opportunity and environment in the next birth to achieve the same from where you left.  So let us stay focussed on our goal in midst of our day to day activities. Ma always said “It is a long difficult and strenuous journey full of distractions and roadblocks, but is very much achievable for devotees who are true in their spirits.” 

I will end this article with my humble pronam to Ma.


Joy Sri Sri Babathakur

 

Voice and Vision Received Over the Cosmos

by Sri Ajit Haldar

It is common knowledge that humans, if not equipped with efficient audio and visual aids, can clearly listen to voices (including spoken words, songs and musical sound) coming only from the vicinity and distinctly see objects existing only in the immediate proximity. Development in modern technology has offered us smart devices like digital computers, mobile phones, hand-held iPads and tablets which have made it possible for people separated by great distances to communicate interactively. Smartphones and iPads bring the browsing power of the internet and telecom facility to one’s palmtop.  Using Skype video-links, one can have the pleasure of seeing pictures of family members and friends (who may be living in another part of the world) flashed on a computer screen. Added to this, one can engage in a face to face chat with them through Skype. One should also take note of radio signals sent out by cosmic galaxies and their capture by the gigantic radio telescopes.  Messages in the form of electrical pulses originating in the far away galaxies and signals transmitted say, from the Magalayan space probe  are received over the cosmos and used for scientific study.

The reception of speech and image signals from remote places, however, is not a recent phenomenon.  It did happen in the mythological era and is found recorded in scriptural literature.   We read in the Mahabharata that Sanjaya (the court reporter to Dhritarashtra, the Kaurav king), gives a running commentary events occurring at the Kurukhetra battlefield quite a distance away from where Sanjaya is stationed.  The battle site was located beyond the normal visible range of Sanjaya’s human eyes and the threshold distance of his audibility. One wonders how it was possible for Sanjaya to report on the events at the battle site.  Sanjaya received a divine blessing, so thus gained the ability to provide commentary of the track of events taking place in Kurushetra.  The author believes that the human designers were similarly blessed and by receiving the grace of God, technologists were inspired and empowered to design a range of sophisticated tele-communicating devices. God’s bliss is showered on all humanity, all the time.  Hence the assertion that innovators of advanced technical devices received divine support is justified.

‘Cosmos’, the last word in the title above, has been used to suggest divine intervention that enables humans to design gadgets that now make it easy to link people from  near and far regions.   A short note on the term ‘cosmos’ will help the reader appreciate the theme of this article better.

The expression ‘Cosmos’ in common parlance represents the sky i.e. the heavens above proclaiming the glory of God, the creator of our world and other celestial objects. The dictionary gives the  meaning of  ‘Cosmos’ as ’the physical Universe considered as an orderly system which contains all the matters existing in space and from which originates all the events that have been happening  in the universe from the beginning of time’. Space and Time are the two concepts of Cosmos which are much relevant to the theme of this article.  The human achievement of contacting distantly located people within a very short time with the help of communication satellites appears to suggest that humans have solved the riddle of conquering space and time to a great measure.

Walking along any high street of a city or town, one cannot fail to notice the familiar sight of a person holding a mobile phone close to his/her ear, talking into the mobile, while simultaneously moving along the street.  That walker is perhaps communicating with a friend and exchanging greetings.  One may probably spot another person on the street using a smart phone, talking and simultaneously receiving video pictures.  What one is noticing is that voice and vision of people and of sites coming from distant places are being received over space instantaneously.

By using the World Wide Web on the Internet we can read e-paper on a computer screen, the text gives news reports from different parts of the world with added still pictures and often videos of events. Similar to relishing Sanjaya’s commentary of the Kuru-Pandava battle, we enjoyed the telecast of the World Cup Football final between two opposing teams taking place in a different continent.  Through Skype and other media we can now enjoy both the sound and sight of people and view of distant places of the world in the comfort of our lounge.

Concluding Remarks

The widespread use of mobile phones, smart phones, iPads, computers means that communicating electronically (by e-mailing) with people located at distant places and establishing video contacts have become a reality. In many ways the internet supporting the World Wide Web has made access to a vast world of knowledge, very easy.   Online search engines and sources like Wikipedia are helping to make the effort of acquiring knowledge a pleasurable experience.

It is relevant to mention that Sacchidananda Society has rightly chosen the Zee Bangla and the Aastha TV channels for transmission of the recorded discourses of Sri Sri Babathakur.  Devotees will derive immense spiritual benefit by listening to the voice and gaining a vision of the Divine Master on the TV screen.

Many years ago Professor McLuhan coined the phrase ‘Media is the Message’.  The Professor was a visionary and his prediction has been truly vindicated by the success of a wide range of social media such as Facebook and Twitter.  These two and a few other similar social networks are very effective in providing at high speeds, messages to inform, educate and entertain a huge number of followers residing all over the world.  Voice and vision signals received over space have thus succeeded in linking communities spread across the globe and fostering harmony among diverse bodies of people.