Welcome to the 2021 Sripanchami issue of e-Sanai

 by Sri Sandip Dasgupta

Joy Babathakur!

Welcome to the Sri Panchami edition of our e-magazine. This is the auspicious day on which our Master came to this mundane world with the missionless mission of imparting the Science of Oneness to us in a way that can be consumed by us in the current age (like Lord Krishna referred to in the Bhagawad Geeta – Yada Yada hi Dharmasya). In this editorial, I will dwell into some aspects of this Knowledge of Oneness as explained by Sri Sri Babathakur to his devotees.

·         The Science of Oneness cannot be acquired externally by reading books, scriptures etc., because this Knowledge already resides within us and cannot be comprehended by our external senses (all other knowledge can be acquired by using our sense organs).

·         The Science of Oneness states that the whole world was created by the Supreme Absolute for playing His Divine game (similar to how we play a board game like Monopoly, where the resources are distributed amongst the players. The resources do not belong to the players. At the end of the game, the resources are collected and stored in the storage box). Our Master has pointed out that we tend to treat these resources like our own and develop a sense of ownership. He has repeatedly asked us to give up the sense of Me, mine and mineness. In His words, these are all imaginary (Anything that is Real must be permanent – and Hence the Absolute is the only permanent entity).

·         He has repeatedly urged us to keep in mind what is Real (the Absolute) and remove from our minds:

        -  Sense of Duality.

        -   Tendency to find faults in others. Instead we should focus on our own faults to find the path to perfection.

·         He has asked us to remember the same Absolute is present in each and every one of us.

·         A Sadguru is one who has attained the Knowledge of the Absolute (Just like a Chemistry teacher is an expert in Chemistry, a Physics teacher is an expert in Physics etc.).

·         He has asked us to listen (Shravanam) intently to a Sadguru’s words and reflect (Mananam) on them constantly.

·         As we develop the habit of constant Shravanam and Mananam, we will be able to unwind ourselves from the external world and move towards the Absolute. It may take many lifetimes to do that – but it why we have been brought to this world.

·         As we follow the Guru’s words, the Knowledge of Absolute within us will be revealed to us (It is already present within us as mentioned above; the Sadguru removes the cloud cover of ignorance).

We are so fortunate to have been in contact with the Master and listen to His nectarine words. He has given us the light with which we can remove our ignorance. It is up to us to use that torch and light the Absolute Knowledge within us (similar to drying a log of moist wood – we have to remove the moisture before we can effectively burn the log).

So, why not start (or continue, if you have already started) our journey towards Knowledge Absolute?

Joy Babathakur!            Joy Babathakur!            Joy Babathakur!

Complete Surrender

 

by Smt. Mandira Lahiri

While going through the journey of life, we all go through favourable and unfavourable circumstances.  Our mind laps up all the good things and rejects all the so-called bad things. How we react to an unpleasant situation is the main thing to be observed. Losing our temper, screaming, becoming hyper…. does not solve the problem. Instead if we keep our anger at bay, stay calm and maintain a normal body language, then we might be able to find a solution.  A peaceful mind, a relaxed heart and body help us to take the correct decision. Once we are able to overcome the hurdle which was bothering us…. a wave of peace, joy and contentment washes our being.

When I was in school, our first period used to be Moral Science. Invariably one of the nuns of the school would come to conduct the class.  Now I realize that the lessons imparted during that period were invaluable. Some of the things which were often reiterated in class are as follows:

·         “Goodness begets goodness.”

·         “As you sow so shall you reap.”

·         “What goes around comes around.”

·         “Treat others the way you want them to treat you.”

·         “Don’t try to change the world just change yourself.”

·         “Each and everything that we get in life is our own earning.”

Such impactful lines!  If only we could practice them in our daily lives.  Inflated egos, resentment, negativity, friction cause so much pain and sorrow. The sad part is that most of us know what needs to be done, yet we still do not implement what needs to be done.

Great wise men often talk about surrender. They say, when we surrender to the Lord with our heart and soul, then most of our problems are taken care of.  For this we need constant reminders. In fact, a Guru’s handholding helps us to tread the path of surrender.

Few months ago, I came across an article published in The Speaking Tree edition of the TOI dated July 25, 2020, written by Echart Tolle.  Here are some excerpts from the article which are very impressive:

“Surrender is the simple but profound wisdom of yielding to rather than opposing-------the flow of life. The only place where you can experience the flow of life is the Now, so to surrender is to accept the present moment unconditionally and without reservation. It is to relinquish inner resistance to what is. Inner resistance is to say “no” to what is, through mental judgement and emotional negativity. It becomes particularly pronounced when things “go wrong” and we all know that things “go wrong” quite often. It is precisely at those times that surrender needs to be practiced if you want to eliminate pain and sorrow from your life. Acceptance of what is, immediately frees you from mind identification and thus reconnects you with Being. Resistance is the mind.”

“Surrender is a purely inner phenomenon.  It does not mean that on the outer level you cannot take action and change the situation.  In fact, it is not the overall situation that you need to accept when you surrender, but just the tiny segment called the Now.”

“For example, if you were stuck in the mud somewhere, you wouldn’t say, “Okay, I resign myself to being stuck in the mud.” Resignation is not surrender. You don’t need to accept an undesirable or unpleasant life situation.  Nor do you need to deceive yourself and say that there is nothing wrong with being stuck in the mud.  No.  You recognize fully that you want to get out of it.  You then narrow your attention down to the present moment without mentally labeling it in any way.  This means that there is no judgment of the Now. Therefore, there is no resistance, no emotional negativity.  You accept the “isness’ of this moment.  Then you take action and do all that you can to get out of the mud.  Such action I call positive action.  It is far more effective than negative action, which arises out of anger, despair, or frustration.  Until you achieve the desired result, you continue to practice surrender by refraining from labeling the Now.”

Here I would like to mention about an incident which took place nearly two and a half decades ago. A saintly person one of our close acquaintance, once invited my husband to visit his native place. My husband happily accepted the proposal.  He had a very fruitful trip. That saintly person told him about a guideline to be followed in life which would make our lives far easier and more joyful.  He pointed to a piece of rag which was clipped to a clothesline and told my husband that if we become like the rag and let the wind -that is- the Divine will maneuver our lives—then there will be no tension, hence we would be able to lead a stress free and peaceful life.

Several years ago, I saw a film called –`The Three Idiots’. There also, the hero of the film kept telling everybody to repeat--- `All is well’ — not only when things were hunky dory but also when things went awry.

Sri Sri Babathakur would often tell his devotees to become a tiny kitten in life. He would elaborate on this and say that the mother cat holds her kitten by the scruff of its neck to carry her from place to place. The kitten surrenders to her mother completely. In the same way, we should also surrender ourselves to the Divine mother. Come what may, just fold your hands and bow down before The Almighty and accept whatever comes your way.

So now the question is how do we incorporate these precious lessons in our lives?  I feel this is possible through constant remembrance, through prayers, by reading our Guru’s books, by listening to His discourses, by attending Satsangs, by listening to or singing His revealed Bhajans, by doing anything that relates to our Guru will make things happen miraculously. This will make each and every cell of our body resonate with inner peace of surrender.

I shall end my piece with a prayer from the book, `The Science of Oneness’, as revealed to and narrated by Sri Sri Babathakur, where he explains about the process of complete surrender of life to Sadguru. He says, “Once a man gets to know his True Identity, he would have a smooth sailing to absolute Perfection.”

`Hail Guru! Hail Divine Mother! Hail Divine-Self! The embodiment of Truth, Knowledge (Consciousness), Bliss, Love and Peace Absolute.'

‘Oh Guru, the Supreme Divine-Self! I take refuge in Thee; I surrender to Thee wholeheartedly; be kind to me, be gracious and blissful to me. Take me as Thine own, make me as Thine own and mould me in Thy all Divine Essence, so that I will become perfectly one with Thee. Please do reveal in my heart and being and take away completely my ego and the sense of individuality, so that I can realize Thyself as myself and myself as Thyself. Since Thou art the Self of all, Thou art the Self of mine. When I realize Thee as myself and myself as Thyself alone and none else, there remains no duality, no reality of difference between myself and others, between me and the universe, between the universe and the Absolute, and between myself and the Absolute as well. This is possible only by Thy grace alone.'   

‘Salutations to the Sadguru.  By merely remembering Him or reflecting on Him, one receives spontaneous Knowledge.  By attaining Him, everything is attained.  Sri Guru by His power of Self- Knowledge, burns up all the Karmas accumulated through countless lives.’

 

Transformation

The following is a transliteration by Sri Ramen Basu of one of Sri Sri Babathakur’s songs (Song No. 44 appearing within the Karma O Sadhan Tattva section of Swanubhava Sudha Vol. 2).

 

 

Life-long human being has been struggling with his own adversary, the cardinal passions

Inner enemy, the outer enemy he himself is a papier mache of the acts of gunas

One’s own self has conflict and enmity with one’s own modifications of the inner sense

Verily one’s own modifications of the inner sense always hinder to one’s own self

Builds up the realm of the innate nature with much exultation for the amorous play of the mind

Fancies countless dreams obsessed with moods

Enters into the inner realm of ideas.

With the discord of emotions falls into confusion

Thus forgets the innate nature

Consequent on the mutual rivalry between self contradictory emotions

Enmeshes itself in the net of illusions.

The friend and foe on the canvas of innate nature

The battle-ground within and without like Kurushkshetra

In the life-struggle the self is verily struggling with one’s own mind everywhere

The inner passions as adversaries beguile and invade

Sex-passion, anger, greed, infatuation, vanity and envy harass.

The wretched individual (Jiva) has forgotten that he is Shiva (the Essence) by nature

So the six inherent enemies made him an animal, made him an embodied being

Perchance ever he suppresses the sex-passion

Coming from behind the anger attacks fiercely

Not easily the anger is subdued, nor negated

The fire of anger causing the mind burn does great harm

If the anger subsides comes the greed, the great rogue

Along with appears the infatuation, the vanity, the dark ignorance

On the defeat of the greed the infatuation dawns

Chasing away the infatuation the vanity appears and seizes all

The friend of vanity, the envy, known as jealousy

Desires all the time the respect, fame, vainglory, authority and the victory

Alas!  Jiva (the individual) beats the breast being caught in their clutches 

How much more will he struggle, thinks helplessly

Battle of the austere penance - a mark of his struggling life 

The victory if won ever-immortal will be his lot

To seek victory in the life’s struggle be conscious now

The even-awareness be your Sadhana

Accept, accommodate, adjust and embrace all

As the Self-I in Self Consciousness.

In the Sadhana of one’s Own Consciousness

Perception of difference-non-difference is dispelled

Friend and foe, one’s own and the other merge in Self Consciousness

The essence of all consciousness is the Self Consciousness of one’s Own

Through one’s Own Consciousness the practice of all consciousness is done

One’s Own Consciousness verily is all-even Consciousness

The substratum of all consciousness

By the meditation on one’s Own Consciousness

The nescience and the ignorance are negated

Sex-passion becomes the Love then; the anger becomes the Prowess

The greed becomes the Affection

The infatuation becomes the Oblation to the Sacrificial Fire in Self Consciousness

The vanity becomes the Attendant, the envy becomes the upholder of Equanimity

Being the abode of the Wit, Bliss, Love and Beauty of the Self-I

The six cardinal passions become the Servient of the Self Consciousness      

 

Transliterated by Ramen Basu and offered to the lotus feet of Sri Sri Babathakur