Where the Rivers Meet

Bird

2011-11-14T21:42:00.000-08:00

Words desperately try and reach around that feeling which is sacred

Who can understand?

Not even my own mind.

The pain of silence falls away when one surrenders and sleeps in the forest of stars...

Rampriya Says

Wisdom is a lone bird

Reading from The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna P. 94

2011-09-15T19:56:00.000-07:00

Another day the Master was seated on the small couch in his room, with his usual beaming countenance. M. arrived with Kalikrishna, who did not know where his friend M. was taking him. He had only been told : "If you want to see a grog-shop, then come with me. You will see a huge jar of wine there." M. related this to Sri Ramakrishna, who laughed about it. The Master said: "The bliss of worship and communion with God is the true wine, the wine of ecstatic love. The goal of human life is to love God. Bhakti is the one essential thing. To know God through jnana and reasoning is extremely difficult."

The Master sang:

"Who is there that can understand what Mother Kali is?
Even the six darsanas are powerless to reveal Her..."

The Master said, again: "The one goal of life is to cultivate love for God, the love that the milkmaids, the milkmen, and the cowherd boys of Vrindavan felt for Krishna. When Krishna went away to Mathura, the cowherds roamed about weeping bitterly because of their separation from Him."

Saying this the Master sang, with eyes turned upward:

"Just now I saw a youthful cowherd
With a young calf in his arms;
There he stood, by one hand holding
The branch of a young tree.
"Where are You, Brother Kanai?" he cried;
But "Kanai" scarcely could he utter;
"Ka" was as much as he could say.
He cried, "Where are You, Brother?"
And his eyes were filled with tears."

When M. heard this song of the Master's, laden with love, his eyes were moist with tears.

Nectar from the Guru's Lips ...

2011-07-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

These words of our Beloved Gurudev Swami Omananda Saraswati were recorded at the Holy Triveni Sangam in Prayag, Allahabad over the course of the month of Magh (Jan/Feb). Jai Guru Dev ...

If you want to love everyone,

You must the love the One who is everywhere.
All is in the One and One is in the All.

...

Everything is in maya and maya is in everything.

By observing sexual energy, you can observe subtle energy.

By observing subtle energy, you can observe mental energy.

By observing mental energy, you gain knowledge.

...

If the world accepts you, but the Mother does not accept you ... it is failure.

If the Mother accepts you, but the world does not accept ... it is success.

If the Mother and the world both accept you ... it is ultimate success.

...

Your mind is your own individuality,

But behind the mind shines the Supreme Self.

...

Start early, drive slowly, reach safely.

...

To believe or not to believe in God,

It is no problem for him.
It is only our problem.

...

There is only one problem for Almighty Mother.

Because She is everywhere,

She cannot throw you from Her heart.

...

That Almighty provides if we use properly.

Mother will provide according to quality, qualification, knowledge, and capacity.

...

While talking about trying to find a cook for the ashram, Guruji said,

"There are many persons in the world, but we have no link with them.

But Mother has a link with everyone so She will provide accordingly."

...

If you are going to Benares,

It is better to not reach there than to go too fast and crash and die on the way.

...

Even if you don't worship God,

As soon as you open your eyes ...

Remember God

Awake in God

Live in God

Go to sleep in God

...

If you pay homage to the earth,

You pay homage to all avatars.

...

Your happiness is my daksina (payment).

...

If you live a truthful life you will face difficulties,

But your life will be full of peace.

If you live an untruthful life,

It will be easy but you will only face misery.

...

A blind person has never experienced light.

Therefore, he has never experienced darkness.
How can he ever know what darkness is if he has never experienced light?

...

Belief is relief

...

One child has only learned 'A,B,C'.

The father gives a book on philosophy.

The child happily reads but of course doesn't understand.
The father calls him a fool,

But really the father is a fool because the child is working to his full capacity.

...

We walk over so many stones to worship one stone

...

You are from America. Your mother tongue is english.

You can read so many books and study so much literature,

But can you tell me the meaning of the letter 'D' or 'K'?

...

Don't react immediately.

Be still and calm.

Watch your mind before making a decision.

...

Be firm in your inner stance and keep your balance.
If this is done, you can mix with everyone.

...

Be brave and know that the Guru's Grace is always with you.

...

Always remember the Mother.

Maa Achen Aar Ami Achi

2011-07-01T09:41:00.000-07:00

Mother is here and I am here, there are not worries.

Ma's hands feed and clothe me. She is the one that takes care of me.

After falling into the traps of samsara, I could see only darkness.

Even amidst that darkness Ma spoke to me about the Light, again and again.

When worldly people came to take me down the wrong path again and again...

From that path Ma took me by the hand and rescued me.

Though I forget Ma, She does not forget me.

Where else is there an embodiment of such love?

Ma is mine, and I am Ma's

-Author Unknown

Four Fruits

2011-06-18T10:55:00.000-07:00

Taking the Name

And wrapping it in clothe

Man walked across black water

Departing to the forest

Father took one last breath

Woman trapped in stone

Found redemption in His touch

Many are the stories of the Ever Blissful One

The One with bow and quiver

Is the One Rampriya follows

Bathing in His glories

The Four Fruits are within reach

From Ayodhya-Kanda Verses 89 - 93

2011-06-07T22:21:00.000-07:00

When Laksmana perceived that his lord had fallen asleep, he rose and asked the minister in soft accents to retire. As for himself he got ready his bow and arrows and sitting at some distance in the posture of a hero he kept watch. Guha called his trusted watchmen and stationed them at different points with great love; while he himself went and took his seat beside Laksmana with a quiver fastened to his waist and an arrow fitted to his bow. When the Nishada Chief (Guha) saw his lord lying on a bed of grass and leaves, he felt great sorrow in his heart due to excess of love; the hair on his body bristled, tears flowed from his eyes and he addressed the following affectionate words to Laksmana:

"The king's palace is naturally charming; even Indra's residence can hardly stand comparison with it. Its beautiful attics are built of precious gems and are so lovely as though the god of love has constructed them with his own hands. Free from impurities, exceedingly marvelous of design, abounding in exquisite luxuries and scented with the fragrance of flowers, they are furnished with lovely beds and lighted with gems and are full of amenities of every description. Again they are equipped with coverlets and sheets, pillows and cushions of various kinds - all soft, white and charming as the froth of milk. It is in such attics that Sita and Rama used to sleep at night and humbled by their beauty the pride of Rati and her consort, the god of love. Those very Sita and Rama are now lying on a pallet, exhausted and uncovered, a sight one cannot bear to see. The same Lord Rama whom his father and mother, his own family and the people of the city, his good-natured companions, men-servants and maid-servants, all cherished as their own life, sleeps on the ground! Nay, Sita, whose father Janaka is famed throughout the world, whose father and whose spouse is Ramacandra, is lying on the ground! An adverse fate spares none. Do Sita and the Hero of Raghu's race deserve to be exiled to the woods? They rightly say: 'Fate is supreme.' The foolish daughter of Kekaya has wrought a cruel mischief in that she has brought trouble on Sita and the Delighter of Raghu's race at a time of enjoyment. The wicked woman has played the axe in felling the tree of the solar race and plunged the whole universe in woe."

The Nishada chief was sore distressed to see Rama and Sita sleeping on the ground. Laksmana spoke to him sweet and gentle words imbued with the nectar of wisdom, dispassion and devotion:

"No one is a source of delight or pain to another; everyone reaps the fruit of one's own actions, brother. Union and separation, pleasurable and painful experiences, friends, foes and neutrals - snares of delusion are these. Even so birth and death, prosperity and adversity, destiny and time and all the illusion of the world; lands, houses, wealth, town and family, heaven and hell, and all the phenomena of the world; nay, whatever is seen, heard or thought of with the mind has its root in ignorance: nothing exists in reality. Suppose in a dream a beggar is crowned king or the lord of paradise is reduced to the state of a pauper; on waking, the one does not gain nor does the other lose anything. So must you look upon this world. Reasoning thus be not angry nor blame anyone in vain. Everyone is slumbering in the night of delusion, and while asleep one sees dreams of various kinds. In this night of mundane existence it is Yogis (mystics) alone who keep awake - Yogis who are in quest of the highest truth and remain aloof from the world. A soul should be deemed as having awoke from the night of the world only when he develops an aversion for the enjoyments of the world of sense. It is only when right understanding comes that the error of delusion disappears and then alone one develops love for the feet of Sri Rama, the Lord of Raghus. O friend, the highest spiritual goal is this: to be devoted to the feet of Sri Rama in thought, word and deed. Sri Rama is no other than Brahma (God), the supreme Reality, unknown, imperceptible, beginningless, incomparable, free from all change and beyond all diversity. The Vedas ever speak of Him in negative terms (not this). For the sake of His devotees, Earth, the Brahmanas, cows and gods, the gracious Lord takes the form of a man and performs actions by hearing of which the snares of the world are broken asunder. Realizing this, O friend, shed all infatuation and be devoted to the feet of Sita and the Hero of Raghu's race."

While Laksmana was yet recounting Sri Rama's virtues, the day dawned and the Joy and Delighter of the world woke up. After finishing all purificatory acts Sri Rama, who was all pure and wise, performed His ablutions and sent for some milk of the banyan tree. He as well as His brother then matted the hair on their heads, a sight which filled the eyes of Sumantra with tears.

Surrounded By Water

2011-04-10T00:57:00.000-07:00

O My Mad Mind

The warning was given

But you did not pay heed

Now it seems those sharks have made a permanent home

You have grown weak

And weak you know remain

Surrounded by water

Rampriya is dying of thirst

Deep in the Hearts of All . . .

2011-03-19T11:42:00.000-07:00

"In the depths of meditation, sages saw within themselves the Lord of Love, who dwells in the heart of every creature. Deep in the hearts of all He dwells, hidden behind the gunas of purity, energy and inertia. He is One. He it is who rules over time, space and causality."

-Shvetashvatara Upanishad 1:3

Nyahbinghi

2011-03-05T15:25:00.000-08:00

Quoted from "Nyahbinghi: Myth, Ritual and Music" found in the album cover of "The Mystical Revelation of Rastafari : Grounation" -

The purpose of the Nyahbinghi, also known as an "Issemble" or "Grounation", was described by one Rastafari Elder -

"...The Nyahbinghi mean to bring universal cooperation, coordination and divine elements for all people, which is of righteous good. And this Nyahbinghi don't mean that it is a plaything, it mean that it is for full universal divine resurrection for all nation which is of righteous element. And that is the protest of Nyabinghito Ian'I and Ian'I continue to work it in the fullness of its activity until peace will come to all nations upon earth in the power of JAH Ras Tafari as the coordinator of us all."

Nyahbinghi congregation (grounation) usually lasts from three to seven days during which time "bredrin" and "dawtas" gather to revive the Faith of Rastafari through communal activities such as drumming, chanting of Ises, reasoning, smoking ganja and dancing. The chalice, the Rastafari ganja pipe, passes from bredrin's hand to bredrin's hand around the alter table activating the symbols of earth, air, water and fire, the primal forces of Creation. Through the Word, Sound and Power of the Nyahbinghi, the Faithful are united with the Godhead in mystic telepathy to chant down Babylon, to scourge the Earth of wickedness and restore the natural order of Creation to its original state of perfection. The Nyabinghi Order are the prophets of old. Its members are the resurrected beings of the defenders of the people who have been killed throughout the ages for the love of JAH. The Order has a ceremony with music, dancing and chanting. A trinity of drums, the repeater (akete/kete) which speaks or sings, the fundi which syncopates, and the bass drum which keeps the heartbeat of the music, has evolved as the musical instruments of the Nyabinghi Order. These drums unite the cosmic power of Creation with man and his Creator. Dreadlocks are worn to keep African tradition of priests, seers, prophets and warriors.

The Weaver

2011-02-13T00:28:00.000-08:00

Says Kabir:
Lord, I weave the cloth of Thy Name
The fruitless toil
Of weaving for the world
Has come to an end;
I have attained
The dazzling state of bliss —
Free from fear, free from pain,
I am the weaver, O Lord, of Thy Name;
I weave and reap the profit
Of inner rapport with Thee.
I am the weaver of the Lord’s Name.

Beyond Both

2011-02-12T01:34:00.000-08:00

If one does not see the Great Darkness

One cannot see the Great Light

Rampriya Says

Listen to the sound and go beyond both

A Country Fair for Those Mad With Love

2011-02-12T01:28:00.000-08:00

Drive me out of my mind, O Mother!

What use is esoteric knowledge

Or philosophical knowledge

Transport me totally with the burning wine

Of your all-embracing love.

Mother of mystery, who imbues with mystery

The hearts of those who love you,

Immerse me irretrievably

In the stormy ocean without boundary,

Pure love, pure love, pure love.

Wherever your lovers reside

Appears like a madhouse

To common perception.

Some are laughing with your freedom,

Others weep tears of your tenderness,

Still others dance, whirling with your bliss.

Even your devoted Gautama, Moses,

Krishna, Jesus, Nanak and Muhammad

Are lost in the rapture of pure love.

This poet stammers,

Overcome with longing:

“When? When? When?

When will I be granted companionship

With her intense lovers?”

Their holy company is heavenly

A country fair for those mad with love

Where every distinction

Between master and disciple disappears

Their love of love sings:

“Mother! Mother! Mother!

Who can fathom your mystery,

Your eternal play of love with love?

You are divine madness, O goddess,

Your love the brilliant crown of madness,

Please make this poor poet madly wealthy

With the infinite treasure of your love

-Ramprasad Sen

My Dear Brother

2011-02-03T18:29:00.000-08:00

So many children have come to Her banks

Discarding their cloth in Her waters

Leaving behind all virtue and sin

My dear brother...

Now you will do the same

Draped in robes of fire

How will you feel walking back upon dry sand?

There upon your heart

Mother Shyama's lotus feet shall reside

Along with the knowledge of those that have gone before you

Rampriya only asks

To make some room for him

The Blissful Song

2011-02-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

Words fail these lips

Only wind dancing through sacred trees

The farther one goes out

The deeper one comes in

Great beings come together and reside in the grove of many fruits

Rampriya says...

Be still and hear their blissful song

The Master sang in an ecstatic mood...

2010-12-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

"O the ever-blissful Mother! The enchantress of the great Shiva!

You dance out of your own bliss and clap your hands all by yourself.

The eternal, the Self-existent, you are of the form of emptiness,

And you wear the moon your forehead.

Where did you get the garland of skulls when there was no universe?

Mother, you are the mover of all; we move as you order.

We do as you, O Mother, make us do; we say as you make us say.
You make the worthless Kamalakanta*, O Mother, utter blasphemies!

Wielding the sword, O the fatal lady, you have slaughtered both virtue and vice."

*Author of song

Yajna

2010-12-12T23:17:00.000-08:00

"When our heart is not in a thing, we are also not in that thing. Where our heart is, there we are; and if we ourselves are not there, what is the good of doing anything? We have to be present in the deeds that we perform, we have to ‘be’ in the worship that we offer, and we have to ‘be’ in the meditation that we undertake every day. Whatever is manifesting itself from us is ensouled by us. That is, if we stand outside the performance, the performance becomes a corpse, a skeleton. It is without life because we have stood outside it. But if we have entered into it, the action itself is enlivened by our soul. We are entirely in it – then it is that the action becomes a real sacrifice. Where we are not in the work, it ceases to be a sacrifice. To the extent we are involved in the work, to that extent it is a sacrifice. If we are wholly involved in it, and we are not separable from the work that we are doing – we ourselves are the work, as it were – then it is the highest sacrifice, and it will bring us the best of benefits." Swami Krishnananda, commentary of Gita Chapter 17

Hymn to the Long Haired Sage

2010-12-10T23:48:00.000-08:00

FROM RIG VEDA (10:136): "The long-haired one endures fire, the long-haired one endures poison, the long-haired one endures both worlds. The long-haired one is said to gaze full on heaven, the long-haired one is said to be that light. Of us, you mortals, only our bodies do you behold. The sky clad sages have donned the yellow robe of dust: along the wind’s course they glide when the gods have penetrated them. Exulting in our seerhood, upon the winds we have ascended. Through the middle region flies the sage shinning down upon all forms; for his piety is he deemed the friend of every god. The wind’s steed, the Lord of life’s friend, is the god-intoxicated sage: beyond both oceans he dwells, the upper and the lower. For him has the Lord of life churned and pounded the unbendable, when the long-haired one, in Rudra’s company, drank from the poison cup".

Like Water Under the Bridge

2010-11-29T21:24:00.000-08:00

Years turn into weeks

And weeks turn into days

Everything is in the field

Harvest what is good

Like water under the bridge,

All things come to pass

Rampriya says

Hold on to Mother's Feet

Question for Parvati Baul

2010-10-29T16:55:00.000-07:00

In a recent interview with Parvati Baul, there was one answer that touched me deeply. Perhaps it is because I'm a musician, but I think it applies to one's life in general.

Question: When you are performing are you sometimes improvising melody and music in the song? Or is it exact.

Parvati Baul: We have everything in the form. Everything is very well practiced and well trained and with lots of discipline, but when we come to sing and dance we forget everything. We don't want to remember anything and don't know anything. So that we can receive. But knowing this body has a memory that supports all this training, it will support to receive. But one has to work really hard, and the worst enemy is the mind. As long as one has a young body you can do all kinds of practice, but this mind does not grow old, so it keeps on, you know, like in the same circles.

The Universal Remedy

2010-09-13T22:24:00.000-07:00

As Sri Anandamayi Ma's Maha Samadhi is approaching, I have been thinking a lot about Her and Her teachings. Here are a few that have recently been on my mind. All Glories to Mother...

"This body tells of one sovereign remedy for all ills: God. Trust in Him, depend on Him, accept whatever happens as His dispensation, regard what you do as His service, keep satsang, think of God with every breath, and live in His Presence. Leave all your burdens in His hands and He will see to everything; there will be no more problems."

"Listen! Do not let your time pass idly. Either keep a rosary with you and do japa; or if this does not suit you, at least go on repeating the Name of the Lord regularly and without interruption like the ticking of a clock. There are no rules or restrictions in this. Invoke Him by the Name that appeals to you most, for as much time as you can--the longer the better. Even if you get tired or lose interest, administer the Name to yourself like a medicine that has to be taken. In this way you will at some auspicious moment discover the rosary of the mind, and then you will continually hear within yourself the praises of the great Master, the Lord of Creation, like the never ceasing music of the boundless ocean; You will hear the land and the sea, the air and the heavens reverberate with the song of His glory. This is called the all--pervading Presence of His Name."

"The Self, or God is unknowable to the ordinary intelligence, but He is not unknown to us as the life--breath. If one uses the rhythm of one’s breathing as a support in meditation, this increases one’s power. Therefore, one should daily sit in a meditative pose in a solitary place and turn the mind inward, and repeat the mantra in rhythm with one’s breathing, without straining, in a natural way. When through prolonged practice, the Name becomes inextricably linked with the breath, and the body is quite still; one will come to realize that the individual is part of the One Great Life that pervades the Universe."

"I say to you that I am a little child and you are my parents. Accept me as such and give me a place in your hearts. By saying “Mother”, you keep me at a distance. Mothers have to be revered and respected. But a little girl needs to be loved and looked after, and is dear to the heart of everyone. So this is my only request to you: to make a place for me in your hearts!"

From "Spiritual Treasure : Letters of Swami Turiyananda"

2010-09-01T00:23:00.000-07:00

Almora

20 November 1915

My dear Baburam Maharaj [Swami Premananda],

I was very happy to receive your loving letter the day before yesterday...The memory of all past associations with you gives me great joy. And why shouldn't it be so? You are so full of the Master [Sri Ramakrishna] that there is no room within you for anything else. This reminds me of an incident which took place at the Alambazar Monastery. As you spoke that day, you invoked the memory of the Master in all visible things. At that time, I observed in you the truth of this saying, "Wherever the eyes fall, there the Lord manifests." You did not see anything that did not remind you of the Master. I don't know whether you remember it or not, but it is indelibly imprinted on my mind. That day I realized what it is to be merged in God. The Master, through his grace, showed me that; so your attempts to hide anything from me are futile.

Your household belongs to the Master's household; it is not the home of terrible maya. In your household even a bull-calf can stay, but there is no room for lust and gold. Your household is made of love...Everything is possible through love. Swamiji used to say, "Love is omnipotent." Can there be more than one Swamiji? He was one without a second - like the moon. He was his own peer, and none else...

With love and salutations,

Turiyananda

"Mine is Gopal" by Mirabai Devi

2010-08-30T22:40:00.000-07:00

Mine is Gopal,
the Mountain-Holder;
there is no one else.
On his head he wears the peacock-crown:
He alone is my husband.
Father, mother, brother, relative:
I have none to call my own.
I've forsaken both God, and the family's honor:
what should I do?

I've sat near the holy ones,
and I've lost shame before the people.
I've torn my scarf into shreds;
I'm all wrapped up in a blanket.
I took off my finery of pearls and coral,
and strung a garland of wildwood flowers.

With my tears,
I watered the creeper of love that I planted;
Now the creeper has grown spread all over,
and borne the fruit of bliss.
The churner of the milk churned with great love.
When I took out the butter,
no need to drink any buttermilk.
I came for the sake of love-devotion;
seeing the world, I wept.
Mira is the maidservant of the Mountain-Holder:
Now with love
He takes me across to the further shore.

From "The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna" : Visit to Jayagopal Sen's House

2010-08-21T14:43:00.000-07:00

Part IX
Chapter 1

VAIKUNTHA: We are worldly people. Please tell us something.

SRI RAMAKRISHNA: After knowing God perform your duties in the world with one hand on his lotus feet and the other on work.

VAIKUNTHA: Sir, is the world unreal?

SRI RAMAKRISHNA: It is unreal as long as God remains unknown. Then people forget him and say me and mine. Entangled in maya and bewitched by 'kamini kanchana' (lust and greed) they sink still more. Man becomes so deluded by maya that he cannot escape though there is the route for escape. Listen to a song:

"What a delusion has been created by mahamaya, the great enchantress!
If Brahma and Vishnu are out of their senses, what can an ordinary mortal know?
They make a hole to set up a trap; fish enter it.
There are routes for coming and going; yet the fish cannot get away.
The silk worm makes a cocoon and can escape if it wants.
But the cocoon is bound by mahamaya and it dies in its own spittle."

You yourselves know that the world is transient. Look at this very household. How many people came and went. How many were born and how many died. The household exists this moment and it is gone in the next. It is transient. Those whom you call your own so much do not exist anymore when you close your eyes at death. Again, even if one is without ties, one cannot retire to Benares for the sake of a grandson. O what will happen to my Haru? There are routes for coming and going yet the fish cannot escape. The silk worm perishes in its own secretions. This kind of world is illusory and transient.

THE NEIGHBOR: Sir, why should we hold God with one hand and the world with the other? If the world is transient why should we hold the world even with one hand?

SRI RAMAKRISHNA: The world is not illusory if one lives in it after realizing God. Listen to a song:

"O mind! You do not know how to farm.
Such a field, the human life, remains fallow.
If only you had cultivated it, it would have yielded a crop of gold.
Hedge it with the name of Kali.
There will not be any damage to the harvest.

That is a very stout hedge of the Mother with the unbraided hair.

Death does not dare to come near it.

This life will be forfeited today or after a hundred years.

Now, O mind! when you have the right over it, reap the harvest to the full.

Sowing the seed given by the guru, sprinkle it with the water of devotion. If you cannot do it alone, why not take Ramprasad along with you."

1. Ramprasad is the writer of the song.

Let It Be

2010-08-14T22:13:00.000-07:00

Some travel fast
Some travel slow
Everyone looking for a home
From where we come
That's where we'll go
I believe what I've been told

Across the Earth
Across the sea
Upon the wind and in the trees
The simple things
They hold the key
Return to love and let it be

Words of Sri Anandamayi Ma

2010-08-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

Always bear this in mind: Everything is in God's hands, and you are His tool to be used by Him as He pleases. Try to grasp the significance of 'all is His'. and you will immediately feel free from all burdens. What will be the result of your surrender to Him? None will seem alien, all will be your very own Self.

To believe in Him under any particular form is not enough. Accept Him in His numberless forms, shapes and modes of being, in everything that exists. Aim at the whole and all your actions will be whole.

Excerpt from "For Seekers of God: Spiritual talks of Mahapurush Swami Shivananda"

2010-08-13T00:02:00.000-07:00

Place: Belur Monastery. Time: Friday, July 26, 1929

It was afternoon. Mahapurushji had just finished his shave. Seeing a monastic worker of the orphanage at Baranagore, he called him to his side. In the course of conversation the Swami remarked: 'How can you leave now? Let S. return; then perhaps you may go. And why do you want to go at all? Even here, after attending to your regular work, you will have plenty of time for spiritual practice. It is simply a matter of mental attitude. If the mind has a natural leaning towards God, one can make time and opportunity for spiritual practice. What is essential is earnestness. If you cannot carry on your spiritual practice here, you won't be able to do so anywhere. The Master used to say, "He who has it here, has it there too." That is a statement full of truth, my child. Call upon God and pray to Him with great sincerity. He will give you an abundance of devotion and faith. Why should you go? You are doing the Lord's work. Is it a small matter?'

Monk: 'In the season and out of season, K. says whatever comes to his mind.' Saying this, he started crying.

Mahapurushji: 'I had a feeling there was a misunderstanding between you two. Why does he use abusive language? I know very well that you do not deserve that treatment. You are a gentle, good-natured person. Why don't you ask K. to come and see me some time? I will explain matters to him. Do not take it to heart, my child. You know, when pots that are together are moved, friction is inevitable. Do not take it seriously. Misunderstandings are bound to occur sometimes and they are straightened out eventually. It takes two hands to clap. Let him say whatever he wishes. Just endure it all quietly. That will prevent misunderstandings. You will have to be a little humble. You will have to sacrifice a little. You have dedicated your body, mind and soul to the Master's work. You have renounced everything for his sake. You will have to do this much also for his work. You should practice forbearance, you should sacrifice - for his work. The Lord will bless you abundantly.'

Monk: 'Please bless me so that I can do it.'

Mahapurushji: 'Certainly you will be able to. You have my hearty blessings, my child. But you must pray to the Master sincerely, too. He will give you greater strength. You have come here renouncing everything for his sake. There is nothing that he will withhold from you. How will his work go on if you all do not live at peace in one place? Be patient for his sake, paying no attention to what people say, good or bad. You are all sadhus and have come here with the idea of improving yourselves. You do not have any other desire or wish in your life. You want him alone. Temporary misunderstandings are inevitable when several work together. They aren't something to be blamed for; it is quite natural. Such misunderstandings come and go; they cannot touch your inner Self, because the main objective of your life is the realization of God. Such petty matters as attachment and aversion cannot deeply affect you. This is what we feel. The work that you are carrying on is being done in a spirit of service. This work is purifying your mind day by day. You have no selfish motive in your work. You should carry on your spiritual practices along with your works of service. Whenever you can, practice japa, meditate upon God and pray to Him sincerely. The moment you have a feeling of weakness or of lacking in anything, tell the Master about it. If you pray very sincerely, you are bound to get a response. Repeat his name often. The repetition of his name will purify your body and mind, washing away all impurities. You have renounced everything in order to be sadhus. The realization of God is the aim of your life, my child. Your ideal is "to remain unaffected by praise or blame, to be silent and contented with a little." Balance in praise or blame, silence and being satisfied with whatever comes - this is the state at which you should aim. You should be absorbed in God. What does it matter to you what people say about you?'

After hearing these words, the monk burst into tears and caught hold of Mahapurushji's feet, saying: 'Maharaj, please bless me that I may be unaffected by praise or blame, that I may remain absorbed in Him.'

The more Mahapurushji tried to pacify him, the more disconsolate he became, crying like a child. Mahapurushji said: 'You will certainly reach that stage, my child. The Master has brought you to him because he is gracious to you.' After a while Mahapurushji said with great affection: 'Go to the shrine for a little while. Practice japa and pray to God; that will lighten the burden of your heart. Then take a little of the food offered to the Master. In future, whenever you have the leisure come here. There are so many sadhus and brahmacharins at the monastery. Do you mix with them freely?'

And So They Came...

2010-08-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

And so they came
With silver horses and food for all

I swam in that goodness until I drowned
Until I drifted down river and met the sun and the sky

These giants hide in hearts where the mirror is clean
They spoke in song and played on instruments that I have never seen
But have felt in distant dreams

The strings of my heart
The drums of my bones

This symphony has been heard many a time before
But in this world...

It is remembered by only a chosen few

As The Man Showed Us His Home

2010-08-08T23:53:00.000-07:00

Out in that field

My father was happy

As the man showed us his home

Children played upon the grass

And sounds of the village sang us a song

My father was happy

As the man showed us his home

Led into the room of sound

We laid down upon the Name and smiled

My father was happy

As the man showed us his home

Time has brought separation

Rampriya longs to return

Bongo Man A Come...

2010-08-08T22:44:00.000-07:00

Tonight was our last night performing with reggae legend Jimmy Cliff. Every night, he always ends with a traditional Rastafarian song from Jamaica set to the ancient rhythm of the Niyabinghi drums. It is incredibly moving and inspiring. Sharing it now with all of you...

Bongo man a come
Come Come

I'm giving you the warning
Long before the dawning
I hope you are prepared
The bongo man is here

Bongo man a come
Come Come

We are going to Zion
Going to Zion
If you follow politicians
You will never come at all
And if you follow heads religions
You will never come at all

We are going to Zion

By the rivers of Babylon
Where we sat down
And there we wept
When we remembered Zion
The wicked carry us away
Captivity require from us a song
But how can we sing King Alpha song in a strange land?

So let the words of our mouth
And the meditations of our hearts
Be acceptable in Thy sight
Overall

The Earth Must be Tilled

2010-08-06T13:58:00.000-07:00

The sky is my roof
The earth ... My bed
Everywhere ... My home
So the man said

My master lives within me
Where ever I turn ...
It is He
Do what you do
Say what you will

Rampriya says
The earth must be tilled

Prem Vani

2010-07-31T00:40:00.000-07:00

The Love Soaked Words of Sri Neem Karoli Baba

Compiled by Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati and Rampriya Das

The best service you can do

is to keep your thoughts on God. Keep God in mind every minute.

It’s better to see God

in everything than to try

to figure it out.

The best form is to worship

God in every form.

Everything is accomplished

by taking the name of Ram (God).

Constant repetition of God’s name, with or without pious feelings,

even in anger or lethargy, brings out His grace in the form of bliss all around. On being thus enlightened, there is no room for any misgivings.

All religions are the same.

They all lead to God.

God is everybody. See no difference.

See all the same.

Ram is present in each and every particle,

and His devotees get His darshan (vision) even now.

God will give you everything

you need for your spiritual

development. Hold on to nothing.

If you do not make it empty, how are you going to fill it up again?

You should not talk about your wealth, wife, or sadhana (spiritual practice)

or they will go away.

He always takes care of His devotees. We forget.

We can forget. We might not remember Him, but He never forgets us.

Always remember this.

The eyes of a saint are always concentrated on the Supreme Self.

The minute he is aware of himself,

sainthood is lost.

Attachment is the strongest

block to realization.

This world is all attachment.

Yet you get worried because you are attached.

If you are free of attachment,

you will lead a simple life in a simple environment.

Lust, greed, anger, attachment

~ these are all paths to hell.

If you want to see God, kill desires.

Desires are in the mind.

When you have a desire for something,

don’t act on it and it will go away.

You should make all your efforts without any loss of courage.

It doesn’t matter if you are married or not,

it only matters how much you love God.

To see God, you have to have special eyes.

Otherwise you cannot bear the shock.

When you see the entire world as the Mother,

the ego falls away.

Worldly people go outward, but you must go inward

like the tortoise withdrawing withinyour shell.

All action is prayer.

All trees are desire-fulfilling.

All water is the Ganga.

All land is Varanasi.

Love everything.

See all the same.

You can’t realize God if you see differences.

Learn to find the love within.

Never hurt another’s heart.

Keep God in your heart like you keep money in a safe.

Whoever works for God,

his work will be done by itself.

Work is God. Work is worship.

Love the poor. Serve them.

Give everything to the poor, even your clothing.

Give it all away.

Jesus gave away all, including his body.

Serve the poor

and remember God.

You become one with Christ.

Food is God.

Feeding the hungry is actually worship.

God comes before the hungry as food.

Money is never a problem.

The difficulty is in the correct use of it.

Money should be used to help others.

Give up money,

and all wealth is yours.

If you cannot love each other,

you cannot achieve your goal.

The whole universe is your home.

All are your family.

Love is the strongest medicine.

It is more powerful than electricity.

Cleanse the mirror of the heart,

and you will see God.

Total truth is necessary.

You must live by what you say.

Truth is the most difficult tapasya (austerity).

Men will hate you for telling the truth.

They will call you names. They may even kill you, but you must tell the truth.

If you live in truth, God will always stand with you.

A pure women is better than a hundred yogis.

Women are more open to love God.

All women are mothers and sisters,

and all men fathers and brothers in God’s family.

See all women as mothers.

Serve them as your mother.

Why do you take drugs?

This intoxication comes to an end so quickly and damages the health and mind.

This is not good. Why do you not take God intoxication? It will never end, and you can spend all your time, your whole life in it. There will be no harm or damage to anything. Also, you will get back your lost health and vigor and your mind and heart will be fully restored. This is nectar. If you take this intoxication, you will be freed from all your illness and worries.

God gives you everything pure and fresh,

but greedy and selfish people turn it all into poison,

and then they blame God for it.

Can you understand it?

Many things might go into one’s

sadhana (spiritual practice),

but the essential ingredients are

devotion, faith, and patience.

Words of Ramana Maharshi

2010-07-31T00:22:00.000-07:00

Place your burden
at the feet of the Lord of the Universe
who accomplishes everything.
Remain all the time steadfast in the heart,
in the Transcendental Absolute.
God knows the past, present and future.
He will determine the future for you
and accomplish the work.
What is to be done will be done
at the proper time. Don’t worry.
Abide in the heart and surrender your acts
to the divine.

- Ramana Maharshi

The Ashram

2010-07-30T23:56:00.000-07:00

In India I live at my guru’s ashram, the Yoga-Vedanta Kutir, in the holy city of Prayag (Allahabad). The ashram was founded by the Great Yogi His Holiness Swami Vishnudevananda Saraswati (1904-1997) who lived there continuously for the last 65 years of his long life, practicing his austerities and sharing his realizations with his disciples. Upon Guruji’s passing, his physical body was buried in lotus posture in the ashram and a life-size statue in his likeness was consecrated on the spot. This samadhi (consecrated tomb) is now the spiritual heart of the ashram. The ashram is now run by Guruji’s dear servant and disciple Swami Omananda Saraswati.

Swami Omananda manages the ashram as a loving service to his master, training his own disciples in the practices of yoga and dharmic living.

Sadhana (spiritual practice)

The ashram’s emphasis is on the sublime spiritual philosophy of Vedanta and the daily practice of yogic asanas(postures), kriyas (purification),pranayama (breath control), japa(mantra), meditation and puja (ritual worship). Devotees come daily from the surrounding cities for instructions in yoga and guidance in spiritual life.

"Yogic exercise is the king of all systems of physical culture. The practice of yogic asanas keeps the weight of the body moderate and its structure normal. They give the practitioner an elastic spine and supple body. By yogic exercise blood circulates throughout the whole body and one’s vital energy is preserved and increased. The daily practice of asanas helps one lead an energetic life with a youthful mind and eradicated laziness and lethargy—the great enemies of discipline." ~ Swami Vishnudevananda

"Practice is the only means to success. Practice makes man perfect. Do not change the method or object of meditation until success is achieved. If you do you will sustain a loss of energy and lose the ground that you have developed through so many days of culture. Do not slacken your practice until you attain Self-knowledge. Be sincere in your practice. You will eventually succeed. He realizes quickest whose yearning and meditation are the greatest." ~ Swami Vishnudevananda

The Sangam

The ashram is located near the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the holy Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers. The Prayag Sangam is mentioned in ancient scriptures as Tirtharaja, the king of all holy places. Every twelve years it is the location of the largest human gathering in the world known as the Kumbha Mela, as well as smaller yearly gatherings during the Hindu month of Magh (Magh-Mela). At these auspicious occasions millions of sadhus, yogis, and devotees come to this spot to bath in the purifying waters of the sacred rivers.

The Children of Yoga-Vedanta Kutir

The ashram also supports many poor boys, taking full responsibility for their food, lodging and traditional Sanskrit education. The ashram has a computer room where each child learns on his own computer, preparing them to thrive in the modern age. At present there are around ten boys, growing up in an atmosphere of love and discipline. This year a sister ashram is being opened across the Ganga for the training and care of poor girls, run by Guru Mata Shraddhananda Saraswati, a senior disciple of Swami Omananda.

SUPPORT THE CHILDREN OF YOGA VEDANTA KUTIR

If you would like to make a donation to support these children, please contact me at rampriyadas108@gmail.com

Hari Om Tat Sat

“Desire God alone. God-realization is your goal. Do not forget your goal for even a moment.” ~Swami Vishnudevananda

Empty both your hands

2010-07-30T23:45:00.000-07:00

Come Mother
And take your seat in this beggar's home

Please excuse this floor
For it is covered in dust
And I have no decorations

Bangles of gold decorate the One who puts the sun's light to shame
So what am I to offer?
What am I to please you with?

All I can give is my song of longing

Rampriya Says
Empty both your hands
So you can strum the harp

Lord Rishabha's Golden Advice

2010-07-30T23:32:00.000-07:00

"Seeing all beings, moving and non-moving, as My dwelling place, you must salute Me in everything at every moment. This is truly My worship. When you feel that everything you do with your mind, speech, sight, and other senses is an offering directly to Me, you will be liberated from this great illusion, which is like the noose of the lord of death." -Lord Rishabha (From Srimad Bhagavatam)

Translation from Swami Bhajanananda Saraswati

Mother and Child

2010-07-30T23:14:00.000-07:00

Place your mind on Mother's wings
And watch all evil vanish

For Her night swallows all nights
So one can dance and sing in
Her timeless pasture

The scent of Her love
Speaks to me in a language
Too simple to understand

Mother and child
Mother and child

The river of time bends
And weaves through landscapes
Of emotions...
But the great ones do not sink
For they have built a boat
Of Her many names

Rampriya says
How long can one keep away?
Now is time to climb aboard

Sandalwood upon the stone

2010-07-30T23:03:00.000-07:00

Names are infinite for that Supreme One,

To which name shall I call?

Like stars upon the dark night sky,

These forms seem numerous.

To which one shall I turn my gaze?

Lost in the many,

Rampriya cries for that Simple One

The Great Seers say...

The secret lies in the mixture of longing and patience,

Like sandalwood upon the stone.

Do not push against the door...

Or else the house will crumble.