Question:
You teach us that we should increase our tolerance, but if someone is
doing wrong with me, should I practice forgiveness, or should I oppose
him and stop the atrocity?
Answer: On
the spiritual path, we naturally learn to practice tolerance,
forgiveness and humility. However, this does not mean that we should
knowingly allow others to exploit us. The scriptures instruct us to take
whatever action is necessary, for protecting ourselves in self-defense,
when attacked.
There
is a charming story in this regard. In a neighborhood, there lived a
venomous and foul-tempered snake. The children of that locality were
scared of it to death. The moment they would spy it in the distance,
they would run for their lives
One
day, Sage Narad Muni happened to come to that neighborhood. As was the
snake's habit, he approached Narad ji, with his hood raised menacingly
and eyes fiercely red. Narad ji stood his ground peacefully, with a
benevolent and serene smile on his face. The snake was astonished.
"Everyone runs from me in fear. How come you are not scared of me and
what is the secret of your peacefulness?"
Narad
ji taught the snake the process of devotion, whereupon the snake became
his disciple and began practicing Bhakti. He shunned violence, giving
up his old ways of scaring the neighborhood children.
Soon
the children came to know that the snake was harmless and did not bite
anyone. Now their fear vanished. They would not leave it alone. On
sighting it, they would bombard it with a battery of stones and sticks.
They would even come close and kick it with their heeled shoes. The
poor snake was badly bruised.
One
year later, Narad ji was visiting that area again. He thought, "Let me
see how my disciple is doing." He was dismayed to see the snake badly
bruised, with a plaster cast on a portion of his body. "What happened to
you, my dear disciple?" he asked.
The
snake replied, "O Gurudev, this is the result of the Bhakti that you
taught me. The people of the world, knowing I will not retaliate, do not
let me live peacefully."
Narad
ji said, "I asked you to stop biting people, but I did not ask you to
stop spreading your hood. Whenever the children attack, you should
simply raise your head and hiss loudly; then no one will come near
you."
Henceforth,
whenever the children came close to the snake, it would hiss loudly and
frighten them all away. Soon, it was living peacefully again.
Similarly, on the path of devotion, we should shun actions and thoughts
directed at harming others, but we definitely have the right to perform
legitimate actions in our self-defense.
“God is like the Sun, and maya is like darkness. Hence, every day is Diwali for the Saints.”
(Lecture given by Shree maharajji on the occasion of Deepawali)
Deepawali (Diwali) is the festival of light. And what is the opposite of light? Darkness! Light is a manifestation of God, and darkness is a manifestation of maya. These two things have existed since eternity, and they are opposite of each other. Where there is light, darkness cannot remain.
Krishna surya sama maya hoye andhakar
jahan surya tahan maya nahi adhikar
Darkness in front of light? Impossible. Maya or darkness cannot stand in front of the Form of Effulgence, Shree Krishna. So, these two things are contradictory - God and maya. The biggest contradiction is - God is Supremely Sentient and maya is always totally insentient.
However, both God and maya are alike in one thing. God is eternal, and maya is also eternal. God did not create maya, and neither can He destroy it. Don't be surprised by this statement. God cannot destroy the existence of the entity, mayashakti. All He can do is to remove the maya upon you. Remove means just as someone was tied up and he is released. The ropes of bondage still exist, but he has got released from them. His darkness has gone, but darkness still exists, and others are in the grip of it.
Let me tell you a joke. Amongst the followers of Shankaracharya, some say that there is only one entity called Brahm. That Brahm is sitting inside all. What about the soul? They say that there is no soul. The soul and Brahm are one; one is there and only one will remain; the rest is all illusion. Is that right? If this philosophy is correct, then tell me one thing - this is Kripalu's logic - if there is only one Brahm in all and you do not consider the soul, when that one soul's darkness is removed, everybody's ignorance should be removed. If one soul’s darkness has gone and he becomes a brahmagyani, he may be any of the God-realised personalities, Brahma, Sanakadik, Janakadik, Sukadik, Sankaracharya, then every soul should become God-realized. When they claim that there is only one Brahm, and ignorance of one Brahm has gone by doing sadhana, then everybody else's ignorance should also go. But this is not the case. One's is gone, and the rest's is still remaining. All souls need to do their individual sadhana. And you say there is only one Brahm!
So maya, which is the nature of darkness, exists only in the absence of God, who is the nature of light. Once a soul realizes God, his darkness is dispelled, and he becomes illumined with light. Now God resides in him, which means God manifests His splendor in that soul. From that point onwards, God remains forever with that soul. Now when God is light and He is there always with the God-realized Saints, such Saints will have Deepawali every day. Then the statement, “Tomorrow is Deepawali,” becomes redundant. They now experience Deepawali for the rest of eternity. Thank you.
Extract from a lecture by Shree Maharajji on aim of human life:
Every destination has two ways. One is the right way and the other is the wrong way. If one knows the right way, then no matter how far the goal is, the destination will be reached one day. On the other hand, if the wrong path is chosen, then no matter how far or near the goal is, disappointment is certain.
We already know that every soul makes constant effort to attain happiness. Even though the tasks are different, the aim of performing all actions is one - HAPPINESS. So in this world, there are different paths and religions to attain happiness.
There are 11 religions active in the modern world - Sanatan vedic (Hinduism), Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity, Judiasm, Taoism, Confucianism and Shinto. We can classify all these religions in two -
The religion of the mortal body - Materialism
The religion of the soul - Spirituality
According to materialists, the creation, development and destruction of the world are according to the rules of nature and not by the rules of God. They say that everybody wants happiness and by the fulfillment of every material desire, one can be happy. They believe that we are not eternal souls but mortal bodies, and by the fulfillment of the material senses one can be happy. The sense of seeing, hear, smell, touch, taste are five senses of our body. With the help of these senses we make use of this world. So, according to the materialists the means of happiness in this material world is this corporeal body.
On the other hand, according to spirituality, we are eternal souls and not this physical body. This body is destroyable and is made up of five structural elements (water, air, fire, ether and earth) whereas, the soul ('I') is spiritual, eternal, and is an eternal part of God. Bliss is the other name of God and being a part of "Him", we naturally desire for happiness-
raso vai saḥ
Now which way to choose?
This is a very difficult question for an individual to answer. Every religion claims to be perfect in its own ways.
The answer to this can be explained in the following way:
We have two entities - the soul and the physical body. It is true that we will achieve our goal of attaining supreme bliss only by surrendering to God, and that the soul needs God. Similarly, we have to realize that this body requires the material world because this body is made up of five elements and this world is also comprised of these five elements.
No spiritualist can oppose a materialist, and no materialist can oppose a spiritualist. It is only with the help of this material body that devotional practice (Sadhana) is made possible and without God realization, mental afflictions, i.e. material desires, anger, jealousy, ego, etc. will never go away and we cannot have peace and happiness. Therefore, with the point of view of keeping our body healthy we have to do devotion. We have to keep our body healthy with the idea of serving and worshipping God. Shri Krishna says in Bhagwad Geeta: "O Arjun, keep remembering me in your mind and go to war." If we don't provide the necessary proteins, minerals, vitamins and all the required nutrients to our body, we will surely fall sick and instead of remembering God we will only remember pain and misery.
To summarize, we could say that we have to follow spirituality along with materialism. This can be explained with the help of example:
A nurse takes care of thousands of children in a hospital over her lifetime. She feeds and cleans them, gives them medicine, etc. She performs these tasks as part of her duty and not because she is attached to them. Her love and attachment are mostly for her children and family. She does not love the babies in the hospital as much as she does her own. The sickness of her own child brings her anxiety and pain. She will do everything possible to bring her own child back to normal health at the earliest.
But if a child falls sick in the hospital, the nurse will tend to it immediately and perform her duties well. Her reaction to the sickness will be quite normal and not emotional. She is not emotionally attached to the sick child. In the same way, we have to perform our material duties without any attachment for sake of duty and not being bothered of the loss or profit. This is called as Karm-yog.
man hari meṁ tan jagat meṁ, karmyog tehi jān |
tan hari meṁ man jagat meṁ, yah mahān ajñān ||
Attaching our mind to this material world and worshipping God with our body and material senses is a sign of great foolishness.
Hence, both materialism and spirituality are necessary for us because we are spiritual by nature - soul and we have this material body. We need this material world for existence. Now we have to understand that who is God? How can we realize and attain Him? Because the supreme bliss that we are searching for can be achieved only by attaining Him. If we do not realize God in this human form, then this will be our greatest mistake and we will have to suffer the endless pain of life and death of 8.4 million forms of life. However, we do not need to worry about attaining God. He is easily attainable. We will understand this science in the coming topics.
Question: When anyone criticizes me or gets annoyed with me, it disturbs me to no end; so much so, that sometimes the whole day is spent in brooding. How can I insulate my mood from fluctuations based on the behavior of others?
Answer: The solution is to develop a better understanding of the world, based on scriptural knowledge. The Vedas say that this material energy, Maya, consists of three guṇas: sattva guṇa, or the mode of goodness, rajo guṇa, or the mode of passion, and tamo guṇa, or the mode of ignorance.
Everyone's mind too is made from Maya, and so the three modes of Maya exist in the mind as well. Depending upon the environment and where we focus our thoughts, one of the guṇas becomes prominent and our mind takes on that quality. If sattva guṇa dominates, one becomes peaceful, contented, generous, kind, helpful and serene. When rajo guṇa gains prominence, one becomes passionate, agitated, ambitious, envious of others success, and desirous for sense pleasures. When tamo guṇa becomes prominent, one is overcome by sleep, laziness, hatred, anger, resentment, violence, and doubt.
For example, let us suppose you are sitting in your library, engaged in study. There is no worldly disturbance, and your mind has become sāttvic. After finishing your study, you sit in your drawing room and switch on the television. Seeing all the imagery makes your mind rājasic, and increases your hankering for sense pleasures. While you are watching your favorite channel, your family member comes and changes the channel to her liking. This disturbance causes tamo guṇa to develop in your mind, and you are filled with anger. In this way, the mind sways between the three guṇas, and takes on the corresponding qualities.
This fluctuation takes place constantly in everyone's minds, altering their thoughts amongst the three modes. When two people's guṇas are divergent, their ideas, interests, desires and tastes also become divergent, and that causes strife. This strife exists everywhere, between husband-wife, father-son, brother-sister, friend-companion, and so on. Congruence can happen only when two people have the same guṇas. However, since everyone's guṇas are fluctuating, it is unreasonable to expect that the other person's guṇas will constantly match ours.
The reason for our anxiety is that we have unreasonable expectations. We want others to always think in the same manner as we do. And when this does not happen, we get disturbed. Instead if we could realize that invariably people will have views differing from ours, and this is very natural due to the three modes of material nature, we will not be disturbed when they oppose us or criticize us.
So by increasing our understanding of the world, we can insulate ourselves from the fluctuating moods of others.
We all have a mind that is responsible for all the actions that we perform. Firstly, it is the mind that constantly creates desires. The question is, why do we have desires? This is because, all souls desire true happiness, i.e. happiness associated with God. To fulfill this natural desire for Bliss, the mind constantly creates 'desires' every moment. There are five types of desires - the desire to see, desire to hear, desire to smell, desire to taste and desire to touch or feel.
The mind desires to enjoy subjects related to these five senses, and it can desire for objects only in two areas - either related to God or related to maya, the material world. Hence, this mind can either desire for God or for material objects. There is no third area where the mind can seek for happiness.
If we believe that happiness can be achieved from this material world, we will aim to fulfill our desires in this realm. If we believe that happiness can be achieved from God, we will automatically desire to attain Him. This is a natural tendency and not learnt from anyone. Not just humans, but even animals and birds have this innate understanding. The mind works in accordance with the decision of the intellect, and has to desire what the intellect thinks is the source of true happiness.
svatantraḥ kriyamāṇe vai kṛito bhagavatā vidā
The material world is readily visible, but God is not easily seen. It is the nature of the mind to desire material pleasure, as it is made of the same elements (Panchmahabhut) that constitute the material world. It is very natural and easy to get attracted to things that we can see, and we can see this material world and not God. Although the Vedas, Shastras and Puranas praise God, and the message is repeated by the saints, our mind is not able to concentrate in that direction. The mind is easily attached to material objects of pleasure, and seeks happiness in them.
Our experience of this world has taught us that there is no real happiness in material objects. Initially, we may derive a lot of pleasure, but with time, happiness disappears. We might have embraced our dear ones - mother, father, son, daughter, husband or wife thousands of times and cherished our favorite Indian sweet - rasgulla thousands of times, but we still remain tensed and disturbed. We have not achieved eternal peace or happiness from any of them. Our ultimate goal is to find happiness but our experience seems to be the opposite.
We think that the attainment of a material object or a person will make us happy. But when we get it, we no longer derive happiness from it. We get disturbed because that object no longer provides the same level of happiness as before. We have all experienced this before, across countless lifetimes. It is the intellect that must decide that the material world has been created for the body, and not to provide happiness for the soul.
surapati brāhmaṁ padaṁ yāchate
This disease of desire affects even celestial personalities. This quote above says that the king of heaven, Lord Indra desires for the seat of Lord Brahma. What about humans? We wish to earn millions or become the Prime Minister of India. This is the limit of our desires. What else we can desire? But even the king of heaven Indra has desires. Lord Indra has the ability to get whatever he wants by just wishing for it. He has Varun, Kuber and Yamraj as his servants. Yet, he has desires. Why? It is because he is still deprived of the love of God. He did not attain the happiness related of the soul.
On the occasion of Radhashtami, watch a special video of Swami Mukundananda explaining a Divine childhood pass-time of Shree Radharani. CLICK HERE
Friday, August 19, 2011
Swami Mukundananda Leads the “The Path to God Realization”
HOUSTON: Swami Mukundananda, a well renowned saint from Vrindavan, U.P, India makes a much awaited return to Texas as part of his enlightening tour across USA. He has pioneered the ground breaking, “Jagadguru Kripaluji Yog” – a holistic system of Yoga that incorporates physical, mental, intellectual and spiritual health of humankind. The highly educated spiritual leader’s teaching is scientifically explained as “the spiritual art of managing the mind”. He brings a powerful combination of yoga, meditation and spiritual wellness to the fore through a series of discourses and practical training sessions.
Swamiji teaches the true philosophy of God realization by practice of sincere devotion as per the Vedas, Upanishads and other sacred texts. In order to achieve this goal, a healthy body and mind is absolutely essential. His programs imbibe the age old traditions of Yoga, Meditation & Pranayam to purify the body, and Divine knowledge to cleanse the mind, leading to the true upliftment of the soul.
Jagadguru Kripaluji Yog has organized a series of Yoga, Meditation, and spiritual discourses in more than 27 cities across USA this summer. Led by Swami Mukundananda, these programs kicked off in April 2011 at Irving, TX and have enthralled audiences all over the country. After a whirlwind tour of 13 states, Swamiji will be in Sugar Land and Houston in late August for his hugely popular series of Yoga, Meditation and lecture programs.
Speaking at the hugely successful program in California this summer, Laura Fine remarks, “Swami Mukundananda is continually inspiring. I love the yoga as it takes me deep inward and prepares my body to be able to relax into a devotional stillness where I can focus deeply inward and absorb the chanting and philosophy that follows. I can’t wait to return for more.”
Swami Mukundananda’s sessions have drawn ever increasing crowds year after year. The list of cities he has visited has steadily increased from 10 in 2009 to over 25 in 2011. Swamiji has also pioneered a special educational program for children, Bal-Mukund, aimed at developing moral and spiritual values in youngsters. The program helps nurture a child’s personality by strengthening their basic character and providing a stronger platform to face the challenges of the modern world.
His awe inspiring talk on “Wellness for Life” at Oracle HQ in Redwood Shores in late April 2011 was an instant hit with the audience, who learnt about new ways of understanding the quest for happiness in an increasingly stress filled environment. Not to be left out, it was Google’s turn to invite Swamiji at their Headquarters in CA in May 2011 to hear his masterly lecture.
During his tour of USA in 2010, Swamiji was the guest speaker at the prestigious Princeton University, New Jersey, Kellogg’s School of Management, IL, University of Illinois, Chicago and Northeastern Illinois University.
What has inspired and impressed people across the table is his simple but highly effective logical explanation about human values and their inner quest for happiness. People have been touched by his very presence and his scholarly wisdom. His humble and approachable nature has appealed to people from all walks of life.
Kelly Carrasquillo, (CT) says, “Brought to tears when witnessing the devotion and harmony Swamiji brought out in everyone. Regardless of religious background Swamiji’s lectures got to the core principle of each faith.”
Uplifting! Excellent! is what people who have been touched by the words of wisdom and the personality of Swami Mukundananda have been saying. In every city of his visit, a week-long program with Yoga sessions in the mornings and/or evenings is organized. The first part of the session focuses on Yoga & Meditation. The second session focuses on devotional chantings and spiritual discourses to purify the mind.
Swamiji was recently invited to the Hindsdale Community Center, IL for a workshop on “Stress Management in the 21st Century”. A huge hit with the audience for the highly practical techniques to counter mental stress, the participants were highly appreciative of the values and the learning they were exposed to in such a short timeframe.
Swami Mukundananda’s programs in Sugar Land and Houston, TX start on the 21st of Aug and will run till the 1st of Sep, 2011. The program will include yoga, meditation, spiritual discourses and chantings. Program admission is free. Program details can be viewed at: http://jkyog.org/event_tx.html
His East Coast, West Coast and Central Tour was a huge success followed by a spiritual retreat in Fresno, CA on Memorial Day weekend, and in Danbury, CT during the 1st week of July. The testimonials of attendees showed how the 2 day retreat changed their lives and they will continue to attend it every year. Many are now planning to attend the final retreat at Trinity, TX on Labor Day weekend.
Many participants and devotees feel enlivened by Swamiji’s life transforming techniques. Swamiji has made a tremendous impact on thousands of people who came to see and hear him speak at the various venues across the country.
Swami Mukundananda received his degrees in Engineering and Management from two world famous institutes in India- Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) respectively. However, the call of God was so strong that a short while after landing a top corporate job, he renounced his professional career to take sanyas, in the quest for God-realization. Since the last two decades, Swamiji has been travelling far and wide in various states of India and also in Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, USA, and Europe, awakening hundreds of thousands of seekers.
About Jagadguru Kripaluji Yog (JKY)
JKY is a non-profit organization dedicated to the spiritual, mental and physical wellness of Humankind, through true Yoga and Spirituality. For more information, visit http://www.jkyog.org/2011or email secretary@jkyog.org or call 323-286-0452
Swami Mukundananda Ji will be arriving to Chantilly’s Rajhdani Temple for a week-long educational series with sessions on yoga, meditations and breathing exercises.
From Uttar Pardesh, India, Swami Mukundananda is on a 24-city tour around the U.S. spreading his teachings. The tour is being arranged by the non-profit organization Jagadguru Kripalu Yog (JK Yog) and the sessions will be free to the public.
JK Yog is a growing organization comprised of people who have been inspired by the Swami since he began touring the United States in 2008.
"A lot of people have benefited," said JK Yog local volunteer Gurpreet Singh. "So if you benefit from the technique then you tell 10 other people because it’s a personal experience."
The son of a traveling government officer, Swarmi Mukundananda didn’t become religious until after he had finished college with a degree from the top engineering institute in India and earned an additional MBA. He was three months into his first full-time job at 23 when he decided he was unsatisfied.
"Although I was interested in spirituality from my childhood and I remember practicing meditations from eighth grade, that path was not clear," said Swami Mukundananda. "I went to college because that’s what society demanded of me."
Tour organizer Shreya Bhat, who resides in Plano, Texas, says that a lot of the Swami’s popularity comes from the fact that he was so accomplished in the secular world before he turned to a more spiritual life.
"He’s able to relate to and talk to people of all backgrounds," said Bhat. "He’s able to connect to working class people and the way he lectures is so systematic and logical."
Now 50 years old, the Swami presides over 50 congressional centers and seven permanent centers in India. He has been touring the United States annually for the last four years because his spiritual advisor, Jagadguru Shree Kripaluji, instructed him to spread his philosophy to the West.
The Swami is a scholar of the Hindu texts known as the Vedas and believes that the relevance of his teachings can "harmoniously coexist with other beliefs."
"As a society is becoming multi-cultural and people are learning to respect the viewpoints of other people, the Hindu viewpoint becomes far more relevant with this broad-minded approach where we do not attempt to convert people," said Swami Mukundananda. "Rather we attempt to elevate their minds and souls by imparting knowledge and teaching internal spiritual principles."
Swami Mukundananda also attributes his ease with connecting to Westerners to the fact that yoga was already growing in the United States. He and his followers believe that he can offer more than traditional yoga studios in the West.
"In the West, yoga is just about physical well-being. The science of yoga has got more to offer. The physical aspect is just one part of it and we can benefit from it in so many other ways," said Swami Mukundananda.
The course will be held Aug. 14-20 at Rajdani Temple at 4525 Pleasant Valley Road in Chantilly. For more information, contact Singh at 703-927-4098 or visit http://rajdhanimandir.org/.
August 7, 2011 (ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill.) (WLS) -- One of the world's spiritual leaders is bringing his message to the northwest suburbs.
Swami Mukundananda spoke Sunday at the Meadows Club in Rolling Meadows. He is known for offering new ways of understanding both Eastern and Western scriptures.
Interestingly, our mind can be compared with any search engine on internet. You ask one query to Google & it will display so many possible answers. You select the answer which suits you the best. Likewise, you show one image to your mind and it will display many more similar images; you desire anything once & it will desire many more times. You fulfill one desire and your mind will produce many more desires before you. And the vicious circle starts in the mind, pressing us hard to keep on satisfying one desire after the other, with no end in sight. It is very similar to the anxiety that we face when we have many possible answers available on Google and we keep clicking one after the other & land up on different pages, drifting away from the main point of search. We keep on satisfying one desire after the other and in the process we forget the main purpose for which we had come in this human form.
Our mind has to work like a search engine by its nature. It has both type of thoughts (worldly & divine) flowing through it. A true seeker has to select between the two and mend his mind accordingly in such a way that the mind continues to work but in a way that is helpful to him in his journey within. The grace of almighty is present always to help selecting right type of thoughts when we surrender unto Him completely.
Stress Management in 21st Century
A relaxation workshop by Swami Mukundananda
DATE : Sunday, August 11, 2011,
TIME : 4 PM - 8 PM (Details below)
LOCATION : Hinsdale Community Center
415 W 8th St, Hinsdale, IL 60521
Limited Seats. Please Register to secure your place
OVERVIEW::
While modern technology like cell phones, emails and social networking are designed to make life easier and more fun, most of us are getting increasingly stressed out. The impact of stress is cumulative and leads to a gamut of negative emotions like tension, fear, distress, apprehension, and anxiety. On the
physical level, it causes health problems such as headaches, acidity, ulcers, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
In his talk, Swami Mukundananda will delve into the causes for the development of stress, and reveal practical techniques of stress management by applying ancient Indian philosophies to daily life, and explaining the healing art of subtle body relaxation.
4:00 - 4:30 (Registration and Welcome)
4:30 - 7:00 (Discourse and relaxation workshop)
7:00 - 8:00 (Networking and refreshments)
Contacts:
Ray Mehra : 630-258-4000
Gopal Gehi : 630-740-1757
Ankur Gupta : 224-645-2621
Tarun Kumar: 637-877-7980
Limited Seats. Please Register to secure your place
Answer by Swamiji: To answer your question, let me tell you a story. There was once a very rich man, who had a fifteen-year old son. One day, the son was alone in his father's office, when he saw a fifteen-year old newspaper. It had an article titled, "Billionaire adopts orphan child." The boy was stunned to see his father's name mentioned there. When his father returned, the son accosted him, "Father is this article true?"
The father replied, "My son! It is true."
"Does that mean I am not your child?"
"That is right, you are not my child."
The son was shocked. "Then why did you adopt me?"
The father explained, "Son, I am a billionaire. I had no shortage of money, and everything that money could buy. However, I did not have anyone with whom I could share my wealth. I adopted you so that I could give you everything I possess."
Similarly, God is perfect and complete in Himself, and the possessor of unlimited opulence. He creates us so that He may be able to share all that He possesses with us. However, He can only do so when we truly love Him.
Those souls, who have learnt to love God, are with Him in His eternal abode. We conditioned souls are here in the material realm because we have turned our backs towards Him. God hopes and waits for the day when we too will perfect our love for Him and attain Him for the rest of eternity.
I am happy to have found a Divine Love Family this past retreat, though Path is walked alone with assistance of a true guru as Swamiji said in class. After two days of the program I have become aware of all the inner healing I've been going through this past weekend. Radhey Radhey
Oscar Martinez
............................................
It was truly beautiful and I was so grateful for the opportunity. What an amazing spiritual community and the most amazing Guru Swamiji.
Jessica Grant
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Thank you Swamiji for sharing and welcoming us Westerners with open heart and mind. It was a truly moving, hopeful and promising experience to see the different faiths come together as one cohesive Bhakti rhythm. I want to also personally thank you and the rest of the family for your concern and healing thoughts! It was your care that pulled me through the remainder of the retreat. I am forever in gratitude. Immensely grateful to have been blessed with the opportunity to attended this retreat. The wisdom and compassion you shared with us are beyond measure.
Kelly Carrasquillo
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I am humbled in your presence, Swamiji. It was three days filled with Divine Knowledge, devotion and love. Your desire to share this knowledge, and your tireless efforts are such a gift to us. I hope that many other Westerners are also able to hear these teachings and experience your joy.
Question: When God is the actual Doer, why are the souls subjected to the results of their karmas?
Answer: Many people diminish the need for self-effort in their minds by saying, "Nothing is in our hands. God is seated within us. He is the doer of all our actions, and we act as He inspires us." However, this philosophy is not really true, as the following points will illustrate:
If God were the doer of all our actions, we would never have committed any mistakes. All of our works would have been perfect, since God can never make a blunder. The fact that we make innumerable mistakes implies that we are performing actions with our own free will.
If God were the doer of our actions, we would not have to bear the karmic reactions. Why would we suffer for works that God did through us? He would either bear the karmic reactions on His own, or forgive Himself. But there is the Law of Karma, "As you do, so you shall reap." This implies that we ourselves are responsible for what we do.
God is impartial towards all souls and perfectly just. If He was the doer of our actions, He would either have made everyone do good works and become Saints; or He would have made everyone do bad works and become demons. But there is so much of variety in the world. One is a Saint, like Prahlad, while the other is a demon, like Hiranyakashipu. This variety implies that we have the freedom to choose our own actions, and we are responsible for them, not God.
If God were the inspirer of our actions, there would have be no need for Him to reveal the Vedas or any other scriptures. There would be no need for Him to explain to us the path to perfection. He would simply have to say two sentences: "O souls, I am the doer of everything. So you do not have to understand what proper and improper action is."
It is true that God is seated within us, and He gives us the power to act. However, what we do with that power is decided by our own free will. This is just as the powerhouse supplies electricity to your house. If it did not give the power, you would not have been able to use any electric appliances in your home. However, once you do have that power, what you do with it, is your own choice. You could operate the fan, light the lamp, or heat/cool the house, as you wish.
Similarly, God gives our eyes the power to see. If He did not give us this power, we would not have been able to see anything. But once we do have this power, what we see is in our own hands. You could go to the temple and see the Deities, or you could see dirty pictures on theinternet. God is merely giving you the power to see. What you decide to see is your own choice decided by your free will.
Hence, we must not blame God for our mistakes.If we do something wrong, we should take responsibility for the error and strive to correct it.
'The Science of Devotion & Grace' What: A spiritual program of yoga and meditation by Swami Mukundananda When: 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 6-9 p.m. Monday-Thursday Cost: Free, but registration is required Where: Sri Venkateswara Temple, 1230 McCully Drive, Penn Hills Details: 412-373-3380, www.svtemple.org
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About the writer
William Loeffler is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer and can be reached at 412-320-7986 or via e-mail.
The quest for spiritual health is a practical necessity, not a lofty ideal, says a Hindu yogi who begins a six-day residence Saturday at the Sri Venkateswara Temple in Penn Hills.
Swami Mukundananda is a spiritual leader whose lectures apply the ancient Vedas, or Hindu scriptures, to the challenges of 21st-century existence. He teaches audiences how to manage stress through yoga and meditation.
"Spirituality is not removed from our mundane practical life," he says. "If practiced for some time on a daily basis, it helps us in doing all the other activities throughout the day as well. "
His program "The Science of Devotion & Grace" runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 6 to 9 p.m. June 20 through 23. The series is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Dr. Nagu B. Krishnappa, chairman of the board of trustees for the Sri Venkateswara Temple, says he met the swami last year during a Pittsburgh appearance.
"I was so impressed with this person, the way he communicated, the way he taught Vedic knowledge in practical life," Krishnappa says.
Krishnappa, a pediatrician with a practice in Greensburg, says the swami's program is about wellness, not proselytizing.
"It is not a speech about the Hindu gods, that's not the issue at all," he says. "They'll talk about your own body, how you control your own body, how you control your own mind and how you control your own soul, and how you balance them."
Mukundananda looks as one might expect a holy man to look -- serene countenance, flowing saffron garments, a high forehead marked with a line and a dot that resembles a red exclamation point. The marks symbolize his devotion to the Hindu deities Radha and Krishna, he says.
But he also has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, India's preeminent business school. He was a mechanical engineer before he renounced his position, at age 23, to pursue a life of spiritual devotion. In addition to lecturing at Hindu temples around the country, he's spoken to staff at Google headquarters in California and the Kellogg School of Management in Illinois.
"A lot of Indians who have come to the U.S.A. from India share the same education as I do," says Mukundananda, 50. "They are engineers and MBAs. They do have this desire for spiritual knowledge. They would like to hear it in terms that make sense to them. When they come across a swamiji who has the same educational background, that gives them confidence that they can relate to the message and the manner in which it is presented."
The ancient Hindu gods might not have foreseen that their wisdom could be applied to such matters as corporate management, but Mukundananda says the teachings transcend millennia.
"When you do realize that your effectiveness in management depends on your state of mind, it makes sense to cultivate our own mind," he says. "In other words, 'Manager, manage thyself.'"
Non-Hindus are welcome, Mukundananda says.
He will discuss breathing techniques, body relaxation and proper diet. His particular form of yoga will include spiritual exercises, a component he says is neglected by most yoga studios in the United States.
He drew laughs during one appearance when he explained why we couldn't remember our past lives: If we did, he said, we'd be arguing with those who had bought or inherited land and other possessions we left behind when we died. There would be chaos.
