When all Assurances Quit...

This event is of 1899 in America. One adult person of 47 years was standing at a river’s bridge. He was returning to his farmhouse from Maryville. He came across the bridge of river 102, and stopped there. He was thinking- what he should do? He had been struggling since 10 years. Doing very hard work, agriculture and cattle rearing, But result was only losses and losses. He had no money left. The property had been mortgaged, and there was no way even to pay the interest. His family was suffering with poverty. All hopes were finished, there was no support left at all. He remained standing there for many hours about the question of ending his life by jumping in the river. But in the end he returned to home.

Many years later he told his son- Dale, do u know why I didn’t jumped of the river that day? Only because of your mother’s faith I was saved. She used to pray every day to God – “even if all assurances quit, oh god! The helper of the helpless people, the only support, shelter of us, please doesn’t forget us. We love God, and in the last all will be fine.” And really it happened! After it, he spent his remaining life happily and died in 1941.

Dale Carnegie, the famous writer, wrote in his book “How to stop worrying and Start Living?” it is explained in his book how his parents conquered the worries. Dale says, poverty was pursuing us, we were victim of difficulties at every step, but my mother was never worried. She entrusted all the problems to the God. She used to read a chapter of Bible every day before sleeping;

“ In my Father’s house are many mansions,

I go to prepare a place for you,

That where I am, there ye may be also.”

Neither floods nor debts nor disaster could suppress her happy, radiant, and victorious spirit. She often used to sing;

“Peace, Peace, Wonderful Peace,

Flowing down the Father above,

Sweep over my spirit forever I pray,

In fathomless billows of love.”

Dale has explained that prayer fulfills these three very basic psychological needs which all people share, whether they believe in God or not:

Prayer helps us to put into words exactly what is troubling us. is almost impossible to deal with a problem while it remains vague and nebulous. Praying, in a way, is very much like writing our problem down on paper. If we ask help for a problem-even from God-we must put it into words.

Prayer gives us a sense of sharing our burdens, of not being alone. Few of us are so strong that we can bear our heaviest burdens, our most agonizing troubles, all by ourselves. Sometimes our worries are of so intimate a nature that we cannot discuss them even with our closest relatives or friends. Then prayer is the answer. Any psychiatrist will tell us that when we are pent-up and tense, and in an agony of spirit, it is therapeutically good to tell someone our troubles. When we can't tell anyone else-we can always tell God.

Prayer puts into force an active principle of doing. It's a first step toward action. I doubt if anyone can pray for some fulfillment, day after day, without benefiting from it-in other words, without taking some steps to bring it to pass. A world-famous scientist said: "Prayer is the most powerful form of energy one can generate." So why not make use of it? Call it God or Allah or Spirit-why quarrel with definitions as long as the mysterious powers of nature take us in hand?

Goddess Durga - Symbol of Power

Yaa Devi sarvabhooteshu, Shaktirupen sansthita;

Namastasye Namastasye Namastasye, namo namah.

The Supreme Mother Goddess Durga represents the Prime Energy of the Almighty which had been manifest from time to time according to the need of the circumstances.

Ekaiva shaktih Parameshwarsya,

Bhinn Chaturdha Vyavharkale,

Purushena Vishnuh bhoge Bhavani,

Samare cha Durga pralaye cha Kali.

This means that though the Almighty have one Primal Power, it is manifest in four different forms at different times. They are the spouse of Vishnu(Lakshmi), Bhavani; at war times it is Goddess Durga and at the time of pralaya or the final dissolution it is Goddess Kali. Her references also summarised by the sage Vedavyas in Durga Saptashati.

Niyeiva sa jaganmoortilaya savva midam jagat.

The Goddess is eternal and the whole of this concious world is her creation. In other words, the whole world pulsates with her energy. She is the Ultimate Power or the Primal Power of this world.

Namo Namo Durge Sukh karani, Namo Namo Ambe Dukh harani.

Niraakaar hai jyoti tumhari, Tihun lok phaili ujayaari.

Shashi lalaat mukh mahaavishaala, Netra laal bhrikutee vikaraala.

Roop Matu ko adhikaa suhave, Daras karat jan ati sukh pave.

Tum sansaar shakti laa kina, Paalan hetu anna dhan dina.

Annapurnaa hui jagpaala, Tumhi aadi sundari Baala.

Pralaya kaal sab naashan hari, Tum gauri Shiv-Shankar pyaari.

Shiv yogi tumhre guna gaaven, Brahma Vishnu tumhen nit dhyaaven.

Roop Saraswati ko tum dharaa, De subuddhi rishi muninh ubaara.

Dharyo roop Narsimha ko Ambaa, Pragat bhayin phaad kar khamba.

Rakshaa kari Prahlaad bachayo, Hiranakashipu ko swarga pathayo.

Lakshmi roop dharo jag maahin, Shree Naaraayan anga samaahin.

Sheer sindhu men karat vilaasa, Dayaa Sindhu, deeje man aasa.

Hingalaja mein tumhin Bhavaani, Mahimaa amit na jaaye bakhani.

Maataangi Dhoomaavati Mata, Bhuvneshwari bagalaa sukhdaata.

Shree Bhairav tara jag taraani, Chhinna Bhala bhav dukh nivaraani.

Kehari Vahan soh Bhavani, Langur Veer Chalat agavani.

Kar men khappar khadag viraaje, Jaako dekh kaal dan bhaaje.

Sohe astra aur trishoola, Jaase uthata shatru hiya shoola.

Nagarkot men tumhi viraajat, Tihun lok men dankaa bajat.

Shumbhu Nishumbhu Danav tum maare, Rakta-beeja shankhan sanhare.

Mahishaasur nripa ati abhimaani, Jehi aghaa bhar mahi akualani.

Roop karal Kaalika dhara, Sen Sahita tum tinh sanhara.

Pari bhir Santan par jab jab, Bhayi sahaaya Matu tum tab tab.

Amarpuni aru basaava loka, Tava Mahimaa sab rahen asoka.

Jwala men hai jyoti tumhaari, Tumhen sada poojen nar nari.

Prem bhakti se Jo yash gaave, Dukh-daridra nikat nahin aave.

Dhyave tumhen jo nar man leyee, Janam-maran tako chuti jaee.

Jogi sur-muni kahat pukaari, Jog na ho bin shakti tumhaari.

Shankar Aacharaj tap keenhon, Kam, krodha jeet sab leenhon.

Nisidin dhyaan dharo Shankar ko, Kahu kal nahin sumiro tum ko.

Shakti roop ko maram naa payo, Shakti gayi tab man pachitaayo.

Sharnaagat hui keerti bakhaani, Jai jai jai Jagdamba Bhavaani.

Bhayi prasanna Aadi Jagdamba, Dayi shakti nahin keen vilambaa.

Mokon Matu kashta ati ghero, Tum bin kaun hare dukh mero.

Aasha trishna nipat sataave, ripumurakh mohi ati dar paave.

Shatru nash keeje Maharaani,Sumiron ekachita tumhi Bhavani.

Karhu kripa Hey Matu dayaala, Riddhi-Siddhi de karahu nihaala.

Jab lagi jiyoon daya phal paoon, Tumhro yash men sada sunaoon.

Durga Chalisa jo koi gave, Sab sukh bhog parampad pave.

Devidaas sharan nij jaani, karhu kripa Jagdamb Bhawani.

Significance of Spiritualism

After experience of Europe’s visit on World Religious Conference, Swami Vivekanand said, “India couldn’t progress without science and Technology, but we should not beg, in exchange we should give spiritualism to the world." Vedanta is not only for people living in Himalayas/Sanyasis but also for every normal human being. He must adopt and improve his normal behavioral life and serve the society.

When Swami Vivekanand was disturbed on “Where is the God?” and asked his Guru about this, he replied keeping his hand on his head (blessing him) “Here is God”. He further explained to him, look son; I have only removed ‘W’ from your question. Realized souls are not rare. Ignorant, worldly-minded persons cannot easily recognize them. Only a few persons who are pure and have all virtues can understand realized souls. They alone will be benefited in their company. (Only Pandavas were benefited by lord Krishna, Kouravas & Kansa couldn’t recognize them).

Do you know what is the difference in the viewpoint of a spiritual and unspiritual person? Once Swami Vivekanand asked three laborers a question, “what are you doing?” The workers who were shaping the stones with hammer & chisel replied differently as:

-Don’t you see, I’m using hammer & chisel.

-Earning my livelihood.

-Building a temple and simultaneously nourishing my family, by earning livelihood.

Therefore the approach of a spiritual person encompasses of duty and devotion.

What are the benefits of being spiritual or to believe in the existence of the divine power known as GOD? For achieving a goal our mindset plays a vital role. Sometimes we get disheartened. The spiritualism enables us to view every aspect with positive frame of mind. For example, instead of thinking that, “we are alone, nobody helps anybody”, we get a positive attitude that, “God is alone capable to take care of us”.

We normally sympathize with problems and try on giving justification for their existence and explanation of best efforts put in the prevailing situations & conditions. However if we decide not to live with problem and give a continuous thing we shall be surely blessed with God’s grace and solutions. Most of the times results will be beyond imaginations. It is experienced by many peoples in their life. Thus being a spiritual person, we get a more positive attitude, devotion, strength, happiness, and more sense of duty.

Nature of Bliss

“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared with what lies within us” –Olive Wendell Holmes.

Ordinarily speaking, we say that we are happy when we get the thing we are looking for. At the time when we desire something, our mind is in a state of unrest; but when we get that thing, the state of unrest is replaced by a sense of peace. Similarly, we say that we are happy when we get rid of a thing that we reviled. At the time when we detest something, our mind is restless; but when we get rid of that thing, our mind becomes calm. Therefore, happiness follows when a preceding state of unrest is ended.

Happiness is identical with the feeling of rest or peace. Only he, who knows mental peace, experiences true bliss. And to still mind i.e. without all thoughts, it is the aim of spiritual practices. The feeling of peace, contentment and happiness is inborn and ingrained in every one of us. If we neglect our inner happiness and seek for happiness in the outside world, we are seriously impairing our chances of getting it. So, if we depend on the external world for happiness, we will only be slave of circumstances. Cursing to anyone is a kind of directing the God for doing bad things to anyone. We are very small people and not competent to direct the God in such matter. God will take care of such people as per his will and at His time.

If therefore, we seek to remove our mental turbulence by trying to secure all things which the mind asks for or to get rid of all the things which disturb it, our search for peace will be endless one, our mind will always be in a state of unrest and we can never attain true everlasting happiness.

True peace and happiness is within you, search within.

High-Spirit

Do you have ever thought that what is the Essence of Life? Of course with not so much arguments, it must be all and around the bliss also known as ‘Sat-chit-anand’. It is the state of extreme happiness, a condition where nothing is left to achieve, when the one has attained the emblem of God.

This eternal bliss is all about the happiness of soul ‘The Atma’. In the great holy book “Bhagavad-Gita”, it is stated that the state of eternal happiness can be achieved by knowing the vital element ‘Bhramn’. A person residing deep in oneself, impervious by the surroundings, in the condition known as ‘Yoga’, can know this vital element. The person enlightened with the divine radiance can recognize the nature of God known as ’Parambhramn’.

One lesson we can derive from Lord Ram’s fourteen years of exile (vanwas), is “even without your own cause, circumstances can make you suffer”. But as always, Life is the journey from pains ‘taap’ to eternal bliss ‘parmanand’, from purity to impurity, from death ‘avagaman’ to immortality ‘moksha’, from hatred to cosmic love, from ignorance ‘agyaan’ to eternal wisdom ‘brahmngyan’, from slavery to freedom, from weakness to infinite strength, i.e. from every imperfection to perfection.

Happiness

No Life ever grows great until it is focussed, dedicated & disciplined; but no Life is ever Happy until it is lived for the glory of GOD.

Happiness doesn’t depend on outward condition. It depends on inner conditions. It isn’t what you have or who you are or where you are or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about it.

Human is fond of counting his troubles, but he does not count his Joys. If he counted them up as he ought to, he would see that every lot has enough Happiness provided for it. One need not to be a millionaire to be happy, one is needed to be contented. Of course a poor but contented person would be much more happy than an insatiable one. As it is said “a contented mind is a contented feast”. But it doesn’t means that we shouldn’t try to achieve which we don’t have. One must endeavor to grow great but with the sense of gratification.

How this view can be achieved? Lord Krishna says in the Bhagavad-Gita, “karmanye vadhikaraste ma phaleshu kadachanah”, means ‘one has only the right to work, not in the result of work, as well as one should not be unwilling to do work.’ These words of Lord Krishna present us the path to attain happiness in our life.