THE VISION, January 2024, Vol 91, Issue 4:
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Beloved Readers,
The first step on the Divine path is Bhakti which means a keen, burning desire to realise immortal peace and freedom. The devotee must be seized with a discontent which never ceases until the goal is reached. By and large, the starting point in this direction is visiting temple where the deity is worshipped with faith and devotion. As years go by, the devotee is expected to see the Divine element not only in the deity but also within oneself and then gradually in all. Otherwise, the all-pervading Lord will be, unknowingly, limited to the particular form of the Lord and temple.
This month’s issue of THE VISION touches upon devotion to the Form and transcending it.
— EDITOR
AS WE SCROLL DOWN...
- ‘On Temple Worship’ — Beloved Papa Swami Ramdas’ lead article — reveals that we can comprehend God through the use the mind, which can only think in terms of names and forms; hence the necessity of assigning a name and form to the Divine and worshiping Him in temples.
- ‘Worship In Temples’ — is indeed the worship the Supreme Being alone, explains Pujya Swami Satchidananda.
- ‘Editor Answers’ — how idol worship is a stage to go beyond the circle of ‘me’ and ‘mine’.
- ‘Worshiping Him Includes Seva Of Co-Creations’ — therefore to serve our fellow beings is to serve God.
- ‘Hearts Of Devotees Are Temple Of The Lord’ — explains Mother Vanamali through the conversation between Lord Krishna and Uddhava.
- ‘To Love All Is The True Bhakti Of God’ — states Beloved Papa. Therefore, ‘worshipping brass images and conceiving hatred for man is not devotion.’
- ‘Epistles Of Swami Ramdas’ — resonate with the sweetness of Bhakti. Here Beloved Papa explains that Bhakti is the beginning; Bhakti is the end. Bhakti is the way; Bhakti is the goal. Jnana and Karma are only necessary props on which is hoisted the majestic dome of Bhakti.
- ‘Learning From The School Of Life’ — that we have the magnificent book of nature spread out before us. Let us look at it, read in it the glorious presentation and the varied activities of the Infinite One, as every object conveys some aspects of human values. Then we will come to realise that ‘nothing is irrelevant, nothing is unimportant and nothing is insignificant.’
- ‘Homage To Luminaries’ — reminds us that saints awaken the sleeping soul to the awareness of its immortal and all-blissful nature. Their influence inspires the hearts, minds, and souls of the human beings they come in contact with.
- ‘Important Days In 2024’ — are occasions for us to reverentially remember our Masters and reaffirm our commitment to the Goal Supreme.
- ‘Anandashram News’:
- ‘15,500-Crore Nama Japa Yagna For World Peace’
- ‘Anand Kutir’ — a venue for Ram Nam and sessions with children.
- ‘Year-End Programmes 2023’ — were instrumental making participants deeply dwell on some facets of the spiritual journey and most importantly concentrating on the chanting of Ram Nam.
- ‘Book In Focus’: WORLD IS GOD
- ‘Download THE VISION’ in PDF format and the Audio Book.
ON TEMPLE WORSHIP
By Swami Ramdas
Man cannot conceive of God, who is infinite and eternal. God is beyond name and form. The instrument, which we have to make use of in trying to comprehend Him, is the mind.
And the mind can think only in terms of name and form. So, if we want to concentrate our mind on God, we have to give Him a name and a form. The image in the temple serves this purpose. When we stand before the image, we take it as the very embodiment of the Divine. We sing before it of His great attributes, His infinite glory and power, His eternal existence, knowledge and joy.
The image, by itself, is only a mere idol, made of metal, wood or stone. But the consecratory ceremonies at the time of the installation of the idol invest it with Divine powers. When thousands fix their faith upon that image, it naturally adds to the Divine light and power generated therein. So temples have become places of worship for the masses, in general, who are not yet fit to turn inwards and find God within their own hearts, in His true and eternal nature.
WORSHIP IN TEMPLES
By Swami Satchidananda
Devotees are attached to deities whom they call as their own Ishta-Devata. They are drawn to these deities, may be, because of the Sadhana in their earlier life. But whatever deity we worship, actually we are worshipping the Supreme Being only.
One deity is not different from the other. This must be kept in our mind.
We find more followers in a particular temple because there they, by total and unqualified devotion and prayer, feel the living presence of their Ishta Devata.
It is true that a good number of temple-goers do not bother about philosophy or the indwelling God. Some are satisfied with some sort of external worship while some go there to pray for material prosperity or for peace of mind. At the same time, some do go with total Bhakti.
There are different stages in one’s progress towards the realisation of the Ultimate. When God wills that they should go to a higher level, He will bring about suitable situations by which they will become more introverted.
EDITOR ANSWERS
Question: Usually, whenever we are in trouble, we remember the deity whom we worship and intensely pray to Him for relief. We then realise that this form of worship has not helped us go beyond the circle of ‘me’ and ‘mine’. How can we transform such worship into one of a higher form?
Answer: Right from our childhood, we have been tutored to approach God in the form of deities. In the initial stages, deity worship enables us to accept the truth that there is a Higher Power. In our moments of crisis, we wholeheartedly pray for immediate relief. Proportionate to our faith, our prayers are answered. However, the limiting factor to this approach is that it makes us believe that God, whom we pray to, is outside — an Entity other than ourselves. This brings about a sense of separation between us, God and the rest of the manifestation leading to the dominance of ‘me’ and ‘mine’.
At some point in life, God mysteriously brings us in touch with spiritual preceptors or scriptures to make us aware that He is not merely in deities, but is also the in-dwelling and all-pervading Reality. Slowly the truth dawns that God stands for the Subtle and Mysterious Power expressing in the form of Life Force, Awareness, Intelligence, Creativity, Love, Compassion and the like. As these are abstract ideas, it is difficult to offer worship to these attributes of the Divine. Therefore, offering worship to the deities with the Bhavana that they symbolise all these facets sets in motion the process of transformation of worship from the Form to the Formless.
In this context a Shloka from the Bhagavad Gita throws some more light; the Lord said:
“I am the generating Seed of all living beings, O Arjuna. No creature moving or non-moving can exist without Me.” Only when we try to understand that all of us have come from Him and that He is the source of all creations, we will realise that He is not only in temples but is also in all creations, including us. A stage then comes where the outer worship goes on and simultaneously an effort is also made to know Him as the in-dwelling Reality. Idol worship has its relevance and needs to be given its due importance because its essence helps us to gradually transform our devotion, which would encompass worshipping Him as the Formless and beyond.
WORSHIPING HIM INCLUDES SEVA OF CO-CREATIONS
“To serve your fellow beings is to serve God.”— Swami Ramdas
Normally our devotional activities are centred on deity worship and the ancillary festivals; and this hardly connects with the common run of life. But as we progresses in the truest form of devotion, our worship will not be limited to idols alone; it will also be extended to serving Him through as many co-creations as possible by becoming sensitive to their needs and sufferings.
Here is a real-life incident…
Many years ago, an ardent devotee of the Ashram, was diagnosed with a heart problem and doctors recommended an immediate open-heart surgery. As the surgery was quite expensive, he did not know how to move forward; but, as was his practice, he left it in the ever-protecting hands of the Lord.
In the meantime, an ex-colleague of this devotee, who is also a great Bhakta, got to know about the surgery. Though he was scheduled to go on a pilgrimage to various famous temples around that time, on hearing of the impending surgery, without a second thought he dropped his plans, cancelled his tickets and visited the devotee. He said, “Here is the money for your surgery, go ahead with it immediately.”
The devotee, who totally relies on the Lord, was able to see the Divine in the form of this gesture. Thus, the Lord revealed that devotion to deities in temples and serving our fellow-beings and creatures are like the obverse and reverse sides of the same coin.
HEARTS OF DEVOTEES ARE TEMPLE OF THE LORD
By Mother Vanamali
When Lord Krishna wanted to return to His abode, Uddhava asked Him, “When you have departed from these mortal coils, O Lord, where will I find You? Where will I seek You?”
The Holy One replied, “Go to My temples, O Uddhava! I will be residing there. And if you are in any doubt as to where My temples are situated, I will tell you. My temples are in the hearts of My devotees. Therefore, go where My devotees congregate. Wherever you hear My names chanted and My stories recited, there will I also be. Therefore, seek Me among My devotees, for, through them I will ever manifest Myself in this world”.
Source: Srikrishna Lila
TO LOVE ALL IS THE TRUE BHAKTI OF GOD
One day when Dwarkadas, a close-minded follower of the caste system, was engaged in his Puja in the Kasaragod Ashram. Kanda, a so-called untouchable, approached him with a gift of a bunch of ripe plantains.
The former flared up and shouted: “How dare you come near me? Don’t you see that I doing Puja? Get away from my presence.” Kanda shrank back.
Beloved Papa observed the whole game. Getting up he quietly proceeded towards Dwarkadas, collected the images and the Puja materials by folding up the cloth on which they were placed and flung them into the ditch. Dwarkadas was stunned. Then Beloved Papa said: “Look here, Ramji, your devotions have been taking decidedly a wrong turn. That devotee (Kanda) came to you with a heart full of love. You chose to discard him. That means you have discarded the very love of God. For you in future the living human image should be God. Worshipping brass images and conceiving hatred for man is not devotion.” Instantly Dwarkadas got up and going to Kanda fell at his feet.
Source: Paraphrased anecdote from Beloved Papa’s book, IN THE VISION OF GOD
EPISTLES OF SWAMI RAMDAS
Bhakti is the beginning; Bhakti is the end. Bhakti is the way; Bhakti is the goal. Jnana and Karma are only necessary props on which is hoisted the majestic dome of Bhakti.
God says, “I am the same to all beings but My devotees are dear to Me.” So, true devotion is based on the equality of vision. Samadarshan gives knowledge and peace. Bhakti gives pure love and Premanand. Knowledge enlightens and upholds; devotion yields thrills of joy and ecstasy. The two combined make Purna Yoga.
Behold God as all, and still be His child and servant. You are at once He and His child. God is His own devotee. He is a mystery, but a revealed mystery — revealed in love and joy. To be ever singing His name and glories is to be in tune with Him. Beloved Ram is captured within our heart. “Where can You go, O Beloved? Thou art always in Thy child.” Surrender to Him, and He looks after you, plans and arranges everything for the best for you. He is the all-loving Divine Mother.
LEARNING FROM THE SCHOOL OF LIFE
Unveiling The Inherent Human Values From Frequently Used Articles
“We have the magnificent book of nature spread out before us — a picture of unsurpassing beauty and charm — the spontaneous and blissful self-expression of the indwelling God. Let us look at it, read in it the glorious presentation and the varied activity of the Beloved. Look on the infinite play of the Infinite One, and by deep absorption into the Beloved — the Universal Being — enjoy immortal joy. This is the goal — all else is ephemeral and not worth striving for.” — Swami Ramdas
Every object that we use in our day-to-day lives conveys some aspects of human values. Normally we do not cognise these values, but the moment we start viewing everything with this perspective, we will come to accept that ‘nothing is irrelevant, nothing is unimportant and nothing is insignificant.’
Here are a couple of examples:
t Signpost:
HOMAGE TO LUMINARIES
Spiritual luminaries awaken the sleeping soul to the awareness of its immortal and all-blissful nature. They live what they preach and preach what they live. Their influence inspires the hearts, minds, and souls of the human beings they come in contact with. Thus, in line with the teachings of Beloved Papa, THE VISION will feature a few words of reverential adoration in honour of a couple of Mahatmas every month:
Nationalism was a prominent theme in Swami Vivekananda’s thought. He wanted to set in motion a machinery which would bring noblest ideas to the doorstep of the poorest and the meanest. He was a patriot among saints and saint among patriots.
t 21st Jan 2024, the 129th Jayanti Swami Omkarji Maharaj:
As soon as one enters the Samadhi Mandir at Shanti Ashram in Thotapalli (Andra Pradesh) — founded by Swami Omkarji Maharaj in 1917 — one sees the following words: “Swami is dead; Omkar is alive in your heart.” Through these words it is conveyed that ‘OMKAR’ stands for the Base, the Substratum, the Prop and Support of everything, which is eternal. Bodies come and go, but ‘Omkar’ is always there.
On these occasions, THE VISION offers its homage to these great Mahatmas and seeks their beneficent blessings on one and all for speedy spiritual progress culminating in experiencing the absence of otherness.
IMPORTANT DAYS IN 2024
| February 16 | Friday | Pujya Mataji Krishnabai’s Mahasamadhi Day |
| April 23 | Tuesday | Beloved Papa Swami Ramdas’ Jayanti |
| July 21 | Sunday | Guru Purnima |
| August 9 | Friday | Beloved Papa’s Mahasamadhi Day |
| October 2 | Wednesday | Pujya Mataji Krishnabai’s Jayanti |
| October 12 | Saturday | Pujya Swami Satchidanandaji’s Mahasamadhi Day |
| November 12 | Tuesday | Pujya Swami Satchidanandaji’s Jayanti |
| December 27 | Friday | Beloved Papa’s Sannyas Day |
ANANDASHRAM NEWS
15,500-CRORE NAMA JAPA YAGNA FOR WORLD PEACE:
The total Japa received in the fourth round of the 15500-Crore Nama Japa Yagna For World Peace in the month of November 2023, which includes the count given by Ram Nam Bank in Chennai, is 200 crores, chanted by 173265 devotees. The grand total of the Japa done so far in this round now stands at 1210 crores.
***
ANAND KUTIR:
t Ram Nam:
By the abundant grace of Beloved Papa, Ram Nam sessions were held in Anand Kutir from 5:00 to 5:30 pm on the 26th of November and then on the 3rd December 2023. In these soulful sessions, Ram Nam was sung in a slow tune to aid the mind in concentrating on the chanting.
t Sessions With Children:
In the month of November, 11 interactive sessions were held with children at Anand Kutir, in which 457 students participated. Some of the points shared by the children were:
- A little care in our speech and behaviour will make a big difference.
- Hunger is not only experienced by humans.
- Gratitude should be expressed for all that has been provided by God.
- Our life should be a payback to society.
- Mutual respect and community perspective should be developed.
- We owe everything to others and therefore we should think of others as well.
- Everyone we meet plays an important role in our life.
- ‘We’ is correct, not ‘me’!
***
YEAR-END PROGRAMMES 2023:
In order to give a boost to our spiritual practices, Beloved Papa arranged to have Ram Nam, Bhajans and Satsang sessions from 23rd to the 31st of December 2023.
The joy of having so many devotees of the same mindset, hailing from various places, joining the chanting round-the-clock, adds to the electric atmosphere caused by the spiritual fervour.
Along with the Nama Chanting, as prompted by Beloved Papa, some facets of the spiritual journey were also dwelt upon. Due to paucity of space, the details of the programmes will appear in the February issue of THE VISION.
BOOK IN FOCUS
'WORLD IS GOD'
This book divulges how spirituality is expressed in the form of expansiveness — growing from the individual to the Universal.
Available in English, Tamil and Kannada.
THOUGHT FOR THE MONTH
“In image worship, we superimpose on the image of the Atman in us. That is Avahana. When the worship is over, the superimposed Atman is withdrawn from the image. That is Visarjana. In this way we come to know that we worship our own Atman in the form of the image. In the end we get the vision of the Atman.” — Swami Ramdas
DOWNLOAD THE VISION
Devotees can download the PDF version or the audio book this issue of THE VISION by clicking on the relevant links.
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