How to attain individual happiness and the path to greatness for societies and individuals!

Many of us reading this post may have already achieved a fair degree of material, educational and career success. Yet happiness and 'peace of mind' remain elusive. If we have a million dollars , we need another five to make us feel secure and happy. If we have a house , we still need a larger one ....and we are never quite satisfied and happy with what we have !

The following excerpts are from the writings of Acharya Shriram Sharma (who was  Ramkrishna Paramhansa , Kabir and Samarth Guru RamDass in his former lives) that nudge us to PAUSE and THINK! They tell us that apart from securing a basic living for ourselves and our family, real happiness does not lie with career or material success. Then where does real happiness lie? How do we reduce stress and achieve peace of mind? The following excerpts from the short, simple and succinct book "Pause and Think" help us find some pointers towards this direction .

Quoted Text -How to achieve individual happiness and ensure collective progress of society :

Thirst for wealth and leaving a monetary  inheritance for children:

"The thirst for wealth, like lust and anger, produces insensitivity and  makes us hard -hearted. Humanity, therefore  does not lie in looting the goods of others, stealing from others and insufficient payment for work done by others. Man be-gets  severe downfall through such acts. 
Do you wish to make your children lazy and useless by leaving such sinful earnings as  their inheritance? Why do you wish to collect that wealth which is not going to accompany you to your next life? Why do you come within its grip? If you forget your soul and the goal of life by becoming a victim of greed, how will such wealth benefit you ? Just leave it. Joy lies only in the income earned through  hard and honest work.

Feelings of jealousy while witnessing others progress:

The feeling of jealousy is another reason for a man's downfall. One progresses according to his capacity and circumstances. When one's capacity is developed with humaneness, nobody's interest is hurt. However, when one develops jealousy and-malice on seeing the prosperity of others, that ensures the person's  personal downfall and there starts the collective downfall of society..

Man's life is not for burning away in malice and jealousy. God has given us this human body for developing within us the attitudes of service, warmth, love,compassion, justice etc. We should imbibe these for developing excellence of character-to make for a purposeful life, to make people happy and contribute towards spreading-happiness in society.

The aim of spirituality:

The aim of spiritualism is to save men from the damage of sins and bad thoughts and lead them to peace and happiness through truth and religion. It is wrong to assume that we will be at a loss by adopting a religious life. That "religion" which causes loss and harm to society cannot be called religion, because the practice of a religious life teaches good behaviour should bring peace. 
The hypocrisy practised by certain Gurus or Baba's or other self proclaimed prophets is not religion and joining such sects always causes harm. Real religion gives correct guidelines of moral conduct and leads to progress both  in this as well as outer worlds. In ancient India when religious atmosphere prevailed in every household, there was wealth, strength, knowledge, love, warmth and  joy. Today when most of us have adopted immoral, irreligious thinking and behaviour, we find hell dominating the households.

Today we find ourselves surrounded by demoniacal tendencies. Our individual lives are also seen to be filled with them. As a result, despite getting the gift of human life, we are living a despicable life. Similarly the social system  is also dominated by corruption and greed , because of which, troubles have taken hold of our health, economy, society, political life, mutual relations, morality, ability, industrial production etc. Thus there is turmoil in every section of the society.

There is only one solution for individual happiness and peace in the society -the development of good tendencies and defeat of demoniacal tendencies. Unless and until the demoniacal tendencies are defeated, the restless atmosphere cannot be ruled out.

Lord Buddha on self interest and selfishness :

Who is the smallest one in the world?” asked a child. Lord Buddha became serious and said, “One who thinks of himself alone and thinks only his self interest as most important”. In these few and simple words he drew the outlines of practical spiritualism. The aim of soul's uplift or development is that man should come out of his narrow mindedness for personal pleasures and become broad -minded and generous towards society. 
Joy  does not lie in taking from others, but in giving to others. As long as man has the ambition and keen desire of only collecting and storing away for himself , he remains  small, lowly, helpless, and useless. But the moment he uses his mind, body, intelligence and his capacities for the greater good of humanity, his greatness also starts spreading its fragrance all round.

Source and credits :

The above are excerpts from the writings of Acharya Shriram Sharma aggregated in a book titled "Pause and Think". Acharya Shriram Sharma wrote in Hindi and the English translations have been done by his readers and followers.
Visit our Life Transforming Books section to explore books on a variety of subjects. Visit our ONLINE BOOK STORE to read these fabulous books online.

Free Book Download from Spiritualbee.com : The Master as I saw HIM - by Sister Nivedita

“The Master as I Saw Him” is a wonderful book, famous for its chronicling of intense spiritual experiences from the life of Swami Vivekananda, as noted by his disciple Sister Nivedita. Among the many gripping anecdotes that occur in this book are:

• Lord Buddha manifesting before Vivekananda, as he sat meditating in his room, as a youth;
• The bestowing of the boon of “death at will” by Lord Shiva, when Vivekananda visited the Himalayan shrine of Amarnath;
• His actual hearing of the divine voice of ‘the Mother’ at Kshir Bhowani temple;
• His experience of the Nirvikalpa Samadhi or complete mergence with God;
• The Swami’s vision of an ancient Rishi (sage) belonging to the Vedic period (at least 4000-3000 BC), chanting Sanskrit mantras from the Vedas, in an ancient rhythm long forgotten;
• His encounter with distressed spirits who had committed suicide.

Click here to read the FULL SUMMARY AND TO DOWNLOAD THIS BOOK >>

What is the meaning of Sadhana ?

When we read on the subject of worship and spirituality - we  often come across the word Sadhana and are encouraged by all illumined spiritual Masters to engage in Sadhana. But what exactly is Sadhana? and how do we apply it practically in our lives ?

Enclosed here is a simple definition of Sadhana in Hindi , followed by a translation in  English. These two definitions are by two spiritual giants of the modern era - Acharya Shriram Sharma and his Life consort - Vandaniya Mataji Bhagwati Devi Sharma .

Acharya Shriram Sharma on Sadhana  :

Translation :

"However bad a person maybe, one ray of Righteous Knowledge is sufficient  enough to get the person  back onto the right path. The only thing required from the person is the resolve to do so . Unlike glass and stone which when once shaped cannot be changed, our mind however can be changed, reshaped  and reformed.

Repeated efforts made by us to reshape our minds by reducing  our weakness's and increasing  our strengths and virtues is called Sadhana.

 Vandaniya Mataji on Sadhana :

English Translation :

"Sadhana means - Making truthful efforts at self improvement while fighting relentlessly with difficulties ".

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Additional reading on the subject of Upasana, Sadhana and Aradhana:

How Do You Pray (2) -The Three Requirements and Benefits of Meaningful Worship

DO IT ANYWAY ! - A prayer by Mother Teresa

How to Live your Life - An inspiring short prayer by Mother Teresa......

“People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway. 

If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway. 

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway.”

                                                                                        Mother Teresa      

                                                                          
A short and memorable quote from the famous American poet and educator- H W Longfellow:

Kind hearts are the gardens,
Kind thoughts are the roots,
Kind words are the flowers,
Kind deeds are the fruits,
Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds,
Fill it with sunshine , kind words and kind deeds.
                                                                                  H W Longfellow                                          

The Meaning , Strength and Greatness of the Gayatri Mantra - as told by our ancient Rishi's and Muni's.

Enclosed here is a presentation on the Greatness, Glory, and Scientific merits   of the Gayatri Mantra as extolled by our ancient and wise Rishi's and Muni's . This slide presentation is based on the Book - The Super Science of Gayatri written by the 21st century spiritual scientist and enlightened Gayatri Sadhak - Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya.

The worship of Gayatri is a critical need of the modern times. With advancement in Science and Technology we have seen unprecedented material progress. With this rise in material progress we have seen a decline in moral standards and values in the world. 

Scientific progress without the balance provided by  " Righteous Intellect and Wisdom " (Gayatri) will continue to create imbalances in our lives. It is also imperative for us to have inclusive growth - that is to ensure material and spiritual progress of all members of society and not just a select few.

True progress of society therefore  can only be defined as Scientific and Technological progress accompanied by the Wisdom of Righteous Intellect. Hence the need for Gayatri Worship today ........

Additional reading  on the Gayatri Mantra:

The Gayatri Mantra (1) - Its Origin, Meaning, Scientific Impact on our Mind and Body.

The Gayatri Mantra (2):Its Meaning, Its Material and Spiritual benefits.

To read or download the fabulous Book - The Super Science of Gayatri , please visit our Life Transforming Books section .

The time factor in spiritual progress - Why some people are more spiritual than others?

Enclosed here is a short excerpt from "The Gospel of Shri Ramakhrishna Paramhansa" that indicates the reason for the varying levels or degree of interest that different people may have for Spirituality. This short excerpt tells us why some people are more spiritual than others?

In the passage below the author of the Gospel of Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa is referred to as "M" and the "Master " is Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

The time factor in spiritual progress: An excerpt from The Gospel

"MASTER: "Yes, it is good to listen to these things. But nothing will happen except at the right time. 

What can quinine do for a fever patient when he runs a high temperature? Only when his temperature comes down through the use of 'fever mixture' or a purgative should quinine be prescribed. There are patients who get rid of their fever even without quinine. 

A child said to his mother, when he was put to bed, 'Mother, please wake me up when I feel the call of nature.' The mother said: 'My child, I shall not have to wake you. The urge itself will wake you.'

"Different kinds of people come here. 'Some come by boat with the devotees. But they do not enjoy spiritual talk. They keep nudging their friends and whispering: 'When shall we leave here? When are we going?' If the friends show no sign of getting up, they say, 'We would rather wait for you in the boat.'

"Those who have a human body for the first time need the experience of sense enjoyments. Spiritual consciousness is not awakened unless certain duties have been performed."

The Master was going to the pine-grove. With a smile he said to M., on the semicircular porch, "Well, what do you think of my state of mind?"

M. (smiling): "On the surface you are very simple, but inwardly very deep. It is extremely difficult to understand you."

MASTER (smiling): "True. It is like the cement floor of a house. People see only the outer surface and do not know how many materials there are under it."

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Source and credits : 

THE GOSPEL OF RAMAKRISHNA PARAMHANSA (http://belurmath.org/gospel/chapter26.htm)

Additional Note to the Readers : For those that are unaware : Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Acharya Shriram Sharma are one and the same . To read further details on this subject visit our " Life Transforming Books Section " and read Acharya Shriram Sharma's autobiographical work - My Life its Legacy and Message . You can also read our article " Who is Acharya Shriram Sharma" posted on our blog.

Inspirational Quotes and Short Stories - The Gospel of Ramakrishna Paramhansa !

Dear Readers - Enclosed here are some marvellous short stories, Tales and Fables with an Inspiring message which are extracts from the Gospel of Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa.
Ramakrishna's message was delivered to the common man through short stories that they could understand -emphasizing  the "Oneness of God" and were aimed at increasing " God Consciousness" and devotion in the minds of men who were increasingly  obsessed with only the material things in Life.

Worldly people have no time for spiritual practice: Akbar and the Holy man

"When Akbar was Emperor of Delhi there lived a hermit in a hut in the forest. Many people visited the holy man. At one time he felt a great desire to entertain his visitors. But how could he do so without money? So he decided to go to the Emperor for help, for the gate of Akbar's palace was always open to holy men. 

The hermit entered the palace while the Emperor was at his daily devotions and took a seat in a corner of the room. He heard the Emperor conclude his worship with the prayer, 'O God, give me money; give me riches', and so on and so forth. When the hermit heard this he was about to leave the prayer hall; but the Emperor signed to him to wait. 

When the prayer was over, Akbar said to him, 'You came to see me; how is it that you were about to leave without saying anything to me?' 'Your Majesty need not trouble yourself about it', answered the hermit. 'I must leave now.' 

When the Emperor insisted, the hermit said, 'Many people visit my hut, and so I came here to ask you for some money.' 'Then', said Akbar, 'why were you going away without speaking to me?' The hermit replied: 'I found that you too were a beggar; you too prayed to God for money and riches. Thereupon I said to myself, "Why should I beg of a beggar? If I must beg, let me beg of God." ' "

Source:http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter37.htm

Parable of the chameleon

"Listen to a story. Once a man entered a wood and saw a small animal on a tree. He came back and told another man that he had seen a creature of a beautiful red colour on a certain tree.
The second man replied: 'When I went into the wood, I also saw that animal. But why do you call it red? It is green.'
Another man who was present contradicted them both and insisted that it was yellow. Presently others arrived and contended that it was grey, violet, blue, and so forth and so on. At last they started quarrelling among themselves.
To settle the dispute they all went to the tree. They saw a man sitting under it. On being asked, he replied: 'Yes, I live under this tree and I know the animal very well. All your descriptions are true. Sometimes it appears red, sometimes yellow, and at other times blue, violet, grey, and so forth. It is a chameleon. And sometimes it has no colour at all. Now it has a colour, and now it has none.'

"In like manner, one who constantly thinks of God can know His real nature; he alone knows that God reveals Himself to seekers in various forms and aspects. God has attributes; then again He has none. Only the man who lives under the tree knows that the chameleon can appear in various colours, and he knows, further, that the animal at times has no colour at all. It is the others who suffer from the agony of futile argument.

"Kabir used to say, 'The formless Absolute is my Father, and God with form is my Mother.'

"God reveals Himself in the form which His devotee loves most. His love for the devotee knows no bounds. It is written in the Purana that God assumed the form of Rama for His heroic devotee, Hanuman.

Source :http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter06.htm

Dogmatism condemned

MASTER: "It is not good to feel that one's own religion alone is true and all others are false. God is one only, and not two. Different people call on Him by different names: some as Allah, some as God, and others as Krishna, Śiva, and Brahman. It is like the water in a lake. Some drink it at one place and call it 'jal', others at another place and call it 'pani', and still others at a third place and call it 'water'. The Hindus call it 'jal', the Christians 'water', and the Mussalmans 'pani'. But it is one and the same thing. Opinions are but paths. Each religion is only a path leading to God, as rivers come from different directions and ultimately become one in the one ocean.

Source:http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter12.htm

Oneness of God

"The Truth established in the Vedas, the Puranas, and the Tantras is but one Satchidananda. In the Vedas It is called Brahman, in the Puranas It is called Krishna, Rāma, and so on, and in the Tantras It is called Śiva. The one Satchidananda is called Brahman, Krishna, and Śiva."

The devotees were silent.

A VAISHNAVA DEVOTEE: "Sir, why should one think of God at all"

MASTER: "If a man really has that knowledge, then he is indeed liberated though living in a body.

Source: http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter12.htm

Three yogas explained by Master

"Innumerable are the ways that lead to God. There are the paths of jnāna, of karma, and of bhakti. If you are sincere, you will attain God in the end, whichever path you follow. Roughly speaking, there are three kinds of yoga: jnanayoga, karma yoga, and bhaktiyoga. 

"What is jnanayoga? The Jnāni seeks to realize Brahman. He discriminates, saying, 'Not this, not this'. He discriminates, saying, 'Brahman is real and the universe illusory.' He discriminates between the Real and the unreal. As he comes to the end of discrimination, he goes into samādhi and attains the Knowledge of Brahman. 

"What is karmayoga? Its aim is to fix one's mind on God by means of work. That is what you are teaching. It consists of breath-control, concentration, meditation, and so on, done in a spirit of detachment. If a householder performs his duties in the world in a spirit of detachment, surrendering the results to God and with devotion to God in his heart, he too may be said to practise karmayoga. Further, if a person performs worship, japa, and other forms of devotion, surrendering the results to God, he may be said to practise karmayoga. Attainment of God alone is the aim of karmayoga. 

"What is bhaktiyoga? It is to keep the mind on God by chanting His name and glories. For the Kaliyuga the path of devotion is easiest. This is indeed the path for this age. Source:http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter24.htm

Master's conception of Kāli
M: "But with him the meaning of Kāli is different. What the Vedas call the Supreme Brahman, he calls Kāli. What the Mussalmans call Allah and the Christians call God, he calls Kāli. He does not see many gods; he sees only one God. What the Brahma jnanis of olden times called Brahman, what the yogis call Ātman and the bhaktas call the Bhagavan, he calls Kāli.
http://www.belurmath.org/gospel/chapter47.htm

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Source and credits :

Visit our "Life Transforming Books Section" to read the Gospel of Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa.

The Gospel of Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa :http://guidingthoughts.blogspot.com/p/books-that-you-can-read.html

A guest post from SpiritualBee.com - Five cherished photos and anecdotes from Swami Vivekananda's Life

A fantastic article and must read guest post from Spiritualbee.com:

"Of all the photographs associated with the life of Swami Vivekananda, a few are especially memorable. Presented below is a collection of 5 cherished snapshots, along with some enlightening anecdotes from the life of this great teacher of Vedic spirituality.

Swami Vivekananda Makes His Debut at the Parliament of Religions and Electrifies the Audience with His “Sisters and Brothers” Address

The Parliament of Religions was the platform that catapulted Swami Vivekananda from a relatively unknown monk, to a world famous and beloved teacher of Vedanta.

On 11th September 1893, Swami Vivekananda arose for the first time, to address an august gathering of 7,000 people, with the words “Sisters and Brothers of America” (instead of the customary “Ladies and Gentlemen”). This simple, yet sincere greeting from an unknown monk, so moved the audience that the entire hall immediately stood up to an applause which lasted for a full two minutes (Vivekananda a Biography, page 133: World, India).

Newspapers of the time report, that by the time his speech ended, the crowd was so enamored that people were clamoring over benches to get near him.

Later Swami Vivekananda reminiscing about the incident explained how the pure and noble thoughts, which he had meticulously cultivated all his life, had become the storehouse of so much power, that just a few words were sufficient to touch the hearts of many:...................."

To view these "one of a kind" memorable pictures of Swamiji and read the complete post, please click the link below: 

http://www.spiritualbee.com/posts/photos-anecdotes-from-life-of-swami-vivekananda/

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Scientific explanation of Lord Shiva and the symbolism of the Shivling- Video in Hindi

The enclosed video is a short 15 minute capsule on the scientific explanation  of Lord Shiva and the symbolism of the Shivling in Vedic religion. Today we know with certainity that  The ancient Indian Rishi's formed symbols to explain to the common man (in ways they could then understand) the scientific and eternal truths that they experienced and saw through their spiritual eyes. 

With modern day scientific equipment  we can now see 3D images of space, electrons, neutrons, protons, DNA streams  and can therefore make informed  links between the symbols of ancient times and scientific realities of space, time and creation as evidenced today. With the help of this knowledge we   can now  properly and fully understand  and contextualise what the ancient Sages experienced through advanced meditative stages  . 

Much of the scientific knowledge contained in the Upanishads and Vedas was lost -as India experienced invasions from other races and countries and remained under foreign  rule for centuries. We saw many educated people alienating themselves from Vedic Spirituality as the spiritual symbols lacked proper scientific expalnations that were relevant and in keeping with  our times. 

Shantikunj, the scientific spirituality  reserach laboratory established by Acharya Shriram Sharma is making concerted efforts to rediscover, re-establish and disseminate lost scientific knowledge underlying  our Vedic heritage. The enclosed video is one of the many steps in that direction.

The below mentioned video, released by Shantikunj on the occassion of Mahashivratri explains the symbolism of Lord Shiv and the Shivling with respect to Creation and Destruction. 

To watch this excellent and informative video, please click the following link :http://youtu.be/Xi0WeNtrkUk

If you found this video informative, may we request you to share this knowledge with others who may benefit from the same.                                        

Source and credits : awgp.org

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