Following are some great quotes on Spirituality ranging from How to become Spiritual? Does God have Form? The rewards of Public Service -what are they?
These short quotes and excerpts are from the book "My Life Its Legacy and Message" by Shriram Sharma Acharya. This autobiographical book describes the spiritual journey of Yugrishi Shiram Sharma Acharya under the guidance of his own Guru from the Himalayas .
Acharya Shriram Sharma was born to a noble, landed and wealthy family, and yet under the guidance of his Guru he renounced his wealth and instead poured his belongings and wealth into spreading Knowledge for greater public good.
He describes in detail the instructions given to him by the Parliament of Divine Rishis living in their astral formats in the Himalayas and how he was sent here by them be an instrument of change and to revive the concepts of Vedanta and incorporate them into practical daily lives of people.
We can take inspiration from his Life and several others like him, to share l a component our time, resources and labour for common public good, so that in the future our society is more even and well balanced in its growth and believes in righteous living.
These short quotes and excerpts are from the book "My Life Its Legacy and Message" by Shriram Sharma Acharya. This autobiographical book describes the spiritual journey of Yugrishi Shiram Sharma Acharya under the guidance of his own Guru from the Himalayas .
Acharya Shriram Sharma was born to a noble, landed and wealthy family, and yet under the guidance of his Guru he renounced his wealth and instead poured his belongings and wealth into spreading Knowledge for greater public good.
He describes in detail the instructions given to him by the Parliament of Divine Rishis living in their astral formats in the Himalayas and how he was sent here by them be an instrument of change and to revive the concepts of Vedanta and incorporate them into practical daily lives of people.
We can take inspiration from his Life and several others like him, to share l a component our time, resources and labour for common public good, so that in the future our society is more even and well balanced in its growth and believes in righteous living.
Quoted Text:
Does God have a FORM ? If not -What is the purpose of Imagining him as having FORM?
"God is conceived as "sakar' ( with form) for the purpose of meditation according to one's liking and belief and resembles a human figure. This conception is definitely essential and useful, but it has to be borne in mind that its imaginary and not real. God is one and cannot have so many forms as has been visualised by various religions and sects. The utility of form should be kept confined to practicising concentration of mind. The principle of underlying Idol worship is that effort should be made to understand, visualise, assimilate the Invisible God through the medium of a visible symbol."
"A small single grain of maize or bajra, when it develops into a plant yields more than a hundred such grains. Draupadi had torn a small portion of her sari and had given it to a saint so that he could use it as a langoti (a strip of cloth tucked around the waist) to cover his nudity. In course of time it magnified to such an extent that shri Krishna had to rush with a bundle of saris to help her in her moment of dire need.
My Gurudev said-"Whatever you want to get, start sowing its seed". I strictly followed this mantra and the result was according to his assurance. I dedicated all I had to the Viraat Brahma( humanity as a whole) . There could be no better fertile field to sow the seeds of goodness, nobility, service,selflessness etc. In a couple of years these yielded bumper crops and my godowns were all full with the rich harvest. Resources and resource persons were made available for the tasks which were entrusted to me.
My Gurudev said-"Whatever you want to get, start sowing its seed". I strictly followed this mantra and the result was according to his assurance. I dedicated all I had to the Viraat Brahma( humanity as a whole) . There could be no better fertile field to sow the seeds of goodness, nobility, service,selflessness etc. In a couple of years these yielded bumper crops and my godowns were all full with the rich harvest. Resources and resource persons were made available for the tasks which were entrusted to me.
From the point of view of physical build up, i was weak from my very birth but life force within has always been mighty.In my young age I had taken only bread of barley and buttermilk without any vegetables, ghee, or milk for twenty four years. The body was therefore bound to be lean and thin but having resorted to the technique of sowing and reaping it is so strong even at the age of 78 that when a few days back a bull ran amuck and assaulted me, it was pushed with the help of my shoulders and thrown flat on the ground and it had to beat a hasty retreat."
The technique of Sukshmikaran is followed by great Spiritual Scientists and seers - It involves getting the work of five and more human beings done by a single body! This is also explains why we experience the presence of great holy men as being present in multiple places at the same time .
"The Technique of "sukshmikaran"- of one into five is in progress . This has resulted in further thinning of the body. Still, this body is such a condition that it can remain alive as long as i wish to keep it, but I will not voluntarily do so because a stage comes when the body becomes a hurdle and hindrance and ought to be shed, as far greater work can be done through the astral body".
The life force of this body has worked ten times more than its normal capacity. Shankracharya and Vivekananda lived only for about thirty five years but accomplished what could not have been ordinarily accomplished in 350 years. In seventy eight years I have done so much work in different fields that in the ordinary course of mere human effort it could not have been done in less than 750 years. Intelligence was sown in the field of God and it manifested in the form of extraordinary brilliance. Literature of superb quality written by me so far is equivalent to the weight of my body".
Spiritual Path and Material Path:
"Spiritual path and material path are diametrically opposite to each other, and only one of them can be followed. If the world was pleased with someone his inmost self will not be happy with him. If the inner soul is satisfied, the displeasure of the worldly people will have to be suffered. This has generally happened in the lives of all true seekers of truth. It is very very rare that the pursuit of higher ideals has been approved by relatives. More often than not, the human soul had to surrender before the worldly people, high ideals had to be given up and the old soul-suffocating routine had to be carried on."
Instant and good Karma- The reward of Public Service!
"Sometimes, one has to wait for the next birth for getting the results of certain virtuous deeds, righteous actions. Public service, however, is such a universal good whose reward one gets instantly. We feel deep satisfaction in consoling others in the moment of their despair. There is a divine rule that the store of a benefactor never becomes empty. God’s grace always blesses him and whatever has been spent comes back multiplied manifold."
The store and coffers of a benefactor never goes empty:
"Sheep parts with its wool but it gets new wool every year. Trees yield fruits but their branches again get loaded with fresh fruits every season. Clouds go on raining but they never get emptied as they go on collecting water from the ocean.
The coffers of magnanimous persons never get empty. It is a different matter if a person donates his time, labour and resources to undeserving persons and blindly encourages evil tendencies and considers it to be a righteous deed.
Otherwise, public service is bound to be instantly rewarded. Whosoever invests in this enterprise is bound to be rewarded by soul-satisfaction, public respect and divine grace. Misers are those who foolishly boast of their shrewdness and cleverness but great is their loss in the ultimate analysis. "
The coffers of magnanimous persons never get empty. It is a different matter if a person donates his time, labour and resources to undeserving persons and blindly encourages evil tendencies and considers it to be a righteous deed.
Otherwise, public service is bound to be instantly rewarded. Whosoever invests in this enterprise is bound to be rewarded by soul-satisfaction, public respect and divine grace. Misers are those who foolishly boast of their shrewdness and cleverness but great is their loss in the ultimate analysis. "
The right way to do Public Service:
"Public service loses its significance when in return a man expects to get name and fame. It then becomes a business like publication of an advertisement in the papers. If a person is reminded of the favour done or something is expected in return, the efficacy of virtuousness is lost.
Donations given under pressure do not fulfill the true aims of a charitable purpose. The criterion is whether by such an act there is growth of kindly feelings and spread of righteous tendencies. "
Donations given under pressure do not fulfill the true aims of a charitable purpose. The criterion is whether by such an act there is growth of kindly feelings and spread of righteous tendencies. "
Is leaving behind Inheritance in terms of material wealth just and right?
"A grain of bajra or maize on being sown ripens and multiplies into hundred grains. This has actually happened with me when I sacrificed all I had. Members of the family should be maintained as long as they are not able to earn their livelihood.
To go on spending money, labour and intelligence on able-bodied and earning family members and die leaving property in inheritance for them is immoral and I have always opposed it. Money which comes unearned or ‘gratis’ is ill-gotten although it may be ancestral and inherited.
Having kept complete faith in this ideal, I did not allow my wealth in the form of physical and mental labour, emotional feelings and accumulated savings to pass on to the hands of undeserving persons. It was totally applied in the service of God, towards the growth of nobility and goodness in society.
The result is self-evident. If like a miser, I had used all my resources in self- gratification, hoarding or in spending on members of the family to make them multi-millionaires, it would all have been wasted. "
To go on spending money, labour and intelligence on able-bodied and earning family members and die leaving property in inheritance for them is immoral and I have always opposed it. Money which comes unearned or ‘gratis’ is ill-gotten although it may be ancestral and inherited.
Having kept complete faith in this ideal, I did not allow my wealth in the form of physical and mental labour, emotional feelings and accumulated savings to pass on to the hands of undeserving persons. It was totally applied in the service of God, towards the growth of nobility and goodness in society.
The result is self-evident. If like a miser, I had used all my resources in self- gratification, hoarding or in spending on members of the family to make them multi-millionaires, it would all have been wasted. "
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