I welcome all of you, who
love the god most and who hate the god most
Once a devotee asked Sri Ramakrishna
Paramahamsa to teach him an easy and sure way to realise God when the saint
replied that it was love of God and constant prayer to Him that would enable a
person to realise Him. The devotee insisted that he should be given only one
prescription as it will be difficult for him to follow both simultaneously. The
saint then told him that love of God was the basis of spiritual life and
started singing spontaneously comparing God to a mother who will come running
to her child the moment it calls out to her. Then he remarked that He was
always there though we did not pay heed to Him.
How does one develop love for God?
It is by constant singing of the divine names and His glory that one's heart
becomes purified enough to love Him. Initially the spiritual aspirant sings His
glory so that love blossoms in the heart but as love and devotion to God take
root, he revels in singing His praise. What was adopted as a means to an end
becomes the end in itself. Though this enables a person to progress
spiritually, one may wonder what relevance it has to worldly life. The benefit was
peace of mind when discrimination and dispassion resulted as a consequence of
love of God, said Swami Gautamananda in his discourse.
The human mind is the source of all
the problems man faces. The mind by nature will not engage in spiritual
pursuits. It is swayed by thoughts which arise due to desires. So spiritual
practices are advocated with the object of realising peace of mind. Mental
discrimination enables a person to understand the transient nature of worldly
life which will prod him to seek that which will give him eternal joy.
Dispassion is the corollary of discrimination of mind when the devotee eschews
worldly desires after understanding their fleeting nature.
It is not as if human beings are
unaware of the limitations of worldly life. Problems, suffering, old age and
death are facts of life which stare us in the face everyday if we look around
us. But it suits us not to face the reality with the misconception that they
will not afflict us. This paradox has been pointed out in the famous Yakshaprasna
section of the Mahabharata when Yudishtra was asked the question, ``What is the
greatest wonder in the world?'' to which he replied that man entertained the
misconception that he was immortal even though he confronted death all the
time. Spiritual life is thus the preparation man engages in throughout his
worldly life to realise God so that he is not caught unawares when it is time
to leave the world.
God always with us, in us and bless us!
aravindam
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