His
holiness Abhinava Vidyateerta swamigal – excerpts from His book “Gems of
Spiritual Wisdom”
Mind
Control
It is not
the object is desired for its own sake in reality. It is for one’s own sake that one desires
objects.
A man
cares for his son not merely for the sake of the boy but because he feels that
his happiness lies in his son’s happiness.
Even acts
of self-sacrifice are motivated by the desire for happiness.
Mediation
“Dhyana” is the state
wherein the mind concentrates on just one object. If mental concentration is achieved by
practice, the mind can then be turned towards Ishwara and being, thus purified, it can be directed towards the
Atman, which is formless and devoid of attributes.
Normally, Dhyana alone in insufficient to control desires. When one is not doing meditation, one should
assiduously cultivate dispaasion by the perception of faults in objects. Studying spiritual texts daily and
contemplating on the ideas expressed therein help one to conquer diseases. The company of sages is very helpful in
cubing longings.
Guru
A person, may, peruse the Upanishads, which expound
the “Truth” and reflect deeply on the import of the scriptures. But, this much is insufficient for him to get
direct realization of the Supreme and hence, liberation. The grace and
instructions of a Guru are vital for the dawn of enlightenment.
Mental puja
Mental puja requires no external accessory. It is akin to meditation. Here, the devotee mentally imagines the form
of the “Ishta Devata”. Sandal paste, flowers, incense, lamp,
food, etc are mentally conceived and offered.
This puja is superior to external puja since, here, the mind is
completely concentrated on the “Ishta Devata”.
Devotion
to God
If we
keep thinking positively of a particular object, attachment towards it
develops. If we repeatedly, think of
some action as important, attachment arises towards it. Likewise, if we incessantly think, “He is
Supreme, There is immense happiness in contemplating on Him”, devotion towards Ishwara
will become firmly established.
Intrinsically,
God has no form. But, he can take on any
form. God comes to some in the guise of
a friend. For instance, Krishna came to
Arjuna as a friend. He came to Vasudeva and Devaki not as the Supreme but as
their son. To kamsa, He appeared
in the role of an enemy. We cannot know
in what form He will come to us
Dharma
When we
start gazing at massive Gopuram,
we feel insignificant. We realise that compared to the huge
structure, we are an insect-like creature.
Our ancestors built massive Gopurams to induce humility in
people.
River Ganga
does purify people. When the faith of
the p, eerson who resorts to her is intense, he is greately benefitted by
her. This, however, does not mean that
one will be redeemed if one commits sins deliberately and then, bathes in the Ganges.
The Sastras
say that in a marriage ceremony the Mantras should be chanted
properly. Nowhere, have the Sastras prescribed
a grand reception party or buying of expensive silk sarees and different
varieties of jewels. New clothing does
not mean expensive constumes. If huge
expenditure is incurred in marriages, the Sastras are not to be blamed.
Not only
in wordly but also in religious and spiritual matters, doubts and
misconceptions can cause great harm.
Lord Krishna told Arjuna, “Neither this world nor the next nor happiness
is there for one who has a doubting mind”.
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