My master has given me such a passion for Parmatma, for Spirituality, for Love, for Meditation. That beloved Master has blessed my life with so much so, that with his grace I find my life so fulfilled with knowledge, love and bliss. See, whatever duties one has got in his life to be performed physically, keeps on doing that. If you're a teacher, you'll teach. If you're a doctor, you'll treat. If you're a cop, you will perform your duty. If you're a housewife, you will manage home. If you're a shop-keeper, you'll run a shop. However, while doing everything, back of the mind, deep in your heart deep in the mind, corner of the heart, may the flame of Lord's love always keep ignited. May this light of knowledge keeps shining in you. Truly speaking, there is no need to go to any heaven after death, this very life becomes your paradise, your empyrean. Reverend Swami Akhandanand Saraswati used to say, that as your mind is, so is your situation. If your mind keeps worrying about your physical body all the time, so understand, that you're corporeal. This anatomy which is a crate full of filth and made of flesh and bones, you're living merely as a body. If you have an urge to sin, you are a sinner. If you have the urge to do virtues, then you are virtuous. If there is remembrance of Lord Vishnu in your heart, then you're a Vaishnav in the kingdom of Lord Vishnu. If the conformation of Lord Rama continues in your mind, then you are a devotee of Lord Rama. If you meditate upon Shiva chanting, then your mind becomes embodiment of Shiva. And, when your mind keeps on contemplating continuously, "Who am I?", "What is Atma?", "What is Brahman?", you're a pure Vedanti (Knower of Vedas). or should I say, you're semblance to Brahman. So, as the mind thinks, so are you. Now the question arises, How you wish to be? How you want to become? The urge for that thing should remain in your mind. If the urge for that thing remains in your mind, then the mind will keep on thinking about that same thing again and again. Just few days back, here in Ashram, I recorded 'Chaupai Sahib' written by Shri Guru Gobind Singh Maharaj. After mixing and mastering, when the final recording came to me, it was night time and I was listening it. The composition came excellent. The voice is as it is, but these people improve it even better, technically. So, I was listening to it and after listening it was time to go to bed. So, I turned off the lights and went asleep. And, when I woke up at around 4:30 am, 'Chaupai Sahib' was resonating in the mind. Aha! Slept listening in the night, and got up in morning, but what's going on in the mind? 'Chaupai Sahib.' This is why I always suggest to practice Mantra chanting before going asleep in the night. Because the last thought that would be pondering in your mind, after getting up next morning will turn to be the first thought of the conscious mind. The last becomes the first. While worrying and infuriating....... One of my disciple was laughing and telling me the other day, that he saw a weird dream. I asked, "what did you see?" He said, "I saw a politician in my dream with whom I am trying to take a selfie but I don't have the selfie stick." But far and wide, this person has no relation with politics. Now, he might have been watching News before falling asleep and that politician came into his dreams. I can't take the name of that politician, isn't a good thing. Things turn into something else. If I am not naming the dreamer, then why should I name the person who came in the dream. So, I keep the both as confidential. So, he was laughing and telling me that I was trying to selfie with him but had no selfie stick and that politician was saying never mind we will take selfie. I asked, "Did you take it or not?" He said, neither I took while dreaming nor I have any desire of taking during the wake state. So, be very watchful; what are your last thoughts before you sleep. If you will asleep with the thoughts like chaos of the house, altercation of mother-in-law between daughter-in-law, Jarring between brothers and conflicts of business, So, remember this will keep on going in your mind all night long. and this won't be a nice thing. That is why our sages and great men said that before sleeping at night, you must practice meditation for some time. Ideally speaking, I would say that when you turn off the lights, breathe deep while sitting on the bed. And if your spouse has no objection, then also do chanting of 'Omkar.' Don't be so loud, chant 'Om' in medium sound and listen to it. Take a deep breath and chant 'Om'. Take a deep breath and chant 'Om'. You may also do the humming sound of 'Om.' Slowly and slowly while doing humming sound and chiming 'Om' in the mind, go to sleep. It's quite possible that after few months, one day you'll get up in the morning and realize the chanting of 'Om' is still going on in the mind. Still the hum of 'Om' is going on. What a wonderful thing it would be. Our mind would become so peaceful. Our mind can be so tranquil, if we dive inside our mind like this, especially during sleep time in the night And when you wake up in the morning, take a bath and sit down again to mediate, can be with chanting of Guru Mantra, or with your favorite shabad, hymn or song. Keep on singing that song. Now, see the session started with the name of Lord Rama today, so continuing that series further, I tell you that the name of the Master of saint Kabir was Swami Ramanand. He was a Mahatma of Ramanuja sect and was a Sannyasin. And.... He used to meditate on the Saguna form of Shri Ram and also used to meditate on the Nirguna form. He was a Vedanti as well as a Saguna worshiper. After a while, he settled in Kaashi city. He made a place in Kaashi itself. And his contemplation and observation adopted myriad new colors here. First, Swami Ramanand realized that the idol of Lord Rama only is not Lord Rama. Lord Rama is not only an appearance, Lord Rama is ever truthful, blissful, conscious and omnipresent. So, with so much reverence he used to chant the name of Rama and had also inscribed the name of Rama on his body. Now as much as his contemplation of Vedanta became so deep, he wrote so many beautiful texts on Vedanta. And then, two more things got added to his revolutionary ideology. First, he allowed women to listen to his discourses. And said that women.... many believed in that era, that women could not read Vedas, could not hear knowledge, could not recite Om. So, Swami Ramanand opened these restrictions to women and Shudras (lowest caste of the Hindu caste system). Let me request one thing again, Shudra does not mean untouchable. Shudra is the one who has the feeling to serve others. That is called Shudra. So, how can the feeling of serving others be nasty? But out of sheer ignorance, and the ones who were ruling that time those rulers had created so much of discrimination on the grounds of caste in the society. So, the women and the Shudras used to be kept away from the spiritual discourses. A woman was being told that her husband is her only God and she doesn't need to do anything else other than serving him. That's it! However, Swami Ramanand opened doors for his discourses to everyone. And then amongst his disciples, Sant Raidas and Sant Kabir turned out to be as the perfect disciples. His disciple king Peepa and further 'Meera Bai' was the disciple of Sant Raidas. So, such a wonderful saint tradition was initiated by Swami Ramanand ji. And, just one of his bhajan is also compiled in Adi Sri Guru Granth Sahib. He says, "Kat jaiyeh re ghar lago rang" - O whither should I go, there is bliss in my very home. Where should I go, I am full of colors at my house itself! "Mera chit na chalai man bhaio pang" - 'Pang' means handicapped. But here 'Pang' means the mind doesn't wander now, why? My mind is now meditative. The way a crippled cannot walk, similarly my mind is unable to wander anywhere because it's resting in Samadhi. "Ek divas man bhai umang, Ghas chandan choa baho sugandh" Swamiji says, "One day my mind welled up a desire" Which desire welled up? that he should proceed to Lord's place to worship Him. So, I rubbed sandal-wood and embellished a plate with many perfumes "Pujan chali barahm thae" - When I proceeded to worship Brahman, "So barahm bataio gur man hi mahi" My Master taught me that Brahman which you are trying to worship, isn't present outside in a temple; but is present everywhere. That Brahman is the foundation of your own mind, where would you go to worship Lord. "Jaha jaiai tah jal pakhan, Tu pur rahio hai sabh saman." He says, when you go to a pilgrimage...Let me tell you again, this statement is not of a communist. This statement is not of an atheist. This statement is of a devotee whose every breath is permeated with the name of Lord Rama, who is a sannyasin. But this sannyasin is the one who is a devotee of Lord Rama as well as a Vedanti. So he says, wherever you go, you will either find water or stones in temple. All the idols are built of stone. "Jaha jaiai tah jal pakhan, Tu pur rahio hai sabh saman." Thou, O Lord, are equally contained in everything. The place where I am seated, you are there too. The tray that I will decorate, you're in that tray too. The sandal-wood that I will rub for you, you're in that sandal-wood too. You're in that incense stick too, in my mind too, in my body too. So, where should I go to worship you? "Bed puran sabh dekhe joe" "Uhan tao jaiai jao ihan na hoe" The Vedas and Puranas all I have seen and searched, He not only orated the Vedas but also read all. He was a scholar Mahatma. He says, "The Vedas and Puranas all I have seen and searched and out of my experience I can say that I would go there only if the Lord be not here." When he's here, why should I go there? "Satgur mai balihari tor, Jin sakal bikal bharam kate mor" My True Guru, I sacrifice unto you, who has cut away all my perplexities and doubts. These doubts were onerous, but you removed them all. "Ramanand suami ramat barahm, Gur ka sabad katai kot karam" The Guru's word has the potential to destroy millions of our misdeeds. And I Ramanand Swami rejoice in that all-pervading Lord. I rejoice in that same Brahman. "Brahm deese Brahm suniye ek ek vkhaniye, Atam pasara karanhara prabh bina nahi janiye" Brahman is the sight, Brahman is the seer, Brahman is the listener, Brahman is the speaker. Brahman is the mind and is the basic foundation of all. Brahman means colossal. Brahman means Truth, Conscious, Bliss and Omnipresent. Wah! Wah!
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