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Memorable Quotes |
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Report of the Sanatan's activity
in the U.S.A as of April 20, 2003 |
Monthly activity highlights
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Seeker Mrs.
Shilpa Kudtarkar** recently had the opportunity to visit
and stay at various Sanatan ashrams in
India. Through watching the efforts and progress of other
seekers in India, she learned that with constant effort,
intense desire and immediate implementation of guidance,
any and every seeker will progress rapidly. |
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During her trip to India,
Mrs. Kudtarkar also had the opportunity to meet seekers from
the Australia center
of the Sanatan. While all seekers outside India constantly
work on satseva projects
together, a majority of this work is either by e-mail or by
phone. They were very grateful to the Guru
principle for giving them the opportunity to meet and thereby
further developing the spiritual
love (prem bhav) that they have towards other seekers. |
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Upon Mrs. Kudtarkar's return
from India, seekers in New Jersey resumed their weekly satsangs.
During these satsangs, all seekers felt enthusiastic about
practicing the guidance given on increasing spiritual emotion
and felt marked reduction in distress caused by negative
energy. For example, prior to one satsang, Mrs. Kudtarkar
was having a lot of obstacles and neither her chanting* nor
her prayers were focused. Before the satsang, she made the
effort to chant for some time, and at that time she perceived
a lot of energy from Lord Ganesh's picture
and H. H. Dr. Jayant
Athavale's picture. Instantly she felt refreshed, a feeling
that lasted throughout the satsang.
[Being in satsang is very important for a seeker's development.
As shown above, it helps to increase one's spiritual emotion,
reduce the effects of negative energies upon one's spiritual
practice (sadhana)
and increase one's spiritual energy. (Refer to Issue 7,
Principles of Spirituality section for details on satsang.)
- Editor.]
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Seekers all over the U.S.
regularly make efforts to be in satsang, either physically
by being in one another's company, or by phone. Seeker Mrs.
Suhasini Kale of Connecticut,
regularly conducts satsangs, held either at her or seeker Mrs.
Monica Arora's residence. When physical satsang is not available,
Mrs. Kale calls fellow seekers in Illinois, Mrs. Kalpana Sharma
and Mrs. Shrividya. |
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Seeker Mrs. Jyotsna Ranade
recently moved from the U. K. to New Jersey in March and was
pleased to have Mrs. Kale as the first guest to visit. During
the visit, a satsang was held, where the main topic of discussion
was the importance of chanting. During the satsang, as well
as during her stay, Mrs. Kale felt a lot of energy and Mrs.
Ranade felt peaceful and would go into a meditative state. |
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Seekers Mr. and Mrs. Kudtarkar,
Mr. and Mrs. Kotigire, Mr. and Mrs. Ranade and Mrs. Babita
Sabherwal attended a satsang held at Mr. and Mrs. Ranade's
residence on April 20, 2003. The topic of prayer was discussed.
Seekers had many spiritual
experiences (anubhutis), such as seeing a blue light, going
into a meditative state and feeling peaceful. Seekers asked
questions such as, what to do if prayers become mechanical?
Why are prayers not answered? All seekers enjoyed the satsang
and scheduled another one for next weekend. (Refer to Issue 127,
Practical Guidance section for details on prayer.) |
Obstacles
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Mrs. Kale experienced
obstacles due to negative energy primarily while doing the
satseva of translation; for example, feeling very sleepy, headache
and burning in the eyes. To combat these obstacles, she took
such negative energy measures as dhoop, mandal,
drinking vibhuti water,
sprinkling vibhuti water on herself and on the computer, and
praying to the Guru principle and the computer on which she
does her satseva. Despite the satsang of Mrs. Ranade while
doing satseva, she still faced many problems. Then, both seekers
prayed, took measures for negative energy and were then able
to complete the satseva, due to which they felt gratitude to
God for getting the satseva done through them. |
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Mrs. Ranade has been having
a lot of health problems since moving into her new apartment.
The first day, she had to go to the hospital emergency room
for conjunctivitis, and problems such as headaches and backaches
are ongoing. Her daughter, Pranjali, had high fevers for a
week and despite the course of antibiotics, the fever did not
break, and so her treatment is ongoing. Despite such obstacles,
she has started taking all the negative energy measures. (Refer
to Issue 109,
Practical Guidance section and Issue 124,
Message to Seekers section for details on negative energy measures.)
Whatever little spiritual practice she is able to do, she feels
is totally due to God's grace. |
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Mrs. Kudtarkar was facing
a great deal of obstacles due to negative energies, and her
computer was also affected. After implementing guidance of
pasting a chanting
strip of Lord Krushna's name
and making a mandal around the computer every night, the negative
energy problems in the computer decreased (refer to Issue 158,
Message to Seekers section for details on this guidance). She
feels that it is only by the grace of the Guru that
she could sustain her efforts to chant, pray and constantly
drink vibhuti water. Due to those efforts, the distress reduced,
and she could resume her satseva. |
Recent guidance and its application
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Seekers have
been making efforts to develop spiritual emotion, as it increases
the potency of one's prayers and chanting, and also ensures
more rapid spiritual progress. Sharing and reading about other's
experiences and efforts to do the same have been paramount
in inspiring and guiding seekers in their own efforts to develop
spiritual emotion. Many seekers find that trying to visualize
the deity whose Name they are chanting helps them develop their
spiritual emotion. As Mrs. Ranade says, "It helps me in
building a strong connection with the deity and definitely
increases my consciousness that God is always present around
me." |
* Repeating the Lord's Name as per one's religion.
** Seeker undertaking spiritual practice under the Sanatan's guidance,
presently looking after spread of Spirituality outside India,
as a part of her spiritual practice.
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