Messages to Seekers

Dear Readers,

Due to the size of the Special Flood Issue of the Weekly Online, last week’s Messages are instead being published this week, along with this week’s messages. Apologies for any inconvenience this may have cause you.

-Editor.

Last week’s messages (week ending August 21, 2005)

Congratulations to the seekers immediately going to the aid of seekers from Devad ashram affected by the recent floods

Floods in various parts of Maharashtra (India) caused by the torrential rains that created havoc everywhere, also affected the Sanatan organization’s Devad ashram very badly. Owing to the flooding of Gadhi river near Devad ashram, the ground floor of the ashram was submerged in six feet of water. Due to the force of the river water and the flooding, the ashram had to bear a loss of about 2 million Rupees. Furthermore, the 100 seekers staying in the ashram had to go without food and water for almost a week. Seekers also had to struggle day and night to clean the ashram and remove the nine-inch-thick layer of sludge left behind once the flood water receded. Realizing their plight, Sanatan seekers from various places immediately came forward to help seekers at the ashram and supplied food, medicines, etc. Congratulations to them for their promptness. As the imminent period is going to be even worse, it is essential to inculcate this quality in all of us.

Follow the duties as a neighbour and try to save the neighbour’s house even if it is locked

In the present flood, or in other similar emergency situations, there are incidents of people giving the excuse that they did not help their neighbours because the neighbours’ house was locked. In such a situation, one has doubts about breaking into the neighbour’s house in his absence or what other people would say. However, some measures need to be taken to prevent the loss of his property. If it becomes necessary to break the neighbour’s house lock, take help of other neighbours and do it in their presence. When we follow our duties as a neighbour, we shall be able to follow our duties towards society in future.

For fighting the imminent catastrophic situations, seekers must increase their physical and mental capacity

In last weeks’ torrential rains, flood water entered the Shrirang Ashram at Thane and Devad, leaving mud throughout these ashrams. At that time, seekers had to do manual labour on a large scale, like moving and cleaning goods, manually filling buckets of water on the ground floor and moving them to higher floors since there was no electricity for pumps to move the water through the pipes, or get water from the river and clean the ashram. This is a preview of the imminent disastrous period and it makes us realize the importance of increasing our physical and mental fitness as well as the importance of regular exercise. Seekers should therefore exercise at least for 15 minutes every day.

Seekers must immediately move to a safer place when the flood water starts entering their houses

Due to the heavy downpour when water starts entering their houses, some people sit on their beds or, if the water level increases, they put a chair on the beds and sit, or sit on the scaffoldings; but when the water level increases considerably, they are not able to move anywhere. Due to this, many people lost their lives in Mumbai. Therefore, as the water level starts increasing, seekers should move to safer places rather than staying in their houses.

For invoking spiritual emotion, sing aarti in a rhythmic and scientific way

In Goa, India, before the weekly meetings held at the ashram-levels and district-levels, and at the beginning of study sessions and satsangs, seekers sing the aarti of Lord Krishna. Many seekers have also started singing aarti at their homes. It has been noticed that the aartis are not sung in a rhythmic way. Since there is no co-ordination between singing the aarti and playing the cymbals during aarti, it is difficult to invoke spiritual emotion. The cassette of aartis recorded by the Sanatan organization may therefore be played while singing the aartis and playing the cymbals, so that seekers will get used to singing the aartis correctly. Everyone can check whether their singing matches the cassette. Seekers can also study the booklet on how to sing aartis for scientific singing of aarti.

Seekers must check that meetings are not conducted in such a manner

During the fortnightly meetings in Ratnagiri district, it has been observed that there are instances of arguing with each other about every point, needless discussions about points, not concluding meetings on time, seekers not submitting their mistakes in writing despite being reminded two days prior to the meetings and giving excuses like “forgot to write or did not remember the points”. Make sure that such things are not happening in your district meetings.

Ensure that while allocating seva / responsibilities to seekers that they have intense desire (talmal) and do not have personality defects from the viewpoint of affecting collective spiritual practice

In spiritual practice, desire is of 80% importance compared to experience. Keep this in mind while allocating any responsibility to a seeker at district-level, or even otherwise, ensure that preference is given to his desire rather than his experience. However, in case a seeker has desire but he has some personality defects (PDs) that can create obstacles in the collective (samashti) spiritual practice, then he should be first advised to remove those PDs so that no harm is done from the viewpoint of affecting that seva. If new seekers are not ready to take on responsibilities, take on the responsibilities yourself and develop more seekers.

Keep the idol or the picture of the deity in the home temple, or that is used for ritualistic worship, in the open, to derive the benefit of the deity’s divine consciousness, instead of keeping them closed in a cupboard!

It has been observed in the homes of some seekers in Northern India that their home temples are kept closed or the idols or pictures of worshipped deities are kept closed in a cupboard. They are taken out only at the time of worship or aarti. Thus, the vibrations of divine consciousness emanating from deities’ idols or pictures remain inside the cupboard and do not spread through the entire house, thereby depriving the family members the expected benefit of divine consciousness. Therefore, the home temple should not be kept closed nor should the idols or deities’ pictures in the home temple or those used in ritualistic worship be kept closed in cupboards.

This week’s messages

Nature’s recent fury was only 5 %; the dreaded 100 % is yet to come

Seekers are aware that during the recent deluge, the loss of life and property has been colossal. The condition of Sanatan organization ashrams and service centres was no different. The damage caused to the service centres and ashrams will run into several hundred thousand Rupees. Some seekers have fallen prey to the epidemics which started after the deluge. Seekers also incurred financial losses. The houses of some of the seekers remained submerged under four to five feet of water for about a week. One can imagine the plight of the affected seekers at that time. This is only 5% of the catastrophe that is yet to come. Therefore, only the strength of spiritual practice will be able to guide us through such events in future.

Seekers must remember that every moment in the present crisis is crucial from the viewpoint of protecting righteousness

In the current month of ‘Shravan’ (the fifth month in the Hindu lunar calendar), a few married lady-seekers from Devad ashram (India) collectively did the puja of “Mangala-gauri (a ritual worshipping Goddess Parvati on a Shravan Tuesday)’. After the puja, some lady-seekers decided to play ‘phugadi (a game played by two women holding hands and going round in circles)’. In the present period of crisis, every moment is precious from the viewpoint of protecting righteousness. Instead of wasting our valuable spiritual practice time in such games, it is expected that seekers would think about ways to utilize their time for nation and righteousness. Wasting time in playing games during such times of crisis is like Emperor Nero playing the fiddle while Rome was burning. Seekers must ensure that they do not indulge in such behaviour.

Invaluable guidance to seekers by Lord Krishna

The essential factors for acquiring Heaven (‘Swarga-lok’)

1. Accumulated merits should be 70 %;

2. One having intense desire to attain God and making constant efforts towards the same;

3. With minimum spiritual level of 55 %;

4. Collective (samashti) spiritual practice done should be more than 60%;

5. One who is willing to sacrifice his life for saints, God or righteousness;

6. One who has the Guru’s grace.

- Lord Krishna
(through the medium of Miss Megha Nakate,
June 30, 2005, 18.53 hour

Do spiritual practice following the path of Guru’s grace (Gurukrupayoga) to quickly acquire a Guru and His grace

Follow the path of chanting* the family deity’s name, satsang (company of the Absolute Truth), satseva (service unto Absolute Truth), spreading Spirituality, unconditional love (priti) and spiritual practice of protecting seekers and destroying evildoers (Kshatradharma sadhana) to acquire a Guru and His grace swiftly.

Seekers must increase spiritual practice to the maximum in the coming five months

We just had a glimpse of the impending period. We can imagine the dreadful times ahead. In the coming five months, the catastrophes will be appalling. To sustain ourselves in such a horrendous period, it is necessary for seekers to increase their spiritual level to at least 55 %. Therefore, increase spiritual practice to the utmost in the next five months.

Unless we increase our devotion like the devotee Prahlad, God will not extend 100 % protection

In the recent deluge, Devad ashram has been affected very badly. Some may have a doubt that ‘although we are engaged in the activities related to national security and creating awareness among masses about righteousness, and some seekers also have knowledge of the subtle, then why weren’t we able to prevent the loss?’ The reasons are as follows:

At the time of such national calamities, the rule of ‘Fresh/wet grass also gets burnt along with dry grass’ applies. Here, dry grass refers to those who are not doing any spiritual practice and fresh/wet refers to those who are doing some spiritual practice. As seekers are doing some spiritual practice, they had to bear only financial loss; but there was no loss of life. Had there been no element of spiritual practice, the loss would have been on both the fronts. As seekers’ devotion is not akin to that of the devotee Prahlad, God did not protect them fully (100 %).

Besides, as seekers are taught to ‘always live in the present’, we are not curious to know about future events. It is the job of astrologers to predict the future events. Therefore, although seekers can perceive through the subtle, our perspective is to analyse such occurrences and learn from them.

The recent calamity is a lesson that each one of us seekers has to increase our devotion like the devotee Prahlad.

Harbouring a thought like ‘Why didn’t God help us in such difficult times?’ is like feeling that we know more than God

Seekers get affected in natural calamities or during tough times. Therefore, some seekers feel that God did not help them though they worship Him so much. Here, we have to introspect as to why God did not help us. Instead, if we question Him as to why He did not help, it would be like our knowing more than God. We cannot decide how much we are doing for God, only God can decide that and help us accordingly.

Increase chanting and prayers during the full and new moon days, as well as the two days preceding and following them

The distressing energy trouble is more severe on the full and new moon days. The trouble also starts two days before and exists even two days afterwards. Seekers should therefore, do maximum chanting and prayers during these five days.

*If one is not currently doing any spiritual practice, or to complement one's current spiritual practice, one can begin with the simple, but powerful spiritual practice of chanting or constantly remembering God's Name according to one's religion. Chanting also acts as a useful complement to any spiritual path one may be already following. It is a practice recommended for the current times by Holy texts and Saints of all religions.

Seekers in the initial stages of spiritual practice (less than one year) can repeat The Name of the Lord as per their religion (refer to Issue 3 Clarification of Doubts section for details).
Seekers who have been doing regular spiritual practice for over a year or so can determine the appropriate chant for them from the experiment given in Issue 124, Message to Seekers section.