Yatra to Tiruvannamalai - Satsang at Navashakthi Navalinga Temple on 1st Dec 2009 in the evening
“A very important secret about our lives is revealed by the Scriptures. As human beings, there is one responsibility that all of us must fulfill. If we want to lead a peaceful, happy and successful life, none of us can afford to neglect it. What is this most crucial and important factor that can make or break our lives? This factor is Dharma or the principles that govern our lives as human beings. All the Sages and Saints said – “O man, understand your Dharma.” What is our Dharma? It requires a lot of maturity to comprehend and follow our Dharma because it is extremely subtle. However, everything in Nature is effortlessly following its Dharma. When the panchabhutas or five basic elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether combine together, Creation comes into being. Every rock, leaf, flower, insect, animal, bird and human being comes from the panchabhutas. The five basic elements are silently engaged in every atom working the miracle of creation. They are constantly carrying on their Dharma. Nobody needs to tell them what to do because they understand their Dharma perfectly. It is only we, human beings, who find it difficult to comprehend and implement our Dharma.”
“If we look at this from the point of view of the Soul, it is our basic Dharma to bring out the complete power and energy of our Soul. So, we should first understand what the power of the Soul is. Why is it we cannot feel the presence of the Soul? A small example will help you to understand this. Our skin covers the entire surface of our bodies. If we actually calculate its surface area, we will find that it is quite vast. However, we immediately sense even a tiny ant crawling on our skin. At the same time, though our blood is circulating in the arteries, veins and capillaries just below the skin, we remain totally unaware of this. When we visit the doctor, he uses an instrument to measure our blood pressure tells us how much it is. Otherwise, we never sense the movement or pressure of blood in the body though it is circulating constantly. Likewise, though our Soul is inside powering everything we do, we do not feel its presence at all.”
“Where is the Soul located? The Sages have told us that it is enshrined in the heart lotus which is an energy vortex shaped like an inverted lotus bud on the right of the chest. The size of our Soul which is enthroned in this vortex is equivalent to 1/10,000 of the root of a hair. Though it is so minute, Arunachala has concealed the entire Brahmanda or Cosmos in it. That is why the Soul is so powerful and does everything for us. It gives life to the body, mind and intellect and when the Soul withdraws, the body becomes a corpse. Then, everybody forgets our name and asks whether the ‘body’ has come home and when the ‘body’ will be cremated. So, without the Soul, we cease to be ‘Mr./Ms. Somebody’ and become ‘Mr./Ms. Nobody’. When we are alive, we dress ourselves so well and spray sweet smelling perfumes on ourselves. However, once the Soul leaves the body, all our clothes are meaningless and the corpse has to be cremated quickly to avoid the stench of decay. The Soul says – “When I am with you, I take care of so many things for you. I make your heart beat. I make your blood circulate. I make your lungs breathe. I make you see, move, touch, speak, listen…I power everything you do. But you realise my value only when I am gone. Though you really regret my absence, you rarely cherish my presence.” So, all of us are Atmas or Souls and God, who created all the Atmas, is Paramatma or the Supreme Spirit Soul.”
“The feeling or bhavana with which we see God is reflected back to us. That is why in Sanskrit we say ‘Yad Bhavam Tad Bhavati’. If we look upon God as the Energy that confers material prosperity, we get only material wealth and success from Him. If we look upon God as the reflection of our own Soul, all the power and qualities of the Soul blossom within us. Then, we get constant peace, bliss and contentment along with lasting prosperity and success. The Sages have told us that we have 72,000 shaktis or powers of the Soul inside us. Our ‘Atma Dharma’ or ‘Soul Dharma’ as human beings is to bring out all these powers.”
“The Adhipati of all the 72,000 shaktis is Navashakti and the bijamantra or the seed syllable of the Soul is ‘Om’. ‘Om’ activates our Soul and brings out all its innate power. That is why we add ‘Om’ as a prefix to every mantra. If we want to worship Lord Shiva, we say ‘Om Namah Shivaya’, if we want to worship Lord Narayana, we say ‘Om Namo Narayanaya’ and so on. Today, the darshan of Bharani Deepam, the huge lamp that was lit on the summit of Arunachala just now, has activated our Soul. That is why all of us are feeling so blissful right now. Arunachala has unveiled the effulgence of our Soul. Physically, all of us were born many years ago, but today is our spiritual birthday. We are all new born babies here. So, we should pray – “Arunachala, I am just a new born child, a small infant. I know nothing. Please hold my hand and teach me my Atma Dharma.” Today, Arunachala has completed His Dharma by activating our Souls, but our Dharma begins now – we have to bring out all the 72,000 shaktis which are within us.”
“Most of us do not know how to live. When a relative leaves us a legacy, we are elated, and when somebody cheats us, we are devastated. If we want to experience constant peace and happiness, we should not allow anything in the outer world to shatter our joy. When the Sun rises, the world is full of light, and when the Sun sets, the world is plunged in darkness. Light and darkness are an integral part of the external world, but when we unveil the effulgence of the Soul, our inner world is always bathed in light. Without realising this, if we go to God during times of trouble and pray – “Please remove this darkness form my life,” He does not understand. He says – “Unveil the effulgence of your Soul and enjoy perennial bliss. Why do you ask Me to remove your darkness when I have already given you this blazing eternal light?”
“However, since we have ignored our Soul till now, our lives are still shrouded by the darkness of fear. Today, fear rules our minds. If a snake were to bite us, we would simply die of fear, even if it was a non-poisonous snake. Doctors have found that in road accidents, more people die from sheer shock rather than from fatal injuries. How calmly we are able to receive shocks decides how happy we are in life. No circumstance should have the power to shock us. How can we manage this? By chanting ‘Om’. The more we chant ‘Om’, the less we will be prone to fear. The more we chant ‘Om’, the more the power of our Soul comes out. The more the power of our Soul comes out, the more Grace we receive. The more Grace we receive, the more effortlessly all our tasks are accomplished. Without realising this, whenever obstacles confront us, we go to Lord Ganesha and pray – “I will give you 101 coconuts if You accomplish this task for me.” If success still eludes us, we say – “This Ganesha is heartless, useless and powerless”, and go to some other deity or temple. If the prayers of our friends or relatives are granted by the same Ganesha, we say – “Ganesha is partial. He does things for you, but not for me.” God is not heartless, useless, powerless or partial. It is we who are senseless because we have not chanted ‘Om’ in our lives. That is why we are not receptive to Lord Ganesha’s Grace. And even when we receive His Grace, we are unable to lock it in.”
“When we receive tirtha or holy water in the temple, how do we hold our hands? We keep all our fingers pressed together to prevent the tirtha from slipping out through the gaps before we drink it. Likewise, whenever we go to a temple, if we do not spend 10 -15 minutes chanting ‘Om’ or the mantra of the deity, though God gives us His Grace, we cannot take it away with us. If we do not activate our Soul by chanting ‘Om’ everyday, even the Grace we get from the circumambulation of Arunachala drains away within a few minutes. In a temple, they serve Prasad in a leaf plate or bowl so that we can take it home or eat it whenever we wish. ‘Om’ is like this leaf plate – it retains God’s Grace within us so that every facet of our life can be constantly enriched and empowered by it. So, whenever we worship any deity, we must first activate our Soul by chanting ‘Om’ for a while. This is an important part of our Atma Dharma.”
“Whenever we chant ‘Om’, we are worshiping God within us in the form of our own Soul. All the Sages have said – “Your first responsibility is to revere your Self. Then you can worship God. How can you revere God when you do not respect your own Self?” Do we offer our salutations to our Soul when we wake up each morning? Do we offer our gratitude to it before we sleep every night? No, but our Soul magnanimously continues to power all our activities in spite of this. Without fulfilling this basic responsibility, we happily plan our day. You call a friend and say – “I will see you tomorrow. Let us have coffee together.” We forget that all of us will see the morrow only if our Soul permits us. If your Soul leaves your body tonight, how will you see your friend? He will have to come to your house to ‘see’ you instead. So, each morning we should offer our salutations to our Soul and each night we should offer our gratitude to it. Atma Dharma is our most important Dharma.”
“To fulfill this, chanting ‘Om’ is very, very important. This is the great secret. Whether we chant ‘Om’ or not, our Soul will continue to do its work. However, it will be unable to connect itself to Shiva and Shakti and bring us their limitless Grace. Today is Bharani Deepam, the day on which Shiva and Shakti perform the Cosmic Dance or Tandava. Everyday, innumerable desires also dance the Tandava in our minds. While the Tandava of Shiva and Shakti generates enough energy to power the whole Cosmos, the dance of desires in our minds drains us of all our Soul energy. Only sadhana has the power to activate and charge the Soul. However, if we sit down for sadhana half-heartedly, we begin to feel hungry or thirsty or the cell phone rings. We immediately pick it up and say ‘Hallo’ to our friend. Instead of this, we should say ‘Hallo’ to our Soul everyday. How do we do that? By chanting ‘Om’. If the cell phone signal is weak, we go to an elevated place to get a signal that is strong enough to speak to our friend. Likewise, when we chant ‘Om’, the strong signal from our Soul reaches Arunachala very clearly. Now, let us all fold our hands and chant ‘Om’ for some time. “Om…………Om…………..Om…………….Om…………..”
[The chanting of ‘Om’ was followed by a lively and vibrant bhajan on Arunachala. The huge audience, which was really charged with bliss, got up and danced to the bhajan in ecstasy. After this, Pujya Guruji resumed the discourse, much to the delight of the devotees who listened in rapt attention.]
“Just now, all of us experienced an explosion of bliss or Ananda. In this way, whenever we touch the Soul, bliss erupts from it and pours out in a cascade. When we chanted ‘Om’, bliss engulfed us and we forgot who we were and where we were and simply dissolved into Arunachala. As soon as we did this, our minds began to vibrate with ecstasy. This was joyfully expressed by the body as dance. Nobody felt shy. Though there are thousands of us here, nobody was bothered by thoughts of what others would think if they danced. The joy was so spontaneous, so contagious and explosive. It was impossible to sit still. All of us became childlike and shed our inhibitions. We may read a thousand books and listen to a million discourses, but we will still be unable to understand what ananda or bliss is. However, through the Grace of Arunachala, we have all understood this today through direct experience. We now know what Ananda is and our hearts are still pulsating with bliss, but this is not enough. We should always maintain this level of Ananda inside us. Only then will God recognise us and send us His Grace. Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, we should overflow with ananda. Why should we give room for sorrow in our hearts? We should always be in ananda. Your name is Ananda. From today, you are Ananda, Ananda and Ananda. If you are called Prakash, your name is Prakash Ananda. If you are Satish, your name is Satish Ananda. Your name is not sorrow. Your name can never ever be sorrow. Let us all pray to Arunachala and make a strong Sankalpa or resolution now – “Arunachala, I offer all my grief and darkness at Your Lotus Feet. You take my sorrow and I will take Your Light and Ananda.” From today, your name is…Ananda [resounding answer from the audience]. Your name is not…sorrow [resounding chorus from the audience]. Your name is…Ananda [full throated answer from the audience]. We want only…Ananda [joyful chorus from the audience]. We are always…Ananda. Your name may be anything. You may have come from anywhere, but from today, you are Ananda. Always remember this. Never frown. Always smile. Sorrow is darkness and Ananda is light. Even after we go home, we are light. We are Ananda.”
“As soon as we understand this Atma Dharma experientially, as we have now, the entire meaning of our life changes. From today, our aim and goal is to experience this bliss every moment, wherever we are, whatever we are doing. How do we do this? Listen carefully to every word. This is not My Soul talking. Your own Soul is speaking to you through Me. When we use the sound system to amplify, the voice goes into the mike and comes out through the speaker. Likewise, Beings like us are used as conduits by your Atma or Soul when it wants to express its aspirations to you. The divine commands of God, who is the Paramatma or Supreme Spirit Soul, are also expressed through us. Arunachala, who is the protector of all Souls, is saying – “I am here for you. All of you are My children. I have been waiting for you for ages. When will you discover your true identity and merge with Me?” All of us are most blessed to be born in this Yogabhumi called India where every particle of sand is charged by innumerable divine Sages and Saints. Though Sages and Saints look like us externally, internally they have all realised their identity and merged with God. That is why a Sage will say – “The same blood runs in your veins and mine. The same love flows from your heart and mine. However, while you give your love only to your own family and friends, I encompass all beings with my love.” Today, Arunachala has given us this wonderful Ananda as His Prasad. We should not keep His gift to ourselves. Like the Sages, we should share it with the whole world. So, from today, instead of just saying – “Let me be happy. Let my family be happy,” let us say – “Let my city be happy. Let my country be happy. Let the whole world be happy. Let all beings be happy.” Along with His Ananda, Arunachala has also given us the awareness that our love belongs to all beings.”
“Arunachala is saying – “This land does not belong only to you. It belongs to everybody. Therefore, you are very dear to Me and I will come with you wherever you go.” Do we want only Arunachala’s Grace or do we want Arunachala Himself? If we want Arunachala Himself, we should not simply finish the circumambulation, get into our cars or buses and go home. We should not ask just Arunachala to resolve all our problems. We should pour out all the love in our hearts at His Feet and say – “Arunachala, my house may be very small, but My heart is bigger than the Cosmos. It can accommodate the whole world. Come and abide in my heart forever.” Arunachala is just waiting for us to call Him. When we call Him in this way, He will certainly come. You cannot take away Arunachala’s Grace in a truck, but when your heart expands to enfold the Cosmos, you can carry Arunachala with you wherever you go. We are all children of Arunachala. Just as the father or mother come running when their child calls, Arunachala will come running when we call Him.”
“When we are surrounded by darkness, we walk with fear. When there is light, we raise our heads and walk with courage. When Arunachala is with us, we will always have courage. Fear will flee from us forever. The effulgence of His knowledge will light up our lives. When we have knowledge, we have courage and valour. When we have courage, we have love. When we have love, attachment disappears because we realise that everybody around us is a divine Soul. So, our love stops being selective and becomes expansive. Why do we light camphor in front of Arunachala? It reminds us that our love and devotion for Arunachala should make us dissolve into Him. Then, the heart becomes a divine chariot to carry around the Jyoti or Light of Arunachala everywhere. So, people will see His Light in our Soul and His Feet in our feet. All their troubles will be removed merely by looking at us. In the external world, our house is our abode. Internally, our heart should be Arunachala’s abode.”
“From today, follow this scrupulously and in a few days you will realise – “When I went to Tiruvannamalai, I was not like this. Now, I have come back completely transformed.” Within 48 days you will have a divine experience that will motivate and inspire you further. Let us take Arunachala with us today. He will certainly come with us. Everyday, sit down and chant ‘Om’ without fail. Then, your Soul will be constantly activated and connected to Arunachala. Your Soul will ignite millions of Souls with its love. Your love will see no difference between them and it will flow to all beings. You will become Siddha Ananda or Sage Ananda. You will be one with the Cosmic Flame Arunachala.”
“From now, all of you should remove two words from your lives forever – sorrow and darkness. Remember, when Arunachala comes, He never comes empty handed. He will bring all the Gods and Goddesses with Him. He will bring peace, contentment and bliss with Him. He will enthrone Himself permanently in our hearts and give us salvation. Let us consecrate Him in our hearts today and fill the world with His love, knowledge and bliss. May all of you always overflow with bliss. May the whole world be happy.”
Jai Matha. Hari Om Tat Sat.
