Guest guest Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Namaste Lakshmi Bahen, I wish to tell you my experience in this connection as to how we can differentiate Real Spiritual person amongst the fake one. Once I was reading 'Autobiography of a Yogi', the very much celebrated book by Sri Paramhansa Yogananda. I was actually fascinated by the 'Kriya Yoga' mentioned in the book and there arose a deep desire to learn this Kriya yoga. I came to reading the chapter on 'Babaji' in the same book. In the very chapter, Yogananda has mentioned that Babaji is living since many centuries and he is still present in physical form. Anybody who sincerely asks for spiritual help, he/she will be helped by Babaji even today. Reading the above, I instantly close my eyes and deeply prayed Babaji. I prayed that if you are still there guiding spiritual people then please help me for learning this Kriya yoga. And to my pleasant surprise, within a month I was introduced (accidentally/unplanned way) to Sudarshan Kriya Yoga of Art of Living organization by Sri Sri Ravishankar. Few more such inner experiences happened which convinced me that Babaji is there and gave me enough faith in Yogananda and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's greatness as real yogis. My strong opinion is that if one goes by media (Print or electronic or internet), there are all the chances that most people will be confused and would not be able to decide about somebody's character or caliber. Even Swami Vivekananda in his time was accused for many wrong practices in USA and U.K. hence personally, I rely upon my own heart and own experiences. I always stay far away from Print as well as TV reports. Big NO NO. to News channels. Most of them are spreading nonsense. They have become script writer rather than authentic news providers. Even, random and reckless opinions of people in general is many a times misguiding/confusing. Same way, for my Beloved Thakur, I relied on the same ways. After I read Gospel, I was drawn in to events which ultimately took me to My Guru of this life (It took 4 years). And it can not be a coincidence that my Guru is also very very much attached to Thakur Ramkrsihna. I rate Ramkrsihna Kathamruta as the Best `darkness dispelling' book I read till date and now spiritual books also doesn't interest me much. Enough of reading, now it's high time for *Doing*. Hence my input to all those serious spiritualist, who are also seriously confused & #61516;, that listen to you heart, Pray for the clarity, Meditate, keep doing Sadhanas and observe the chain of events happening around you. Those are the best ways to get the clarity about any spiritual person or future spiritual Guru rather than depending, more than required, upon Media and such external inputs who have hardly any sincere spiritual interest. I clarify here that I am an almost a novice who is struggling in the path of spirituality but still felt that my own inputs out of experience may help few. Spiritually yours, Utpal , Lakshmi Kary <lakshmikary wrote: > > Hare Rama Krishna > Dear Narasimha. > Sorry I got my people and lineages all confused! Was reading about too many people lately. > > Also last night I saw a documentary on religious leaders, cults etc. > People want to see God so badly they are very eager to push anyone who is willing to claim to be special up on a pedestal.That happened with my ex , he got up there,felt it wasn't right and tried to climb down, but his " disciples " didn't want him to. > They continued to perpetuate falsehoods about his purity, and all sorts of cover ups. > God and Jesus are living in some many places. Sometimes there are several people simultaneously claiming to be Jesus in any psych unit across the world/ > Its amazing where and to within whom people see " God " . > Isnt a spiritual master, guru, living like a mortal in all capacities while telling others how to find realization sort of hypocritical and bizarre? > > There is one fellow who used to be a heroin addict and now he says he is Jesus and has a huge following. they are willing to do whatever he says and they give him money and all sorts of things. > Yesterday I went on the Internet, and looked at some many so called yogis, preachers etc > IN the USA I cant begin to tell you the number of religious leaders that were revered as " God " or some other incarnation. > India is no different, perhaps worse because people have a natural respect for sadhus , yogis etc and more yogis can get away with pretending to be a renunciate. > I believe God appears in different forms in different places and times to attract people who are looking for him and to associate with his devotees.. > Now that Documentary TV program and your posts got my mind swimming. > What are principles of religion? What is dharma, What is the purpose? > Now if there were no laws or rules, social or religious and everyone did what they felt like, we would be living in a hell. At least in Kali Yuga. > What was the point of Jesus? Seems he got a lot of uncivilized people to work on basic codes of conduct... thou shalt not steal,lie, commit adultery etc. > Whose to say one person is a saint?.. some people(his faithful followers) couldn't understand that Charles Manson was a mad man not a prophet. > There are other " yogis " who came to USA, smoking pot, taking drugs, > and other ones advised having sex to find self realization and acquiring tons of cars and > helping many people trade STDs. > Some people ADVOCate mandatory forced marriage of young girls AT puberty, usually to older men.. and its ok for their fathers to teach them a thing or two, before being handed off. > One " saint " makes gold, but other people say he molested their young teenage sons.. > In itself, being able to perform siddhis or mystic things doesn't make one elevated really. Maybe they have just accumulated the power to manipulate physical matter. > Unless a person is pure- it is hard to see who else is pure. > And even then, well intentioned people are deceived all the time. > > People have given up everything they owned and moved into under ground tunnels because their leader( an incarnation of this or that) said the world was ending. > Or, time and time again, some swami turns out to molest kids, and or do all sorts of things when no one is looking.. > " The Do as I say , don't do as I do " ... > " He is so pure he doesn't have to obey the rules like everyone else. " > Whose to say who is pure? > I think someone who is 100% serving their GOD day and night, at all times and practicing what they preach has got to be pure.... > Self realization after much thought and years meditating/chanting is simple i found... its the realization ,the complete understanding of our relationship to God and to everything and everyone else in our conscious and unconscious universe. > But then by the time I die , I'm sure I'll have even more realizations. > There was a big article in TIME magazine with some personal letter of Mother Theresa that she didnt want shown publically that showed her apparently having doubts(privately in her heart) I guess as a way to try and discredit her. > Was she a saint, coming to India and pushing her views on the poor?People go in circles debating her worth . > And I guess these are the things I'm here for in this life, which is different than other peoples path. > I keep hoping astrology can " reveal " the real saint the real sadhus..etc > Suffering helps one think about these things. > Best wishes > Lakshmi > > > > " Narasimha P.V.R. Rao " <pvr wrote: > Dear Lakshmi, > > The Yogananda I mentioned is different. Swami Yogananda is one of the sixteen monastic disciples of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, along with Swami Vivekananda. He was forced to marry, but never slept with his own wife. Swami Vivekananda once said " if any of us (disciples of Ramakrishna) conquered lust completely and in all respects, it is Joginder (Swami Yogananda) " . There is no question of Swami Yogananda being accused of drinking and having women etc. > > Paramahamsa Yogananda is a sishya of Yukteshwar Maharaj and from the lineage of Mahavatar Babaji. They practice kriya yoga. I do not know much about him. > > * * * > > The link you gave is about neither Swami Yogananda nor Paramahamsa Yogananda, but some propaganda about Ramakrishna Paramahamsa himself, based on some bali he apparently gave. So I am unsure exactly who you wanted to talk about.. > > Best regards, > Narasimha > > Do a Short Homam Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/homam > Do Pitri Tarpanas Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/tarpana > Spirituality: > Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net > Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.org > Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org > > > - > Lakshmi Kary > > Sunday, September 28, 2008 7:59 PM > Re: Dharma > > > Hare Rama Krishna > Dear Narasimha, > Ive read several apparently derogatory things about Paramahamsa Yogananda- that he ate meat, drank and had women at different times. Some accounts seem very authoratative so I am inclined to believe where there is smoke there is fire. > How can we reconcil he is spiritually special when he was involved in some many other worldly things.? > http://ramakrishnayb.blogspot.com/2008/02/95-where-is-safety-for- fish-and-goats.html > Best wishes > Lakshmi > > " Narasimha P.V.R. Rao " <pvr wrote: >  Namaste, > > I meant it figuratively. > > For the reference on Yogananda, you can read the section on Swami Yogananda in " God Lived with Them: Life Stories of Sixteen Monastic Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna " by Swami Chetanananda. > > * * * > > There have been many great yogis, babas, saints and swamis in the last few thousand years of Kali yuga. But Ramakrishna Paramahamsa stands out in one way. He is one master who mastered every single path. He mastered bhakti yoga, jnaana yoga, karma yoga and even raaja yoga. He worshipped and experienced Rama, Krishna, Kaali and several forms. He even reached the state of nirvikalpa samadhi, where there is no " experience " . He was in sahaja samadhi always. He was able induce tremendous experience in people by mere touch or mere look. Yet he was simple like a child and had zero ego (that is why he could do all that!!!). > > Many " gurus " force their dharma on their sishyas and have no ability to recognize the true nature and dharma of each sishya. They force sishyas to chant the mantra they chant, worship the form they worship and walk the path they walk. Ramakrishna had deep insight into the true nature of each sishya and gave specific instructions. He taught totally different mantras, totally different forms and totally different paths to different sishyas. He even taught contradictory things to different sishyas. When one sishya who needed to mend his aggressive attitude roughed up somebody for insulting his guru, he scolded " shame on you. With your attitude, you did not defend your guru, but brought shame to him. You should learn to be calm and ignore such insults. THAT will place your guru in a good stead and not your aggression " . When another sishya who needed to mend his soft demeanor ignored insults of Ramakrishna by some people and came away silently, he scolded him " shame on you. > Shastras say that you should kill one who insults your guru. How can you ignore such wrong behavior? You should give them a piece of your mind. " > > Spiritual sadhana does not mean just chanting a mantra or repeating a procedure everyday for a certain period of time. Spiritual sadhana is a continuous process by which one transforms oneself from inside out and purifies oneself. That way, every action and every thought becomes a sadhana and offers an opportunity for introspection and transformation of internal attitude. > > Anyway, coming back to the point, Ramakrishna is not a normal sadhaka or a normal guru. He belonged to a very special class of sadhakas and he was an exceptional guru to an exceptional group of sishyas. > > Without his [indirect] blessings, I would be a nobody and would be lower than dirt. I would not be able to say anything intelligent or meaningful in spiritual matters. Those who are impressed/inspired by something I write should be thankful to my guru Dr Manish Pandit and to Sri Ramakrishna for showering their grace using me as an instrument and not to me. > > BTW, you are all free to forward my posts that you like to people who may be interested in spiritual discussions. I have no problem. As I said before, I am a servant distributing the wealth of a king (Mother) as asked by the minister (my guru). > > Best regards, > Narasimha > > Do a Short Homam Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/homam > Do Pitri Tarpanas Yourself: http://www.VedicAstrologer.org/tarpana > Spirituality: > Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro.home.comcast.net > Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAstrologer.org > Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagannath.org > > > - > rajarshi nandy > > Sunday, September 28, 2008 2:44 PM > Re: Re: Dharma > > Dear Narasimhaji > > Another wonderly inspired post by you!!!! > > I did not understand one line of your post. You said during the time of Mahabhrata there was tremendous weight on this planet. I could not completely understand what you ment by this. Is it a literal meaning of figuratative meaning? > > Also, could you tell me the name of reference of the book where Sri Ramakrishna says Yogananda was Arjuna. > > Thank you once again for your mails which are an inspiration to us all. > > -Regards > Rajarshi > > > " This above all: to thine own self be true! " - Hamlet > > > > --- On Sun, 28/9/08, Narasimha P.V.R. Rao <pvr wrote: > Narasimha P.V.R. Rao <pvr > Re: Dharma > > Cc: sivacharya > Sunday, 28 September, 2008, 12:11 AM > > Namaste, > > As Vimalananda says, dharma is indeed personal. Krishna clearly says in > Bhagavad Geeta " Follow your own dharma. It is dangerous to follow someone > else's dharma " . > > Following the path of dharma basically means engaging in the right > action/duty. Right action varies from person to person, from time to time > and from place to place. It is dependent on what nature expects from you, > which in turn is based on who you have been in the past, what actions you > did in the past while identifying with the action, who you affected in the > past (and how) with the actions that you identified with, what debts you > created in the process, and what mental tendencies you accumulated until > now. > > If, based on one's mental tendencies and karmic debts, nature wants a person > to kill evil persons, that becomes one's dharma. If, based on one's mental > tendencies and karmic debts, nature wants a person to spread the message of > uniformity of all religions, that becomes one's dharma. If, based on one's > mental tendencies and karmic debts, nature wants a person to spread the > ritual of homam in the world, that becomes one's dharma. If, based on one's > mental tendencies and karmic debts, nature wants a person to make a lot of > money and construct a temple, that becomes one's dharma. > > * * * > > The dharma of a being may change from one life to another. > > At the time of Mahabharata war, it was Arjuna's dharma to kill his gurus, > elders and relatives. The time then was such that there was too much weight > on earth and nature wanted earth to be relieved of some weight. Tremendous > destruction was to take place and civilization destroyed to a great extent, > to welcome Kali yuga and set the tone for it. Arjuna being a great warrior, > it was his dharma to facilitate that. Some people he deeply loved and > respected were on the other side and it was his dharma to kill them. > > When the same Arjuna was born again in the 19th century as one of > Ramakrishna Paramahamsa' s sishyas (Swami Yogananda had been Arjuna in a > previous life, according to Ramakrishna) , his dharma was different in this > new time and place. He was born to renounce material life despite his > aristocratic upbringing and live the simple life of a monk and inspire > generations to embrace a simple life of mental detachment and service to > others. When he is born again (which he has to, as per what Ramakrishna > said), his dharma based on the time and place may be something else. > > * * * > > The tricky question is: How does one decide what is one's dharma? > > Some people have interpreted Krishna's words saying " follow your own dharma > and not someone else's dharma " in the light of castism. Though the concept > of caste (varna) has been there in Hinduism for a long time, the concept of > caste mobility was very much there. Valmiki was a shudra who lived by > killing birds. He became a brahmana and a maharshi later. Vishwamitra was a > kshatrita and a powerful king. He became a brahmana and and a maharshi > later. Basically varna shows one's aptitude. One starts off with the varna > of father, because that is what one is exposed to in childhood. As one > develops in life, one gets one's own varna based on what one does. > > Thus, the misinterpretation of Krishna's words which tells you to know your > dharma from your caste is wrong. Moreover, there are not just 4 dharmas in > the world. Each person has individual dharma. > > Knowing what one's dharma is is very very very difficult. If one is pure > enough, one will *know* one's dharma. In fact, all of us have a part of our > mind that tells us what our dharma is, but it is surrounded by a lot of > noise from other parts of our minds which tell other things. Thus, we get > confused. > > We should make the best judgment combining discrimination and intuition and > decide what is our dharma and follow it sincerely. We may be err, but doing > the best we can is all that we can do! > > More than following dharma, what is of utmost importance is to engage in > actions without identification. *That* alone ensures that we are not > accumulating new karmas, i.e. not increasing the load. We should not build > too much attachment to what we are doing. We should engage in the best > possible actions (based on our best judgment on what our dharma in the given > situation is), with as little attachment and self-identification with the > action as possible. When the action is finished, we should leave the result > to god. We should not think " I did it " , " what will happen now " , " will it > work " etc. Such adherence of nishkama karma yoga (unfication through > untached action) will simplify our ego and purify our consciousness slowly. > As we become purer, our mind will work sharper and tell our dharma clearer. > There is a positive feedback here. This will slowly enable us to see our > dharma clearly and follow it without incurring new karmas. This is not easy, > but not as difficult as people think. > > The bottomline is: Even if one is not following one's dharma, one's sense of > " this is my dharma " gets refined with time if one engages in action with > little attachment. > > * * * > > In deciding one's dharma, one's intellect and intuition are the inputs. > Another external input is the words of scriptures and learned men. One can > derive one's dharma from them. A special place is given to one's spiritual > master. If one surrenders to a spiritual master, one can take the words of > the master to determine one's dharma and follow it sincerely. > > When Arjuna was confused about what his dharma was and thought killing gurus > and relatives was not dharma, he had a guru in Krishna who clarified his > dharma. When Narendranath (Swami Vivekananda) was confused about his dharma > and wanted to renounce the world and go to a secluded place to do sadhana, > Ramakrishna Paramahamsa cried and prevailed upon him to stay in the material > world and do the work of Mother for him. > > One who is not in tune with nature and does not know who one is, what one's > debts are and what nature expects from one can err in the judgment of what > one's dharma is. If one's guru is an elevated soul with a clear insight into > one's inner core, such a guru can give perfect guidance. > > * * * > > Bottomline is that I (or anybody) cannot outline a set of principles and > declare that as the dharma. No, dharma changes from person to person, from > time to time and from place to place. Also, there are no thumbrules to find > out what one's dharma is. But, one can refine one's understanding of one's > dharma by increasing internal purity. By doing various kinds of spiritual > sadhana (like homam, japam etc) and engaging in actions without much > attachment, one can slowly purify oneself and refine one's understanding of > one's individual dharma. > > Best regards, > Narasimha > ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - > Do a Short Homam Yourself: http://www.VedicAst rologer.org/ homam > Do Pitri Tarpanas Yourself: http://www.VedicAst rologer.org/ tarpana > Spirituality: http://groups. / group/vedic- wisdom > Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro. home.comcast. net > Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAst rologer.org > Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagan nath.org > ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - > > - > " dahiyajiten " <dahiyajiten@ .co. in> > <> > Saturday, September 27, 2008 8:02 AM > Dharma > > > Namaste to all > > > > i just finished my Aghora series > > and in it in last part > > Vimalanda says path of dharma is very personal. > > Can somebody share views on that and how can we approach > > towards it > > Does it has to do something with vedas and upanishads > > > > regards > > jitender > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 29, 2008 Report Share Posted September 29, 2008 Hare Rama Krishna Respected Utpalji, Namaskar. Well said. IMHO sincere prayers/questions are always answered. The Divine certainly showers 'Cosmic Grace' in times of need and when fervently asked for. Whether he is Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Sri Ramana Maharshi, Sri Aurobindo and Mother or Paramahamsa Yogananda, the Divine Force acting through them is The Supreme Infinite. It is upto the 'seeker' to 'perceive' and 'reap' the immense solace that can be received at the Feet of the Mother. I have had numerous instances of such Divine Beneficence that have changed and charged my life. Narasimha Garu is fortunate to have been Blessed by Her Immense Grace, Sincerely Nalini utpal pathak <vedic_pathak Sent: Monday, 29 September, 2008 8:24:34 PM Yogananda (Re: Dharma) Namaste Lakshmi Bahen,I wish to tell you my experience in this connection as to how we can differentiate Real Spiritual person amongst the fake one.Once I was reading 'Autobiography of a Yogi', the very much celebrated book by Sri Paramhansa Yogananda. I was actually fascinated by the 'Kriya Yoga' mentioned in the book and there arose a deep desire to learn this Kriya yoga. I came to reading the chapter on 'Babaji' in the same book. In the very chapter, Yogananda has mentioned that Babaji is living since many centuries and he is still present in physical form. Anybody who sincerely asks for spiritual help, he/she will be helped by Babaji even today. Reading the above, I instantly close my eyes and deeply prayed Babaji. I prayed that if you are still there guiding spiritual people then please help me for learning this Kriya yoga.And to my pleasant surprise, within a month I was introduced (accidentally/ unplanned way) to Sudarshan Kriya Yoga of Art of Living organization by Sri Sri Ravishankar. Few more such inner experiences happened which convinced me that Babaji is there and gave me enough faith in Yogananda and Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's greatness as real yogis.My strong opinion is that if one goes by media (Print or electronic or internet), there are all the chances that most people will be confused and would not be able to decide about somebody's character or caliber. Even Swami Vivekananda in his time was accused for many wrong practices in USA and U.K. hence personally, I rely upon my own heart and own experiences. I always stay far away from Print as well as TV reports. Big NO NO. to News channels. Most of them are spreading nonsense. They have become script writer rather than authentic news providers. Even, random and reckless opinions of people in general is many a times misguiding/confusin g.Same way, for my Beloved Thakur, I relied on the same ways. After I read Gospel, I was drawn in to events which ultimately took me to My Guru of this life (It took 4 years). And it can not be a coincidence that my Guru is also very very much attached to Thakur Ramkrsihna. I rate Ramkrsihna Kathamruta as the Best `darkness dispelling' book I read till date and now spiritual books also doesn't interest me much. Enough of reading, now it's high time for *Doing*. Hence my input to all those serious spiritualist, who are also seriously confused & #61516; , that listen to you heart, Pray for the clarity, Meditate, keep doing Sadhanas and observe the chain of events happening around you. Those are the best ways to get the clarity about any spiritual person or future spiritual Guru rather than depending, more than required, upon Media and such external inputs who have hardly any sincere spiritual interest.I clarify here that I am an almost a novice who is struggling in the path of spirituality but still felt that my own inputs out of experience may help few.Spiritually yours,Utpal , Lakshmi Kary <lakshmikary@ ...> wrote:>> Hare Rama Krishna> Dear Narasimha.> Sorry I got my people and lineages all confused! Was reading about too many people lately.> > Also last night I saw a documentary on religious leaders, cults etc.> People want to see God so badly they are very eager to push anyone who is willing to claim to be special up on a pedestal.That happened with my ex , he got up there,felt it wasn't right and tried to climb down, but his"disciples" didn't want him to.> They continued to perpetuate falsehoods about his purity, and all sorts of cover ups.> God and Jesus are living in some many places. Sometimes there are several people simultaneously claiming to be Jesus in any psych unit across the world/> Its amazing where and to within whom people see "God".> Isnt a spiritual master, guru, living like a mortal in all capacities while telling others how to find realization sort of hypocritical and bizarre?> > There is one fellow who used to be a heroin addict and now he says he is Jesus and has a huge following. they are willing to do whatever he says and they give him money and all sorts of things.> Yesterday I went on the Internet, and looked at some many so called yogis, preachers etc> IN the USA I cant begin to tell you the number of religious leaders that were revered as "God" or some other incarnation.> India is no different, perhaps worse because people have a natural respect for sadhus , yogis etc and more yogis can get away with pretending to be a renunciate.> I believe God appears in different forms in different places and times to attract people who are looking for him and to associate with his devotees..> Now that Documentary TV program and your posts got my mind swimming.> What are principles of religion? What is dharma, What is the purpose?> Now if there were no laws or rules, social or religious and everyone did what they felt like, we would be living in a hell. At least in Kali Yuga.> What was the point of Jesus? Seems he got a lot of uncivilized people to work on basic codes of conduct... thou shalt not steal,lie, commit adultery etc.> Whose to say one person is a saint?.. some people(his faithful followers) couldn't understand that Charles Manson was a mad man not a prophet.> There are other "yogis" who came to USA, smoking pot, taking drugs,> and other ones advised having sex to find self realization and acquiring tons of cars and > helping many people trade STDs.> Some people ADVOCate mandatory forced marriage of young girls AT puberty, usually to older men.. and its ok for their fathers to teach them a thing or two, before being handed off.> One "saint" makes gold, but other people say he molested their young teenage sons..> In itself, being able to perform siddhis or mystic things doesn't make one elevated really. Maybe they have just accumulated the power to manipulate physical matter.> Unless a person is pure- it is hard to see who else is pure.> And even then, well intentioned people are deceived all the time.> > People have given up everything they owned and moved into under ground tunnels because their leader( an incarnation of this or that) said the world was ending.> Or, time and time again, some swami turns out to molest kids, and or do all sorts of things when no one is looking..> "The Do as I say , don't do as I do"...> "He is so pure he doesn't have to obey the rules like everyone else."> Whose to say who is pure?> I think someone who is 100% serving their GOD day and night, at all times and practicing what they preach has got to be pure....> Self realization after much thought and years meditating/chanting is simple i found... its the realization ,the complete understanding of our relationship to God and to everything and everyone else in our conscious and unconscious universe.> But then by the time I die , I'm sure I'll have even more realizations.> There was a big article in TIME magazine with some personal letter of Mother Theresa that she didnt want shown publically that showed her apparently having doubts(privately in her heart) I guess as a way to try and discredit her.> Was she a saint, coming to India and pushing her views on the poor?People go in circles debating her worth .> And I guess these are the things I'm here for in this life, which is different than other peoples path.> I keep hoping astrology can "reveal" the real saint the real sadhus..etc> Suffering helps one think about these things.> Best wishes> Lakshmi> > > > "Narasimha P.V.R. Rao" <pvr wrote:> Dear Lakshmi,> > The Yogananda I mentioned is different. Swami Yogananda is one of the sixteen monastic disciples of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, along with Swami Vivekananda. He was forced to marry, but never slept with his own wife. Swami Vivekananda once said "if any of us (disciples of Ramakrishna) conquered lust completely and in all respects, it is Joginder (Swami Yogananda)". There is no question of Swami Yogananda being accused of drinking and having women etc.> > Paramahamsa Yogananda is a sishya of Yukteshwar Maharaj and from the lineage of Mahavatar Babaji. They practice kriya yoga. I do not know much about him.> > * * *> > The link you gave is about neither Swami Yogananda nor Paramahamsa Yogananda, but some propaganda about Ramakrishna Paramahamsa himself, based on some bali he apparently gave. So I am unsure exactly who you wanted to talk about..> > Best regards,> Narasimha> ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -> Do a Short Homam Yourself: http://www.VedicAst rologer.org/ homam> Do Pitri Tarpanas Yourself: http://www.VedicAst rologer.org/ tarpana> Spirituality: http://groups. / group/vedic- wisdom> Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro. home.comcast. net> Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAst rologer.org> Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagan nath.org> ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - > > - > Lakshmi Kary > > Sunday, September 28, 2008 7:59 PM> Re: Dharma> > > Hare Rama Krishna> Dear Narasimha,> Ive read several apparently derogatory things about Paramahamsa Yogananda- that he ate meat, drank and had women at different times. Some accounts seem very authoratative so I am inclined to believe where there is smoke there is fire.> How can we reconcil he is spiritually special when he was involved in some many other worldly things.?> http://ramakrishnay b.blogspot. com/2008/ 02/95-where- is-safety- for-fish-and-goats. html> Best wishes> Lakshmi> > "Narasimha P.V.R. Rao" <pvr wrote:>  Namaste,> > I meant it figuratively.> > For the reference on Yogananda, you can read the section on Swami Yogananda in "God Lived with Them: Life Stories of Sixteen Monastic Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna" by Swami Chetanananda.> > * * *> > There have been many great yogis, babas, saints and swamis in the last few thousand years of Kali yuga. But Ramakrishna Paramahamsa stands out in one way. He is one master who mastered every single path. He mastered bhakti yoga, jnaana yoga, karma yoga and even raaja yoga. He worshipped and experienced Rama, Krishna, Kaali and several forms. He even reached the state of nirvikalpa samadhi, where there is no "experience" . He was in sahaja samadhi always. He was able induce tremendous experience in people by mere touch or mere look. Yet he was simple like a child and had zero ego (that is why he could do all that!!!).> > Many "gurus" force their dharma on their sishyas and have no ability to recognize the true nature and dharma of each sishya. They force sishyas to chant the mantra they chant, worship the form they worship and walk the path they walk. Ramakrishna had deep insight into the true nature of each sishya and gave specific instructions. He taught totally different mantras, totally different forms and totally different paths to different sishyas. He even taught contradictory things to different sishyas. When one sishya who needed to mend his aggressive attitude roughed up somebody for insulting his guru, he scolded "shame on you. With your attitude, you did not defend your guru, but brought shame to him. You should learn to be calm and ignore such insults. THAT will place your guru in a good stead and not your aggression". When another sishya who needed to mend his soft demeanor ignored insults of Ramakrishna by some people and came away silently, he scolded him "shame on you.> Shastras say that you should kill one who insults your guru. How can you ignore such wrong behavior? You should give them a piece of your mind."> > Spiritual sadhana does not mean just chanting a mantra or repeating a procedure everyday for a certain period of time. Spiritual sadhana is a continuous process by which one transforms oneself from inside out and purifies oneself. That way, every action and every thought becomes a sadhana and offers an opportunity for introspection and transformation of internal attitude.> > Anyway, coming back to the point, Ramakrishna is not a normal sadhaka or a normal guru. He belonged to a very special class of sadhakas and he was an exceptional guru to an exceptional group of sishyas.> > Without his [indirect] blessings, I would be a nobody and would be lower than dirt. I would not be able to say anything intelligent or meaningful in spiritual matters. Those who are impressed/inspired by something I write should be thankful to my guru Dr Manish Pandit and to Sri Ramakrishna for showering their grace using me as an instrument and not to me.> > BTW, you are all free to forward my posts that you like to people who may be interested in spiritual discussions. I have no problem. As I said before, I am a servant distributing the wealth of a king (Mother) as asked by the minister (my guru).> > Best regards,> Narasimha> ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -> Do a Short Homam Yourself: http://www.VedicAst rologer.org/ homam> Do Pitri Tarpanas Yourself: http://www.VedicAst rologer.org/ tarpana> Spirituality: http://groups. / group/vedic- wisdom> Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro. home.comcast. net> Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAst rologer.org> Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagan nath.org> ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - > > - > rajarshi nandy > @ . com > Sunday, September 28, 2008 2:44 PM> Re: Re: Dharma> > Dear Narasimhaji> > Another wonderly inspired post by you!!!!> > I did not understand one line of your post. You said during the time of Mahabhrata there was tremendous weight on this planet. I could not completely understand what you ment by this. Is it a literal meaning of figuratative meaning?> > Also, could you tell me the name of reference of the book where Sri Ramakrishna says Yogananda was Arjuna. > > Thank you once again for your mails which are an inspiration to us all.> > -Regards> Rajarshi> > > "This above all: to thine own self be true!" - Hamlet> > > > --- On Sun, 28/9/08, Narasimha P.V.R. Rao <pvr wrote:> Narasimha P.V.R. Rao <pvr> Re: Dharma> > Cc: sivacharya@gro ups.com> Sunday, 28 September, 2008, 12:11 AM> > Namaste,> > As Vimalananda says, dharma is indeed personal. Krishna clearly says in > Bhagavad Geeta "Follow your own dharma. It is dangerous to follow someone > else's dharma".> > Following the path of dharma basically means engaging in the right > action/duty. Right action varies from person to person, from time to time > and from place to place. It is dependent on what nature expects from you, > which in turn is based on who you have been in the past, what actions you > did in the past while identifying with the action, who you affected in the > past (and how) with the actions that you identified with, what debts you > created in the process, and what mental tendencies you accumulated until > now.> > If, based on one's mental tendencies and karmic debts, nature wants a person > to kill evil persons, that becomes one's dharma. If, based on one's mental > tendencies and karmic debts, nature wants a person to spread the message of > uniformity of all religions, that becomes one's dharma. If, based on one's > mental tendencies and karmic debts, nature wants a person to spread the > ritual of homam in the world, that becomes one's dharma. If, based on one's > mental tendencies and karmic debts, nature wants a person to make a lot of > money and construct a temple, that becomes one's dharma.> > * * *> > The dharma of a being may change from one life to another.> > At the time of Mahabharata war, it was Arjuna's dharma to kill his gurus, > elders and relatives. The time then was such that there was too much weight > on earth and nature wanted earth to be relieved of some weight. Tremendous > destruction was to take place and civilization destroyed to a great extent, > to welcome Kali yuga and set the tone for it. Arjuna being a great warrior, > it was his dharma to facilitate that. Some people he deeply loved and > respected were on the other side and it was his dharma to kill them.> > When the same Arjuna was born again in the 19th century as one of > Ramakrishna Paramahamsa' s sishyas (Swami Yogananda had been Arjuna in a > previous life, according to Ramakrishna) , his dharma was different in this > new time and place. He was born to renounce material life despite his > aristocratic upbringing and live the simple life of a monk and inspire > generations to embrace a simple life of mental detachment and service to > others. When he is born again (which he has to, as per what Ramakrishna > said), his dharma based on the time and place may be something else.> > * * *> > The tricky question is: How does one decide what is one's dharma?> > Some people have interpreted Krishna's words saying "follow your own dharma > and not someone else's dharma" in the light of castism. Though the concept > of caste (varna) has been there in Hinduism for a long time, the concept of > caste mobility was very much there. Valmiki was a shudra who lived by > killing birds. He became a brahmana and a maharshi later. Vishwamitra was a > kshatrita and a powerful king. He became a brahmana and and a maharshi > later. Basically varna shows one's aptitude. One starts off with the varna > of father, because that is what one is exposed to in childhood. As one > develops in life, one gets one's own varna based on what one does.> > Thus, the misinterpretation of Krishna's words which tells you to know your > dharma from your caste is wrong. Moreover, there are not just 4 dharmas in > the world. Each person has individual dharma.> > Knowing what one's dharma is is very very very difficult. If one is pure > enough, one will *know* one's dharma. In fact, all of us have a part of our > mind that tells us what our dharma is, but it is surrounded by a lot of > noise from other parts of our minds which tell other things. Thus, we get > confused.> > We should make the best judgment combining discrimination and intuition and > decide what is our dharma and follow it sincerely. We may be err, but doing > the best we can is all that we can do!> > More than following dharma, what is of utmost importance is to engage in > actions without identification. *That* alone ensures that we are not > accumulating new karmas, i.e. not increasing the load. We should not build > too much attachment to what we are doing. We should engage in the best > possible actions (based on our best judgment on what our dharma in the given > situation is), with as little attachment and self-identification with the > action as possible. When the action is finished, we should leave the result > to god. We should not think "I did it", "what will happen now", "will it > work" etc. Such adherence of nishkama karma yoga (unfication through > untached action) will simplify our ego and purify our consciousness slowly. > As we become purer, our mind will work sharper and tell our dharma clearer. > There is a positive feedback here. This will slowly enable us to see our > dharma clearly and follow it without incurring new karmas. This is not easy, > but not as difficult as people think.> > The bottomline is: Even if one is not following one's dharma, one's sense of > "this is my dharma" gets refined with time if one engages in action with > little attachment.> > * * *> > In deciding one's dharma, one's intellect and intuition are the inputs. > Another external input is the words of scriptures and learned men. One can > derive one's dharma from them. A special place is given to one's spiritual > master. If one surrenders to a spiritual master, one can take the words of > the master to determine one's dharma and follow it sincerely.> > When Arjuna was confused about what his dharma was and thought killing gurus > and relatives was not dharma, he had a guru in Krishna who clarified his > dharma. When Narendranath (Swami Vivekananda) was confused about his dharma > and wanted to renounce the world and go to a secluded place to do sadhana, > Ramakrishna Paramahamsa cried and prevailed upon him to stay in the material > world and do the work of Mother for him.> > One who is not in tune with nature and does not know who one is, what one's > debts are and what nature expects from one can err in the judgment of what > one's dharma is. If one's guru is an elevated soul with a clear insight into > one's inner core, such a guru can give perfect guidance.> > * * *> > Bottomline is that I (or anybody) cannot outline a set of principles and > declare that as the dharma. No, dharma changes from person to person, from > time to time and from place to place. Also, there are no thumbrules to find > out what one's dharma is. But, one can refine one's understanding of one's > dharma by increasing internal purity. By doing various kinds of spiritual > sadhana (like homam, japam etc) and engaging in actions without much > attachment, one can slowly purify oneself and refine one's understanding of > one's individual dharma.> > Best regards,> Narasimha> ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -> Do a Short Homam Yourself: http://www.VedicAst rologer.org/ homam> Do Pitri Tarpanas Yourself: http://www.VedicAst rologer.org/ tarpana> Spirituality: http://groups. / group/vedic- wisdom> Free Jyotish lessons (MP3): http://vedicastro. home.comcast. net> Free Jyotish software (Windows): http://www.VedicAst rologer.org> Sri Jagannath Centre (SJC) website: http://www.SriJagan nath.org> ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- - > > - > "dahiyajiten" <dahiyajiten@ .co. in>> <>> Saturday, September 27, 2008 8:02 AM> Dharma> > > Namaste to all> >> > i just finished my Aghora series> > and in it in last part> > Vimalanda says path of dharma is very personal.> > Can somebody share views on that and how can we approach> > towards it> > Does it has to do something with vedas and upanishads> >> > regards> > jitender> Catch-up on the latest NZ celebrity and entertainment news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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