Questions of a member answered

[Guest guest]

Dear Sir,

 

1) How should one handle the concept of death? What happens after that? I am really scared about rebirth (as in going through the delivery).

(Shreeram): One need not understand/handle the concept of death from a mental level. The more you think of the moribund question, the more depressed your mind will become. Mentally we attach to a material-mode and rarely do any Athma-vichara. Death should be viewed as Bhagavad Geetha says as in changing old clothes and wearing new ones.

Also, Adi Shankara in reply to a question: "What bothers one until death?"—replies, "sins commited in secrecy". So, be bothered only about those misdeeds if you have committed any and try to repent and do prayaschitta for them. So handle the concept of sin rather than death, which I feel is a more proactive one. What better and spiritual things can I do while I live?—handle this concept more than just brodding thoughts on death. So, when death comes, it will be a withering of a ripe fruit rather than the fall of a dry leaf.

What happens after death? : The soul is taken to the plane it deserves or in some cases takes birth ASAP in either higher or lower evolutions as case maybe. I do not want to enter into a discussion of hell and heaven planes as it is a digression.

The person who should be scared about `going through the delivery' is your mother of your next birth, not you!-as she bears the most pain. The child cries because it is cut from the cozy dark place of the womb and comes out into the open elements. I do accept there is a birth shock for the child, etc but the maximum amount of pain is for the mother. Try to make this your last birth, if not at least aspire for a better and spiritual womb next birth.

Be scared of doing evil acts this birth rather than the birth shock next birth! I think this is more sensible.

 

2) What should one do in order not to go to hell? Also, what should one do to take rebirth as a human?

1. Do Good, Don't do bad!

2. Do God!

 

3) Does modern influence affect spirituality? I wish to be spiritual. However, I like wearing modern clothes, listening to pop songs, play guitar and even take up martial arts . Does such activities affect our upasana and spirituality?

Normally it will not, however I do not know (or want to comment anything) about pop songs!

Modern clothes, playing guitar (not heavy metal kind of electric guitar stuff),martial arts(if taken for self-control and indriya nigraha instead of violence) will not affect Upasana or spirituality.

Anything done in moderation will never hurt. Mitham-Hitam! The moment one tries to over-do things, problem starts.

Any activity must be done with a meditative mind and worldy duties with a detached mind yet in joy that you are in this blissful world and that God has given you a shareera and Manas to think about Himself/Herself.

Ultimately what you wear is not as important as what you are or think or act.

However, some frames do aid in the progress of upasana-Kashayam color (saffron color is scientifically said to increase the sense of vairagya in one's mind), pleasant spiritual music ( Be it my favorite MS bhajans or Annamayya Krithis or even instrumental music),yogasanas and pranayama(when learnt with an instructor) all create an amicable ambience in which you can cultivate your Bhakthi,shraddha and upasana. These are purely my opinions which I try not to enforce even unconsciously on anyone.

 

4)Suppose if I am not lucky enough to get initiation to Srividya mantras, can I ask Swamiji to initiate me to Gayathri mantra?

For sure! You need not ask me. It is between you and Him and He will give you what you need not what you want. (This is my understanding)

 

Also,

5) How do we know whether the pujas done by us is accepted by Amba? Will there be any signs shown?

There is no clear-cut answer to this. If I say to you "Amba will drop a flower after your puja is over". You will start waiting for the flower on her vigraha or photo to drop! and when it does not happen, you will get disappointed.

Indications normally come for advanced practitioners or people with immense Bhakthi and Upasana. And they strangely do not try to see whether any signs are present that She has accepted their offering. For them the very puja,dhyana,japa, and naivedya is an offering, a joy and love-unconditional. And when there is love which is unconditional, it will not seek whether the love has been accepted. Love just gives and remains silent. This is the nature of love. This is the nature of Bhakthi.

If you give a gift to a friend out of love, will you say telephone him two days later and ask him. "Did you eat/wear/…. what I gave you?" If you do so then your gift is just for time-pass and to satiate your ego that you have "done something" and also that you do not trust this friend of yours (What if he gave away the eatable/dress not liking it to some `idiot'?)

Maybe your friend who is a frail human being might not accept your gift but Amba always accepts happily whatever you offer Her with love and lets it be known when your Bhakthi is really ripe.

This is all I know from my meager experience and what has been imparted to me by my elders and Sriguru.

Yours Yogically,

Shreeram Balijepalli