Fwd: Hindu Article-The world, a snare

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advaitin , " B VAIDYANATHAN "

<vaidyanathiyer> wrote:

The world, a snare

CHENNAI: God realisation is an overwhelming, transcendental

experience that goes beyond what can be grasped through reason,

senses and intellect. The primary purpose of life is to realise God,

and it is vital that the rare privilege of human birth is availed of

and not frittered away. Once one experiences the grace of God and is

immersed in it, it becomes an insatiable thirst.

But God realisation is not easily achieved though there are many

ways

of realising Him. This is because people become attached to the

world, which is undoubtedly a manifestation of Lord's splendour.

Since they go in search of this magnificence only, and do not seek

out the cause of it, they miss the wood for the trees.

Sri Ramakrishna's teachings call attention to the oft-repeated truth

of the Bhagavad Gita that describes this world as temporary and full

of woes, said Swami Jnanadananda in a lecture. This world is a trap

that can easily entice human beings to be caught eternally. Hence

there is the need for strong will and determination to break away

from this cycle of birth. One way is to constantly remind oneself of

the temporary nature of the world and of the human body.

This can happen if one associates with the pious and saintly people

who always seek the Supreme Being. Attraction to worldly objects is

like a disease that needs treatment by a physician. Just as one

consults the doctor more frequently if the disease is in an advanced

stage, one needs to seek the company of the pious as often as

possible to avoid going astray.

In the hymn Bhaja Govindam, Adi Sankara equates such an association

with the devout (Sajjana Sangam) to a boat that helps mankind to

cross the ocean of Samsara. It is only in pious company that one is

able to develop the faculty of discriminating the eternal from the

ephemeral, the real from the unreal.

God is the embodiment of compassion and reveals His presence to

sincere devotees. Only a genuine yearning can lead to Him. One

should

melt and cry with devotion and love to God with full liberty. One

has

to plead with persistence and demand His attention towards us. Is it

not His duty to respond to our call, just as it is the duty of

parents to bring up their children?

 

copy right: The Hindu-daily

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