Dear Friends
This week I was pre-occupied with some personal events which kept me mentally and emotionally attached to memories of someone who is no more physically with us. The chain of thoughts occurring in my mind was different from the ones that energized me to keep writing to all of you each week. Obviously it needed time for disengaging the thought-flow.
This experience made me realize something; mind is constituted of thoughts. These thoughts when they find expression through our thinking process; keep flitting like a butterfly from one flower to another. We tend to identify ourselves with each of these thoughts and start building our towers of happiness or valleys of sorrows on the strength of these identifications. Unlike the butterfly, we do not disengage ourselves from one flower; flit over to the other, only to leave it a little while later to go to another flower. These constant engagements with thought-identifications; result in our joys and sorrows. We become a slave of our thinking habits. Like a flowing river, we identify with the flowing water, its current and its little ripples. We fail to notice that the river is falling into a gorge a little ahead and we are going to fall with the current. The objective of all spiritual or even self-improvement studies should be to disengage our mind from these thought-identifications and become a witness to them; as though standing on the banks of the river. As we witness these thoughts, their power to engage us in their agitations will cease. We come to realize our serenity and calmness that is permeating within us at all times. We realize the meaning of the phrase-”Om Shanti Om”.
One of the names of the Lord is Yagneshwara; “Yagna-Eashwara”. What is a Yagna? When we perform “havan” at home, we offer various choicest “possessions” to the “holy fire” These possessions are items like butter, sandalwood, cooked-rice, husk, etc. The holy fire is purified by the chanting of divine mantras and slokas, by the priests. At the end of the yagna, the priest offers us the ashes immersed in ghee for applying on our forehead, and this we call as “prasad”. A true yagna is one where offer our thought-agitations, our vulgar passions, our unholy attachments, our unending desire for worldly possessions etc into the “holy fire of knowledge”. This knowledge comes from joining other fellow-devotees in His continuous prayer; learning and reinforcing the truth founded on His kindness and greatness and affirming to ourselves to remain steadfast at His Holy Feet. The peace and calmness generated in our hearts by this devoted joint effort is the “prasad” that comes out of this yagna. This prasad is given by Lord Yagneshwara.
I have learnt that many of the writings that I have shared with you have language impediments for understanding with a few recipients. What is communication? A method, manner or instrument used for conveying an idea from one transmitter to another recipient is a communication. The thoughts or concepts that I have shared with you thus far may not have been properly “communicated” to you because of these language impediments. I consider it more a limitation of my transmission than receiving limitations of my audience. I can only pray and hope that I can convey my thoughts about Him and His Unending Glory in better and more effective communication again and again.
With Prem & Om
Suresh
This week I was pre-occupied with some personal events which kept me mentally and emotionally attached to memories of someone who is no more physically with us. The chain of thoughts occurring in my mind was different from the ones that energized me to keep writing to all of you each week. Obviously it needed time for disengaging the thought-flow.
This experience made me realize something; mind is constituted of thoughts. These thoughts when they find expression through our thinking process; keep flitting like a butterfly from one flower to another. We tend to identify ourselves with each of these thoughts and start building our towers of happiness or valleys of sorrows on the strength of these identifications. Unlike the butterfly, we do not disengage ourselves from one flower; flit over to the other, only to leave it a little while later to go to another flower. These constant engagements with thought-identifications; result in our joys and sorrows. We become a slave of our thinking habits. Like a flowing river, we identify with the flowing water, its current and its little ripples. We fail to notice that the river is falling into a gorge a little ahead and we are going to fall with the current. The objective of all spiritual or even self-improvement studies should be to disengage our mind from these thought-identifications and become a witness to them; as though standing on the banks of the river. As we witness these thoughts, their power to engage us in their agitations will cease. We come to realize our serenity and calmness that is permeating within us at all times. We realize the meaning of the phrase-”Om Shanti Om”.
One of the names of the Lord is Yagneshwara; “Yagna-Eashwara”. What is a Yagna? When we perform “havan” at home, we offer various choicest “possessions” to the “holy fire” These possessions are items like butter, sandalwood, cooked-rice, husk, etc. The holy fire is purified by the chanting of divine mantras and slokas, by the priests. At the end of the yagna, the priest offers us the ashes immersed in ghee for applying on our forehead, and this we call as “prasad”. A true yagna is one where offer our thought-agitations, our vulgar passions, our unholy attachments, our unending desire for worldly possessions etc into the “holy fire of knowledge”. This knowledge comes from joining other fellow-devotees in His continuous prayer; learning and reinforcing the truth founded on His kindness and greatness and affirming to ourselves to remain steadfast at His Holy Feet. The peace and calmness generated in our hearts by this devoted joint effort is the “prasad” that comes out of this yagna. This prasad is given by Lord Yagneshwara.
I have learnt that many of the writings that I have shared with you have language impediments for understanding with a few recipients. What is communication? A method, manner or instrument used for conveying an idea from one transmitter to another recipient is a communication. The thoughts or concepts that I have shared with you thus far may not have been properly “communicated” to you because of these language impediments. I consider it more a limitation of my transmission than receiving limitations of my audience. I can only pray and hope that I can convey my thoughts about Him and His Unending Glory in better and more effective communication again and again.
With Prem & Om
Suresh
No comments:
Post a Comment