Mother-Son

ll ॐ नमो भगवते रामकृष्णाय ll नमो कालिकायै ll

Dear Bhaktas,

Son and the Mother; Mother and Son; Mother is Son; Son is Mother!

Shyama, the Mother and Shyama-lal, the son. The Dark one,  is sung of in songs that send one to raptures, for they were sung to their beloved Mother by Her beloved sons...

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निबिडो आन्धरे मा तोरो चमोके ओ रूपो राशी ..

ताहि जोगी ध्यैन धोरे होये  गिरि-गुहा-बाशी ...

 Yet, when Ramprosad sang this, he was 'lost' in the Mother. Deeper one's devotion gets, lesser one's identity expresses apart, and, greater is one's identity with the whole, that is the Lord! Ramprosad, Kamalakanto, Daasharathi....all merge into that one limitless Kali, enraptured....

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In Sri Ramakrishna, where Ramprasad, Kamalakanto, Dasharathi, Sri Chaitanya all expressed and merged, one sees it all vividly, as if He were a screen set up by the Mother Herself... to reveal Herself!

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In a devotional mood, one can indeed worship one's Ishta, even perform a Pooja in detail, with all the Upacharas, with, of course the awareness that one is worshiping the Divine Mother, even to one's heart's content, and feel the joy, the Ananda. Son and Mother, Mother and Son.

 What if the Mother becomes the Son and Son the Mother, in enraptured identity? Can we say who fed whom in that finale of worship? We have heard that, and a mesmerised Mathur Babu knew immediately that the question is difficult to answer, if it was his Baba (Sri Ramakrishna) who sat on the worshipper's seat when it began. Did Kali come to be Him, the Son, or did He become Bavatarini, the Mother? Who ate? The one who eats up all Brahmandas, having given birth to them?

When Kali Pooja was done, Sri Ramakrishna watched it from His lotus seat...

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Or was it Kali who watched Her beloved son for hours, amidst the ongoing Pooja....and enrapturing Kali Keertan?

​We watched as they watched each other... this Amavasya night on this 'Jnana-deepawali'....

One is now amused to note that He had a son by name Abhedananda, who was also called Kali, and who also sang aloud...

प्रकृतिं परमां अभयां वरदाम् ..... to tell us the secret??

Say Ma, who are you, and why do you sport a beard sometimes?

-- 

Swami Sheshadri

Guru Poornima : Salutations to Sri Guru Maharaj!

ll ॐ नमो भगवते रामकृष्णाय गुरु-मूर्त्तये   ll

Dear Mumukshus,

He is called variously -  Sri Ramakrishna, Thakurji, Paramahamsa, Ramakrishnadeva, Avataravarishtha, Sarvadevadeviswaroopa, Ishtadeva and so on....each Bhakta at his/her own terms! 

He listens to all calls, whatever be the reason far calling upon be! "चतुर्विधा भजन्ते माम् " says Bhagavan Sri Krshna in the Geeta. When called upon, He comes to the aid of the one in distress ( आर्तः), grants material welfare to those who perceive its lack (अर्थार्थी ), and much more!

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We wonder which of His names is more sweet than the other! What would He Himself like to hear, if there were entertained, such a choice and thought?

Tulasidasji adored Sri Rama and we have his 'Manas', the sweet and deep gift. He also prayed to Sri Hanuman, Rama's inseparable servant. In his 'Hanuman Chaleesa' he prays for the grace of Rama-dasa Sri Hanuman thus, "कृपा करहुं " but in his infinite wisdom, adds just how that grace be bestowed, "गुरुदेव कि नाईं " even as my Guru!!". He is so clear - bless me as my Guru, so that I may behold the Lord, the truth of myself, as you yourself do, and for which you are hailed as 'ज्ञानिनां अग्रगण्यम्' (the best among Jnanis). 

He has sung of Hanuman in the Sundara Kanda  'जिमि अमोघ रघुपति कर बाना , एंहि भांति चलेउ हनुमाना ' - Hanuman proceeded to find Sitadevi, even as the unfailing arrow shot from the hands of Sri Rama himself. Complete surrender unto Bhagavan Sri Rama and dissolution of his individual ego into Rama is implied. Rama alone guides his intellect, the aim is Rama's sankalpa, the force and direction of the arrow is all Rama's - Rama fills him - he knows Rama as his truth!

If one has a Spiritual Teacher, one will know, says the Shruti, " आचार्यवान् पुरुषो वेद ". Tulasi knew this so well!

Above all, hence, Sri Swami Vivekananda and the Parshadas all hailed Him as "Sri Guru Maharaj". Wasn't His entire life, a guide to seekers? His entire utterances 'Ishvara prapti upaaya'? 'Yoga Sahaaya' , is hence, another great name Swamiji used for Him in the Aratrikam.

Here is a prescription, a life of no compromises, if one is a Mumukshu. A staunch advocate of Teevra Mumukshuttva, we have seen 'अतिनिन्दित इन्द्रिय राग', 'त्यागीश्वरत्त्व ', the repeated refrain of 'काम-काञ्चन त्याग'  etc., in short, His only concern was to make one an 'उत्तम अधिकारी ' for Brahma Vidya.

Above all roles we see Him in, it is His role as an unfailing Guide to Ishvara that He Himself loved most!

Let us then, on this Guru Poornima celebrate Him as the Guide - Guru, the Lord Himself, descended upon earth, out of extreme compassion, as Guru!!

For, isn't the greatest compassion needed for solving the fundamental cause of all problems and freeing a Jeeva - Moksha, rather than solving every other problem and keeping one in Samsara for more?

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Salutations to the compassionate Guru !

जय श्री गुरु महाराज जी की - जय !!

-- 

Swami Sheshadri

Sahaaya : Help!

ll ॐ नमो भगवते रामकृष्णाय ll

Dear Bhakta 'Bhramaras',

Help we need, and badly so, particularly in these difficult times! Looking around, we see the human orientation, the major direction of thrust of human endeavours (Purushartha).. reflected in the media, echoed in the youth and old alike, global in spread, guiding today's society in its notions and perverted 'value' system - even as Swamiji had averred over a Century ago - money(wealth) and lust (Kama) enthroned as the 'King' and 'Queen' - ruling the minds of humans!

So deeply entrenched are they getting by each passing day, that it almost appears a sin to question them. This then, is not only 'legitimate', but looks like the norm, and all else is considered aberrant.

It is long forgotten that money is a means and not an end. Akin to mistaking the night for the day, this overlooking the obvious, this Aviveka, seems ubiquitous! The same goes for Kama. There is a never-before-seen frenzy ... there is neither time to question, nor even to pause! This is Kaliyuga, in its first quarter!

In this age characterised by superficial thinking, the faculty of choice is more clouded than ever. The fallout of such a pursuit is surely rampant physical maladies and a weak mind full of anxieties, apprehensions, unrest, frustration, depression, restlessness, fear and pervading negativity. Even more insecurity, even more displeasure. Samsara is दुः ख, pain!

The need for help is more than ever. How do I handle this mind, amidst a barrage of sensory experiences, how do I secure and validate myself, how do I discover peace and fulfilment?

Am I not looking for an unwavering Pole-star in my vain and indisciplined life, one that is most compassionate?

"तस्मात्त्वमेव शरणं मम दीन-बन्धो !" calls out Swamiji, presenting Sri Thakurji as the unfailing beacon - the 'Yoga-sahaaya'! There is hope, and a bright one - even in these times.

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Even staying in the thick of the world, He gently leads you to the goal of your life, not allowing the fledgeling desire for freedom to wane, not letting one go off track, and helping one stay focussed on the goal of life - even as the Bhramaras we see here below hover around floral ambrossia alone!!

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Generations of Mumukshus have found in you the sure, gentle and uncompromising guide and benefactor. Countless seek your refuge too, scorched by the harsh trials of the Samsara:

यस्मादहन्त्वशरणो जगदेकगम्य !

तस्मात्त्वमेव शरणं मम दीन-बन्धो !

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OM

Narayanasmrtis.

-- 

Swami Sheshadri

Kalpataru Maa!

ll ॐ नमो भगवते रामकृष्णाय कल्पतरवे ll   llॐ श्री मात्रे नमः ll

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Dear Devotees,

What a coincidence! Or is it? Kalpataru diwas is Sri Sri Maa's Jayanti this time. The Kalpa-vrksha stands at the North-east corner of the temple, looking at the Real Kalpataru presiding inside... It has one queer feature - the trunk is bifurcated right from the bottom.

Kalpataru is the legendary 'wish-fulfilling tree' that abides in Indra's precincts. One could ask for the desired object, standing beneath it...of course, all that is finite, surely.

 We are reminded of what Maitreyi, in her wisdom, asked on behalf of all of us​, "किमहं तेन वित्तेन कुर्यां येनाहं अमृता न स्यां ?" (What am I to do with all the objects if they would not make me immortal..)

That brings up the natural question - would Ishvara, invoked as Kalpataru, be as apologetic as that?

Narayana Bhattathiri in his famous Naraayaneeyam addresses this in a glowing verse thus -

नम्राणां सन्निधत्ते सततमपि पुरस्तैरनभ्यर्थितानप्यर्थान्  कामानजस्रं वितरति परमानन्द-सान्द्रां गतिम् च l

इत्थं निश्शेष-लभ्यो निरवधिकफलः पारिजातो हरे त्वं 

क्षुद्रं तं शक्रवाटी-द्रुममभिलषति व्यर्थमर्थिव्रजोsयम् ll 

"Indeed it only befits vain mendicants to be begging from and of that insignificant tree that grows in Indra's garden, when O Lord Hari, you are there to shower what is desired, even though unprayed for, and transcending all that, the fruit called limitlessness - Moksha - upon devotees that have surrendered unto you!"

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Ishvara is not an 'ordinary Parijata' who would want to grant you what would keep you bound in the finite Samsara. It could be said without a shade of doubt about Bhagavan Sri Ramakrishna a least. Not for nothing was He so choosy about the right devotee - one who would not ask for things that bring bondage, one who wanted Ishvara Himself, Moksha alone!!

Yet, it takes a day like today, where one sees a Kalpataru day superimposed on Sri Maa's Jayanthi to understand why that Kalpataru Ishvara has indeed got to be patently Motherly - for this kind of compassion, born of sheer vatsallya!

​Isn't it then rightly said of Her -

भोगाद्दुष्कर्म-कोट्या कृत-मलिनं दुर्लभम् मर्त्यजन्मं 

माया-मोहाग्नि-पङ्के गहनतमे अन्धकारे निमग्नम् l

मोक्षं वक्ष्ये किमपरं प्रदिशसि भक्तमुन्नीय स्वाङ्के 

आर्त्र-त्राण-परायणे ! जननि हे ! मां पाहि श्री सारदे ll

"Even upon that lowly devotee as has sullied this rare-to-attain human birth with millions of misdeeds and sense-enjoyments, and who is deeply immersed in abyssmal darkness, in the quicksand of delusive ignorance that scorches - She generously bestows Moksha, having lifted up his dirty self right on to Her own lap!! What more do I have to say in extolling the glories of my Mother! O Ma Sarada, the ever-eager Savior of those in distress and suffering, please save me!"

Indeed it takes Motherhood for manifestation of Ishvara's 'Kalpavrkshattvam'!!

Well, did not Bhagavan say to Arjuna, "I am the Father of this Jagat, and the Mother as well..." (पिताहमस्य जगतः  माता  धाता पितामहः...) 

Is it to indicate this truth that the Kalpa tree near the temple has a bifurcated trunk?

Maa! You chose this coincidence, You alone must choose to put us on your lap, we are ignorant as children, O Dayaamayi!!

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-- 

Swami Sheshadri