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“Faith, in true sense, is a
lively link connecting the mortal with the
Immortal”
(Basic Writings of Sri
Ramchandra, Reality at Dawn, Page 250)
Smt.A.V.S.Sita Lakshmi
My Hearty Pranams to Revered
Sir and all my brothers and sisters.
The topic of the seminar on
this auspicious day is taken from the
article ‘Faith’ graciously given by our
beloved Babuji Maharaj (SriRamchandraji
Maharaj of Shahjahanpur, U.P.,India)to the
sadhakas in His book Reality at Dawn – Basic
Writings of Sri Ramchandra –pg.no.250
When I first thought of
presenting a paper in this seminar I felt
that I should share my personal experience
in understanding this ‘topic’. Faith is
individual. So it gains meaning when it is
relevant to the individual experience and
practice. In this paper 1st
person has been used to explain and share
with you all my individual feelings and
experience rather imperience in some places.
Kindly bear with me.
I tried to write the
development of faith from belief through
trust in the following lines –
1.
The effect of Pranahuti and
individual sittings including satsangs and
Bhandaras
2.
How the method has helped in
developing ‘Faith’
3.
The way of living
4.
Progress occurred.
5.
Difficulties and miseries
which enhanced the ‘Faith’.
6.
The role of the Master in my
life
7.
Path of Service.
I joined this system when I
was 19 yrs old in the year 1977 by seeing my
husband practicing the system. Previously I
was doing the traditional worship at home.
I got introduced at Tirupathi. After
introduction within 2 months I had an
opportunity to have the darshan of Pujya
Babuji Maharaj in Chennai. I attended few
Satsangs conducted by Pujya Babuji Maharaj
and returned back to Tirupathi along with my
husband. There was continuous happiness in
the heart. Now I am able to express that
feeling in words but at that time it was a
state of mind. During the visit to Chennai
I heard so much about Pranahuti
(Transmission) from fellow brethren who were
all abhyasis. During introductory sittings
I had the experience of Pranahuti and I was
wondered at that time. In those days I did
not know any thing about, how Pranahuti is
offered, and the ‘will’ of a person etc. I
simply knew that it was something given and
we could feel it. I thought that I should
test it whether it works on me or not.
During the day’s work I tried many times
to get the pranahuti by stopping my work
while washing clothes, cooking food etc.
Every time I felt smooth vibrations in the
heart and felt a wave like experience. I was
amazed at this. I thought that I was getting
Pranahuti and I was happy. I strongly felt
that there was some thing in this system.
Later on I understood that it was the
continuation of the effect of Pranahuti. The
reason for narrating this experience is
that, at that time I was novice to the
system, I did not have much acquaintance
with the Master and I did not know how the
Pranahuti is offered. But still the internal
experience made me to believe that there was
something special in this system and the
Master. I am sure that every abhyasi here
and elsewhere definitely might have had the
internal experience of Pranahuti, the Divine
influx in their introductory sittings
itself.
All glory to the Grand Master
who revived the method of training with
Pranahuti and gifting humanity Pujya
Babuji Maharaj .the ‘Special Personality’
for the transformation of ‘man’.
In the words of the Master
“…..We must be thoroughly considerate in
judging the merits of a thing, applying all
possible means at our disposal. We should
never come to a hasty conclusion without due
consideration and trial, through the help of
reason and experience. When we are, finally
convinced of the merits of the thing we may
stick to it with faith and constancy.”1
My belief in the system
encouraged me to attend Satsangs and
Bhandaras. Few months later had an
opportunity to have individual sittings from
the trainers. The imperience (internal
experience) during and after receiving
Pranahuti in individual sittings changed my
belief into trust in my Master and the
system. I started yielding to the Great
Master.
From 1982 onwards I am under
the training of Sri K.C. Narayana Garu along
with my husband. From then onwards I started
learning about the system and my
understanding of the system had begun.
The result of the individual
sittings was that I developed interest and
started following the system with
enthusiasm. This gradually changed my trust
into Faith in the Master then, now, and
forever.
During this journey on
Natural Path at one stage I felt that ‘For
every body in this world He is the Only
Master and this is the Only system that is
available and every one must follow it which
is the only solution for all problems of
life’. Later the emotional tinge of the
feeling has gone and more deeper
understanding of the system had begun.
Regarding the system all the
components of the method helped me in
developing faith in the Master.
Meditations in the morning
over a period of time gave many feelings
like-
1. Wonderous
2. Blissfull
3. Lightness
4. Calmness
5. Absorption
6.Happiness
7.Love for Master
8. Aspiration
9. Devotion
10. Surrender
11. Confidence
12.Contentment
13. Balance
14. Expansion
15.Transcendence of time and
space
16. Love for others
17. Concern for others
18. Duty towards others
19.Servant of Master
20. He is every thing
21. Entire being is yours
22. He knows
23. He does.
24. Balancedness.
25. A feeling of liberation
from many things like binds, bonds and
entanglements along with growing levels of
Freedom.
Along with these positive
feelings and states of consciousness,
certain negative aspects like disgust,
dejection, depression ( depressive mood ),
dullness, disinterestedness, questioning,
diffidence, indifference, attachments, self
pity, over concerns were some of the
feelings and states of mind that were
experienced during sadhana. But I was
helped to overcome and over coming such
states of mind through guidance in the form
of counselling and the support of pranahuti
from my trainer.
Purification –
Observations after attending
to purification in the evening –
·
Experience of lightness and
freshness. Gradually it has become one of
the important parts of life activities.
·
Progressively learned to
leave unnecessary things getting into our
mind.
·
Over reaction, emotional
outbursts, unnecessary involvement in one’s
own affairs and also others etc. have come
down.
·
Greed, jealousy, competition
were removed resulting in contentment,
interdependency and harmonized living.
·
Over attachment to due
attachment.
·
Loosing interest in worldly
charms.
·
Gaining simple and unassuming
nature.
·
Regaining a state of balance.
Purification is done not only
by sadhaka as a part of regular sadhana, and
also being attended by the trainer during
individual sittings, and happens during
Satsangs and Bhandaras. This resulted in
strengthening the foundation of Faith in the
Master.
Observations of doing night
prayer –
·
Feelings of repentance
·
Acceptance of faults and
wrongs committed
·
Bowing the head before Master
and gradually to everybody
·
Development of humility ,
submission
·
Petitioning to less
petitioning to no petitioning. Prayer for
others.
·
Accepting others reactions
are the results of our faults or faulty
behaviour
·
Expectation to acceptance.
·
Silent communication with the
Master through the feelings of the heart.
This resulted in developing
more faith and submission to the Master and
also developed internal intimacy with the
Master, The lively link connecting the
mortal with the Immortal.
The efficacy of the
meditations on Point’A’ and ‘B’ and 9 P.M.
prayer contributed to the transformation.
All this led to have a way of
life that is the following of Ten
commandments given by the Master which also
helped as a yard stick in evaluating myself
in terms of progress in the Path. So the
Practice of our system which most
importantly is supported by regular influxes
of pranahuti enabling sadhakas to come out
of selfish and self-centeredness so that we
become more and more other centered and
world centered and further on Universe
-centered and for that confidence in
oneself, faith in the system, the method
which includes Pranahuti is most vital.
The progress that is
experienced during the march reflects in a
change in attitudes, in behaviour
pattern, perception towards the life as a
whole and develops the personality which
is ever changing to finer and finer degrees
of subtleness and humility. I feel that one
become spiritually and socially relevant
displaying human dignity. This is more felt
as one starts imbibing the noble traits of
service, sacrifice, sharing and
co-operation.
Every person faces
difficulties in his /her life. It is a
common experience that every one of us had
and is having our own personal problems,
afflictions, miseries and sorrows. How this
system and the Master are relevant in such
circumstances? Does our Faith in the Master
and the system get affected?
I observed that during
difficult times we get the inner strength to
face them, to rise above them and to
transcend them. We become more resilient and
accept the situation as it comes. I observed
that the ‘Faith’ in the Master increases
with leaps and bounds and we develop more
conviction in the system we are following.
Here the main thing is that we are neither
afraid of situations nor getting away from
our responsibilities. We are more sincere,
serious and committed to under go the
situation. This has resulted in practicing
the commandments 5 and 7 with ease and
naturalness. The capacities had to forebear
and display fortitude are due to faith of
the mortal in the Immortal and this is the
lively link. This is not just my
experience, similar is the experience of all
sadhakas who are following this system ‘The
Natural Path’.
In this connection I recall a
story which goes like this- There was a
disciple. He had lot of ‘Faith’ in his
Mater. They were always together. The
presence of his Master was felt besides him.
The disciple could see only the foot-prints
of his Master. Once the disciple gets into
lot of problems. When he looked for his
Master he couldn’t find the foot-prints of
his Master next to him. He gets worried.
After sometime when his situation becomes
normal the foot-prints of the Master
reappeared next to him. The disciple got
amazed .He asked his Master that where was
he all those days when he was in troubles.
The Master replied that he was with him
only. The disciple said that he couldn’t
find his foot-prints. The Master replied
that He was carrying him (the disciple) all
the while when he was undergoing the
troubles. The feet with which he was moving
were the feet of the Master and not of the
disciple.
Our experience says that our
Master is present always in our hearts and
assures us of His presence. When Mother is
there child is not worried. That is why when
some people ask ‘Are you following the same
system and still meditating?’ I confidently
reply with a smile that “Yes, That is my
life”.
The life stories of our
Masters inspire us to live the life
meaningfully and fruitfully under all
circumstances in the thought of Divine and
in the company of Divine.
The adverse situations help
us to understand, empathise and feel the
pain of other persons who are undergoing
their difficult times in life and we can
respond to them with concern and compassion
naturally, which we have felt, experienced
and learned from our master in his training.
Here I feel that the role and
the support of the trainer is very vital. It
is not only the concern and compassion we
get from our master, it is the inner
strength that is given to us through
pranahuti by means of development of viveka,
love for divine by diverting the flow
towards Atman and development of Faith and
dependency in Master which results in
Surrender to the Master.
Therefore the support of the
master is very important in development of
‘Faith’. He is the role model who is living
in His Consciousness (SriRamchandra
Consciousness) always.
It has been my experience
that ‘faith’ is growing gradually and
progressively. The conviction drawn out of
this faith make me feel that every sadhaka
can become an embodiment of ‘Faith’ and
should spread the message of the Great
Master. In the words of Pujya Dr.K.C.V. “The
New Darshana is for those who participate in
the Divine work of Divinising Man – rather
than those who seek individual
transformation. The assurance of Master that
He is taking care of every abhyasi and that
every abhyasi should spread the message
means that every one should actively
participate in bringing about simplicity,
purity and fraternal feelings in all, not
worrying about his own realization……..”,
“…….If every abhyasi really believes in the
Master, he has the onerous responsibility of
shedding through his actions and behaviour
the Radiance of the Divine Personality
deeply imbedded in him. He should be
conscious of the fact that he is walking
temple, in as much as Master is in his
heart.”2 Therefore the mortal
(individual) needs to be moulded in terms of
Immortal (Divine) for which ‘Right Faith’ is
a must and it is the ‘Lively link’.
Thanking you.
Pranams.
References:
1.
(Basic Writings of
SriRamchandra – pg.246).
2.
(Complete Works of
Dr.K.C.Varadachari – Vol.I pg.583 and 584) |
