hindu-saints

"Karunamayi sat among the villagers who were crowding around her. “Sri Lalita is in the form of consciousness”, was one of the few sentences I understood during her talk in Telugu. It struck me that only in India such highly philosophical statement can be made even to villagers. In the West, in contrast, even educated people might have a blank stare on being told that god is in the form of consciousness. There, hardly anyone wonders what the basis for this world is and here, in the deep interior of India, simple villagers are taught the highest wisdom. Karunamayi then initiated us into the Sri Chakra mantra. She kept chanting it and we all repeated it, till the last person got the pronunciation right."

"Devaraha Baba had obviously watched us coming, because he scolded us, when we reached him. It was far too dangerous to cross the river. We should take the bridge, which was about two kilometres up the river. A sadhu, a sort of monk with matted hair piled high up on his head, translated this for us. Baba waved us closer and asked me where I came from. He benignly nodded his head a few times. He murmured a mantra in Sanskrit and asked us to repeat it line by line. Then he instructed the sadhu to give us sugar candies, so many, as we just managed to hold with both our hands. With difficulty, we wrapped them into a shawl, including those, who had landed in the sand. Baba gave us his blessing and sent us abruptly away. He turned to others, who had come by car via the bridge and carried a basket full of fruits to him. Back in my room in the tourist bungalow I noticed that I liked Baba. In fact I like him very much. My heart jumped with joy at the thought that I would see him again the next day—almost as if I was in love, which seemed inexplicable."

"Baba usually sat on the narrow wooden balcony that was supported by poles. One could only see his head with the unkempt, long hair and the aged bluish eyes. His arms were hanging down from the balustrade and he often raised his hands to give generously his blessing. Occasionally he was not there. Then he either was in the small room behind the balcony or took a bath in the Ganga, and all of us, who had come for his darshan, were sitting in the burning sand, from time to time dipping a handkerchief into the Ganges and placing it on our heads to cool down. Sometimes we waited for half an hour and not a single tree nearby to give us shade. The Indians quietly chanted “Siya Ram, Jay Siya Ram”. They could chant those names hundred, thousand and probably even million times without feeling tired."

"From now on, never again summon me and never try to meet me again.."

"From the Hindu perspective, all oflife is sacred, and performing our duty is dhanna. Dhanna is a rich tenn that means "way of righteousness, religion and fulfillment of duty." From this lofty view, every deed is a part of our religious practice. Everything we do is an act of worship and faith."

"Ramdas was one of the greatest saints of the world. He was the inspirer of Shivaji. Like the Sanskrit Gita and the Tamil Kurul, the Dasabodh is one of the greatest classics of world literature. Ramdas was a contemporary of Sant Tukaram. As makers of Maharastra and remakers of Hindus tan, Ramdas and Shivaji will always go together as one ideological complex in the historical scholarship of future generations."

"Ramdas, to be fair to him, also recommended moderation:'Extremes should be always avoided, one should act according to situations. The wise should never be fanatical.. Times change, rigid rules do not always help; in politics theoretical consistency is misleading.’"

"To prepare for this consummation, Ramdas preached in the living present: 'Places of pilgrimage have been destroyed, homes of the Brahmans have been desecrated, the whole earth is agitated; Dharma is gone. Therefore, Marathas should be mobilized; Maharashtra Dharma should be propagated. The people should be rallied and filled with a singleness of purpose; sparing no effort, we should crash upon the Mlencchas."

"The first Hindu guru I ever encountered, Puri-based Swami Hariharananda Giri, teacher of the Kriya Yoga made famous by Paramhans Yogananda, had a charisma I’d never seen before, exuding such goodness and power that forever cleared all my doubts about whether yoga really works. But his practice had nothing to do with kirtan, of which he didn’t think too highly. Alright, it keeps people off the streets, so to speak, but it can’t get you very far compared with silent meditation.... Swami Hariharananda Giri in fact deplored the way it distracted genuine seekers from the more fruitful practice of silent sitting. As a born Bengali, he was entirely familiar with street-singers in the tradition of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. He once imitated their Hare Krishna chanting: “Hare-hore-hori-horrible!” He taught a direct way to experience that funny feeling which some call God, directing the attention inward and becoming aware of what is lurking there."

"This body made of flesh is subject to death. If it is not washed for a single day, it stinks. We cannot trust the human body. (48)"

"Tulsi Amina (A devotee) recorded this when Baba (Nityananda) gave her the permission to write down his words. He spoke spontaneously in Trans like state during deep meditation over a period of 5 - 7 years from 1920 - 1927 when this was recorded. Chidakasha Gita was first published in 1927 in Kannada Language."

"If you keep sugar apart from us, we cannot have experience of its sweetness. If we eat it, then only we know its taste. A man cannot get Mukti if he simply repeats 'Rama, Krishna, or Govinda' for a thousand years. He must repeat it heartily (knowing the secret). (30)"

"Those The heart should be free from hypocrisy, the heart of man should be perfectly pure. What the heart thinks, the tongue should talk. What one thinks, one must talk. Nobody you should deceive; nobody you should hate. You must not mix with others. Your mind must always be one pointed. (277)"

"There is light in the heart; there is no darkness in it. If a man's head be struck off, we cannot say who the man is by simply looking at his trunk. It is the heart which sees through the eye. A man must have the internal eye. (95)"

"By visiting places of pilgrimage like Benares and Rameshvaram, a man cannot attain Mukti. What is essential is keeping the mind steady for a moment by introversion.(31)"

"Those whose minds are merged in Samadhi, are not deluded by the external jugglery. They are quite fearless. Siddhas (God realized souls) are not afraid of the world. A tiger or a cobra, when they see such a person, become calm, forgetting their ferocity. Similarly, all animals become calm at their sight. Even enemies forget their enmity and become friendly. As soon as they see a sadhu, they become stone-still. What is the cause of this? It is because of their doubting nature. At the sight of a sadhu, there is no darkness. Mind gets purified, realizing the Satwa quality. (280)"

"The characteristics of Sadhuguna, Satwaguna, and peace and all such qualities, come from non-attachment. When Buddhi becomes steady, it is called Satwaguna. Sat (truth) is like letters engraved in stone. The talk of the worldly is like letters engraved on a chalk slab. (253)"

"Enjoy eternal peace! When the Budhi is enlightened, every man comes to know his own defects and merits. Like one's reflection in the mirror, the various desires of the mind will be visible to Budhi. (282)"

"Once the well should be emptied of its water. All the mud should be removed. The water which then comes is the purest. Jnana is like this pure water. Once you burn away the thought of 'I' and 'mine', then non-attachment to the objects of the senses will result of its own accord. (254)"

"Just as camphor is consumed by the flames of fire, so also, mind must be consumed by soul-fire. (4)"

"The heart of a Mahatma is like the tamarind seed perfectly pure. These Mahatmas are ever young. For a Jnyani, there is no age-idea. (251)"

"If you keep a light before a thousand people, it reaches all without making any distinction. Anyone may take it. Where there is light, there is no darkness. In the darkness there is no light. There can only be one thing (either light or darkness), not two at the same time. One's nature should be like the sun; one's Chitta must be cool like the moon. (271)"

"It is not Bhakti to give a man some money or to give him a meal as charity. Bhakti is universal love. Seeing God, in all beings, without the least idea of duality, is Bhakti. (44)"

"A man does not become a guru by simply wearing sandals and counting beads on a rosary. One who talks 'Brahma Jnana' and gives stones to his disciples is not a guru. Whatever a guru speaks in words, he must show it in action. First one must practice and after realisation, he must begin to teach others. (28)"

"The four varna (castes) are perceived to be located in the nature of the individual, i.e. Brahmana in sadacara (righteous conduct), Ksatriya in saurya (valor and courage), Vaisya in vyavasaya (business), and Sudra in seva (service). A yogin experiences all men and women of all races and castes within himself. Therefore he has no hatred for anybody. He has love for every being."

"Mira sang of her love for Krishna with such simplicity and directness that in her songs millions have found a voice and echo of their own God-yearning."

"The saint Mirabai is the most famous of the women saints of India and can be ranked among the foremost of the mystics of the world."

"I have felt the swaying of the elephant's shoulders; and now you want me to climb on a jackass? Try to be serious."

"Love is something absolutely unselfish, that which has no thought beyond the glorification and adoration of the object upon which our affections are bestowed. It is a quality which bows down and worships and asks nothing in return. Merely to love is the sole request that true love has to ask. It is said of a Hindu saint (Mirabai) that when she was married, she said to her husband, the king, that she was already married. To whom?" asked the king. To God," was the reply."

"Don't forget love; it will bring all the madness you need to unfurl yourself across the universe."

"The Great Dancer is my husband," Mira says, "rain washes off all the other colors.”"

"Mother, I have bargained and bought Govinda! Let some say:Cheap!Let some say:Costly! I have weighed in the balance. Let some say:He is in the house, some say!In the woods! Sporting in the company of Radha! When Meera’s Lord Giridhar Krishna comes, love."

"For your sake, I gave up all pleasures, Now why are you making me long for you? You create the pang of separation inside the bosom So that you can come and quench it? O! Lord! Now I will not leave you Smilingly, call me soon! Meera is your servant in birth after birth Unite me with you in every limb."

"One night as I walked in the desert the mountains rode on my shoulders and the sky became my heart, and the earth - my own body, I explored. Every object began to wink at me, and Mira wisely calculated thinking, My charms must be at their height now would be a good time to rush into his arms, maybe He won't drop me so quick."

"That dark dweller in Btaj Is my only refuge. O, my companion, Worldly comfort is an illusion, As soon as you get it, it goes I have chosen the Indestructible for my refuge Whom the snake of death Will not devour. My Beloved dwells in my heart, I have actually seen that Abode of Joy. Mir’s Lord is Hari, the Indestructible My Lord, I have taken refuge with Thee Thy slave."

"O my companion, worldly comfort is illusion, As soon you get it, it goes. I have chosen the indestructible for my refuge, Him whom the snake of death will not devour. My beloved dwells in my heart all day, I have actually seen that abode of joy. Meera's lord is Hari, the indestructible. My lord, I have taken refuge with you, your maidservant."

"Her [Mira;s] childlike simplicity, deep devotion to God, intense spiritual yearning and soulful poetry make the God-intoxicated songs of Meera a national heritage of India, which have transcended regional, lingual, and time barriers and are sung all over India."

"Mira's Bhajans! How can they be not beautiful? I am very familiar with many bhajans of Mirabai. In my Sabarmati Ashram these bhajans are sung repeatedly and with love and devotion to Her. Such rare joy is experienced from her bhajans."

"I want you to have this, all the beauty in my eyes, and the grace of my mouth, all the splendor of my strength, all the wonder of the musk parts of my body, for are we not talking about real love, real love?”"

"My lover's gone off to some foreign country, sopping wet at our doorway I watch the clouds rupture. Mira says, nothing can harm him. This passion has yet to be slaked."

"There is nothing highly wrought bout Mira's style, and no erotic element in her poetry whatsoever. But with her they are instruments used to express a deep and personally felt emotion. She may use the marriage-bed as a symbol of mystical union with God in the manner of Saint -- poets, or as a symbol of the devotee's readiness to give the Lord all that is in his power. But in Mira's poetry there is no tendency to luxuriate in devotional feelings tinged with eroticism."

"Surrender is giving oneself up to the original cause of one's being. Do not delude yourself by imagining this source to be some God outside you. One's source is within oneself. Give yourself up to it. That means that you should seek the source and merge in it. Because you imagine yourself to be out of it, you raise the question, 'Where is the source'?"

"All talk of surrender is like stealing sugar from a sugar image of Ganesha and then offering it to the same Ganesha. You say that you offer up your body and soul and all your possessions to God, but were they yours to offer? At best you can say, 'I wrongly imagined till now that all these, which are Yours, were mine. Now I realise that they are Yours and shall no longer act as though they were mine'. And this knowledge that there is nothing but God or Self, that 'I' and 'mine' do not exist and that only the Self exists is jnana. It is enough that one surrenders oneself."

"Some contend that just as sugar cannot taste its own sweetness and that there must be someone to taste and enjoy it, so an individual cannot both be the Supreme and also enjoy the bliss of that state; therefore the individuality must be maintained separate from the Godhead in order to make enjoyment possible. But is God insentient like sugar? How can one surrender oneself and yet retain one's individuality for supreme enjoyment? Furthermore they also say that the soul, on reaching the divine region and remaining there, serves the Supreme Being. Can the sound of the word 'service' deceive the Lord? Does He not know? Is He waiting for these people's services? Would He not – the Pure Consciousness – ask in turn, 'Who are you apart from Me that presume to serve Me'?"

"Surrender can never be regarded as complete so long as the devotee wants this or that from the Lord. True surrender is the love of God for the sake of love and nothing else, not even for the sake of salvation. In other words, complete effacement of the ego is necessary to conquer destiny, whether you achieve this effacement through Self-enquiry or through bhakti marga."

"There are only two ways to conquer destiny or to be independent of it. One is to enquire whose this destiny is and discover that only the ego is bound by it and not the Self, and that the ego is non-existent. The other way is to kill the ego by completely surrendering to the Lord, realizing one's helplessness and saying all the time, 'Not I, but Thou, oh Lord', giving up all sense of 'I' and 'mine' and leaving it to the Lord to do what he likes with you."

"The spark of spiritual knowledge (jnana) will consume all creation. Since all the countless worlds are built upon the weak or non-existent foundation of the ego, they all disintegrate when the atom-bomb of knowledge falls on them."

"2. That, from where all the activities of the embodied beings emerge, is mentioned as the heart. The description of its form is conceptual."

"The srutis [scriptures] speak of the Self as being the size of one's thumb, the tip of the hair, an electric spark, vast, subtler than the subtlest, etc. They have no foundation in fact. It is only being, but different from the real and the unreal; it is knowledge, but different from knowledge and ignorance. How can it be defined at all? It is simply being."

"Remembrance also is similarly relative, requiring an object to be remembered and a subject to remember. When there is no duality, who is to remember whom? The Self is ever-present. Each one wants to know the Self. What kind of help does one require to know oneself ? People want to see the Self as something new. But it is eternal and remains the same all along. They desire to see it as a blazing light etc. How can it be so? It is not light, not darkness. It is only as it is. It cannot be defined."