Spiritual Discourses
(Satsang given by Swamiji in the UK, in March 1983)
All this time we have been singing bhajans. We are tired, sleepy, our bodies are aching and some of us don’t even have a proper place to stand. Still, I was thinking, “What should I talk to you about?” We can always speak of the Divine, at any time, anywhere and in any situation.
Religion is not something extreme or fanatic. Religion should be something that enables us to reach a state of lasting stability, shouldn’t it? Today we are divided according to our beliefs, yet this is just a way of separating people, but without right understanding. People do not realize that it was not the Divine that created all these religions, languages, classifications, castes and divisions…
(Excerpt from a satsang Swamiji gave in the UK in 1984) (Swamiji sings “Govinda Krishna Jai…” even though his throat is sore.) Today you tried to get me to sing, but I am not really able to. However, when I …
(Excerpt from a satsang by Swamiji) You have collected a heap of worldly attachments – slowly, slowly throw them away. A lot of grass is growing on the land of your heart. Clean it little by little and try to …
(This is part of a satsang Swamiji gave in the UK in 1984) During the short time we are alive we should live with love, have good habits and good thoughts. Love is something pure; it should come from within. …
From the way you are singing, I can tell that you have much devotion. I can see with my eyes how much all of you, from you in the front row to you in the very last, are singing these bhajans with real devotion. By singing divine names, we can realize many things. Singing the names of God is a divine medicine that can cure your problems and sorrows, and can even resolve your karmas from previous births – it is a divine medicine that can cure anything…
(This is an extract of the satsang Swamiji gave in the Ashram, in 1993, after returning from Rameshwaram where he took part in a traditional funeral ceremony for a devotee.)
I am going to talk about the purpose of our visit to Rameshwaram. This is a very powerful temple and there are many stories regarding this ancient temple. To tell you all of these stories would take a long time; but I just want to briefly mention one of them. I will tell you about the connection between Sri Lanka and Rameshwaram. The connection is that Ravana ruled Sri Lanka and he was a great Shiva devotee. Even though he was a great Shiva devotee the time had come for his death…
If you start such a practice now that is the greatest treasure you can gain in your life. If you can learn to witness your monkey thoughts you will learn how to catch these thoughts in their early stages before they develop and envelop your mind. You will become free of negative qualities such as jealousy, anger and greed because you will learn to recognize them whilst they are just in seed form, not having developed to a gross form. You will feel at one with God and not separate from God…
During this Navaratri I advise you to walk barefoot in the Ashram. This is because we are doing poojas for Mother Earth and it is why we sow the nine grains in the soil. The nine grains are called navadaniyam. Each grain is a different kind of Shakti. These nine shaktis (energies) are now inside the nine kumbhams that we have set upon the blessed earth. The energies of the divine rivers are certainly in these kumbhams. You will realize this on the last day of the festival. When you make the kumbhams I also give them a spiritual vibration…
It is a fact that we live for only a very short time. What should we achieve in this short time? In this life we should not forget what it really is that we should achieve. In order to reach the essential goal, what do we need? We need devotion and patience. The more patience a person has the better. Keeping you all waiting for so long has also been a test of your patience! Truly, I didn’t want to test you like this. I was late leaving Birmingham and when I arrived [in Leicester] devotees took up a lot of my time. It was 7 p.m. when I arrived but it took a long time for me to get here to this place because I had to meet so many devotees first. I didn’t stay long in any one place, but the visits included some to really ill patients.
