Guru Story from Guru Purnima 2009

On the day of Guru Purnima in Chicago after grand magnificent satsang and soul soothing puja and dinner which was served as if it was heaven’s banquet when celebration was done and Guruji went to His suit and some of us from Pittsburgh Art of Living Family went there in the hope that we could get in and be with Him for sometime but all in vain there was so much of policing outside the His door so disappointedly we came back and I was walking in lobby and soon I saw 3 fellow teachers and just started following them and asked Birjoo where were those guys going :) he said to Guruji's suit and I with low heart responded हमारे लिए तो दरवाजा नहीं खुलेगा (door will not open for us) too much of policing :) then Birjoo replied that ऐसा बोल कर अपना दरवाजा ख़ुद से क्यों बंद करता है (by saying this why are you closing door for yourself). This struck me :)

Next day TRM started and 11 AM Guruji came for session :) we had good time and when He ended the session again the same words struck me again and a flash of light pass through my eyes and I could see, Guruji was getting up from seat and I saw that YELLOW...... Guruji’s Asan. I just jumped to stage and picked up the asan in my hand folded it and kept on my forearm and started walking like a king behind Guruji :) wow :) 3 or 4 people jumped on me to take it away from me (another flash of thought passed through me that this is test how badly you want this) and with smile I protested and told other teachers not this time, this is my turn then HIS security Naveen, another teacher asked me have you ever carried the Asan. I said NO and he announced to other fighting devas (angels) to stop and let me take Asan and I smilingly started walking behind Him. We walked to lobby and reached to elevator and many people wanted to get into it as Guruji supposed to get into it but nobody allowed but ME :) and I was just standing beside HIM. Some energy from His Asan was flowing into me and as soon as we reached 23rd floor I ran to HIS room 2302. Again many people standing outside I knocked the door and one devotee opened the gate, saw Asan in my hand and let me and alone me walk IN :) I walked straight in. Digvijay was there, Tanu ma was there I asked one devotee where to put asan they pointed on one sofa I put it there :) Guruji came in a minute and sat there I was standing along with some 10-12 devotee in His room and I was realizing (मेरे लिए दरवाजा खुल गया) Door is opened for me :) and a undying smile and wet eyes and choked throat and some giggle in my stomach I guess some blend of all good things together was happening to me. How amazing it was! :). It gave me realization that His door is always open, its only our mind which keep us away from HIM.

It was our lunch break and soon He went for lunch in His private room and even the slightest of thought didn’t came to me that I should go for lunch perhaps left brain was telling if you go once out from here you will not come in again and right brain telling me where you will get better lunch like this so I stayed back waiting there for Him to come out He came out and this time He was supposed to meeting west coast people in TRM and I took the Asan again and just went with Him it was small room with almost of 100 people and I was in front just sitting in His lotus feet and some policing devotee announced only west coast people I felt like this instruction is not for me and I stay seated :) just looking at him 2 1/2 hr there with west coast then somebody told this is time for east coast people and so I AM :) I STAYED SEATED :) many people looked at me made funny faced made funny comments and left but I STAYED SEATED :) again 2 1/2 hr Wow and from there again I winded up the meeting I ran into HIS room with His Asan and one policing devotee asked me why I don’t give chance to somebody else to carry the Asan I didn’t say anything but SMILED. What a day many thoughts emotions, logics came but I was in just a soaked in bliss :)

I was physically so close to HIM that my mind went through all logic and thought and settled I saw him laughing smiling yawning tapping His leg hiding Hus feet from me as I was taking pics pulling some of fellow teachers, cracking jokes, rubbing eyes everything this was going in my mind so physically how usual all this is for any human being yet HE seems so normal human and yet deliver so super human results. Again reminds me UNSEEN IS PLAYING MAJOR ROLE isn’t it :) How amazing is this Guru story…!

All Glory to Gurudev!

Love

Dinesh

PS: The last two pics of Guruji and Guru pada I clicked from my mobile camera sitting next to HIM :)

Swami Vivekananda Said...

More strikingly here are some of his quote which has power to transform the lives:

* “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.”

* “We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act.”

* “Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin ? to say that you are weak, or others are weak.”

* “You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.”

* “The first sign of your becoming religious is that you are becoming cheerful”

* “In one word, this ideal is that you are divine.”

* “The Vedanta recognizes no sin it only recognizes error. And the greatest error, says the Vedanta is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable creature, and that you have no power and you cannot do this and that.”

* “All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.”

* “When an idea exclusively occupies the mind, it is transformed into an actual physical or mental state.”

* “That man has reached immortality who is disturbed by nothing material.”

* “External nature is only internal nature writ large.”

* “God Gave Me Nothing I Wanted , He Gave Me Everything I Needed.”

* “When I asked god for peace, he showed me how to help others.”

* "Weakness is the one cause of suffering"

* "What I want is muscles of iron and nerves of steel, inside which dwells a mind of the same material as that of which the thunderbolt is made."

* "Awake, Arise and Not Stop till the Goal is Reached"

Please follow the link and you will find the complete work of Swami Vivekananda and Uplift of consciousness is Guaranteed.

Swami Vivekananda: A warrior Monk

"He was a soul of puissance if ever there was one, a very lion among men, but the definitive work he has left behind is quite incommensurate with our impression of his creative might and energy. We perceive his influence still working gigantically, we know not well how, we know not well where, in something that is not yet formed, something leonine, grand, intuitive, upheaving that has entered the soul of India and we say, "Behold, Vivekananda still lives in the soul of his Mother and in the souls of her children." said Sri Aurobindo Ghosh about Swami Vivekananda.

While Subhash Chandra Bose described this warrior monk in following words:

"I cannot write about Vivekananda without going into raptures. Few indeed could comprehend or fathom him even among those who had the privilege of becoming intimate with him. His personality was rich, profound and complex... Reckless in his sacrifice, unceasing in his activity, boundless in his love, profound and versatile in his wisdom, exuberant in his emotions, merciless in his attacks but yet simple as a child, he was a rare personality in this world of ours"

This was a short introduction of this Great personality who was spiritually elevated, physically and mentally strong like lion and served humanity tirelessly till his last breath. He was the first one who took the vedanta teachings to the west in late 19th century and we know him as Swami Vivekananda.

I remember my childhood when I used to play the role of this Great personality in the school plays and recently I was reading his work and I feel his words has fire to burn the lethargy of life times in mind and create one pointed focus in right direction for our life. Here are few of interesting facts about this Great Patriot yet unattached to anything in this material world, Swami Vivekananda.

* His personality was greatly influenced by his parents: the father by his rational mind and the mother by her religious temperament.

* He often quoted one of the saying of his mother "Remain pure all your life; guard your own honor and never transgress the honor of others. Be very tranquil, but when necessary, harden your heart."

* Dr. William Hastie, the principal of Scottish Church College, where he studied during 1881-84,wrote, "Narendra is really a genius. I have traveled far and wide but I have never come across a lad of his talents and possibilities, even in German universities, among philosophical students. He was regarded as a srutidhara—a man with prodigious memory."

* For five years 1881-85 he stayed with His Guru Sri RamaKrishna Paramhansa. During the course of five years of his training under Ramakrishna, Narendra was transformed from a restless, puzzled, impatient youth to a mature man who was ready to renounce everything for the sake of God-realization. That's the power of Guru Shakti.

* After the demise of his Master he stayed in for 3 years in Baranagar Monastery from 1885-88. The living style in the monastery described by him as "We underwent a lot of religious practice at Baranagore Math. We used to get up at 3:00 am and become absorbed in japa and meditation. What a strong spirit of dispassion we had in those days! We had no thought even as to whether the world existed or not"

* In 1888 Swami ji left the monastery and took the life of Parivrâjaka—the Hindu religious life of a wandering monk " without fixed abode, without ties, independent and strangers wherever they go" and he lived rest of his whole life like this serving the man kind.

*His two favorite books-Bhagwad Geetaand The Imitation of Christ.

* In the parliament of Religion in 1893 he began his brief address with "sisters and brothers of America" which won the heart and soul of all delegates and unequivocally he became as the source of light for many as he talked about hinduism and universality of religious tolerance. Here is the first Address he made in Parliament of Religion in Chicago Sept 11, 1893



* Later on he started Ramakrishna Math-the organ for propagating vedanta teachings and Ramakrishna Mission-the organ for social service.

On the Next Post you will find some of his most striking quotes which has power to Transform the lives.

For More information please visit: Swami Vivekananda

Love
Dinesh

Peaceful Warrior

I saw this movie, amazing source of inspiration. Anybody who is on any kind of spiritual path and have been practicing for some time may be from 1 year to decades can see the time zapped in 2 hour in this brilliantly done movie. If you are in art of living for some time and want to see you journey including you part 1 course, advanced courses interaction with Guruji and your own ups and down perhaps you can get a overview of your journey in the movie. That’s my experience. Thanks to Bawa who shared about this on his blog. He always has contributed for the uplift of the consciousness of the people around him. Once again thanks to him as well to that unbounded pure consciousness which govern EVERYTHING and sometime called universal consciousness or sat-chit-ananda (सत्चिदानंद)

Here are few most stunning quotes or pearls of wisdom used in the movie.

1. Everything has a purpose, even this, and it's up to you to find it.

2. This moment is the only thing that matters.

3. There are no ordinary moments.

4. Take out trash from your mind. Anything which you don't need in this moment is TRASH.

5. If you don't get what you want, you suffer; if you get what you don't want, you suffer; even when you get exactly what you want, you still suffer because you can't hold on to it forever. Your mind is your predicament. It wants to be free of change. Free of pain, free of the obligations of life and death. But change is law and no amount of pretending will alter that reality.

6. The journey is what brings us happiness not the destination.

7. There is only the journey.

8. It's the journey, not the destination.

9. There is no starting or stopping - only doing.

10. There's no greater purpose than service to others.

11. Those who are the hardest to love, need it the most.

12. Pain is a relatively objective, physical phenomenon; suffering is our psychological resistance to what happens Events may create physical pain but they do not in themselves create suffering. Resistance creates suffering. Stress happens when your mind resists what is…the only problem in your life is your mind's resistance to life as it unfolds.

13. Life has just three rules? Paradox, humor, and change.

Paradox: Life is a mystery. Don't waste time trying to figure it out.

Humor: Keep a sense of humor, especially about yourself. It is a strength beyond all measure.

Change: Know that nothing stays the same.

14. Death isn't sad. The sad thing is: most people don't live at all.

15. Sometimes you have to lose your mind before you come to your senses.

16. Do you know, what's the difference between me and you? You practice gymnastics, I practice everything!

17. There is never nothing going on.

18. A warrior does not give up what he loves, he finds the love in what he does.

19. A warrior is not about perfection or victory or invulnerability. He's about absolute vulnerability.

20. I call myself a Peaceful Warrior... because the battles we fight are on the inside.

21. Where are you? Here. What time is it? Now. What are you? This moment.

Find your answers from inside.

You tell me which one stuck you most.

And Here is the link where you can watch it online.