Subject: One Step to Please Guru
Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2012 19:20:07 -0000
From: Ananda.Sagar@vjk.dept...
To: AM-GLOBAL
Baba
Namaskar,
Typically, religious Hindus think of puja as an offering made with leaves, flowers, and various ornaments such as with a'rati. This is the ritualistic manner of puja in Hindu mythology. Over the centuries, billions and billions of worshipers have performed their puja in this manner.
As Ananda Margiis, we know that puja is more than a ritualistic offering.
In Ananda Marga, guru puja is something completely different and very dynamic: It is a psycho-spiritual practice, not an external display of worship. In Ananda Marga puja, the bhakta withdraws the mind to one point and offers everything unto Him. That is the devotional approach of guru puja in Ananda Marga.
Even then, the practice of guru puja is not limited to the aforementioned devotional practice along with the repetition of a shloka after sadhana.
We should all be aware of Baba's expanded teachings on this important spiritual topic.
WHAT IS REGULARLY THOUGHT OF AS PUJA IN ANANDA MARGA
Generally, in Ananda Marga, we think of guru puja as the repetition of the three stanza shloka at the conclusion of sadhana, i.e. "Akhanda mandala karam...."
This is repeated internally when doing individual sadhana, and chanted collectively during dharmacakra. In either case, this is often what is thought of as guru puja in Ananda Marga.
That approach, of course, is guru puja - but it is not the totality of our guru puja practice.
In His various discourses on "The Seven Secrets of Success", Baba gives us a greater or wider expression of guru puja.
The third secret of success is gurupu'janam (end of line two of the above shloka).
By seeing the spelling, one might get confused. But gurupu'janam basically means guru puja just as namaskaram essentially means namaskar. The case ending is a bit different, so there is a slight linguistic difference. The term, however, is essentially one.
As we know, it is not at all uncommon for a single term to have multiple meanings or applications. For instance, the term dharma means righteousness, and it also means the inherent quality or characteristic. Dharma is used in both ways, depending upon the circumstances or situation.
Similarly, guru puja or gurupujanam carries more than a single meaning. In Hindu dogma, it means ritualistic worship. And in Ananda Marga it carries two more meanings. Guru puja is repetition of the shloka and offering made at the conclusion of one's sadhana, plus it means obeying Guru's guidelines and teachings.
In this last context, as per the above shloka, Baba is guiding us that to get success in spiritual life gurupu'janam is needed.
Next we shall review what gurupujanam means in the context of gaining success in spiritual life.
Baba says, "gurupu'janam is doing as per the desire of the guru." (Ananda Vacanamrtam - 3)
Here Baba explains one of the requisite factors for gaining success in spiritual life is following the order and teachings of Guru. That is what is meant by gurupujanam. So this teaching of gurupu'janam goes far beyond the short devotional practice which we perform after sadhana.
To gain success in spiritual life, the practice of gurupu'janam extends to each and every moment of the day. We are to abide by and follow His vast array of teachings from yama and niyama to Caryacarya, Subhasita Samgraha, conduct rules, Sixteen Points and more. By adhering to those do's and don'ts and all related spiritual principles, then we will be adhering the point of gurupujanam. We are to please Him and following His guidelines - that is what is meant by gurupu'janam.
Thus, gurupu'janam entails those things which make Him happy, i.e. those deeds which are done to please Him. That of course means, following Ananda Marga ideology. It is a moot point that Baba will not be pleased by those actions which directly contravene His teachings.
Baba will not be happy by cheating, theft, groupism, scriptural distortions, or the imposition of dogma etc.
Baba will be happy by service, sacrifice, and sadhana. That means feeding the poor, helping the homeless, teaching youths, propagating dharma, fighting against exploitation etc - all these things will make Baba happy.
Thus we are to fill our days from morning till night doing those things which will please Him. And pleasing Him means doing as per the desire of Guru, and following the so many guidelines from all Ananda Marga books. We are to read, study, understand, and sincerely follow all His given teachings and mandates. That is the meaning of gurupujanam.
So to get success in spiritual life we should be more and more vigilant in gurupu'janam - i.e. obeying Guru's teachings and orders. We should actively take part in this aspect of gurupu'janam throughout each and every day. This should become not just our habit but our nature.
Doing the 3 rounds of guru puja after sadhana is most necessary and part of our dharmic approach, but we should not think that this practice starts and ends there. Gurupu'janam is an all encompassing approach to life - following all do's and don'ts & mandates. That will bring success in the spiritual realm. That means by doing gurup'ujanam one is sure to get Him. Any sadhaka will feel His sweet touch in each and every work - all the moments of life.
There are many who do sadhana but do not feel their kundalinii rising and they do not attain samadhi etc. If any sadhaka becomes more sincere in His teachings on gurupujanam - obeying all His guidelines - then one will get success in spiritual life. Spirituality and getting His grace is not a utopian concept. It is a practical approach, and if one earnestly follows His guidelines, then certainly their sadhana will be successful.
Baba has graciously blessed us with all the dharmic practices that bring bliss in life. Ananda Marga is the path of bliss where one can feel His grace each and every moment. To gain success in spiritual life, one must be sincere in gurupujanam. Naturally then He will be most gracious and success is sure - one will get Him.
Baba says, 'You, boys and girls, should remember the points and do accordingly. It will help you in your all-around success, in your attainment of siddhi." (Ananda Vacanamrtam - 14)
Namaskar,
Ananda Sagar
In the Hindu religion, gurupujanam is done in a ritualistic manner. They honour their guru by offering certain leaves or flowers, doing ceremonial arati, burning clarified butter, as well as garlanding the guru. Mostly, the guru is sitting in front of them and followers make their offering to their guru directly. If the guru is away or deceased, they make those ritualistic offerings to guru's photo. They do all these kinds of rituals for gurupujanam. It is not required that they follow guru's teachings. In Ananda Marga, it is the exact opposite: We do gurupujanam by obeying Guru's command.
"Kuya'sha'r ka'lo muche diye, hata'sha'r resh dure sariye..." - P.S. 1285
Purport:
Baba, You came that very night after wiping away the blackness of the fog. Whatever little faint remnant of hopelessness was left in my mind, You removed. It is Your grace. Baba, You came holding the lamp of hope in Your hand.
Baba, when You came that very night, Your eyes were filled with love and Your face was shining with divine effulgence - You looked so beautiful. O' Baba, after crossing the long, jagged, and tiring path, You came and stood on my doorstep.
That very night the vast sky was covered with the clouds, and my mental sky was filled with longing for You. By just thinking about You, tears of love and devotion were rolling down from my eyes, that very night when You came.
On that very rainy night, in the breeze the sweet fragrance of the night jasmine flowers was emanating all around. And the peacock was dancing by seeing the game of hide and seek between clouds and the moon. Baba that very beautiful, rainy night, You came and graced me.
Baba, the dust of Your feet was saturated with karuna. And by the touch of that divine dust, my lowly mind became vibrated in Your divine flow. Baba, You Yourself came that very rainy night in my dhyana. Baba, You are so gracious...
Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2012 19:20:07 -0000
From: Ananda.Sagar@vjk.dept...
To: AM-GLOBAL
Baba
== ONE STEP TO PLEASE GURU ==
Namaskar,
Typically, religious Hindus think of puja as an offering made with leaves, flowers, and various ornaments such as with a'rati. This is the ritualistic manner of puja in Hindu mythology. Over the centuries, billions and billions of worshipers have performed their puja in this manner.
As Ananda Margiis, we know that puja is more than a ritualistic offering.
In Ananda Marga, guru puja is something completely different and very dynamic: It is a psycho-spiritual practice, not an external display of worship. In Ananda Marga puja, the bhakta withdraws the mind to one point and offers everything unto Him. That is the devotional approach of guru puja in Ananda Marga.
Even then, the practice of guru puja is not limited to the aforementioned devotional practice along with the repetition of a shloka after sadhana.
We should all be aware of Baba's expanded teachings on this important spiritual topic.
WHAT IS REGULARLY THOUGHT OF AS PUJA IN ANANDA MARGA
Generally, in Ananda Marga, we think of guru puja as the repetition of the three stanza shloka at the conclusion of sadhana, i.e. "Akhanda mandala karam...."
This is repeated internally when doing individual sadhana, and chanted collectively during dharmacakra. In either case, this is often what is thought of as guru puja in Ananda Marga.
That approach, of course, is guru puja - but it is not the totality of our guru puja practice.
GURUPUJANAM
In His various discourses on "The Seven Secrets of Success", Baba gives us a greater or wider expression of guru puja.
Phalis'yatiiti vishva'sah siddherprathama laks'an'am;
Dvitiiyam' shraddhaya' yuktam' trtiiyam' gurupu'janam;
Caturtho samata'bha'vo paincamendriyanigrahah;
S'as't'hainca pramita'ha'ro saptamam'naeva vidyate.
Dvitiiyam' shraddhaya' yuktam' trtiiyam' gurupu'janam;
Caturtho samata'bha'vo paincamendriyanigrahah;
S'as't'hainca pramita'ha'ro saptamam'naeva vidyate.
The third secret of success is gurupu'janam (end of line two of the above shloka).
By seeing the spelling, one might get confused. But gurupu'janam basically means guru puja just as namaskaram essentially means namaskar. The case ending is a bit different, so there is a slight linguistic difference. The term, however, is essentially one.
As we know, it is not at all uncommon for a single term to have multiple meanings or applications. For instance, the term dharma means righteousness, and it also means the inherent quality or characteristic. Dharma is used in both ways, depending upon the circumstances or situation.
Similarly, guru puja or gurupujanam carries more than a single meaning. In Hindu dogma, it means ritualistic worship. And in Ananda Marga it carries two more meanings. Guru puja is repetition of the shloka and offering made at the conclusion of one's sadhana, plus it means obeying Guru's guidelines and teachings.
In this last context, as per the above shloka, Baba is guiding us that to get success in spiritual life gurupu'janam is needed.
Next we shall review what gurupujanam means in the context of gaining success in spiritual life.
MORE ABOUT GURUPUJANAM
Baba says, "gurupu'janam is doing as per the desire of the guru." (Ananda Vacanamrtam - 3)
Here Baba explains one of the requisite factors for gaining success in spiritual life is following the order and teachings of Guru. That is what is meant by gurupujanam. So this teaching of gurupu'janam goes far beyond the short devotional practice which we perform after sadhana.
To gain success in spiritual life, the practice of gurupu'janam extends to each and every moment of the day. We are to abide by and follow His vast array of teachings from yama and niyama to Caryacarya, Subhasita Samgraha, conduct rules, Sixteen Points and more. By adhering to those do's and don'ts and all related spiritual principles, then we will be adhering the point of gurupujanam. We are to please Him and following His guidelines - that is what is meant by gurupu'janam.
Thus, gurupu'janam entails those things which make Him happy, i.e. those deeds which are done to please Him. That of course means, following Ananda Marga ideology. It is a moot point that Baba will not be pleased by those actions which directly contravene His teachings.
Baba will not be happy by cheating, theft, groupism, scriptural distortions, or the imposition of dogma etc.
Baba will be happy by service, sacrifice, and sadhana. That means feeding the poor, helping the homeless, teaching youths, propagating dharma, fighting against exploitation etc - all these things will make Baba happy.
Thus we are to fill our days from morning till night doing those things which will please Him. And pleasing Him means doing as per the desire of Guru, and following the so many guidelines from all Ananda Marga books. We are to read, study, understand, and sincerely follow all His given teachings and mandates. That is the meaning of gurupujanam.
So to get success in spiritual life we should be more and more vigilant in gurupu'janam - i.e. obeying Guru's teachings and orders. We should actively take part in this aspect of gurupu'janam throughout each and every day. This should become not just our habit but our nature.
Doing the 3 rounds of guru puja after sadhana is most necessary and part of our dharmic approach, but we should not think that this practice starts and ends there. Gurupu'janam is an all encompassing approach to life - following all do's and don'ts & mandates. That will bring success in the spiritual realm. That means by doing gurup'ujanam one is sure to get Him. Any sadhaka will feel His sweet touch in each and every work - all the moments of life.
TO ALL SADHAKAS
There are many who do sadhana but do not feel their kundalinii rising and they do not attain samadhi etc. If any sadhaka becomes more sincere in His teachings on gurupujanam - obeying all His guidelines - then one will get success in spiritual life. Spirituality and getting His grace is not a utopian concept. It is a practical approach, and if one earnestly follows His guidelines, then certainly their sadhana will be successful.
BABA'S BLESSING
Baba has graciously blessed us with all the dharmic practices that bring bliss in life. Ananda Marga is the path of bliss where one can feel His grace each and every moment. To gain success in spiritual life, one must be sincere in gurupujanam. Naturally then He will be most gracious and success is sure - one will get Him.
Baba says, 'You, boys and girls, should remember the points and do accordingly. It will help you in your all-around success, in your attainment of siddhi." (Ananda Vacanamrtam - 14)
Namaskar,
Ananda Sagar
Note: DIFFERENT FROM HINDU DOGMA
In the Hindu religion, gurupujanam is done in a ritualistic manner. They honour their guru by offering certain leaves or flowers, doing ceremonial arati, burning clarified butter, as well as garlanding the guru. Mostly, the guru is sitting in front of them and followers make their offering to their guru directly. If the guru is away or deceased, they make those ritualistic offerings to guru's photo. They do all these kinds of rituals for gurupujanam. It is not required that they follow guru's teachings. In Ananda Marga, it is the exact opposite: We do gurupujanam by obeying Guru's command.
PRABHAT SAMGIITA
"Kuya'sha'r ka'lo muche diye, hata'sha'r resh dure sariye..." - P.S. 1285
Purport:
Baba, You came that very night after wiping away the blackness of the fog. Whatever little faint remnant of hopelessness was left in my mind, You removed. It is Your grace. Baba, You came holding the lamp of hope in Your hand.
Baba, when You came that very night, Your eyes were filled with love and Your face was shining with divine effulgence - You looked so beautiful. O' Baba, after crossing the long, jagged, and tiring path, You came and stood on my doorstep.
That very night the vast sky was covered with the clouds, and my mental sky was filled with longing for You. By just thinking about You, tears of love and devotion were rolling down from my eyes, that very night when You came.
On that very rainy night, in the breeze the sweet fragrance of the night jasmine flowers was emanating all around. And the peacock was dancing by seeing the game of hide and seek between clouds and the moon. Baba that very beautiful, rainy night, You came and graced me.
Baba, the dust of Your feet was saturated with karuna. And by the touch of that divine dust, my lowly mind became vibrated in Your divine flow. Baba, You Yourself came that very rainy night in my dhyana. Baba, You are so gracious...
