Prasang A Day

Overcoming Frustration Because of Thoughts '… That is why one should realise, 'I am distinct from the chitt. I am the ãtmã, the observer of the chitt.' Realising this, one should not become frustrated by the pure or impure thoughts arising in the chitt. Instead, one should realise oneself to be distinct from one's chitt, engage in the worship of God and always remain joyful.'   [Gadhadã II-6.9]

How to Weaken the Force of one's Swabhavs The force of lust, anger, etc., can be weakened by a thought process, which is as follows: The mildness of those swabhãvs in childhood, their greater intensity in youth, and mildness once again in old age is due to food. Specifically, in childhood, since the dietary intake is small, the force of lust is mild. Similarly, in old age, one's dietary intake is small, so again the force of lust is mild. But in youth, as the dietary intake increases, lust also increases. Therefore, in youth, if one's food intake is decreased, and if one deliberately tolerates cold, heat, rain and hunger, then by maintaining such a thought process, and by maintaining profound association with the great Sant, the force of lust is weakened - even in the period of youth.'   [Loyã-8.6]

How Does One Develop Bhakti Towards God '… Well, when one hears about the forms of God that are in each khand; and when one hears about the abodes of God - Golok, Vaikunth, Brahmapur, Shwetdwip, etc.; and when one listens with a sense of awe to talks of the divine actions of God describing the creation, sustenance and dissolution of the cosmos; and when one listens with keen interest to the narration of the divine actions and incidents of Rãm, Krishna and the other avatãrs of God, then bhakti towards God would develop.'   [Loyã-9.7]

When to and When Not to Maintain Conceit Again Shriji Mahãrãj posed a question, 'When should one maintain conceit, and when should one not maintain conceit?' Once again Shriji Mahãrãj supplied the answer: 'One should not maintain conceit before a staunch follower of God, even though he may be a simple and meek devotee. On the other hand, one should certainly maintain conceit before a person who has fallen back from Satsang. In fact, one should not become suppressed by him, and in any question-answer exchange, his words should be answered with stern words of one's own.'   [Loyã-6.22,23]

A Person Who Has Not Realised the Greatness of the Sant 'Conversely, if a person enters an assembly of sãdhus and is not accordingly honoured by the Sant, and if he then bears an aversion towards the Sant, it implies that that person has not realised the greatness of the Sant; otherwise he would not bear an aversion in that manner…'   [Loyã-17.15]

How to Control one's Indriyas Then Shriji Mahãrãj asked, 'For one whose indriyas are overly excitable, what are the individual methods by which that excitability can be overcome?' Shriji Mahãrãj replied, 'To overcome the excitability of the eyes, a person should fix his gaze on the tip of his nose and not look elsewhere. He should continue to study while studying, and he should also engage in worship. While doing this, if he continues to keep his eyes open without blinking for half an hour or so - until his eyes begin to burn intensely and tears flow - and he does not harbour a debased thought even if he happens to notice a woman or other objects, then even if his eyes are excitable, they will become controlled.'   [Loyã-8.13,14]

Knowing God Perfectly '… Moreover, just as the form of God in Akshardhãm is resplendent with countless divine powers and divine light at the end of ãtyantik-pralay, one should realise exactly the same regarding the manifest God in human form. One who realises this is said to have known God perfectly.'   [Panchãlã-7.3]

Diverting the Senses and Mind Towards God '… Moreover, one should think, 'The beauty of God cannot be found anywhere else; the touch of God cannot be found anywhere else; the fragrance of God cannot be found anywhere else; the bliss experienced from hearing God cannot be found anywhere else; and the tastes related to God cannot be found anywhere else. In this way, one should tempt the indriyas and the antahkaran, and divert them away from other vishays. Such understanding is appropriate.'   [Panchãlã-3.14]

Realising the Esoteric Truth about the Human Form of God 'Also, it is to liberate the jivas and to allow those jivas to offer the nine types of bhakti to Him that that God - who has a luminous and divine form - becomes like a human out of compassion, always doing so with all of His strength, divine powers and attendants. Even then, those who realise this esoteric truth understand the human form of God on this earth as being exactly the same as the form of God residing in Akshardhãm - they do not feel that there is even a slight difference between that form and this form…'   [Panchãlã-7]

Offering Bhakti to the Form One has Seen '… Furthermore, one should meditate on, worship, and offer bhakti only to the form that one has seen…'   [Panchãlã-7]