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Divine teachings (2)

   ⁘ What can not be achieved because of power and authority can easily be got by love and kindness.

   ⁘ Work however menial is much better than idleness.

   ⁘ Money aids the intellectuals but rules over the fools.

   ⁘ There is a boundary or limit to how much I test you but my kindness knows no boundary.

   ⁘ A man without determination loses everything in life.

   ⁘ A man with self-confidence can face any calamity with ease and succeed in life.

   ⁘ Once you enter the temple forget your outside materialistic world.

   ⁘ A mother can identify her child's cry even in the midst of loud music and dance.

   ⁘ Divine words never go waste.

   ⁘ Instead of concentrating on form, try to feel the divinity within you.

   ⁘ If you realize that I am within you, you will realize Me.

   ⁘ Contentment and dissatisfaction depend upon one's own thinking.

   ⁘ To achieve whatever you desire, time and karma should also be favourable.

   ⁘ Swami's divine vision has unique sanctity. It has the power to wipe out your sins. You do not know the cause for your misery. You do not know your previous birth. If you get an opportunity to have darshan of a siddhar like Swami who knows your previous karmas and follow his words and instructions, that is equivalent to leading a life of peace as prescribed in the vedas.

   ⁘ God is the employer of the whole world. We are only His employees.

   ⁘ When we crave something, the brain does not know whether it is right or wrong. Are we to act as per our mind or brain? If you act as per the brain with the mind as witness, that is acting true to our conscience. That is our fate, our karma.

   ⁘ One who does not heed to the elder's advice will be ridiculed by people even lower than him in status.

   ⁘ One who is humble and determined will never face failure.

   ⁘ Where there is character, even the ugliest will appear beautiful but if the character is lost, even the most beautiful one will appear ugly.

   ⁘ Never allow your mind to wander. Try to keep it focused. When we find that we cannot carry the weight of our luggage, we call for a porter to carry it for us. Enroute to the destination, we don't sympathize with him and share a part of the luggage handed over to him. Similarly, when we are unable to carry the weight of our problems in life, we hand over the load to a Mahatma or saint we specifically approach for this very purpose. Having done that, let us have patience and confidence in him to lead us through life's hurdles.

   ⁘ The spiritual world is far superior to the mundane materialistic world.

   ⁘ Loka samastha sukhino bhavanthu is normally understood by all of us as — let all people live in happiness in the world. Swami says this is a wrong interpretation. The actual meaning is — let the pancha boothas (the Five Elements) which constitute the world including the human be orderly and at peace so that all living beings will benefit.

   ⁘ We all know when we do pradakshanam in a temple, it is done for some good. Swami explained the real meaning. When one enters any temple with an intention to offer prayers to the Divine, the Divinity accompanies him wherever he moves inside the temple even when he does pradakshanam. When you reach the kodi maram (flag staff) after pradakshanam, the divinity takes leave and that is why one should do namaskaram only in front of the kodi maram. If you are silent, gnanam will automatically dawn on you.

   ⁘ Of all the madness that afflicts mankind, God madness is the most welcome and beneficial.

   ⁘ When an atheist says that there is no God, no God, he is blessed by God since unknowingly he chants the Lord's name.

   ⁘ Waking in the Morning ⁘

   Swami stresses the need to maintain a daily routine in life and adhering to it strictly. Swami cites himself as an example. Under all circumstances he gets up at 5.25 am every day. It is important and imperative that each person has such a schedule.

   Many of us get up late on holidays and get up early when we have work. This attitude has a direct connection with our spiritual life. It indicates that we are close to god and are religious when in need and when happy and content we forget divinity. Hence it is imperative to have some sort of schedule. It is fine to wake up, take bath and do our regular pooja and other routine and then go to sleep, but highly improper to not have a schedule at all.

   ⁘ Vishnu Sahasranamam ⁘

   Lord Vishnu is also called alankara priyan. Hence, we pray to Him by praising His thousand names. Swami specifically says that the hailing (not chanting the mantra) of His name is Vishnu sahasranama. When a person says the sloka "Sri Rama Rama Ramethi" thrice, it is the equivalent of chanting the sahasranama itself. That is, each chant of the "Sri Rama" sloka is ten times the equivalent of chanting the Sahasranama. Therefore, multiplying ten thrice (10x10x10), we get the sahasranama.

   Swami says that people should not recite Vishnu sahasranama at home. The sloka was originally recited by Bhishma on the battle field and he was a bachelor. Also, it was chanted when Bhishma was experiencing physical pain when he was lying on the bed of arrows. Hence Swami says that any couple who recites the sloka will not beget children. This may be the reason that some couples don't have children. One can go to a temple and chant there.

   ⁘ Lalitha Sahasranamam ⁘

   Unlike Lord Vishnu, Ambal is mantra swaroopini. Lalitha Sahasranamam is therefore comprised of a thousand mantras. Hence, She should be invoked by chanting the beeja aksharam (seed mantra) "om aieem hreem sreem" at the beginning of the archanai (after sindoora). By chanting the beejaksharam, we are inviting Ambal in Her divine form to be seated for the pooja and accept the mantras chanted. Many people cannot recite the entire Lalitha sahasranamam without mistakes either in pronunciation or in the order of the slokas. When asked if this was an error on our part, Swami replied that Ambal being karuna sagari enjoys even the badly recited mantras just like a mother enjoys her infant's baby talk (mazhalai in tamil). Swami says that we should not think too much about the errors. We should rather experience the essence of the namavali and the presence of Ambal in our heart. If we look at the picture of Ambal (or any God) and have a feeling that the Goddess is looking back at us (and that we are not chanting the mantras to a mere picture), we feel the presence of Devi.

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