Janmashtami Special with Baba

Happy Janmashtami to all the viewers.

How to Make Your Career Succesful

Clutches of Maya

This beautiful story between a Guru and his disciple, explains Maya in a very straight and simple way. Sharing it here since it reminds of Babaji speaking about it in some shivir.

There was once a disciple of a Guru who went to his Guru and said, "Guruji, I want to live a spiritual life. I want to live in the service of God. I want to go beyond the binding chains of this mundane, materialistic world. But, I feel that I am not quite ready. My desires for a family, for wealth and enjoyment are still too strong. Grant me some time to fulfill these wishes and then I will come to your holy feet”

So the Guru said, "No problem, my child. Go. Get married, have a family and earn wealth. In ten years I will come back for you. My blessings are with you."
With the blessings of his Guru, the man went out and quickly found a beautiful girl to marry. They had 3 beautiful children, and the man become financially successful.

After 10 years, there was a knock on the door of their home. The man's wife opened it to see a haggard-looking beggar standing on the doorstep. The beggar asked to see her husband. At first she started scolding the beggar, thinking that he was just there to beg for money. But, the husband realized that the beggar was his Guru so he lovingly invited him inside.

"I have come to take you away from this world of illusions now that you have fulfilled your desire of having a wife, family and earnings. Come with me, my son, let me show you the way to God." The man looked at his Guru pitifully and he said, "Dear, Beloved, Guru. Yes, you are right. You have given me my 10 years ever so generously and with your blessings I have prospered. But, my children are very young and my wife is again with child. She would not be able to handle the burden of all of them alone. Allow me to stay another ten years until the children are old enough to care for themselves.”

A true Guru will guide you to the path, show you the light and help when help is requested, but will never force a disciple -- against the disciple's will -- to follow any particular path. Thus, the man's Guru compassionately agreed, saying, "So be it, my son. Stay another 10 years until you feel that your mission is fulfilled."

Ten years later, the Guru returned to the home to find a large bull-dog out front guarding the house. Immediately he recognized his disciple in the dog and saw --with his divine vision -- that the man had passed away several years prior but, due to his intense protectiveness over his family and wealth, he had reincarnated as a guard dog. 

The Guru put his hand on the dog's head and said, "My child, now that you have regressed from a human to a dog due to your attachment to these worldly things, are you finally ready to come with me?"

The dog licked the hand of his Guru lovingly and said, "My beloved Guruji. You are right that it is my own attachment which has driven me to take birth as a dog, but you see my children have many enemies who are envious of their wealth and power. These enemies are very dangerous to my children and I must stay here to protect them. However, I am sure that within a few years everything will sort itself out and they will be fine. Give me just seven more years to protect them, and then I am yours."

The Guru left and returned 7 years later. This time, there was no dog out front and the home was filled with grandchildren running around. The Guru closed his eyes and saw with his divine vision that his disciple had taken birth in the form of a cobra, wedged into the wall near the family safe to guard the money. He called the grandchildren of the house: "My children," he said. "In the wall to the right of your safe, there is a cobra curled up in a small nook. Go there and bring the cobra to me. Do not kill it. It will not harm you, I promise. But, just break its back with a stick and then bring it to me."

The children were incredulous, but went to the wall where the old man had directed them. Incredibly they saw that -- just as the Guru had said -- a cobra was curled up in the wall. Following his orders, they broke the cobra's back and carried it outside to the Guru. The Guru thanked the children, threw the cobra over his neck and left.

As he walked away carrying the cobra over his neck, the Guru spoke to the cobra, injured and aching: "My child, I am sorry for hurting you, but there was no other way. Twenty seven years and three births ago you left to taste the material world of sensual pleasures. But the ways of Maya are so alluring and so subtle that they trap us instantly. You have wasted these lifetimes in the futile pursuit of material success and in attachment to people who also are only actors in the Cosmic Drama.

My child, all here is Maya - Cosmic Illusion. It lures us into its trap, convincing us that it is real, permanent, everlasting and significant. But, in reality, the only thing which is real is Him, and the only true purpose of life is to get close to Him. These attachments merely divert our attention and focus away from the true purpose of life. I had no choice but to come to your rescue as I saw you sinking deeper and deeper into the deep clutches of Maya."

So frequently in life we think, "Just one more year" then I will cut back on my luxuries and cut back on my time at the office. "Just one more year".

But, that "one more year" never comes. Our intentions are good. We want to be more spiritual. We want to devote more time to spiritual pursuits. We want to spend less, need less and serve more. We want to be the master over our lust, anger and greed rather than vice versa. But, the power of Maya is stronger than the power of our will. Thus, we continue to find excuses for why we must continue to work 50 or 60 hour work-weeks, why we still have no time for chanting, why we can't squeeze a visit to the holy places of India into our year's planning, and why we must continue to satiate our insatiable sensual urges.

The only way to break free from the veil of illusion that Maya wraps around our minds is to surrender to God and beg Him to show us the true light. The only way to break free is to make AND STICK TO concrete vows of how we are going to be better people next year.

Rather than saying "I will find time to chant" we must say "I will not leave for work without sitting in meditation and I will not sleep at night without doing my nightly introspection."

Rather than say, "I will try to cut back on my expenses so that my financial needs are less," we must say, "I will not buy another jacket or pair of shoes [or anything] until the ones that I have are broken, torn or no longer fit me."

Rather than say, "I will try to overcome my anger, lust and greed," we must commit to having daily appointments with God in which we introspect on all the times we allowed ourselves to be overpowered by these emotions and we must pray for strength, DAILY, to be remain calm, peaceful and sattvic in our lives."

If we wait for the right time, that time will never come. The only time is now. May the Divine bless us all with the clarity of vision to realize that the external world is Maya and with the strength, fortitude and dedication to remove the veil and attain the Divine Truth.

Namah Shivaya...............

Queries of Sadhaks --- part 16

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS

 Acharya Shree Ishan Shivanandji answers queries of sadhaks coming from all walks of life. Shiv Shakti Canada compile these from Shiv Yog sources so that other people having the same question in mind will get the answer from the Master himself.

Q. Just out of curiosity what if two people, accept each other the way they are, like each other and do not cross the maryada.(but have given their relation a name of boy friend and girl friend ) is it still wrong ??!!... Namah Shivay.
 

A. Namah shivay every age of life is comprised under the ashram or stage like Brahmcharya, Grihastha, Vanprastha and Sanyas. Being in the Brahmcharya ashram you shouldn’t engage in flings. If you plan to marry someone at a short notice it is then fine. Because crushes, infatuations and flings corrupt one morally. And in these raw relationships, annulment or break up is a strong possibility. This renders them impure, illegitimate, unethical, immoral and most un-spiritual. Also it was stated in the earlier post too that here we are talking of ideal spiritual life. This aspect is one of those. Many sadhaks wished to know the Shiv Yog way of going about in this age and how to handle the relationships. Blessings.

Q. Namah Shivay ...I need help... to materialise the specific characters in partner what it should be .that he should be non drinker non smoker. .. What to say at sadhna time that the words are making full of positive sense...nature, personality, family, beliefs all things...during my sadhna...when i materialising all these a fear strikes in my mind ..Negative thoughts start coming out...and that turiya avastha where you create your all things... and get distracted please tell me what to do.??? Even many times during sadhna instantly some unwanted unnecessary thoughts start coming out...sply fear...I really want to get rid of my all fears failures...please help me.namah shivay!!!

A. Namah shivay the fright and fear comes because you want it to. You are giving it undue attention. Don’t think too much about it. Just think only about the Guru. Secondly in the golden book write all the attributes of your spouse and in the end write I have got such a spouse and I would like to thank my Guru and Shiva for this. Namah shivay.

Q. Namah Shivay Ishan Bhaiya, - I have want your help in our difficult situation. We have one daughter - just 17 yrs old. She is very much addict to Mobile & Computer. Now she told us that she loves a guy who is Cousin brother of her. In this situation pl advice us - what to do? Kya hum isko iske haal me chhod de ya use woh ladke ke sath baat karne ko mana kar de??? Please reply immediately as we are so much confused & worry...!!

A. Namah shivay. Teens of their children are a difficult period for all parents to manage. But very often the mistakes committed by the offspring have its roots in the attitude of the parents. Somewhere they fail to communicate the right thing. Somewhere they fail to be a good example themselves. In your case, you need to send Sanjeevani shakti to the Manipur chakra of the child and write down in the Golden book of how you want her to be. Regular sadhna and Chandi Paath done at home precludes the possibility of such occurrences materializing at home. Do that regularly. Everything will fall in place by its own. Blessings.

Q. Namah Shivay... I just want to clear if both person have feeling for each other and if we materialise him or her and further strong bond in future it's too called vashikaran of that person?

A. Namah shivay ji. This teaching is aimed at showing the ideal path guided by the Guru. What is being stated is that in the Golden book we can’t write the name of a person. We may write the desired characteristics. Also, forging relationships, apart from those aimed at marriage is not approved of by the Guru since it is not spiritually sound or ideal. Blessings.

Q. Namah Shivay Babaji.... in the golden book can I write about the quality or attribute that I want my wife to develop in her life... I am already married...

A. Namah shivay ji if you have Sanjeevani shakti, send it to her Manipur Chakra. If you don’t, then first accept her the way she is and for her and your own betterment you can write that with a pure intention. Blessings.

Q. Namah Shivay, I understand that we should not be person specific while doing sadhana and while writing in Golden book....but please clarify me one more thing.. Can a Shivyogi continue his relationship with a girl, planning to marry her in near future with a pure intention? (and if that relationship is completely related to heart equally on both sides and if the pair is following an ethical way, which to be put in straight way that if the pair is not involving in making love and physical contact by any means?) Thank you so much!

A. Namah shivay if we can ensure that Baba ji's teachings are being followed with utmost purity, we may continue with our pursuits. But again it is being said that what this status talks about is a perfect setting or an ideal spiritual life. Because however much logic we may apply to justify our means, there is bound to be an error if we follow any other path than shown by the Guru. So always Guru's teachings without contamination must be followed. Blessings

Q. Namah shivay Ishaanji...but what should we do if we are facing depressions after break ups?

A. Namah shivay distress in life arrives only when we go astray from the path shown by the Guru. You went against the teaching of not getting into a relationship before marriage and are facing the consequences of the same. However, committing a mistake is not a sin per se. Repeating the mistake is. Acknowledge the fact that you went wrong somewhere and seek forgiveness from yourself and your Guru. Daily sadhna and Chandi Paath will lead you further into light and inner happiness. Because worldly sorrow is meaningless and the things we cry for are futile and temporary. Blessings.

Q. Ishan bhaiya,,.please answer my question too... I do sadhna more n more (from last oct 2011, mujhe babaji ki bahut spiritual kripa mili hai..I've attended 7 to 8 shivirs of babaji, Ishan bahaiya) for my partner search but still I’m alone....

A. Namah shivay Golden book is the answer to your query. Write down all the characteristics of the partner you desire in your Golden book and visualize it after every sadhna session. Merely attending shivirs will not solve our problems. The prarabd bhog is ours and only through our own sadhna can we ameliorate ourselves of the pain and suffering in life. Also, the Durga Paath if done before sadhna will multiply the release of hurdles and karmas in life. Blessings.

Q. Ishan ji himself told story of his marriage, how her respected wife materialize her marriage with him, isn't it vasikaran?

A. Namah shivay What the status talks about is the fact that wooing the opposite sex before marriage, trying to use spiritual or other means is wrong. Ishan ji was bestowed by his shakti not through any courtship of the current decadent type. Kavita ji came to him to show her kundli or horoscope. Ishan ji took her to Baba ji who through His spiritual séance ordained that the two were karmically connected. So through such an odd quirk of divine fate was born his relationship. Ishan ji is a paragon of a sadhak. He sets an example for all. To find fault with such a saintly soul would be nitpicking. It is after their marriage that the two charted their spiritual course using the Golden book. And such a process is beyond reproach. So his example too goes by what is stated in this status. Blessings.

Advait Shree Vidya Sadhna --- Art of Manifestation