Many in society wish to be spiritual aspirants. Is it so easy to develop spirituality? It cannot happen suddenly. One has to develop the quality from very early childhood so that it can mature at a later stage. lt is not possible for every aspirant to be spiritual despite the efforts that makes. Hundreds of paper kites are seen in the sky. But out of them one or two free themselves by the snapping of the string! In the same analogy out of hundreds of aspirants only one or two manage to free themselves from the bondage of the world! There are different types of aspirants. One class of Yogis are hidden Yogis. The other class are open Yogis. The former go through religious practices secretly and are away from public gaze. The latter carry out their spiritual practices openly and converse freely on spiritual subjects. In some plants and creepers the fruit comes first and the flowers next. In general, the flower blooms first and the fruit appears later. Similarly, ordinary people have to perform Sadhana before they realize God. In the other class of aspirants God is realized first before the performance of sadhna! The best aspirant is the one who gives up the world totally and comes out of it. The perfect aspirant that remains in the world has some small imperfection in his character!
Just like the young bamboo that can be bent easily, it is easy to bend the young heart towards God! It is not easy to bend the full grown bamboo as it breaks when bent. The old or untrained heart of the old escapes the hold whenever it is so drawn! It is only the ripe mango that can be offered to God but not the one pecked by the crow. Children are expected to be dedicated to the service of God before impure worldly desires touch and taint their hearts. It is very difficult for them to follow the path of virtue once worldly desires and sensual pleasures enter their innocent hearts. The love of the boy is whole and undivided. But after marriage half of his love is given away to his wife. When children are born a quarter of his love is shown to them! The balance of the last quarter is devoted to his parents, honor, fame and others! In other words he has no love left to offer to God! So early direction to God is the first and the best step to gain and realize God. It is rather difficult for the aged and grown up people to attempt! What is the difference between the Jnanis living in the world and those that have renounced the world? In terms of their jnana or knowledge there is no difference. But the one in the world is subject to fear as he is amidst sensual attractions that may lead to his downfall! However careful one may be, worldly presence taints him slightly like the soot in the room where he remains!
Worship and spirituality is classified into three types. Accordingly aspirants belong to these types. Those that worship from the depth of their heart and without vanity or ostentation belong to the Satvik type. The Rajasic aspirant is the one who worships with fuss, music, dance and grand feast! The third is the one who sacrifies innocent goats or sheep on the altar and offers meat and wine for offering. He is involved in dancing and singing while worshipping the deity. He is the Tamasic worshipper! True aspirant is like the flint that does not lose its inner fire despite being in water for thousands of years! He is firm in his faith and inspite of impure surroundings remains imperturbable! The name of the Lord is enough to Kindle his inner fire of devotion! Not only this, these true aspirants, like the engine that draws the train behind it, lead many a person to God! The indescribable bliss in realizing God makes the true aspirant impervious to all temptations, attractions, and cheap worthless pleasures of the world! It is the nature of the true aspirant and the pious Soul to shy away from anything “ Light and useless, and retain whatever is weighty and good. “ Like the ant that rejects the sand in a mixture of sugar and sand and picks up the sugar grain, the best of the aspirants, Paramahamsas choose the Good from the bad! The true aspirant, though caught in the meshes of worldly pleasures shall come out of them finally!
What is the strength of a true aspirant? “ He is a child of God, and his devotional tears are his mightiest weapon.” says Sri Ramakrishna. What is the indication that an aspirant has reached a state of birthlessness? “ That man whose hair stands on end at the mere mention of the 'name' of God, and from whose eyes flow tears of love-------he has indeed reached his last birth.” asserts Bhagawan Sri RamaKrishna.
A true aspirant or a religious person shall never commit a sin when he is alone and when none observe him! He knows that God is omnipresent as the silent witness to every action of the individual. The fear of sin and the silent presence of God everywhere, prevents him from becoming a victim of temptation or seduction of any woman in a lonely region. Such a person shall not even cast an immoral glance at the young woman! The true aspirant is not at all enamored of a bag of gold in a lonely or uninhabited residence. He is never drawn to it as he is a true religious aspirant! Practice of religion for show or out of fear of the public can never be called truly religious! The hallmark of true religion is its silence and secrecy!!
Just like the young bamboo that can be bent easily, it is easy to bend the young heart towards God! It is not easy to bend the full grown bamboo as it breaks when bent. The old or untrained heart of the old escapes the hold whenever it is so drawn! It is only the ripe mango that can be offered to God but not the one pecked by the crow. Children are expected to be dedicated to the service of God before impure worldly desires touch and taint their hearts. It is very difficult for them to follow the path of virtue once worldly desires and sensual pleasures enter their innocent hearts. The love of the boy is whole and undivided. But after marriage half of his love is given away to his wife. When children are born a quarter of his love is shown to them! The balance of the last quarter is devoted to his parents, honor, fame and others! In other words he has no love left to offer to God! So early direction to God is the first and the best step to gain and realize God. It is rather difficult for the aged and grown up people to attempt! What is the difference between the Jnanis living in the world and those that have renounced the world? In terms of their jnana or knowledge there is no difference. But the one in the world is subject to fear as he is amidst sensual attractions that may lead to his downfall! However careful one may be, worldly presence taints him slightly like the soot in the room where he remains!
Worship and spirituality is classified into three types. Accordingly aspirants belong to these types. Those that worship from the depth of their heart and without vanity or ostentation belong to the Satvik type. The Rajasic aspirant is the one who worships with fuss, music, dance and grand feast! The third is the one who sacrifies innocent goats or sheep on the altar and offers meat and wine for offering. He is involved in dancing and singing while worshipping the deity. He is the Tamasic worshipper! True aspirant is like the flint that does not lose its inner fire despite being in water for thousands of years! He is firm in his faith and inspite of impure surroundings remains imperturbable! The name of the Lord is enough to Kindle his inner fire of devotion! Not only this, these true aspirants, like the engine that draws the train behind it, lead many a person to God! The indescribable bliss in realizing God makes the true aspirant impervious to all temptations, attractions, and cheap worthless pleasures of the world! It is the nature of the true aspirant and the pious Soul to shy away from anything “ Light and useless, and retain whatever is weighty and good. “ Like the ant that rejects the sand in a mixture of sugar and sand and picks up the sugar grain, the best of the aspirants, Paramahamsas choose the Good from the bad! The true aspirant, though caught in the meshes of worldly pleasures shall come out of them finally!
What is the strength of a true aspirant? “ He is a child of God, and his devotional tears are his mightiest weapon.” says Sri Ramakrishna. What is the indication that an aspirant has reached a state of birthlessness? “ That man whose hair stands on end at the mere mention of the 'name' of God, and from whose eyes flow tears of love-------he has indeed reached his last birth.” asserts Bhagawan Sri RamaKrishna.
A true aspirant or a religious person shall never commit a sin when he is alone and when none observe him! He knows that God is omnipresent as the silent witness to every action of the individual. The fear of sin and the silent presence of God everywhere, prevents him from becoming a victim of temptation or seduction of any woman in a lonely region. Such a person shall not even cast an immoral glance at the young woman! The true aspirant is not at all enamored of a bag of gold in a lonely or uninhabited residence. He is never drawn to it as he is a true religious aspirant! Practice of religion for show or out of fear of the public can never be called truly religious! The hallmark of true religion is its silence and secrecy!!
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