SRI RAMAKRISHNA PANCHAKAM

This was composed by KRISNA MURTHY YAYAVARAM on the occasion of Sri RamaKrishna Jyanthi and recited at a meeting in Vivekananda College, Mylapore, Chennai, a few years back.

                                                       SRI RAMAKRISHNA PANCHAKAM

Dakshineswara nayakam dhana kaama lobha vivarjitam
Vangadesa yaso vilaasa visishta visthruta kaaranam
Bhakthi marga pratishtitam viditaanuraga sulochanam
Ramamakrishna Swarupinam pranamami sadguru miswaram!

Bhoganirjita maanasam bhava roga varjita chetasam
Yoga nischala chitta maasrita bhakta vatsala daivatam
Sarva Dharma visaaradam Bhavatharini vara sevakam
Ramamakrishna Swarupinam pranamami sadguru miswaram

Bharathavani punya punja masesha sishya samanvitam
Sangha sevana baddha kankana sarva bhuta dayanidhim
Dharma vardhana kaaranam bahu Dharma sutra vichakshanam
Ramamakrishna Swarupinam pranamami sadguru miswaram!

Saaradaamani vallbham sakalaagha Sangha nibarhanam
Ghora daaruna paapa jivana jaadya maapaka nirmalam
Nirvikalpa samaadhi daayaka daksha madbhuta chaarinam
Ramamakrishna Swarupinam pranamami sadguru miswaram!

Vandaniya padaambujam bhava Sindhu potha maharnisam
Dwanda varjita raaga nirjitha jnaana samyutha vigraham
Kaalika padadhuli puta visesha deha samanvitam
Ramamakrishna Swarupinam pranamami sadguru miswaram!
         
                                                                        SRI SARADA STHAVAM

Sri RamaKrishna sahadharmini Saaradambaam
Vairagya yoga yuta nischala chitta vruttaam
Samsaara saagara vimukta niyukta chetaam
Nityam bhajami manasaa pruthusakthi rupaam!

Sri RamaKrishna vara pujita paada peetaam
Sakthi Swarupini susaantha swabhaava seelaam
Maatru Swarupini jagajjananim susilaam
Nityam bhajami manasaa pruthusakthi rupaam!

Prema pradayini tapad vibhavaam prasannaam
Dinaavanaam sakala Dharma visaaradambam
Sri RamaKrishna guru rupini Kalikaambaam
Nityam bhajami manasaa pruthusakthi rupaam!

Sishyaanukula upadesa visesha yuktaam
Soulabhya sundara swabhaava hrudaanukampaam
Sousilya vaibhava mahonnata bhaava punjaam
Nityam bhajami manasaa pruthusakthi rupaam

Brahma Swarupini bhavarnava tharakaakhyaam
Kshemapradaayaka vasikara netra yugmaam
Sri Saaradamba mama paapa vimukthi hethum
Nityam bhajami manasaa pruthusakthi rupaam!

                                                                           OM TAT SAT.

                                                                 

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DISCRIMINATION AND NON ATTACHMENT

Providence has endowed man with qualities that he can make use of for a happy, comfortable and useful existence. These endowments are manas or heart, buddhi or intellect, ahankra or ego and chitta or mind.The very purpose of these is to allow man use them for his progress and fulfilment. Is man using these priceless possessions to his advantage? That is the big debatable question. Man calls himself a social and rational animal. He prides himself that he has the exceptional reasoning power that has been denied to all other creatures on earth. He believes in what he sees. His rational zeal prevents him from recognizing what he doesn’t see directly. While most experiments and experiences can be personal and direct, there are others that are not direct or personal! Rationalism rejects all such things and calls them unreal. This attitude has gone to such an extent that man questions the very existence of God!! If he has to believe in God he has to see Him directly with his own eyes! He should be able to see God in the same way as he sees an object like a tree or hill or mountain! He has become too rational to believe in anything that he doesn’t see!

Discrimination is the quality of man's buddhi or intellect. It is the prerogative power that sifts the good from the bad, the right from the wrong, the temporary from the permanent, the corporeal from the ethereal! But modern man has utilized his discrimination only towards physical objects. He has not thought of anything spiritual! He doesn’t have interest in things spiritual. This attitude leads to his misery later in life. Man has been concentrating on his physical well being only but not worried about his spiritual progress. He has become the worshipper of Mammon! His lust for money is insatiable. Apart from providing food, clothing and residence money has no other use. Money is not the be all and end all of human existence. Another distraction for man is the woman for whom he has weakness. Adi Sankara warns, “Nari sthanbhara nabhi desam drushtwa maga mohavesam etan mamsa vasadi vikaram manasi vichintaya varam varam.” The body of the most beautiful woman is made up of flesh and blood, skin and bones, fat and marrow and excratory materials. In spite of his rational approach, man is unable to come out his lust for woman! Again and again he  becomes the slave of his senses! It is here that man has to exercise his discrimination and move away from all types of temptation. Sri RamaKrishna says, “practice discrimination.’ Woman' and ‘gold’ are both unreal; the only reality is God.” It is therefore absolutely necessary for man to use the power of discrimination and avoid momentary and transitory things and. move into the path of Spirituality.

Non attachment or Vairagya is much more difficult to cultivate! Attachment is one of the six inner adversaries called Arishadvargas. It is called Moha. Extreme love and obsession for your family, wife, children, kith and kin and property hangs heavily on the neck of man like a heavy stone dragging him down! It is because of the illusion created by Maya which makes him think that they are all everlasting! It is because of this “ mamakara” that Arjuna became despondent on the battlefield of Kurukshetra! He lays down his bow Gandiva and arrows and refuses to kill his own preceptors, brothers and others. If it is so with Arjuna how about the ordinary mortals like us? Arjuna is brought back to his senses by the great discourse of the Lord on the truth and nature of the body and the indestructibility of Atma or Soul! It is then Arjuna understands the brittle nature of the body and the eternal nature of the Soul. He takes up the bow and arrows and kills the Kauravas. While Viveka or Discrimination is sifting of the real from the unreal Vairagya or Non attachment is indifference to the objects of the world. Non attachment cannot occur all of a sudden. Both Viveka and Vairagya have to be practiced scrupulously. It is through continuous practice that one can subjugate senses, passions and lust.

What is the way to escape from the limitless wants and desires of man? There are only two possible ways to escape from them. Either you satisfy all your wants and desires or abandon them all. It is Im possible to satisfy all desires or wants because new desires crop up once a desire is satisfied. The best way is to have a ceiling on desires and be contented with what God has blessed us with! Through Contentment, slowly but surely , desires can be kept in check. A kite flew into the sky with a fish in its beak. Other kites and birds chased it and tried to snatch away the fish in its beak. The kite tried it’s best to avoid them but in vain. In whichever direction it turned, the other birds pursued it. To get rid of this annoyance, the kite let go the fish in its beak which was immediately caught by another bird. Now all other birds changed direction and started chasing the second bird. The kite was free and unmolested. Man has to cast away all his mundane desires to escape from worldly distractions!

It is through Discrimination and Non attachment to worldly objects that man saves himself from stumbling or straying into evil paths! “Atma stained by the oil of vice and luxury is unfit for spiritual devotion.” When such Soul is filled with renunciation or Vairagya it becomes fit again for spiritual progress. It is through the remedy of Non attachment that the venom of lust and wealth can be cured. Discrimination and dispassion are the two purifying agents removing worldliness in man. All knowledge of scriptures is futile if the mind is not endowed with Viveka and Vairagya. Jnana or Knowledge does not come without renunciation or Vairagya. “ Vairagya is of many kinds. One kind of it springs from acute pain due to worldly misery. But the better kind arises from the consciousness that all worldly blessings, though within one's reach, are transitory and are not worth enjoying. Thus, having all, he has not anything.” remarks Bhagawan Sri RamaKrishna!

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SIGNIFICANCE OF FAITH

                                                                 

Is it possible for man to exist without faith? It is absolutely impossible. He has to repose his faith in one thing or other. Otherwise his life will be miserable. It is faith that reassures and gives him hope for the future. Lack of faith is the source of many troubles. In a family the wife should have faith in her husband and his activities. If she starts doubting his movements and actions discord sets in and increases day by day. Similarly the husband should have faith in his wife's fidelity and commitment to her family and children. Children should have total faith in their parents and understand that they are their well wishers. They should remember that at no time their parents would do anything against their welfare. Mutual trust is the foundation for any family. Apart from the faith or trust among the members in the family, one is expected to have faith in God. It is deplorable that many in this modern world do not believe in God. They fail to recognize that there is a superior power which is the cause of creation, sustenance and destruction. Man himself is the amazing creation of God and is the crown of all living beings. Entire Nature, mountains, forests, rivers, animals, insects and everything indicate the glory of the creation of God! Should we be ignorant of this knowledge and have no faith in the Providence?

“ Man suffers through lack of faith in God.” asserts Bhagawan Sri RamaKrishna. In his opinion the bony sort of fellows, the hollow eyed, the squint eyed cannot have faith easily. To acquire spiritual and self illumination firm faith  in a single  object is enough. But to teach others a thorough knowledge of scriptures and sciences is essential. According to Sri RamaKrishna, Goddess Parvati wanted know the root of ' the eternal, everlasting, all embracing Bliss'. Pat came the reply from  Maheswara, “ The root is faith.” It is immaterial whether one belongs to  a particular creed, caste or color. He should truly be a follower of devotional practices of his creed with faith. As faith in God increases  knowledge relating to God also advances.  Lack of faith stunts one's knowledge. Faith of an individual should be implicit and childlike. The child believes in the words of the mother with implicit faith! It believes the person who is pointed as its father, brother or sister. It is this chilldlike faith that brings man nearer to God. On an occasion, Krishna, pointing to the sky, said to Arjuna, “ Behold! What a nice flight of pigeons there!” The Pandava warrior looked up and said that it was really a beautiful flight of pigeons. Within moments Krishna said to Arjuna that they were not pigeons in flight! Arjuna was not surprised at all. He immediately said that they were not pigeons in flight! Arjuna had such an implicit faith in Krishna that whatever He said should be the exact truth!

A person wanted to cross a river and approached a sage. The sage gave him an amulet and said that it will carry him across. The man took it into his hands and started walking on water. But before he crossed half way he was curious to know what the amulet contained. Opening the amulet, to his surprise,  he found in it a piece of paper on which was written the sacred name of Lord Rama! He was shocked to see this and felt that it was just a piece of paper! Scepticism set in and at that very moment the man who was walking on water sank down! Faith in the name of the Lord works wonders! Faith is life but lack of it is death! An ardent disciple of a guru who had infinite faith in his power walked over a river by simply chanting the name of his Guru. Observing this the guru wondered at the efficacy of his name an its effect on water. He considered himself to be super human and started walking on water uttering “ I”, “I”. But at that very moment he sank down and was drowned as he did not know swimming! Vanity and egoism destroys man! It is through his imperturbable faith in the name of Rama that Hanuman was able to cross the ocean!!

A king had done the heinous crime of killing a Brahmin. He wanted to free himself from the sin and went to the ashram of a rishi. He wanted to know what penance has to be performed to become pure. But when he went to the ashram the sage was absent. His son was present and he heard the problem of the king and his desire to get absolved from his sinful act. The hermit's son suggested that the king should repeat the Name of Lord Rama thrice so that the sin of killing the Brahmin shall vanish! Meanwhile the sage returned to his ashram and was furious to know what had happened. He admonished his son for advising the king to repeat the sacred Name of Rama thrice. He was a fool to prescribe that remedy. Innumerable heinous crimes and sins are obliterated totally by uttering the Name of Lord Rama but once! In his anger, the sage objected to his lack of faith and cursed his son to become an outcaste! It is believed that later the sage's son became Guha the boatman in the Ramayana!  The faithful is strong in his heart and is unperturbed at all trials and tribulations. But the weak in faith is shaken by the most trifling cause!

“ Yad bhavam tad bhavathi” say the Sastras! One becomes as one thinks!  By constant thinking of the Lord with intense faith one shall surely become full of bliss! Let us not think of sin and the sufferings that we have faced in life. Let us repeat the Name of the Lord and say that we have “done things that we ought not to have done and left undone things that we ought to have done”. Praying with intense faith shall purge all our sins! If you think with full conviction that there is no illness surely there shall be no illness at all!  It is your faith in yourself and God that sustains you in the world!

CONQUEST OF DESIRES

 Is it possible for anyone to conquer his desires? The answer is in the negative. On the other hand man is conquered by desires. Desires form the very bedrock of human existence. There is no life if desires are absent. Creation has been so arranged that that no single individual is bereft of desires. God has very ingeniously devised the inner adversaries to be embedded in human nature. Arishadvargas, as they are called, play havoc in the lives of human beings. The first and foremost enemy is Kama or desire. Desires are unquenchable and man pursues them endlessly only to be disappointed and disillusioned. One desire leads to another and that to the third and so on. This disappointment engenders anger, arrogance which are other inner enemies  that one has to control. Man, under the influence of anger loses his balance of mind, becomes almost a beast and does things which he would never think of in normal circumstances. Man's attachment to his wife, children and property multiplies his desires and drags him down to sheer material existence from which there is no escape. Desires, thus, are the root cause of human suffering and all troubles! Many, including sages, seers, emperors, Kings, and common men have become the victims of their endless desires.

Though conquest of desires appears to be extremely difficult, it is not impossible for the human intellect. It requires a steady attempt to achieve the ideal through spiritual practice. Who is the person who is the Master of his desires? Sri RamaKrishna says, “ He is a true man who is dead even in this life---that is, whose passions and propensities have been curbed to extinction as in a dead body.” In other words, the person should have killed all his desires as if he is already a dead man. It is easily said than done! Where is the grit and determination for such an impossible thing in the ordinary mortal? Desire is the enemy of God. Beatific vision of God is possible only for a heart that is calm and involved in the thought of God. Man has to renounce his desires by realizing that they are the road blocks for realization of God. Man should achieve this through his intellect and discrimination. The temptations of the world are irresistible. He has to be extremely cautious like the one standing by the brink of a deep well lest he should fall in to it. Once fallen, it is very difficult to come out unscathed. The best method to conquer the Arishadvargas is  turn them to God instead of the world. They behave like enemies when directed towards the world and its objects. On the other hand, they become our friends when directed towards God! In short, you have to hanker after the Divine instead your lust for material things. You should be angry why God has not yet revealed himself to you! While Arishadvargas cannot be annihilated, they have to be nicely directed towards God when they become harmless and docile!

It is said that once, Mandodari, queen of Ravana, king of Lanka, noticing the amorous propensities of her spouse towards Sita, asked him to take the form of Sri Rama and approach her. Ravana’s reaction was astonishing. “ Can I stoop to the pleasures of the senses while I am in the holy form of Rama----a form the very thought of which fills my heart with such unspeakable joy and blessedness that even the highest heaven appears to me worthless.” What a noble and sacred sentiment exactly opposite to Ravana's nature and personality! The name of God has the capacity to turn the evil into the good! The mind of man should not be let loose like a wild elephant that destroys everything but restrained and pulled up with discrimination. True knowledge of God is inversely proportional to worldly attachment. More attachment to world results in less knowledge of God. However pure and perfect one maybe, his continuous contact with the world is sure to taint him. The effect of impure association is sure to affect him. Hence it is desirable that one keeps away from worldly associations and temptations.
Adam lost his Paradise because he ate the Forbidden Fruit! He willingly committed the sin because he could not live without Eve whom he had created from one of his ribs. This infatuation cost Adam his Paradise! The arrival of Divinity in man automatically removes the infirmities in human nature similar to the fall of the petals when the fruit is formed. Everything in the world is subject to fear! It is only Vairagya or non attachment to worldly things that is out of fear! One who is non attached need not fear anything in the world and nothing can affect him. Such a person shall not be tempted even by his own wife! The attractions of the world are nothing compared to the attraction of God who is the larger magnet. Hence these smaller attractions are no where before the higher pull of Divinity!

Man is under the terrible illusion of Maya. He mistakes the real as unreal and the unreal as real! He cannot escape from the clutches of Maya. He thinks that sensual pleasures are real joy or ananda whereas they are ephemeral and momentary! He knows it sometimes but again and again falls into the mire of Samsara! He doesn’t know that God is the embodiment of Existence, Awareness and Bliss—Satchidananda Swaroopa! Realization of God is the only bliss or real joy for man. Such a person has no charm for the mean and worthless pieasures of the world. Volumes can be written on this topic and lectures addressed, but it is rather difficult for the common man to understand things and turn to the ways of God! The world has an irresistible attraction for him and the Arishadvargas egg him on to  material comforts and pleasures! When the great sage like Viswamitra was a victim of Kama or passion what about the ordinary mortal? It is the bounden duty of every human being to realize himself and understand that he is not the body but the indestructible eternal Atma or God embedded in the innermost recess of his heart! That is purpose of the birth of every human being in the world!

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