A few insights from a fellow Sabha.ologist. After listening to several talks from P. Mahant Swami he noticed they stuck with him. He started to look at why and found the following gem.
One way he [makes hist talk stick] is by giving simple analogies that everyone could understand. Here are just a few of them I picked up from his visit:
How can we become connected with Swamishri? By simply following his agna. Swamishri is like a kite and his agna is the string. When the string is cut you no longer have a connection with the kite. Similarly, if we disobey Swamishri's agna we will be disconnected from him. Let us always follow the commands of our beloved guru, and please him to the best of our ability.
Out of the 365 days of the year, these 5 days are considered the best. Out of these 5 days, Diwali is the "king". The same way, out of all the janams that we take, this manushya deh is the most important.
We have to realize the importance of Bhagwan, Sant, and Haribhaktos (gun grahak drashti).
We are all going to celebrate Hari Jayanti this week. What sticky analogy can even hold a candle to this great day? We think playing together and painting blindly. Let us explain.
This week we brainstormed about how a three year-old would celebrate Shriji Maharaj's life and most responses consisted of fun, intellectual, and joyous memorabilia for baby Ghanshyam Maharaj's friends.
Perhaps the toddlers have the right idea - perhaps sabha should consist of sheer celebration of Maharaj's life and Pragat Guruhari Swamishri, of Akshar Purushottam Upasana and our mandirs, and of life as we have come to know it.
Have you seen toddlers play? They are full of focus, in the moment, and never just doing something just to do it. Oh, they mean to do it all right with full intention. And when you tell them they will play with Ghanshyam, they get very excited. Why are they able to not question their innate understanding?
This week, we also got to see a video of a remarkable Turkish artist who was born without eyes. The Discovery Channel followed Esref's feats, where he was able to outdo the accomplishments of Italian Renaissance master Filippo Brunelleschi. Esref is able to draw a geometrical optical linear perspective in perfect form, considered a near-impossible feat, without ever laying eyes on the building. How is Esref able to tap into his innate knowledge of past births and lives to paint so well?
When we start seeing Maharaj as Purna Purushottam Narayan and Pramukh Swami Maharaj as Mul Akshar Brahman, what do we do? When we learn about upasana and aagna, how does this change our actions?
Toddlers see and they do what they do best - play. Esref sees and does what he does best - paint. People who are writers, they write. People with a Porsche, well they drive...preferably on smooth highways. People with smart phones, they use their phones for way more than just making a phone call. People who understand the true value of what they have make full use of the opportunity.
On Hari Jayanti we take time to think about what we have. We think that maybe bhakti is our play, maybe bhakti is our paint, maybe bhakti is making a sticky talk - these are small steps to making use of the opportunity we have been blessed with.
Swamini Vaat 18 - 1 On Satsang: “God has said, ‘I am not as pleased by austerities, sacrifices, yoga, observances of vows, donations, and other endeavors as I am by Satsang.’ What is that Satsang? ‘To fold one’s hands before the great God-realized Sãdhu and to do as he says.’”
Here's a find submitted to us by a fellow reader whose katha-listening habits helped her dig this one example out.
The topic of Akshar is referred to in different ways, but the adjectives used to describe Akshar are very similar to those used to describe Purushottam. How do we intellectually differentiate between the two?
P. Brahmavihari Swami sheds light on this during his Kath Upanishad parayan. He asks the question of what different mithai taste like ("how do penda taste? sweet. How does gulab jambu taste? sweet. How does jalebi taste? Sweet.). Although the adjectives used to describe these items is the same (i.e. sweet), by tasting them, we each have personal favorites (I'll take my sister's cheesecake over jalebi anyday). We can tell the difference due to our personal experience.
[Similarly], his point is that... only through personal experience can one articulate the difference between Akshar and Purushottam. Maharaj did so for us in the Vachanamrit and other scriptures; Gunatitanand Swami articulated these characteristics in his Vatu and Swamishri lives these characteristics today. By studying these characteristics and imbibing them, or even meditating upon these characteristics, we can achieve the state of becoming 'brahmarup'. His example was super sticky and I'll never forget it. Pass it on :)
It's hard to forget an example so mouth-watering as this one making it an unexpected asset in our presentation toolbox.
Again, we laud our readers for keeping up with our posts and sharing their feedback, and we encourage it. It's like dessert - who can pass it up?
