By Sri Sandip Dasgupta
Welcome to the Janmashtami edition of our e-zine. On this auspicious day of Janmashtami, I wanted to reflect on some key teachings of our Master, which he reinforced during an impromptu speech on February 28, 1988 at New Delhi, India.
Through the Science of Oneness, our Master has repeatedly taught us that the One Supreme Consciousness resides amongst all of us, i.e. the Supreme Lord, and we dwell in that Consciousness. This is why He has repeatedly emphasized us to serve the Living God and prioritize that over going to the temple and worshiping the deities. While He has not discouraged us to worship the deities, He has repeatedly said that we should first take care of serving our family, friends, children around us for they represent the Living God amongst us. He explicitly mentions that we should not be worshiping deities or listening to His lectures while the family members are hungry! Perhaps that is why he always handed chocolates/toffees to children when he met them. According to Him, this will bring us closer to the Almighty residing in each and every one of us! This is the best puja we can do.
Does that mean deities are not needed? He emphatically states that deities/puja room/temples are absolutely needed to bring order to our life. According to Him, we have not learnt to pray directly to the God inside us. So, when we need to pray, we go to the puja room/temple and pray to the deity. When we are praying to the deity, that prayer enters within us through our own ears, through our own mind and reaches the inner core of our own heart. Residing in that inner core is the Real absolute deity!
He further went on to say that in today’s age, we don't have the time and atmosphere to do the tapasya that the rishis used to perform. According to Him, fasting is important to give a little rest to our system, but we can't perform the kind of fasting our forefathers did. So, when we feel like fasting, He has urged us to simply change our diet and indulge in partaking light food for a few days. Perhaps this is what the Navaratri fasting is all about! This is the kind of adaptation which has been suggested to us by Him time and again. He has repeatedly pointed out that rigid fasting might result in deteriorating health, which in turn will cause our body system to fail and suffer!
What pearls of wisdom has He blessed us with!
Joy Babathakur! Joy Babathakur! Joy Babathakur!
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