Eternal India Encyclopedia

Eternal India encyclopedia

PERCEPTIONS

BRAHMA VIDYA - SPIRITUAL EDUCATION

lead a life of unhappiness, sorrow, anxiety and tension. The joy, happiness and con- tentment in one's life and the ability to spread the same to others through love, kindness and other noble qualities form the basis for a higher standard of life. Hence it can be seen that a higher standard of living does not lead to a higher standard of life. It is the noble qualities of the head and the heart that go to make a happy life for any individual. Happiness is the capacity to generate within oneself the noble qualities of love, kindness, cheerfulness, optimism and integration and also the large-heart- edness to share one's material prosperity with others around oneself. Thus we find that success and happiness in life will ulti- mately depend upon the condition and qual- ity of the mind and intellectual equipment of the individual. The remedy suggested by the spiritual masters to free a person from the slavery of the senses is through the process of "Brahma Vidya". —K.V.K. Thampuran sakha in fact, as Arjuna had become. 9. Aatma Nivedanam : This is the prel- ude to the final step of total surrender or Aatma Nivedanam. The seeker through his purified intuition knows and yields, fully to the will of the Lord.” — Baba Nine aspects of piety The following are the nine aspects of piety enjoined upon all persons to become virtous. 1. 'Satsanga' or association with the virtuous 2. 'Harikatha' or recitation of sacred hymns and songs. 3. 'Ishwar Bhakti' or love of God. 4. Theertha Yaatra' or a pilgrimage to shrines and holy places. 5. 'Guru Pooja' or worship of the pre- ceptors. 6. 'Dhyaana' or meditation. 7. 'Bhakta Seva' or service of devotees of God. 8. 'Loka Kalyaana' or welfare of all the creative beings of the world. 9. 'Japa' or constant recitation of the Lord's name.

Science of Spirituality Brahma Vidya or "Science of Spiritual- ity" is commonly understood to mean be- coming a Saadhu and retiring to the wilder- ness abandoning all worldly responsibility. But it is not so. Self-realisation is the culmination of a life lived intelligently and made progressively more and more free from the chains of slavery imposed by na- ture on man due to his imperfections and the consequent discontentment and unhappi- ness. The entire scheme of Brahma Vidya is to make a person happier and contented in his daily life so that the spiritual unfoldment will take place within the individual auto- matically. Self-realisation is not the sud- den acquisition of special knowledge, it is the culmination of the evolutionary process in man. All the activities that an individual un- dertakes in this world are done with the hope to obtain a greater amount of happi- ness and to achieve freedom from unhappi- ness (called 'Dukkha Nivritthi and Sukha Praapthi'). This is known in common par- There are nine steps in the pilgrimage of man towards God along the path of dedi- cation and surrender. 1. Shravanam : Developing a desire to lis- ten to the glory and grandeur of the handi- work of God and His awe-inspiring mani- festation. This is the starting point. It is by hearing about the Lord again and again that we can transform ourselves into Divinity. 2. Keertanam : Singing about the Lord, His manifold exploits and magnificence. 3. Smaranam : Dwelling on the Lord in the mind and revelling in the contemplation of His beauty, majesty and compassion. 4. Paadasevanam : Entering upon the worship of the Lord, by concentrating on honouring the feet or footprints. 5. Archanam : This develops into a total propitiation of the Lord and systematic ritu- alistic worship, in which the aspirant gets inner satisfaction and inspiration. 6. Vandanam : The aspirant begins to see his favourite form of God wherever he turns, in all beings and all objects. So, he develops an attitude of Vandana or reverence to- wards all life and nature. 7. Dasyam : Established in his bent of mind, he becomes the devoted servant of all

"The purpose of Spiritual Education or Brahma "Vidya is to enable man to have a Vision of the Divine in Society. When man combines this Vision -• with Tapas, he merges with God. The Vision of Divinity and merging, with Divinity, are like the two poles; one positive and the other negative. The positive and negative will join together and take you m to a position where you will become Divine ". - Baba lance as 'A higher standard of living' and A higher standard of life' or popularly known as 'Success in Life' and 'Happiness in life'. In spite of the best planning by politicians, governments, scientists, economists etc, man's life remains full of imperfections and unhappiness. This has led to wars and revolutions. The reason for this is man's excessive preoccupation with the body and the senses. All the human effort and inge- nuity is spent in creating more and more avenues for sense enjoyments and then wasting all the energies by indulging in those sense pleasures. Consequently even materially prosperous people are found to

NINE CIRCLES OF BHAKTI Nava Ratna (Navavidha Bhakti)

without seeking superiority. This is a vital step, the stage of service which every person calling himself a social worker or volunteer has to reach. It is more fruitful than reciting the name and counting beads, or sitting for hours in meditation. The Lord is pleased only when you do things the Lord desires. How else can you win His grace? How else than by nursing, nourishing and saving His children? How else, than helping them to realise Him as their Lord and guardian and cultivating faith in Him, through your own straight and sincere living? 8. Sakhayam : This takes the seeker so near the Lord that he feels himself compan- ion and the sharer of God’s power and pity, and His triumphs and achievements. His feeling inferior or