Trust in GOD and NOT God Men!

I am deeply wounded today by watching the videos on the recent scandals that happened on the so called 'spiritual gurus' or swamis. The list is getting longer... Kalki in Chittore, Saraswathi Baba in Delhi, Nityananda in Bangalore, Dayanand Pandey in Delhi and many many more. The list goes on as you google, youtube or bing. Looking at all of the news most of the time today, my own sentiments and faith is questioned now? Doubt and suspicion is at its peak? Satya Sai Baba who I follow is still in ambiguity in my mind. Sai Baba told me once in response to my question "What should I do to have immense faith in you?". Satya Sai Baba answered to me "Love me as you love your mother and wife." For that matter if I love anyone like I love my mother and wife, I will have immense faith. In Indian culture it is a common saying "Athidhi devo bhave, Acharya devobhave etc etc etc." It is also very common to say thanks in gratitude for help someone did by saying "You have come like God, or God sent!". Before going to Puttaparthi for Satya Sai Baba, I used to tease Sai Baba's photo in our Commerce Tuition Center. "Hello Meshaaru! Good evening!". Later when I returned from Puttaparthi after seeing Satya Sai Baba for first time, my best friend Rajesh asked me a question. "Ram do you think Sai Baba is God?". I told him, Yes!. "Because, when a person does small help, we will show immense gratitude and say "You are like God, you helped me". Sai Baba is doing great service to humanity with his hospitals and water supply project etc. Definitely he has divinity", is what I said. This is very common specially in India, in reference to doctors in expressing gratitude, they say, "You have saved my life like God!" Upon continuity with the same person, "like God" will eventually change to "You are God!" Read on...!

Seeing God in everything is spirituality. But making everyone God is non-spiritual. It is time for introspection of my own faith, belief in the so called "God men!" of today and their contemporaries.

The Hindu scriptures do say that there is God in everyone and everything. But, that I guess is interpreted in a different manner thinking that everyone is God. God is in everyone. God is everything. God is Endless. God has no definition. God is (Sthanuvu) meaning, static and beyond expansion. NO! Everyone is not God! So, when a persona like Gauthama Buddha, who attained enlightenment becomes one with God then becomes God! When this state is achieved, one is beyond wealth or world. The so called God men of the present time, are NOT GODs as they are failing the basic test of renunciation and are so vulnerable to temptation. They are the ones who try to attain God, but are unsuccessful in their attempts to do so. In their endeavors to attain God, they are deriving great benefits of immense spiritual knowledge, which when comes to preaching few are able to carry out successfully to a certain time or extent. When the final test of practice, many of them or maybe all of them are failing to pass the practical test of TRUE renunciation. As there is a dearth of people who take nothing but only the 'so called' spiritual path. In comparison to the population of earth, the percentage is very low. With the rise in the problems and changing scenarios around the world, people are facing more problems or at-least feeling more it. These people turn to God for help. In the process of turning to God for help they are looking for miracles to happen. In doing so, they are choosing a path with immense faith that they will get help from these spiritually learned. So, they cling to one or multiple of such organizations or institution that they believe will help them in taking a spiritual path. As they are going with an expectation, the initial steps are extravagant and attractive. But, going deeper, these institutions are misleading the people, as they already know that the ones who have committed to the organization will strive in their own pursuit to spirituality. These people are vulnerable to situations of exploitation. And in majority of the cases, money, power and wealth plays a key role as these organizations are lobby for huge business contacts. Most of them who benefit because of the contacts they gained through these organizations, would not mind to part with the small portion of their profits in the name of donations. Or would not mind to "Invest" when they see a potential to grow their own contacts and business. The funds are freely flowing. To give of a very recent example, an acquaint of mine, who started a new business recently, was happy to get a temple poojari as his first client. It is because he is confident that the poojari will surely get him lot of contacts as there will be many number of people who will be coming to the temple. So, the poojari is actually paying only the cost for getting his work done, and this business is OK to forego the profit for the benefit of getting more clients reference from Poojari. This is a classic case, I guess now.

Regarding the foreigners, that are flocking in numbers. Yes, they too are coming to India only to seek spiritual awakening. Because, the world recognizes India as the land of spirituality and culture. When the foreigners come to India with a hope, some of them do get enlightened again by the spiritual discourses and talks given by these so called 'God men'. They would only get a portion of it, and change a portion of themselves. But there is the other portion within them which is their original themselves because of their origin or whatever. They can't and will not forsake completely what they originally are that too in a short span of time. But, because of the power of the 'Truth' in the scriptures they are amazed and see real benefits. At the same time they will not change themselves completely, but there will come a major transformation. In the process there is also an exchange and culmination of cultures. For which, I have no comments now, as it is another topic all together. The foreigners who are coming are coming for the spiritual awakening are mesmerized by the mantras of Hare Rama and Hare Krishna as they are truly powerful. At the same-time holding on to the mantra all through the life is equally challenging and a test in itself. Those who are able to derive benefits of Indian spirituality are able and willing to donate whatever it is. These true test for these so called "God men" comes to play. Some of them get invites to foreign lands and they make trips to foreign lands too in the name of spiritual healing or spreading the message and end up falling prey to the temptations.

And the so called 'God men' who are also vulnerable are not able to gain control on themselves when they are put to test. They want to acquire more and quick funds in dollars and get more followers and be more of everything. In this pursuit, the so called "God men" will fail themselves and remain as a 'man' or worse not emerge out as devil or evil. Scriptures have warned initially that anyone who takes up the path of spirituality should stick to it, else the punishments for failing will be severe to the extent of becoming devils. So, these so called 'God men' failed turn out to be devils and demons. So truly.

The fundamental flaw is in thinking that these spiritually learned people are Gods. The person who learned the Vedas, Puranas or the Great Epics like Bhagawat Gita or Ramayan or Bhagwatham are have only mastered a subject, preached through their good communication skills and are able to 'Sell' their spiritual knowledge. The flaw from the Guru's is when they are selling this knowledge rather than distributing it free of cost. If you see, the ones who have actually written these Epics and Hindu Scriptures left it free to the community for a better living. Still the real 'Truth' in Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads and the like holds good. The flaw is not in the scriptures, but in the people who learn and interpret them and preach their false interpretation to others.

Though the scriptures mentioned that a Guru is required to easily attain the spiritual path they have never mentioned that one cannot attained spiritual path individually. By having a Guru you may seek clarification of some complex spiritual thoughts or seek a reference or direction to take the spiritual path. If the Guru is TRULY a RIGHTEOUS person, then

Yes it is true even to this day and moment and forever the Guru Mantra,
"Guru Brahma, Guru Vishnu, Gurudevo Maheswarah
Guru saakshaath prambrahma, Tasmai Sri Guravenamaha."

This is valid upon a condition that Guru is Truly Guru. One great sign of a True Guru is renunciation. Guru's need no wealth, no followers, no money and no bodily pleasure. A true Guru needs no sex. If the so called 'God men' self proclaimed Gods, need to be true Gurus, then they should be passing this test of renunciation and be able to take Truly Sanyasam. These people are failing on their path towards becoming Gurus. They haven't attained the True Guru stature. But with the population and the benefits of improved marketing skills, with advantages of communication and technology, they are gaining popularity falsely, very quickly and prematurely. So early in fact that they themselves are prone to be vulnerabilities of temptation towards wealth, pleasure, money and sex. These so called God men are themselves falling prey to the false admiration and false worship. The biggest reason could be because they are also getting paid in return which is beyond the comprehension to those so called 'God Men'. They just are getting carried away to the heights only to have a free fall flat form those immense heights.

Definitely, everyone has something good to say. But, I feel not to be obsessed about a person who master the holy scriptures and consider him as God. It is just like a degree in any specialization like math, science, computers or management. Spirituality is another degree and a person who masters this will be able to provide solutions to life in general. Because, the Hindu scriptures have answers to all questions. Because, very few individuals take this as specialization and as their life, say the number is like one in Million. And the population is so huge these days, that you can find a gathering at every single event even at a flop show. With the advancement of technology and communications, the message can spread across the whole wide world the very same moment, live so to say. These people who attained these spiritual degrees will be able to attract huge crowds with their spiritual knowledge. It is not in the person, but it is that spirit of India and Hindu scriptures that anyone who learns and masters these scriptures can attract any number of people. At the same time, the scripture also says that anyone who learns this scriptures should also put it into practice, which even more difficult. When putting it into practice there will be several challenges. The truly learned Gurus should resist to all kinds of temptations every moment, always, continuously and forever. The moment they succumb to these temptations, these Gurus are falling prey to them and failing to pass the tests to attain their true spiritual state of being and continue being Guru!

In these testing and tiring times, should I keep my faith un-shattering, have blind faith or should I be practical and open my eyes if at all I have been keeping them closed all these years. Should I accept the reality and move on to a better state.

Yes, I guess the right thing do is NOT to trust so called Spiritual Gurus / Swamiji to an extent of "Nava Vidha Bhakti". Get to the true meaning that God is in every one, so knowing God is knowing ones own self. Looking inwards and if you want to practice "Navavidha Bhakti" then do it to ones own self , even the final stage is "surrendering oneself to ones own self" and NOT falsely to the so called "God men". Stop encouraging the concept of "God men" and look at these people as "Servants to God". They only have to fulfill their duty and they are to serve humanity with their spiritual work. They are NOT Gods and some of them are not even as good as human.

At the end of this blog, all said and done, I am no longer hurt. I am happy for knowing these incidents. It helped me to think more and get the deeper meaning and value of Hindu Scriptures and Culture. There is no flaw in the scriptures. The flaw is only in those who are unable to strictly follow the scriptures. I have no faith in God Men now. I have renewed faith in God and Spirituality.

Absence of God's Presence

On the sunday July 3rd 2004, in Hindu newspaper there was a very interesting Sashi Tharror column on Albert Einstein. I was just imagining, how one would be looking when you hold a pipe in your mouth on The photo of Einsteine was amazing with a pipe. I don't smoke but I definitely would love to smoke it from a pipe. Just imagining, on a European holiday. Undoubtedly, very graceful and revered in style with the pipe in mouth, those sparkling eyes, deep thoughts and warm smiles. Wish I could draw this picture of myself. Coming back, to the article, at the end of this column on Einstein, there was a statement made by Einstein upon learning the death of Mahatma Gandhiji which states "generations to come may scarce believe that such a one as this, in flesh and blood, walked upon this earth". I was wondering, how far they think. Here is another interesting piece which talks of philosophy and Einstein.

Begin Article:

Title: Feeling is Believing

The professor of a university challenged his students with this question. "Did God create everything that exists?" A student answered bravely, "Yes, he did".

The professor then asked, "If God created everything, then he created evil. Since evil exists (as noticed by our own actions), so God is evil. The student couldn't respond to that statement causing the professor to
conclude that he had "proved" that "belief in God" was a fairy tale, and therefore worthless.

Another student raised his hand and asked the professor, "May I pose a question? " "Of course" answered the professor.

The young student stood up and asked : "Professor does Cold exists?"

The professor answered, "What kind of question is that?...Of course the cold exists... haven't you ever been cold?"

The young student answered, "In fact sir, Cold does not exist. According to the laws of Physics, what we consider cold, in fact is the absence of heat. Anything is able to be studied as long as it transmits energy (heat). Absolute Zero is the total absence of heat, but cold does not exist. What we have done is create a term to describe how we feel if we don't have body heat or we are not hot."

"And, does Dark exist?", he continued. The professor answered "Of course". This time the student responded, "Again you're wrong,Sir. Darkness does not exist either. Darkness is in fact simply the absence of light. Light can be studied, darkness can not. Darkness cannot be broken down. A simple ray of light tears the darkness and illuminates the surface where the! light beam finishes. Dark is a term that we humans have created to describe what happens when there's lack of light."

Finally, the student asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?" The professor replied, "Of course it exists, as I mentioned at the beginning, we see violations, crimes and violence anywhere in the world, and those things are evil."

The student responded, "Sir, Evil does not exist. Just as in the previous cases, Evil is a term which man has created to describe the result of the absence of God's presence in the hearts of man.

After this, the professor bowed down his head, and didn't answer back.
The young man's name was ALBERT EINSTEIN

End Article:

Journal O Ram

Hi Friends,
Firstly, Happy Friendship Day! No one can stop thinking of friends, specially when one comes to know / hear that it is friendship day. 1st Sunday of August. However brighter and better the future, they always say "Good old days!" I still have to figure out why it is so?

I am good here and in the phase of the forced bachelorhood. Enjoying it! I understand that all of us are busy in our own way and our own world. As we belong to the same planet, let us make sure we do not become alien. Though busy with the routine here, I definitely miss all you guys. It feels good when I connect to you guys sometimes on phone or sometimes on chat or sometimes with occasional jottings like this.

Have fun!

Happy Friendship day!
Ramji

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An article I received as chain email, on History of Time which is interesting to me.

A Brief History of Time - The Real One!

Modern man is in a dire predicament. Living a day-to-day existence, he always thinks about the `now', the `today' and perhaps the `tomorrow'- but can hardly bring himself up to anything in the distant future or the distant past. Living in tiny cocoons of time, he has little knowledge or appreciation of recent history, not to speak of ancient history. Tightening his time- cocoon is the present-day European-influenced notion that human civilization itself is worth studying only after itgot `modernized' in the last 4 centuries. And the Semitic religions(Judaism, Christianity and Islam) have added their part by treating the advent of their masters as the worthy beginning of any serious study of the world. (One Christian saint went as far as to mention that Creation itself happened only recently in 4004 BC.). Thus man tightens his time cocoons and suffocates himself.In contrast to this normal view of humanity, is the modern view of scientists (such as Stephen Hawking, Carl Sagan and many others) in which the universe is conjectured to have passed through many millions,perhaps billions of years in existence. This brings in a tiny ray of light into the otherwise narrow notions of Time held by contemporary man. In striking contrast to both the above groups of people are the Bhagavathothamas who incessantly serve the lotus feet of Lakshmi and Narayana. In them there arises a Total Illumination, called para-gnana,by which the Truth of the Totality of Existence is revealed as a fruit in one's own palm. One such Bhagavathothama, who intimately knew Time as well as its Master, is the sage Vyasa, to whom all of us owe our very breath. He too has written a "Brief History of Time" - but this one, unlike its secular counterpart, is supremely Real and has the sole intention of generating in the hearts of listeners, parama-bhakti, supreme devotion to Mahavishnu. The merciful sage has written about Time and its Ruler in many of his Sookthis, one of which is Srimad Bhagavatha Purana. Here is a brief summary of Vyasa's wisdom on Time culled from thatdelightful text.
1) We are currently living in Kali Yuga, the fourth of Yugas, which is constituted of 4,32,000 years.
2) Twice the duration of Kali Yuga, that is, 8,64,000 years make up the third Yuga, Dwapara Yuga.
3) Thrice the duration of Kali, that is, 12,96,000 years form the second Yuga, Threta Yuga.
4) Four times the duration of Kali, that is, 17,28,000 years go intothe first Yuga, Sathya Yuga or Kritha Yuga.
5) These four Yugas put together constitute one Chathur Yuga,which is 43,20,000 years (43.2 lakh years or 4.32 million years).
6) One thousand such Chathur Yugas constitute one day for Brahma which is 4,32,00,00,000 years (432 crore years or 4.32 billion years). A dayof Brahma is called a Kalpa.
7) At the end of a day of Brahma, there is a Pralaya called Naimittika Pralaya meaning Occassional Dissolution, in which the whole universeis dissolved into the elemental condition and Narayana reclines on Adi Sesha. This Yoganidhra of Ranganatha is considered the night-timeof Brahma, who is said to sleep or take rest in Emberumaan.
8) The night-time of Brahma, that is, Perumal's Yoganidhra, continues for the same duration as a day-time of Brahma, i.e., for 4.32 billionyears.
9) One full day of Brahma (day-time + night-time) therefore comes to8.64 billion years.
10) At the close of Brahma's night, Padmanabha rises from Adi Seshaand recreates the universe (Shristi) starting with the same Brahma and thus another Kalpa follows.
11) One year of Brahma is constituted of 360 Brahma days (or 360Kalpas) which totals up to 3,110,400,000,000 years (3.11 trillionyears).
12) 50 such years of Brahma constitute a Parardha (half-life) forBrahma which boggles the mind at 155,520,000,000,000 human years(155.5 trillion years).
13) 2 such Parardhas constitute a lifetime for Brahma and comprises311,040,000, 000,000 human years (311 trillion human years). Alifetime of Brahma is called a Maha Kalpa.
14) At the end of a Maha Kalpa, that is, at the end of Brahma's lifetime, Narayana, the Kaalaswarupi, engages in Prakritha Pralaya, Total Cosmic Dissolution, in which the whole universe including the elements are dissolved in Vasudeva.
15) At the close of this Cosmic Night, Sriman Narayana initiates a new Maha Kalpa by recreating the universe along with a new Brahma.
16) The Supreme Being, Narayana, has created an INFINITE number of such Maha Kalpas in the past. Hence there is no absolute beginning for creation.

The Maha Kalpa is the highest unit of time for even Brahma. It comes to 311 trillion human years. To give an idea about how this stupendous amount of time relates to the Supreme Being Vasudeva, sage Vyasa, at first, remarks that it is the time that "Mahavishnu takes to wink His eyes". But he quickly admits that even this analogy is imperfect, for Narayana is the Eternal Being, Narayana is that Infinity in whose fear even Time functions.

Such, then, is Time. Such, then, is Time's Master. Thus ends Vyasa'sBrief History of Time.

There are also accounts of Sandhis or intermediate periods mentioned in some texts. Already blown out by the stupendosity of Time, they have not been included here.

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Another interesting article I found, which is funny and the on that is to my interest God.

IS GOD THERE?

A man went to a barbershop to have his hair and his beard cut as always. He started to have a good conversation with the barber who attended him. They talked about so many things on various subjects. Suddenly, they touched the subject of God. The barber said: "Look man, I don't believe that God exists as you say so." "Why do you say that?", asked the client."Well, it's so easy; you just have to go out in the street to realize that God does not exist. Oh, tell me, if God existed, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't think of a God who permits all of these things." The client heard it but kept quiet. The barber finished his job and the client went out of the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with a long hair and beard (it seems that it had been a long time since he had his cut and he looked so untidy). The client entered the barbershop again and said to the barber: " You know what? Barbers do not exist." "How come they don't exist?" asked the barber. "Well I am here and I am a barber." "No!",the client exclaimed. "They don't exist because if they did there would be no people with long hair and beard like that man who walks in the street." "Ah, barbers do exist, what happens is that people do not come to me." "Exactly!"affirmed the client. "That's the point. God does exist, what happens is people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world".
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