MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL COMPILED MESSAGES of SWAMI SATCHIDANANDA ANANDASHRAM POST ANANDASHRAM – 671 531 KANHANGAD, KERALA. 1 MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL 2 MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL 3 MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL First Edition:1998 Second Edition: 2014 Price: Rs. 100/- Printed at: Sudarsan Graphics Pvt. Ltd., Chennai 27, Neelakanta Mehtra Street T. Nagar, Chennai -600 017. 4 MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL PUBLISHER’S NOTE We have immense pleasure in bringing out this book ‘MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL’ co- inciding with the birthday of Pujya Swami Satchidanandaji. Part I of this book contains pointed hints culled out from Pujya Swamiji’s letters to devotees while Part II covers the gist of messages delivered by Swamiji on various occasions. Pujya Swamiji lays great emphasis on the fact that in the life of an aspirant everything is spiritual and therefore there is nothing that can be called mundane. Swamiji adds that this state can be achieved by divinising all our thoughts, words and actions, i.e bringing in God in each and every sphere of one’s life, following the life and teachings of the great masters — Beloved Papa and Pujya Mataji Pujya Swamiji refers to Sadguru Swami Ramdas as Beloved Papa and Mother Krishnabai as Pujya Mataji. As God and Guru are one, Beloved Papa is also referred to as the almighty Lord of the universe, wherever the occasion arises in these compilations. We are sure, by making an earnest attempt to translate the teachings of Swamiji into our work-a-day life, we will be moving towards divinising our thoughts and actions thus paving the way for attaining the Ultimate. ANANDASHRAM th 12 November 1998 5 MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL PREFACE By Swami Satchidananda Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram Though it is not in my nature to give lectures or discourses, it became necessary to address friends who gather on special occasions like the Jayanthi and Mahasamadhi days of Beloved Param Pujya Papa and Param Pujya Mataji. It is also necessary daily to reply to quite a few letters from friends seeking advice on certain complicated matters which they considered serious. In most cases they were mundane while in some cases they related to Sadhana. This book is a collection of the synopsis of the short talks referred to above and extracts from the replies to various letters. It will be observed that most of the problems of an individual arise because of the disturbed state of mind. A mind in turmoil finds it difficult to face the battle of life successfully and is so much agitated that it reaches almost a state of frustration. A calm and cool mind alone can think properly and arrive at the right decision. So the solution is to make the mind calm. The way suggested for the same and repeated in my replies is to take to the chanting of God’s Name. 6 MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL Only when human efforts fail and force us to succumb to the trying conditions, we realise that we should not depend upon mundane things for real and everlasting happiness but should invoke divine intervention by catching hold of the Lord’s feet. To get at His lotus feet and hold on to them, the easiest way is to chant His holy and all- powerful Name as much as possible with all love and devotion and with a prayer coming from the bottom of the heart to intervene in the matter and save us from the perilous predicament. Sincere prayers are sure to be answered. This practice will also give us the experience that communing with God as often as possible and ultimately without break is the only way to live peacefully and happily making life flow smoothly, carrying God with us always, or rather to be conscious of God’s eternal presence. Total dependence upon God will free us completely from the worldly worries and anxieties and ultimately lead to a state where everything is Divine — Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma. Om Sri Ram Jai Ram Jai Jai Ram 7 MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL CONTENTS PART I Pujya Swamiji Answers 1. No difference between mundane and spiritual life; 2. All are He only; 3. The world is exactly as it should be; 4. Have always loving attitude; 5. All happens by God’s will; 6. Accept what saints say unreservedly; 7. God’s ways are mysterious; 8. Everything is pre-ordained; 9. Go beyond the surface; 10. No planning for the future; 11. Be watchful of ego’s play; 12. A Real Aspirant; 13. Sadhaka’s attitude in Ashram life; 14. Be soft-hearted; 15. Deal with sympathetic calmness; 16. Carry Ashram atmosphere; 17. Enrich life while in Ashram; 18. Thou art the doer or the non-doer; 19. Doing Sadhana at home; 20. Adjust to all conditions cheerfully; 21. Individual will and Divine Will; 22. Significance of Namaskar; 23. Mind and ego after God-realisation; 24. Truth experienced only with pure mind; 25. Realisation not dependent on age; 26. Be happy at all times; 27. Antidote to Enmity; 28. Don’t overstay with the Guru; 29. Sadhakas find fault with the Guru; 30. Custom in olden days; 31. Ego daily crushed by the Guru; 32. Long stay — Attachment to the Guru; 33. Long stay — advantages; 34. Receptivity — a stage of progress; 35. Guru is only One; 36. Taking 8 MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL another Guru after Initiation; 37. Surrender — easy to say; 38. God’s Grace flows through the Guru; 39. God-remembrance possible for householders; 40. Mahatmas may give only a glimpse of God-realisation; 41. Prepared aspirants alone may get experiences; 42. Contact of saints does not go in vain; 43. Experience God in saints’ presence; 44. Jnani has all qualities; 45. Papa’s ‘righteous indignation’; 46. One cannot know saints by books; 47. Swamiji’s Sadhana in the Ashram; 48. The inner struggle of Swamiji; 49. Awakening during army life; 50. Papa inducing Swamiji to take Sannyas; 51. “External” Sannyas protects the Sadhaka; 52. Swamiji’s accepting the world as a family; 53. Ram Nam chanting during meditation; 54. Get over the feeling of unwantedness; 55. Constant Ram Nam chanting needs no japa mala; 56. Using the mala, if helpful; 57. Bring out the best while working; 58. Attitude while engaged in an institution; 59. Synchronising tongue and mind; 60. Tongue, mind and hands — one with Papa; 61. Eyes seeing Papa everywhere; 62. Hands doing all work for Papa; 63. Women’s true role — at home; 64. Women’s housework dedicated to God; 65. Internal Sannyas; 66. Meaning of the ochre robe; 67. Devotion to God; 9 MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL 68. Mutual love, giving up of ego sense; 69. Sadhana for Realising God; 70. Respecting elders; 71. Mutual understanding and Love; 72. Work itself becomes its reward; 73. Passing exams not the criterion to success in life; 74. Right behaviour in trying situations; 75. Avoid divorce; 76. Dealing with an alcoholic parent; 77. God will never let us down; 78. Have a detached view; 79. Identify with the atman and surrender; 80. World drama — a projection of God; 81. God puts on the mask of ignorance; 82. God removes the mask of ignorance; 83. Witnessing the world-Lila; 84. Leave the results to God; 85. Attachment turns to pure love; 86. Value of right involvement; 87. Difficulties in life — remedies; 88. Sufferings caused by past Karma; 89. Transferring all burdens unto God; 90. Facing adverse situations; 91. Evil spirits — powerless; 92. Forgiving or not noticing others’ faults; 93. Facing tension and worries — remedies; 94. Be positive in your approach; 95. Happenings are unchangeable; 96. Spiritual aspirants respect Dharma; 97. Divinise all activities; 98. Nama Japa Sadhana; 99. Long Sadhana, yielding no fruits; 100. Ram Nam serving to fulfil desires; 101. Crave for God; 102. Barometer to evaluate spiritual progress; 103. State of mind 10 MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL reveals spiritual progress; 104. Sweetness of Ram Nam; 105. No instant reaction to situations; 106. Prayer for strength to do work; 107. Chant Ram Nam before reacting; 108. How to become His devotee; 109. Plunge only when aspiration is strong; 110. Intensifying Sadhana; 111. Higher life comes on realising hollowness of the worldly attainments; 112. Purushottama; 113. Sadhaka to be understood as spiritual aspirant only; 114. Right attitude in social service; 115. Miracles; 116. God will decide future; 117. A detached view; 118. We make our future; 119. One gets what one is destined to; 120. Everything in the world is transient; 121. Ponder over the inevitable; 122. On rebirth; 123. Advice to a girl on marriage; 124. Papa and Mataji reacting differently; 125. Taking the mind within; 126. Distaste for worldly things does’nt result in inefficiency; 127. Vairagya due to domestic problems; 128. Practising prayers silently; 129. God- remembrance, 130. Sadhana in critical situations; 131. One type of Sadhana only; 132. Disharmony in Ashram; 133. Settle differences smoothly; 134. Serve the Guru; 135. Become a model for others; 136. Mantra Initiation; 137. Miracles happen by God’s will; 138. To recognize a realized soul; 139. Searching for God 11 MUNDANE TO SPIRITUAL without/within; 140.Difficulties in understanding saints; 141. Sadhana removes dirt from mind; 142. Perfect purification of the mind is a ‘must’; 143. Mind-purification by God remembrance; 144. Process of mind-purification; 145. Destroy ego-sense, not body; 146. Mind-control by Nama Japa; 147. Reality/Unreality of the body; 148. Dealing with colleagues; 149. Avoiding rebirth (by God-remembrance); 150. How to face critical situations; 151. Draw strength from Ram Nam; 152. Love versus jealousy; 153. Make life happy by accepting God’s will; 154.