Sant Tukaram

Had decided it last work-week that I will watch Sant Tukaram, the Prabhat Film this Sunday and thankfully I could do so. Long back I had watched it and still remembered a few shots. However, with the new-found path, wanted to watch it again in that glory.

Must say it was the fabulous-most experience! The kind of devotion Sant Tukaram preaches is that of pure bhakti, which many of the successors have preached but he seems to be one of the first few, who started it in its real glory. No doubt Prabhat movie is a must watch. Vishnupant Pagnis is truly the Tukaram-personified! Always I had this face as the face of Tukaram since childhood and watching him chant the name of Pandurang was as if in trance. He takes you through this journey along with him and literally at one point, you can feel the unification!!!! And that's the highlight of the movie or I should say of the tattwa that Sant Tukaram preached all his life!

Loved the scene in which Sant Tukaram clarifies why Bhakti is the easiest and purest way to reach God.

नामसंकीर्तन, साधन पै सोपे
जळतील पापे जन्मांतरीची
न लागे सायास, जावे वनांतरा
सुखे येतो घरा, नारायण

Ahaaaaa .............

Self Enquiry- by Raman Maharshi

Wonderfully stated by Raman Maharshi--

Disciple asks- How is breath control the means for mind control? 

Master answers-  

: There is no doubt that breath control is the means for mind control, because the mind, like breath, is a part of air, because the nature of mobility is common to both, because the place of origin is the same for both, and because when one of them is controlled the other gets controlled. 

Does Meditation Change the Brain?

The link for this article by Ramesam Vemuri-
http://advaita-academy.org/blogs/ramesam/Does-Meditation-Change-The-Brain.ashx

I liked this--

Sankara gives paramount importance to meditation in Vivekachudamani. He says, “As gold purified in the furnace, rids itself of dross and reaches the quality of its own self, so the mind ridding itself of the dross of substance and darkness, through meditation, enters into reality.” 

Serenity Personified!

Dictionary meaning of the word serenity is "the state of being calm"! And wise people say that serenity is not absence of storm but peace within it. The best part of it is that we are assured of having this blissful feeling amid humdrum of day to day life. For me the tool is adhyatma or spirituality. It is not just the pursuit of spiritual path but the finer nuances that cleanse our soul along the way. "Presence of God in everything" gives us this serenity. Feeling of "Lack of Bodily Attitude" defines it and despite all this, keeps you focused in your day to day activity.

Patanjali has given us the ways of pursuing yoga. Truthfulness, not desiring others' money, apt diet and related habits, exercise that takes us closer to our "true self", and dhyana are some of the pre-requisites of staying on this path. Initially I often used to find myself querying whether this is possible in today's world. But along the way due to blessings of my Guru, I started realizing the real-necessity of doing it honestly. Rather we tend to find along the way that this is the only pursuit that gives you immense satisfaction (or perhaps I don't know the word but it gives us something beyond the worldly matters, which is the purest form of joy).

Everything "good" for which we say, it's not possible in today's world, we should think hundred times- who created this so called "today's world"? Without acknowledging the almighty's gifts showered upon us, we only started taking things for granted- like- complete truthfulness is not possible in today's world! Why it's not? If you believe in goodness, if you follow righteousness, then a few people's ignorance about it shouldn't influence you adversely, isn't it?

The final-most outcome we desire from this life is HAPPINESS. All our works are the tools to achieve this. And it's high time we realize that without this "serenity in storm" attitude, we cannot achieve it, leave aside enjoying it. 

Some Excerpts While Reading

Name of the Book- महागुहेत प्रवेश- विनोबा भावे

* आपण मनापासून नेहमीच वेगळे आहोत ही गोष्ट चित्तात स्थिर करावी.

* चित्त प्रसन्न होते तेव्हा सहज शांतीची प्राप्ती होते. गीतेत म्हटले आहे- "प्रसन्नचेतसो ह्याशु बूद्धिः पर्यवतिष्ठते", म्हणजे चित्त निर्मळ असेल तर ते सहजच स्थिर राहते.

* दृढ संकल्पशक्तीने चित्तशुद्धीशिवाय ध्यान साधेल; पण तसे साधण्यात लाभ नाही, उलट नुकसान आहे.

* व्यक्तिगत फायद्यासाठी, वासानातृप्तीसाठी किंवा बाह्य गोष्टींसाठी व्यवहार करावयाचा नाही. एकाग्रतेसाठी अशी जीवनशुद्धी हवी.

* नियंत्रणाचा अर्थ आहे, हात पाय मन कान वाणी डोळे या सर्वांवर नियंत्रण ठेवणे, त्यांना वाईटाकडे जाण्यापासून आवरणे आणि चांगल्या गोष्टीत लावणे. याचेच नाव वैराग्य आणि विवेक. गीतेच्या भाषेत सांगायचे तर अभ्यास आणि वैराग्य. ही मनोजयाची साधने आहेत.

* समदृष्टी होणे महत्त्वाचे. समदृष्टी म्हणजे शुभ-दृष्टी. ही सर्व सृष्टी मंगल भासली पाहिजे. सारे शुभ व पवित्र आहे. "विश्वं तद् भद्रं यदवन्ति देवाः" (ऋग्वेदसार २.४.७) - हे विश्व मंगल आहे, कारण परमेश्वर ते सांभाळीत आहे.

* माझा रक्षक काय तो मी एकता, बाकी सारे माझे भक्षक, ही कल्पना नाहीशी झाल्याशिवाय एकाग्रता होणार नाही. सर्वत्र मांगल्य पहा, म्हणजे चित्त आपोआप शांत होईल.

* मी अध्यात्मिक शक्तीची अशी व्याख्या केली आहे - अध्यात्मिक शक्ती ती जिचा दुरुपयोग होऊच शकत नाही.

* ध्यान परमात्म्याशी जोडले गेले तर ते अध्यात्मिक होईल, भौतिक वस्तूंशी जोडले गेले तर मानसिक होईल.

* आपल्याला वृत्ती नको स्थिती हवी.

* विज्ञानाचा अनुभव वैज्ञानिकांना येतो. निष्काम सेवेचा अनुभव नितीनिष्ठ सेवकांना येतो. हे दोन्ही अनुभव एका तिसऱ्या अनुभवाशिवाय अपूर्ण आहेत. तो तिसरा अनुभव भक्तीतून येतो !

* मानवसेवेने व आत्मनिष्ठेने  मनुष्य शुद्ध होईल, विज्ञाननिष्ठेने बुद्ध होईल, मात्र सिद्ध तेव्हाच होईल, जेव्हा त्याला आपल्या चेतनेत परमात्म-चेतनेच्या अविर्भावाचा अनुभव येईल.