Navaratri - Day 2

Gist of Pujya Guruji’s Discourse on 9th October, 2010

Today is the second night of Navaratri. With the Grace of the Divine Mother, yesterday we learnt seven great truths that form the very base of our day to day lives. Devi gave us the knowledge that all of us are ignorant because we are never our true selves. Our qualities change with every circumstance since we lack mental stability and will power. So, though we rarely get what we expect in life, we should stop blaming ourselves or others and accept everything as the Will of the Divine Mother. We should be aware that everything always happens for the best and offer our past, present and future at Her Lotus Feet with total surrender. When we did this yesterday, we prayed to Mother to grant us the divine boons of stability and will power and guide us on our journey from ignorance to knowledge. We recognized the fact that our life has always been full of miracles through Her Grace and when we are constantly aware of the energy of our soul, our own body becomes Vaikuntha, the abode of Lord Vishnu.

During these nine nights of Navaratri, Devi is guiding us on a pilgrimage to our innermost core. Offering our humble and reverent salutations to Her, let us see what nuggets of wisdom the Divine Mother is going to give us today :

1. Devi says - "Remember wherever the glories of God are eulogized, the beauty of God is discoursed upon and the power of God is described, two things automatically come out - information and transformation. If you take the wisdom given here as information, it is good. But, if you go one step further and use it for your own transformation, it becomes a most enlightening experience for you." This is the first truth that She is revealing to us today. We should always keep this in mind during Navaratri and use every bit of wisdom that Mother gives us for our complete transformation.
2. As all of us are now aware, everything comes from the Lotus Feet of Devi and ultimately dissolves back into Her. That is why She says - "My child, I am the creator of the whole cosmos. Since I created you, My own nature is also your true nature. You have all the divine characteristics that I have." This is the second wonderful truth.
3. Though the Divine Mother created the whole Cosmos and Her Divine Energy or Chaitanya is pulsating in every atom, it is very difficult to cognise Her. All of us have emerged from the wombs of our mothers. However, the irony is that we have never ever seen the womb which was our origin. So also, though Devi Adiparashakti created Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara and empowered them to carry on the functions of creation, sustenance and dissolution, they had not seen Her divine form till the Treta Yuga [1.75 million years ago] when Lord Vishnu manifested as Lord Rama on earth. Though Devi is all pervasive, She is also most elusive. This is the third truth.
4. The truth is always eternal and immortal. It has no beginning or end. Those who are always talking about truth and who are the very embodiment of truth are called Gurus. They always follow the truth and never stray from it for an instant. That is why they are remembered forever. So, whenever we remember, think, talk, share, spread and follow the truth given to us by the Gurus and Sages, we too become immortal. Our body drops away, but people will continue to talk about our soul for centuries to come. All our future generations will remember us with reverence for the legacy of truth that we established. This is the fourth truth Mother is revealing to us today.
5. When we become perfect channels to spread His truth, God's Grace flows to us in all its abundance. Just as all rivers flow only from the west to the east, and finally merge into the sea, when we become the torch bearers of truth, grace flows to us from God, confluences in us and completely solidifies, becoming nectar. The Grace of God is uni-directional. It only flows from Him to us and never in the reverse direction. This is the fifth truth.
6. Just as a rossagulla or sweet becomes sweeter and sweeter as it soaks in sugar syrup, so also, as we talk about God, our soul soaks more and more in the nectar of His Grace. The Grace that flows to us is directly proportionate to how much and how long we think and talk about Him. Every moment that we think, feel, breathe and talk about God, we get His Grace. As it flows to us and collects in us, our heart blossoms into a thousand petalled lotus emitting its fragrance far and wide. This is the sixth truth.
7. Now comes the million dollar question. We have been worshipping God, praying to Him, participating in satsangs and going on pilgrimages for so long - then why have we not experienced all this? We may sometimes think - "I have gone to Tirupati, Tiruvannamalai and other pilgrimage centres innumerable times, without any apparent benefit, but my friend went only once and his whole life is transformed. Why is nothing working for me?" The answer to this question is simple - all the mountainous karma that we have generated in our past lives is being erased by this Grace. Every micro mili-litre of nectar called God's Grace is being used for this. We can understand this through a small example. When we buy a new vehicle, we are very particular about getting it serviced every 3000, 5000 or 10,000 kms. We only look at the mileage in the speedometer of the car, but do we ever calculate the amount of petrol or fuel that the car has consumed to cover that distance? No. In the same way, we have never calculated how much Grace has been consumed till now to wipe out our karma. We don't know how to do this. A constant displacement is taking place inside us. If we hold a bottle of ink below a tap or faucet, as the clear water runs into the bottle, it displaces the ink. Slowly as more and more of the ink is displaced, the bottle contains only clear, pure water. So also, when all our karma has been removed by Grace, we will overflow with nectar. This is the seventh truth.
8. When we are full of the nectar of knowledge, we don't see, hear, touch or feel God - we are seated right next to God. This is enlightenment. Once we are with God, there is nothing to say, nothing to converse, nothing to pray, nothing to give and nothing to take, because there is no separation between us. This is the eighth truth.
9. Whenever a truth is revealed to us, we feel extremely inspired. When the truth is revealed, we get hope. We feel that good things are in store for us. This is the power and beauty of truth. The Sages say - "Those who live a life that is always associated with the truth that reveals the origin of the soul will constantly be filled with confidence and hope. They will be brimming with vitality." In this modern world, since most of us do not make time to associate with a satsang or congregation to discuss truth, hope is draining away from us year by year. We are losing faith in ourselves and feel that our future is bleak. We lack stability and will power. When we are stable we become able and capable. Then all our tasks are accomplished effortlessly. Stability + Will Power = Resolution. So, all our resolutions materialize and all our visions are actualized. That is why we should say - "I resolve today with my resolution power, by becoming stable and using my will power, to achieve whatever I want in my life." Our power of resolution should be razor sharp. Otherwise we cannot progress either materialistically or spiritually in life. This is the ninth truth revealed by Mother.
10. We have lost our divine essence today because we have become too dependent on our senses. Instead of divine sense, we have only nonsense. By indulging in nonsense, we are becoming a nuisance to others. We have become like sugarcane devoid of juice and sweetness because we lack Sanlkalpa Shakti or the power of resolution. So, let us pray to the Divine Mother today - "O Mother, bless me to transform myself from nonsense to the essence of life itself. Remove all my vices and fill me with your nectar. Sarvamamgala Mangalye, Shive Sarvartha Sadhike, Sharanye Tryambake Devi, Narayani Namostute."
11. The Devi Stuti says - 'Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu, Vishnu Mayeti Shabdita, Namstasyei, Namastasyei, Namastasyei, Namo Namaha.' 'O Mother, to You who are vibrant in all beings and the Mother of Lord Vishnu Himself, I offer my salutations again and again'. The Divine Mother who is the Creator of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara, is present in us as the Chaitanya or Energy of Lord Vishnu, the embodiment of our soul. Devi's Chaitanya or energy, Devi's divine rupa or form, and Devi's guna or characteristics are all concealed within us. She has not only filled us with Her effulgence, She has consecrated Herself in us as the energy of our soul. The Devi Stuti goes on to extol Her as - 'Ya Devi Sarvabhuteshu, Chetanetyabhidhiyate, Namstasyei, Namastasyei, Namastasyei, Namo Namaha.' 'O Mother, to You are present as Consciousness in all beings, and who empower us to pass on this energy and nectar of the soul to others, I offer my salutations again and again'.. It is because of this empowerment that Grace constantly flows to us from the Guru, who gives us His Chaitanya. All of us also have this same power dormant in us. So, we are not ordinary human beings. We are extraordinary. We are not just powerful, we are powerhouses of infinite energy. That is why Mother says - "O man, you are Vaikuntha - the abode of miracles. Being ignorant of this, you expect to see, and desire to see others perform miracles for you. You don't realise that you can perform miracles for the whole world." When we activate this dormant power by implementing the truths that we are receiving from the Divine Mother, many souls will automatically gravitate towards us seeking this nectar from us. When we scatter grains sugar, we don't have to advertise in the newspapers to call the ants. They flock to the sugar in hordes on their own. This is the eleventh truth.
12. Since we have forgotten this treasure trove of nectar that Mother has given us and have completely neglected it, we are all limping in life instead of spreading our wings and soaring in the sky of bliss. Rather than looking inwards, we look at the outer world and play blame games. We go around telling others - "My whole life/ day/ career/ happiness/ peace is spoilt because of you." Blame makes us lame. Instead, if we only turned to Mother every moment and said - "Mother everything is happening because of You, You and You alone," we would all have been enlightened by now. This is the twelfth truth.
13. Now the Divine Mother is revealing Her closely guarded secret to us. She says - "My child, where are you searching for Me? I am inside your very own being. I abide in your Swadishthana Chakra or the energy vortice behind your navel. This chakra is the place specially reserved for you. So, I have enthroned Myself in your abode as Goddess Rakini. I have not come here alone. I have also brought Lord Vishnu with His conch, wheel and mace. Why have I brought Him here armed with all His weapons? He has come to annihilate the five excesses that are disconnecting you from Me." This is the thirteenth truth.
14. What are the five excesses that are preventing us from experiencing Mother's presence within us? They are - (i) Rupa or form (ii) Sparsha or touch (iii) Rasa or taste (iv) Gandha or smell (v) Shravana or listening
    As human beings we are all attracted to these five things. We are caught in the sensual form, the compulsion to touch, the attraction or repulsion of smell, the cravings and temptations of taste and the mesmerising power of sound. This is the fourteenth truth.
15. The Divine Mother says - "Have caution when you exercise these five sensory modes of perception. Remember that as a human being you are driven by your emotions. So, it is not only what you see, touch, smell, hear and taste that is important - it is how you do it and what emotions it triggers in you." In short, how you perceive with your senses is what you get, because this decides the fruits of your karma." This is the fifteenth truth.
16. So, the Divine Mother tells us that we must change our perspective in life. We must make it more noble and dharmic. We must stop looking at things with the feelings of attraction - "I must have this at any cost.' She says - "When you are disgusted with yourself by your selfish thinking, feeling, craving or behaviour, chant this most powerful seed syllable that I am giving you now. This is the seed syllable or bija mantra of your Swadishthana Chakra. Whenever you chant it, I will ask Lord Vishnu to let go of His Sudarshana Chakra [the chakra that focuses our gaze on our own divine core]. This will cut that excess instantaneously and refocus your gaze on your soul." This bija mantra that Mother has given us is "Om Vam". Whenever we are pulled into undesirable thoughts, attitudes, feelings, desires, cravings, temptations, doubts, suspicion, conflict, lack of faith and confidence - we should immediately chant this aloud. At once our bhavana or feeling will be transformed. This is the sixteenth truth.
17. We are all emotional beings. When we emote according to dharma, we promote ourselves to Divinity. If we stray out of the framework of dharma, and emote basally and selfishly, then we demote ourselves to karma. So, Devi asks us to exercise our senses with great awareness because the emotions that are triggered every moment by our senses can either shackle us to karma or anchor us to Divinity. This is the seventeenth truth.
18. The Divine Mother cautions us about the way we view Sages, Seers, Enlightened Masters and especially our own Guru - "Don't look at your Guru through the framework of your limited logic. The Guru is Divine. He is one with the One; the source of everything. You can never measure, judge, gauge or understand Him using your human yardstick. If you find yourself trying to do this and if doubts, suspicions, negative thoughts or feelings about your Guru creep into your mind, immediately dispel them by chanting 'Om Vam'." Before going into the Sanidhya or divine presence of an Enlightened Being, we should chant this powerful seed syllable several times to change our human outlook and establish ourselves in a divine perspective This is the eighteenth truth.
19. When a desire enters our minds, if we chant 'Om Vam' we immediately realise whether we really need that object or not and whether it is beneficial or detrimental to our well being and the wellbeing of others. So, the perspective from which we view that object changes, our attitude towards it changes and the emotion it triggers in us changes as discrimination dawns in us. This is the nineteenth truth.
20. Our sense of touch is very powerful. That is why we are all compulsive 'touchers'. If we see a sign that says 'Wet Paint', we touch it to see whether this is true! If a board in the Museum says 'Please do not touch', we are never satisfied till we have touched it anyway! But the spiritual tradition of Sanatana Dharma says - "Give respect. Show reverence. Limit your sense of touch to the minimum." That is why, when we greet each other, we do not shake hands in our culture. We fold our hands with great reverence and say 'Namaste' which means 'I bow down to the Divine in you.' So, we should be very careful what we touch and how we touch it. Constant awareness is the twentieth truth.
21. Everything begins with a smell and taste. Our cravings are triggered and our repulsions are activated by what we smell. When we smell the delightful aroma of our favourite snack or food, though we have resolved to give it up forever, we immediately visualise it and taste in our minds. So, though we are aware that it is physically or spiritually detrimental to us, we are strongly tempted to eat it again. Smell is very subtle, but it exercises a very strong influence over us. That is why Devi says - "When such temptations and cravings grip you, chant 'Om Vam' and release yourself from their grip at once." This is the twenty first truth.
22. Our tongue not only tastes, it also talks. How effectively and courteously are we expressing ourselves and communicating with others everyday? It is not only what we say that is important, it is how we say it. It is not only what we ask that is important, it is how we ask. Are we humble? Are we caring? Are we sensitive to the needs and receptivity of others? Are we clear, concise communicators? This is what the Divine Mother is asking all of us to be aware about. Before communicating anything important, if we loudly chant 'Om Vam' once, we will talk only what is necessary and no irrelevant, damaging or harmful words will emerge from our mouth. We must all remember that once a word is released from our tongue, it can never be withdrawn. The words we utter can make or break our relationships. They can enhance or tarnish our image. They can take us either to success and failure in life. This is the twenty second truth.

So, today the Divine Mother has given a most powerful weapon into our hands in the form of the seed syllable 'Om Vam'. She has empowered us to transform ourselves and constantly tune in to Her divine presence within us. Let us begin using this weapon immediately to change ourselves. This will make us eligible to hear the truths that Mother will be giving us tomorrow.

May all of you overcome your excesses, and gain complete control over your senses and mind through your sadhana and the Grace of the Divine Mother. May the Blessings of the Divine Mother remove the poison of your karma and fill your lives with the nectar of Grace. May you become founts of Her divine nectar and wisdom. May all beings be happy.

Jai Matha. Om Tat Sat.

May all of you attain the light of Self knowledge and become enlightened. May all beings be happy.