Intuition and intellect

 Hari Aum.

The yogis tell us that there are two broad sources of wisdom-- one is the intellect and the other is intuition. What is the difference?

The intellect of course consists of our ability to receive information, reflect upon and analyse it, and understand and utilise it (hopefully for the betterment of ourselves and others). It is a higher function of the conscious mind in the waking state.

Intuition, on the other hand, is more difficult to define and understand. We all have this ability to varying extents (and can develop it further). It is our capacity to know something without any external input. It is a sort of wisdom or knowledge that arises from within us, rather than from outside. It does not require or depend upon any information received via the five senses. 

It is peculiar sort of conviction or feeling that something is true without the need for any outside validation (one has to be very cautious with this as one can easily mistake delusion for intuition-- this is where spiritual practice and honesty come in. Spiritual practice sharpens the mind; it cleans and purifies it). 

Intuition is a divine quality; it comes due to the grace of God. It is given to us in proportion to the extent that we manifest the divinity within. It is received by us as a result of our ability to practice selflessness and surrender to the will of the Divine. And the knowledge received via intuition is also meant to be utilised in accordance with these spiritual values.

The pandemic has shown us just how fragile human life is. We have seen how a single virus can cause so much havoc and can affect millions of human lives. As humans, we tend to feel pride in our intellects, we tend to boast that we have conquered nature, that we are very advanced today compared to the civilisations of the past. 

But it is not so. We may have developed our understanding of many subjects, it is true. But intellect and character do not always develop together. An intellect guided by a strong and noble character is a blessing. But an intellect that is based on an immoral and undivine nature can become a curse both for the individual and humanity as a whole. 

We have seen and continue to see countless examples of this. Wars are often begun by people who regard themselves as very intelligent; sadly, history proves time and again, that those who begin wars are greatest of fools. The suffering that they ultimately create for themselves and others is immense. There is a price to pay for such mistakes according to the law of karma.

The pandemic has shown us how much we depend upon the grace of God. It is not over yet by any means but things are certainly better today than two years ago. We have vaccinations and medications-- the result of a combination of the application of human intellect and intuition, both being due to the grace of God.

We do not know what awaits us, what challenges will come next. One thing is certain-- we live in strange times. Truth sometimes seems stranger than fiction. It feels surreal to think that we have been living through a pandemic (if someone had told us this might happen five years ago, many of us would have laughed it off as nonsense and scare-mongering). Similarly, a bizarre and appalling war has begun this year, a war that has potential to escalate (as wars often do). On top of everything, the scientists tell us that climate change is a serious and real threat to our existence on this planet. 

What shall we do when faced with all these challenges? Well, the yogis tell us to aim for the highest-- to develop our intuition, our intellects, by the performance of spiritual practices. This, they say, is the most effective way of handling these various crises, and more importantly, handling the crises within ourselves. 

The human mind, as we all know, is hard work at the best of times. These external challenges can significantly affect our sense of wellbeing, our peace and happiness. And ultimately, as the yogis say, the greatest drive within all creatures is the need to be happy. So, to be happy, spiritual practice is a vital necessity. Every day, day-after-day, we need to do this, just like we eat and drink every single day. 

Over time, as a result of our spiritual practices, we will find that we know what we need to know; our faculties of intuition and intellect will both develop. And the most important thing, perhaps, is the intuitive knowledge that we receive that we are not alone, that God truly is there for us. Like a caring mother and father, She/He watches, guides and takes care of us. He knows what is in our minds and hearts and is responsive to our needs.We may fall many times (it is human nature to fall). But it is not the falling that matters, it is the getting up afterwards that is the key to success in all aspects of human life (both spiritual and mundane). 

The intuitive knowledge also comes to us eventually that the wisest thing is to surrender to the will of God in all things. We begin to realise that we do not know very much at all, and that our ideas about what is good and bad for us are often incorrect and misguided. 

The best thing to do therefore is to ask God to guide us at every moment of our lives, and to bless us that our lives may be lived entirely in accordance with His will. In this way, we guarantee that our lives will be blessed (regardless of the various challenges that we may inevitably face).

Even when we intuitively know that surrendering to the will of God is the best thing for us, implementing this in our daily lives is not easy. Why? Because of the ego. The ego is that sense of individuality, which makes us feel separate from God and other beings, which thinks it knows what is best for us. 

Our ego, individual self, likes to think it knows what is best for us. And so, surrendering to the will of God requires us to give up our ego, our personal desires and opinions. This obviously is not easy. In fact, the grace of God is required for us to overcome the ego.

Another major obstacle in surrendering to the will of God, are the five senses. The yogis describe the human being using the analogy of a person in a chariot yoked to horses (this is described in the famous Katha upanishad). 

The chariot represents the human body, the reins represent the mind, the five horses yoked to the chariot represent the five senses. The charioteer represents the intellect, while the owner of the chariot seated within is the soul (Atman or higher Self).

The destination of the chariot is God. However, the five horses usually have other ideas. They are wilful and stubborn and drag the chariot down the lanes of sensual desires, while the intellect and mind helplessly watch and follow. To empower the intellect to wisely direct the chariot in the right direction, the grace of the higher Self or God within the chariot is needed.

In the Mahabharata, Krishna took on the role of the charioteer of His friend, Prince Arjuna. Although He had declared that He would not lift weapons and would only drive Arjuna's chariot, His presence and guidance proved to be the key factor in the victory of the Pandavas over their unrighteous cousins. 

The battle in the Mahabharata is said to represent to represent the struggles and battle of human life, the inner battle within the lower self/ego and the higher Self/soul (which is one with God). The soul can only win this battle if the grace of God is invoked at every step in life. 

When things go well in life, it is wise to remember that this is due to the grace of God (and not due to our own cleverness/intellect; that is a delusion that comes from the ego). When things appear to go badly in life, it is useful to remember that everything happens by the will of God and ultimately for the higher good. This approach is not always easy to practice, but is the goal of spiritual life.

There is a famous prayer from the Vedas known as the Medha suktam. It invokes the Divine in the form of the Goddess of wisdom and learning, Sarasvati. The hearing and recitation of this prayer is said to enhance both intuition and intellect-- please see the link below for the prayer (with translation in English):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8yoR5LSTvw

May God bless us all with good intuition and intellect.

Om Sri Sarasvatyai Namah

Om Namo Narayanaya

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Mantra writing

 Hari Aum.

Swami Sivananda used to strongly encourage his students to practice mantra writing (likhita japa) as a form of meditation. He used to recommend practicing silence (mauna) while writing the mantra and concentrating the mind on its sound, the letters and its meaning. He used to say this is a very potent way to develop good concentration and meditate on the mantra.

I used to practice this a long time time ago and recently decided to take it up again as it adds some much-needed variety to my practice. Sivananda used to say that books that are filled with the mantras or names of God have a certain positive energy associated with them. He used to recommend keeping these books near one's altar or meditation place as he said this would create a sacred atmosphere. 

While any notebook can be used for mantra writing, I feel it can help to have a special notebook set aside for this purpose. To help create a sense of joy and interest when doing this practice, I recently purchased a sturdy notebook with a rather pretty and inspiring cover and also purchased a special set of pens of different colours to write (it can get a bit tedious to write pages and pages in a single black/blue colour sometimes in my view). I started this practice about a week ago and find that I really look forward to it now. I do about 1-2 pages of writing the mantra (around 65-120 times) and find that it brings me peace.

I conducted a puja at home for Lakshmi and Narayana recently and placed some of the flowers that had been offered to the deities into the notebook (as I like pressed flowers)-- somehow this makes the notebook feel even more special. 

I plan to keep up this practice in the coming months and try to do the mantra writing at least 4-5 times a week for 15-20 minutes at a time. I will hopefully be able to build up to 30 minutes a day over time.

Sivananda says the following on mantra writing or likhita japa:

"Likhita Japa or Mantra-writing is a sharp goad to direct the mind towards God. Fix the mind on the Lord. Think of His attributes when you write the Mantra. Forget the environments. Forget everything. Remain alone with your Ishta Devata. Daily write the Mantra in a notebook with ink for at least half an hour, observe Mouna. You can write the Mantra in any language. Stick to one Mantra, your Guru Mantra or Mantra of your Ishta Devata."

See link here for the full article: 

https://www.sivanandaonline.org/?cmd=displaysection&section_id=428

The coming weekend is that of Narasimha Jayanti, the celebration of the day when the man-lion avatar of Narayana is said to have manifested to protect the child, Prahlada. There is also a lunar eclipse on the coming Sunday/Monday (depending upon where you live). This is a good period to spend some additional time on spiritual practices and staying grounded. According to the yogis, eclipses can create some mental/physical disturbances in people and spiritual practices can help. 

A single recitation of a mantra of God recited during an eclipse is said to have 100 or 1000 times the effect of it being recited at other times. Needless to say, the yogis say that this is therefore a wonderful time for doing some extra mantra practice including mantra writing that spiritual seekers should not miss.

On an astrological note, this lunar eclipse takes place in the sign of Scorpio and involves the south node of the moon (Ketu in jyotisha). This is an interesting combination. The moon representing the mind is debilitated (weakened) in the sign of Scorpio, which is quite an intense sign representing deep hidden and complex karmas. Ketu is a volatile and unpredictable entity in Vedic astrology representing sudden events and changes in our lives as well as past life karmas. The combination of these two intense and volatile factors, Scorpio and Ketu, is likely to pose a challenge on some level for most of us.

This eclipse will have different effects based on our zodiac sign i.e. ascendant and moon signs (I find the effects seem particularly accurate when seen from the ascendant sign) and various karmas can suddenly manifest. Therefore, it is generally regarded as wise to avoid making any important decisions about any aspect of one's life during the period in the few days before and after an eclipse due to the risk of cloudy thinking and poor judgement. The best advice during this time is to engage the mind in spiritual practices, keep worldly activities (including travel, new projects etc) to an absolute minimum and generally be patient and wait for this to this tricky period to pass. 

On that note, I will conclude by wishing all of you a pleasant weekend, a joyful Narasimha jayanti and a spiritually productive lunar eclipse with hopefully some enjoyable mantra-writing. 

Hari Aum Tat Sat

  

Soul connections

 Hari Aum.

As we walk the spiritual path, we have many experiences, both mundane and spiritual. Everything we experience, whether it seems ordinary or extraordinary, occurs for a reason and is ultimately for our spiritual evolution. Our common Divine Parents arrange for a series of events to take place in our lives to awaken us from our spiritual slumber and to mould us in their image. Things do not occur by coincidence but but divine design and in accordance with the eternal law of karma. This is the view of the yogis.

As we plod along the spiritual path, it can feel tiring. Especially if we have been walking for a while. The initial euphoria of starting upon a new path often wears off. Now there is a steady love. By this stage, we would usually have had some spiritual experiences, however small, to confirm our faith in our practice and to give us encouragement to keep going.

Along with encouraging spiritual experiences, come obstacles. The more we progress, the greater the obstacles that come to test us. These obstacles can appear in many forms-- for example, as health issues, relationship problems, work difficulties, loss of motivation, appearance of doubts and spiritual despair.

However, if we hang in there and keep up our daily practice, no matter how we feel about it, we will progress, slowly but steadily. 

Fortunately, on the long and arduous spiritual journey, we encounter many friends who help us. The most precious of these is the Guru, the ultimate friend and guide. The Guru may or may not be present in physical form on Earth, but once we develop a bond with them by sincerely applying their teachings in our lives (that is the best way to please the Guru and obtain their grace), we feel their protection every day. We can call upon them at any time in any place and we feel their response. They may appear in our dreams to guide us at critical points in time. This is a great blessing.

In addition, we meet people who have a profound impact on us, who inspire us to walk the spiritual path. These are fellow souls also walking the spiritual path. By sharing their positive experiences and challenges with us, they help us to realise we are not alone, we are all in this together. Occasionally, we meet people who are not connected to our biological family, but feel closer to us than family-- these are perhaps some of the most precious connections of all, soul connections. 

Some of these are based on past life links. Occasionally we meet people with whom we have spent little time in this lifetime but with whom we have a strong connection, a profound inexplicable bond that we cannot fully understand. We feel as though we have known them for a long time, they seem strangely familiar. At other times, we may find that some of our biological family whom we may have known for many years are unfamiliar and we feel disconnected from them; we know them and yet we know them not. Life is full of strange twists and turns. 

As we walk the spiritual path, we are blessed to have the company of each other, of these fellow souls who come into our lives at specific times to teach us something about ourselves, about life. People who light up our lives in a unique way. We can be grateful to God for giving us these soul families whose company elevates us and motivates us to keep going on the spiritual path. 

The journey is as important as the destination. We can sometimes forget this. On this journey, the company of fellow seekers, our soul connections, is vitally important. These are called 'satsang', or true company. Let us spend time in satsang, with those who inspire us, we owe a debt of gratitude to all these souls who motivate us to walk the spiritual path. I am grateful to the many people I have encountered in my life who, in one way or another, have inspired me to start my spiritual journey and to keep walking. May the Divine Parents bless them all.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. As I am sure you are aware, we have just had a solar eclipse and a lunar one is coming up in about ten days. This is a very good time for mantra japa and spiritual practices.

Akshaya Tritiya-- the auspicious day

 Hari Aum.

Today is an extremely auspicious day in the Vedic calendar. It is called Akshaya tritiya. What does this mean? In Sanskrit, 'akshaya' means undecaying, imperishable, that which will never be destroyed. And 'tritiya' is the Sankrit word for the third day of a lunar fortnight (there are two in each lunar month associated with the waxing and the waning moon). This day is characterised by certain astrological placements-- the sun and moon are both said to be in 'exaltation' on this day (respectively in the zodiac signs of Aries and Taurus). 

This is a day which is regarded as being very special for the following reasons:

1. Success: any endeavour or venture which is started on this day will be successful according to the yogis. It is an excellent day to begin something or start something afresh. This applies to both material and spiritual endeavours, such as starting a new job, a new project, buying something important, and even getting married! It is a wonderful day to begin spiritual practice and meditation.

2. Imperishable: Whatever auspicious act is done on this day is said to be everlasting. It will never decay say the yogis. It is therefore a superb day for spiritual practices, including mantra japa, homam, puja, kirtan, tarpanam and so on. 

3. Increasing: Any auspicious act done on akshaya tritiya is said to multiply and increase significantly. Again a very good reason to do spiritual practice. Furthermore, this is said to be a special day to donate money generously for noble and charitable causes. 

The yogis say that some special events in spiritual history took place on this day (it is the anniversary of these events). These include the following:

1. Krishna's activities: He is said to have given a vessel that produced an unlimited supply of food to His friend and devotee, Draupadi, wife of the Pandavas on this auspicious day. This helped the Pandavas and Draupadi survive while they were cast into exile by their wicked cousins, the Kauravas. 

This is also supposed to be the anniversary of the day when Krishna gave another friend and devotee, Sudama, the great blessings of devotion to Him and extraordinary material wealth. 

Thus this day is associated with the generosity of Krishna towards His devotees. In other words, it is a great day to worship God (any name or form based on one's own liking) to please Him and obtain His grace.

2. Parashurama: This is supposed to be the day that Parashurama, an important avatar of Narayana, manifested on Earth to establish dharma (righteousness) and destroy wickedness. He is said to be present here even today and is available to those who call upon Him. Today would be a good day to remember and worship Him.

3.  Annapurna: The Goddess Annapurna, the Divine Mother in a form that nourishes and provides food to all, is said to have manifested on this day. This is an excellent day for worship of the Divine Mother.

4. Mahabharata: the sage, Vyasa, is said to have begun the composition of this great spiritual epic on this auspicious day. This book contains numerous spiritual teachings for humanity and it is an important text for many spiritual seekers even today. 

There are other auspicious events too that took place on this day; the four mentioned above are some of the most signficant.

I wish all of you a very happy akshaya tritiya. May we all do plenty of spiritual practice on this day and experience the beneficial results.

I plan to worship Narayana and the Divine Mother Jagadamba on this day by doing some extra japa, a homam at home, a puja and make some donations to charity. If I manage to get all of this done, I will consider this to have been a spiritually productive day! I thought I would write a quick blog entry to remind you too (if you were not aware already) that this is a special day that can be utilised for spiritual and material benefit.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Om Sri Durgayai Namah.

Om Sri Gurave Namah.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.