Sage Kapila's teachings: part 1

 Hari Aum.

As part of my sadhana during this spiritually auspicious month (of Adhika/Purushottama masa), I thought I would read a bit of the Bhagavatam. As many of you would know, this scripture contains descriptions of various avatars of God (Narayana).

One avatar of Narayana that is mentioned here is the sage Kapila. I had not really read His teachings in detail before so decided to take this up this month.

The material is very interesting and so I thought I would share a summary of it here for those of you who may be unfamiliar with it.

So, let us begin.

I will start by giving you a brief introduction as to how this avatar was born. His father was a sage (or rishi) known as 'Kardama'. His mother was a princess called 'Devahuti'. He had nine sisters born before Him. And, He Himself said that He had manifested in order to bring back spiritual knowledge (known as Sankhya) which had been lost to humanity over time. In terms of His physical form, He is described as being a young man, with golden hair, a pleasant smiling demeanour and a generally charming appearance.

Kardama and Devahuti knew that their son, Kapila, was an avatar of Narayana. Kardama had always been unworldly in nature. However, he fulfilled his duties as a husband and father in entirety and with great devotion. It had always been his intention to spend the last portion of his life as a sannyasi (a wandering monk) and his wife had been aware of this prior to their marriage. 

After the daughters of Kardama and Devahuti grew up, they married various sages and left their parental home. Kapila, too, had grown up into a sage.

Kardama felt that the time to take sannyasa had now finally arrived. When he told his wife of his plan, she felt unhappy but accepted his decision. She told him that she bitterly regretted having missed the opportunity to acquire spiritual wisdom from him during the time they had lived together. She felt that she had been too focussed on the material aspect of household life and had therefore missed out on acquiring spiritual wisdom.

Her husband comforted her saying that, like him, she too had performed many spiritual penances. He said that she was greatly fortunate, as the Lord Himself in the form of their son, Kapila, would take on the role of her Guru and grant her spiritual wisdom. 

Devahuti was gladdened by these words and her husband then left. After obtaining the blessings of Narayana in the form of Kapila, he lived as a wandering monk. Fixing his mind upon God within himself, and recognising the Divine presence everywhere in all beings, he gradually attained the state of spiritual liberation. 

After Kardama left home, Devahuti approached her son, Kapila, for spiritual teaching. She told him that she felt that she had fallen into the quagmire of material life. Knowing that He was an avatar of Narayana, she declared that He must free her from His own power of illusion, His Maya, that she felt was presently obscuring the spiritual truth from her.

Sage Kapila smiled and accepted her wish, saying that He would gladly give the spiritual knowledge that she desired so that, like His father, she too could attain liberation.

Kapila began His instruction to His mother by saying that:

i) the mind is the source of bondage and liberation. The mind when it is attached to Prakriti (Nature/material world), binds the soul to samsara (the cycle of birth and death that occurs due to spiritual ignorance). In contrast, when it becomes attached to Purusha (the Supreme Being), the soul becomes liberated from samsara. The mind, when purified, becomes peaceful and untroubled by the dualities of life. Knowledge, renunciation and devotion enable the mind to attach itself to Purusha.

ii) the path of devotion to God is the most direct and safe spiritual path.

iii) a true sadhu (or spiritual person) is one who has a friendly disposition (no enmity) towards all, who has cultivated various virtues (such as non-violence, truthfulness, patience and so on) and who has a deep-rooted love for the Divine. Such a person performs work as worship and hears and speaks of God (directs the mind towards Him).

iv) the company of holy persons (Gurus, spiritual practitioners/devotees) is a great help on the spiritual path. In such company one hears of the various deeds of God, which leads to the development of faith in God (Shraddha in Sanskrit). This faith gradually leads to the experience of delight in God (Rati) and then of devotion to Him (Bhakti).

v) the development of devotion or bhakti, enables the mind to gradually wean itself away from material thoughts and experience enthusiasm for spiritual disciplines. This combination of withdrawing the mind away from the senses, contemplating spiritual truths and connecting with God through devotion, will enable a person to attain God, the indweller of all beings, even while living on Earth.

After hearing the above, Devahuti asked Kapila to tell her what true devotion meant and what devotional practice was best suited to her/would enable her to easily attain liberation (Nirvana).

Kapila replied saying that:

vi) the highest form of devotion is when all the senses, which normally wander hither and thither, are centred firmly and immovably upon God. He declares that this is an unshakeable state which nothing can overcome. 

vii) beings who attain this deep-rooted devotion to God are uninterested in asking Him even for spiritual liberation. They love Him simply for the sake of love, and not for the sake of anything else, be it spiritual or material. They derive pleasure from getting together and thinking, talking and hearing of God. They also enjoy talking to various forms of God based upon their own tastes and preferences. In this way, with minds engaged in God, they live life happily upon this planet (undisturbed by the material plane and its challenges).

viii) people with this type of devotion to God, though they do not ask Him for the supreme state of liberation, are granted this by Him anyway. He gives them everything, both spiritual and material, when they have turned away from all this and to Him alone. Upon leaving the Earth at the end of their lives here, they experience the state of Vaikuntha, the abode of Narayana, a form of consciousness which is beyond the experience of time and death. 

ix) God alone is able to remove the power of Maya and deliver souls from the state of samsara. Worship of Him therefore grants one peace and relief from the various troubles of worldly existence.

x) By the power of God alone, does the material world function as it does. The sun shines, the wind blows, the clouds rain, death occurs, and all aspects of Nature operate in accordance with the will of God, out of reverence for and out of fear of Him.

xi) the holy feet of God grant fearlessness to all souls. Attainment of one-pointed and constant devotion to God is the purpose for which all souls are born on Earth. Kapila declares that this is the most blessed state that any soul can attain.

This concludes the first portion of sage Kapila's teachings. I will write further posts on this subject in the coming days and weeks as I continue my reading.

Om.

May Kapila grant us all shraddha and bhakti for the Divine.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Healing the inner child and prayers for the peace of the departed

 Hari Aum.

The yogis teach that death is a continuation of life. The soul which inhabits the body continues its journey of spiritual evolution after death. 

This post is being written as a tribute to the Irish singer, Sinead O'Connor who passed away yesterday (the cause of death has not been revealed; however she had significant mental health issues and had openly admitted to have been suffering intensely since the death of her son by suicide last year). 

As many of you would know, she was an iconic figure known all over the world (and one of my favourite singers), amazingly talented, very courageous and and also at times, controversial. Her life seems to have been one filled with great pain and sorrow throughout (beginning with the appalling abuse meted out to her by her mother and ending soon after the passing of her son). I hope and pray that she, and others like her (who have lived a life of painful abuse) find peace. 

In the Gita, Krishna says that death is certain for those who live, and birth (rebirth) is certain for those who die (unless they attain spiritual Realisation during their lifetime or at the time of death).

Death may be certain, but the type of death is not certain; that depends upon our karmas during our lifetime (and previous lifetimes). All of us must die one day, and it is our daily deeds and spiritual practice that determine whether our death will peaceful, difficult or a mixture of the two.

And our deeds are a product of our minds, and our minds are deeply influenced by our childhood and upbringing. The 'programming' of our minds when we are young by our parents and other caregivers can help or hinder us in our life journey.

It is said, in the world of psychology, that the adult version of each of us, houses an inner child. The child version of ourselves never completely disappears even after we grow up; it still exists in a little corner of our being. 

The experiences that we may have been through in childhood, both happy and sad, both wonderful and traumatic, remain with us, within our minds in the form of this inner child. Healing any suffering undergone by this inner child is necessary to heal ourselves, for the adult version of ourselves to feel truly happy and fulfilled. 

To give an example, I had a consultation with a patient recently, a young woman in her late 20s, who told me that she frequently had angry outbursts that were affecting her life and relationships. She was anxious that this could be a symptom of some serious underlying mental health issue (such as a personality disorder or even bipolar disorder). 

On delving a little into her medical history, it was revealed that she had undergone a significant amount of physical and psychological abuse as a child. This abuse was not something that she had had an opportunity to process and deal with.

There was nothing in her medical history to suggest that she had any issue other than significant anger management issues. In the world of psychology, anger (and sometimes tremendous anger) can sometimes be regarded as an understandable reaction to having experienced serious abuse by those who should have been there for us, who had a duty to care for and love us, especially those who brought us into this world, i.e. parents in particular, but this can also apply to other relatives and persons in positions of trust, such as religious figures and teachers. 

Now no parent can be expected to be perfect, and many may have their own issues in life that impact their ability to care for children; however, nothing can ever justify any form of abuse by anyone. If we have experienced any sort of trauma in life, we have a duty to seek professional help and sort this out (and not take it out on those around us).

Like with many other mental health conditions, treatment for anger/anxiety issues can include medication or talking therapies and, as doctors, we are very much guided by patient preference (there is no question of forcing of any treatment on the patient). 

I suggested to this particular patient that her significant anger issues may perhaps be related to her childhood experiences of significant abuse and that speaking with a trained counsellor about this, with a view to processing it and letting it go over time, may be worth exploring (this does not work for everyone but can be of help to many). I reassured her that there did not seem to be any evidence of any other disorder at the present time. She agreed with this suggestion and I therefore made arrangements for her to have access to this type of treatment. 

Coming back to Sinead O'Connor, her life seems to be one of tragedy, of unhealed abuse of the most terrifying kind. And the extent of abuse that she suffered as a child, was so intense that she seems to have carried the burden of it all her life. As is often the case, this appears to have affected her very sense of self, her sense of self-worth.  

And speaking of anger issues related to abuse, she was known for expressing her anger (sometimes in quite a dramatic way) when she felt she needed to. She spoke up strongly against those individuals and institutions which were shown to have committed acts of abuse and called for justice for their victims. She attempted to provide a voice for those who did not have one. Unfortunately, though, it appears that she was plagued by her own suffering and had thoughts of suicide right until the very end of her relatively short life.

Speaking of suicide, while death by this method can sometimes seem appealing to those for whom life sadly feels like an endless round of suffering, the yogis firmly declare that this is absolutely not a solution. In fact, they declare that suicide only exacerbates the problem. In their view, the soul that ends its life in the body of its own accord and departs the Earth often finds itself in a state of confusion and significant distress. Furthermore, the karmas that it was trying to escape in the first place will all need to be faced and dealt with one day in a future lifetime. And this is likely to be a very challenging experience. 

Therefore, from a spiritual perspective, the yogis firmly but kindly say that suicide can never be an answer to the problems we may face in life.  However, it is a fact that depression is very common today (especially post-pandemic) and suicidal thoughts are relatively common in those who experience depression (even if they have no plans to ever act on them). If  one is depressed, and having dark thoughts of this sort, the sensible approach according to the yogis (and modern medicine), would be to see a doctor urgently and get help. 

As I have mentioned in previous posts, all souls are connected, regardless of the labels we place upon ourselves (whether family, friends, strangers or anything else). 

So, today, I propose that we pray for Sinead O'Connor, and for all those whom she represents, namely people who have undergone extraordinary suffering in life, who may be known and unknown to us. 

While all mantras of God can be recited for the peace of departed souls, the Mahamrityunjaya mantra (of Lord Shiva) in particular is granted a special place. This mantra is recited daily for this purpose in the ashram of Swami Sivananda (and this is followed in many other spiritual traditions too). 

Let us therefore recite the Mahamrityunjaya mantra for a few minutes for the peace of this extremely talented singer and fellow soul, whose life contained an unusual amount of suffering, and who had the courage and conviction to use her own life experience to work for the betterment of others. 

Let us also pray for her son whose death by suicide last year caused her so much anguish. May they both find peace and rest at last. May God bless them and all those who have been through a similar experience. May God give mental peace and strength to all beings on Earth.

Om Trayambakam Yajamahe, Sugandhim pushti vardhanam,

Urva rukamiva bandhanan-mrityor mukshiya mamritat.

Meaning:

Om I worship the Three-eyed Lord Shiva, who is fragrant (with virtues), the One who nourishes all.

Just as a ripe cucumber falls away from the stalk (that binds it), may I too fall away from death (that binds me) for the sake of immortality.

Om Namah Shivaya.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. I will leave you with a link to the famous song that made Sinead O'Connor well-known all over the world: "Nothing compares to you" (I feel the overall sentiment of this beautiful song could apply to God, Guru and also to all those whom we love uniquely in our lives):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-EF60neguk

Adhika masa --an extremely auspicious month

 Hari Aum.

According to the principles of Vedic astrology, there are auspicious and inauspicious periods of time (these may be days, weeks or months). Some periods of time are good for spiritual activity but unhelpful for material projects. Other periods are good for both spiritual and material tasks. 

There are no periods of time which are inauspicious for spiritual work; all days and times are good for spiritual activity, but it is just that some phases of time are regarded as being exceptionally good.

On that note, I would like to mention, for those who may not yet be aware, that we have just entered an exceptionally good time for spiritual activity. 

The lunar month known as 'adhika masa' began yesterday (after the new moon day on Monday).  This year, the dates of this month are from July 18 to August 16 (inclusive).

This 'adhika masa' (meaning 'extra month') occurs only once in three years. It occurs to compensate for a discrepancy between the dates of the solar and lunar year (the lunar year is slightly shorter compared with the solar year). Every three years, therefore, the insertion of this additional lunar month, balances both solar and lunar calendars and brings them into harmony with each other.

There is a legend connected with Adhika masa. It is said that once upon a time, this period was regarded by everybody as most inauspicious and it was generally despised. The being symbolising this period apparently felt greatly aggrieved at this treatment and went to Lord Narayana for help and solace.

To resolve this situation, Narayana stated that henceforth, this period would be transformed from inauspicious to extremely auspicious. He declared that anyone who worshipped God during this time would receive great blessings and proceeded to rename the month 'Purushottama masa' after Himself (one of His names is Purushottama, meaning the 'Supreme Being'). 

Thus, this month is regarded as very sacred for the worship of all forms of God. The devotees of Narayana in particular perform additional spiritual practices to Him during this time.

This year, the period of Adhika masa happens to coincide with another very sacred month known as Shravana. The month of Shravana occurs every year and is dedicated to Lord Shiva. Any worship of Shiva during this month is said to be yield much greater benefits than at any other time.

Once in many years, these two months of Adhika masa and Shravana masa occur together giving devotees a rare opportunity to obtain even greater results than usual through their spiritual practices (the last time this occurred was nearly two decades ago).

I wanted to mention this for readers who may wish to take up additional spiritual practices during this highly auspicious time. This is an ideal time to conduct extra prayers and worship for one's own wellbeing and that of others. 

In particular, it is an excellent time to start mantra japa if one is not doing some already and also to commit to extended practices such as anushthana and purascharana. It is also a wonderful time to perform homams and pujas by oneself or with the help of a priest. 

Those who feel that they wish to cleanse themselves and purify particularly difficult karmas will obtain peace and the blessings of God by conducting worship during this time. 

I wish all readers a very productive Adhika/Purushottama and Shravana masa. May Lord Narayana and Lord Shiva bless us all with peace, happiness and spiritual progress.

Om Namo Narayanaya. Om Namah Shivaya. Om Shri Gurave Namah.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

P.S. Please see below for some links to articles explaining a bit more about the months of Adhika and Shravana.

https://www.divine-rudraksha.com/pages/purushottam-month

https://www.opindia.com/2023/07/adhik-maas-know-why-the-shravan-month-is-59-days-long-this-year-8-mondays/

A very happy 'World Chocolate Day'

 Hari Aum.

This is a brief post on a topic which is very important in my view. I just discovered that there is something called 'World Chocolate Day' and that this day happens to be today! I therefore felt duty bound to share this good news as soon as possible with those of you who, like me, are devotees of chocolate (which we will all agree is one of the most divine creations of God and something that we are most grateful for)!

I am relieved to say that, despite not knowing that today was sacred to chocolate, by the sheer grace of God I had a generous helping of dark chocolate with my breakfast this morning. I have therefore done my duty in celebrating this most sacred and happy occasion. I would urge those of you who are like-minded chocolate lovers to do the same if you have not done so already!

As I'm sure most of you are already aware, chocolate (in moderation) has numerous health benefits. In case you need reminding, I am sharing a useful link below: 

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/the-benefits-of-having-a-healthy-relationship-with-chocolate

I wish all of you a very happy World Chocolate Day. May God ensure that we always have a supply of chocolate to sweeten our days. :D

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.

Selfishness, martyrdom and spiritual balance

Hari Aum.

Human nature is a most interesting subject. The human mind is the main focus of spiritual life according to the yogis.

The mind is the instrument of both bondage and liberation. By the mind, we bind ourselves to samsara. By the mind, we attain the experience of God and spiritual freedom. 

Mind is the friend, mind is the enemy, so says Lord Krishna in the Gita (Chapter 5). Whether one's mind acts as one's friend or enemy depends in great part upon what one does with it. What one feeds it, both physically (in terms of food) and via the five senses.

The mind forms the basis of our character. Our character consists of deep-rooted mental habits/thought impressions and desires (that are respectively known as 'samskaras' and 'vasanas' in Sanskrit).

A very important aspect of character or the mental make-up is how we balance our needs and desires with those of the world around us. Getting the balance here is very important.

Over the years, I have encountered many spiritual seekers-- some inspire me by their example, and I feel I would like to be more like them. Others who claim to be spiritual seekers show me by their example how not to be. Both types of individuals are very helpful to encounter in their own way.

One of the great mysteries of spiritual life, in my opinion, is how some people manage to describe themselves as deeply spiritual, as great lovers of God, while being extraordinarily selfish in daily life. They take themselves weekly to a place of worship, be it a church, mosque or temple. But when they emerge, their innate personality remains the same-- steeped in selfishness, filled with concern mainly for their own welfare and for those they regard as their own. 

They are generally reluctant to help others, reluctant to share anything of value with anybody else, reluctant to act for the sake of others. Speaking a kind word is a great effort, performing a generous act is very difficult, and if they do this, it is with the greatest reluctance and a gloomy, unwilling countenance. Almost every decision they make in life, whether great or small, considers only their own welfare. They dislike having to undergo the slightest inconvenience for the welfare of others. 

"I must be first" is their motto-- and strangely, they never seem to realise that this is completely at odds with their spiritual aspirations.  I have met such individuals on a regular basis. In fact, as is the case for many of us, some of these individuals have been the cause of significant strife in my life. 

One accepts one's meetings with such individuals as one's karma, as part of one's lessons in life. The lesson of how not to be.

Then there is other side of the coin-- the self-proclaimed martyrs. Again there are individuals who like to tell themselves (and anyone else who will listen!) that they are greatly sacrificing, that they are always willing to give up their comfort and welfare for the sake of others, that their own needs do not matter at all. This is an interesting mentality. Often I notice, this occurs when there is a lack of courage, a lack of assertiveness, a lack of willingness to set boundaries with others. 

"I am always happy for others to be happy at my expense" is their motto, a motto that often rings false. 

Relationships with other human beings generally require balance. There needs to be give and take for a relationship to be truly healthy and beneficial for both sides. 

Relationships which are excessively one-sided, which always require one side to give up their happiness for the sake of the other, are rarely healthy or successful. In the long-term, they destroy both parties. 

The selfish one who mostly takes, creates negative karma for themselves for which they will have to endure suffering in the future. On the other hand, the martyr, the overly self-effacing one, will gradually feel anger and resentment at the injustice of the way they are being treated. 

This is but natural, as balance is the way of Nature, and justice is the way of God. Where there is no balance and justice, how can there be the godly qualities of true peace and happiness?

As the Buddha said, 'choose the middle way'. In most things in life, the middle way is the way forward.

We need to watch our minds carefully. None of us is perfect. We are bound to find that our minds sometimes seem to oscillate towards excessive selfishness or martyrdom. When we notice this happening, we need to re-centre ourselves, bring ourselves back to the middle path. We need to gently bring the mind back to the state of balance. 

The balanced way involves us respecting both our needs and those of others. Giving equal consideration to both. 

There may be times when we are truly able to joyfully and willingly give up our happiness for the sake of others. But for this to be true and sincere and spiritually beneficial, there needs to be no element of forcing; it must not be an act performed due to a lack of courage, out of fear. 

True spiritual sacrifice of our happiness for the sake of others should be a well-thought out decision that comes from a place of inner strength, from a powerful connection with the God within. It should be an act of worship of God, performed as a result of the explicit will and grace of God (not an act of cowardice masquerading as virtue and spirituality). Such acts of sacrifice lead to greater happiness in the long run. 

Every religion declares that God wishes for each one of us to be happy. He/She does not wish some children to enjoy life at the expense of the welfare of others. God is not partial. He/She loves each one of us equally with a very great love.

Having said that, it is true that sacrifice can sometimes play a very important role in our spiritual evolution, in our personal growth. It helps us to come out of the selfish mentality of  thinking 'me first' all the time. However, we have to be careful not be become false martyrs in the process, hiding our fear and cowardice under the garb of spirituality. 

If God gives us the strength to sacrifice some aspect of our personal happiness now, it will always be for a greater good in the future, for a greater happiness and peace in the future.  

When one allows others to walk all over one out of fear, out of a false sense of virtue, out of a desire to be martyr, one is being unspiritual. 

Courage is a key feature in spiritual life. It is the nature of the soul. It is no less important than kindness and truthfulness.

I recently met someone who declared they have undergone a 'great spiritual transformation' in recent years. Curiously, in everyday life, I notice that nearly every decision they make seems to be based mostly on self-centredness; also, they are generally unable to tolerate the slightest inconvenience for the sake of others. 

If one believes one has undergone a 'great spiritual transformation' but it benefits virtually nobody around one, then can it be called a true transformation at all? No, it would seem to be only a form of self-aggrandisement, merely an extremely delusional manifestation of the ego. There is nothing spiritual in this at all.

Equally, if one loves to portray oneself as a great martyr, as one who perpetually suffers for the sake of others, again this is most unhealthy. It is another dubious manifestation of the same ego. Another side of the coin of selfishness.

The Gurus advise us to take a balanced approach. They tell us to avoid both unhealthy selfishness and false martyrdom.

The more we develop the witnessing aspect of our minds, the better we can become at detecting when we veer towards these two unhealthy, unspiritual extremes. This insight into the workings of our own minds will enable us to then bring ourselves back to and maintain a state of balance.

May God bless us all with the wisdom to walk the middle path in life including in our relationships.

Om Namo Narayanaya.

Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya. 

Hope you all had a wonderful Guru purnima. May the Gurus bless us with the strength to keep walking upon the spiritual path.

Hari Aum Tat Sat.