Short clips and photos of Ram Katha at Salasar, Rajasthan

Day 9: Katha is as vital in life as breathing.

Shri Hari and His katha are infinite. Katha is imperative in order to experience happiness, peace and bliss. Katha is as necessary as air is to help breathe. One does not breathe only when one feels like so; Satsang is necessary to a similar extent. Katha recharges our battery in life when it is low. We leave with a new understanding and enthusiasm at the end of a katha. Satsang is as vital as entertainment, fun, clothing, food and shelter.

In Shri Ram Charit Manas, in Baal Kand, Tulsidasji asks for the purity of eyes through Guru’s grace. This is childhood. In Ayodhya Kand, he asks for purity of the mind as the mind is corrupted in youth. The mind will purify and the eyes will be able to see goodness and divinity through the service of and Satsang from Guru. Then, one will attain darshan of Lord Ram.

Non-politicians and those who have not committed any mistakes, have always thought of the welfare of the country and its people, such great personalities should be given a seat in the Royal Court; and not through election but by requesting them to take position for a particular amount of time.

Shri BaalHanuman Mandal of Calcutta and divine Shri Shyamsunder Agrawal organised this divine event through Lord Balaji’s grace. I am pleased with everyone involved who helped organise this divine katha.

     

Day 8: We are travellers in this world. What is our goal?

The body is considered as a means in spirituality. This means, remembering that my goal is something else. A human being is a traveller in this world. Dharmashala (free lodging) are built in pilgrimages. They signify that we are travellers, not owners of anything in this world. Your own house is a Dharmashala. Such a thought will avoid attachment and pride/ego in one.

What is the purpose of being born in this world? We are here on a journey to attain God and not for entertainment in worldly pleasures. With Guru’s grace, we have to move forward in our journey and leave in the morning. you can attain salvation, heaven or hell from here. The body is not just to live, create life and die. The human body has great potential. It can become Narayan from human.

Ravan is mentally ill as he thinks of seizing from others the good things. When Lord Ram heard about his coronation as a king, he was not happy as he had always shared good times with this brothers equally but the coronation meant his brothers would not get the same. This is why Lord Ram is great. Think about and pray to Lord Ram. You will attain his qualities. On hearing Shri Ram Katha, should you have filed a case against your brother in court and you do not withdraw this case, then what have you heard?

Give importance to relationships, not money. Give more importance to people than things, more importance to thoughts than people, discrimination in what is good and bad than thoughts and God more importance than this discrimination.

When God gives you money, he gives you a responsibility. Be wealthy such that your money is earned truthfully and righteously. It will satisfy you. However, if with a large amount of money you are not content then this is not righteous wealth. Ravan owned a Lanka made of gold but never distributed even a pound of gold to others.

So, if you have one successfully running factory, does that mean another should not be established? You could clearly argue that you have enough money such that your children and their children can sit and enjoy it! No, Lord Krishna does not like inactivity. Establisht he second factory. Your creativity will enhance. People with potential will also get jobs and an opportunity to prove themselves. Then, create a family like environment in this work place. Such good use of wealth will lead to happiness in life.

Ram Katha has the key to fun and bliss. It is not important how much money you earn but how much you can enjoy it. You may have enough money to buy 5,000 sweets but will you be able to eat all of them? But you can surely distribute these to others, and this will make you content. Such are Lord Ram’s thoughts.

Therefore, work hard. The owner of what you then gain is God. We are travellers. Enjoy what you get but do not forget your goal. Work towards your goal and you will spiritually uplift yourself and become detached from the world.

 

 

 

Day 7: What does one gain from Bhagavat?

Pujya Bhaishri advised everyone to improve ourselves through Ram Katha. He said that a saint was once asked, ” What is Satsang?” The saint replied, “Getting rid of evil once the truth is known.” Truth is always present but cannot be experienced due to the dirtiness in the mind. Hence this Satsang.

What does one gain from Bhagavat? Devotion. Devotion destroys the shock from the past, fear of the future and attachment to the present. Do not continue remembering your past. You have fallen, that’s okay. Don’t stay there! In addition, when others fall, see them with compassion, do not laugh at them, otherwise we are inviting our downfall. A saint like Vishwamitra took Lord Ram to uplift Ahalya who had fallen through her mistake.

You will not experience the happiness in the present time if you stay engrossed both in the happiness and insults of the past. Devotion means to accept and hence be happy in all types of situations. Devotion destroys negativeness through which we develop hatred and anger within us.

The world is made of duality: praise and insult, happiness and sorrow. Who is a devotee? One is not sad in sorrow and happy in good times, does not experience insult when insulted, does not get upset. If insulted, the devotee thinks that it happened as God is trying to awaken me. He does not gossip or give false praise. As Shri Narsi Mehta said, ” A devotee sees God in all”. A devotee does not live in reactivity.

Let us all decide our path through the light of Satsang. This is not just history as its relation is not just with the past. It is a mirror and is related to our present. You do not get fed up of eating everyday. Similarly, you must become hungry for bhajan else you are ill.

 

 

Day 6: Importance of time and what to offer Shri Hanumanji

Today is the last katha of 2015. Hanumanji is Rudra (Lord Shiv). Lord Shiv is Mahakaal (the Lord of time). Time cannot be divided so it has no beginning or end. Different cultures have different dates to celebrate their New Year. Everything begins where we stand now. Weeks, months, seasons etc have all been made by us. Time is undivided.

The current time is a period of transition which is of great importance , just like the important transition period between day and night. It is for bhajan(prayers) and not to enjoy worldly pleasures.

What if we do not have even one joint in our body? God has given us hands, brain, heart, this body and everything we need. Stop complaining! Create heaps of appreciation. Those who use their heart, brain and hands for good purposes will never sin. Only those who do not use their body, intellect, wealth and time for good puproses, complain.

Offer Hanumanji heaps of thankfulness. Shri Shyamsunder Agrawal, the priests here and the team from Calcutta have a organised a great event to spread satsang and prasad.

Life is in time’s imprisonment. These are the few moments here when we are free, else we will always be in imprisonment. Do not lose these moments else you may remain thirsty all of life. Make these moments divine through Shri Ram Katha.

                 

Day 5: There is no greater sorrow than poverty. Why?

Today, Pujya Bhaishri visited the Gaushala at Balaji and gave a discourse there. During the katha, Pujya Bhaishri said the following:

We have gained a himan body whihc is difficult even for the demi-gods to get. The human body is iron whist the body of a demi-god is of silver. Obviosuly, saying this, everyone will chose the silver body. However, if you are told that the iron will be touched with a philosopher’s stone, then everyone will run for the iron, because a philosopher’s stone converts iron into gold. When devotion, in the form of a philosopher’s stone, touches one, then the human body becomes greater than the body of a demi-god. Furthermore, a saint is greater than a philosopher’s stone because the stone converts into gold whilst a saint makes the other person a saint too! Thus the human body is of great importance but satsang with it is imperative.

Tulsidasji says, “There is no greater happiness than the association of a saint and there is no greater sorrow than poverty.”

Why is poverty the greatest sorrow? Because, a poor person’s thoughts revolve around filling his/her stomach. Someone once asked Late Ex-President Abdul Kalamji, ” Who is the greatest enemy of India?”
He replied, “Poverty”.
And this does not only concern wealth. A poor person is one whose wants are endless. Not feeling hungry and over-eating are both illnesses. Accummulating excessive wealth is also an illness. Righteousness must be present in life. To donate is righteousness and to steal is a sin. People will perform such good deeds but will not refrain from sins.

Who is rich? Sikandar left to win over the entire world. He met a sage who asked him, “What will you do after you have won over the whole world?”

Sikandar replied, ” I will relax in peace.”
The sage said, ” You can do that even now!”
Sikandar was stunned to hear this and said happily, “What can I give you?”
The saige replied, ” Just move a little so that I can bask in the sun rays coming through.” Such is a rich person who desires nothing.

When Ravan died, Lord Ram distributed Ravan’s wealth to the monkeys. When Laxmanji asked Lord Ram the reason, Lord Ram replied that Ravan’s wealth was unrighteously gained which could have harmed my devotee like Vibhishan, which is why he did not want Vibhishan to have it. God always takes care of his devotees.

       

Day 4:

Shri Ram janma was celebrated today in the katha. Pujya Bhaishri shared the following:

• – We perform mangalaacharan at the start to soften out heart in the fire of the name of Lord Ram which has hardened in this world.
• – Why Ram Katha? So that we can think and present our thoughts to ourself. We are what we think. Thoughts create our emotions. Then, hate will not exist, only love will. Thereafter, your thoughts will be only on how to assist others.
• – We do not become humans just by having a human body. God incarnates as a human so that we understand who a good and true human is. Lord Ram spread such teachings.
• – Listening will be unsuccessful if there is no love for God, trust in scriptures nad respect for the speaker.
• – You cannot be succesful in any path withoout worshipping Lord Shiv; The path of Yoga – Lord Shiv is the lord of Yogis; Path of devotion – Lord Shiv is the foundation of trust without which devotion is not possible; Path of knowledge – knowledge cannot exist without detachment. Lord Shiv is detached from everything. If you believe in Shakti, Lord Shiv is the Lord of Shakti; if you believe in Lord Ganesh, then Lord Shiv is His father.

 

Day 3:

Pujya Bhaishri, on day 3, said that A human is humane only because he can discriminate between good and bad (vivek). Only a human possesses intellect. This has its pros and cons. Ram Katha is to learn how to discriminate between good and bad (gain (vivek)). It is not just a show to satisfy the speaker and listeners’ interests.

Brahmaji’s vehicle is a swan which signifies (vivek). He holds the Vedas, meaning vivek comes through our scriptures and satsang.

Vyasji says that (vivek) must be present when we eat, drink, speak etc. This way, you will not need to ask for respect. Only one who expects respect gets insulted and one who insults a noble person ends up insulting oneself. Reach a height where even demi-gods say,” Wow! What a great life!”

Someone asked me, “Why do all gods look like humans?”
I replied, “To make people righteous. Humans being righteous will lead to the welfare of the whole universe. Unity of humans will lead to unity of the world.”
The character of Ramji is to unite all, for example, between Guh and Vashishthji.

   

 

 

Day 2:

Satsang is imperative for those in the spiritual journey, just like food and drink is for life. Satsang is the breath of spirituality. Tulsidasji and Hanumanji both ask for devotion. You can gain emancipation and fame but you have to ask for devotion.

Do not beg from anyone except God. Even then, do not ask for materialistic and worldly pleasures. God, who is always detached, is bound by devotion. Devotion cannot be gained by hard work but by the grace of God, and the safe to lock devotion saffely is DAILY satsang. Thus, perform satsang at least once a day.

It isn’t wrong to sing Hanumanji’s kirtan in front of Hanumanji and Ramji’s bhajans in front of Lord Ram. However, great people are uncomfortable hearing their own praises. Therefore, Ramji is more pleased listening to Hanuman Chalisa and Hanumanji is extremely pleased listening to Ramayan or Ram dhun.

Day 1:

Pujya Bhaishri tells us what we should ask for to Lord Balaji and begins the divine katha.