“Don’t bring your personality in the presence of God and Guru” said Pujya Guruji in a recent satsang.
Such a powerful teaching in such a short sentence... to me it carries the essence of Sharanagati.
Being involved in activities for so long where a distinct personality, the uniqueness or USP of an individual comes at a premium, where individuality is recognised, celebrated and rewarded (and therefore flaunted), it is indeed a daunting task to begin eliminating that personality. It is not overnight that one can drop all the ego-garbage one has collected over the years. With lack of awareness, it could, and does, creep into our interaction with the Guru too. Our words may be carefully chosen with appropriate usage respectful words like ‘Pujya Guruji’ and ‘with His grace’ and ‘Lotus Feet’ etc etc, but the body language- the manner of speaking, dressing and sitting may declare our attitude of assumed superiority from roof tops.
Talking out of turn, not paying attention to what is being said by others, interjecting a conversation abruptly with one’s own views, arguing a point with logic in the presence of elders, speaking loudly, yawning etc are considered bad manners in every situation, but in the presence of Pujya Guruji this behaviour is nothing short of blasphemous. It takes a lot of awareness, born out of sadhana, to be able to subjugate and transform these basic instincts into divine ones.
I humbly pray to Pujya Guruji to bless us all with the will to engage in rigorous sadhana, so that our Shraddha, Bhakti and Sharanagati will increase exponentially every moment, so that we deserve the blessings of Pujya Guruji, showered on us so benevolently, lovingly and unconditionally; so that our egos are completely erased, so that we do not flaunt our family backgrounds, education, professions, knowledge, biases, affiliations and achievements in His presence, so that we attain and retain the eligibility to be in Pujya Guruji’s Divine Presence, likely to be taken for granted by us in our ignorance.
I take heart in another sentence uttered by Pujya Guruji recently- “There has been progress in all of you, very very small- as small as an atom maybe, but there has been some progress every day” (not His exact words). This progress is despite our best efforts to the contrary, I think! Pure Grace, that’s all.
I surrender these thoughts and desires at Pujya Guruji’s Lotus Feet. Gurucharanarpanamastu
Jai Guru Nimishananda
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Na Guroradhikam...
Jai Matha Jai Gurudeva
I want to share with you all a small incident which I would have, not long ago, dismissed as routine and insignificant. With the grace of Pujya Guruji, I am now able to recognise the profound truth that the GURU IS EVERYTHING in each little thing. It hits me like a ton of bricks that leaves me seeing stars- happy, blissful stars!
My son had the habit of listening to his brand of music with ear phones on- I am sure with volume turned on full blast- for hours together. This worried me no end as I imagined dire consequences including loss of hearing and brain damage. I requested him to at least restrict it for a few songs at a time- but with all the logic of a 19 year old he argued that it helped him study and it didn’t disturb the household either- so what was my problem?
I next did what was best- I mentally prayed to Pujya Guruji to solve this problem for me, and forgot all about it.
This morning, he came to me asking to see a doctor. He said his ears were full of wax which rattled when he shook his head, and he wanted it removed. Then he tentatively asked me whether it was because of the earphones, and admitted that he had stopped using them for the past month anyway. Now that he mentioned it, I recall that I haven’t seen him with the gadget on for a while now, and can hear soft music from him room.
Now this is what I call Guru Mahima!
The body, which sends messages every moment of what is good or bad for us, is the GURU.
The mind, which is able to understand this message, is the GURU.
The wisdom to act upon the message is the GURU.
The subtle inner prompts that help us in day to day activities are the GURU.
There is nothing which is not the GURU, everything is the GURU.
I have been listening to this truth, maybe mechanically, for the past six months in Pujya Guruji’s Guru Gita satsangs, but it has finally impacted me now. Dhanyosmi!
Sharira, indriya, prana, chitta, buddhi, chara, achara, stavaram, jangamam... anoraniyaan, mahatomahiyaan... vyaaptam yeva jagatsarvam... Guroh parataram naasti, na Guroradhikam... sarvam Guru mayam.
Jai Guru Nimishananda! Gurucharanarpanamastu!
I want to share with you all a small incident which I would have, not long ago, dismissed as routine and insignificant. With the grace of Pujya Guruji, I am now able to recognise the profound truth that the GURU IS EVERYTHING in each little thing. It hits me like a ton of bricks that leaves me seeing stars- happy, blissful stars!
My son had the habit of listening to his brand of music with ear phones on- I am sure with volume turned on full blast- for hours together. This worried me no end as I imagined dire consequences including loss of hearing and brain damage. I requested him to at least restrict it for a few songs at a time- but with all the logic of a 19 year old he argued that it helped him study and it didn’t disturb the household either- so what was my problem?
I next did what was best- I mentally prayed to Pujya Guruji to solve this problem for me, and forgot all about it.
This morning, he came to me asking to see a doctor. He said his ears were full of wax which rattled when he shook his head, and he wanted it removed. Then he tentatively asked me whether it was because of the earphones, and admitted that he had stopped using them for the past month anyway. Now that he mentioned it, I recall that I haven’t seen him with the gadget on for a while now, and can hear soft music from him room.
Now this is what I call Guru Mahima!
The body, which sends messages every moment of what is good or bad for us, is the GURU.
The mind, which is able to understand this message, is the GURU.
The wisdom to act upon the message is the GURU.
The subtle inner prompts that help us in day to day activities are the GURU.
There is nothing which is not the GURU, everything is the GURU.
I have been listening to this truth, maybe mechanically, for the past six months in Pujya Guruji’s Guru Gita satsangs, but it has finally impacted me now. Dhanyosmi!
Sharira, indriya, prana, chitta, buddhi, chara, achara, stavaram, jangamam... anoraniyaan, mahatomahiyaan... vyaaptam yeva jagatsarvam... Guroh parataram naasti, na Guroradhikam... sarvam Guru mayam.
Jai Guru Nimishananda! Gurucharanarpanamastu!
SHARANAGATI- The test of True Discipleship
The word Sharanagati or Surrender is commonly associated with the Guru-Shishya relationship. But few know what Surrender truly entails. Parama Pujya Shri Shri Nimishananda dispels misconceptions about it, and throws light on the nature of true SHARNAGATI
Sharanagati does not mean being passive.
It is to accept everything as Divine Prasad with complete awareness. You are aware that God knows what to give and how to give it to you. You are aware that there is a Divine purpose behind everything. So you are not passive, but lively, alert and always open to learning. When any situation confronts you, don't indulge in knee-jerk reactions. Receive it calmly as His Prasad (Grace). This is what all the scriptures and Mahatmas tell us. For instance, when somebody calls you a fool, how will you react? Angrily or calmly? Jesus Christ told his disciples – "If someone slaps you on one cheek, show them the other."
Sharanagati means that one never loses one's equilibrium.
When the mind is unperturbed, it sees the solution that is always hidden in the problem itself. It is to demonstrate this to people that Mahatmas are confronted by trying circumstances. Take Shirdi Sai Baba's own life for example – how many obstacles He faced! The best gift that we can give God is total surrender.
Sharanagati requires great mental strength.
But all of us are endowed with this strength. You will never know your own strength till life tests you. At this very moment someone maybe saying good things about you or abusing you. You are not aware of this, so it doesn't affect you. When you hear of it later, a negative statement made by somebody many days ago will give you so much pain. It may spoil your peace of mind for days together. And yet that sentence was uttered by that person only once! Why do you recall it again and again? Why are you so obsessed with it? Why are you so unwilling to let go of the past? A mind that clings tenaciously to the past is a weak mind. A person with a strong and stable mind may feel bad for a few moments when he hears something negative. However, he quickly forgets all about it and moves on. Nothing can perturb him for long.
Sharanagati requires a lot of patience.
You cannot say I have surrendered to so and so for the past so many years/months/days, so why aren't things getting better for me? What is a day for us is just one Kshana (moment) for the divine. We need to have enormous patience before our efforts are noticed by the Divine. Our one year of sadhana amounts to perhaps one day at that level.
Sharanagathi also means dropping all expectations for efforts.
You cannot say 'Since I have surrendered to Pujya Guruji, he will make things happen for me as per my wish'. This is utter foolishness, not surrender. True surrender is to have unshakable belief that whatever happens is for the best- even if your mind classifies something as 'bad'. To expect things to be different from what they are is not sharanagati.
We need to offer everything at the lotus Feet of the Guru, even our sadhana and its fruits.
Gurucharanarpanamastu is the divine mantra which will help us to be detached from our own efforts inspired by the Guru, of course. The moment a sense of doership enters our mind, all our sadhana will be in vain.
How to Pray
Mahashivaratri in the presence of Pujya Guru Shri Shri Nimishananda was a supremely elevating experience. Devotees thronged BLISS HOUSE which was transformed into Kailasa on this holiest of days. As Pujay Guruji strode into the hall and took His seat, devotees welcomed Him with a verse from the Rudra:
Om Namaste astu Bhagavan Vishweshwaraaya Mahaadevaaya Trayambakaaya Tripurantakaaya Trikagni kalaaya Kalagni rudraaya Neelakantaaya Mrityunjayaaya Sarveshwaraaya Sadashivaaya, Shankaraaya Mahadevaaya Shri Shri Nimishanandaaya Namaha!!
Bhajans on Lord Shiva and Gurudeva rendered mellifluously by Maitri and Mekhala overflowed with Bhakti rasa.
Pujya Guruji emphasised on how Lord Shiva has to be propitiated on that day called Mahashivaraatri. Lord Shiva is the most compassionate among the Trimurtis, He said, and the easiest to please. He requires neither rituals nor rites, neither Rudra chanting nor abhisheka; the Lord looks at the depth of devotion in the worshiper's heart, and showers His grace upon him. Talk to God every day, aloud, said Pujya Guruji, make a habit of it. Shut yourself in a room if need be, take a photograph/idol of the God of your choice and talk to Him; rave, rant, praise,thank, demand, ask, beg, cry- do whatever you wish, but do it completely, with total abandon, aloud, as if you are talking to someone, without restricting yourself or feeling guilty. Open your mind and heart to the Lord, don't hide anything from Him, and He will hear your call and answer it.
When one prays to Lord Shiva thus, especially on Mahashivaratri, which comes at the beginning of uttarayana, the Lord will help us slip into the mode of devotion, sustain it through the year and help us pray to Lord Vishnu on Vaikunta Ekadasi, at the end of dakshinayana. (It is most hard to propitiate Lord Vishnu, and this can be remotely possible only if the compassionate Lord Shiva,pleased by our devotion, makes up His mind to help us)
Pujya Guruji guided the gathering through a chanting of OM NAMAH SHIVAYA, and led us into deep meditation. The session ended with Pujya Guruji blessing everyone with Vibhuti and Bilwa, not to forget the special mahashibvaratri prasada.
Divine Fusion for Peace
Parama Pujya Shri Shri Nimishananda tells us how not to be affected by global adversities, and at the same time how to respond positively in such situations.
"The looming hard facts of real life stares at us when we read and hear the news everyday morning about some crisis or the other, some terrorist activity and in general something or the other which is not conducive or healthy to the our mind and hearts. Instead of experiencing peace , happiness and positive vibrations more and more everyday, we find these two qualities dwindling in us and establishing fear and uncertainty more and more"
"An inquisitive mind inside us questions how to respond proactively to these intimidating crisis ? The answers to this question in fact lies within each one of us itself. What the mind needs is the fact that realization of divinity resides within the heart through our feelings which are faith, belief and trust in Divinity itself. God sees no difference between living beings. He offers every being His unconditional protection and refuge. He provides space for all creatures under His roof called as the world that is the earth itself. He is one with all beings, He is constantly telling us – “Live and let live.” And this is called as DHARMA or ethical living in accordance with the cosmic law. Unfortunately, 90 % of us are not following the teachings and wisdom of our ancient seers and sages today , making our mind to go into a state of confusion and become destructive, instead of being constructive for the welfare of everybody. In short we are not conscious of the Divine fusion within us.”
"We need to be practical in life and practice spirituality on a minute by minute basis which is the answer to today's sorrows. We should let go our selfish motives like asking or thinking what the world has done to us today. Instead, we should think what have we given to the world today for its welfare? What have I contributed today through a good thought, a good deed or a good action? This thinking will lead to good and noble thoughts which start giving us a great amount of joy, happiness and tranquility and removes all negative thoughts and destructive tendencies. We need not be a hermit to become spiritual. We must live in the world and yet remain detached by not becoming possessive about it. That is the key to a good and a noble, successful and a healthy enriched life."
"That was how AHIMSA (non injury) was established. Love one and all unconditionally. We then not only feel divinity, but also generate and release divine vibrations from us to this whole world which will destroy negative vibrations and destructive tendencies arising out of the other evil minded people thereby destroying their plans and actions coming into effect . This way we can effectively counter negativity and establish peace and happiness in other people’s mind and hearts. We pull ourselves closer to the universal Creator establishing universal Peace Love and Bliss in ourselves. We can also establish it in our hearts and learn to pray universally. As we do this, we draw ourselves closer to Divinity and generate peace and happiness everywhere."
"The looming hard facts of real life stares at us when we read and hear the news everyday morning about some crisis or the other, some terrorist activity and in general something or the other which is not conducive or healthy to the our mind and hearts. Instead of experiencing peace , happiness and positive vibrations more and more everyday, we find these two qualities dwindling in us and establishing fear and uncertainty more and more"
"An inquisitive mind inside us questions how to respond proactively to these intimidating crisis ? The answers to this question in fact lies within each one of us itself. What the mind needs is the fact that realization of divinity resides within the heart through our feelings which are faith, belief and trust in Divinity itself. God sees no difference between living beings. He offers every being His unconditional protection and refuge. He provides space for all creatures under His roof called as the world that is the earth itself. He is one with all beings, He is constantly telling us – “Live and let live.” And this is called as DHARMA or ethical living in accordance with the cosmic law. Unfortunately, 90 % of us are not following the teachings and wisdom of our ancient seers and sages today , making our mind to go into a state of confusion and become destructive, instead of being constructive for the welfare of everybody. In short we are not conscious of the Divine fusion within us.”
"We need to be practical in life and practice spirituality on a minute by minute basis which is the answer to today's sorrows. We should let go our selfish motives like asking or thinking what the world has done to us today. Instead, we should think what have we given to the world today for its welfare? What have I contributed today through a good thought, a good deed or a good action? This thinking will lead to good and noble thoughts which start giving us a great amount of joy, happiness and tranquility and removes all negative thoughts and destructive tendencies. We need not be a hermit to become spiritual. We must live in the world and yet remain detached by not becoming possessive about it. That is the key to a good and a noble, successful and a healthy enriched life."
"That was how AHIMSA (non injury) was established. Love one and all unconditionally. We then not only feel divinity, but also generate and release divine vibrations from us to this whole world which will destroy negative vibrations and destructive tendencies arising out of the other evil minded people thereby destroying their plans and actions coming into effect . This way we can effectively counter negativity and establish peace and happiness in other people’s mind and hearts. We pull ourselves closer to the universal Creator establishing universal Peace Love and Bliss in ourselves. We can also establish it in our hearts and learn to pray universally. As we do this, we draw ourselves closer to Divinity and generate peace and happiness everywhere."
Four Steps To Surrender
Shri Shri Nimishananda Guruji outlines four simple steps that can be practiced by anybody with a will to be transformed, which will lead to destruction of the ego, and foster an attitude of total surrender to the Universe. Guruji assures us that total surrender will lead to mitigation of karma, good and bad, spelling doom for the eternal cycle of birth and death. And that is the ultimate purpose of human life.
Here are the four steps in Guruji’s own words.
Step 1
Every day, as soon as you wake up, say a small prayer to God. God could be anything, because it is such a wonderful energy which is inside all of us. Let the prayer be in any language, and phrased in any manner you like, but the prayer should come from your heart. God can hear the call of your soul because it belongs to him.
“Dear God, please pardon me for all the mistakes that I have ignorantly committed till now. From today, please hold my hand, help me and guide me so that I don’t commit any more mistakes. Give me also the capacity to recognize a mistake, so that I can avoid it.”
This is a cleansing prayer that will take you closer to God. This is a way of tuning yourself to live harmoniously with your fellow beings. Once you ask for His forgiveness, you will feel light and peaceful. You have shed the guilt that was gnawing at your heart, like a worm. When you unburden yourself like this every day and make it a practice, you’ll see that you have a glow about you which everybody will notice!
Step 2
The second step is to start talking to God. Talk to him about anything you like. The more you talk to him internally, the more peace and happiness you will experience. You can ask God for anything you want, and it shall be given to you, in this life or the next. Whatever you have ever asked of God has reached as soon as your karmas got absolved. But most of you don’t know how to get rid of bad karma, which is why good things will reach you in the next life. That’s the reason why some of you are born with golden spoons in your mouth, and some are born on the streets. Talking to God is a way of absolving your bad karma. Then grace shall flow from Him immediately, and you will not have to wait for lifetimes for your wishes to materialize.
Step 3
The third step is a prayer to God to remove your pride and vanity, which are the root cause of all problems. You cannot commune with God until they are removed. Tell God sincerely every morning, “God, please remove my pride and vanity with which I am operating and teach me to be humble.” Get rid of the ego thus, and you’ll be able to see and talk to God directly.
Step 4
Now we come to the fourth step. When your ego is gone, what else is there within you? Nothing. Steps one, two and three have made you surrender to God unknowingly. As soon as you start cultivating this habit, without your knowledge, all of you will close your eyes and think of God. This is step four, and this is called meditation. Once you practice meditation, many things will be revealed to you, like who you are. You’ll forget the identification with the body, and will see and experience your real Self.
Surrender and communion with God will help you unload your karmic bags, freeing you of the cycle of suffering. The happiness and prosperity that will come to you thereafter is permanent. Grace and blessings are showered upon you, and all the different forms of that one Almighty God will reside in your house, making it a powerhouse of divinity.
Follow these four steps, and experience divinity, filling your life with love, light and bliss.
(Guruji has spoken more elaborately on the topic in his booklet, Develop Your Inner Personality)
Here are the four steps in Guruji’s own words.
Step 1
Every day, as soon as you wake up, say a small prayer to God. God could be anything, because it is such a wonderful energy which is inside all of us. Let the prayer be in any language, and phrased in any manner you like, but the prayer should come from your heart. God can hear the call of your soul because it belongs to him.
“Dear God, please pardon me for all the mistakes that I have ignorantly committed till now. From today, please hold my hand, help me and guide me so that I don’t commit any more mistakes. Give me also the capacity to recognize a mistake, so that I can avoid it.”
This is a cleansing prayer that will take you closer to God. This is a way of tuning yourself to live harmoniously with your fellow beings. Once you ask for His forgiveness, you will feel light and peaceful. You have shed the guilt that was gnawing at your heart, like a worm. When you unburden yourself like this every day and make it a practice, you’ll see that you have a glow about you which everybody will notice!
Step 2
The second step is to start talking to God. Talk to him about anything you like. The more you talk to him internally, the more peace and happiness you will experience. You can ask God for anything you want, and it shall be given to you, in this life or the next. Whatever you have ever asked of God has reached as soon as your karmas got absolved. But most of you don’t know how to get rid of bad karma, which is why good things will reach you in the next life. That’s the reason why some of you are born with golden spoons in your mouth, and some are born on the streets. Talking to God is a way of absolving your bad karma. Then grace shall flow from Him immediately, and you will not have to wait for lifetimes for your wishes to materialize.
Step 3
The third step is a prayer to God to remove your pride and vanity, which are the root cause of all problems. You cannot commune with God until they are removed. Tell God sincerely every morning, “God, please remove my pride and vanity with which I am operating and teach me to be humble.” Get rid of the ego thus, and you’ll be able to see and talk to God directly.
Step 4
Now we come to the fourth step. When your ego is gone, what else is there within you? Nothing. Steps one, two and three have made you surrender to God unknowingly. As soon as you start cultivating this habit, without your knowledge, all of you will close your eyes and think of God. This is step four, and this is called meditation. Once you practice meditation, many things will be revealed to you, like who you are. You’ll forget the identification with the body, and will see and experience your real Self.
Surrender and communion with God will help you unload your karmic bags, freeing you of the cycle of suffering. The happiness and prosperity that will come to you thereafter is permanent. Grace and blessings are showered upon you, and all the different forms of that one Almighty God will reside in your house, making it a powerhouse of divinity.
Follow these four steps, and experience divinity, filling your life with love, light and bliss.
(Guruji has spoken more elaborately on the topic in his booklet, Develop Your Inner Personality)
From A Life Positive to A life Divine
This article on Shri Shri Nimishananda appeared in the magazine Life Positive in December 2007
As temple bells chime during the maha-mangalarathi every Sunday evening at the Shri Nimishamba Devi Temple in a peaceful suburb of Bangalore, the chanting of ‘om’ reaches a crescendo in the satsang hall below. Seated on an ornate peetha bedecked with flowers, resplendent in white kurta and dhoti with a red angavastram, Shri Shri Nimishananda Guruji speaks to hundreds of avid seekers about the path to self-realization. His language simple, his discourse laced with humor, and peppered with everyday instances that people can identify with, Guruji serves the bitter pill of Vedanta in easily palatable doses. In all his talks, he emphasizes the importance of patience, tolerance, and unconditional love. Helping people to establish their lives on the stable cornerstones of dharma, satya, ahimsa and prema, Shri Nimishananda Guruji is one of the prominent guiding lights in a world filled with the darkness of ignorance.
Guruji is one of the rare souls who experienced samadhi by the grace of the divine mother in 1995, when he was just 36, which prompted him to abandon the pursuit of worldly pleasures in favor of a spiritual one. A yogi belonging to the grihasta rishi sampradaya (the order of householder rishis), he is now engaged in sharing the divine grace with serious sadhakas. Guruji’s compelling personality is evident in the powerful influence he wields through love and compassion towards his devotees and disciples, many of who have shifted residence and even cities to be near him. Most of them talk reverentially of the miracles wrought in their lives after coming under his grace, benefiting both materially and spiritually. Guruji also meets individuals on a personal level to counsel them, and gently set them on the path to right living. His discourses have been telecast on Aastha, and is presently available on Z Kannada every morning. The Shree Public Charitable Trust is also engaged in socially beneficial activities, including free ambulance service 24 hours a day, and annadana every single day.
In a chat with Life Positive, Shri Shri Nimishananda Guruji talks of the divine alchemy of converting a life negative into a life positive, and then to a life divine.
Guruji on his Journey so Far...
“I was born in Mysore, a simple seedha sadha individual who loved God, though I didn’t know who He was. I wasn’t into intense worship, but had surrendered to a Higher Power. I used to visit the temple of goddess Nimishamba near Mysore, who has the reputation of granting instant boons (as her name suggests).In one of my visits, I lost myself in her kingdom, and had a mystical experience. If you ask me to describe the experience, I can’t – it’s like eating a sweet, it’s difficult to explain its taste, but easy to experience it (smiles). Just like that, at that moment – I had the feeling that I’m not the body anymore, I am the soul.
“I’m enjoying the bliss of that experience even now. I’m getting deeper and deeper into the domain of soul – which is peace, happiness, contentment, tranquility. Nothing disturbs me any more. I’m able to take different emotional states at the same level. I have the same love for all beings; power and position have receded to the background.
“There is absolutely no conflict with my life as a spiritual guide and as a family person. In fact, I am able to show more love and concern for my family now, whereas previously my work claimed most of my attention. But I have space for everyone in my life now – my love is all-inclusive.
“Now my goal (if you can call it that) is to bring peace and serenity into the lives of people who come to me. I tell them how to get liberated from thoughts. That is enlightenment – a thoughtless state is an enlightened state.”
On Religion and Spirituality...
“Rites and rituals are an important part of religion. In Sanskrit, each and every letter is a deity – each syllable is an encapsulated cosmic energy. Mantras and shlokas, when chanted in a certain manner, connect the atma (individual soul) to the paramatma (divine). But in modern times, people are bored with the overdose of religion, which spells rites and rituals, because nobody has told them of their significance. That’s why religion is equated with dogma these days, and has resulted in factionalism and fragmentation.
“Religion is the outer garment, spirituality is the inner garment. Culture is now coming back to spirituality – people hanker to feel serene and be in harmony with everything. They want to be left alone. I ask people not to reject religion – religion is just to bring in discipline and external harmony – a way of setting right the genes so that the offspring will have a purpose in life. Spirituality will bring in internal harmony.
“The doctrines of all religions are the same – dharma, ahimsa, prema, satya. These are the basic tenets of our sanatana dharma (sanatana: eternal; dharma: principles). No religion preaches ‘an eye for an eye...’”
Will Power v/s Total Surrender
“According to Indian philosophy, one has to surrender to the divine. If you orient yourself to divine will through sadhana and discipline (which could be rites and rituals), then cosmic energy will release its grace – you can tap the energy in the overhead tank through your own will power. Mantras have the power to orient your thoughts and make them powerful.
“According to karma siddhanta, our free will operates only to the extent of two per cent, whereas fate and destiny control us 98 per cent. But using soul power through firm resolution generates will power which allows you to achieve your goals. Sanatana dharma has several methods to tap the cosmic energy – karma yoga, jnana yoga, or ashtanga yoga.
“If you have a spiritual bent of mind, you can surrender. But the younger generation needs to be explained about the power of sankalpa or resolution. They should focus on an aim and goal, tap the soul energy and pass it on to thought, which then becomes an arrow, and achieves whatever is willed. When you raise your spirit thus, you shall become what you think. Spirituality will give you the power of discrimination. You need not know what you want; practice meditation, and things will slowly be revealed to you.”
On the Importance of a Guru...
“A teacher is one who provides general education, and to a certain extent, moral education, to help you get your bread and butter. A guru is one who helps you harmonize your thoughts, helps you comprehend and analyze situations, trains the mind and motivates the soul. A teacher trains the intellect, but a guru trains the soul.
“A guru helps you take no for an answer and minimize negativity; helps you to surrender totally to a higher power. Because of our tradition of the gurukula system, dispassion or vairagya is easier achieved in the East than in the West. With no such system in place, Western society is plagued by overindulgence and materialism.
“The guru helps you to reclaim yourself minus all your identifications – he is the key to open up the treasure of cosmic energy. Have an inner goal, and the guru seeks you when you are ready. It is most beautiful that within 48 days of your sankalpa (resolution), you’ll find that the guru will knock on the door of your heart. Just as an engine attaches itself to a bogey and pulls the train along, the guru will pull you along the journey of life, and reveal life to you step by step. And the moment the guru seeks you – life positive will be converted to life divine! You will find that your thought processes change, and your level of confusion declines.
“Surrender yourself to a guru, and your karmas shall burn like a dry stick fed into a fire.”
On the Setbacks in Life...
“Often, setbacks happen for no fault of ours, maybe because of our past actions and negative thinking. But setbacks are a great opportunity to convert life negative into life positive. This is the time to start seeking answers to the questions ‘What am I doing in life? Why is this happening to me? Who am I?’ This is a great way of opening up your insight. This is the time to reorganize your inner life, or have an inner life to begin with.
“To start with, make a resolution every morning that you shall think noble, hear noble, speak noble, and act noble. This is the beginning of spirituality. When you start your day like this, within 48 days, divinity will be yours. Like air, cosmic vibrations are everywhere. Just as you can feel air when the fan is switched on, you’ll feel it when you tap it.
“Everything starts from a thought. One thought is food for another thought – negative thought seeks negativity. Think divine, and divinity will seek you. Stop seeing and start seeking spirituality. You are born with that energy. The human brain is capable of incredible levels of comprehension: computer, space science, chemistry. The grey cells are such powerhouses. Man is fortunate in that he has the three powers of sankalpa shakti (resolution), jnana shakti (knowledge) and kriya shakti (action).
“Have a material goal, as well as a spiritual goal. There’s a certain negativity attached to material success, but with an internal goal, you will have peace, happiness, bliss.
“My wish for readers of Life Positive is that from now onwards, let them not be mere readers, but become seekers. Reading only gives you information. Let that information lead to reformation and transformation from today. Move from life positive to life divine. That is my wish.”
As temple bells chime during the maha-mangalarathi every Sunday evening at the Shri Nimishamba Devi Temple in a peaceful suburb of Bangalore, the chanting of ‘om’ reaches a crescendo in the satsang hall below. Seated on an ornate peetha bedecked with flowers, resplendent in white kurta and dhoti with a red angavastram, Shri Shri Nimishananda Guruji speaks to hundreds of avid seekers about the path to self-realization. His language simple, his discourse laced with humor, and peppered with everyday instances that people can identify with, Guruji serves the bitter pill of Vedanta in easily palatable doses. In all his talks, he emphasizes the importance of patience, tolerance, and unconditional love. Helping people to establish their lives on the stable cornerstones of dharma, satya, ahimsa and prema, Shri Nimishananda Guruji is one of the prominent guiding lights in a world filled with the darkness of ignorance.
Guruji is one of the rare souls who experienced samadhi by the grace of the divine mother in 1995, when he was just 36, which prompted him to abandon the pursuit of worldly pleasures in favor of a spiritual one. A yogi belonging to the grihasta rishi sampradaya (the order of householder rishis), he is now engaged in sharing the divine grace with serious sadhakas. Guruji’s compelling personality is evident in the powerful influence he wields through love and compassion towards his devotees and disciples, many of who have shifted residence and even cities to be near him. Most of them talk reverentially of the miracles wrought in their lives after coming under his grace, benefiting both materially and spiritually. Guruji also meets individuals on a personal level to counsel them, and gently set them on the path to right living. His discourses have been telecast on Aastha, and is presently available on Z Kannada every morning. The Shree Public Charitable Trust is also engaged in socially beneficial activities, including free ambulance service 24 hours a day, and annadana every single day.
In a chat with Life Positive, Shri Shri Nimishananda Guruji talks of the divine alchemy of converting a life negative into a life positive, and then to a life divine.
Guruji on his Journey so Far...
“I was born in Mysore, a simple seedha sadha individual who loved God, though I didn’t know who He was. I wasn’t into intense worship, but had surrendered to a Higher Power. I used to visit the temple of goddess Nimishamba near Mysore, who has the reputation of granting instant boons (as her name suggests).In one of my visits, I lost myself in her kingdom, and had a mystical experience. If you ask me to describe the experience, I can’t – it’s like eating a sweet, it’s difficult to explain its taste, but easy to experience it (smiles). Just like that, at that moment – I had the feeling that I’m not the body anymore, I am the soul.
“I’m enjoying the bliss of that experience even now. I’m getting deeper and deeper into the domain of soul – which is peace, happiness, contentment, tranquility. Nothing disturbs me any more. I’m able to take different emotional states at the same level. I have the same love for all beings; power and position have receded to the background.
“There is absolutely no conflict with my life as a spiritual guide and as a family person. In fact, I am able to show more love and concern for my family now, whereas previously my work claimed most of my attention. But I have space for everyone in my life now – my love is all-inclusive.
“Now my goal (if you can call it that) is to bring peace and serenity into the lives of people who come to me. I tell them how to get liberated from thoughts. That is enlightenment – a thoughtless state is an enlightened state.”
On Religion and Spirituality...
“Rites and rituals are an important part of religion. In Sanskrit, each and every letter is a deity – each syllable is an encapsulated cosmic energy. Mantras and shlokas, when chanted in a certain manner, connect the atma (individual soul) to the paramatma (divine). But in modern times, people are bored with the overdose of religion, which spells rites and rituals, because nobody has told them of their significance. That’s why religion is equated with dogma these days, and has resulted in factionalism and fragmentation.
“Religion is the outer garment, spirituality is the inner garment. Culture is now coming back to spirituality – people hanker to feel serene and be in harmony with everything. They want to be left alone. I ask people not to reject religion – religion is just to bring in discipline and external harmony – a way of setting right the genes so that the offspring will have a purpose in life. Spirituality will bring in internal harmony.
“The doctrines of all religions are the same – dharma, ahimsa, prema, satya. These are the basic tenets of our sanatana dharma (sanatana: eternal; dharma: principles). No religion preaches ‘an eye for an eye...’”
Will Power v/s Total Surrender
“According to Indian philosophy, one has to surrender to the divine. If you orient yourself to divine will through sadhana and discipline (which could be rites and rituals), then cosmic energy will release its grace – you can tap the energy in the overhead tank through your own will power. Mantras have the power to orient your thoughts and make them powerful.
“According to karma siddhanta, our free will operates only to the extent of two per cent, whereas fate and destiny control us 98 per cent. But using soul power through firm resolution generates will power which allows you to achieve your goals. Sanatana dharma has several methods to tap the cosmic energy – karma yoga, jnana yoga, or ashtanga yoga.
“If you have a spiritual bent of mind, you can surrender. But the younger generation needs to be explained about the power of sankalpa or resolution. They should focus on an aim and goal, tap the soul energy and pass it on to thought, which then becomes an arrow, and achieves whatever is willed. When you raise your spirit thus, you shall become what you think. Spirituality will give you the power of discrimination. You need not know what you want; practice meditation, and things will slowly be revealed to you.”
On the Importance of a Guru...
“A teacher is one who provides general education, and to a certain extent, moral education, to help you get your bread and butter. A guru is one who helps you harmonize your thoughts, helps you comprehend and analyze situations, trains the mind and motivates the soul. A teacher trains the intellect, but a guru trains the soul.
“A guru helps you take no for an answer and minimize negativity; helps you to surrender totally to a higher power. Because of our tradition of the gurukula system, dispassion or vairagya is easier achieved in the East than in the West. With no such system in place, Western society is plagued by overindulgence and materialism.
“The guru helps you to reclaim yourself minus all your identifications – he is the key to open up the treasure of cosmic energy. Have an inner goal, and the guru seeks you when you are ready. It is most beautiful that within 48 days of your sankalpa (resolution), you’ll find that the guru will knock on the door of your heart. Just as an engine attaches itself to a bogey and pulls the train along, the guru will pull you along the journey of life, and reveal life to you step by step. And the moment the guru seeks you – life positive will be converted to life divine! You will find that your thought processes change, and your level of confusion declines.
“Surrender yourself to a guru, and your karmas shall burn like a dry stick fed into a fire.”
On the Setbacks in Life...
“Often, setbacks happen for no fault of ours, maybe because of our past actions and negative thinking. But setbacks are a great opportunity to convert life negative into life positive. This is the time to start seeking answers to the questions ‘What am I doing in life? Why is this happening to me? Who am I?’ This is a great way of opening up your insight. This is the time to reorganize your inner life, or have an inner life to begin with.
“To start with, make a resolution every morning that you shall think noble, hear noble, speak noble, and act noble. This is the beginning of spirituality. When you start your day like this, within 48 days, divinity will be yours. Like air, cosmic vibrations are everywhere. Just as you can feel air when the fan is switched on, you’ll feel it when you tap it.
“Everything starts from a thought. One thought is food for another thought – negative thought seeks negativity. Think divine, and divinity will seek you. Stop seeing and start seeking spirituality. You are born with that energy. The human brain is capable of incredible levels of comprehension: computer, space science, chemistry. The grey cells are such powerhouses. Man is fortunate in that he has the three powers of sankalpa shakti (resolution), jnana shakti (knowledge) and kriya shakti (action).
“Have a material goal, as well as a spiritual goal. There’s a certain negativity attached to material success, but with an internal goal, you will have peace, happiness, bliss.
“My wish for readers of Life Positive is that from now onwards, let them not be mere readers, but become seekers. Reading only gives you information. Let that information lead to reformation and transformation from today. Move from life positive to life divine. That is my wish.”
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