|| Shri Swminryano Vijayate || Inspirer: Pramukh Swmi Mhrj

Overview: This presentation will examine the importance of agna and distinguish it from blind faith to avoid common misconceptions.

Agna & Blind Faith

A CTIVITY
At the very beginning of the presentation, ask the audience some yes/no questions relating to the presentation and see their response. For example, ask them if they would believe a pop-up on the Internet that they can win a free Xbox and ridiculous questions similar to that. Then, in between, also ask some more serious questions, such as if they would listen to someone who would tell to take their time and eat lunch even if they running late for a flight and then what they would do if P.P. Swamishri was the one who told them to take their time. Then, ask them why, if it does, make a difference if P.P. Swamishri says something vs. someone else. Then, draw the point of why this is because of the mahima of P.P. Swamishri. This tip will make more sense after reading the presentation first.

I NTRODUCTION
Satyakam Jabali went to his gurus hermitage to study brahmavidya. His guru gave him 400 cows and told him to return when he had 1000. As per his gurus command, Satyakam tended the cows, and when he attained 1000, his face radiated with the enlightenment of brahmavidya. If we were told to do the same, would we follow the request? Why or why not? If Satyakam doubted, he would have never received the gift of knowledge. However, our minds do save us from being misled. For instance, we never fall for the ridiculous pop-up ads that we see on the Internet free Xbox, free PC, free car, etc.

Matter Note
The reason Satyakam Jabali attained brahmavidya is because he listened to his gurus gn without any doubts. He did not get brahmavidya jut because he raised 1000 cows but because he implicitly obeyed his guru.

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So then the question remains: when can we trust our mind, and when can we not? We will look at this question further through the concepts of agna vs. blind faith.

Staircase to Happiness
In order to make sense of the concept of agna, we will look at a staircase. To attain God, we must follow the staircase sequentially, one step at a time. Leaping steps can be disastrous, as we know from real life. Step 1: Logic Step 2: Faith Step 3: Agna

Presentation Note
Complicated ideas can be hard for most people to grasp, so metaphors or examples are key. In this presentation, a staircase model will be used. A diagram could be shown again and again to illustrate this concept or at the very least, the three steps can be written on a big Post-It pad or on a PowerPoint screen to reinforce it into kishores/kishoris.

H INDUISM : B LIND F AITH ?

Is our religion based on blind faith? Lets walk through our model step-by-step.

Step 1: Logic
The goal of Hinduism is to attain moksha, and the scriptures prescribe one way to attain moksha to identify the Satpurush, the true spiritual guide. We must use logic in this sense to first find this individual, and our scriptures aid us in our attempts. Tulsidas Ramayan (Kishkinha Kand, Chopai following 20th Doha): Naari nayan shar jaahi na l!g!, Ghor krodh tam nishi jo j!g!, Lobh p!sh jehi gar na bandh!y!, So nar tumh sam!n raghur!y! He who is not wounded by the arrows from a maidens eyes (i.e. above the influence of lust), who is wide awake in the pitch darkness of anger (i.e. above anger), who is not wrapped by the fetters of greed (i.e. above greed) is like Lord Ram (i.e. God-like). Shrimad Bhagwat 11/14/16: Nirapeksham munim sh!ntam nirvairam samadarshanam, Anuvrajj!myaham nityam puyeyetyanghrirenubhihi I follow the Satpurush who desires nothing, is reflective, tranquil, has no enmity towards anyone, and has equanimity for all, since if I am able to procure the dust from his feet, even I become purified.
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Furthermore, the 30 attributes that an individual must have to be the ideal Satpurush can be found in Shrimad Bhagwat 11/11/29 as specified by Ved Vyasji. They can also be found in Appendix A of the English Vachanamrut. Some qualities are one without worldly desires (akinchan), one who does only good to others (sarvopak!rak), one who does not deceive others (maitra), and one who has defeated thirst, hunger, grief, infatuation, old age, and death (jitashadguna). In addition, Shriji Maharaj states in Vachanamrut Gadhada I-54, The Ekantik Sant is one who possesses the four traits of swadharma, gn!n, vair!gya, and bhakti. Clearly, we can see that this individual is unique and not like any other. Again, we must use logic to understand his greatness. Bhagvatam 3/25/20: Prasangamajaram p!sham!tmanaha kavayo s!dhushu kruto mokshadw!ram ap!vrutam. viduhu, Sa ewa

Creativity Tip
If there is time at the end of the presentation, come back to this section and show how Swamishri fulfills some of the 30 qualifications.

If a person maintains profound love towards the Ekantik Sant of God just as resolutely as he maintains profound love towards his own relatives, then the gateway to liberation opens for him. Shvetashvatara Upanishad 6/23: Yasya deve par! bhaktihi, yath! deve tath! gurau, Tasyaite kathit! hi arth!h!, prak!shante mah!tmanaha As one reveres the murti (of God), one should offer devotion to the guru. So decree the wise sages. Therein one will obtain everything there is to obtain. Shriji Maharaj also reiterates this idea in Vachanamrut Gadhada I58, If the extremely great Purush (i.e. Satpurush) becomes pleased upon a person, then regardless of how unfavorable the persons sansk!rs may be, they are all destroyed. Moreover, if the great Purush is pleased, a beggar can become a king; regardless of how unfavorable a persons pr!rabdha (i.e. karma accumulated from past lives) may be, it becomes favorable and regardless of how disastrous a misfortune he is to face, it is avoided.

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So we must use our logic when finding the ideal Satpurush the Ekantik Satpurush. Through logic, we can analyze our own prasangs with the Satpurush and others prasangs and see if the Satpurush possesses the qualities needed.

Step #2: Faith

Once we have identified our guide, the Satpurush, based on the criterion above, we must now invest faith in him in our path to God, which is only logical to do. For example, when we go to a doctor, we follow his/her instructions on what he/she tells us when we are sick. We trust them because of their qualifications and degrees. In the same way, the Ekantik Satpurush is the form of God; he has constant communion with God; understands the wishes and will of God; he is antaryami meaning he knows everything of the past, present, and future; etc. Thus, it is, again, only logical to have faith in him and follow what the he tells us to do, as he is the most qualified to tell us what to do. For example, in the Mahabharat, prior to the war, Arjun looks across the battlefield and sees his cousins, the Kauravas. The thought of fighting his own family causes him to become unsettled and doubts begin to flood his mind. It is in this situation that his charioteer, Krishna Bhagwan, explains to him not to become confused. He says, Sarvadharmaan parityajyam mamekum sharanam vraja, Ahum twum sarva paapebhy mukta ishyami/karishyaami You have asked me thousands of questions, now put aside all of your doubts and concerns and follow me and only me. I will redeem you from all. From his experiences with Krishna Bhagwan, Arjun understood him to be God incarnate (Step #1), so it was only natural that Arjun placed his unwavering faith in him (Step #2). Similarly, for us, P.P. Swamishri is that Satpurush who will enable us to gain moksha. P. Aksharvatsal Swami, in his speech at the yuvak/yuvati shibir in 2007, referred to the 30 attributes of the Satpurush specified by the Shrimad Bhagwat as the litmus test that if we find an individual who embodies all 30 traits, we should place our faith in him, regardless of whether or not that individual has claimed to be the Satpurush.

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In fact, P.P. Swamishri was tested against this litmus test. P. Aksharvatsal Swami, along with a team of yuvaks and other P. Santo, took two sets of prasangs those from P. Priyadarshan Swamis reports and those self-reported by devotees and categorized them according to the 30 traits. After a weeklong effort, not only were all 30 conditions met, but there were thousands of prasangs left without category enough to extend the litmus test from 30 to 49 traits!

Step #3: Agna

While we will never have to fight a battle like Arjuns, our faith is demonstrated by following the agna of our guru, the Satpurush. In Vachanamrut Gadhada II-16, Maharaj states, Thus, dharma takes refuge only in Gods form. That is why when a person keeps faith in Gods form, God comes and dwells in the persons heart; consequently, dharma also dwells in his heart. Hence, faith in the Satpurush enables us to fulfill the final step of following his agna (dharma). Agna is one of the two primary wings of our sansth, the second of which is upasana. The importance of gn lies at the very source of it the Satpurush. In fact, Gunatitanand Swami says, Someone may singlehandedly do the work of two people, but to obey the great Sadhu and sit idle or only do what he says is the best. Again, the reason for this is by following the will of the Satpurush, we are really following the will of God, and whatever God wills is only for our benefit. Maharaj and P.P. Swamishri give us agnas so we progress and so we experience happiness. If we look at this, it is those kishores/kishoris who follow the most agnas who are the happiest and who receive the most raajipo from the Satpurush in return. It is because these kishores/kishoris realize that there is no real happiness in the world and its temptations; instead, true happiness lies at the holy feet of Maharaj and P.P. Swamishri. We all experience this as well. The more we indulge, the more we want more of those pleasures, which is not possible. Thus, in the end, we are more miserable, since we cannot satiate the insatiable wishes of our desires. Instead, if we dont please them from the beginning, then we wont have to worry about them. Thus, gn equals happiness.

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At this point, have kishores/kishoris relay their own examples of how following gn resulted in more happiness compared to when they did not follow gn. P. Sadguru Santo are other great examples of this concept, as they follow P.P. Swamishris agna wholeheartedly. For example, P. Tyagvallabh Swami persevered with faith in Yogiji Maharaj's words. P. Tyagvallabh Swami was an educated engineer before becoming a sadhu. Yogiji Maharaj entrusted him with the task of kitchen seva, and in those days, without advanced modern appliances, it meant 100% manual seva. Without hesitation, he obeyed the agna and performed the seva, and today, just like Satyakam Jabali, he experiences bliss as a result, simply from the fact that he followed the Satpurushs gn wholeheartedly. In fact, one can see the peace and tranquility reflected in his face. Gunatitanand Swami has also said, Even after millions of years of hard work, we cannot go to Akshardham. But just implicitly obey this Sadhu, and were there immediately. Our ultimate goal in life can be reached by following his words! If that is all we do, then we are already there, meaning Akshardham. This is the importance of gn. Not only does it bring happiness, but it also gets us into Akshardham.

V ERIFYING

THE

V ALIDITY

OF

A GNA

At times, it may seem to us that why is P.P. Swamishri telling us to do something because it may not make sense to us. For example, just as it did not make sense for Satyakam Jabali to raise cows, it also did not make sense why Yogiji Maharaj would tell P. Tyagvallabh Swami to take charge of the kitchen while being an engineer by profession. However, the simple truth is that, at times, we wont realize why P.P. Swamishri is telling us to do something because he is the manifest form of God and knows everything, which we dont, but we just need to have faith. Just as P. Tyagvallabh Swami and Satyakam Jabali had faith, if, we too, have faith, then just as P.P. Swamishri has immense raajipo over P. Tyagvallabh Swami and Satyakam Jabali attained brahmavidya, similarly, we too can attain P.P. Swamishris immense raajipo and thereby a seat in Akshardham. We just have to constantly remember who it is that is guiding us the manifest form of Bhagwan. Should not we place our faith in him?

Matter Note
Present other examples, in which science has been wrong, such as with different medicines that were once thought to be safe that were recalled. This can be goggled on the Internet.

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For example, for the longest time, many questioned why Maharaj instructed his followers not to eat garlic, since according to science, garlic is good for our health. Recently, however, a study by Stanford University demonstrated that garlic is not actually good for our health, as it does not lower LDL cholesterol levels with adults with moderately high cholesterol levels. The point of this example is to show that our faith should lie more with Maharaj and P.P. Swamishri and less on science. It is because of this that many claim we have blind faith. However, it is not blind faith, but rather, faith through understanding. We all know who is it we have found the prapti we have found and their true glory and thus, we are not blind followers but followers of God the supreme source of all-knowledge.

C ONCLUSION
After the opening of Nairobi mandir, three satsangi families were making their way to the airport. Seeing that they were already late leaving to get to the airport, the families decided to quickly do final darshan of P.P. Swamishri before leaving. However, while meeting P.P. Swamishri, the families were instructed to take their time and eat lunch before leaving. However, thinking they would miss their flight, the families decided not to follow P.P. Swamishris words and left for the airport without eating lunch. It was later discovered at the airport that their flight was three hours delayed. Thus, as we have learned, our faith is not one of blind faith (as it would seem), but rather, faith due to understanding. Logic backs our faith, as the individual we have faith in is the Ekantik Satpurush. Agna is the final step in experiencing bliss, and it is our choice of whether we want to follow it or not. Furthermore, we should not forget about the importance of following gn itself. Ultimately, the more gn we follow, the happier we will be and the closer we will be to Maharaj and P.P. Swamishri and Akshardham. Conversely, the less gn we follow, the more miserable we will be and the farther away we will be from Maharaj, P.P. Swamishri, and Akshardham. Thus, the choice lies in our hands. Which path will we decide to take? Below are questions to ask the audience to review the presentation:

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1. What is the 3 step process that helps us understand that following gn is not blind faith? 2. What is the prasang of Satyakam Jabali, and how did he attain brahmavidya? 3. How should we use our logic when finding the Satpurush? 4. Why should we invest faith into the Satpurush after finding him? 5. Why should we follow the Satpurushs gn? Is it the logical thing to do? 6. What are the benefits to following gn? 7. Who are living examples of the happiness that comes with following gn? 8. Why should we follow Maharaj and P.P. Swamishris gn even when it does not make sense? 9. Who should we listen to Maharaj and P.P. Swamishri or science and why? 10. Do we have blind faith or faith from understanding? How so?

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