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Significance of Bhandaras

It is like coming home


So the ability to live in alien element is at best a temporary ability. For permanent
existence and existence of well being, of peace of mind, of harmony ones own
natural environment is essential.
And here we come to the crux of the matter.What is mans natural habitat? Where is
it? The Master answers that our real home is there where we have come from; and
all our struggles of this physical existence reflect our deep longing to get back there
where we truly belong. A fish out of water, frantically struggles for its very life. It
does not know why it is doing this. It cannot know that it has to get back into water.
But it struggles strenuously nevertheless. If it gets back, it swims away serenely,
once again in harmony with its nature.
Our struggles are like that. That is why all humans, without exception, struggle here
in this life, the poor as much as the rich, the sick as well as the healthy, the
powerless as well as the powerful, the natural struggle to get back where we belong,
and in this struggle we are blind as fish that knows not what it wants, but is pressed
forward by its inner nature to struggle, and go on struggling until it gets back to its
element or dies in the process.
If we recognise the true nature of our struggles as the effort to get back to our
original element our real home as Babuji calls it, the spiritual abode of truth, bliss,
and harmony then our efforts begin to have a definite orientation. Our efforts, now
geared to a definite goal, become purposeful.
Forgotten are the merely human aspirations of health, wealth, power and, position.
We recognise them as being temporary and ephemeral because our very existence
here being in an alien element, is temporary and ephemeral. That is, our efforts now
take on the character of a guided approach to our goal of realizing (finding and
establishing ourselves in) our true, original home.
This is the reason why abhyasis feel at home in spiritual gatherings. Wherever such
gatherings are held, abhyasis say how like Basant Panchami the atmosphere has
been. During those few days all worries evaporate, all problems disappear, and
amazingly, even thought of home are gone. When abhyasis wonder at this last
phenomenon that even the home and family are forgotten the answer is, How
can one remember a home when one is in it?
This is the liberation however temporary it may be that Master allows us to
experience, which gives us peace, harmony and well being. All that we have to do is
make it permanent, and this is the spiritual pursuit in which we are all involved and
which, by Babujis benevolent grace, all sincere practicants of Sahaj Marg will
achieve.
Excerpt taken from Principles of Sahaj Marg Vol. 02,"Life and Liberation" by
P.Rajagopalachari

It is like bathing in the most fragrant and cool waters of a sarovar (lake)
The annual celebration the birth day of Param Pujya Lalaji Maharaj, the Adi Guru of
our system, is here again, and we are all basking in the grace of His presence, and
receiving His blessings continuously. It is an auspicious occasion, and we are
privileged to be able to participate in this spiritual feast.
My Master, Param Pujya Babuji Maharaj, once gave me an idea of the importance of
such occasions, and especially of the Masters birthday celebrations. He said its is
like bathing in the most fragrant and cool waters of a sarovar (lake), which makes
possible a spiritual renewal of the abhyasi bathing in it, indeed drowning in it, if that
can be made possible. What is the use. he asked me, of coming out of such a
sarovar? One who comes out of it may be definitely cleaner and cooler too. But it is
the one who drowns in it who continues to enjoy the bliss of immersion in it!
Basant Panchami is one such sarovar for us, and those who come to participate in it
must not go back. Their bodies may play their part in continuing the stream of
existence which is mundanely called life, but the inner being must remain ever
immersed in the bliss, the purity, the eternity of the sarovar which is what a spiritual
bhandara, a spiritual gathering, should be. It is this need to prepare the sarovar that
dictates that such bhandaras be celebrated by the present spiritual representative of
the Great and Divine Master. My Revered Master established this significant and
important tradition, and it is my duty to carry on that tradition as long as he chooses
to retain me here, in the earthly existence for this purpose.
Except taken from Principles of Sahaj Marg Vol. 10
1989 by P .Rajagopalachari

Message Basant, 10th Feb

An unimaginable opportunity for spiritual growth


.These are essential signs that there is something very special in attending a
bhandara like this, where the grace of he Master flows in abundance because we
bring to such occasions an attitude of love, an attitude of remembrance of Him
whom we love so much, to whom we are indebted so much, who has given us so
much, who has sacrificed his love for us, his life for us and who lived solely for our
existence.
That is why my Master used to say that attending such functions is of the highest
importance. Of course, those who cannot afford to travel long distances are exempt,
because after all. economic considerations do play a part in out life.
But for those who are not subject to these constraints, I would suggest that
attendance at these functions should be considered for yourself a compulsory feature
of your sadhana. Therefore, we have the daily discipline of your own sadhana, the
weekly discipline of attendance at satsangh, the annual two or three times
celebrations of high magnitude, highly charged spiritual atmosphere, where we
believe, and where I know for a fact, the spiritual opportunity afforded for our
progress is something unimaginable. I therefore pray that in the coming years there
will be more and more attendance at these celebrations, much greater participation
with the heart, less sightseeing, for instance because as Babuji Maharaj has said, the
glories of that which lies in the universe of the inner self exceed by far anything that
you can see outside in the outside world.
Excerpt taken from Principles of Sahaj Marg Vol. 12
P.Rajagopalachari

"On the Utsav" by

All are unique and a special part in the whole scheme of things
I really dont know what to say because the experience is his and not mine. It is true
that the Basant has been a very special celebration, but I think the speciality of
Sahaj Marg is that everything is more special than the previous one. Thats all. So
we should not say, This is it!
I think this is the lesson that we have to take from the mahaavaaakyas of the Vedas:
Tattvamasi That thou art. This can never be it; it is always that which shall be. So by
the very nature of our goals definition, the goal is infinite, therefore we are ever
approaching the goal, perhaps faster and faster in amore remarkable ways, in more
profound ways. But I dont think humanity in the Sahaj Marg system will ever have a
right to say, Now we have reached the destination. It must also be true that each
event shall in some way be more unique than the preceding event, without damaging
the uniqueness of the previous event. All are unique. That is why, though we say this
was a remarkable celebration, we do not forget that the Calcutta celebrations was
also a very special occasion, and so was the one in Shahjahanpur at the Tandon
Farm. They still remain fresh as unique events. In Sahaj Marg it is not a question of
one surpassing the other. It is, each one is a unique and a special part in the whole
scheme of things. So we should never make the mistake of saying this is better.
More unique, Yes, but certainly not better. Better is a quality evaluation. In Sahaj
Marg we have no quality evaluation; more profound? Yes!
Excerpt taken from Principles of Sahaj Marg Vol. 12
"Oneness" by
P.Rajagopalachari
Separation and Love
I am reminded of one occasion when I was leaving Shahjahanpur and I felt very sad
to leave the Master. Being a strong man, I had to restrain tears. They were very
much there.
Then I went to my Master and told Him, I wont come to see you again.
He pretended to be astonished and said, Why?
I said, Because every time I have to go there is so much sadness, and sometimes it
is as if the hearts is going to break, and I dont want to be subjected to this kind of
pressure again.
He said, Dont be stupid, because separation alone brings that love to fruition.
Whereas when you come here there is only enjoyment and happiness and pleasure.
So union only brings pleasure, separation brings that spiritual feeling of love which is
necessary. Therefore it is necessary to go And then in His inimitable way, He said,
how can you go if you do not come?
Excerpt taken from Principles of Sahaj Marg Vol. 09
P.Rajagopalachari

"Relationship with God" by

A retreat into ourselves to establish contact with the inner essence of the
Master
We are coming to the concluding part of a most auspicious, most spiritually
significant and, what is most important, a most spiritually elevating and ennobling
experience that has been the substance and the essence of these three days that we
have been together here; where we have tried to offer our humble homage at the
holy feet of our Divine Master by celebrating his birthday. Such occasions are
extremely important; and when we come to such celebrations of unbelievable
spiritual magnitude, importance and value, it is essential that we understand how we
should comport ourselves, how we should behave generally; what should be the way
of life that we should adopt not only during these three days but throughout the rest
of the year so as to draw from Babuji Maharaj the very essence of existence itself,
which Master calls Life in life!
So I personally consider these celebrations as something of a retreat into ourselves
where we establish contact, through Babuji Maharaj, with the inner essence, with his
own inner essence which he implanted in us, and thereby seek, and receive, the
spiritual revival, the grace, his wisdom-filled illuminating words which help us to
carry on for the rest of the year till we come again for the next utsav.
Excerpt taken from Principles of Sahaj Marg Vol. 02
aspiration and the real Goal" by P.Rajagopalachari

"True Abhyasi, Right

An opportunity for Master to work on us more precisely


.. Another aspect is that he does his spiritual work from wherever he may be. In
Sahaj Marg, at least, this great innovation, spiritual innovation of transmission
makes barriers of space, barriers of time non-existent.
but yet when he comes in the immediate presence of his own disciples, he is able to
look into us with a much more detailed vision, and thereby diagnose our spiritual
condition in a much closer, much more evocative fashion, and deal with us
adequately. he can do everything from wherever he is, but when he is with us he can
do it with greater precision. It is like a doctor: in an emergency we can always
telephone him and tell him the symptoms and get something prescribed. But no
patient or the patients attenders or friends are ever happy unless the doctor comes
and pays a personal call, because then the evaluation is very personal, very specific.
So, the Master is able to do these things when he is with us, vey personally. That is
another reason for his presence among us.
Excerpt take from Principles of Sahaj Marg Vol. 02 "Yoga through Love" by
P.Rajagopalachari
True darshan of the Master
And last but not least is the very ordinary one of having his darshan. I have known
people flocking to him in hundreds and thousands just to have his darshan. They
come and just file past to have a look at him, and go back with, I think, a somewhat
childish impression that the darshan is enough to absolve them of all that they have
done, or not done, and to lift them up to the highest. Now, it is not easy to have
darshan. Darshan, in its true meaning, means to see. Master told me several years
ago that many people come to see him, but few people really see him. Now, what is
this real seeing which constitutes true darshan? Our Master is able to look inside us,

to analyse us spiritually, find out our shortcomings, find out our strength, find out
what we lack and fulfil those lapses, and thus develop us spiritually into something
approximating to his own stature.
Excerpt taken from Principles of Sahaj Marg Vol. 02 "Yoga through Love" by
P.Rajagopalachari

Masters messages during celebrations


I was curious as to whether there was any special significance in the messages that
he, my Master, used to give on such occasions. Were they only to be read and
enjoyed? His inimitable answer is well known and often quoted. Read and enjoy; do
and feel! But I asked him to explain the inner significance of the message, if any.
His reply was something as follows: The Master is the messenger from above, from
our original home, who brings us the glad tidings of the opening of the door by the
divine father to receive us back after all the wanderings that we have indulged in,
over incalculable aeons of time. His divine Message is His own life. By being with
Him, living with Him and observing Him minutely, and by trying to emulate Him,
once can become like Him, by his Grace. He is therefore both the message and the
messenger.
Such auspicious celebrations are therefore designed to expose the abhyasis to the
divine atmosphere of His presence, so that we immerse ourselves in it, never to
come out of it again. I pray to my Divine Master, Babuji Maharaj, to bless one and all
with such a consummation.
Except taken from Principles of Sahaj Marg Vol. 10,Message Basant, 10th Feb 1989
by P .Rajagopalachari

Attitude during and upon returning from a bhandara


I have one request to make. My Master Babuji Maharaj was often pointing out to us
that people used to come to him for three days, ten days, fifteen days, often for
Basant, and they would go sight-seeing afterwards on they way home. So he used to
say, Look here, what foolishness they are committing. They come here, I clean
them, purify them, fill them and when they go home they should go home straight.
Instead of that they are going sightseeing, they are going to Patna, they are going to
Kathmandu, and to Banaras and they are spoiling their condition even before they
reach home. Please tell them that at least if the want to do all these foolish things,
they should do it before they come here, so that I can clean them and they go home
clean.
.Constant remembrance is easier when we are away. But when we are with the
Master, it seems as if constant remembrance goes. We lose touch with the Master
even though he is there physically present before us. It is a tragedy, that the
physical presence should, in fact, retard the effort to constantly remember Him. How
can we remember somebody who is before us, and what is the need? But, as I have
pointed out on several occasions, remembrance is an interior way of keeping our
connection with the Master alive, of being eternally connected to Him. The physical
connection is a temporary thing. Even if you are with him all of your life, some day

that connection will end. So, to get over this unfortunate possibility that the physical
connection has to break must break, it is inevitable, it is in the nature of things
we have to create the inner connection with the Master, and that is possible only
through the heart by remembrance, constant remembrance.
If we are able to go out in constant remembrance of the Master, there is no harm,
because then you will see only the Master wherever you go. But then it becomes a
little childish to go out only to see the Master when we can see him right where you
are. That is why people who are able to come up to that level of spiritual evolution,
rarely go out. What will they do? It is like somebody eternally looking at his own face
in the mirror. After all, you are going to see the same thing over and over again.
Excerpt taken from Principles of Sahaj Marg Vol. 10 "The Attitude during an Utsav"
by P.Rajagopalachari

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