Sandeha Nivarini

Bhakta: Greetings, Swami!

Swami: Oh, you have come! You didn’t come for Dashara (Tenth Day Festival celebrating the victory of the Goddess Durga over the demons)!

Bhakta: The number of Bhaktas, then, would be large, I thought, and so, I was afraid I will not be able to speak to You to my heart’s content. Hence, I came now, a few days prior to Your Birthday, so that with Your Blessings I could realize the Ideal which You teach and have both Bhakti and Gyana born in my heart, on the auspicious day of the celebration of Your Advent.

Swami: Good! Very good intention, indeed! But do you mean to say that Bhakti and Gyana will not be born on days, other than My birthday? Is that your idea?

Bhakta: No! That is not so! You come to this world, on an auspicious day, at a holy moment, with an auspicious form, isn’t it? My idea is that at least on such an auspicious moment and holy day, I could establish in my heart Your holy words and make it pure.

Swami: Bangaru (My dear Golden one)! Fine! What is the sandeha (doubt) you have today?

Bhakta: I have come today determined to hear and put into practice Your holy ambrosial words, Swami. As the saying goes, “Even if you go to Kashi, you have Shaneswara (Lord Shani, astrologically represented by Planet Saturn, often denoted as an interruption or disturbance) by your side!” So, I did not bring the demon of doubt with me today when I came. Nor did that demon accompany me! It is all due to Your Grace.

Swami: Very good! Understand that when these doubts do not come of themselves, nor are entertained by you, then indeed, the mind is pure. When these two happen at the same time, it can be called Ekaagrata (one-pointedness). Well, let it go! When you have none, why should I remind you of doubts? Then, tell me, what shall I speak to you about?

Bhakta: Swami, please tell me how we should, in general, conduct ourselves. What kind of Bhavas (thoughts, feelings, or aptitude) should we possess? Which type of subjects should we contemplate upon? To receive the Divine Grace, what acts should we perform? How to attain Your Sannidhi (Holy Presence)? Please tell me the important, essential things, the chosen jewels.

Swami: Oh! It seems, Parvati asked Eshwara once, “It is difficult to retain in memory the Sahasra-naama, the Thousand Names of God; it takes a long time to learn them and repeat them; so, please tell me One Single Name which is the essence of all the thousand.” Similarly, you too perhaps find it difficult to grasp all that I write and explain and so, you are also asking me to tell you about the important ones, is it? But, you see, all Names have one single essence; the subjects you ask about are different. Though their objective and final result are one, the practices, the paths of activity, cannot be one. They cannot all be summarized in one word! Still, I am giving you now, some selected jewels, maxims of conduct that are essential. Collect and treasure them well. Experience them well, put them into practice, and derive joy therefrom. Wear these jewels and beautify yourself.

Bhakta: Exactly what I wanted! How lucky I am! Please tell me.

Swami: Then listen carefully, I shall tell you.

1. Prema, Love, should be considered as the very life of man.
2. The Love that is manifested in all things equally and in various forms, believe that the same Prema is Paramatma (the Supreme Atma, God).
3. One must have a firm conviction that one Paramatma is in everyone, in the form of Prema.
4. More than all other forms of Prema (love), man’s first and foremost effort must be to Love God immensely.
5. Such Love directed towards God is Bhakti; that is the fundamental duty in life, the acquisition of Bhakti.
6. Those who seek the Bliss of the Atma should not run after the joys of sense-objects.
7. Satya, Truth, must be treated as the life-giving breath of man.
8. Just as a body that has no breath is useless and begins to rot and stink, within a few minutes, similarly, life without Truth is useless and becomes the stinking abode of restlessness and grief.
9. Believe firmly that there is nothing greater than Truth, nothing more precious, nothing sweeter, and nothing more lasting.
10. Truth is the all-protecting God. There is no mightier Guardian than Truth.
11. The Lord who is Satya-swarupa (Embodiment and Expression of Truth) grants His Darshan (vision) to those who have a loving heart and truthfulness in speech.
12. Have undiminished kindness towards all beings and also the spirit of self-sacrifice.
13. You must possess Indriya-nigraha (control of the senses), Shanta-svabhava (quality of calmness) and Viraaga (non-attachment).
14. Be always on the alert against the four sins which the tongue is prone to commit: Asatya (Speaking falsehood), Paradooshana (speaking ill of others), backbiting, and talking too much. It is best to attempt to control these tendencies as much as possible.
15. Try to prevent the five sins that the body commits: Hatya (Killing), Vyabhichara (Deviation from the norm, Adultery), Theft, Drinking intoxicants, and Maamsa bhakshana (Eating of flesh). It is a great help for the highest life if these also are kept as far away as possible.
16. One must be always vigilant, without a moment’s carelessness, against the eight sins that the mind perpetrates: Kama (Craving), Krodha (Anger), Lobha (Greed), Moha (Delusion or Attachment), Matsara (Envy/Jealousy), Dvesha (Hatred), Ahamkara (Self-conceit), and Garva (Pride). Man’s primary duty is to keep all these things at a safe distance from himself.
17. Man’s mind speeds fast, pursuing wrong actions. Without letting it hurry like that, remember the name of the Lord at that time, and attempt to do some good deed or other. Those who do thus will certainly become fit for the Lord’s Grace.
18. First, give up the evil tendency to envy the prosperity of others, and the desire to harm them. Be happy with those who are well to do! Sympathize with those who are in adversity, and wish for their prosperity. That is the means of earning God’s love.
19. Patience is all the strength that man needs.
20. Those who want happiness must always be doing good.
21. It is easy to conquer anger through love, attachment through inquiry/reasoning, falsehood through truth, bad through good, and greed through charity.
22. No reply should be given to the words of the wicked. Be at a great distance from them; that is for your good. Break off all relations with such people.
23. Seek the company of good men, even at the sacrifice of your Maana (Pride, Honor) and Prana (Life). But, be praying to God to bless you with the Viveka (discrimination) needed to distinguish between the good men and the bad. You too must endeavor, with the Buddhi (Intellect) given to you.
24. He who conquers states and earns fame in the world is hailed as a hero. But, he who conquers his senses is acclaimed as the conqueror of the Universe itself!
25. Whatever acts, good or bad, a man may do, the fruits thereof follow him and will never stop pursuing him.
26. Greed yields only sorrow; contentment is the best. There is no happiness greater than contentment.
27. The conspiring tendency should be plucked out by the roots and thrown off. If allowed to exist, it will undermine life itself.
28. Bear with fortitude, both grief, and loss; try and search for plans to achieve joy and gain.
29. When you are invaded by anger, practice silence or remember the name of the Lord. Do not remind yourself of things which will inflame the anger more. That will do incalculable harm.
30. From this moment on, be determined to avoid all bad habits. Do not delay or postpone! They do not contribute the slightest joy.
31. Try as far as possible within your means to satisfy the needs of the poor, who are really the children of Daridra Narayana (The Lord in the form of the poor). Share with them whatever food you have and make them happy at least that moment.
32. Whatever you feel should not be done to you by others, avoid doing such to others.
33. For faults and sins committed in ignorance, repent sincerely; try not to repeat such faults and sins again and pray to God to bless you with the strength and the courage needed to do so.
34. Do not allow anything to come near you, which will destroy your eagerness and enthusiasm for God. Lack of eagerness will cause the decay of the strength of man.
35. Yield not to cowardice. Do not give up Ananda.
36. Do not get swelled up when people praise you. Do not feel dejected when people blame you.
37. If among your friends, anyone hates another and starts a quarrel, do not attempt to inflame them more and make them hate each other more. Try, on the other hand, to restore their friendship and help them grow with mutual love.
38. Instead of searching for others’ faults, search for your own faults yourself; uproot them, throw them off. It is enough if you search and discover one fault of yours. That is better than discovering tens of hundreds of faults in others.
39. Even if you cannot, or do not wish to do any Punyam or good deed, at least do not conceive or carry out any Papam, or bad deed. This is by far preferable.
40. Whatever people may say about the faults that you know are not in you, do not feel for it. As for the faults that are in you, try to correct them yourself, even before others point them out to you. Do not harbor anger or hatred against persons who point out your faults; do not retort, pointing out the faults of those persons themselves, but show your gratitude to them. Trying to discover their faults is a greater mistake on your part. It is good for you to know your faults. It is no good your knowing others’ faults. It does not yield any fruit.
41. Whenever you get a little leisure, do not spend it talking about or thinking about all and sundry, but utilize it in meditating on God or in doing service to others.
42. The Lord is understood only by the Bhakta (devotee), and the Bhakta is understood only by the Lord. Others cannot understand then. So, do not discuss matters relating to the Lord with those who have no Bhakti (devotion). On account of such discussion, your devotion will diminish.
43. If anyone speaks to you on any subject having understood it wrongly, do not think of other wrong notions which will support that stand, but grasp only the good and the pleasant, in what he says. True meaning is to be appreciated as desirable, not wrong meaning or many other meanings, which give no meaning at all, and cause only the hampering of Ananda.
44. If you desire to cultivate Ekaagrata (one-pointedness), do not, when in a crowd or in a bazaar, scatter your vision to the four corners and on everything, but see only the road in front of you, just enough to avoid accidents to yourself. One-pointedness will become firmer, if one moves about without taking one’s attention off the road, avoiding dangers, and not casting eyes on others’ forms.
45. Give up all doubts regarding the Guru (preceptor) and God. If your worldly desires do not get fulfilled, do not relate it to your devotion. There is no relationship between such desires and devotion to God. These worldly desires have to be given up some day or other; Bhakti (Devotion) feelings have to be acquired some day or other. Be firmly convinced of this.
46. If you are not able to have steadiness of mind during your Dhyaana (meditation) or Japa (repeated utterance of a mantra or name of the chosen deity), or if you are not getting the desired results, do not get dispirited with God. It will dispirit you even more and you will lose the peace, however small or big, that you might have earned. During Dhyaana and Japa, you should not be dispirited, disgusted, or discouraged. When such feelings come, take it that it is the fault of your Saadhana, and endeavor to do them correctly.

It is only when, in your daily conduct and in all actions, you automatically behave and act in this manner and along these lines that you can attain the Divine principle, very easily. Therefore, hold on to these maxims firmly. Partake and digest these spoken-sweets distributed on the Birthday Festival of your Swami, and be happy! Have you understood?

Bhakta: Your words are like Amritam (Divine nectar), Swami. Yes, words of wisdom that lead to Liberation! In all these ordinary dealings of life, man does not know the road; he falls on the wrong track, with no books also to guide him properly. For all such strugglers like me, what you have said is Prana, the very life! We are indeed blessed! Bless me, that these words get imprinted on my heart and are realized in practice every day. There is no good in simply listening or reading them. It is only when Your Grace accompanies them, that they get strength. I shall take leave, Swami!

Swami: All right! Go and come for the Birthday Festival. There are just seven days more, isn’t it? Today is the 16th; Birthday is on the 23rd; so there are seven days left. By that time, let this sweetness fill and overflow your heart!