Yes, stars and planets do have an influence on a man’s life and on the actions performed by him. However, due to strong faith in God and through prayers and good deeds their influence on the person can be reduced. Sri Swamiji stands by such persons in the fructification of their efforts.
_Glimpses of Bhaktimala 4
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Isn’t consuming cigarettes and alcohol and spending our hard earned money on it a sheer waste of money?
Swamiji’s devotees contribute a very tiny portion out of their earnings towards a good cause i.e. conducting of a homa. There is absolutely no force for participation in a homa. Each devotee chooses to participate or not based on their financial status and purely on their inclination to participate in such an activity. Through this activity, both the person participating in the homa and the person who are witnessing it experience mental peace and spiritual upliftment.
The divine vibrations emanating from the homa smoke will be supremely beneficial to all of them. The inhalation of the fumes that emanate out of the burning of the specially selected herbs and tree barks and other herbal ingredients bestow good health to everyone in the vicinity.
-Glimpses of Bhaktimala 4
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Bliss (ananda) is a state that is over and above joys and sorrows and is quite different from either of them. Bliss will always remain as bliss. It is a complete state in itself. There is nothing called greater or lesser bliss. The bliss experienced by Swamiji in his childhood, the bliss that he is experiencing now and the bliss that he will be experiencing in future are nothing but one and the same!
Purvasharama (stage prior becoming a renunciate) was the preparatory stage of life. The present is a stage of expansion. There is a relation between the two. It cannot be said that these 2 states are different from one another. One incident will be the cause for another incident. Today’s incident is the result of yesterday’s incident. Similarly today’s incidents will affect future incident. All life there will be incidents like this. Life is nothing but a sum total of all incidents. To Swamiji, bliss is one and the same. This is Sacchidananda Upanishad.
-Glimpses of Bhaktimala 4
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This is the divine sport of that Paramātma who is also the controller of this entire drama. Just as the saying ‘Anooraneeyaan mahatormahiyaan’ it is quite natural for Swamiji to behave smaller than the smallest atom and on other occasions behave bigger than the biggest object ever seen on this Earth. The same Lord who showed His Universal form (vishwaroopa) incarnated as Vamana (thumb sized form) wasn’t it? Therefore according to the situation, and as per the circumstances present at that minute, Swamiji at times behaves not only as an ordinary person, but even more stupid and ordinary than even the most ordinary person!
To help in the spiritual growth of an ordinary person it is inevitable that Swamiji has to go down to their level and behave like them. Swamiji’s aim is to attract not only pundits and the erudite scholars but also the stupid, wretched and ordinary people. It is only when He goes down to their low level and deals with them that they derive true satisfaction. However the true devotees are able to derive equal bliss from Swamiji’s actions irrespective of the level He has stooped down to.
Pretentious devotees believe that Swamiji has fallen from His divinity and they develop a dislike for Him. This just reflects their chanchala buddhi (wavering intellect).
Irrespective of the level He is in, Swamiji is only Swamiji. He cannot subject to any type of change. Realizing this truth, a true devotee is able to understand that in reality there is no difference between the highest level and the lowest level and he is able to treat both the situations equally. Swamiji loves such devotees.
-Glimpses of Bhaktimala 4
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The Supreme energy, Parashakti, exists in every place, in every country, in every region and in every direction. When in every place only His energy is pervading then the feeling that one particular place or one particular region/country is superior to another does not exist. In Swamiji’s opinion every place is equal. He sees the entire Earth with the same measure. Not only this Earth, to Swamiji other lokas (planes) are also equally likeable.
True beauty exists only where true devotion (bhakti) exists! Beauty without devotion is like decorating a dead corpse. Even a rough barren land is as valuable as gold if it is enveloped with true devotion. It transforms into a land of God. Beauty sprouts there automatically. As Paramatma is omnipresent, beauty exists everywhere.
-Glimpses of Bhaktimala 4
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