Who is a sthitapranja or Self realized or God realized person?

Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita has described one who is established in the universal consciousness as one who has completely subverted all sensory desire, one who has directed one’s gaze inward, one who rejoices in the self alone, one who is undisturbed in the face of grave danger, one who is indifferent to worldly pleasures or gains, one who has abandoned attachment, fear, and anger, one who does not show interest in any worldly matters or things, one who does not care about auspiciousness or inauspiciousness, one who neither compliments nor envies other's worldly accomplishments and possessions, one who has withdrawn his sense organs from the world (sense objects) and has redirected them inward like a turtle withdraws his limbs, one who is not engaged in any fruitive activities or undertakings, one who sees himself everywhere and sees everything in himself, one who sees his equal in every being and everything, one who does not think there is anything further to be known, one who does not think there is anything more remains to be achieved, one who is established in the Self or pure awareness or pure consciousness or pure bliss or merged in the Sat-Cit-Ananda or Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.

If you are looking for a Guru in this world who would meet the above definition of a sthitaprajna, you are likely to be disappointed. Because such highly enlightened souls (such as Ramana Maharshi) are extremely rare in the world. However, a guru does not have to be a sthitaprajna just as a teacher does not have to be a noble laureate.

Does Man Have Free Will?

Let me help you find an answer to the question through this exercise.  Imagine you are in one of your dreams.  Within the dream, let us say, you decide to drive your car to pick up a friend to go for hiking in a nearby mountain.  So in your dream consciousness you make a decision to drive your car, you make a decision to pick up your friend, you  make a decision to go to this particular mountain, and you make a decision to go for hiking.  while hiking you come across this ferocious tiger, who starts chasing you until you decide to jump off this cliff.  Knowing that death is near, you wake up and thank God that it was just a dream.  Now, let me ask you if you really made all those decisions witin the dream or the dream story was played upon you, and you were merely a witness.  Did you have any free will during the dream?  Of course you did.  You took all those decisions out of your own free will.  But only when you stepped outside of the dream realm, you realized that you really did not have any free will as the story was unfolding from your subconscious impressions and you did not have any choice in any of those decisions.  That said, within the dream if you did not exercise your "free will" nothing could have happened.

In the holy Bhagvad Gita here is one verse that supports my above assertion:

प्रकृतेः क्रियमाणानि गुणैः कर्माणि सर्वशः ।
अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते ॥ ३-२७॥

Modes of material nature are doing all the actions but due to the delusive false ego, the individual soul thinks he is the doer.  Here is a second verse:

ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति ।
भ्रामयन्सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया ॥ १८-६१॥

Sitting in the heart of every being, God causes all beings to move about as if they are mounted on a machine.

However, until you wake up from this dream or attain self realization, if you do not take right decisions, and are not engaged in right actions in a selfless way, your actions will be the cause of your pain and pleasure and you will have to undergo its consequences.  However, exercising your free will to act without attachment to the fruit (karma yoga) will purify your mind and will lead you toward liberation or freedom is the teaching of the Bhagavad Gita.

Test how wealthy you are spiritually - The Spiritual Wealth Meter

Instructions: Be as honest as possible in answering these questions. Give yourself a score between 0 and 10 for each question.

1. How fearless are you? (almost always living in fear-0, not afraid of loosing everything in life including life =10)
2. Are you situated in true knowledge or in the universal consciousness? ( no spiritual knowledge = 0, attained enlightenment =10)
3. Do you freely give to charity? (never given anything to charity =0, freely gives to charity without any expectation even for name or fame = 10)
4. How much self control do you have? ( has no control of one’s mind =0, has complete control of one’s mind =10)
5. How much is your life a sacrifice? (lead the most selfish life without any consideration for others=0, life is a complete sacrifice for others =10)
6. How much mastery do you have on authoritative spiritual texts? (never ever read a spiritual text or has no spiritual understanding =0, complete mastery =10)
7. Do you lead an austere life? (seeks all kinds of sensual comfort =0, completely indifferent to sensual comfort =10)
8. Are you simple at heart? (extremely complicated and plotting by nature =0, extremely simple and open at heart =10)
9. Do you practice nonviolence? (violent, murderous, sadistic, brings death or pain to other creatures including other humans – 0, extremely peaceful and would never dream about bringing harm to any creature of existence, must be vegetarian =10)
10. How truthful are you? (almost always lies, cannot help lying – 0, Always tells the truth no matter what -10)
11. How much free are you from anger? (almost always angry about something -0, never gets angry any circumstance -10)
12. How much have you renounced the world? (extremely mundane and worldly minded by nature-0, lives untouched by the world or has completely renounced the world -10)
13. How tranquil are you? (extremely restless by nature -0, feels calm irrespective of the circumstance -10)
14. How much averse are you to finding fault in others? (always finds fault in others-0, never bothers about other’s faults-10)
15. How compassionate are you? (never is bothered by the pain and suffering of other living entities-0, slightest suffering by other living entities is felt by you -10)
16. How free are you from covetousness? (always envious and jealous of what others have-0, never covet anything anyone has including wealth, health, knowledge, beauty, etc.-10)
17. How gentle are you? (very crude and rough natured-0, extremely gentle natured and speaks soft and sweet words-10)
18. How modest are you? (always boastful about one’s wealth, people, accomplishments, etc.-0, completely non-boasting by nature – 10)
19. How steady is your determination? (very fickle and almost no willpower-0, extremely one pointed and strong willed-10)
20. How much divine glow you possess and how bright is your aura? (emaciated, worn out, weak, dull without any glow – 0, body that exudes vigor and divine glow-10)
21. How forgiving are you? (very revengeful by nature-0, can forgive anything no matter what-10)
22. How much can you endure? (no patience-0, extremely patient and has very high endurance-10)
23. How clean are you?(very dirty in body and mind-0, perfectly clean in body and mind-10)
24. Do you envy others? (very envious of other people-0, not envious of anyone at all-10)
25. Does honor matter to you? (always does everything for one’s name and fame-0, never does anything for the sake of earning honor for oneself -10)
    
    Interpretation of scores:
    0-35: Extremely tamasic by nature or very dark existence; below spiritual poverty line
    35-139: Tamasic or in the mode of darkness; spiritually poor
    140- 222: Rajasic or in the mode of activity; spiritually middle class
    223-250: Satwic or in the mode of purity; spiritually wealthy
    250: Wealthiest person in the world; enlightened and achieved universal consciousness.
    
    Note: The true benefit of this test is obtained when you set a spiritual goal for yourself and strive to attain it and check your progress by taking this test periodically.
    
    Reference: The spiritual wealth as described in Srimad Bhagvad Gita by the enlightened sage Vyasa.

Three Gates of Hell or Narka

In Hinduism narka is defined as a place without the light of God. Anyone who is not enlightened is said to be in the narka and the ones who are enlightened are said to be in the Light. In absolute sense those who are enlightened and those who are not enlightened are in Brahman as there is nothing else that exists but Brahman. However, those who are not enlightened are tricked to think they are in narka or hell while those who are enlightened are situated in reality and have transcended the influence of Maha Maya or the inherent Great Illusory Potency of Brahman. The topic is about those who are not enlightened. In Srimad Bhagvad Gita, Lord Krishna says that there are three gates to hell or in other words, there are three things that keep us plunged in darkness or in the unenlightened state. The three gates of hell are described as kama (sensual desire), krodha (anger), and lobha (greed). If we want enlightenment, then we must forsake these three evils at once. Kama or sensual desire arises from contemplation of sense objects. When our buddhi or intelligence or power of discrimination (to tell right from wrong) is not aligned with God, we contemplate and engage in pursuing sensual desires. The more we contemplate on a sense object, the stronger becomes the urge or desire within us to attain it. If we are able to attain it, then lobha or greed arises and drives us to have more of it or a better versions of it. If our desire does not get fulfilled then krodha or anger arises. We get frustrated. Since greed is an insatiable fire, it will lead us to a point where we cannot fulfill desires anymore even in spite of going to great lengths to do so. Kama or desire leads to krodha or anger which leads to loss of memory. We temporarily forget that what we are doing will lead to bad consequence due to temporary loss of memory. Loss of memory leads to loss of intelligence. Once we loose intelligence we keep doing the same mistake over and over again and get more and more away from God and become more and more bound to the unenlightened state.

Therefore, we must at once make an effort to curb and ultimately eliminate kama, krodha, and lobha. Sensual desires create a stormy mind and steal away the peace. Cessation of sensual desire bring about ultimate peace of mind. Gaining complete mastery over sensual desire is easier said than done. However, there are powerful spiritual practices that can induce the state of pratyahar (dispassion). These practices are to be learned from a spiritual master or sadguru. Dispassion or disinterest for worldly things is an important step in the path of self realization.

Sat-Cit-Ananda: Definition of Brahman or God in Hinduism

Brahman of Hinduism is beyond the God concept. God in Christianity has attributes, e.g. God is good, God is the heavenly Father, etc. But Brahman is attributeless. Brahman is defined by three words in the Upanisads. Sat, Chit, and Anand are the three words that define Brahman. Combinedly, Brahman is referred to as Satchidananda (Sat+Chit+Anand). The objective of this blog is to clarify when Hindus say God in English, what they mean by that. They actually often refer to the Brahman. Brahman is defined as Satchidananda.

Sat - Existence: Brahman only exists. Nothing else exists. The world is merely a projection like the idea of a snake projected upon a piece of rope. The idea of a world is similarly projected upon the Brahman by its own supreme potency Maha Maya. Therefore, the worldly phenomena do not have a true existence without Brahman just like the waves do not have a true existence without the ocean. The only substance that truly exists is Brahman. It is the only Truth. Everything else is nonTruth. The idea of I, you, trees, space, time, etc. are mere ideas made of Brahman alone.

Maha Maya is the creative potency of the Brahman. Maha Maya is the projective power of consciousness similar to subconscious thoughts projected as dream stuff. Because the entire creation is contained within Maha Maya, the entire universe is referred to as the womb of Maha Maya in which all things are conceived by the Supreme Consciousness or Brahman. They are one and the same. Maha Maya is integral to Brahman. The Maha Maya aspect of the Brahman is worshipped as the Divine Mother.

Cit - Consciousness or Awareness: Now that we just said Brahman is the only thing that exists. The natural question comes to mind is if it exists, then what is it? The Upanisads declare that it is Consciousness or Awareness. What is awareness? Well if you close your eyes, you still feel that you are aware of yourself, that you exist. That is awareness. It is of very subtle nature. Brahman is nothing but that Supreme Awareness. So far we have said, Brahman is the only Substance that exists and that Substance is Awareness. Everything is made up of consciousness or awareness. Awareness is modified to take various forms under the influence of Mula Prakriti or Maha Maya, which causes things to exist when in essence they do not.

Ananda - Absolute Bliss/ Beyond Duality: Absolute bliss is said to be neither sorrow nor happiness. It is the ecstacy generated from cessation of all thoughts. It is the quietude experienced when modifications in the mind are quietened. This is the joy experienced when there is nothing remains to be gained or nothing is lost. Brahman is beyond all forms of dualities. It is neither pleasure nor pain. It is neither joy nor sorrow. It is neither light nor darkness. It is beyond all names and forms. It has no attributes. It is formless. It is timeless. It is Bliss Absolute beyond all these modifications. It is supreme oneness. It has nothing else but Itself. Ananda (attributelessness) is the attribute of the attributeless Brahman. It is because of the Ananda aspect of the Brahman, all creations are incessantly seeking love and happiness. Ananda is the source of all happiness, source of all worldly joy.

In summary, Brahman is and nothing else is. It is of the form awareness. It is pure bliss and beyond duality. The three words Sat, Cit, and Ananda completely define the supreme reality which Hindus call Brahman.

Fasting on Fruits and Milk During Navaratri Sadhana

Fasting can be regular fasting or spiritual fasting. The difference lies in the intent. When one is fasting because one has no food to eat or one does not have time to eat or the situation does not permit one to eat, it is regular fasting. When one fasts with an intent to purify one's body and mind, to dive deeper within, worship God for a specific purpose, etc., it is called spiritual fasting. It is this fasting I am going to discuss here.

Spiritual literature of every major religion proclaim many benefits of spiritual fasting. In Hinduism fasting is called upabasa. Upabasa consists of two words, upa means near and basa means live. To do upabasa literally means to live near God. What this means is that when one does upabasa or spiritual fasting, one's mood is inward. One is closer to one's own being. One is closer to God.

Hindus regularly do spiritual fasting. They fast on the Hindu holy days such as Janmasthami, Rama Navami, Navaratri, Sivaratri, etc., on the Ekadashi day of every fortnight, on Sankrantis, etc.. If a particular Hindu wants to observe every Hindu holy day, then he would be easily fasting 1/3rd of the year.

I fast 9 days and 9 nights during Navaratri every year. In this article, I would like to describe how I do it. Hopefully it will benefit someone who has a desire to fast but lacks the courage. The first requirement of any fasting is the initial resolve to fast for a specific duration with very limited but specific food intake or even without any food and water intake. I have done fasting both with limited food intake as well as without any food and water. However, I have never done fasting for an extended period without food and water. As I indicated the most important requirement of a spiritual fasting is to make an initial resolve for fasting and knowing why you are doing it. Always consciously know the intent of fasting and remind yourself the intent as often as necessary.

In extended fasting, Day 1 through Day 3 is the hardest period. Mother Kali is worshipped through the first 3 days. The symbolism is that during the first three days the sadhak or practitioner is trying to overcome the most formidable of the demons that reside in Muladhara and Swadhithan chakras.

I take one glass of milk-shake made with milk, a banana, and some berries in the morning and the same in the evening. At lunch time, I take just fruits, typically a banana or an apple or both. I limit it to milk and fruits. In some years, I have added a few nuts to my milk shake.

When you are starting out on this fasting path, you will see that you might get hungry after a few hours. However, remind yourself of the resolve and why you are doing it. Pray to the divinity to give you strength to continue with it. In the evening, plan on a prayer session. My evenings consist of mantra japa, meditation, prayer, and recitation of Saptasati Chandi during Navaratri. You will see that you will derive energy from your resolve. Your resolve will get stronger by the day. You will be graced by the divinity for the divine purpose of your fasting. You will find that the second day is actually the hardest. Again, every time a desire for taking food other than the prescribed food comes to your mind, remind yourself of the resolve and pray to the divinity. I pray to Mother Durga, God in the form of Divine Mother. Ultimately the Bramhan in Hinduism is neither mother nor father. Brahman is beyond any modifications or attributes to have attibutes of a father or mother. However, I am attracted to the idea of worshipping God as the Mother.

Third day of fasting is hard but is easier than the second day. Once you survive the third day, you will find it progressively easier to carry out your fasting through all nine days. In fact toward the end you will feel as if you are not fasting anymore and can go on like that for a long time. The body readjusts to the food intake.

During this time, during the first two days, my entire alimentary canal is evacuated of any remaining dross. After the first three days, there is hardly a need to defecate as almost everything gets absorbed by the body. There is hardly any intestinal gas production and if at all any gas is produced is completely odorless. The body begins to attain a very pleasant smell. The body fluids do not smell. The body gets completely transformed and so is the mind during these nine days of fasting and devotion.

The first three days you may find some loss in physical energy but after the third day, you will see increase in both physical and mental energy. Your body will attain a divine glow. Your eyes will attain mystical charisma. You will develop a spiritual aura. You will develop charisma. You will definitely fee spiritual. The cares of the world are not going to bother you. The demons kama (desire), krodha (anger), lobha (greed), moha (attachment), mada (pride), matsarya (jealousy) will loose their strength with each passing day of fasting. Navaratri sadhana with fasting is far more superior compared to the same without fasting. You will attain tremendous spiritual progress.

You will loose weight on the milk and fruit fasting diet. I lose about 2 pounds each day. You will guaranteed loose anywhere from 12 to 20 pounds of weight in 9 days. The tenth day is called Bijaya Dasami or the Victory Tenth Day, when you declare victory over the demons from Divine Mother's grace. I break my fast on the 10th day after an elaborate Durga Puna or worship to Divine Mother in the form of Durga. Puja takes about 3.5 hours to 4 hours. I take prasad after the puja on the 10th day and that is the break of my Navaratri fast. I have been doing this for a number of years now. Fasting feels normal. It transforms my body and mind. I recommend fasting to everyone unless you have a physical condition which will not allow you to fast.