The role Meditation & Repetition of Holy Name in Life's Endeavour

Quest:— It is heard that you have performed many miracles and strange things— how did you do them?

Beloved the Lord:— I don’t know any miracle or strange thing, nor have I done any; there are some people who say such rubbish. I am exactly as you find me. Something appears strange to us only when we don’t know the reason behind. You know how to write shorthand, this is strange to me because, I don’t know that. When I practiced homeopathy, I would contemplate medicines, the cause of the disease and the person within my mind.

One day as I was walking down a road in Kashipur to visit some patient, I came across a Muslim coming from the Pabna-market, a basket on his head and some fries of boyāl fish in his hand. The moment I saw him, the image of the homeopathic medicine Viratrum Album flashed before in my mind. I said him instantly, ‘brother, you must not take this fish, you shall have acute stomach disorder’. To this he said, ‘when God has given this life, certainly I have to die someday’. Saying this he went away, I too went my way. Not long after I returned home from my visit to a patient, a relative of that man came informing me that the man had twice had loose motions, his limbs had gone cold and that he was feeling squeamish and he seemed to have a cramp too. Having come back from Pabna, no sooner had he a wash followed by a few puffs of tobacco than something murmured inside his stomach, and he went to ease nature. Thereafter he was feeling dizzy all over his body and his forehead started sweating. But a little later when he again had loose motion he hurriedly sent for you. I went there and administered a dosage of Viratrum Album 30 to him. The patient got relieved. He did not believe that I cured him of his illness applying the medicine. He started telling people that I can perform miracles.

Quest:— Merely looking at that person you understood that he might have Cholera,— how did you acquire such exceptional power of observation?

Beloved the Lord:— If a man becomes sincerely engaged with something and applies that, then from that his experience flourishes, common sense grows, and at last that becomes something like instinct— and probably as the result of this I had had such perception.

Quest:— It is found written in your biography that you used to practice the repetition of Holy Name incessantly in your childhood. Things like that may happen by repeating the Holy Name. By the way, what does this repetition of Holy Name mean? Why did you do that either?

Beloved the Lord:— In Paatanjali is written “Tajjapastadarthabhāvanancha”— that has to be, id est. the Holy Name has to be repeated and the meaning of it has to be meditated upon. Repeating Holy Name means pronouncing inwardly that which has to be repeated while meditating on that or meditating upon the meaning of that. As a result of continuously pronouncing a single word inwardly, it works on our nervous system and excites the brain-cells. Consequently the cells become much more sensitive than they usually are,— and due to this sensitiveness the impulses that were earlier beyond the range of perception come gradually within perception.

And As a result of single-minded contemplation continually with attachment, i.e. meditation or thinking of the Beloved, those sensitive cells become adjusted in such a way that they not only receive impulses, but also become able to retain them unbrokenly, i.e. become receptive. By repeating the Name like Om, Kling which are positive or linked with the root, the sensitiveness of the brain cell increases, and as a result of meditating upon an image, the nerves become receptive.

See then, how developed, how deeper our observations become! And perhaps, from anything else this cannot happen so well, as the way they do from the repetition and meditation of the Holy Name. But then there is one fact that, He in whom this Name is consummated is to be meditated upon or to be followed,— because, by doing this all the feelings that become excited remain manifest in His physical expression.

Quest:— But in consequence of repeating the Name, as I find, there has been no better thing happened than causing nervous debility to the race of this region.

Beloved the Lord:— It is like counting one’s chickens before they are hatched, or ‘beggars must not be choosers’. This is a perpetual fact that nervous debility becomes cured by the repetition of Holy Name,— and it is countless that in how many ways this is emphasized in Ayurveda. Rather it is pretty difficult for one to repeat and meditate upon the Holy Name who has become debilitated by doing wrong. So, brahmacharya, i.e. lofty thoughts by which being and becoming can be elevated, and with such rules there are regulations for health abiding by which man can live with healthy body and mind— specifically following these rules repetition of the Holy Name, meditation, conception etc. have been advised, and that is for further progress.

What dharma can those people do who don’t possess good health? To perform dharma one has to maintain the rules by which good health can be secured and on that ground devout austerity and constant endeavour (tapasyā & sādhanā) have to be practiced. Perhaps this is the reason why Chaitanyadev had advised people to practice the repetition of the Holy Name and meditation along with singing and dancing. To drive the people towards upliftment who have become idle, inert and sick with poor health, devotional narration of glories along with singing and dancing are the primary means.

To practice the repetition of the Holy Name and narration of glories along with singing and dancing without following the proper rules may however make one debilitated. That lifting dumbbells or brandishing a club in an unmethodical way may also damage health— even cause incurable diseases, has been seen plenty; and this is applicable to everyone. So also the aforementioned is no different.

Quest:— Well, you were talking about Positive Name,— what is this Positive Name?

Beloved the Lord:— All the sounds that are generated due to actions and reactions within our system are Positive Name or unbeaten sound; and there are different sequences or layers of the evolution of this sound, grosser to finer— e.g. Hring, Kling, Om, Rang etc. These are that or the sounds of that layer which by making our system stimulated become manifest into beaten-sound through speeches, and that is Positive Name— of which sound is the soul. To speak in short, we can perceive different types of lights and sounds through different types of excitements in our brain cells. That sound is the Positive Name and that light is Image.

Quest:— You said that as a result of meditating upon an image the nerves become receptive— what do you mean by receptive?

Beloved the Lord:— Receptive is— like the strings of a sitar are wrapped round its keys. When key is tightened, sensitiveness increases and produces the similar sound. But if key is not there, the string receives no impulse. Centering which the centric mood, attitude and keenness grow is verily the cue of that attitude— at the sight of which alone that mood comes, and that is receptivity.

Quest:— Does this receptivity increase by meditating upon anything?

Beloved the Lord:— it brings love tension, a desire comes to act like the Beloved— and so we become somewhat like him upon whom we meditate.

Quest:— You have been heard to say that practicing meditation we can know in five years things that may usually take fifteen. Is then any other transcendental way to know other than ordinary means?

Beloved the Lord:— Super-sensitive senses are transcendental,— I don’t know anything as transcendental than this.

Quest:— Can’t things be known with power of yoga while keeping eyes closed? Many say herein lies the specialty of Indian spiritualism.

Beloved the Lord:— With the power of yoga— that is, everything of course is known by the dint of attachment. If I become attached with or interested in an object and think about it, the knowledge of it certainly increases. Closing eyes does nothing than it helps lessen disturbances. The way Ekalavya remaining engrossed in meditation and activity attained skill in life without the help of Dronacharya. If there is the power of yoga, super-physical things also can be perceived; yet the fundamental object has to be know verily with the senses— and this is Indian characteristic. Dance of atom can be seen if one becomes absorbed in single-minded thinking like Kekule.

Quest:— As anyone can accept the rules of physical exercises, so also can anyone accept as spiritual endeavour what you call Positive Name and meditation because, this too is a scientific and universal truth, isn’t it?

Beloved the Lord:— Definitely, if only one clearly understands.

On Dharma, Activity & Ideal

Quest:— Many work-institutions have been built up in your ashram. What ideal have you kept while setting them up?

Beloved the Lord:— Mere words can hardly bring our development. It is my desire that every boy and girl of our country get such education that they may be able to stand on their own feet. Nothing will happen unless industry is built up in the country. If people do not become active, then Dharma will remain merely a word-of-mouth for them. Here each of the centres is being evolved around a particular individual who is well-versed in that particular subject.

Quest:— Well, looking at such modern activities in your ashram, it seems to be resembling to Western models. Were the ashrams of our country in ancient era, such as monastery of Vashistha, Kapil and the like, of this type?

Beloved the Lord:— Those were what those should have been at that time with all these activities.

Quest:— Couldn’t quite get it! Was there so much impetus on work even then? What sort of relation was there among ashrams, society and the state?

Beloved the Lord:— The ashrams were the institutions, and where perfection towards excellence and culminating work-culture could be attained was entitled as Ashram. Therefore, every life, through education, was moulded in such a manner that, it could regulate the society, state and so forth, this is what me seems.

Quest:— For education there was verily Brahmacharyashram,— in which there was no place for industry, isn’t it?

Beloved the Lord:— Endeavour, service and begging were the prime components of brahmacharya.# There were learning through endeavour, mass upliftment through service, and maintenance of the self, i.e. procuring food for the Guide and for the self through begging only after rendering service. And this alms had to be collected from many a person, and not from the kin or near ones save at the time of crisis.

Therefore, from the need of procuring provisions one could not but go from door to door, and in this process it became easy for him to know the needs, wants, complaints etc. of others; thereby providing him ample scope for extending service to them. And subsequently, there was no way for him but to very much normally become the object of people’s reverence and respect. See then, isn’t this the fact that, fundamentally industry had been started from this service!

Quest:— How have work and dharma been allied here?

Beloved the Lord:— Dharma and work in fact are already allied. That which upholds a thing— is the dharma of that thing. And to know the thing as it is in its every pattern, one has to work similarly in that every pattern. Hence if man be not diligent, he cannot be dhārmik, i.e. performer of dharma. Work, therefore, has begun automatically here.

Quest:— Europe is diligent,— is it dhārmik then?

Beloved the Lord:— Europe, I think, is more dhārmik than this us.

Quest:— How so? What is the meaning of dharma then?

Beloved the Lord:— That which upholds us, that which sustain our existence— is verily dharma. If that is so, then we have to do all such work so as to ensure that, not only our existence remain unhindered but become strengthen too.

Dharma can be attained in all sorts of ways. Maintaining being and becoming of others whatever man does in order to live, to get joy, to obtain happiness and comfort is dharma. My existence depends upon the condition of the surroundings. I remain healthy if my surroundings shall remain healthy. From the knowledge which is kept emerging from the responses that our five sense-organs get with external stimulus, we come to feel ‘I exist’. Apart from this there is no such thing as ‘I’,— and even if there is, it cannot be known. If I’m kept in a place where there is nothing, then my consciousness of the self will shatter. When some other thing apart from ‘I’ exists, consciousness of the self arises only then. Where there is nothing except ‘I’, there ‘I’ too does not exist.

Quest:— How is it possible to ensure one’s own happiness and comfort while maintaining other’s being and becoming?

Beloved the Lord:— If the awakening of the consciousness of ‘I’ depends verily upon the environment, then the upliftment of the environment must ensure the upliftment of this ‘I’ the self. Hence my duty is, for sure, doing that by which, my environment gets upliftment— and to ensure this, service to the environment is indispensable for my existence and growth. And the more disinclined to this service I shall be, the more shall I become weaker and fatigued, and there is no doubt that the deterioration of this existence too will become inevitable. So, you see, environment is the primary factor to our happiness and comfort.

Quest:— Is every worker dhārmik then?

Beloved the Lord:— Yes, dharma means the way— by moving, speaking and thinking in which manner our being and becoming remain intact and grow. Das-da (Chittaranjan Das) was more dhārmik than an ordinary ascetic or many so-called great men, because service to his environment was the chief vow of his life. He loved his environment sincerely to fulfill his principle. In the earnest eagerness of his tremendous enthusiasm to fulfill his ideal he abundantly loved his entire environment.

Quest:— Does the same apply for Europe also?

Beloved the Lord:— Yes, they have a few advantages. Whenever whatever difficulty has been arisen, they are trying to solve that, and are gradually delving deeper and deeper. When a nation dwindles, there be a dearth of inquisitiveness within it, and selfish enjoyment becomes prominent. And when attention is given to invention, the nation rises; it cannot grow higher if the focus shifts to selfish enjoyment.

Quest:— If what you say be the meaning of dharma, then why from time immemorial is there so much scrimmage over it? If dharma were so simple, then there would be no difference among the doings, sayings and thinkings of Lord Krishna, Lord Buddha, Jesus Christ and Prophet Mohammad.

Beloved the Lord:— There is no scrimmage in dharma ever, anywhere. For dharma means doing that by which, being and becoming remain unhindered, intact and growing; and this is the interest of every individual, so, there is no discrepancy among the prime laws of dharma. Whatever discrepancy seems, that crops up with the change of place, time and person, and that is in accordance with the peculiarities of the need of the place and time. For example, it is heard that in Madras (Chennai) people get ill if they do not take an adequate amount of chilli in their diet, and in another place onion is indispensable. So, these are not universal. And standing over such things when man tries to pronounce judgment over dharma, only then the scuffle is perhaps ensued.

Quest:—  If that be the case, then why is there so much discord among different dharma? And how is it that so much animosity and violence between the Hindus, the Muslims and the Christians?

Beloved the Lord:— The cause of this violence is ignorance. In my opinion, truly dhārmik every Hindu is a Muslim and a Christian, truly dhārmik every Muslim or Christian is a Hindu; and where anything otherwise has happened, there is nothing but the galloping of ignorance wearing the mask of dharma. If abiding by Mohammad is dharma, and accepting ‘God is One’ is dharma,— and if in that, there is no restriction or objection in obeying the previous Prophets or Gurus of the world, then remaining very much a Brahmin I can be a Muslim, being a Kshatriya does not come in the way of my being a Muslim; so also even being a Muslim, there is no obstacle in becoming a Brahmin or a Kshatriya.

Quest:— But every Hindu is a kāfir, an object of contempt, to a Muslim,— whereas a Muslim can’t ever be a kāfir, can he? And to the Christians, aren’t all Non-Christians no more than pagans or heathens?

Beloved the Lord:— I may not understand but, if kāfir means one not having faith in dharma, or if anyone is a believer in dharma who believes that, God is One, there is nothing or no one like Him— who is Almighty, and Sadgurus, Masters or Prophets or His Son is the only way to Him, then who among the Hindus, Muslims or Christians can be called kāfir? Rather, if there be such a believer then calling him a kāfir or heathen or pagan is itself a terribly antagonistic practice to faith in God.

Quest:— But the Hindus are idolaters, aren’t they?

Beloved the Lord:— Hindus have never been idolaters but hero-worshippers. Wherever they have found the concentration of power, they have bowed down to that and have accepted considering that a power of God. Neglecting the Source they never recognize or have accepted any concentration of power, this is what I think. I haven’t seen any happening contrary to this. Whenever any affluence of power, that has denied the Source, has been sighted, then and there they have rejected that calling that Asura and the like; only this what I come to see and I don’t know if anything else is there.

Quest:— Consuming forbidden diets, raping another’s woman are also sometimes perpetrated by man in the name of dharma. Such incongruity in moving, speaking, doing and thinking is seldom seen in the name of anything else other than dharma!

Beloved the Lord:— Without acting against the being and becoming of others as far as possible— even not acting against at all— if someone complies with such moving, speaking, doing and thinking that he can keep his being and becoming untroubled and growing, perfectness too remains as much there. Thence consuming forbidden diets, raping another’s woman can never be committed in the name of dharma. Moreover, can any person who performs dharma avow that these are permitted by the laws of dharma? Whenever such things happen, it should be understood that these are nothing but the tussle of bogus interests and selfish establishment in the name of dharma. Everyone must be aware of this.

Quest:— Can’t dharma then be something that bring about the everlasting solution to this dissension, and that which man can follow unhindered unceasingly to become successful— to become blessed? What are those primal laws?

Beloved the Lord:— Of course there is solution, and it can be seen conspicuous in the laws propagated by every reformer. Without following those laws when man moulds them in the dice of his own whims and thus moves, problems arise. Prime laws are those that are inevitably indispensable for the being and becoming of every individual, and that is universal, general and eternal; there are, e.g., worship of the Lord, devotion to the Guide or Master, the sanctity of food, the sanctity of deeds, the sanctity of words etc.

Quest:— Who else this Guide is? Isn’t this Guide or Master at the very root of all conflicts?

Beloved the Lord:— Those in whom the laws of existence and development became or have become manifest are the Guides or Gurus; hence all Gurus are same. And He from whom one directly gets all this is one’s Ideal, Guru or Guide. He alone is to be followed, and others are the objects of devotion, worship,— through the discussions of their lives and activities we become firm in the Ideal, become unhindered, and therefore upliftment comes to us unrestrained.

Hanuman is said to have told,

“Srināthe Jānakināthe abhedah paramātamani

tathāpi mama sarvaswah Ramah kamalalochanah.”—

Though Lord Krishna and Lord Rama are inseparable

the expression of the same Supreme Being,

still lotus-eyed Rama is my everything.

Where there is confusion in the masterly attributes of guru, there, for sure, deviation from mastery prevails,— and whoever one may be, a Hindu, a Muslim, a Christian or a Buddhist. His company should always be renounced which slackens one’s devotion towards one’s Guru, because it invites degeneration; there is no masterly attributes in that company, rather the opposite of it. Wherever masterly attributes of Guru are found, there it is proper to serve and worship them imaging them to be various images, various forms of one’s own Ideal, Guru or Guide, if not we are induced by them with such thinking as causes our wavering or fall from the Ideal.

Kabir has said,

“Enjoy the essence and company of everyone

                        give to everyone the prominence,

saying yes you become agreeable to everyone

                        sticking firm to your own sense.”

Without being disrespectful towards other preceptors if one has adherence and devotion for one’s own Guru, then all other true preceptors remain well-disposed towards him. So, perhaps the verse emerged, “Sarvadevamayo Guruh”— all gods are consummated in the Guru.

Quest:— In the present age many say— for what this guru is? There is God and here I am, by no means can any necessity of someone’s intermediary be understood at all.

Beloved the Lord:— Godhead connotes all the attributes of God, and the one who in the worship of godhead, i.e. all which is possessed of God, has imbibed those in his character; in whose thinking, moving, speaking and doing these become manifest is verily the Guru, and in him dwells godhead. Hence the saying is, “Brahmavit Brahma eva bhavati”— the man who realizes Brahma is Brahma himself.

And I don’t know, whether we have any other way possible to development other than this embodied God in the shape of the Guru. Jesus has said, “I am the way, the truth, the life— none can come to the Father but through me.” What does this mean? Isn’t what I have said? So, one who has no Ideal, no embodied Ideal— and who has nothing such as love, devotion or attachment to him; one who has never actively fulfilled anyone, i.e. has not ever be blessed by fulfilling someone’s wishes, how can he become a Guru?

Quest:— Why do then some become rebellious on hearing the guruism? Whereas in all the religions of the world there is this hero-worship or guruism. But today, many reckon guruism appalling— why so?

Beloved the Lord:— First it is very much convenient to the ego of many people to keep God incorporeal without abiding by any Sadguru, Master or Prophet, because,  in that case there remains no possibility of our whims getting into any conflict whatsoever. My complexes then can make, whatever they like, of me, unopposed. I may like a chameleonic devotee pronounce—

            “Jānāmi dharmang na cha me pravritti—

            rjānāmyadharmang na cha me nivrittih;

            twayā hrishikesha hridisthitena

            yathā niyuktoashmi tathā karomi.”—

                        Though I know what dharma means, I’ve no inclination in it

                        Though I know what anti-dharma means, I’ve no respite from that;

                        O Hrishikesha! I’m doing whatever

                        Thou make me doing sitting in my heart.

For the self like this Hrishikesha is merely an abstract. People acclaim shouting ‘bravo’, and I feel, wow, I’ve done it. Which foolish ego wants to remain deprived of this instant acclamation? Though through this, the crown of destruction unknowingly gets hold of the throne of our brain.

Another cause for this revolting is one’s claim to be a Guru who is not worthy of a Guru. Those who know nothing, do nothing, understand nothing,— don’t ever bear the rubbish burden of making their wealth, service, devotion and love fulfilled unto someone, and moreover, their putting legs on others’ heads and their tyranny of horrifying them with the threat of catastrophe for extortion— are, as I think, the main causes. But it is true that one, who has no Guru or Ideal— in whose horoscope God has not ordained any such thing as abiding by the Ideal or Guru, is a fallen for sure. And however much enlightened he may be, his downfall also is as much enlightenedly.

Quest:— Well, as you have said, the Hindus are not idolaters, but abiding by nobody, doing nothing still we can comfortably remain Hindu. Don’t we indeed have any ideal or anything worth doing?

Beloved the Lord:— Hinduism means Aryanism— the very philosophy of the Aryans is the philosophy of Hindus, the Aryan seers are the seers of Hindus, and those who acknowledge these are Hindus. Just as obeying previous-preceptors is imperative for the Christians, it is exactly same with the Aryans or Hindus. Starting from their own guru to all the previous ones they are very much with specific insistence ordained to show devotion and reverence.

Quest:— Ordained they are indeed, but if don’t obey?

Beloved the Lord:— Those who do not obey, do not accept or do not follow God, Seer, Ideal or Guru are, according to the Hindu school of thought, fallen or spoiled, kāfir to the Muslims, and heathen to the Christians.

Quest:— But nowadays, for example, in Russia, dharma is not recognized as a thing of great importance; so also it is heard that Kamal Pasha attaches no importance to the Koran. Rather many State-machineries are functioning pretty smoothly even without dharma. Japan is so developed, why there has been no outbreak of dharma as such?

Beloved the Lord:— We can renounce dharma but, dharma does not forsake us. As long as there is any such thing as our being and becoming, and by which or practicing which our being and becoming continue is verily dharma— and that we already keep on obeying, it may be in the name of dharma or may not be. Kamal Pasha cannot reject dharma because, he possesses everything that he has standing upon dharma,— and the Koran is that in which all these converge. But he can, of course, drive away anti-dharma which wears the mask of dharma— and that he must do. He can banish the misinterpretation of the Koran, but not the Koran. So also in Japan, in Russia,— dharma is there, may be not in name but certainly in deeds, otherwise there could not have been any such thing as prosperity.

Quest:— In our country also, sayings like ‘Country first, then religion’ of many intellectuals like Pundit Jawaharlal have gained currency. What does that mean?

Beloved the Lord:— The word ‘desh’ (country) has originated from the word ‘ādesh’ (command). And command comes from the Ideal, and in Ideal there is love and life. So it should be Ideal first. And the place where those who follow the Ideal live is called country. Then it should be Ideal first, then country.