How " Temptation " can destroy the Powerful..The Danger of Super Natural Powers of the False Prophets and The symbolism of the Nine Days of Rama Navami..
Yet supernatural phenomena is the greatest lure of many religious " streams" today .
Sri Ramakrishna the spiritual Master whose life and teachings were carried by Swami Vivekananda to the Western world.and which was the essence of pure unadulterated " Love for God and only God "often condemned those who display and seek supernatural powers as the `Be all and end all of religion' as indulging in the " Filth of the Lowest Being" ..He once revealed to Swami Vivekananda that he could transmit all those supernatural powers if he wished..and they would bring millions of folowers but they would not take any one God ward and towards the final destination of true Peace and Bliss.
A Very senior Monk of the Ramakrishna order once described `False Prophets' as those who lure people with displays and experiences of super natural powers and in the end lead to the destruction of themselves and their followers..The test was to see if the people who followed these " Super Natural " peddlers became stronger human beings..more sane, logical..practical, God loving and productive or ended up as substance abuse addicts and brain washed patients in Psychiatric wards..
" the test of a true man of God is that he can create in you a love for God and develop in you the " Peace that surpasses all understanding" as described in the words of Jesus said the Swami.
It is strange but true that many of the prominent " Self Styled Prophets" in the West and Miraculous `Gurus' of the East.. have made their name and fame and money based on the `marketing of " Super Natural and Miraculous Powers" . Interestingly if you study their words and claims closely they have often picked up examples from Raja Yoga / Patanjali/ Vedanta, Kundalini Yoga and Buddhism and tried to fit it into their own scriptures and interpretation of the scriptures and then turned around and denounced Vedanta, Hinduism, Buddhism and other old religions and those that follow them as followers of " False Gods" .
In India A certain "Bhagwan" who was once one of the richest men on earth was finally expelled from every country and died in ignominy in the city of Pune...he often made crude jokes about of his own `birth' religion hurting the religious sentiments of millions. At one time he owned a fleet of Diamond crusted Rolls Royce cars and amongst his followers were celebrities from Hollywood/ Bollywood and members of the Royal families of Europe. In the West the we have seen many examples of Catholic priests who use their " position and power " to abuse young children . Meanwhile the long list of names of " Self styled' prophets and evangelists whose careers have been tainted or ended with scandal and shame in the western world will show up on any Google Search.
Our Spiritual Teacher Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj explained..the Temptation of Power is so great that only one in a million spiritual aspirant who has reached that state has the courage and the " Power " to renounce them and carry on towards the Goal.which is God realization alone...
The Bible Says ""And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep." 2 Peter 2:2
The aphorisms from verses 50 to 52 of Patnajali are very powerful and are as follows :
“Whenever there is a
decline of good and noble acts and evil
dominates..I incarnate myself from age to age to overcome the forces of evil
and to protect the meek and righteous..” thus promised Sri Krishna in the holy
Bhagwad Gita …in every world religion there is an understanding that God
incarnates himself as a Human Being to fight the forces of evil and that he will return again….and again whenever
mankind is in great danger….in Sanskrit
the Divine incarnations are known as the Avatars..( from which the English word
`Avatar’ has been derived..)
One of the most noble and heroic of all the 10 Divine Avatars of the ancient Hindus is that of Lord Rama. The Nine day festival of Rama is celebrated after the New Moon of Spring March/ April.. The legend states that Lord Rama who was born a Prince was groomed and chosen to be the heir to the throne of his Father the greatest of Kings Dasaratha. of the land of Bharata....( Undivided India).. Because of a wicked boon promised to his youngest wife..the King was forced to send his favourite son Rama into exile for 14 years . Rama his beautiful princess Sita and beloved brother Laxmana spend the 14 years of exile wandering over the plains and mountains of India..In this time..the Demon Ravana kidnapped Sita by disguising himself as an Old sage. Rama and his brother crossed oceans and mountains to rescue her…the entire epic Ramayana is the story of this divine fight of good over the extreme forces of evil and the victory of Rama…The two important points in the story were that Ravana the Demon had all the Supernatural Powers and he used it to grow in evil and power and money and lust..the second was that Sita the Queen of Lord Rama was tempted by the sight of a Golden deer..that was the `lure' the Trap..that led to the Battle..
Also view this post :http://lipimukherji.blogspot.ca/2013/09/when-darkness-encompasses-man-he-turns.html
In the month of March/ April the nine days following the New Moon of the spring are celebrated as the Nine days of Rama and culminates on his birthday which falls on the ninth day.
It is also the Spring festival of the Goddess Durga in
many parts of India. The Lord Rama invoked the blessings of the Goddess to
overcome the Devil Ravana . The eight day is also considered very auspicious as a celebration of God in the form of Mother who feeds the world..she is known as Ma Annapurna and her original Temple is located in Kashi in India. It is said..that even Lord Shiva went to her to ask for sustainance since it is sustainance that enables us to continue to strive for the highest..
The Ramayana is one of the most favourite of Folk stories of the people of the Sub continent till this day..the Noble deeds of Rama, his heroism, bravery, loyalty to his wife , to his father, to his brother and to his subjects set the standards for what is expected from a King and from a true Man. ..There is a saying that the entire battle of Good versus evil would not have taken place if the queen Sita had not been tempted by the sight of a `golden fawn’ which she wanted as a pet..she sent her husband Rama to catch the fawn ( which was a decoy from the `devil’ and that is when the evil Demon found her alone and kidnapped her..Rama Navamai was celebrated at Vedanta Society of Toronto on Tuesday April 8th with music and prayers and worship..in India it is one of the most special days for the Devotees of Rama who was considered an ideal in every way..whether as a King..or a Husband..or friend or a son..Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj gave a talk about the incarnation of Rama. The video recording can be seen on the Vedanta Society of Toronto website. Media/ Sunday Lectures.
 |
| Swami Vivekananda..the Sage who spoke of fearlessness.. |
This topic of Temptation was the subject of discussion
during our class at the Vedanta society of Toronto on Wednesday April 2nd
. We were studying Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda who explains the ancient Yoga
aphorisms by Patanjali . The study is based on the ancient texts of Patanjali which date back thousands of years and the Vedas which are the oldest recorded spiritual texts known to all mankind.
We also study the Treatise of Swami Sarvagathananda Maharaj the late spiritual head of the Vedanta society of Boston US, who explains the works in context
to both the East and the West in his treatise..
Satan came to tempt the Christ and Mara came to tempt the Buddha when they had attained supreme God hood..in the story of Sri Ramakrishna the spiritual Master of 19th century India , his ardent disciple Mathur Babu tried to often `test' him by taking him to places of ill repute..in each place Sri Ramakrishna became more God intoxicated and even saw the divinity manifested in the most `fallen' of women..He would bow and salute them from afar and changed their lives with just a glance...Similarly there were often people who tried to `Test' the great Sage Swami Vivekananda and failed each time..
In our current context we can see examples of the High and Mighty falling because of the alure of " Lust and Greed"..heads of States, Heads of World organizations..Heads of Financial Institutions and men and women held as leaders in all walks of life..have to face unseen `temptations'. As we as individuals grow in power in any walk of Life..this Temptation is what we have to be most careful of as it can lead to our losing everything in a moment of weakness..
In the last many months we have been studying Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda. In the chapter ' Powers of the Mind " we studied the Powerful results of deep meditative states which Spiritual masters have attained since ancient times.
Some of the conclusions and results which we attained from this study were the
' Dangers of Powers" These powers can be super natural or very material and worldly.
This study is very important and significant in today's world in both the East and the West where we see the Rise and Fall of thousands of ` Self styled Prophets' and `God-men' and " women" who claim " Miraculous powers", " Super Natural Powers" and claim to have thousands of followers..
Through out the Book Raja Yoga Swami Vivekananda the author warns of the dangerous effects of the use and display of these " Powers" which can ultimately destroy both the " False Prophets and their followers. The Psychological effects of this kind of forced Meditation for the sake of attaining powers can also lead to mental imbalance and insanity he warned in one place.Satan came to tempt the Christ and Mara came to tempt the Buddha when they had attained supreme God hood..in the story of Sri Ramakrishna the spiritual Master of 19th century India , his ardent disciple Mathur Babu tried to often `test' him by taking him to places of ill repute..in each place Sri Ramakrishna became more God intoxicated and even saw the divinity manifested in the most `fallen' of women..He would bow and salute them from afar and changed their lives with just a glance...Similarly there were often people who tried to `Test' the great Sage Swami Vivekananda and failed each time..
In our current context we can see examples of the High and Mighty falling because of the alure of " Lust and Greed"..heads of States, Heads of World organizations..Heads of Financial Institutions and men and women held as leaders in all walks of life..have to face unseen `temptations'. As we as individuals grow in power in any walk of Life..this Temptation is what we have to be most careful of as it can lead to our losing everything in a moment of weakness..
In the last many months we have been studying Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda. In the chapter ' Powers of the Mind " we studied the Powerful results of deep meditative states which Spiritual masters have attained since ancient times.
Some of the conclusions and results which we attained from this study were the
' Dangers of Powers" These powers can be super natural or very material and worldly.
 |
| Sri Ramkrishna Paramahansa |
Yet supernatural phenomena is the greatest lure of many religious " streams" today .
Sri Ramakrishna the spiritual Master whose life and teachings were carried by Swami Vivekananda to the Western world.and which was the essence of pure unadulterated " Love for God and only God "often condemned those who display and seek supernatural powers as the `Be all and end all of religion' as indulging in the " Filth of the Lowest Being" ..He once revealed to Swami Vivekananda that he could transmit all those supernatural powers if he wished..and they would bring millions of folowers but they would not take any one God ward and towards the final destination of true Peace and Bliss.
A Very senior Monk of the Ramakrishna order once described `False Prophets' as those who lure people with displays and experiences of super natural powers and in the end lead to the destruction of themselves and their followers..The test was to see if the people who followed these " Super Natural " peddlers became stronger human beings..more sane, logical..practical, God loving and productive or ended up as substance abuse addicts and brain washed patients in Psychiatric wards..
" the test of a true man of God is that he can create in you a love for God and develop in you the " Peace that surpasses all understanding" as described in the words of Jesus said the Swami.
It is strange but true that many of the prominent " Self Styled Prophets" in the West and Miraculous `Gurus' of the East.. have made their name and fame and money based on the `marketing of " Super Natural and Miraculous Powers" . Interestingly if you study their words and claims closely they have often picked up examples from Raja Yoga / Patanjali/ Vedanta, Kundalini Yoga and Buddhism and tried to fit it into their own scriptures and interpretation of the scriptures and then turned around and denounced Vedanta, Hinduism, Buddhism and other old religions and those that follow them as followers of " False Gods" .
In India A certain "Bhagwan" who was once one of the richest men on earth was finally expelled from every country and died in ignominy in the city of Pune...he often made crude jokes about of his own `birth' religion hurting the religious sentiments of millions. At one time he owned a fleet of Diamond crusted Rolls Royce cars and amongst his followers were celebrities from Hollywood/ Bollywood and members of the Royal families of Europe. In the West the we have seen many examples of Catholic priests who use their " position and power " to abuse young children . Meanwhile the long list of names of " Self styled' prophets and evangelists whose careers have been tainted or ended with scandal and shame in the western world will show up on any Google Search.
Our Spiritual Teacher Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj explained..the Temptation of Power is so great that only one in a million spiritual aspirant who has reached that state has the courage and the " Power " to renounce them and carry on towards the Goal.which is God realization alone...
The Bible Says ""And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep." 2 Peter 2:2
The aphorisms from verses 50 to 52 of Patnajali are very powerful and are as follows :
तद्वैराग्यादपि दोषबीजक्षये कैवल्यम् ॥५१॥51. By giving up super
natural powers ( attained by great discipline) comes the destruction of the
very seed of evil, which leads to `Kaivalya’. ( which means standing alone)
Swami Vivekananda :
He attains Aloneness, independence, and becomes free. When one gives up even
the ideas of omnipotence and omniscience, there comes entire rejection of
enjoyment, of the temptations from celestial beings. When the Yogi has seen all
these wonderful powers, and rejected them, he reaches the goal. What are all
these powers? Simply manifestations. They are no better than dreams. Even omnipotence
is a dream. It depends on the mind. So long as there is a mind it can be
understood, but the goal is beyond even the mind.स्थान्युपनिमन्त्रणे सङ्गस्मयाकरणं पुनरनिष्टप्रसङ्गात् ॥५२॥
52. The Yogi should
not feel allured or flattered by the overtures of celestial beings for fear of
evil again.
Swami Vivekananda :
There are other dangers too; Celestial and other beings come to tempt the Yogi. They
do not want anyone to be perfectly free. They are jealous, just as we are, and
worse than us sometimes. They are very much afraid of losing their places.
Those Yogis who do not reach perfection die and become gods; leaving the direct
road they go into one of the side streets, and get these powers. Then, again,
they have to be born. But he who is strong enough to withstand these
temptations and go straight to the goal, becomes free. ..
The Nine days to Rama Navami…...How the incarnations destroy the forces of Evil.
The Nine days to Rama Navami…...How the incarnations destroy the forces of Evil.
“Whenever there is a
decline of good and noble acts and evil
dominates..I incarnate myself from age to age to overcome the forces of evil
and to protect the meek and righteous..” thus promised Sri Krishna in the holy
Bhagwad Gita …in every world religion there is an understanding that God
incarnates himself as a Human Being to fight the forces of evil and that he will return again….and again whenever
mankind is in great danger….in Sanskrit
the Divine incarnations are known as the Avatars..( from which the English word
`Avatar’ has been derived..)
One of the most noble and heroic of all the 10 Divine Avatars of the ancient Hindus is that of Lord Rama. The Nine day festival of Rama is celebrated after the New Moon of Spring March/ April.. The legend states that Lord Rama who was born a Prince was groomed and chosen to be the heir to the throne of his Father the greatest of Kings Dasaratha. of the land of Bharata....( Undivided India).. Because of a wicked boon promised to his youngest wife..the King was forced to send his favourite son Rama into exile for 14 years . Rama his beautiful princess Sita and beloved brother Laxmana spend the 14 years of exile wandering over the plains and mountains of India..In this time..the Demon Ravana kidnapped Sita by disguising himself as an Old sage. Rama and his brother crossed oceans and mountains to rescue her…the entire epic Ramayana is the story of this divine fight of good over the extreme forces of evil and the victory of Rama…The two important points in the story were that Ravana the Demon had all the Supernatural Powers and he used it to grow in evil and power and money and lust..the second was that Sita the Queen of Lord Rama was tempted by the sight of a Golden deer..that was the `lure' the Trap..that led to the Battle..
Also view this post :http://lipimukherji.blogspot.ca/2013/09/when-darkness-encompasses-man-he-turns.html
In the month of March/ April the nine days following the New Moon of the spring are celebrated as the Nine days of Rama and culminates on his birthday which falls on the ninth day.
 |
| Ma Annapurna and Shiva |
The Ramayana is one of the most favourite of Folk stories of the people of the Sub continent till this day..the Noble deeds of Rama, his heroism, bravery, loyalty to his wife , to his father, to his brother and to his subjects set the standards for what is expected from a King and from a true Man. ..There is a saying that the entire battle of Good versus evil would not have taken place if the queen Sita had not been tempted by the sight of a `golden fawn’ which she wanted as a pet..she sent her husband Rama to catch the fawn ( which was a decoy from the `devil’ and that is when the evil Demon found her alone and kidnapped her..Rama Navamai was celebrated at Vedanta Society of Toronto on Tuesday April 8th with music and prayers and worship..in India it is one of the most special days for the Devotees of Rama who was considered an ideal in every way..whether as a King..or a Husband..or friend or a son..Swami Kripamayananda Maharaj gave a talk about the incarnation of Rama. The video recording can be seen on the Vedanta Society of Toronto website. Media/ Sunday Lectures.
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