RELIGION AND REALIZATION - Introduction

[One may not basically religious-minded or have the necessary power of reasoning. At the same time mere experience cannot lead one to realization. All that we have to do is to perceive things around us, feel for others and grow selfless gradually in course of our progress in life. Otherwise we will simply be lost amidst the whirl of so many thoughts and ideas. We cannot help folly creeping into all our actions.

A question commonly asked is to be studied in all seriousness. Once Asokananda Prosad asked the Omniscient Mother in her “Conscious Trance”—Just a word, Gurudev. I’ve come to know from you that you’ll only accept realization when it becomes self-evident in course of expounding.

In course of expounding we discriminate between good and evil. This expounding, as we have learnt from your judgment, is of two orders—either at the level of knowledge or manifestation of quality. What passes as excellent by the standard of knowledge may be something minor by standard of quality, though not at all unimportant.

Now Mother, it has been said that Brahman is never polluted. But we have seen that Brahman has been, not to say once, but a thousand times polluted by Shriguru Kanandevi. This is my personal impression. Let everyone check up for himself, I’ll give my reasons.

In that case, if I recognize as Brahman that primordial and infinite knowledge, then what form does it take here—will some philosopher please explain that to me? The measure of Asokananda’s—himself a truth-seeker—feeling for realization will be judged in this instance. Prosad may be misunderstood; he has no other way but to air some of his thoughts and ideas.

The area in between religion and realization may appear to be irrelevant—may be accused of dealing with certain far-fetched ideas. But to our utmost surprise, every moment we realize that Ma-Mahajnan helps her children assimilate most striking noble and novel ideas.

Naturally all the ventures we are concerned with reveal the Mother unique, self-possessed and second to none. Let our only mission be nothing but awakening others around the world to the true spirit of self-discipline. Let us be wise enough to accept certain ideals, firmly rooted in harmony]

(No. of words - 372)

“Religion and realization”

Ma-Mahajnan: If his religious sense happens to be not developed enough, how can you bring its realization home to him? (He who cannot judge with all seriousness between right and wrong, how can you make him understand the truth!)

Why has this become a general feature of our times? What has been handed down by tradition (people have picked it up by hearsay.) has come down to us. Now what’s it that has been handed down by tradition?

What is understood by religion? I am a priest. Whether I am at all pious, is questionable. I’ve to be on my guard and look around, with these pre-occupations I give of myself what little I can. Even here I have to parcel out little spheres, right? I can give it away to them in a frank and open manner. Having missed that, they are deprived of any spiritual training and necessarily suffer from an under-developed of religious sense.

What does a man basically want? What does he pensive at the very beginning of his life? He first becomes aware of desire. He doesn’t have a notion of any such thing at non-attachment. Them who planted this idea of non-attachment in his mind? It is in the human frame that this idea can be traced, eh? Can it be found outside the frame? Them it is man who discovered one fine morning that there’s such a thing as non-attachment. This is what goes by the name of Veda and Vedanta for you. It all begins from this point.

The earth is not inhabited by one single being. There are myriads of being in it. Among them all, man appears as the foremost specimen. It is man who has made this discovery. Now along with that discovery, he failed to plumb its deep mystery. I’ll go farther and find more—he couldn’t land himself in this state of mind. Why couldn’t he? Why indeed? Was it due to his incapacity, was it out of his reach, or did he not try enough? What do you think was the exact reason? If you speak of its being out of reach, I’ve some reservations. I’ll first say that he didn’t try enough. There is no question thus of its being out of reach. Right?

(No of words - 377)

Assurance

Know this for certain that not a word of what I say is wrong. Everybody will know and understand it at the very first sight. It all happens or occurs in our life. We’ll not have to go anywhere. We’ll find Him at home. To dodge, reconcile oneself, have patience—so what’s patience? What kind of patience? To reconcile oneself to injustice or to have patience knowing full well what it is. Did you protest against injustice, eh? “To hell with it, I can’t.” Then, it doesn’t touch our mind—what do you mean? Won’t it?

Knowledge, conscience, renunciation—they are all within a man. Well, discipline, morality, devotion, idealism—all this can be found in a man. Again, greed, lust, anger, egoism, aggression, jealousy—all this also lies within a man. Then what’s meant by—I couldn’t? Eh, why he couldn’t? He knows full well what wrong he does. But he can’t hold on to that idea of being wrong.

If he could, he wouldn’t have gone wrong. You’ll find such examples among individuals. A man has stolen. “Good gracious! How horrible! Stealing? No, no, one shouldn’t do that.”---That sense of guilt has made a deep impression on his mind. There you are. He’ll never again do it. Nobody has given him enlightenment. You’ve to speak dozens of words to somebody before the lesson sinks home; in another case just a word will suffice,

(No. of words – 237)