Bhajans evening from the Strilky Ashram
A fine shawl, a sacred motherland, a coach of the body, and a two-day meeting.
A bhajan says the body is a fine shawl dyed with God's name, woven on eight lotus chakras; saints keep it spotless. Mother India is like sandalwood, a land of penance and sacred duty. Dawn blows the conch, dusk sings a lullaby, and fortune is shaped by actions. Poets sing sacrifices, wisdom is pure as Ganga, soldiers chant Gita, goal is God-realization. The body is a coach pulled by ten horses, the ten shaktis, controlled by mind and intellect. Knowledge is light; the Atma sits inside with discernment. Five thieves—desire, anger, pride, greed, ego—seized the coach, made horses lose way. Gurudeva's arrow-word made them flee. In the coach are solar systems, five karmendriyas, five jnanendriyas, brahmanas. Through holy worship, joy is enjoyed in this body. Life is a two-day meeting: yesterday, today; tomorrow unknown. It is a play of coming and going; alone we came, are alone, go alone. Only karma, mantra, Gurudeva's light guide. Life flows like unholdable water; at end, no one helps. Meditate on God; dharma, dhairya, mitra, artha must be proved at right time.
“The soul of this country, Bhārata, is like chandan, like sandalwood.”
“The only thing that will go with us is our karma, our deeds. The power of the mantra and the light of Gurudeva—this will guide us.”
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
Up next
Bhajan evening in the Strilky Ashram
The bhajan of the caged bird reflects the soul's entrapment in karmas and qualities. A bird confined in a cave endures great suffering, crying out with pain no one comprehends. This symbolizes the soul still bound. Pain is part of life, yet one day abiding in Sat Chit Ananda is certain. The bird, placed in a cage, lives a life no longer its own. Observers see beauty, but the existence is harsh. Never confine a creature; compassion means letting it remain free. The bhajan conveys unbearable suffering. How to open the cage? Humans are similarly caged, dispersed everywhere yet believing themselves at ease. Preoccupation with money and possessions conceals the inner cage. The bird, if free, would stand in a tree, questioning its placement by God. Another bhajan speaks of a girl locked in a cage for countless lifetimes, seeking her beloved husband. Without shame, she lived as a child unable to walk, unable to find the beloved. Eventually, she found the divine beloved and dissolved into the immortal, unborn one. Through bhajan, liberation is attained.
"The bird is held within, and its life is no longer its own."
"We too are inside a cage. What is that cage?"
Filming location: Strilky, Czech Republic
Bhajan singing from Jadan
Archive 20230421 16 Edited
Musical recording.
Yuga Yuga Jivo Maheshwarananda
Archive 20240706 19 Edited
Musical recording.
The Law of Karma and the Sanctity of All Life
The law of karma demands reverence for all life. Killing an animal creates severe karmic debt, as it inflicts suffering on an innocent being and interrupts the life given by God. For every creature you consume, you must be reborn as that creature and suffer the same death. This cycle is a long and certain justice. Spiritual practice is nullified by eating meat. The only path to purify such karma is through satsaṅg and the guidance of a true master. A master is one who loves all entities as oneself and would give his own life rather than take another's. Practice diligently and never miss satsaṅg, for it is the means to cleanse past actions and awaken consciousness. The Svādhiṣṭhāna Chakra, associated with water and the color of dawn, represents flowing energy and the hope for awakening. Its six petals symbolize the obstacles of anger, hate, greed, jealousy, cruelty, and laziness which must be purified.
"How many fish you ate, that many times you have to be born as a fish and caught by a hook."
"If you miss the satsaṅg, you have missed a big chance."
Filming location: Vancouver, Canada
