Satsang with Shri Chandra Swamiji Udasin

March 2017

5th March, 2017

Question: I am always preoccupied with how to strengthen my sadhana. Please guide me.

Swamiji: You should discharge your familial duties and sit daily and regularly in meditation at least twice every day, early in the morning and late in the evening. To discharge one’s duties in the name of God is one part of spiritual sadhana. A sincere seeker lives for God-Realization and dies for God-Realization. It is more difficult to live for God-Realization than to die for God-Realization.

Question: How to choose between dhyan(meditation) and japa?

Swamiji: Japa is also a kind of dhyan. In japa one has to concentrate one’s mind on God’s name or some mantra related with God. In dhyan one concentrates one’s mind on any form of God in which one has faith and trust. In Kali Yuga more importance is given to japa than to dhyan.

According to all the religions born in India, God takes Avatar and appears in the world in human form. In other religions, it is believed that God sends a prophet in the world. Swami Vivekanand used to say that God had appeared in the form of Lord Jesus.

God is one, but he has many names and forms. He is also free of name and form. Many aspects of God are accepted in Hinduism: Nirguna Brahman (free from attributes), Saguna Brahman (with attributes), Nirakar(with attributes but without form), Sakar (with attributes and form), etc.

February 2017

17.02.2017

Question: What is God? What is the Self?

Swamiji:God is the Supreme Consciousness, omnipotent and omniscient. The universe is the manifestation of God. Like a magician, He has appeared in all forms and names.

The Self has two aspects. One is the Spirit, the Atma, and the other is the soul. The Spirit identified with the body-mind is the soul. The difference between the soul and God is not real; it is phenomenal. The Atma is Consciousness free of all attributes.

Question: Is it necessary for a seeker to remain in solitude?

Swamiji:During sadhana, staying alone is more beneficial for the seeker. But after Realization it makes no difference if one lives in society or not. It is more important to be inwardly detached from the material world. Most of the Vedic Rishis to whom the Vedas were revealed were householders.

King Janak was inwardly detached from the world. Even though a king, he was full of dispassion from within. There is an anecdote about Janak. He used to go to a rishi who lived in a forest near the palace. Many other rishis and sages used to come to listen to that rishi’s discourse, but the rishi held Janak in highest esteem and would never start his discourse until the king arrived. The other rishis started harbouring jealousy towards the king and they accused the rishi of being partisan to the king because of his power and status. It so happened one day while the discourse was going on that a person came running and informed them that a fire had broken out in the forest. After some time, another person came running and informed them that the fire had reached the huts of the rishis. Hearing this, many of the rishis left in the middle of the discourse and went running to save their huts. A little while later another man came running and said the fire had reached the king’s palace. But Janak was unmoved and continued to listen to the discourse. Actually, the rishi had, by his yogic powers, created the story about the fire to show the others why he held Janak in such high esteem.