Sri.Puvvada Vittal

Dear Blessed Brothers and Sisters, 

My Humble Pranams to all of you.  

All of us,as abhyasis, regularly take individual sittings and attend satsanghs. During these meditation sessions we meditate on the Divine Light present in the Heart. 

As we move and advance in our journey, and also due to the loving kindness of our beloved Master, we start imperiencing certain attributes during the meditations. 

While these imperiences may also be referred to as states of consciousness, for the sake of his talk I shall use the word “attributes” to refer such states as “Silence”, “Peace”, “Calmness,” “Happiness,” “Purity” and a host of related feelings/experiences every now and then we feel in individual or group meditations. While the traditional meaning of the word is slightly different from this for the sake of simplicity I shall use this word as mentioned before. 

Our Guide also refers them as “Intimations of Master’s Presence” in one of his articles while referring to these imperiences. 

If we are asked how our meditation was, some or most of us tend to say “I felt Silence”, “I felt Calmness”, “I felt lightness”, “I felt lot of thoughts” and so on. Definitely dwelling on feelings is better than dwelling on the thoughts or visions - for feelings is the language of the Divine. 

While there is nothing wrong about such descriptions, continued use and application of such descriptionshas a bearing on the quality of meditations and ultimately restlessness towards goal. 

Master says in the article [SDG-Method of Training]

“Meditation really means that the mind may be accustomed to the centre itself instead of wandering elsewhere(SDG 49)” 

Wandering means being away from chosen position. As we move into higher realms of spirituality, attention on “Silence” or “Calmness” or “Gripped feeling” or “Floating” “Activity in Heart” etc. is as good as wandering into thoughts in my opinion. We give importance to these attributes because we dwell more on them during our meditations thinking we are meditating on the goal. 

There is a difference between “Attention on Him” versus “Attention on His”. Attributes are what we feel when we feel nearness to Master such as Calmness, Silence,Purity etc. As we move towards Him and as we take the effect of Pranahuti we get into the sunshine.  When we say “It is a beautiful day” we are basking in the sunshine while forgetting the Sun. 

We enjoy the peace!! Nothing Wrong!! We forget the peace giver, let alone peace maker.  While it is a blessing to experience the imperiences unwittingly we get fixated on the “I/Self” part rather than the “Master” in a subtle way. 

Master says in the article [SDG-Method of Training]

“With the overemphasis on “Self” morality decays. But it is the part to be played by the preceptors alone that the self be turned to Divinity(SDG 53).”  It is important to note that the methods in Satyapad Marg are to make us away from Self. We need to recognize this very carefully, especially in meditations.  I draw your attention to Master’s use ofthe word “overemphasis”. We cannot but help take cognizance and emphasize the positive and negative attributes as we advance for various reasons.  One may refer to the positive and negative qualities Pujya Sir has listed in the Path of Grace. It is important to maintain a balance between emphasizing Self and emphasizing Divinity. 

Master says in the article [SDG-THE SUBTLEST METHOD]

“Thought when purely Divine, can reach the Source without fail. If corrupted with attributes and qualities,Realisation also becomes corrupted and degraded(SDG 62).”

Highest point of human approach, Center, as Master refers, is difficult to conceive. Mind in comparison is at ease to settle for something closer to it such as Silence, Bliss etc. It may however be noted that permanency in any of these attributes is in itself worthy and not any small matter. 

A few quotes of Master may be pertinent here.

Master says in the article [SDG-DYNAMIC PATH OF RAJA YOGA]

“The real craving of man keeps him in constant restlessness, and he works only to gain his real goal. While so many of us worship God and offer prayer as a routine, it is only

to please our senses. In this sphere mental enjoyment is there; sense enjoyment is there and they are caught up by so many enjoyments which forbid them from peeping further into the life meant for Realisation(SDG 61).” 

Master says in the article [SDG-EASIEST WAY]

“Silence is a part of a few grains of Spirituality and not the Reality itself. For explaining

it, I can only say that silence is nearer to God(SDG 67).”

Master says in the article [SDG-MESSAGE OF MY MASTER]

“All that most of us do by way of worship has a sense of enjoyment behind it. Consequently it is nothing but a sort of amusement. The sources of amusement are varied. For a child it is toys; for a learned man the study of books; for a worshipper, practices and Sadhana; for a bhakta, emotional love; for a realised soul, realisation and merging; and for one Perfect, his state of ignorance(SDG 79).” 

Master says in the article [SDG-MESSAGE OF MY MASTER]

 “But until now all these are amusements for amusement's sake only. True Reality lies still ahead when we are beyond all these stages. It is a matter of pity that people remain entangled in these amusements thinking them to be Reality and end their pursuit with them(SDG 80).” 

When you get something, and enjoy it there is no restlessness. All the attributes we experience are certainly useful initially, otherwise we do not develop interest. Enjoying or dwelling in these attribute makes us ignore Him.

On this point, Pujya Sir while referring to traditional devotional songs says – “We remember the tala, we remember the raga, we remember the words – but we forget the Divine in the process.”  We can apply this caution in our Spiritual sadhana also.

In the Mahabharat, at the time of the war, when Arjuna and Duryodhana meets Lord Krishna for resource request,Duryodhana choses all of the Lord’s belongings while Arjuna chosesLord Krishna despite knowing that he will be without any weapon. Later Arjuna stayed with Lord Krishna all through the war despite knowing the Lord could have saved his young son who died fighting.

Lessons many such stories hold to us are clear. 

Reality is plain and simple. Master says its simplicity is its veil. It appears as if the Divine is safeguarding itself through His attributes. Our internal instruments more readily perceive and make us feel these attributes, compared to the supra-sensory Reality.  What is pleasing to us naturally gets our attention. If we are not careful dwelling more on these habitually does not lead us to the ultimate but to the penultimate.

However much we would like to say we have fixed our goal as Master, there is always a possibility that we may be talking about his attributes and not Himself. 

Master says in the article [SDG-Yearning to Reach Ultimate] 

“Whatever you are, you go, with all of it, towards That(Ultimate Purpose) i.e. there should remain nothing,whose face does not get turned to that side; which means that all the belongings — Physical andSpiritual — that may be there, be surrendered toHim; so that you are left with nothing in yourself,except remembrance(SDG 41).” 

We should be ready to keep the thought of the Master even it meant we may or may not get any of His belongings – Silence, Peace, Calmness - and rather prepare ourselves to develop the opposite “restlessness”. Developing restlessness is our job not Master’s.

Master explains in [SDG-Yearning to Reach Ultimate]

“Now the question arises, how to arrive at thatState? That one thing — ‘remembrance' — brings everything in its trail. If remembrance is there, take it for granted, the remembered one is close to you(SDG 41).” 

Remembrance during and after meditation. Remember Him. Not His. This is what Master is exhorting us.

Stabilizing in “U” portion of the heart and being steadfast in our sadhana will easily facilitate turning the natural flow of thought towards the “Atman Point” – the stage where our emphasis on self is considerably reduced.

Master explains in [SDG-MESSAGE OF MY MASTER]

“To him who might be eager to have experience of that Infinite plane, I may say that he must step into it after brushing aside all the effects of feelings (SDG 80).” 

Master further says [SDG-MESSAGE OF MY MASTER]

“It is the power of Pranahuti alone that can curtail this duration and enable the course of thousands of years to be covered within the span of one life. But the final aim too must remain in sight all through to ensure final success(SDG 81).”

While Pranahuti, the unique feature of our system, is indispensable for our advancement – yet it is we who must keep the final aim always in our sight, especially during meditations, to achieve success. 

Not only do we have to ignore thoughts, we have to learn, how to go beyond the attributes and remember the Master, when we are with the Master. 

Personalities like our Masters are testimony that it is possible and they have set precedent for us to follow their footsteps.

We need to resist temptation to talk in terms of Silence/Peace/Lightness and learn to talk in terms of “Master’s Presence”, “Master’s Company”, and “Master’s thought”

Dwell on Him – His attributes automatically come along with Him!!

Dwell on His attributes – You lose Him!!

Pranams.