Shri Nimishananda Guruji smiled and said, “That means you have finally learnt to listen with the heart. As I have told all of you many times, the spiritual heart is the abode of the soul. When one listens to a spiritual discourse with the heart, the energy is transferred directly to the spirit within and is assimilated immediately. It by-passes the logical mind and memory completely. However, if one critically analyses everything as one listens, the entire talk is registered in the memory of the conscious mind but the hunger of the soul is not satisfied. When this happens, you will remember most of the discourse but the penetration is only surface deep and very little is assimilated. So there is not much internal transformation.”
Nanda Kumar said, “Now I understand. Pujya Guruji, whoever missed the discourse can catch up by listening to the audio CDs since all your discourses are recorded.”
Rajaram said, “The audio CDs are wonderful, but somehow being present at the satsangh is such an uplifting experience. We feel so light and blissful after a satsangh, Pujya Guruji.”
Shri Nimishananda Guruji said, “At every satsangh that you attend, tons and tons of your mental baggage is thrown out. Wherever spiritual seekers gather with the purpose of tuning in to divinity, gods and sages who have been granted the boon of immortality, called Chiranjeevis, manifest themselves in their subtle bodies. Their very presence charges the place with divine vibrations. Even recalling a satsangh generates the same vibrations and the Chiranjeevis establish themselves in your mind. So your mind feels light and bliss overflows from your heart.”
As Rajaram pondered over what Shri Nimishananda Guruji had just said, a doubt assailed him, “What does Pujya Guruji mean when he says that the discourse is assimilated directly by the soul ?” He sat there thinking this over without saying anything. Looking at him, Shri Nimishananda Guruji said, “When a spiritual truth is directly assimilated, an effortless transformation takes place within us. Addictions and habits that we have been unsuccessfully trying to give up for years, vanish in an instant. There is a great change in the way we talk and behave. Our responses to situations change. Negative thought patterns are shattered. Inner awareness is heightened. The mind is calm and poised. Our priorities change. “We ourselves are wonderstruck at this sudden transformation, because it happens as naturally as the blossoming of a flower, with no conscious effort on our part.”
Nanda Kumar said, “Pujya Guruji, even when we visit temples or any place of worship the mind becomes tranquil.”
Shri Nimishananda Guruji smiled and said, “Temples and ashrams are spiritual laundries. When you enter a temple with devotion in your heart, all the negative energy in your aura is removed and divinely charged positive energy takes its place.
So you experience a feeling of peace and well-being. Participating in the Abhisheka (ceremonial ritualistic bath of the deity) in a temple completely recharges your spiritual energy. During this sacred ritual, the idol is bathed with water, milk, curds, honey, ghee (clarified butter) tender coconut water and sugar. When we watch the Abhisheka, the Satva (purity) within us emerges, bringing out the innate sweetness of our own soul. Using honey for the ceremonial bath has a special significance. Since honey (Madhu) has the viscosity of syrup, as you pour it over the deity it maintains a continuous link between the container and the idol, which is not broken easily.
This symbolises the intense attraction between an ardent devotee and God, which is akin to the unbearable yearning that a lover experiences when separated from his beloved.
This kind of longing for God is called Madhura Bhava (Love for the divine that is as sweet as honey).”