We are sure that this book will be welcomed by aspirants all the world over.

We are grateful to H. H. Swami Mahadevavanam for bringing these letters into light by publishing the originals in a book form. On his request Sri T. N. Keshava Pillai has translated these letters into English, at once lucid and close to the original. We are grateful for his services. We also acknowledge our gratefulness to the couple Mr. and Mrs. Chandrasekhara Menon who were the happy recipients of the grace and the graceful letters of Satguru Sri Swami Tapovanam, who not only permitted us to publish them but also parted with the original letters for being preserved in our ashrama at Powai, Bombay.

Bombay 400 072

28-2-1976

Central Chinmaya Mission Trust

Your letter arrived here in time. As I went through it, I felt immensely pleased because it was so full of faith and devotion. Here, at the very outset, I may observe that a love of spiritual life is the mature result of generations of meritorious actions.

To worship a chosen deity is not only more easy, it is also more suited to the times. A householder’s life is mainly one of action and those in that state of life ought to do their best to keep their actions pure. Take a vow not to do anything impure or forbidden by the scriptures even to save your life; use your wisdom to perform every action as an act of divine worship without caring for its fruit, thus making all actions pure, uncontaminated by the desire for reward. This should be the first sadhana for every aspirant. To achieve this, control over the senses and mind is absolutely essential. Purity of action is the very foundation of all spiritual exercises. If one can’t perform good deeds how can he aspire for the far loftier steps of devotion to God and realization of Brahman?

One can worship one’s chosen deity with good deeds and moral conduct. Repeat the mantras of the deity worship His image, meditate upon Him. By such acts of devotion and by the performance of good deeds (of course without desiring their fruits), one ought to purify one’s mind and concentrate. Only a mind shorn of all impurities, of likes and dislikes becomes entitled to follow the path of jnana whose nature is self-enquiry. The sole means of liberation is the immediate knowledge of the Self, arising out of the enquiry of the Self. That is the goal. There it is we have to reach step by step.

The practice of pranayama is not indispensable. To a mind that naturally finds pleasure in japa and dhyana, it is practically of little use. It is when an aspirant’s mind proves to be not amenable to control, remains wavering and unsteady, prone to rush outward at the least provocation, that pranayama and similar practices of hatha yoga are prescribed to control the mind. Therefore give up the thoughts of that kind. Practice one steady asana (posture) and sitting in that asana, engage yourself in devotional practices.

Remember God at all times. It is no spiritual life to spend a few minutes in the morning and evening thinking of God and devote all the other hours to the thought of sensuous pleasures. Think of the Lord in the midst of work, never for a moment forget Him.

Received the parcel of eatables. After the first of medom I shall be returning to Uttarkashi.

With affectionate regards and good wishes,

Swami Tapovanam

Guidance from the Guru - Letter 2

Om Narayana Smriti
Gangotri
Tehri-Garhwal (UP)
1-4-1951

It is several days since your letter arrived at Uttarkashi and was duly received. My custom is to spend the chaturmasya period at Gangotri. Perhaps you know Gangotri is the source of the Ganga, quite close to the Tibetan border. It is some days since I arrived at Gangotri from Uttarkashi. The remoteness of the region from the humdrum plains, my natural indifference to external activities such as writing letters, if for such and similar reasons, letters from here are delayed, don’t get worried; don’t feel surprised. Be assured it is not for lack of love.

The liking for spiritual practices and exercises therein should show steady progress. The ways of the mind should be watched and tested from time to time. One must check up and see every year, every month, every day how far one’s exercises are fructifying, how far passions like love and hate and vain thoughts are subsiding and how much the mind delights in the thought of God. The main use of japa, dhyana and other modes of worship is to win God’s grace and the resulting purity of mind, purity of mind means the cleanness and peace of the mind on the cessation of its mischievous activities arising out of the attachment to the sensuous life. The more the mind gets purified, the more it delights in japa, dhyana etc. the more one’s spiritual exercises progress the more purified one’s mind gets. So, spiritual effort and mental purity should advance steadily hand in hand.

When, as a result of long periods of sadhana, mind becomes clean, be sure realization of Self is not far.

I am not writing at length. In my previous letter I have already dealt with the spiritual exercises to be attempted.

Never forget God, that is, even in the giddy whirl of daily duties remember Him without a break.

Writing to Smt. And Sri with affectionate good wishes,

Swami Tapovanam

Guidance from the Guru - Letter 3

Om Narayana Smriti
Uttarkasi,
20-9-1951

Wish you all well.

The letter was received at Gangotri in due course. At the end of chaturmasya, usually, cold winter sets in the Himalayas and so I descended to Uttarkasi some days ago.

In every one of your letters your love and respect for spiritual life and devotion for sadhus shine out and so I rejoice and honor you. It is a spiritual life every wise man desires, not a worldly one. The dog and the pig lead a sensuous life. Is it a sign of wisdom to run after a life of the senses? Certainly not. The ignorant ones, who pursue sensuous pleasures, alas, know not, because of their ignorance, what a miserable life they are leading. Discrimination is the result of common sense. Why have common sense if one is to be led away by the whims? Viewed with discrimination who can find pleasure in the senses? The ignorant alone hanker after them hoping to find lasting pleasure. On the fulfilment of a desire there is a sense of satisfaction. But the momentary pleasure is so mixed up with pain and sorrow that our ancient rishis consider it poisoned, though dainty food. Which wise man will spend his life to obtain fleeting pleasure mixed up with hundreds of sorrows? If the sensuous life is really happy what need is there for God who is the embodiment of bliss or a life that is divine?

For a worldly man, wealth and other sense objects produce recurring grief, yet his mind clings to them – that is the great maya! This indiscretion should be overcome by discriminating thought. When the unwisdom is destroyed, pursuit after sense objects will cease. This is the vairagya recommended to men in the scriptures. Vairagya (dispassion) is the first step in the endeavour to realize God. A mind devoid of vairagya will not get concentrated upon godly sadhanas. At the root of all evil is passion. It is what makes the mind unsteady. Destroy passion with wisdom and get established in dispassion. Contract no attachment to anything. Welcome what comes, willingly give up what goes. There is no need to worry about either. Live, live in the living present. Think not of the past or future. If one attains this state of dispassion one’s mind will get fixed upon God. He will find joy in the worship of God. The blissful Lord is no longer far. Soon it will be possible to realize Him and secure liberation.

With affectionate regards,

Swami Tapovanam

Guidance from the Guru - Letter 4

Om Narayana Smriti
Tapovanakuti, Uttarkashi,
Tehri, Himalayas
8-11-1951

It is several days since the letter was received. The food parcel arrived even earlier.

Incidentally Swami Chinmayanandaji happened to tell me of the dispassion, fasting and other religious observances of the couple (to whom the letters were addressed) imbued with their firm devotion to the godly way of life. It is a matter of regret that in sending replies and directions to even such deserving people there is so much delay owing to my habitual indifference. Hope the old warning not to get worried or vexed over the delay will be remembered.

Concentrate your mind upon japa and meditation. As a rule in the early morning (brahma muhurta) and night, sit in a firm posture as long as possible and go on repeating the names of God. Also meditate upon His form. In the early stages the mind will be prone to stray but don’t give up practices. If one has sincere faith in God and love for Him the exercise can give him only joy; in no way can it disgust him.

Moderation in conversation is a great sadhana. As far as possible talk of God. Don’t pollute your mind with petty talk of love and hate. Avoid criticism of other people. Spend not much time listening to news and newspapers. Keep away from bad company, for it will upset the mind. Now and then observe a day of silence. Eat only pure and satvik food. Never eat too much. Impure or excessive food will put aspirants into difficulties. On some days it is good to eat fruits alone or fast completely. Along with it, it would be better to keep silence and devote entire time to the worship of God.

Reading books of devotion and self knowledge and consideration of their purport for an hour or two daily will help to lift the mind above worldly affairs and strengthen the spirit of dispassion. Association with mahatmas is still more beneficial. No book, no scriptures, can confer the same degree of benefit. But real sadhus are, of course, rare and chances to associate with them are rarer still in these days. In the circumstances a study of the works of ancient sadhus will be something of a substitute for personal contact. What else can be done?

Try to raise the mind above such pairs as pleasure and pain, friend and foe, honour and dishonour. Maintain equanimity. But all this will be possible – the mind will rise above all these - only if the goal is Godhead and nothing else. If the mind plunges into the thought of God and immerses in it, when will it have the time and the opportunity to think of honour and dishonour, etc.?


z Balance of mind is moksha. It is God realisation. It is all transcending peace, all transcending bliss. It is the Supreme object of human life. All spiritual sadhanas start aiming at it. Perpetual delight of the mind in God principle is its real balance.

Affectionately,

Swami Tapovanam

Guidance from the Guru - Letter 5

Om Narayana Smriti
1951

Wish both of you very well.

Received your kind letter several days ago. Here it is now intensely cold winter. I hope you will not be worried or saddened by the delay in getting a reply as it is quite usual for my letters to be late.

One must perform one’s duties not for the sake of sensuous pleasure but out of devotion to God. The scriptures as well as experience show us convincingly that desire is at the root of all action. No desire, no action. If one has absolutely no desires why should he stir out of his seat? One desires physical cleanliness, so he bathes. One desires to satisfy hunger, so he eats. So a devotee performs his action out of love for God, as an act of service to Him. God fills the world. The world is His form. So whatever is done in the world, for the world, is an act of service to God. The devotee, sitting in the world performs his duties out of love for the world which is His form and thus worships Him. He does nothing to enjoy the world of senses or to glorify himself. It is a worldly man who labours night and day to enjoy sense objects.

Until the mind becomes perfectly tranquil, until it transcends all doubt, it will not be free from desire. Desires will sprout up till then, either for good or for evil. Worship of God is a good action, done out of a good desire. As one worships God with flowers and nama japa, another who follows the path of karma worships Him with good actions. His aim is to win the grace of God and reach His presence. These are his ultimate gains. In his eyes, therefore, there is no distinction between a great action and a little one. With whatever God has bidden him to perform, whether it is big or small, he worships Him. This is an important truth grhastas* ought to know.

What makes an action good or bad is the absence or presence of selfishness. Selfishness makes an action sinful and impure. If one has no selfish consideration or motive for his action why should he be affected by its success or failure? Why should he be anxious about its outcome? Leave off all selfish thought that defiles the mind; make the mind still and fix it upon the feet of God; sit in a steady posture as far and as long as possible and worship Him regularly; be like children living in the present worrying little about the past or the future; convince yourself by proper thought it is peace of mind that is the highest pleasure, not even the status of Indra. A life of that kind is the true spiritual life; blessed and blissful it is coveted even by Indra. There are steps still higher than these. Daily unbroken, steady, intense practice enables an aspirant to ascend to them.

With affection,

Swami Tapovanam

*householders