About Meditation - Swami Satswarupananda

Part II

Due to my weak health I cannot follow the path of karma yoga which involves austerities about food, and physical labor. Can I realize God by remaining a celibate practicing meditation regularly?

What is your conception of God-realization?

Rising above pleasure and pain?

When you say that you are unable to bear with hunger and such things, how can you aim at that? Your idea of God-realization should have been different.

Then, constant remembrance of God?

That means you are conceiving of something other than you; and this is only a preliminary step in the road to God-realization. God-realization means becoming God, knowing that the sadhaka himself is God (and becoming one with the universe, etc.) Remembrance of God is a means to achieving this. How long do you meditate per day?

About an hour-and-a-half in the morning and again the same time in the evening (more so, especially in winter).

You meditate only for three hours in a day of 24 hours, and you want God-realization!

I am afraid I may fall sick if I do more. However, I do not completely forget God during the remaining period of the day. Often, even while walking on the road, traveling in the bus, etc., I repeat the mantra, and think of God.

That is all right.

I read that a person intensely thinking of an object becomes that object.

What is mind? It is a continuous flow of thoughts. And a person is what his mind is which, in turn, is a continuous flow of thoughts. Suppose you are meditating upon Sri Ramakrishna, and your mind is thinking of him with one-pointedness, then you become Sri Ramakrishna for that period. But as soon as you come down to the normal plane, then you are what you are!

[In fact, I had asked with some hesitation whether I could become like Sri Ramakrishna if I concentrate on him!]

Swami Vivekananda said that if a man worships God as Mother, he achieves God vision in five minutes, but if as Father, it may take hundred years! Why so?

To a child, mother is the dearest. Hence, if you worship God as Mother, your devotion is easily increased, and you achieve results quickly. [Maharaj agreed with me when I added that when a person worships God as Mother, he easily conquers lust, and gets over the Maya more easily.]

I had taken a vow that I shall not marry in this life, and shall be a lifelong celibate. Some persons criticized me saying that taking vows like this indicates egotism. Is this true?

No. It does not at all indicate egotism. Do not be deceived by others. You have taken a vow for a good cause. What you have done is correct. The Vedic way of life is, in fact, a life of vows.

© "The Vedanta Kesari" (April, 2004) published by Sri Ramakrishna Math, Mylapore, Chennai 600 004. Website: www.sriramakrishnamath.org. Part I of this article appeared in Splendour, May, 2004 issue. Reprinted with permission.

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