By the immense grace of Sri Swamiji, GOD Virginia Chapter conducted a satsang with Poornimaji at Hindu Center of Virginia on February 5th 2012. Poornimaji delivered a stupendous and impactful lecture on “Blissful Path to Everlasting Bliss”.
She started the lecture stating what happens during dream state while sleeping and explicated the terms truth and relative truth. She adumbrated Goswami Thulasidasji’s verse ‘Binu Satsang vevek na hui’ and substantiated this verse with the story of a little boy Nachiketas from Kathopanishad. Nachiketas was at the house of Yama, the Lord of Death but Lord Yama was not available to meet him and hence Nachiketas waited to meet Yama without food or water. After three days, Lord Yama returned home and since he made Nachiketas wait for three days, he offered three boons to him. For the first boon, Nachiketas asked for a smooth relationship between him and his father and for the second boon he wanted to know the sacred sacrifice that would enable him to reach heaven. King Yama implicitly granted the first two boons. For the third boon, Nachiketas wished to learn from Yama about death and life after death. King Yama at first hesitated to grant this boon and instead offered him many material gifts. Nachiketas did not yield to his offers since he knew that the material wealth were only transitory. King Yama was silently pleased with Nachiketas and granted the third boon. Poornimaji explained that Nachiketas was able to ask that boon because of his discrimination [Viveka] and that, ‘Viveka’ doesn’t come to one without the grace and benediction of the Lord.
Poornimaji then expounded on the precept that all the divine things are generally common and connected this with all the perennial natural resources that God has bestowed us in abundance and then went to bind this concept with Sadhus and Mahatmas and their accessibility to everyone at any time and drove home the fact that all divine things are common and simple.
She helped all the devotees understand what the term ‘Dharma’ connotes and explained ‘Dharma’ as only inner transformation and not a means to transform others. The mind acts as a screen and blocks the living beings from realty. If the mind is clean, then one can perceive the things clearly and so one should undergo inner transformation before venturing to step out to transform others. Poornimaji then made all the devotees explore what happiness means and made everyone realize that happiness is not related to past or future but it is present all the time and that it is hidden deep inside in everyone.
She explained the power of Bhagawan Nama and elucidated how Nama saved Dhraupathi from her agony of mistreat by the evil minded Dhutchasana. She then told about the story of a young blind, orphan boy who heard a song ‘Sri Krishna Govinda Hare Murare, Hey Natha Narayana Vasudeva ‘ and sang it every day to beg for food in the village where he lived and he later became one of the greatest Mahatmas called Surdas by chanting that divine Bhagawan Nama.
She concluded the discourse by delineating the power of Mahamantra and explained that the chanting of divine names is a pragmatic path for this age and that anyone can chant irrespective of caste, creed or religion and that it is the only mantra mentioned in Kali Santarana Upanishad that would bestow with peace and happiness to anyone who chanted this Mahamantra. The devotees enthusiastically participated in the Mahamantra chanting during the closing session of the satsang.