Answer: The fear you are having shows you are fully identified with body and the objects of the world. What you need most is purification of mind. Purify your mind and feel that you are Supreme Spirit. For the purification of the mind it is better to start meditating on your Ishta Devata in your heart level (not the eyebrow). You can keep in touch with our Mylapore Math and if you are not initiated it is advisable to have initiation (Mantra Diksha). But if you have already been initiated follow the instructions given by your Guru and discuss the matter with him. Read Swami Vivekananda’s works and his bio-graphy.

Answer: You are right that man always wants to go beyond all sorrows. In Sushupti, we are not aware of anything; but only on waking we are able to understand that “I slept well” or “I was in joy”. It is a state where we are covered with ignorance and not aware of our true nature. Consequently when we wake up we are our own old self – with joys, sorrows, miseries, etc.
The same person after continued and long spiritual discipline attains Samadhi (super conscious state) where he is aware of his real nature in contrast to that of Sushupti. Therefore when he comes out of that super conscious state (Uttana) he becomes an enlightened person.
Therefore it has been told that if a fool enters into sushupthi he will come out as a fool only where as the same fool when he enters into super conscious state (Samadhi) he comes out as an enlightened person.
There are various types of Sadhana depending upon once temperament and the stage in which one is there because we have to start our journey from the point where we are. This has given raise to various paths or modes of Sadhana. This is certainly confusing, particularly for the beginners since their mind is in a state of vagaries. When the mind becomes pure and concentrated one will be able to know the right thing.
However this process of purification and concentration – though concentration can be attained if the mind is not pure, it can be dangerous and will be of no use Ð one can take the help of an advanced or enlightened soul. Such a person we call as Guru (spiritual teacher). He will be able to give a proper guidance and the methodology to be followed. We have to have at most faith (Shraddha) in his words and instructions and follow the same without any doubting in his instructions. When this is done for long without any break one can reach the stage where he will be beyond all sorrows by realizing once true nature which is called Atman.
The man’s desire to go beyond all sorrows is because of the innate nature of the Atman which is ever blissful (Ananda Swarupa) and where there is no misery or any such thing.
Please read the following books:
Jnana Yoga by Swami Vivekananda,
Karma Yoga ,
Bhakti Yoga ,
Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna
You may also read Meditation and Spiritual Life by Swami Yatiswarananda. This will clarify most of your doubts and guide you suitably.

Answer: If you want to remain at animal level or go down to animal level you need not struggle to get rid of negative thoughts and actions. If you want to become human or divine then only you have to work hard and become a civilized man/woman or manifest the divinity with in you. It is left to you at what level you want to remain and raise to what height.

Answer: Sometimes the emotions are high that tears flows. You need not have to attach much importance to it. Continue to pray as your spiritual Guru has guided you. Be a little rational.

Answer: Don’t meditate between eyebrows. Meditate in the heart. It is better to consult some experts in person.

Answer: The tradition prescribes the Sandhya Vandana to be performed thrice a day namely, morning, evening & noon. The noon ritual is known as Maadhyanikha. Most of the people who are working or studying in schools/colleges will not be able to perform in the noon. They may do only morning and evening. If for some reason, it is not possible to perform morning and evening, some do only once i.e. in the morning after taking bath. If even this is not possible, a person can perform the japa of Gayatri Mantra as much as possible. The Gayatri Mantra is the core of the whole of Sandhya Vandana while other aspects relate to more of rituals. It would be more beneficial if one does it knowing its meaning. In case you do not know the meaning well, there are books available in our Ashrama and else where on the subject. Sri Ramakrishna says that Sandhya merges in Gayatri and Gayatri merges in OM.
The main purpose of Sandhya Vandana etc is to think of the Lord at least during some part of the day. It helps us to develop our concentration, will power and character.

Answer: Your intentions are good. But it needs certain modifications in our outlook depending upon social conditions. However, please write to Sarada Math, which is the parallel wing of the Ramakrishna Math for the ladies, who will be able to throw more light in the matter.
The email address of Sarada Math is srismath@vsnl.com and the website is http://www.srisaradamath.org/

Answer: Vibhuti or Kumkuma or Chandana is offered to the deity uttering several (108, or 1008) spiritually charged mantras. So it is considered holy. It is kept in a box and devotees apply it on their forehead everyday thinking that it is the prasada of the deity. That is one of the ways of remembering the Lord or Divine Mother. When you apply, it signifies that you belong to a particular community, say Shakta or Shaiva or Vaishnava. These are the main ideas. There may be other ideas also.

A Brahamacharin (celibate) is asked to take cold water bath because that keeps the nerves cool. Anything hot excites the nerve. Cold water bath is a part of Tapasya or austerity which a Brahmachari is expected to practise. Cold water bath helps him to practise Brahmacharya. Eat that food which does not excite your nerves. Eat that food which is Satvik and avoid Tamasik food. If you read Bhagavad Gita (16th Chapter), what food to be taken and what should be avoided is mentioned.

Answer: We request you to read the book “Life after death” by Swami Abhedananda, a direct disciple of Sri Ramakrishna.

In “Katha Upanishad”, Nachiketa has already asked this question to the God of Death (Yama). So, please read the book “Katha Upansihad” and also “Raja Yoga”. When you become a yogi of the highest order, you can concentrate your mind on your past lives, and problems like birth and death, and know the secret for yourself. There is nothing so secret kept behind the earnest seeker. Struggle hard and you can know it yourself. My simple question to you is – do you give out all your inner secrets to anybody and everybody? Are you so open? Is everything transparent with you?

The scriptures say that we identify ourselves with our body-mind-complex and think ourselves to be as the mere body-mind-complex which is essentially inert; the body is gross whereas the mind is subtle, but both are inert only. This is happening due to our ignorance about our Real Nature which is Pure Consciousness. Once a person realizes his Real Nature through the spiritual practices and God’s grace, he himself will automatically be able to know the secret of the birth and death and also he will not be bound in the chain of birth and death; he will then become free – the Liberated, Mukta Purusha. The ignorance again is due to our innumerable desires, Samskaras or the impressions in the mind; these Samskaras are stored embedded in the depth of the mind acquired through all our actions happened in different births. Each action / thought we do leaves behind an impression in our mind; these impressions are powerful and determines one’s propensities or to say, the character. Through spiritual practices one attains purity and these impressions get lost or loose their power and then the inner light flashes revealing the Real Nature of the person. In spiritual life, the grace of God and Guru is essential. Again, the God likes the play of this world going. So, He keeps certain things in secret. That is His wish. But, He listens to the sincere prayers and is moved by the spiritual practices of His devotee and thus He compassionately loosens the bonds of the devotee and frees him from the chain of birth and death. Hope this will clear your doubts to some extent.

Response to the Above: The creation of God is excellent. Endless human sufferings too excellent. Is it called frolics of God? If somebody does harm to you, don’t you call it sadism? Please answer me.

Answer to the above Response: We, the created beings, suffer or enjoy owing to our own past actions -mental or verbal or physical, performed in this life as well as during our innumerable earlier lives about which most of us have forgotten. It is somewhat like – if a man eats chili, his mouth is supposed to burn inside. How it happens? In two ways: Individual and Providential.

Individual: Each action results in the mind an impression. It is said, the mind is like a video camera, nay, much more than that; as, video camera can capture only sound and picture, but the mind can access many such dimensions Ð sound, picture, smell, touch, taste, hatred, love, jealousy, bliss, etc. When we do good actions, good impressions are left behind, and similarly for bad actions, bad impressions. Repeated such actions make the similar impressions stronger. When in a person the good impressions are prevalent, his propensities become good and so for the bad ones. These propensities determine the character of a person. Under same circumstance, a bad and a good man will act in a different way depending on their impressions. Also these stored impressions determine the mental and physical sufferings or enjoyments of a person as a matter of consequence, as Swami Vivekananda says, “If you project hatred and jealousy, they will rebound on you with compound interest. No power can avert them; when once you have put them in motion, you will have to bear them. Remembering this will prevent you from doing wicked things.” (Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda, Vol. 1, p. 262) So, whatever we do should carefully and thoughtfully be done. Providential: Again, as in the world, for bad actions or, for good actions in the society, a person is punished or praised, similarly each of our actions – gross or subtle, the Providence observes every bit of these actions and accordingly sufferings or enjoyments are granted by Him to a person. God has both aspects: benign or gracious and dreadful or terrible aspect. We should not expect that He should always be kind and compassionate; is it right to expect this for our misdeeds also? It is like, in a family, the parents chastise their children at times, only for their good and also for the smooth-going of the things around. Our sufferings also are good in its real consequence, though most of us do not understand it.

Thus, you understand that God is not to be called the sadist for the sufferings in His creation. Whether we call Him to be a sadist or compassionate, it does not affect Him at all. As we had written in our earlier e-mail to read some books, please do read those along with other books of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda-Vedanta Literature, for example, “Karma YogaÓ, ÒBhagavad Gita” (Chapter 3, 4). This will help you to keep up your spirit and also help you gradually to reduce the bad thoughts; this also will enable to clear your doubts gradually in the life. These books or some scriptures are to be read and also contemplated on the sublime ideas; along with this, spiritual practices are to be done – these will help you understand gradually the subtler things in the world. Through the grace of the God and these Spiritual Practices, one realizes his Real Nature and becomes free from the sufferings as well as from the chain of birth and