EPISTLES TO DISCIPLES: BOLAKA ROY (BANERJEE) ... 1

EPISTLES TO DISCIPLES:

BOLAKA ROY (BANERJEE) ... 1

LETTER 1:

Dear Bolaka,                               14.10.2025

     The gateway to freedom is open for you if you choose to go along that way. In life there are two options: bondage and freedom. The former arises out of persistent desires, their fulfilment and fresh creation, like fire being fuelled by hardened oil (ghee) endlessly. The latter opens up when earthly desires are given up and the One within sought. The former is pleasurable but leads to eventual pain and death with the ceaseless cycle of birth, life and death repeating with its consequent alternation of pleasure and pain. The latter is preferable and, though insipid perhaps to begin with, if persisted with regularity of spiritual practice, leads to light, bliss and freedom. These are the two paths right there in front of us, beckoning us to traverse. The discriminate chooses the 'shreya' and comes to peace while the indiscriminate headlong dives into the 'preya' which is the dungeon of despair and death. These are words from the Kathopanishad where Yama teaches the supreme truth to Nachiketā upon persistent beseeching by the latter. This much for now. More later. Keep up your spiritual practices. 

With blessings on you and yours,

Gurudev

LETTER 2:

Dear Bolaka,                             18.10.2025

     Discipline is good in the formative period of spiritual life but becomes a hindrance as one advances spiritually. Freedom being the goal, initial discipline wards off inertia (tamas) but continued routinisation of life way beyond the initial stage becomes a positive hindrance to the higher growth into the freer zones of the Spirit where material rules of time schedules necessarily break down. If routinisation is made to persist perforce, further spiritual growth is thwarted. This is why we find Thakur and Swamiji so free in their daily disciplines, following the course of their heart rather than the dictates of time. Once the inner life opens up, external bindings fall and the aspirant follows the dictates of his conscience. However, one must not fancy that one is so advanced as to immediately give up regularity of living and practising the due spiritual disciplines, and going as one likes. These are in relation to genuinely advanced practitioners who have followed diligently the spiritual discipline for years and have duly transcended its petty limitations. They are now in continuous contemplation and cannot anymore limit themselves to fractured schedules occurring at intervals. 

All this I mention because I see my disciples either weighed down by workload as if, or pretending to be busy when they are really indolent and evasive of me. Each one posits busyness as the reason for his or her failure to communicate or keep in touch in any way. This, of course, is mere selfishness and cannot be condoned in the preceptor-pupil spiritual relationship. The whole world is thus pretending busyness when very few are truly so. And those that are genuinely busy never say so nor avoid people on such pretext but are ever welcoming others in hearty communication with them. The crux of the matter is that pretence and insincerity must be completely given up if one has to progress spiritually. Also, one must always avail oneself the hour to be in the holy company of one's Guru. These are pointers not directed at you as such but are observations made by me in relation to disciple demeanour that I daily discover. 

Ruminate on my words. Avoid flimsy pastimes but spend your hours in good reading of spiritual books as suggested by me.

May my blessings be forever showered on you is my earnest prayer to Thakur-Ma-Swamiji!

Chant your way to bliss.

With blessings,

Gurudev.

LETTER 3: 

                                                           

Dear Bolaka,                                   21.10.2025

     These film stars and their selfish sense-craving! What do they know beyond self-interest? What do they care for our country? Themselves deluded, they are spreading delusion all around with their Avidyā, ruining the youth of the country. But they can do so only if people respond favourably to them. Just cast them aside, ignore them altogether and advance along your path of rectitude and righteousness like the rhinoceros.

Unless sense-craving and soft sentimentality goes, is replaced by dispassionate pursuit of God in as ardent a manner as one is capable of, unless the senses cease to bind the aspirant to the beauty of flesh and form, to the delirious delight of the five senses, unless disenchantment with the alternating experience of pleasure and pain has set in, spirituality has not set in.

    

Camouflaged worldliness, not necessarily intentional, should not be mistaken as spirituality. More often than not what goes by the name of spirituality these days is far less than even the dharma mārg, leave aside the moksha mārg. One must be careful in discerning these. Otherwise, spiritual progress will be invariably impeded. These days much of what goes on in the name of religion is appeasement of the senses, apology on their behalf and the attempted harmonising of spirit and matter which can never be. 'Jahān Rām wahān kām nahi aur jahān kām wahān Rām nahi.' ('Where Rām is, there lust/material desire is not, and where where lust/material desire is, there Rām is not.')

Meditate always on my words and modify erring tendencies slowly so that spiritual progress is smooth. 

With blessings on you ever and ever,

Gurudev