The Divine Sale

Last Diwali, when Amazon’s big billion sale was announced, my wife wanted to gift me something for my B’day. So, from my wish list , we narrowed down to a product which was discounted 40% . With the help of credit-card  amazon vouchers, she gifted it to me with a 80% discount. I was super happy and super excited.

Later, on the same day, we headed to Coimbatore having fixed an appointment with a Pune based hair-stylist for my 8 yr old daughter. My wife needed an expert’s advice to manage my daughter’s curly hair. I waited in the car for two hours checking my stock market trading/investments. An elderly man with torn shirt and trouser approached for alms. I imagined myself to be the man asking alms and how much would I expect someone to give. Well, I thought Rs.100 will be too much and I would think the person who gives, does not value money. So, I gave him a fifty. He was super happy and gave a broad smile and a namaste.

When my gals returned, my wife told me the cost of the consult and the products she had to buy. My heart skipped a beat, throat went dry  and all the super happiness and excitement vaporized like morning mist. My wife sensed it, she asked, ‘what happened?’. I said , ‘nothing’. I tried hard not to reveal my expression. Thanks to the mask I was wearing. But my little girl looked prettier with the makeover, with curls all around, like Tapasee panu.

I did one thing more, in the meantime I waited. Nearby was the ‘Gita Press’ wholesale store, which I frequented in my bachelor sadhana days. I peeped in, to find if anything interested me. I took a small booklet on Japa Sadhana written by Ram Sukhadas. I found a remarkable noteworthy point from the book regarding Japa. It said , If you are doing nama japa of ram in your lips silently, then do Japa of krishna mentally so that when your lips are doing Japa, the mind does not vacillate. Wow! That’s an amazing idea, atleast to me. For my mind always drifted in imaginative confabulation.

Can you guess what would be the cost of the book? It was Rs.4. Yeah, I know you reread that price twice. It was just four rupees. I just wondered, all the things we want, materialistic things are so costly and if it’s a sale, they raise the price and slash it for psychological dopamine rush. But,  things that are spiritually oriented are totally discounted and are available on SALE, throughout the year. And most of the spiritual centers give discounts over the already discounted price ( Sri Ramakrishna Math gives 40% discount for books on the Holy Trio’s Jayanthi. OS.ME  gives discounts for members in all subscription over the already discounted prices…….). 

And if this is too much, then what can be said about the ‘Sadhana’ App by Om Swami. He has made it absolutely , unimaginably free for the entire world. I mean , I feel goose bumps when I mention this. All the mantras, pujas, Sadhanas, Yagnas for all the deities, he made it free without even blinking. Once upon a time, these mantras and procedures were closely guarded secret for which the sadhakas has to spend decades with a guru for him to utter even a single syllable. He has literally opened the flood gates of Immortality for all of mankind. It his magnanimity and benevolence that he is literally spoon feeding spirituality to all of us. Only a motherly affection can see through all affliction and still shower unbounded grace for every one. If this not a DIVINE SALE, then what is? you tell me…

During his final days, Sri Ramakrishna blessed everyone whosoever were there in the Cossipore garden house on a January 1st  and it is celebrated as Kalpataru day in  Sri Ramakrishna order throughout the world. Later, on the same day, he said, ” I am like the fruit seller who at the end of the day is ready to sell everything at any price. In the same way today I have blessed everyone irrespective of whether you are fit for it or not, so that you all will be illulmined and awakened and realize the Divine, as my end is near”. Likewise, in this Kali Yuga, in this 21st century Om Swami has discounted everything, every eligibility criteria of a sadhaka for sadhana, so that one may have some inclination towards the Divine in the present day scenario of world’s sensual pleasure. In 20th century Sri Ramakrishna became the kalpataru and blessed everyone. In 21st century it is Om Swami, He is the Kalpataru as well as the wish fulfilling Kamadhenu seated in Badrika Ashram for the welfare of mankind.

So, what happens when there is a sale, everyone goes mad and rush to grab whatever they can lay their hands on, right? The biggest Divine sale on earth is happening right now for the past decade in Badrika Ashram and I haven’t the slightest doubt that it will remain so, for time immemorial.

 This post was to be published last Diwali after I bought the booklet, I kept delaying. Sona Om Ji, wrote an amazing post last week about following an  authentic guru and doing proper sadhana( Sona Om ji’s Spirituality on Sale ). I felt it would be the perfect time to sync the ‘The Divine Sale’ post and also the release of Sadhana app has made it complete, I guess. 

JAI MAA!!!

Pic courtesy: Pexels.