God’s well known attribute

उपासकां वरदायक होसीं, ऐसी तव कीर्ती |
                                                       - आरती काळभैरवाची

They say that to become eligible for God's grace and blessings one should do what God likes. It is not possible that one does whatever one likes and still expect God to shower His blessings. This does not work even in human relationships. Is it not? Even if father loves his son and daughter he cannot be happy if they do not do anything what father wants them to do. Father expects son and daughter to follow some discipline not for father's sake but for their own development. The same is true with relationship between God and human being.

They say that God likes the discipline. But not any discipline. He likes the actions that are performed with love, with a noble motive. That action does not need to be extravagant. More than external display the internal motive is what is important. 

Numerous stories have been told through Pothis and Puranas about God's well known attribute (कीर्ती) of blessing Upasakas (disciplined persons) who perform Upasana, a disciplined routine for purifying self so that one can become qualified to participate in God's own work. Like working for best employer offers one a job security, the same is true when one participates in God's work. The Upasana itself is not difficult to start with. One can choose upasana that suits to one's own routine. The best upasana is the one that is prescribed by one's own Guru. However if one does not have Guru there are some popular disciplines to choose from, for example

1. Lighting a lamp and incense stick in front of God's idol or photo
2. Offering a garland of flowers or just a flower to God's idol or photo
3. Offering naivedya to God
4. Chanting or listening a stotra (hymn) 
5. Singing or listening a prayer / arti  in front of God
6. Chanting the name of God
7. Saluting one's own parents
8. Remembering and prostrating before one's own Kula Devata (Goddess of one’s own lineage)
9. Reading a line, a page or a chapter from religious scripture
10. Performing Surya namaskar in front of God

They say one should decide a time of day to perform these actions and then try to stick to that time. These actions do not take much time. But the benefits, tangible and intangible, that one incurs by performing one or all of these actions consistently are huge.

Shri Kakaji (Maganmal Jethanand Wawa) - an article by Dr. M.V.P. Kumar

This is the great occasion of Baba's temple inauguration and Kumbhabhishekam when this souvenir is being brought out. I wish to write few words about our beloved guru Shri Kakaji of Panvel. Shri Kakaji dedicated his entire life to the cause of humanity and he was a great unassuming personality.

Shri Kakaji is my guru who initiated me into the path of spirituality and human service. It is befitting to write a few words with my limited ability. All the same I have tried to put his glory.

I have never come accross a similar person who had sacrificed the entire life to the service to humanity without any expectation in return.

I met Shri Kakaji somewhere in 1960 and till his passing away in the year 1978 (02.05.1978), I was in association with him. But even now he lives in our hearts and has guided throughout my life at every stage like father and mother.

Rightly this is the befitting time for me to reveal something about my guru who had shown path of service to humanity leading to Godhood (Manavseva is Madhavseva).

He used to spend his entire day with people sitting in a small room, solving their problems.
His entire family along with his parents, came from Sind as refugees and settled at Chembur Camp after partition. From there they came and settled down to Panvel.

Since then till he breathed his last, Panvel remained his residence and workplace. I have humbly followed in my life his teaching of leading simple life and be of use to humanity at large.

It will not be out of place to mention that Shri M.V.Raghupathi, my younger brother, has also been the disciple of venerable Guru Shri Kakaji. To be precise, Kakaji gave "Diksha" to Raghupathi in 1968 and bestowed his blessings on him. It is on his order (aadesh) that my brother entered teaching profession in 1978 and remained active in that profession till 2005. He had however, started his pursuit at Dapoli since 1996-97. Again on Kakaji's order only he has been devoting his entire time since 2005 to activities in Dapoli. My brother has put in practice the preaching of Param Pujya Shri Kakaji.

Dr. M.V.P. Kumar