The name Yajna, Sacrifice, “expresses a central principle of life,” Easwaran tells us. And he explains that its real meaning “is not just sacrifice but self-sacrifice”:
“Selfless, harmonious effort, the Gita says, contains within itself the seed and secret of success. However hard we work, however dedicated our attitude, it is not we who determine what we achieve; success is contained in the concept of yajna.”
Easwaran gives an extended illustration of this principle with the history of our own meditation center, growing so naturally from his desire to share spiritual wisdom with others. He tells us that this yajna has only begun, “for this is how spiritual work grows and bears fruit from generation to generation.” Each of us in this eSatsang is contributing to that work through our very practice of the spiritual disciplines Easwaran taught. This week let’s read pages 217–227 in The Constant Companion.* We look forward to reading your reflections in the discussion below.
Read this article as if you and Easwaran are having a conversation. What advice does he give you, and how can you apply it this week?
Your spiritual reading – and all your interactions with Easwaran – are helping you draw out your ability to see the Lord in all. What do you notice about how that is affecting your experience in different types of situations in your life?
Please plan to join us this Sunday, December 31 for BMCM Satsang Live at 9:40 am Pacific Time (convert to your time zone) and for a Mantram Day for Peace and Healing. When the first part of our satsang has ended, we will all turn to the Easwaran Digital Library to watch a never-before-seen video of Easwaran. It is his last recorded class given in 1998. We hope you join us for this extraordinary opportunity!
For our spiritual treat here in eSatsang this week, we hope you enjoy this video in which Easwaran comments on the name Shubhanga from the Thousand Names of the Lord, emphasizing its special importance in connection with the New Year, “because it has a direct bearing on how we come to look upon ourselves.” The full talk is 34 minutes; if time is short, consider viewing just the beginning.
* For those using electronic versions of The Constant Companion with different page numbering: this week’s reading is Easwaran’s commentary on the names Who Carries Us Across through Sacrifice. (Please note that the latest edition of our ebook is titled Names of the Lord.)