A Flute in Divine Hands: Durmukha, the Open Hand and the Power of the Name
In the morning satsanga of October 31, 2026, Swami Jyotirmayananda taught that a surrendered personality becomes a flute in divine hands, that the ugly face of demoniac movement is sublimated into a gracious one, that blessings come by the open hand, and that repetition of the divine name never goes in vain.
After the invocation to Lord Rama, the Lord of the Raghu dynasty, whose complexion is like a blue lotus, with Sita seated at his left and a powerful bow and arrow in his hands, and after the Hare Rama mantra, Swamiji read a short passage on Mithila, the city of Sita. That city becomes the basis for turning away from the cycle of birth and death. The one who dwells there is unaffected by the currents of attachment and hatred. His heart is free from greed, his intellect untainted by pride and egoism. His mind is turned toward God, his life is filled with divine virtues, and he sees his Self in all and all in the Self. Such a one attains eternal life in the absolute Truth.
A Flute in Divine Hands
The heart of the morning was surrender. Surrender to God, Swamiji taught, is a sweet surrender, and through it you become a channel in divine hands, a flute. A personality that is surrendered no longer carries the blubbering face of demoniac movement. It begins to bring about melody.
Durmukha Becomes Sumukha
Demoniac movement, he explained, comes with durmukha, an ugly face. In that state one does not perform one's duty, one is always ready to command others, and the face is never gracious; no one can bear to look at it. But when you have developed atulita balam, the strength of Hanuman, the change comes: "Durmukh becomes Sumukh." The ugly face is sublimated into sumukha, a gracious face.
Your dealings with others are no longer taken up with a bad face. By surrendering to God you develop the gracious face, and that gracious face drives away demoniac movement very fast. All that you need, Swamiji said, is to be gracious. The sun does not require a lot of effort to drive away the forces of darkness; in the same way the glory of the Sun begins to radiate through your face as the power of grace. The more gracious you are, the more triumphant you are.
How do you know you are gaining victory within yourself? By grace. When you see your personality developing a gracious face, you know you are succeeding, and victory over the world of darkness follows. You do not have to conquer the darkness. By seeing the face of the sun, darkness flies away. So there is no more muscular fight against ignorance, only surrender to God.
The Open Hand
Demoniac movement, Swamiji taught, is also a closed hand. It stops one from taking up the work of dharma, because the closed hand does not allow it. He recited the morning verse that sees Lakshmi at the very fingertips, Saraswati in the middle of the hand, and Govinda at its base.
Whatever work you want to bless, he said, the blessing comes through the open hand: "All your blessings are done by open hand." A closed hand is frightening. The victory of the higher Self, and every divine movement related to the higher Self, comes by opening your hand. When the hand is closed, nothing can be done.
The Power of the Name
Swamiji also spoke of the vairi bhakta, the devotee through enmity. Try to understand, he said: if you are someone's enemy, you repeat his name constantly in your mind. One who develops the attitude "Rama is my enemy" is still repeating the name. "In every movement, he's repeating the name." And the power of the name prepares him to attain salvation. Through the divine lila, such a person becomes ready to be sublimated.
The lesson for every seeker follows: even if one repeats the divine name without respect, that repetition never goes in vain.
Satsanga, the Guru and the Real Aham
All spiritual progress, Swamiji taught, is backed by the power of satsanga, and satsanga is the Guru's grace. The Guru is the one who gives you the statement "You are Brahman." When you hear it, you practice it as I am Brahman, and the Guru's statement cannot go wrong. This is not inflation of the ego. The real aham, the real "I," is the Truth.
Surya Namaskar and the Solar Lineage
Surya Namaskar, he continued, brings to mind the glory of the Sun. You are not merely a biological personality with mortal forefathers. You are Suryavanshi, of the lineage of the Sun; the Sun is your father, and all the sages and saints are Suryavanshis in different strengths. When you do Surya Namaskar, try to bring that power to your mind, and do it every day. "Success is not one day's job." It is a progressive movement.
Seeing the Self in All
A seeker asked how to see all in the Self and the Self in all. The answer, Swamiji said, is in satsanga itself; that is why we come here. The satsanga closed with a prayer for the grace of God to shower on all, and a prayer for the well-being of all.
Terms in This Satsanga
- durmukha — an ugly face; the countenance of demoniac movement.
- sumukha — a gracious face; durmukha sublimated through strength and surrender.
- atulita balam — the incomparable strength of Hanuman.
- vairi bhakta — a devotee through enmity, who repeats the Lord's name as an enemy and is still prepared for salvation.
- aham — "I"; the real aham is the Truth, not the ego.
- Suryavanshi — of the lineage of the Sun.
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