Akhand Jyoti

The Light Divine

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September-October 2017

Volume: 15

Issue: 5

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Founder–Patrons

Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya

Mata Bhagwati Devi Sharma

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Chief Editor

Dr Pranav Pandya

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Publisher

Mrityunjay Sharma

Akhand Jyoti Sansthan

Mathura 281003

India

Phone: 0565-2403940

Mobile: 09927086291

Email: ajsansthan@awgp.org

Contents

1. Amrit Chintan: You can become rich without money

2. From Chief Editor’s desk: “Matrushakti Shrāddhanjali Mahapurashcharan”: A collective social, cultural and spiritual endeavour to usher in new era

3. Future of the world–vision of some modern-age savants & seers

4. Espionage system a gift of Vedic Rishis

5. Science and Spirituality: Spirituality & Socio-Economic Sciences

6. Religion: Is it useful or useless?

7. Use of willpower to cure diseases

8. Refinement of consciousness through Navratri Sadhana

9. Yug Gita: 8 Choosing the Lord as Sadguru – 2

10. Peace Pilgrim's wisdom - 8: The Pilgrimage – 3

11. Odyssey of the Enlightened - 57: Revelation of a new vision – 3

12. Youth column: Has the youth consciousness gone astray?

13. Practical ways of life sadhana

14. Amrit vani: Know the essentials before expecting great results of sādhanā

15. Shrāddha – an expression of reverence and gratitude towards our ancestors

16. Matrushakti Shrāddhanjali Mahapurashcharan (2): Birth centenary padyatra (walking tour) for mass awakening

17. Matrushakti Shrāddhanjali Mahapurashcharan (3): 3-year plan for phase - i according to youth vision

18. Shantikunj News in Pictures

Om bhūrbhuvaḥ svaḥ tatsaviturvareṇyaṁ
bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt ll

—Rigveda 3/62/10; Samveda 1462, Yajurveda 3/35, 2219, 30/2, 36/3

(May Almighty illuminate our intellect and inspire us towards the righteous path)

•••••••••••

Amrit Chintan

You can become rich without money

You will wonder how one can become rich without money. But it is true that there are many people who have no money in their pockets or who don’t have even the pockets are so rich that no one can parallel them in richness. A person is truly rich who possesses sound health, kind heart and pure mind. Healthy body is far more precious than silver, kind heart is more valuable than gold and pure mind is much more treasurable than gems.

Seers Dadhichi, Vashishtha, Vedvyas, Balmiki, Tulsidas, Ramdas, Kabir, etc were rich without money. They were aware that the food needed for nourishment need not be taken through mouth alone, nor all the things needed for joyful living be purchased through money. God has written invaluable mysteries on each page of the book of life. If we so desire, we can identify them and make ourselves enlightened. A person with a magnanimous heart and pure soul will create the warmth of gems even in a small hut. If you are humble, affectionate, pure and righteous, then believe me that you are the master of infinite wealth.

A rich friend of Franklin once asked him – ‘Where should I keep my wealth?’ Franklin replied – ‘Pour your bags of money on your head (that is, utilize this money in augmenting wisdom); then no one will be able to steal it’. Lord Cuthbert Collingwood has rightly said – ‘Wisdom will never go out of fashion.

…(However), wisdom does not come by instinct, but will be found when diligently sought for; seek her, she will be a friend that will never fail you’.

Pujya Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma, Acharya

‘Akhand Jyoti – The Light Divine’ Editorial Team
Wishes its Readers a Happy, Healthy and Harmonious Deepawali – The Festival of Lights (October 19, 2017)

“Man is the architect of his own fortune.”

Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya

“Don’t gain the world and lose your soul; wisdom is better than silver or gold.”

Bob Marley

From Chief Editor’s Desk

“Matrushakti Shrāddhanjali Mahapurashcharan”:
A collective social, cultural and spiritual endeavour
to usher in new era

It is indeed rare in the history of mankind that the great souls like Bhagirath, Vishwamitra, Vashishtha, Yagyawalkya, Dadhichi, etc graced the Earth and safeguarded the roots of divinity by their tapa and sacrifice. Revered Gurudev Pandit Sriram Sharma Acharya certainly belongs to this category of divine rishis. His noble thoughts and deeds are well-known across the globe. But the life of Param Vandaniya Mata Bhagwati Devi Sharma, who was his soulmate and complemented his role on earth, ever remained a mystery. The simple life which she led and the motherly love that she showered on all the parijans who came into her fold was only the tip of the iceberg. Only a few close associates knew her as Shaktiswaroopa (the incarnation of Shakti).

As a tribute to Vandaniya Mataji, “Matrushakti Shrāddhanjali Mahapurashcharan” – a collective social, cultural and spiritual endeavor to usher in a golden era of Truth, has been taken up by the parijans of All World Gayatri Pariwar. This era changing 9-year Anushthan has commenced on Guru Purnima, 2017 (July 9) and will conclude on Guru Purnima, 2026 (July 29). There are three wonderful co-incidences that align during the year 2026. The first one being that the year 2026 is the birth centenary year of Vandaniya Mataji. Secondly, the ‘Akhand Deepak’ that is incessantly kept lighted in Shantikunj (ever since Param Pujya Gurudev first lit it) also completes 100 years (on the Vasant Panchami of 2026, January 20). And, thirdly, 2026 marks the centenary year of the Bhagvat Siddhi Day (November 24) of Maharshi Sri Aurobindo. This 9-year Anushthan has been divided into three phases, each spanning 3 years. The first phase has already started from July 9, 2017 and will continue up to July 5, 2020. The second phase spans from July 5, 2020 to July 3, 2023. On this same day, the third and final phase will commence and conclude on July 29, 2026. About 120 million Gayatri Pariwar parijans across the globe are expected to join this collective Anushthan. Throughout this period, all the participants will undertake three spiritual practices as per their capabilities. They are Upasana, Sadhana and Aradhana. These are explained as follows:

Upasana – We should wake up before sunrise and do Atmabodh Sadhana first thing in the morning; that is, meditate on the idea that each day is a new birth and a new start. One may contemplate for 5 to 6 minutes and focus on the thought that one has to do something new in this new birth and new day. We need to write down new resolutions for the day in our diary. At the end of the day, we should do Tatvabodh Sadhana, where we imagine that each night is the new death. In 5 to 6 minutes, we will recall what we were not able to do that day and also think if those tasks could be accomplished the next day or not. Let us record this too in our diaries before going to bed. Finally, thanking God for giving that day’s life, become relaxed and go to sleep.

Along with these Sadhanas, after completing daily morning chores (bath,etc), we need to do 5-mala Jap (chanting) of Gayatri Mantra or write 50 Gayatri Mantras in Mantra Lekhan book, or recite Gayatri Chalisa 5 times. Before or after the japa, 15 minutes of meditation should also be done. One may choose any of the following as per one’s liking: Pran Sanchaar Meditation or Panchkoshi Jagran Meditation or Meditation of the three bodies–physical, subtle and causal. The audio files of the instructions for these meditations (in Gurudev’s voice) are available on our website (http://www.awgp.org/media_gallery/ audio). This needs to be carried out for next three years continuously. By doing this, each participant will be able to do japa of 1 lakh, 82 thousand, and 500 mantras in one year. (In three years it will be japa of 5 lakh, 47 thousand, and 500 mantras). The collective figure of all the parijans would be enormous.

Sadhana–Our Mission’s objective is to lay the foundation of a new era of peace, progress and bliss. This requires refinement of thoughts, sentiments, and emotions of the masses. Of the many wonderful faculties bestowed upon human beings, the faculty of emotions is supreme. More than the circumstances and the availability or the lack of resources, it is this faculty which is responsible for one’s joys or sorrows in general. Refinement and righteous use of the power of emotions can solve most of the problems faced by the world today. Therefore, regular swadhyaya (study of inspiring literature) is mandatory for all sadhaks in order to maintain the positive thought vibrations. Swadhyaya can be done at the individual level or it can be done in groups of 5 to 10 people. The list of books for individual and group study is given elsewhere (see page 46 of this issue).

In order to proceed properly in our upasana-sadhana and get their benefits, it is advised that we should all follow the advice of Param Pujya Gurudev in this regard. (Excerpts of his discourses are given in Amrit Vani on page 40 of this issue).

Aaradhana – For social welfare and awakening of the masses, following activities are recommended for the youths, women and the pragya parijans:

Youth Power:

1. Through the youth power, we will organize ‘Yugsahitya discussion sessions’ in schools, colleges and universities. Material and topics for the discussion may be taken from the books of Param Pujya Gurudev.

2. Various workshops and seminars are proposed to be organized to integrate science and spirituality. The themes for such workshops / seminars may be taken from the immense literature of Gurusatta. Help and guidance from professors / teachers of different disciplines may be taken to conduct these workshops. This will provide scientific basis to the insights of spirituality.

3. Efforts will be made to expand the youth organization at tehsil, district and provincial levels. The plan carried out during Youth Revolution Years (2016 and 2017) will be further expanded. Effort should be made so that youths from all walks of life join our activities.

4. In order to spread Yoga to every house, young boys and girls will be trained. The students who have graduated from Dev Sanskriti University will help in this venture. Camps for educating the people in the Science of Yoga and Yoga Therapy will be organized throughout the country.

5. All youth forums working for the mission must get registered with Shantkunj Youth Cell, so that they get proper guidance from time to time. It is urged that all such forums will stay away from politics and engage only in the activities of nation building.

Women Empowerment

1. Stalls of Yugsahitya will be established in girls’ schools and colleges so that swadhyaya mandals (study groups) may be formed there.

2. Kanya Kaushal Camps will be organized in each state. Such camps will improve women’s overall personality. Thus their understanding of the mission will deepen and opportunity for jobs will also be created.

3. Yoga training camps for women will be organized at various places. Training will also be provided in Marshal Arts, Tai Kwando, and self-defense mechanisms so that women can be made healthy, happy and self-dependent.

4. Plans of social-service projects will be given to the employed women and women entrepreneurs in business. The number and strength of such organizations will increase manifold.

Pragya Parijans

This is the core of our mission. Its official consortiums will be formed at various places. These Pragya parijans need to participate enthusiastically and vigorously in the activities of Yug Nirman Yojana. Detailed guidelines for the next three years are given elsewhere (read articles titled ‘Birth Centenary Padyatra (Walking Tour) for Mass Awakening’, page 46 , and ‘3-Year Plan for Phase-I According to Youth Vision’, page 48 of this issue).

The goal is to enhance the visibility and stature of our Shaktipeeths / Chetana Centers and develop them as centers for mass-awakening. We should create the desire for selfless service in the minds and hearts of the masses.

This is an ambitious plan and we solicit the ideas and suggestions of our readers for its efficient implementation.

(Pranav Pandya)

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”

Epictetus

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Seek not greater wealth, but simpler pleasure; not higher fortune, but deeper felicity.”

Mahatma Gandhi

Future of the world–vision
of some modern-age savants & seers

Interestingly, not only the prophecies of prodigious minds, but also insightful vision of some sagacious thinkers and intellectuals of the modern times also support the dawn of a bright future of spirituality after the climax of all-round challenges and adversities across the world.

Noted among the recent inferences based on the clear and sound analytics that support the prophecies of transformation of socio-economic scenario are those of Professor Ravindra Nath (Ravi) Batra[1-2]. Dr. Ravi Batra, Professor at Southern Methodist University, is an Indian- American economist who has authored six bestselling books. His book “The Great Depression of 1990” topped the New York Times best seller list in 1987. This book was like an accurate prediction of the future.

Batra advocates PROUT — Progressive Utilization Theory. PROUT recommends a democratic system of free enterprise – one in which everyone involved, has a stake – a decentralized economy towards an equitable distribution system that would provide equal opportunities of material progress along with self-development to all. He also sees important role of spirituality in bringing about the much needed socio-economic transformation of today’s world. With his analysis of the global socio-economic scenario, Batra also points out the hardship and challenges India would also face by the economic crises across the world. However he also shows a silver line of opportunities ahead with unique features of Indian society and culture and the human potential of India most suitable for implementation of PROUT[1].

Referring to his work and vision, some experts and exponents of PROUT predict that[2] — “[...] The coming crises will actually be a blessing in disguise, for it will force a re-evaluation of the economic policies. It will precipitate a broad- based awareness, that there must be a drastic change in economic planning. In short the soil will be then fertile for PROUT to emerge as the only alternative [....]. The economic reforms of PROUT will create a fertile ground for the full unleashing of India’s human potential. Other countries will follow in India’s footsteps.

At that time not only will the world emulate India’s new system, but the nation’s ancient spiritual heritage will also become prominent–its universalistic wisdom will play great role in unifying our planet. Humanity will realize as never before that only global cooperation can put an end to the world-wide crises. When the declining moral values throughout the world have reached their nadir, only eternal philosophy will be able to fulfil the spiritual and moral vacuum. India will then assure the moral leadership of the world [..]”.

That simple living inspired by spiritual thinking is the only way to level the environmental disturbances and incongruities of the society and erect the framework of social uplift, is also supported by thorough data-modelling and simulation studies carried out independently by some researchers at Stockholm Environment Institute[3]. But this socio- economic transformation would be feasible and would lead to a happy and eco-friendly society only if aspirations and thinking of the masses is also transformed accordingly [4].

Spiritual endeavours to usher in a brighter future:

It is remarkable to note that what the researchers and intellectuals are now projecting as sustainable models and approaches had been envisaged and advocated by Seer-sage spiritual scientist Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya as part of commencement of his Yug Nirman (Epochal Transformation) and Vichar Kranti (Thought Revolution) Mission way back in 1940s[5,6].

Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya (revered as “Gurudev”) has demonstrated unique ability to predict the future on many occasions. During the 1980s, when the cold war was at its zenith, he had accurately predicted the impossibility of a third world war, nuclear non-proliferation and failure of the star-war programme. Some of his predictions of global importance that have come true include the following.

During the War of 1971 between India and Pakistan, the cold-war between the two super nuclear powers had also got ‘heated up’. The Pentagon had launched its much-talked-of seventh naval fleet towards the Indian Ocean to help its ‘satellite country’. Every nautical mile traversed by the gigantic fleet equipped with high- tech strategic gadgets was aggravating the threat and was mounting the concerns of the Indian side. The next morning Gurudev declared in his discourse that the great rishis, Himalayan Yogis, will not let anybody’s evil intentions succeed in attacking the land of divine philosophy and culture. He also initiated an arduous sādhanā (spiritual experiment) in absolute silence, without taking any food and water to prevent the adversities. Within 48 hours of his sublime spiritual experiment, the American naval fleet mysteriously reversed its direction! It was an astounding event for the world. The strategic planners and defence experts too could not quite understand what could have been the actual reason for this U-turn by the Pentagon or what made White House suddenly annul its decision?

Another event that raised global concern and curiosity was the fall of the Skylab in July 1979. Two days before the American space shuttle failed in elevating this first of its kind space-lab to safer altitude and it became apparent that the giant structure or its debris (of several tonnes) would fall randomly, Gurudev had asked all the disciples present in Shantikunj, Hardwar to collectively initiate a Gāyatri Anushthān jointly with him to generate a flow of sublime consciousness- power current in Nature necessary to counter an unprecedented threat likely from the space. People over there thought it might be some meteor- explosion, supernova effect or some astrologically negative signal. But soon the reason was obvious to everyone when the newspapers and radio broadcasts broke the news. The major fear was the alarming danger of devastation that was almost sure to be caused by the debris of the huge structure (of about 91000 kg tonne weight, orbital mass over 77000 kg and 282 cubic meter habitable volume) that was now falling towards the earth.

Gurudev disclosed that the experiment was much more than mass prayers to minimize the loss due to the crash. He explained that no one could deny the Laws of Nature and hence the gravitational force. “Given that the Skylab has begun falling down, the best thing we can do is to divert its trajectory to prevent the likely disaster and avoid the tragedy. For example, instead of destroying habitations or jungles on the earth, it may be ‘forced’ to submerge in an ocean […]”, he explained.

Those who have experienced the extraordinary energy vibrations and extrasensory currents in the Himalayan region or in the vicinity of great yogis like him could understand the point better than those who considered the material based science as ultimate reality. Well, irrespective of the arguments for and against such possibilities, what is remarkable without any scope for debate here is that more than twelve hours before the giant space lab entered the earth’s atmosphere, Gurudev had confidently declared that “now the purpose of the anushthāna is accomplished, the fall will be safe – plunging in the Indian Ocean.” The verification of his foretell was what the world witnessed — without any control of NASA, Russian Space Agency (RSA) or any other observatory or space research centre, the Skylab debris submerged in the southern part of Indian Ocean!

Until the past few decades, the possibilities of a bright future were dimmed by the thick smog of doubts and despair caused by the terror of nuclear wars, star-war, economic crisis, diminishing natural resources, unabated environmental pollution, population explosion and the rising hazard of natural calamities because of disruption of the harmony of the ecosystem. It was impossible to imagine how the course of events would ever be diverted or controlled before the ‘dead-end’. Things have aggravated on many fronts by now but the writings and the speeches of this yugrishi indicate a silver lining of hope.

The spiritually empowered acumen of this angelic saint had a reach in the realms of subtler world. Future was apparent before his eyes like projection of a movie on the screen in front. However, he foretold about the future events only when it was a must to make people aware of their duties and preparations well in advance. It’s amazing to note that way back in late 1960s he had given clear hints about likelihood of immuno-deficiency disorders what we now know as AIDS. The breaking of the Berlin wall, disintegration of USSR, etc. were also foretold by him decades before. His style of conveying the forecasts through his discourses and writings[6] was so lucid and convincing that his prophesies also used to sound like logically drawn conclusions. Some excerpts (translated version of the original in Hindi):

“Nature has its own ways of maintaining the balance necessary for the protection and evolution of life on the planet where it has bestowed enormous resources for its sustenance and expansion. The growing pleasure-driven tendencies and comfort-hungry lifestyle in the commercialized, self-centred society today should be cautiously checked. If man does not discipline his habits and sensory lust, it might happen that his body’s natural defence mechanism itself would revolt against him. Then, there won’t be any escape from the dreaded health-hazards!”

“Since the past three hundred years, this world has suffered several blood-shed revolutions, fanaticism and horrifying wars. The echoes of the two World Wars seem to have overshadowed the constructive powers of scientific developments too. But Remember! The Creator of the World is superior to all super-powers here. The evolutionary impulse of positive change inspired by Him has propagated at the sublime spiritual level and is soon going to manifest itself in the form of revolution of thoughts. I can see it that those preparing for ‘head-on collision’ of their mighty high-tech weaponry with the rivals will soon understand the self-destructive risk of such daring attempts and will instead tilt towards an approach of far-reaching negotiations….”.

“The influence of cosmic evolutionary force of the Omnipotent can bring epochal changes, which are beyond our imagination [….]. One can’t believe today that the wall between the East and West of Germany will collapse for unity and peace. Why a mighty power like the USSR would let itself disintegrate? How would then the other superpower be checked? But we will see all these to happen in the coming decades [...]. The other ‘superpowers’ will not be able to protect their own economic interests without giving due share to the developing countries. Declining cultural and social values of the arrogant superpower of the world today will also compel it to invite manpower from rest of the world and alter its socio-economic trends of luxurious possessions. Victory of democracy even in the countries, which are ruled by military or imperialism since long, will also become a visible reality [….]”.

“Emancipation of women will no longer be only the matter of discussions in intellectual forums or protests and agitations of some activists/social organizations. Rise of women power will be significant in the regional and global scenario [...]”.

While referring to the future, he always warned about the testing times that need to be faced bravely and with adept preparations before the dawn of the new era. He often used to say – “the dawn of the new era is like the birth of a new baby for which the Mother Nature (and hence every living being here) will have to wait and also prepare to bear the ‘labour pains’ [….]”.

The period between 1980 and 2010 was referred by him as crucial for that purpose. He suggested that “Best possible attempts from the political, social, scientific, economical fronts should no doubt be accelerated but the most vital need of this critical phase is–cleansing and positive orientation of people’s thinking and devout endeavours of moral uplift and spiritual awakening to be carried out by the saintly souls and their followers, without which the sins, the evils, the follies of mankind that have put the globe on the verge of extinction cannot be rectified”.

In the next issue we will highlight the spiritual experiments and constructive projects initiated and accomplished by him as essential preparation at this juncture of epochal change, and present a summary of his predictions about the golden future (beyond 2025) of the world.

References:

1. Batra R. PROUTist Economy and India’s Brilliant Future. JAICO Publ. House, Bombay. 1990.
http://proutscandinavia.blogspot. in/2013/02/the-future-super-power-india- and-its.html

2. Paul Raskin, Tariq Banuri, Gilberto Gallopin, Pablo Guttman, Al Hammond, Robert Kates and Rob Swart, Great Transition: The Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead. Publ. Stockholm Environment Institute (ISBN: 978-0971241817) www.greattransition.org 2002.

3. Brahmvarchas. Thought Revolution — A Western Introduction to the Work of Acharya
Shriram Sharma. Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar (2nd Edn) 2014

4. Pandya P. The Legend of a Divine Campaign (2nd edition) Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar 2017

5. Pandya P., Jyotirmay. Chetna ki Shikhar Yatra Vol. 1-3. [English version of Vol. 1 “Odyssey of the Enlightened”] Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar, 2003-2012.

6. Mission’s magazines “Akhand Jyoti”, “Yug Nirman Yojna”, etc and books published by Akhand Jyoti Sansthan, Mathura, Yug Nirman Yojna, Mathura and Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar. (Since 1940)

“Fortune sides with him who dares.”

Virgil

“Happiness is not in the mere possession of money;
it lies in the joy of achievement,
in the thrill of creative effort.”

Franklin D. Roosevelt

“Health is the greatest gift,
contentment the greatest wealth,
faithfulness the best relationship.”

Buddha

“The greatest wealth is to live content with little.”

Plato

Espionage system a gift of Vedic Rishis

Ever since the advent of man on this earth, his natural curiosity and intrinsic instinct for self- defence has always led him to acquire secret information of his opponents and adversaries. This propensity gave rise to the institution which we call ‘guptacharya’. In English, it is called espionage and the practitioners of this art are called ‘spies’. This word is equivalent to Sanskrit word ‘spasha’, which means observer or the one who is ever alert. It is clear that the spy system of today is a contribution of ancient India.

In the beginning, there were some specific people who kept every activity of others under observation. In course of time this necessity became an integral part of the state functioning. With the birth of state as a political organization, this information gathering also took an organised form, and began to be used freely for social and political developmental purposes. By the time of the Rigveda, this system had become well developed. This is attested by the Vedic hymns:-

“Sahatradhaareva te samswaran divon naake madhujihvaa asashchatah.
Asya spasho na nimisanti bhurnayah pade pade paashinah santi setavah.”

(Rigveda)

[Meaning: The spies (spasha) who are of fleeting movement and are catchers of the wrongdoers are placed everywhere. Their eyelids never blink and their voice is sweet. With unwavering loyalty, these spies are the protectors of the thousands of inhabitants of the nation, and they put fear in the minds of the wicked in different places of activity.]

The literary sources of the time attest that the institution of state had acquired quite a developed form during Vedic times. Hence existence of an espionage system for maintenance of peace and order is no surprise. Ancient sources give description of Varun as the first king (aadi samraat). The details make clear that the later Vedic kings not only adopted the nature, attributes and powers of Varun but also drew from him the authority to monitor the activities of anti-social elements and punish them.

In the Rigvedic and later Vedic periods, with the progress in urbanisation the Aryans had grown apprehensive of the uncultured, semi-civilized and barbaric tribes. Because of increasing crimes against society, property and life, the Vedic people were living a life of fear and disturbance. In Vedic hymns, there are detailed descriptions of the insecure status of the society, and so prayers have been made to the pantheon of deities to not only protect them from natural calamities and accidents but also from dasyus, non-aryans and anarchical elements. Alongside the prayers, the Indian thinkers also decided to develop a mechanism for providing protection to the society and for contributing to its overall progress.

This system had provision for appointing spasha or spies at different levels in the state with varying duties and powers. Different nomenclatures were coined to indicate different functions. Their references are found scattered here and there in the sources—the Mahabharat, the Ramayan, Manusmriti, Kamandak and Shukraniti, Kiratarjuniyam, Mudrarakshas, Uttar Ramcharita drama, Muktikalpataru, Arthashastra of Kautilya, Smriti and other literary works. The multiple terms in respect of espionage are — char, pranidhi, prahit, apsarpa, sanchar, purusha, gudha purusha, aant, pratyaayit, pathik, utpathik, upanishad, ubhayavetana, kapatik, udaasthit, gahapatik, vaidehak, papas, satrin, tikshna, rasad, bhikshuki, karnejak, suchak, daatra, kirat, yampattik, ahitundik, shaindik, shaubhik, paatachchar, vit, vidushak, peethmard, vaitalik, ganak, shakunik, bhishag, naimittik, sood, araalik, samvaahak, jad etc. etc.

References to spies in Panini’s Ashtadhyayi prove that even before Kautilya this institution had been well established as an important branch of administration. Kautilya only collected and collated this scattered knowledge. Hence it would be wrong to consider Kautilya as the father of espionage. Indeed, this art is not the innovation of any one person or age, but a result of collective efforts of many ages and people. Kautilya in his Arthashastra threaded the scattered pearls of this wisdom and gave a refined and systematic form to the various streams of knowledge on this subject coming down from many centuries before. Sufficient confirmatory evidence of this is found in later centuries and in the puranas, Bhas, Kalidas, Magha, Banbhatta and the Sangam literature of the south.

Kautilya was highly successful in his endeavour. The keen insight, the problem assessing capacity and an eye for the minutest detail as reflected in the Arthashastra are amazing. Its practical utility is unsurpassable. Kautilya’s prescriptions on moulding the popular mood in one’s favour, or for creating divisions among adversary groups push the ancestry of modern espionage practices to more than two thousand years back. The directive principles on VIP security which Kautilya has given are so successful in their totality that even today we have not been able to make any substantial improvement upon it.

It is, therefore, a matter of pain that we shy away from correctly evaluating the great contribution of Kautilya in this field. Western historians consider a 4th century BC Chinese general, military strategist, and philosopher, Sun Tzu as the first scholar to make an organized and scientific study of the espionage system. Richard Deacon, in his book “A History of the Chinese Secret Service”, although unable to authoritatively say as to who gave birth to formal espionage and when, still believes that it is Sun Tzu who is the first researcher and analyst to present the whole system in a planned form in his ‘Ping Ta’ (Art of Warfare). David Wise and Ross Thomas Bender too in their work “The Espionage Establishment” hold that ‘Ping Ta’ is the oldest work on the art of warfare and espionage. Possibly this writer duo and other western scholars were not aware of the details of the espionage available in the ancient Indian literature.

There are clear references in the Rigveda to utilization of omnipresent agents or spashas by Indra and Varun, or for tracking of the crime doers by sarmas. Although there is not much difference between the times of Kautilya and Sun Tzu, there is substantial difference between their descriptions or analyses of the espionage system. The meagre information of Sun Tzu pales before the well-organized theories, rules and analysis of the great statecraft thinker Kautilya. What the latter has written about the statecraft, diplomacy, warfare and espionage is not only comprehensive but also an all-time masterpiece. There is absolutely no aspect – big or small – about espionage or war which has escaped the penetrating eyes of this great statesman and strategist. Whatever principles and manuals are prevalent today are but revised and refined variants of Kautliya’s work. Nowadays, highly sophisticated electronic tools are also being used for this purpose, but in the bygone days all information gathering was done only on the basis of one’s intellect and shrewdness.

In its original concept, the espionage system is promoter of peace, order and progress, and is harmless. It has no provision for victimizing or punishing any innocent or simple person. In ancient India, this institution was built not with a view to helping the state tyranny or promoting the personal interests of the ruling class; its employment was to maintain ethical and religious order. Religion in those days had no communal overtone. It was purely a neutral code of conduct and its purpose was nothing else than public welfare. This is the fundamental difference between the viewpoints of Ping Ta and Arthashastra. In Kautilya’s state system the ultimate aim behind strengthening king’s authority and maintaining nation’s integrity was welfare of the citizens. But the principles propounded by Sun Tzu have no such underlying higher ideals. It is the hallmark of Indian thought system that it envisages any public institution as always existing for public interest. The Indian espionage system is its best example. The equivalent methods and systems in other countries clearly lack such thinking and ideal. Attacks on the Indian Parliament, railway stations, crowded markets and scores of such incidents should be seen in this context. They all reflect the destructive thought process of foreign espionage system. There are so many intelligence agencies in the world today who right from their birth are involved in destruction and killing. This is all totally contrary to the original concept of this art which is only protection and development. The essence of this art was to know in advance the secrets of an adversary’s progress and foil their cunning moves in respect of one’s own progress path. But today this art has gone completely astray from its core purpose. There could not be greater insult of this art. When acharyas like Manu, Shukra, Yagyavalkya, Kamandak, Somdev, Kautilya, Medhatithi, and other Vedic seers had devised this art and placed it before the world they would have never thought that in future their gift would be misused in planning and scheming for large scale destruction and violence. How tragic that an institution which could have been an aid to society’s progress has fallen to playing such an evil role day and night.

No art is by itself good or bad. It is upon the practitioner to convert poison into nectar or vice versa. It completely depends on his thinking and conduct. Wherever there is demonism, it will produce anarchy and disorder. On the other hand, divinity finds good even in evil. When guru Dronacharya was testing Duryodhan and asked the latter to bring a good man, Duryodhan could find none in spite of his best efforts; all looked bad to him. But when Yudhisthir was asked to bring a bad man, he saw only good men all around. He kept wandering but could find no bad person; all appeared good to him. This anecdote highlights the difference between two contrasting mentalities and viewpoints, and shows that it is a person’s mental makeup that is responsible for judging anything, person or system bad or good. The art of espionage today is getting defamed on account of this very distorted thinking.

It is a value-neutral institution and its purity should be maintained for man’s progress. Information collected in a hidden manner about a person, society or nation should be used only for one’s own progress and development. If used for hatred, ill will or revenge, only anarchy will reign supreme everywhere.

“Wealth is the ability to fully experience life.”

Henry David Thoreau

“Learning is the beginning of wealth.
Learning is the beginning of health.
Learning is the beginning of spirituality.
Searching and learning is where the miracle process all begins.”

Jim Rohn

“I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.”

Emma Goldman

Science and Spirituality

Spirituality & Socio-Economic Sciences

Sociology and Economics are two interrelated sciences. Both have direct impact on all aspects of human life. Neither of these could be defined completely in isolation to the political system. Thus when we talk of socio-economic system, it should be understood in conjunction with the political system. Well, we all know that the state and trends of socio-economic system have a direct bearing upon the course of worldly development and the nature and standard of living. But we hardly play attention to the fact that there is other side of the story as well. Who forms a society? Who contributes to the making and sustenance of a socio-economic system? The most natural answer to the first query is that it’s the people, the members of the society, the ‘public’ who make the society. But the answer to the most pertinent second question does not quite appear so straight; certainly not in the modern world.

In principle, it’s the masses, the people, who form the ‘society’, whose collective energy should shape and nurture socio-economic system, and whose ascent and welfare should be at the root of socio-economic developments. However, due to various factors, it has not been possible in the modern system. We often find the majority only at the receiving end. As the documented history of the world shows, the socio-economic developments since the past thousand years or so have been dominated by the political system, industrial development and market dynamics.

Earlier it was the dynasty-based rule of mighty kings/emperors. Like other domains of people’s life, the socio-economic system too was subject to their mercy. If the king had prudent vision, strength of character, and might, if he/she was kind and caring towards the public, the state used to happily progress on all fronts including socio- economic development; else, most often people had to face oppression, exploitation and suffering in one form or the other. Such an Imperial System was certainly not good and consistent; it has almost vanished in the revolutionary tides of time.

At present most of the socio-economic systems prevalent across the globe are either Communist or Capitalist. Each has its merits and demerits in terms of economy. However, both have not achieved the ‘conceptually claimed’ goals; worst part is that both have hampered the social values of humanity.

Some bitter facts of communism:

The exponents of communism might argue that it is only communist model of socio-economic system that would ensure people’s collective participation and development. However the reality check shows fallacies and flaws in this claim. Several years ago, some scholars at the National Centre for Scientific Research (CRNS: Le Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique) at Paris had published an eye-opening historic book based on thorough study and review of communist system. English translation of this book was later on published by Harvard University as “The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, and Repression”. This book has exposed many facts based on real data, has posed many questions, which would make one think and find out a better alternative for viable socio-economic system for people’s collective participation, progress, and welfare.

The authors, some of whom are themselves communists, have thoroughly authenticated the data presented in this book. Among the other facts, the data on ‘mass killing’ under the communist rule/dominance is most disturbing. The numbers of victims of oppression of Communist Administration presented in the book are as follows — In (erstwhile) USSR: about 20 millions, China: about 65 millions; Cambodia: about 2 million; Vietnam: about 1 million; Eastern Europe: about 1 million; Africa: about 1.7 million; Afghanistan: about 1.5 million; Latin America: 150 thousands. The official number of people killed by communist parties and revolutionary activities in some democratic countries is about 10 thousands. If we also include the number of people killed during the revolutions that led to establishment of communist rule in several countries, the total number of killings due to Communist rule across the world since past 70-75 years would be around 100 millions. This number would be much more if one also includes the number of people killed by Naxalites and Maoists.

Who were those killed (or are being killed almost every day)? The counts are not only of the defence or police staff, but mostly common people, intellectuals, students, writers, journalists, artists, farmers, businessmen, traders, scientists, diplomats, labourers, and even the communist volunteers/activities. The list includes those who protested against the wrong doings, who spoke for democratic freedom, human rights, and even the innocent ones, who failed to follow the authoritarian rules due to some personal compulsions/unavoidable circumstances. The punishment/penalty given by communist regime is mostly immediate death (shoot at site or hang) or some kind of slow poisoning/torture, etc.

Do these killings indicate some straying away from communism? Not quite. As the records, especially those of Stalin’s period in the USSR and Mao in China, show, these were very much part of strict disciplinary actions recommended under the communist regimes. The above referred book has systematically analyzed the authentic reports and data on the cause, mode, circumstances, official and/or judicial orders, along with other convincing proofs. These bitter facts have torn the popular conviction that ‘The principles and goals of communism are good; it’s only some flaws and hindrances in their implementation that led to negative results’.

If one regards the count of about 100 million killings due to or for communism as an exaggeration/overestimate and considers only 10% of it as correct, even then the number is sizable and cannot be ignored. Which ideal or principle is so sacred for which the killing of 10 million people is justified? In the views of some analysts, “the eye-opening facts indicate that the red colour symbolizes not only the revolutionary emergence of communism, but also the bloodshed reality of communism”.

Some hard-core Marxists considered violence as the nurse of revolution. Their teachings justified violence as natural component of struggles for revolutionary changes. But, then why there should be violence even after their ‘successful revolution’? Why should such large number of killings take place in the communist countries even now? Those killed after establishment of communist governments were neither capitalist nor feudal lords. What was their crime? Only that they used to think differently or were unable to follow ‘conservative Marxist’ rules imposed by communist regimes! Unfortunately, even in the 21st Century — the Century of high-tech development and globalization, the scenario has not quite changed in countries like China, North Korea.

Communism emerged with dreams of people’s society sans any hierarchy, centralized power, or governing authority. But all such thoughts and principles seem to have remained confined only to conceptual papers and intellectual discussions far away from practicality and reality check.

Capitalism is no better:

Well, the negativities or failures of Communism do not affirm or imply the merits of Capitalism or Feudalism. If we dive deep and collect the authentic data, the cases of tyrant oppressions, exploitations and killings under the rules of Lords and Capitalists would turn out to be much larger than what is stated above. Capitalism is about 300 years old. Colonization was a twin brother of Capitalism. The number of people killed (or compelled to die) under these systems so far would be no less than a billion. The state of labourers and their family members in England in post industrialization period was worse than the slaves. Poverty and hunger killed so many of them. Large numbers of soldiers from both sides, as well as the masses were killed in the process of establishment of British/European Colonies across the globe. Colonial rule in America, Canada, and Australia, ruined and almost completely removed the existence of the native population there. The suffering of the masses under the colonial rule in Asia and Africa is more horrifying and pathetic.

The background of the two World Wars too was laid mainly by Capitalism. This discriminatory system cannot escape the blemish of large-scale devastations and loss of lives across the world due to these wars. If someone thoroughly investigates and writes a research treatise on Capitalism, the data might show this socio-economic system as worse than communism.

Capitalism grew with great promises of freedom for all and free enterprises. But under the mask of democracy and equality, this system has directly or indirectly led to economic colonization, and commercialization of almost all facets of human life. The nexus between politicians, media and corporate houses are nurtured by capitalism and further inflate its negative influence. Where is the place and hope for ideals of humanity and viable peace, progress and happy future of all in such a system?

Scientific Spirituality Provides the Answer: Scientific Spirituality provides new direction to our approach to socio-economic system in a natural way. Spiritual scientist, saint-sage Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya has envisaged this new system for progress, peace and happiness of the entire society. In his view[1] — “Affluence, when utilized for philanthropy and constructive objectives to support progressive growth of the entire society instead of arrogant exhibitionism, produces better results. Elites and so-called forward looking modern and learned citizens must come forward to initiate this process. It should be noted and propagated that simple living would also reduce excessive consumption of energy and natural resources and, in addition, help reduce global warming, pollution, etc.

When such reforms are undertaken, many of the economic, social and environmental crises— including corruption, crimes due to social disparity, depletion of natural resources, etc., that this world is facing will be resolved, without any special efforts”.

His idea incorporates the equality principle of communism and the merits of capitalism that encourage recognition and channelization of enterprising talents. One may term the new socio- economic system as “Spiritual Communism”.

In “Spiritual Communism” the basis of equality would be compassion, inner force of humanity.

Sensitivity or compassion and associated sentiments of mutual respect and love generate elixir of unbounded happiness and peace in human life. Spirituality nurtures these soothing qualities of human nature that preserves and strengthens the values and ideals of humanity. Moreover, these qualities also help rejuvenation and augmentation of one’s constructive potentials and talents. All humans have the seed of love and compassion in the depth of their hearts. One only needs to tap and nourish them.

Spiritual Communism will be established by bloodless, peaceful, progressive revolution — namely “Thought Revolution”[2]. Self-vigilance and analysis of thoughts and self-determined constructive orientation of thoughts in the light of the thoughts and works of great personalities and glorious talents is the basis of this revolution. This may begin with reading of inspiring thoughts and/or listening to motivational discourses and programs followed by self-contemplation and discussion with like-minded people on regular basis. “Spiritual Communism” will ensure equality principle in a most natural way. Ordinary people with an urge for humanity will collectively initiate this movement and spread it among more and more fellow beings. Several of the talents associated with constructive socio-spiritual organizations, and philanthropic corporate personnel have already initiated this movement.

Recent research studies conducted collectively by some forward looking eminent economists and sociologists have also shown importance of human sensitivity in viable socio-economic systems that would ensure bright future of the world in spite of the ongoing phase of utter uncertainty, and instability of market forces coupled with the risks of terrorism, natural resource depletion, and environmental pollution. Among these, the “Great Transition” model of researchers at Stockholm Environment Institute[3] and the PROUTist (Progressive Utilization Theorist) model of researchers at Economics, Southern Methodist University[4-5] appear convincing.

Notably, the ideals and approach of “Spiritual Communism” has promising potential to lay the foundation of a viable socio-economic systems that would lead the world to greater heights of progress with peace and joy for all[6].

References:

1. Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya (2016): Problems of Today, Solutions for Tomorrow. (2nd ed.) Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar.

2. Brahmvarchas (2014): Thought Revolution. (2nd edition) Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar.

3. Paul Raskin, Tariq Banuri, Gilberto Gallopin, Pablo Guttman, Al Hammond, Robert Kates and Rob Swart (2002): Great Transition: The Promise and Lure of the Times Ahead. Publ. Stockholm Environment Institute, Boston (ISBN: 978-0971241817) www.greattransition.org

4. Batra R. (1987): The Great Depression of 1990. Dell, NY. (Reprint edition) (ISBN: 978-0440201687). Top-most in Best Selling list of New York Times.

5. Batra R. (1990): PROUTist Economy and India’s Brilliant Future, JAICO Publishing House, Bombay.

6. “Future of the World…” (Article on page 8 of this issue of ‘Akhand Jyoti – The Light Divine’)

“Every day is a bank account, and time is our currency. No one is rich, no one is poor, we’ve got 24 hours each.”

Christopher Rice

“If a free society cannot help the many who are poor,
it cannot save the few who are rich.”

John F. Kennedy

“Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish,
but it will not replace you as the driver.”

Ayn Rand

“Wealth is the slave of a wise man and the master of a fool.”

Seneca

Religion: Is it useful or useless?

Warren S. Smith has compiled and edited the speeches of George Bernard Shaw in a book titled – “Religious Speeches of Bernard Shaw”. This book contains Bernard Shaw’s views on religion. In one speech Shaw said, “If we really want to do some significant work, we should have a religion. If the civilization has to be extracted from its present deplorable condition, this work can be done only by the people who are religious.” Shaw even asserted, “Those who do not have a religion are cowards and uncivilized”.

Bernard Shaw’s views reflect the importance and all-encompassing character of religion. Religion means ‘duty’ and it cannot be limited to traditional beliefs and worship rituals only. Duty has an element of high ideals and principles which are not restricted to narrow boundaries of time and space. These ideals and principles can, of course, be adapted to contemporary needs but then they cannot be of value for all times and places. The only element in religion which can be of eternal value is–deep faith in and devotion to those lofty ideals and principles which are not specific to only some people and some situations. Through worship of deities and related rituals these very ideals are meant to be projected and strengthened. Bernard Shaw too speaks of religion in this very sense. Great things are not achieved without lofty ideals, and so success in great endeavours requires help of religion. But if we neglect this core element of religion, it gets reduced to mere observance of myriad conventions and rituals and acquires communal overtone. Blind insistence on traditional beliefs leads to neglect of real duty and opens the door for distortions to creep in and to germination of blind faith. In recent years precisely this very thing has happened. Essence of religion was neglected and consequently religion has been filled with communal distortions. These distortions have also promoted atheism. It is after seeing these distortions that a great thinker like Karl Marx was led to pronounce–“Religion is the cry of the persecuted, an instrument of the tyrants, and an opiate of the masses. Belief in it is a reflection of the lack of civilization. To discard such a religion which gives only imaginary pleasure is sign of progress.”

This statement actually belittles that form of religion which misguides people and the society, makes them dependent and entangles them in useless complexities. It should however be kept in mind that distortions are not the basic features of the religion, but an exception or aberration which deserves to be condemned. But error occurred in viewing the aberration as the natural character. Any verdict should not be passed unless full knowledge of a thing has been acquired and it has been tested at the touchstone of logic, facts and evidence.

The world of religion is as wide as the universe. The thinkers formulate rules and regulations in accordance with the contemporary needs of the society. Hence this character of religion with its rules and regulations does have its importance but it cannot be universal and for all times.

The people who are involved in the service of the society, the defenders of the nation standing at borders, the scientists who are day and night working towards increasing the resources and conveniences of the society–all are religious in deeper sense, even though they may not believe in gods and deities of a specific community. Full devotion to one’s duty and continuous efforts in that direction are indicative of their religiosity. Why can’t the thinkers who contribute finest thoughts to the society, the poets, musicians and artists who all stir and uplift the mind be called religious?

A renowned western thinker writes–“It is not necessary that religious principles be taken in their conventional meanings. There might be many persons who do not formally believe in these, but they possess all those essential attributes of a religion which should be within a religious person. Their thought and actions are guided by highest ideals and principles.” This statement also supports the wider meaning of religion.

In the intellect dominated world of today, the importance and utility of religion can be accepted only when its aim, its pure and beneficial nature, and its essential philosophy are put before the people. Meaningless attachment to illogical practices and principles has to be replaced by healthy and noble ones. Only when there is universality in the principles, they would be acceptable to the thinking class. For this purpose, methods of science and scientific innovation have to be adopted in the field of religion too. In the field of sciences, the laws and rules are same all over; it does not matter whether the scientists or labs are located in Asia, Africa or Europe, or are of a particular religious faith. But this is not so in the field of religion. There exist differences between Hindus, Muslims, and Christians. Mutual differences on many points repel today’s intellectual class and they begin to comment that when religion could not unite co- religionists, how it could be of benefit to others. This allegation is not entirely unfounded. If we analyse the differences, it becomes apparent that they arise from rigid attachment to rituals and outer form.

To make religion useful and beneficial in every field, its basic purpose, its underlying philosophy and its creative nature has to be projected before the common man. Its healthy, pure and refined form has to be emphasised discarding the wrong beliefs acquired over centuries. The attribute of prudence has to be added. It is this faculty of judgement and discrimination which has given science its truth seeking orientation. Wild growth of useless and false beliefs got pruned and cleared automatically. This gave space to essential and healthy elements to develop and grow like plants. The modern achievements of science are a result of this very process of reason and discrimination based thinking. Its application is needed in religion for the society to advance holistically.

“Wealth is like sea-water;
the more we drink, the thirstier we become;
and the same is true of fame.”

Arthur Schopenhauer

“Prayer is not asking. It is a longing of the soul.
It is daily admission of one’s weakness.
It is better in prayer to have a heart without words than words without a heart.”

Mahatma Gandhi

“What good is money if it can’t buy happiness?”

Agatha Christie

Use of willpower to cure diseases

Experts of mind power say that disease first enters the mind and then it appears in the body. The mind controls the body. Therefore, any disorder in the mental field gives rise to disorder in the body. Ayurveda advises control of aahar (diet) and vihar (lifestyle) for increasing the life force of the body and remaining healthy. However, this control cannot be achieved without the control of mind. Unrestraint appearing in the mind is used by the senses to gratify them. So long as the mind is interested in doing the task, the senses will cooperate enthusiastically. If the mind is peaceful, it is not at all possible for a person to act inappropriately.

The power of mind can be compared with that of the sun. It is not possible to take special benefit from scattered rays of sun; it is possible to use it only for heating and lighting. Similarly, the desires and imaginations of mind merely fulfil the general needs of everyday life. They are not able to show their specific effect due to the fickleness of mind. Otherwise they have the capability that if they are focused at one specific goal, they can show miraculous results. People talk of willpower or the power of resolve. This is nothing but the power of the controlled mind. With the help of will-power, not only the animate and inanimate can be influenced but they can also be changed according to need.

Most of the disappointed and frustrated persons are observed to be weak from the point of view of willpower. Such persons have also been observed to be suffering from physical and mental ailments.

Even in minor ailments, they feel more pain and trouble, whereas people rich in willpower keep smiling even in severe and incurable disease; and they have been observed to cure themselves with the help of strong will-power. If the willpower can be maintained strong, not only a healthy long life may be achieved but the benefit of continuing youthfulness can also be accrued. At least, it is possible to keep aside the signs of aging. A few incidents are described below which amply demonstrate miracles of willpower.

An incident has been cited in the book ‘Old age: Its cause and prevention’ by Sanford Bennett. A 19-year Old French girl got engaged to an American young man. As the groom was poor, he decided first to go to America, earn money and then marry her. He worked there for 3 years and he also earned sufficient money during this period. But, unfortunately, he was trapped in a legal case and was imprisoned for 15 years. Thus he returned to France after 18 years and he was amazed to see the health and beauty of his fiancé. At the age of 37, she was looking like a 19 years damsel. After the marriage, he asked the mystery behind her beauty. The lady told him that she used to stand in front of the mirror daily in the morning and she felt within herself that she is the same today as she was yesterday. It is due to her strong will power that she could maintain her youthfulness even at the age of 37.

One aspect of willpower is concentration. Once it is practiced, the tasks that are considered impossible become possible. For example, it is possible to forget the physical pain, at least for some time by concentrating on some specific object. A much-talked incident in the life of Lokmanya Tilak signifies this fact. Lokmanya Tilak’s thumb was to be operated upon as it developed pus in it. On the operation table doctor approached him with chloroform so that he could be made unconscious. Tilak said

- “There is no need of making me unconscious. Please give a copy of the Gita”. During the period of operation Tilak was engrossed in studying the Gita. He did not feel any pain. He later told the surgeon that the pain is felt not by the body but by the mind. If the mind is concentrated on some other object, the bodily pains can be completely forgotten.

An extraordinary aspect of the power of mind is one with which objects and the people can be influenced. It is the power of the controlled mind that can influence people sitting at distant places and can also produce disturbance in the inert objects.

During British rule, Sir John Woodruff was the Chief Magistrate of Calcutta High court. In his memories he has mentioned that once he was sitting on the floor of Tajmahal. He was accompanied by an Indian friend. During conversation, a discussion on will-power got initiated. Woodruff didn’t believe in it and hence he asked his friend to provide a proof for this. His friend said that he can give a small but definite proof right then and there. He indicated towards some persons sitting at some distance from them and asked Woodruff to select one of them. He said that he can make him sit at the desired place. Woodruff selected one person from among them and asked his friend to make him sit at the place indicated by him. His friend used his willpower. As a result that selected person got up without reason and sat on a place that was selected by Woodruff. This incident has been narrated by Woodruff in detail in his book.

In fact, ancient Indian scriptures and history are filled with the miraculous incidents of the power of controlled mind. In a single verse, it has been said in Yoga Vashishtha as -

Manohi jagatam kartra manohi purushah smratah (3/9/14)

That is – Mind alone is the cause of the world and is the Purush (God) described in smritis.

Alexander Ralph in his book titled “The power of mind”, has written, citing several examples, that it is possible for the human mind to produce a desirable effect on animate or inanimate objects, situated outside the body, by practicing concentration. He says that it is a universally acknowledged fact that with a strong willpower it is possible to control the physical world.

The same formula applies for a disease-free physical body. By believing in long life and trusting in oneself, some people live long and healthy lives. This does not mean, one should not be careful if a person is suffering from a chronic disease. Such people should, apart from taking the medical treatment sincerely, change their food habits as per the requirement and lead a disciplined life style. Nature has blessed us with vital force to repair any damage within our physical system. Cleansing of mind, taking proper rest etc. are also important factors in augmenting the vital force. The golden formula to cure oneself is, to focus mental energy on the sick part of the physical body with the feeling that healing is happening and that the affected part is getting cured.

It should be noted that a dual practice of control of mind and concentration has to be done to make the willpower strong. There are different types of Dhyana (meditation) for augmenting this power. The audio files of the instructions for these meditations (in Pujya Gurudev’s voice) are available on our website (http://www. awgp.org/media_gallery/audio). By adopting this process, anyone can make his mind so powerful that it can serve all the ordinary and extraordinary purposes in life, what to say of curing the disease.

“No wealth can ever make a bad man at peace with himself ”

Plato

“There are two trees, each yielding its own fruit. One of them is negative....it grows from lack of self-worth and its fruits are fear, anger, envy, bitterness, sorrow–and any other negative emotion. Then there is the tree of positive emotions. Its nutrients include self-forgiveness and a correct self- concept. Its fruits are love, joy, acceptance, self-esteem, faith, peace...and other uplifting emotions.”

Kathi’s Garden

“This wise man observed that wealth is a tool of freedom.
But the pursuit of wealth is the way to slavery.”

Frank Herbert

A popular speaker started off a seminar by holding up a Rs. 500/- currency note. A crowd of 200 had gathered to hear him speak. He asked, “Who would like this Rs. 500/- currency note?” 200 hands went up.

He said, “I am going to give this Rs. 500/- currency note to one of you but first, let me do this.” He crumpled the note up. He then asked, “Who still wants it?” All 200 hands were still raised.

“Well,” he replied, “What if I do this?” Then he dropped the note on the ground and stomped on it with his shoes.

He picked it up, and showed it to the crowd. The bill was all crumpled and dirty. “Now who still wants it?” All the hands still went up.

“My friends, I have just showed you a very important lesson. No matter what I did to the note, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth Rs. 500/-. Many times in our lives, life crumples us and grinds us into the dirt. We make bad decisions or deal with poor circumstances. We feel worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value. You are special – Don’t ever forget it!

“When it comes to love, compassion, and other feelings of the heart, I am rich.”

Muhammad Ali

Refinement of consciousness
through Navratri Sadhana

Navratri is a festival to worship Shakti (power, strength) and acquire it through spiritual practices or sadhana. This year this festival commences on 21st September, 2017 and concludes on 29th September, 2017. The nine nights in this sacred period bestow special energies and so are called as Navratri. Historic significance is attached with these nine days as our scriptures have described a large number of divine events that unfolded in this period.

Navratri is a festival of sadhana. Param Pujya Gurudev has stated two specific facts about sadhana: (i) sadhana leads to attainment of extraordinary powers, and (ii) sadhana cleanses the inner self. Sadhana is an ascetic practice which is performed in a number of different ways, but each of its form has the same goal – to attain purity and refinement. The more one purifies and refines oneself, the faster he moves towards attainment of divine powers and inner-fulfilment. But on the other hand, if someone takes up sadhana to attain powers without adequate efforts to refine oneself, then the impurities in his mind and character cause great harm and lead him to destruction.

Pure milk when put into an unclean, dirty utensil also becomes dirty and unfit for drinking. Similarly, if an unworthy, undeserving person attains divine powers, he doesn’t utilize them for any good purpose. He misuses them and then these powers, in place of benefiting him, cause him great harm and lead him to destruction. So, in spiritual domain, efforts should be directed primarily towards self-refinement. As the level of refinement of the aspirant reaches higher and higher dimensions, the divine powers associated with these dimensions naturally come to him. For this very reason, before daily worship purification rituals are done so that our mind, speech and inner self get refined, and we become deserving and worthy of retaining the power and energy received.

We have accessed many domains of energies through technology, but we are not able to put them to good use because of lack of refined thinking. There is much pollution inside ourselves, which emerges out in the form of various kinds of mental and physical ailments. Likewise, at a larger scale, this inner pollution has also contributed to pollution of Mother Nature. Our thoughts and emotions are manifested in our actions. Thus in order to control outer pollution, apart from many approaches (that are being adopted to control it) we should put in efforts to control the pollution of thoughts. And the only way to remove pollution and purify thoughts is by performing sadhana. A perfect time to take quick steps in sadhana is during Navratri.

The period of Navratri falls four times in a year–Two direct Navaratri periods during the lunar months of Ashvin and Chaitra and two indirect during the months of Ashadh and Magh. During all these Navratris significant changes take place in Nature as seasons gradually change over sequentially from summer to rainy, to autumn, to cold, to winter and then to spring. These changing seasons affect our bodies too. To be able to bear these changes and adapt the body for the new season we need to make changes in our food habits and life style, and practice abstinence. The training and discipline needed is received through the spiritual practices prescribed during Navratri.

Exponents of our culture have associated all our festivals with some form of spiritual sadhana so that we can make ourselves capable of soaking in special flows of cosmic energy during these festive periods, cleanse ourselves of all the dirt and impurities, and make our body, mind, and soul strong, pure and proficient.

During Navratri primordial power of Supreme Soul is worshipped in the form of nine Goddesses. These are – (i) Shailputri, (ii) Brahmacharini, (iii) Chandraghanta, (iv) Kushmanda, (v) Skandmata, (vi) Katyayini, (vii) Kalratri, (viii) Mahagauri and (ix) Siddhidatri. These nine forms of the primordial power are also nine dimensions of consciousness, which a spiritual aspirant begins to access as he undergoes the cleansing process of the inner self. The focal points of these nine forms of power lie within the subtle body in the forms of chakras which get awakened during spiritual sadhana.

In the first dimension of consciousness, the mind of the spiritual aspirant gets seated in the muladhara chakra. Sadhana primarily starts from this dimension. Shailputri is regarded as the mother Goddess (presiding deity) of this dimension. Shailputri stands for the power which emerges by breaking free from inertia. By performing sadhana in this dimension, a seeker’s mind gets awakened as its inertia gets quelled. The mind becomes honest, non-deceitful and earns victory over enemies of worldly desires, anger etc.

In the second dimension of consciousness, a seeker’s mind gets rooted in svadhishthan chakra. The presiding deity of this dimension is known as Brahmacharini. Brahma stands for the all-pervading, ultimate element of existence and charini stands for one who stays within. This means Mother Brahmacharini is the one who is completely engrossed in the ultimate element and performs penance with diligence. Mind fixated in this dimension gets entrenched into penance and begins to receive grace of the Supreme Soul.

In the third dimension of consciousness, the seeker’s mind gets rooted into the Manipur chakra. The presiding deity of this dimension is Chandraghanta. By Mother Chandraghanta’s grace, sound came into being for the first time during the creation of universe. By performing sadhana in this dimension, the seeker begins to hear divine sounds and then gets entranced into supreme bliss.

In the fourth dimension of consciousness, it is the anahata chakra in which the seeker’s mind gets seated. Kushmanda is the Mother Goddess of this dimension. When this universe did not exist and darkness pervaded everywhere, then this Goddess through ‘Ishat’ laughter created the cosmos and received the name Kushmanda. Entering Her realm, the seeker attains divine cosmic powers.

In the fifth dimension of consciousness the seeker’s mind gets seated in the vishuddhi chakra. The presiding deity here is known as Skandmata. She is the Mother of God Skand or Kumar Kartikeya. In this dimension all the desires of a seeker get fulfilled.

In the sixth dimension of consciousness, the seeker’s mind gets established in the agya chakra. Mother Katyayini is the presiding deity of this dimension. In the lineage of Maharshi Katya (Katya Gotra) who was son of Maharshi Kat, was born as Maharshi Katyayan. He undertook great penance and pleaded Universal Mother to be born to him as his daughter. It is said that when Mahishasur began to wreak havoc, then by combined grace of Lords Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesh, Mother Katyayini took birth as the daughter of Maharshi Katyayan. In this dimension, seeker’s mind gets filled with energy and is able to terminate all its inner distortions.

In the seventh dimension, whose Mother Goddess is Kalratri, seeker’s mind gets seated in sahastrar chakra. The exterior form of Mother Kalratri is extremely fearsome, but She always bestows grace and benevolence. In this dimension seeker’s mind suppresses all the distortions of mind.

By entering the eighth dimension of consciousness, seeker’s mind gets rid of all its defects and receives grace of Mother Mahagauri, who has a fair skin tone. When all distortions of mind are got rid of, the inner being of a seeker also becomes clean and refined, and attains worthiness of receiving divine grace.

In the ninth dimension of consciousness seeker attains the grace of Mother Siddhidatri who bestows all divine powers. In this dimension the seeker attains complete fulfilment and attains all the divine powers of the universe.

In the journey through all these nine dimensions, the nine syllables of Gayatri Mantra lend a terrific support and refine the consciousness. Navratri sadhana thus forms a process of refinement of all the nine dimensions of consciousness.

Rishi Kahod was studying Vedas. His child was in his mother’s womb. The son said, “Father, Wisdom is not in the Vedas, it’s in the soul.” Rishi said, “Why do you say so?” Son said, “When we point our fingers towards the moon, the fingers don’t become the moon. Vedas are the direction to the knowledge.” Rishi got angry and cursed the child to be deformed from eight points in the body (Ashtavakra). Ashtavakra said, “The deformed body is not going to deter my inner peace.”

“Hold material goods and wealth on a flat palm and not in a clenched fist.”

Alistair Begg

“There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge.
Both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought.”

Napoleon Hill

Unfortunately, people have reduced Gayatri Mantra to an ordinary Mantra. They consider it a mere Mantra, which would chase away snakes and scorpions, or one which would cure fever. They think that they would use Gayatri Mantra to win their court cases. Diminishing this Mantra to such a small form is its insult. You’ll have not understood the actual Gayatri, which augments the glory of mankind, which maintains order in the world and which brightens the human future. When Gayatri Mantra is chanted along with meditation and the process of self- refinement is carried out simultaneously, then this divine science rescues and uplifts life. It endows us with a long and healthy life and inculcates morals and principles in us. The soul aim of chanting Gayatri Mantra is–transformation of thoughts. It refines the persona and thoughts of man. Though it also gives materialistic benefits but they are obtained on the same basis.

Pandit Sriram Sharma Acharya

“Only buy something that you’d be perfectly happy to hold
if the market shuts down for ten years.”

Warren Buffett

Yug Gita – 8

Choosing the Lord as Sadguru – 2

When one’s mind is confused regarding duty and responsibility one should seek guidance from higher authority. Prior to Mahabharat war, Arjuna got confused whether to take up arms against his enemies (who were also his kith and kin) or take to begging. Therefore, he fully surrendered unto the Lord and beseeched Him to instruct what was in his best interest to engage in.

Two such instances came in the life of Narendranath, when he met his would-be Guru–Thakur, but could not accept him as Sadguru. At one instance, he sang a song prior to the discourse of Thakur at Ramchandra Datta’s home and also ate sweets offered by him. Second time, he met him through Professor William Hastie, but again he considered Thakur to be an ordinary man. When the urge for realizing God became intense in his heart, he sought the help of Thakur; and upon asking ‘what is God and how to realize Him’, he got a soul-satisfying answer, he could realize that Thakur was his Sadguru, that the crazy-looking man was Paramhans (The enlightened one). It is an extraordinary event in one’s life to accept Sadguru as the Lord. Normally, we consider Guru to be a knowledgeable person, saint, guardian, social reformer or a miracle man, but don’t consider him to be Sadguru. The day disciple surrenders unto him, a metamorphosis happens.

It has been said – ‘Vande bodhmayam nityam gurum shankarroopinam’ (meaning – Guru is equivalent to Lord Shiva). If we worship Guru as Lord Shiva and become one with that Super consciousness, we become eligible for his blessings. Without this surrender, we will not get any bene?t. Knowing the meaning of this shloka in this context is very important because one can achieve everything by becoming a humble disciple. Arjuna is saying –

Yachchhreyah syannischitam bruhi tanme shishyasteaham shadhi mam twam prapannam ll (2/7)

Meaning: ‘Please tell me clearly what is best for me; because I am your disciple and a soul surrendered unto you. Please instruct me.’

It is easy to recite the Gita, but knowing its essence and considering it to be milk (sudhirbhokta dugdham gitamrutam mahat), drinking this nectar, i.e. imbibing its teachings into one’s life is very dif?cult. Having understood the meaning of this shloka, if we introspect and ?nd that there is no diminution in our faith and devotion towards Gurudev and his mission, then even from the subtle-causal realm, we can receive all that which an ideal disciple should get. ‘Twenty ?rst century – Advent of bright future’ is the slogan given by Pujya Gurudev. If we believe in Gurudev, then we should leave no stone unturned in achieving that goal. Gurudev has assured many times that the parijans working for the mission should not worry about their problems; they will be taken care of by him.

The disciple should develop anguish akin to that of Arjuna. Such anguish was developed in the hearts of Narendranath and Moolshankar and it made them Swami Vivekananda and Maharshi Dayananda respectively. Pujya Gurudev too surrendered to his Guru. He writes in his autobiography titled ‘My life – Its Legacy and Message’ – “On that day, I wholeheartedly and completely surrendered myself to Gurudev and my inmost soul silently pledged: I hereby surrender to you all that I am and have. I have not seen God, but you are my God because you are guiding me towards my highest good. I will explicitly mould my life in accordance with the instructions imparted by you.”

Elsewhere Gurudev has written – The disciple is born to ful?l the responsibility given to him by his/her Guru in accordance with yugdharma (the need of the prevailing times). Yugdharma has its own signi?cance. Considering it to be the call of the time one should engage in it leaving aside even very important tasks in hand. This is similar to getting engaged in extinguishing ?re leaving aside everything else. Lord Shri Krishna is talking of the same Yugdharma to Arjuna. The essence of entire Gita is hidden in this context.

[To be continued]

“That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.”

Henry David Thoreau

The Great War between Pandavas and Kauravas was to begin. Shakuni advised Duryodhan to ask for help from Krishna. So he went to Dwaraka to meet him in his palace but found him asleep. There was a chair at Krishna’s head side; so he sat arrogantly on that and waited for Krishna to wake up.

On the other side Arjun too, having pondered, decided to go to Lord Krishna and asked him for help. He also arrived in Dwaraka, went to the Lord’s abode and found him asleep. He stood near his lotus feet, with folded hands and head bowed in reverence–waiting for Him to wake up.

When the Lord woke up, Arjun, being at his feet, was the first person he naturally saw. As he turned to get up, Lord’s eyes fell upon Duryodhan. The purpose of their visit was known to him. However, he asked them what he could do for them. Both answered that they had come to request for his assistance in the ensuing war. The Lord said that they had placed him in a difficult predicament by asking for the same thing, but he could not deny either of them. So he offered them two options

- one, he himself would be on one side, alone, without arms and armies; and to the other side he would offer all his armed forces. He told that Arjun had the first right to choose between his two offers. Why? Because, first, since he saw Arjun first that is why he should be the first to choose; secondly Arjun was younger to Duryodhan; that also places him on the first place to choose for.

Arjun promptly prayed to Krishna and asked himself to be on the side of the Pandavas. Duryodhan heaved a sigh of relief and took Shree Krishna’s all the forces. The Lord agreed to their requests. The result of their choices is well-known – Pandavas won the war. It is the prudence and humility of Arjuna that won the war and it is the arrogance of Duryodhan that caused him the defeat.

“Money is like love;
it kills slowly and painfully the one who withholds it,
and enlivens the other who turns it on his fellow man.”

Kahlil Gibran

Peace Pilgrim’s Wisdom – 8

The Pilgrimage – 3

It was the first year of my pilgrimage and I was somewhere along the highway between El Paso and Dallas when I was picked up for vagrancy. I have never heard of the FBI investigating people for vagrancy but I was. A man in a black car stopped and showed me his badge. He didn’t even demand that I come with him, he just said, “Will you come with me?” I said, “Oh yes. I’ll be interested in talking with you.” I got into his car, but first I scratched a large ‘X’ on the highway where I had been picked up. During the time I was counting miles, if I left the highway I would make a large ‘X’ and then return to the spot to begin my walk anew.

He took me to this prison and said, “Book her for vagrancy,” and I went through the routine. They first take you in for fingerprinting. I was fascinated because I never had fingerprints taken before—or since! He then took a chemical and, just like that, he got all the black ink off my fingers. When I was wondering how long it would take to wash it off, it was off.

I spoke to him just as I would speak to anybody I was with, and something interesting happened. Apparently he was used to being treated in a very uncooperative manner. When I treated him like a human being he gave me a lecture on fingerprinting and he showed me the charts. It was very interesting. I had really not learned that much about fingerprinting before. People were waiting in line, but I didn’t know that until I came out of the room and saw the long line.

Then they took me in to be photographed and hung a number around my neck with a chain. When they were photographing me from the front and side, I remembered all those pictures of wanted people you see in the post office. I remembered how mad they all looked, and I said to myself, “Let me be different.” And I smiled as sweetly as I could. There’s one smiling face somewhere in rogue’s gallery!

Then they took me in to be questioned. They actually sat me under a strong light—it’s supposed to have a psychological effect on you. But I had already been on television at that time, and I said to myself, “Do they really think this is a strong light? They should see the lights in a television studio!” At that time TV lights were not only bright but hot.

They first asked me if I would answer any question, and I said, “Certainly, I will answer your questions. Not because you are law enforcement officers, but because you are fellow human beings, and I answer the questions of all my fellow human beings. Whatever you are in your official capacity, you are first and foremost a human being. And if we could get together as human being to human being we can get done much faster.”

And it ended up that way!

They began with the confusing technique. One would fire a question at me. Before I could answer the other would fire a question at me. I had to keep saying, “If you will pardon me for a moment while I answer the other gentleman’s question.” Then they got down to meaningful questions such as college students ask me. How I warmed up to the subject!

Then they referred to physical violence as being the intent to hurt. They said, “Would you under any circumstances use or sanction the use of physical violence?” I said, “No, this is contrary to God’s laws. I would rather have God on my side than any power on earth.” I told them the story of the disturbed teenage boy who hit me during our walk together.

Then they said, “Suppose it was necessary for you to defend a loved one?” I said, “Oh, no, I do not believe I could defend a loved one by disobeying Divine Law.” I told them about the eight year old girl who had been left in my care and the experience we had with the psychologically sick man who tried to harm her.

Then they got into things very philosophical and said, “If you had to choose between killing and being killed, which would you choose?” I answered, “I don’t think I would need to make such a choice—not as long as my life remains in harmony with God’s will. Unless, of course, it was my calling to be a martyr. Now, that’s a very high calling, it’s a very rare calling. I don’t believe it’s my calling— but the world learns to grow through its martyrs. If I had to make a choice, I would choose to be killed rather than kill.”

They said, “Could you give a logical explanation for such an attitude?” Here I was, attempting to explain the attitude of the self-centred nature and the attitude of the God-centered nature so they could understand it! I told them that in my frame of reference I was not the body. I was just wearing the body. I am that which activates the body—that’s the reality. If I am killed, it destroys merely the clay garment, the body. But if I kill, it injures the reality, the soul!

And they put me down as having a religious basis for my pilgrimage. But suppose I had said, “After all, you’ve heard of self-defense— why, even the law recognizes self-defense.” This might have been considered legal—but not religious.

There was an occasion when I felt that I was indeed battling with the elements. It was my experience of walking through a dust storm which sometimes blew with such force I could scarcely stand against it, while sometimes the dust was so thick I could not see ahead and could only guide myself by the edge of the road. A policeman stopped alongside me, threw open his car door and yelled, “Get in here, woman, before you get killed.” I told him I was walking a pilgrimage and did not accept rides (at that time). I also told him that God was my shield and there was nothing to fear. At that moment the winds died down, the dust settled and the sun broke from the clouds. I continued to walk. But the wonderful thing was that I felt spiritually lifted above the hardship.

Concealed in every new situation we face is a spiritual lesson to be learned and a spiritual blessing for us if we learn that lesson. It is good to be tested. We grow and learn through passing tests. I look upon all my tests as good experiences. Before I was tested, I believed I would act in a loving or non-fearing way. After I was tested, I knew! Every test turned out to be an uplifting experience. And it is not important that the outcome be according to our wishes.

I remember one experience when it said in the local newspaper I was going to speak at a church service. It showed my picture — front and back, wearing my lettered tunic. A man who belonged to that church was simply horrified to discover that this creature wearing a lettered tunic was about to speak at his church. He called his preacher about it, and he called his friends about it. Somebody told me who he was. I felt so sorry that I had somehow offended a man that I didn’t even know. So, I called him!

“This is Peace Pilgrim calling,” I said. I could hear him gasp. Afterward he told me that he thought I had called to bawl him out. I said, “I have called to apologize to you because evidently I must have done something to offend you, since without even knowing me you have been apprehensive about my speaking at your church. Therefore I feel I must somehow owe you an apology and I have called to apologize!”

Do you know that man was in tears before the conversation was over? And now we’re friends— he corresponded with me afterward. Yes, the law of love works!

Another man once said to me, “I’m surprised at the kind of person you are. After reading your very serious message on the way of peace I expected you to be a very solemn person, but instead I find you bubbling over with joy.” I said to him, “Who could know God and not be joyous?”

If you have a long face and a chip on your shoulder, if you are not radiant with joy and friendliness, if you are not filled to overflowing with love and goodwill for all beings and all creatures and all creation, one thing is certain: you do not know God!

Also, life is like a mirror. Smile at it and it smiles back at you. I just put a big smile on my face and everyone smiles back. If you love people enough, they will respond lovingly. If I offend people, I blame myself, for I know that if my conduct had been correct, they would not have been offended even though they did not agree with me. Before the tongue can speak, it must have lost the power to wound.

[Reproduced with glad consent of the publishers – Friends of Peace Pilgrim]

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant:
if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”

Anne Bradstreet

“Learning is an ornament in prosperity,
a refuge in adversity,
and a provision in old age.”

Aristotle

The history of the world has witnessed that in the making and development of all the eminent personalities, their mothers have played a leading role. The mother is the earliest companion and mentor of her child and her lap is the child’s initial school. It was his mother who turned Munshi Premchand into the litterateur par excellence. The instinctive characters, obvious incidents, idealistic realities and the Indian life style which have been lively depicted in his novels and stories is primarily the benefaction of his mother, who used to keep the audience captivated and engrossed in her long stories. Her excellent way of reciting tales gave a lot to Premchand. She was able to read everything but couldn’t write. Her tales and stories were lively and related to the public life. Premchand’s mother was the cause behind his being a supreme author.

“Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.”

Anonymous

Odyssey of the Enlightened – 57

Revelation of a new vision – 3

Assurance of divine consciousness

Those days Sri Aurobindo lived in solitude. From the beginning of the year 1926, he started handing over the responsibility of the Ashram and sadhaks to Sri Maa. At that time, Sri Maa’s age might have been around fifty years. On 24th November 1926, sadhaks participating in a meeting had a divine realization. All sadhaks went into trance and attained a state of collective Samadhi. This state remained for forty five minutes. When the silence broke and sadhaks returned to their normal state, it appeared as if they had seen a divine vision. Due to this collective realization and the divine invisible forces working in the background, this day was declared as ‘Siddhi Divas’ (a day of attainment of Divine Realization). After this miraculous event, Sri Aurobindo went into solitude.

Rajani Bhai gave all this information to Shriram, though he knew all this beforehand. Rajani Bhai also made arrangement for his stay in the Ashram and told him to come to him after taking meals, etc. He also fixed an appointment for him with Sri Maa. In the afternoon, he too was to meet Sri Maa. This time was reserved for the volunteers of the Ashram and dedicated sadhaks. In the evening darshan, there were ten-twelve people. Among them, there were a few sadhaks also.

Sri Maa raised her right hand to bless the new visitor who was none other than Shriram. He tried to introduce himself, but before he could do so, Sri Maa called him by his name. When expression of amazement appeared on Shriram’s face, she said – “There is no need to get surprised. I have not known you through any siddhi; rather Rajani has written your name in the list of visitors. I understood from that.”

Minute things

Saying this Sri Maa laughed. This was a fun. Shriram too laughed and so also others present there. But this fun–laughter stopped in a few moments. A volunteer reported, “Rama is not eating properly. (Rama was the name of a cow in the Goshala.) She is not sick; she also gives plenty of milk, but does not take her food (grass, water, etc). What should be done?” Sri Maa closed her eyelids. She remained silent for some time and then spoke –“Gwala (milkman) has beaten her calf; that is why she is angry. Convey to the Gwala that he should apologize to Rama for what he has done to her calf.” In one quarter of the Ashram, the windows could not be closed properly. They were repaired but the problem was not fixed. Perhaps the person asking the solution for this problem was expecting a similar interior cause. But nothing of that kind happened. Sri Maa told him to get them repaired again; and that the carpenter had not worked carefully so he must be watched.

People were discussing very small things with Sri Maa. Shriram was wondering and also thinking that they should themselves sort out such things. Someone narrated the incident of Mahatma Gandhi. A meeting was going on in Sevagram about some program to be organized in connection with the freedom struggle. Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel and some other leaders were present. The topic was that there was no coordination among the volunteers. This was affecting the freedom struggle. Bapu too was participating in that discussion. As he was talking to some leader, lamb of a goat came running amidst the leaders and sat near Bapu. Bapu’s eyes fell on its leg which was injured. In fact the lamb sat in a way as to attract the attention of Bapu and convey its pain. Bapu got up saying to the leaders, “You please talk on this matter. In the meantime, I will apply a mud pack to this lamb and come back.” The leaders started gazing at each other in astonishment. Nehru even got irritated thinking that lamb’s injury was more important than sorting out the problems related to freedom struggle. Knowing this incident, Sri Maa first smiled and then said – “On reaching a certain level of consciousness, the duty in hand becomes more important. The outward importance of the work does not have much meaning.”

Some specific purpose

When the talks with all the sadhaks present there were complete, Sri Maa looked at Shriram and said – “You are new here but not for us. There was no need for you to come here for any consultation; that could have been possible at the meta-physical level. The purpose of our meeting is much more profound.”

Shriram was silently looking at Sri Maa. Some other sadhaks were also present there. Sri Maa indicated that the time of darshan was over and that the sadhaks should go, but asked Shriram to stay back. She started saying – “Sri Aurobindo is now living in seclusion. Had he been visiting places, it was likely that both of you could have met at some place. But he is busy in making an effort in the direction of ushering in of a New Era. The divine powers that have assigned him this work, have called you too here.”

“But I don’t have any such inner flash. Perhaps I have been inspired to come here by my teacher, Sri Maa.” – said Shriram. Sri Maa replied –“You have visited other places too; but this is not important. Sri Aurobindo considers this Ashram to be a laboratory. Some experimental tests for bright future are being conducted here. He has some expectations from you.”

On hearing this, Shriram’s face was lit up with enthusiasm. It appeared as if he was readying himself for listening further. After a short pause, Sri Maa said – “There are mainly three visions about this world. The first one matches with the views of Shankar and Buddha that this world is an illusion, it is false; that is why there is pain and suffering here. There is only one work worth doing here and that is – get out from here, get salvation and become one with the unmanifest Brahm. The second vision is that of Vedanta – God is omnipresent. Essentially He is present everywhere but its manifested form is corrupt; it is covered up by the darkness of ignorance. In order to get rid of it, be stable in the Self. Don’t worry about the world. The third view is modern or new. It has been investigated by Sri Aurobindo. According to him, whatever be the shape of the world today, it is incomplete. It is a dim and distorted form of what it has to become. It is not the direct manifestation of the divine consciousness, but it has to become that. Its creation is for the undiluted manifestation of all forms and aspects of God.”

According to this message of Sri Maa, a new world order has to evolve. Whosoever is making efforts in the direction of spirituality should try to understand this as the will of God. During that conversation itself, Sri Maa called Shriram a ‘Yogi’. Next morning, it was decided for him to meet Sri Aurobindo. He was in complete seclusion. He didn’t appear in public or in private except on Siddhi Divas and other dates of darshan.

A little-known context

In special contexts, there is always room for exceptions. Indeed the meeting of Shriram with Sri Aurobindo in seclusion was an exception. What transpired between the two is a matter of anybody’s guess. After several years, Shriram gave only the hints of that discussion held in 1937. According to him, the task of setting up a laboratory for inner transformation of aspiring seekers was given to him. Aurobindo Ashram, as an institution, was trying to create an environment where the divine energies could be activated in the seekers. The responsibility that was given to Shriram was that he should start uniting such seekers who might look ordinary from outside but are open and eager from within to be unhindered mediums for the inflow of the divine energies. Individual as well as institutional efforts should be such that the divine consciousness would appear to manifest all-around.

Sri Aurobindo said – “In the coming days, life will become more complex. Then people will have to face more problems. A detached attitude towards family is essential in sadhana. One should not neglect the family but should also not get totally immersed in worldly pursuits for the sake of the family. When a person enters spiritual life, the familial bonds are loosened; new relations start developing. The result of getting tied to the worldly relations is – bondage to the lower nature.”

This meeting continued for about forty minutes. Shriram stayed in the Ashram for two more days. During the discussions, Sri Maa disclosed some more facts about the Ashram. According to Sri Maa, the aim of Ashram is to integrate Yoga in life. For this purpose, one has to accept the realities of life. Therefore, there should be no such activity in the Ashram that contradicts life. Shriram started visualizing the picture of an Ashram to be developed by him in future.

“Prosperity is only an instrument to be used,
not a deity to be worshipped.”

Calvin Coolidge

“Passion precedes prosperity.”

Andrew Hildreth

Once Vandaniya Mataji and Pujya Gurudev were attending a yagya in Bhavanagar (Saurashtra). They were staying with a middle-class family. They prepared food that was just enough for 7–8 persons. Outside in the ground there was a crowd of hundreds. Mataji pledged that she would not eat, so long as her children were hungry. She went into the store and found that there weren’t enough grains to feed hundreds. She came out and told Gurudev ‘Let the children eat first and we shall eat later’. She then lighted a lamp in the grocery store and instructed the lady of the house to start cooking. Even after feeding all those who were present, there was enough food left for 7 -8 persons. Many such miracles can be narrated from Mataji’s life which proves that she was Annapurna Devi personified.

“God’s protection is our prosperity.”

Lailah Gifty Akita

Youth Column

Has the youth consciousness gone astray?

There is an essential requirement for the development of refined political consciousness in the youth. The events occurring in the present time are extremely serious and disruptive. May it be the party politics or the politics of the students–the plight of both is now a cause of concern, which requires profound introspection, as both are in a confused state today. Apart from a few exceptions, the students’ politics has lost its direction and is devoid of a proper channel. Even this could be tolerated, but now things have reached such a point that the students of the higher educational institutions have begun to raise anti-national slogans in the name of freedom of expression and all this, merely to be in the limelight. This situation is very dangerous. Today some of the so-called student leaders are looking for their ideals in terrorists and the way in which they are being glorified is definitely a cause of deep concern.

The politics of today, leaving a few exceptions, appears to be an assemblage of conspirators, whose sole objective is to acquire influence and political power. For attaining it, they are ready to indulge in any type of conspiracy. They want power at any cost, even if they have to take the support of those terrorists and unwanted powers who dream of further partitioning our motherland. After witnessing their activities, the laymen today have forgotten the real meaning of politics.

In the public life today, politics is considered a synonym of conspiracy, shrewdness, trickery and deception. When anyone is found to indulge in such malefic deeds, he is said to be doing politics. However, the real implication of politics is far away from its prevalent form. Actually, politics is a system of making the national and international relations well organized and easy. It has its own values and ethics, which are inspired by the lofty ideals of universal welfare and happiness. The political phase of pre-independent India began under the inspiration and influence of these ideals. At that time, the idealists like Gopal Krishna Gokhale, Mahatma Gandhi, Madan Mohan Malviya, Lokmanya Tilak, Sarojini Naidu, Bhikhaji Cama, etc entered the field of politics. The objective of these nationalists was the establishment of higher ideals, supreme values and higher criterions; and they sacrificed all their pleasures for the sake of motherland. They gave up their personal comforts and aspirations in national interest and based all their activities for the attainment of independence.

These eminent personalities had nothing of their own. They devoted all their belongings to the nation. For them, every breath chanted the voice of independence; every heartbeat began an unending flow of sacrificial sentiments for the nation. But it is sad that such a glorious period now appears to have come to an end. Today, neither are there such values nor such youth who could follow them. Patriots like Subramaniam Bharti and Subhash Chandra Bose are hard to find. Where are those devout nationalists, who happily gave up everything for the emancipation of their country from colonial and its cultural upliftment?

Today the way in which the student leaders in the higher educational institutions are insulting their own country and appreciating other nations has given rise to extremely dangerous circumstances, which need profound thinking. In the recent past, the slogans were raised in a controversial program organized by the Students Union of a renowned University of Delhi. They were so objectionable and condemnable that they could not even be expressed in words. The students had organized the event to oppose the death sentence awarded to the culprit who was involved in the attack on the parliament of their own country and were demanding the status of martyr for him and other terrorists. In the program, slogans were raised openly for dividing and partitioning our country. These confused students were thinking that whatever they were doing in the name of freedom of expression would be appreciated and praised. Moreover, numerous news channels, because of their personal political self-interest, presented them as great leaders, instead of showing them the correct path.

Some of the so-called intellectuals even appreciated their condemnable deeds. They were made the center of politics and efforts were even being made to remove the dividing line that exists between patriotism and treason. When these students got bail, along with a strict warning from the court, efforts were made to portray them as heroes. This unfortunate event even became the headlines of the newspapers. For some of the news channels, this became a hot topic and so they appreciated the event. It would have been far better if someone had explained to them that one should be in the headlines for his noble and auspicious deeds and for following his national duties, rather than for raising anti-national slogans.

In this context, the example of Ranjit Singh is worth mentioning. This student made such a marvelous achievement in the field of student politics that it is a tight slap on the faces of the deviated student leaders. Ranjit is the son of Dilip Singh, a resident of Dhundhala village of Sojat Tehsil of Pali district in Rajasthan. He is a student of second year of law in the Brunel University of London. He has been elected to the international student chair. His brilliant speeches based on logic and facts and his responsible attitude earned for him the support of the students of many countries, who played a crucial role in ensuring his victory. Speeches are not enough but it is essential to set an agenda to implement the plans. Ranjit spoke only that which could be implemented. He used his caliber very proficiently and spoke frankly. Even the students of countries like Russia, England, Canada, etc highly appreciated his speech, which was a glimpse of indianness. The victory of Ranjit is a strong answer to the treacherous students working on anti-national agenda, who only create cacophony on the basis of religion, caste and classes, and those who try to humiliate their own nation, appreciate our enemies and endorse the terrorists as great leaders (who do not even hesitate in cruelly assassinating the helpless, women, old and children). The victory of Ranjit Singh Rathore is sufficient to move those traitors who glorify those terrorist who are the staunch enemies of humanity and are infamous for their destructive activities. It is the dream of Ranjit that the malice prevalent in the Indian politics should be removed and refined; and the glory of our nation should be restored at the global level. India should regain its position of being the mentor of the world (Jagadguru).

There are numerous youths in India who think like Ranjit Singh and are demonstrating the polluted political scenario. No doubt, today the circumstances are depressing and this is the reality of the present political scenario, but the responsibility of reversing this trend lies on the youth power. Some steps have already been taken in this context in the recent elections to the Lok Sabha. The increasing number of youth who have been elected as parliamentarians is a good indication. It is encouraging because these young parliamentarians, belonging to various parties, have risen above their political allegiance and demonstrated nationalism. However, even this is true that most of them are the successors of their own political legacy.

Even when politics is not playing an active role in giving a proper direction to the potentials of the youth, the Yug Nirman mission is playing should therefore align themselves with the activities of this movement. Those who are already participating in the programs of this movement should motivate others to move forward on this path. A point which should be clarified here is that to become a part of the Vichar Kranti Abhiyan (Thought Revolution) does not mean to move on the roads carrying placards. But, its real implication is the comprehensive transformation of one’s personality, which could inspire numerous other youths. If the youth of our nation could draw this thought power from the thought revolution and make efforts for the development and refinement of the political consciousness, then substantial changes could be brought in the present scenario and the deviated youth could be turned into a constructive work force.

Lord Krishna always used to praise Karna for his kindness in front of Arjun whereas Arjun always used to praise Yudhisthir. One day it was raining very heavily so Krishna told Arjun that I’ll show you today that Karna is more kind than Yudhisthir. They disguised themselves as brahmins and went to Yudhisthir’s palace and asked for sandalwood for havan. Yudhisthir sent his servants in search of sandalwood but as it was raining very heavily they couldn’t find dry sandalwood for havan. Yudhisthir was very much ashamed so he asked them to take anything else but they declined and returned.

Then they went to Karna for dry sandalwood. Karna looking at the situation took his bow and arrow and broke all the doors and windows of his palace which were made of sandalwood and handed over to Krishna.

Looking at this Krishna reminded Arjun that even doors of Yudhisthir’s palace were made up of sandalwood but he was attached to his things. Then Arjun bowed to Krishna and they returned home.

“Money has never made man happy, nor will it;
there is nothing in its nature to produce happiness.
The more of it one has, the more one wants.”

Benjamin Franklin

“We make a living by what we get.
We make a life by what we give.”

Winston Churchill

“Integrity is the essence of everything successful.”

R. Buckminster Fuller

Practical ways of life sadhana

Life is a true living deity. People who offer their sincere service to this deity earn the distinction of receiving its grace in both the outer as well as inner realms. An ordinary mind cannot even imagine the numerous incredible potentials that reside within the physical, mental and spiritual domains of a human being. If a vision to make good use of these potentials is developed and the practical ways of cultivating these is adopted, then it is possible to acquire an abundance of external and inner riches.

A human being is endowed with enough resources to live a life that is worthy of divine beings! Even then he is commonly found to live a life that is not even in accordance with human dignity. This is because he pays no attention to basic principles that give fulfilment to life and does not mold his life according to them. In order to take our life towards its perfect goal, we need to remove our shortcomings, step-by-step inculcate better qualities and benevolent tendencies, and enhance virtues. The skill of developing these and then deploying them for good use is what is known as ‘Life Sadhana’ (the art of living). With this skill it is possible to create a personality that is worthy and magnetic.

Monkeys and bears do not have much intellectual capability. However, through sufficient training people make these animals obey their commands and make them perform interesting feats and display human like behavior on the streets. A human being possesses a very high intellectual capacity and he also has the facility of support of others. If he practices the principles of life sadhana well his capabilities can grow manifold. If efforts are put in, every human being can elevate his personality and become an extraordinary man/ woman. Here are some healthy and sustainable tips of life sadhana that will lift your lifestyle and boost your health and vitality –

Sadhana for good health

1. The food should be simple and light and its quantity should not exceed half of the capacity of stomach. Vegetables, fruits, milk, curd, grains, tubers, dry fruits etc. should be taken in a balanced quantity. Food should be taken only after offering it to God.

2. Spices, chilly and sour items should be taken in very small quantities or better avoided. Tea, coffee, garlic, onion, tobacco, cannabis, cigarettes, betel leaves, meat, fish, alcohol etc. are highly tamasic in nature and should be completely avoided.

3. Once a week, strict fast should be observed, when only water is taken. If that is not possible, then milk, tubers or fruits may be taken.

4. Yoga or physical exercises should be done daily for 15-30 minutes.

Sadhana to acquire pranic power

1. Silence should be observed for 2 hours every day and this time should be used for self-contemplation, meditation or read in this period.

2. Sexual abstinence should be observed to the extent possible.

3. Practice of 10-15 minutes of pranayama is very good. Attention should be focused on breath.

Sadhana to improve behavioral traits

1. Maintain personal integrity which helps to inspire confidence and self-esteem.

2. Compassion should be developed towards all living beings. No one should be knowingly hurt through our speech and actions.

3. Conduct and conversations with others should be simple, open-hearted and without any deceit.

4. Honesty should be adopted. Money should be accepted only in return for efforts and hard-work. Any object, money or gift that comes to us through injustice or immoral means must never be accepted.

5. Anger must be shunned and our hearts should be filled with qualities like forgiveness, patience, peace, empathy, love and forbearance.

Sadhana of Social Welfare –

1. Working for others’ welfare is a prime human duty. So a few hours a week must be devoted to selflessly serving others – for example, helping the poor or suffering people, spreading good thoughts among friends and acquaintances, performing social service etc.

be used in social welfare activities. If a gift is received, it should be shared with relatives, friends and co-workers. All living beings should be regarded as own family members.

3. We should be courteous. Each living being should be treated with respect as a living image of God. False pride, ego and vanity must be renounced.

4. A strong faith must be maintained in scriptures, spiritual masters and Supreme Soul.

Spiritual sadhana

1. Promote positive thoughts, and discourage negative thoughts and emotions

2. Follow your own spiritual beliefs, devoting time for spiritual practices.

3. Sleeping early and waking up early is considered good. For spiritual upliftment, Pranayam, meditation, chanting, and worship have been recommended by the seers and sages. In order to get best results, efforts should be put in to perform these activities at one place and at the same time daily.

Sadhana attains its maturity and perfection when it becomes simple and effortless. While carrying out this Sadhana we must never turn away from our personal, familial and social duties and responsibilities. In fact, we must enjoy the play of the Supreme Soul in everything and give our service to the whole world through each activity we perform.

“If we command our wealth, we shall be rich and free.
If our wealth commands us, we are poor indeed.”

Edmund Burke

“When the yogi, by practice of yoga, disciplines his mental activities and becomes situated in transcendence – devoid of all material desires – he is said to be well established in yoga.”

Veda Vyasa

“Be master of your petty annoyances and conserve your energies for the big, worthwhile things. It isn’t the mountain ahead that wears you out – it’s the grain of sand in your shoe.”

Robert Service

Amrit Vani

Know the essentials
before expecting
great results of sādhanā

(Translation of excerpts of some discourses given by Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya as part of constructive programs of mass-awakening/social upliftment)

Let us begin with collective chant of the Gayatri Mantra:

Om bhūrbhuvaḥ svaḥ tatsaviturvareṇyaṁ bhargo devasya dhīmahi dhiyo yo naḥ prachodayāt ll

Sisters and Brothers,

Many of you get inspired towards devotional and spiritual practices of sādhanā^1 with a hope to be blessed with great benefits. But you often get frustrated, as you don’t know the prerequisites and don’t follow the right approach.

Correct approach to devotion

Upāsanā^2 is an integral component of spiritual endeavors of sādhanā . The main purpose of upāsanā is – cleansing of the inner self; that is, removal of the vices, untoward tendencies and negative impressions assimilated in the mental domain, in convictions and desires. It is not easy. But there could be no spiritual progress without it. You cannot augment your worthiness without sincere endeavours of upāsanā. If you could follow it, you will not have to worry about blessings. Divine tendencies would naturally enter and assimilate in your mind, in your inner self, as you progress in this endeavour.

The first thing you need to do to induce ‘life’ in your upāsanā is–thorough introspection and sincere attempt with the force of your inner urge to uproot the blemishes. Try also to uplift and inspire your mind by convincing it that this will lead to immense joy in doing upāsanā. Once you determine and firmly endeavour to cleanse your mind and chisel your personality, things won’t be so hard. As the self-purification progresses, your positive qualities, your hidden virtuous tendencies, and divine inspirations begin to surface. You may think these are blessings from above by the grace of Almighty. My child, the grace of Almighty is always there; you miss it, as you are not well prepared. There is nothing exceptional in the elevation, enlightenment and empowerment experienced with adept endeavours of upāsanā. Nothing is bestowed from above; it is awakened from within. Recall the example of rainfall! The clouds don’t come from the higher planes to shower the rains. They are the result of evaporation of the sea- water, the fruits of the tapa^3 and generosity of the ocean!

Experience of divine grace, inculcation of virtuous qualities by invocation of divinity (through devout after self-purification) is a natural process. If you take a deep breath, your lungs will be filled by air to their full capacity. Air is pervading all around in earth’s atmosphere; it is its nature to fill the empty space. Similarly, it is the nature of divine powers to grace us as per our capacity. Their nature is — to give. We should have the empty space (worthiness) to retain their generous bequests. The divine forces as well as devilish forces are active in Nature. They are attracted in their own ways towards compatible antennae at the receiving end. We have to check what kind of receivers we possess.

Generate inner strength

If your lungs are weak, they can’t resist the attack of infections. In their weak condition, hazardous bacteria like mycobacterium may also invade and cause tuberculosis (T.B.). Similar is the case of many other infections and diseases. Though sublime in nature, the health of the subtle body also suffers such risks. If you lack strength of character, if you do not have firmness and stability of mind to adopt moral values, then evil tendencies, sinful desires and varieties of wrong doings in the world will attack and further augment your infirmity. On the contrary, if you have the inner strength, purity of thoughts and character, then good qualities and favourable effects will be naturally attracted towards you.

For example if you are walking with a neat and healthy baby, he will attract everyone around. People will smile at him, call him near them and ask him to sit near them. Someone will try to play with him and give him something he likes. Someone will say – “the child is so cute, we want to play with him”. Someone would like to hug him and take him on the lap if he continues to smile, giggle, or talk in his sweet voice… Why? Is the child related to them? No! Then…! Is he is some kind of ‘Lord’ or ‘big boss’? No! Then…! It’s his natural beauty and purity (of his being) that charm everyone.

Why don’t you generate the beauty of purity, alacrity and benevolence in your heart? Why not you activate the benign force of attraction in you that will also attract goodness around? Why don’t you cultivate those qualities in you that can invite the divine powers — which (directly or indirectly) run the world — to grace you in your benevolent efforts, to strengthen and illuminate your inner self? Please note, these qualities cannot be bought by any amount of wealth; these potentials cannot be ‘transplanted’ or ‘transferred’ by anybody.

They are to be awakened and inculcated within you through your own endeavours.

Look at the lives of great personalities! It was the strength and charm of their noble character, their high ideals and human-values that had paved the path of their success. As you might know our former Prime Minister Shri Lal Bhadur Shastri lived in severe hardship. He used to get only two rupees a month to continue his studies. With this meagre amount he had to manage his transport, books, everything. He was not strong physically either. But his character, his dedication for the nation, his genuine qualities were such that among all the young volunteers of the Congress Sevadal, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had chosen only him for assistance and sharing of responsibilities in many important projects.

Success of sādhanā

Sādhanā in simple terms means – self-determined endeavour of self-refinement and self-development. Attainment of siddhis (supernormal potentials, extraordinary success) through sādhanā is as true as any universally affirmed scientific fact, or Law of Nature. It has its own method of experimentation, which should also be ‘scientific’ in truest sense of the term. Not only in the field of spirituality, this principle of ‘success of sincere and righteous efforts’ works in every walk of life.

For example, Lal Bahadur Shastriji had done the sādhanā of a duty-bound, principled life. In spite of all odds he continued his studies, also looked after his responsibilities towards his mother and later on towards his own family. Above all, his dedication towards service of the nation continued with brighter sheen after each chiselling phase of hardship. This amounts to sādhanā, which gives weightage and bright charm to one’s personality. This is what made his personality so valued and powerful that the great leader, Nehruji advocated his active participation in governance of independent India. Shastriji became an M.L.A., then a minister of UP govt. Later on he was selected on the Union Cabinet. Because of Pt. Jawarharlal Nehru’s high opinion about him, he was also chosen as Nehruji’s successor and was appointed as honorable Prime Minister of India. You all know that whichever duty, whichever position Shastriji was given, he succeeded in his efforts with immortal glory. So you see how God blessed him!

Every genuine sādhaka gets the deserving support and grace of God. He does not have to demand or pray for it. God has arranged for His divine powers in the system of Nature. They are always ready to help and elevate whosoever is sincerely making best use of his available resources and faculties, is making adept attempt to improve. In fact they always look for people having saintly tendencies, people who have nurtured some qualities of great personalities in themselves. I have had the opportunity to meet and interact with many great saints, seers and siddhas; therefore I can tell you about them with full confidence. These siddhas are also eager to help people in their sincere endeavours of self-improvement and ascent in life with sustenance of ethical values. I can assure you on their behalf that you will not have to search for them; they will themselves come to you and offer a helping hand once you proceed along the path of sādhanā with your full energy and devotion.

No place for sycophancy or bribe

It is disappointing to see how you have made a mockery of upāsanā! You don’t even seem to remember what has been taught to you here. For you even the great science of spirituality has no value. You don’t concentrate on meditation or introspection. Even your prayers lack the sensitivity of a devotee. You only know one thing, and that is to somehow do some rituals of worship to make a bargain with God. You have been doing that throughout your life. Cheat people, deceive yourself, and by all means fulfill your vested interests, satisfy your selfish ego, get things done by telling lies, make false promises or shameless flattering — this is what you seem to have been doing in one way or the other on every front of life! That is what you are doing in your too!

You want to appease the gods! You want to bluff them! This way you degrade your own faith. Whatever you may think of your beliefs, hyped sacraments, religiousness or theism, none is even remotely linked with true spirituality and religion or with any god. You don’t deserve to utter the word spirituality. If you have some reverence for divinity, please stop making a mockery of upāsanā.

Have maturity

It is time you understand the fact that the success of upāsanā -sādhanā depends upon the depth of your inner faith, purity and integrity of your character, your benevolence, your compassionate sensitivity towards others and your other virtuous qualities. I therefore reemphasize that gods do bequeath boons but only upon those who deserve them.

Some elderly lady had kept her box of precious gold jewelry in her bank locker. Friends in her neighborhood were curious – for whom these were? “These are for my daughter-in-law”, she said with a mixed expression of affection and pride. What do you think, she would have given the expensive ornaments to just anyone who cried and begged for them, or to any of her sycophants? No she had kept them in safe custody only for her daughter-in-law, so no one else had the right to have that jewelry.

A teenager was crying before his father to have the license of a gun! His father himself was the chief of the concerned department. Do you think he should have issued it for his son, as he loved the latter a lot? Certainly not! This boy could have acquired it at the right age only after proving his maturity and passing the necessary qualifying tests.

At present you are like a ‘kid’ in the field of spirituality. How can one teach you an advanced level sādhanā? You have to first mature in this field, be deserving, then only you can think of doing kundalinī jāgrana, pancha koshiya sādhanā, etc. These are not children’s games! If I teach and allow you to experiment on these, you won’t be able to bear it; the ‘energy-explosion’ inside will blow you up. For inflating a tire with extra air, it should also be big and strong, it also should have adequate space; else…, it will soon burst out. What will happen if you use the air-filling pump of a truck to inflate a tiny balloon?

Not the sacraments, the quality of life counts

Now some of you would think why can’t I transmit part of my power into you to uplift your ‘potential’ so that you would be able to control the extrasensory energy flow generated by some higher-level sādhanā? Yes I can do that provided you have the capacity to receive and retain what has been transmitted.

There are some varieties of trees such that if even a tiny branch of a big tree is cut and planted in the soil, it independently grows and gradually turns into another tree like its parent. One does not have to sow the seeds and wait for the germination and sprouting of the saplings and protection of the latter, etc. You might have tried or seen the planting of the branch of a rose, or a sugar cane, etc. You seem to want me to cut (take out) a ‘branch’ (fraction) of my awakened kundalinī power and plant it into you? But you don’t even have the suitable soil, where it could grow. So we are back to square one! The basic point you should remember is that you have to enhance your worthiness. 99% of upāsanā–sādhanā pertains to the quality of your life, the level of your character, your attitude, your value-system, and your sentiments. Only 1% is for the physical act, ritual or procedure, or what we call kriyā and karmakānda.

Please don’t get stuck in the physical postures and actions associated with a particular method of upāsanā. Be a real sādhaka, refine yourself; get rid of the distorted convictions and illusory arguments and lame excuses of your ‘lazy and clever’ mind. Inculcate some spiritual qualities in every bit of your personality. Illuminate your thoughts; make righteous use of your thought-power. If you could do so, I would like to thank you and may be your god will also do so, as you would ‘relieve’ us from your insane requests, childish demands and insisting prayers-cum-cries. Most importantly, this way, you would do a great favor to your own self.

(To be concluded in the next issue)

Notes:

1. Sādhanā: A process of self-transcendence. It begins with dedicated effort of self-restraint and self– refinement through control over mind and other senses. (Sādhaka: One who sincerely practices sādhanā)

2. Upāsanā: devotional practice of sitting near God, i.e., having an emotional proximity with divinity (that induces awakening of the divine qualities hidden in the devotee).

3. Tapa: Strict self-discipline, unflinching efforts bearing hardship for noble cause.

“A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart.”

Jonathan Swift

“Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.”

Eckhart Tolle

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.
If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

Oprah Winfrey

“Success is not the key to happiness.
Happiness is the key to success.
If you love what you are doing, you will be successful.”

Herman Cain

Shrāddha – an expression of reverence
and gratitude towards our ancestors

Pitra-paksha–the fifteen days period in the lunar month of Ashwin is the time of remembering with reverence and gratitude our pitras (ancestors) and venerating and worshipping them by performing their Shrāddha (worshipping the deceased souls) and Tarpan (offering libation to the ancestors). This period, which begins from the Bhadrapad Purnima and ends on Ashwin Amavasya, is completely devoted to our ancestors. This occasion is observed with great fidelity throughout the country. This year, Shrāddha would be observed from 6th to 20th, September, 2017.

The Pitrapaksha is the unique opportunity which we get to pay off the debt of our ancestors due to the benediction and grace of whom, we were able to take birth in this world and could prosper and flourish by their grace. It is written in the scriptures that during this period our ancestors come on the earth and look at us with the hope that we will offer our devotion towards them by performing Shrāddha, Tarpan and Pind Daan, give donation, food, etc. on their behalf according to our capacity and do noble deeds.

The objective of this festival is to nurture the emotional bond between the future generations and their family pedigree. Also, we could draw inspiration from the ideals and moral strength of the ancestors and achieve success in the struggle of life. Shrāddha is performed by offering libation to their ancestors like their father, grandfather, great grandfather, mother, paternal grandfather, etc. and satisfy them by performing pind-daan.

The Shrāddha of a deceased person is performed on that tithi (date of lunar calendar) which corresponds to the date of death of the person. If someone has died on Purnima his Shrāddha would be performed on Bhadrapad Purnima. Further there are certain specific dates in the Pitrapaksha, on which certain specific classes of deceased people are given priority for Shrāddha tarpan. For instance, the Shrāddha of the deceased women of the family is performed on the Navami of the pitrapaksha, which is also referred to as the Matrunavami. The Shrāddha of an ascetic is done on the twelfth. The fourteenth day is exclusively for those who have died a sudden premature death or through poison or committed suicide. Further, if the date of death of any person is not known or someone’s Shrāddha could not have been performed on the definite date due to some reason, then the Shrāddha of such people could be performed on the Amavasya of the lunar month Ashwin. This date is known as the Sarvapitra Amavasya; and on this date, the tarpana of all the known or unknown ancestors could be performed.

According to the Indian traditions, our ancestors should be remembered on the Amavasya of every month and Shrāddha should be performed for them. If possible, it should be performed daily and the easiest way of doing it is to offer food to cow, dog, birds and human beings in their remembrance. This brings to us the blessings and benedictions of our ancestors.

According to the religious text, ‘Shrāddha Deep’–‘Shrāddha naam petrinudrishyam dravya tyagah’. This means that Shrāddha is that food, water or other substances which are offered to our ancestors. According to Manu, shrāddha is done of five different types–Nitya, Naimaittik, Kamya, Vriddhi and Pārwana. The shrāddha performed during the Pitra-paksha is known as the Pārwana Shrāddha. In the shrāddha, tarpana is done for the satisfaction of the soul of the ancestors. In the process of tarpan, basically water is offered to them. Substances like barley, sesame, rice, milk and flowers are added to it for making them fragrant and more effective. The deceased souls get satisfied by the water we offer to them, while chanting the sacred mantras with the kush grass held in our palms. Six types of Tarpans are performed while doing the process of Tarpana–Dev tarpana, Rishi tarpana, Divya- manav tarpana, Divya pitra tarpana, Yama tarpana and Manushya pitra tarpana.

It is said that- ‘Shrāddha deeyate yat tat shrāddham.’ It means that whatever is offered to the deceased souls with devotion is referred to as Shrāddha. The deceased souls do not get contented with any substance or foodstuff because only the physical body requires the physical things. After the death the physical body of the soul comes to an end and it is left with only the subtle body. The subtle body has no physical requirements like that of hunger, thirst or protection from cold or heat. This body is predominated by thoughts, consciousness and sentiments, so they could only be made happy with a heart filled with higher sentiments. This is the reason why devotion and affection are so important while doing Shrāddha and Tarpan. Though, physical objects are offered to them but the deceased souls accept them in the subtle form only.

Mere rituals of Tarpan and Pind Daan are not sufficient for Shrāddha. These processes and rituals are only symbolic, while the real basis of Shrāddha is Shrāddhā (devotion). The earnings of the ancestors should be utilized for their own upliftment and returned to the society in the form of donation for noble causes. We should add our contribution also to the wealth left by our ancestors and donate this amount for the sake of their soul–this is the real implication of Shrāddha. The primary objective of Shrāddha is to constantly remember our ancestors and keep on donating on their behalf from time to time as a token of gratitude towards them. This practice should not be stopped.

Shrāddha could also be performed at any sacred shrine / teerth like Gaya, Badrinath, Siddhapur, etc. Some people believe that when Shrāddha is performed at these holy places, then there is no need of performing it in future. In this context, one should remember that the debt of our ancestors is also such a debt, which could not be paid off, just like the debts of divinity and sages. Therefore, our ancestors could be satisfied only by true remembrance and performing Shrāddha-Tarpan and donating on their behalf. In this way we could offer our true devotion to them and get their benedictions.

“The tragedy of life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal.
The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.”

Benjamin E. Mayes

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.”

Leo Buscaglia

“Be ready when opportunity comes...
Luck is when preparation and opportunity meet.”

Roy D. Chapin Jr.

Matrushakti Shrāddhanjali Mahapurashcharan (2)

Birth Centenary Padyatra (Walking Tour) for Mass Awakening

A brief sketch of ‘Matrushakti shrāddhanjali mahapurashcharan’ has already been given in the editorial (page 5 of this issue). As proposed, the first phase of this 9-year Anushthan spans from July 9, 2017 to July 5, 2020. During this period, the upaasana-oriented routine consists of Atmabodha and Tatvabodh Sadhanas, Japa (chanting) of 5 malas of Gayatri mantra or writing Gayatri mantra 50 times in mantra lekhan book or reciting Gayatri Chalisa 5 times. This will be followed by meditation for augmenting pranic energy. Through this upasana, in 3 years, each sadhak would have completed 5,47,500 mantra japa. Sadhana-oriented activities include weekly fasting, observing the four- fold control related to time, money, thought and sense organs and swadhyaya (study of inspiring literature). Swadhyaya may be done individually or in groups. 5-10 parijans may form a study circle and set the time and place for studying the books.

The following books are recommended to be studied in these study circles: Mein kya hoon? (by Pujya Gurudev, 1940), 25 books of Krantidharmi Sahitya (1985 to 1990), Pran-shakti Ek Divya Vibhuti (Vangmay, Number 17), Jeevan Devta ki Sadhana- Aradhana (Vangmay, Number 2), Upasana- Samarpan Yog (Vangmay, Number 3), Manav mein Devatva ka Uday (Vangmay, Number 54), Yug Parivartan Kaise or Kab? (Vangmay, Number 27), etc. These books are in Hindi. Some of these are also available in English as well as other languages. One may use the following link for accessing these books: http://www.awgp.org/read

At an individual level, all our participants should study the following: Yug Nirman Satsankalp, Apne Anga Avayavon Se, Gayatri ka Sarvopari Sthan, Achetan, Chetan, Super Chetan Mun (Vangmay, Number 22), Chamatkari Viseshtavo Se Bhara Manviya Mastisk (Vangmay, Number 18), etc.

For aaradhana, pragya parijans should undertake following activities, on a priority basis, in the first phase of 3 years. They are (1) Padyatra (walking tour) for mass awakening, (2) Expansion of Mission’s ideology through various communication and social media, (3) Spreading the philosophy of Gayatri, (4) Expanding the reach of our literature, (5) Organizing youth seminars in various places, (6) Organizing progressive national- level seminars to uproot the blind traditions and to promote communal harmony, (7) To present the all-encompassing aspect of Yug Nirmal Yojana to other spiritual and religious organizations, (8) Expanding Vichar Kranthi Abhiyan (Thought Revolution) at national and global level, (9) Exhibiting ‘Yug Nirman Satsankalp’ (Solemn Pledge for ushering in new era) at various places and obtaining the consent and acceptance of others to follow those principles, and (10) Reaching out to all those parijans who have been initiated through Diksha since 1958 and bringing them to the mainstream of Gayatri Parivar.

Lok Jagran Padayatra (Walking tour for mass awakening)

This Padyatra will start from Vasant Panchmi, 2018 (January, 22). It will continue for 3 years and depending on the circumstances it may continue for 6-9 years. Padyatra will cover the entire nation and, where possible, different parts of the globe.

This will include tour of important Shaktipeeths / Chetana Centers. The core team undertaking the tour will consist of 4 senior parijans (who will devote full time), 3 members of the music troupe and one companion team for assistance. A floating population of 25-50 travellers along with some regional volunteers will take part in the Padyatra.

A vehicle will accompany the team to provide for food, shelter and carry the literature required. A motor cycle and video chariot will be sent wherever possible. The main objective is to expand the reach of revolutionary literature, connect to people at the grass-root level, increase the membership of Akhand Jyoti magazine, rejuvenate spiritual and religious centres that come along the route of this yatra, and conduct deep yagya in the evenings at the halting place. Conducting meetings in schools and colleges, writing inspiring quotes on the walls, distributing stickers, promoting the cleanliness of pilgrim centres, media coverage, celebrating festivals collectively, meeting eminent personalities, book exhibitions in selected places and distributing pamphlets and books will be the major activities during the padyatra.

Let us prepare the list of volunteers who can devote their full time (3 years) for the task or at least few months, so that this program can be launched on time. Permanent and part-time volunteers are encouraged to register themselves for this program as soon as possible. Let a route map be prepared and the activities chalked out as per the demography of the region. Formulate a specific daily routine for the volunteers and other travellers that will take part in the journey. Think of forming a regional-level organizing committee. Take requisite permissions for vehicles and for organizing the programs. Prepare a budget in advance and decide on the start and end dates. Decide on where the team will halt for the night and let the corresponding people know about such plans, in advance. Plan for brahmabhoj (voluntary distribution of books) and procurement of books required for the trip. Take adequate care regarding security throughout the journey. Meet other like- minded people from other organizations and explain the objectives of this program. Arrange for laptop and projector for PowerPoint presentations along with requisite PA system that will be required for conducting programs as planned.

Along with national-level yatras, regional-level yatras can also be planned from one shaktipeeth to another. At the international level, Gayatri Pariwar units in Srilanka, Nepal, East African nations, Australasia (Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand), European subcontinent, North America, South America and Canada can also plan such walking tours.

The main objective of this Padyatra is to promote goodwill, peace and harmony across the globe.

“After the game, the king and the pawn go into the same box.”

Italian Proverb

“It’s good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it’s good, too, to check up once in a while and make sure that you haven’t lost the things that money can’t buy.”

George Lorimer

Matrushakti Shrāddhanjali Mahapurashcharan (3)

Year plan for phase 1 according to youth vision

It is well known that Shantikunj has been striving hard to organize dedicated and energetic young men and women from all walks of life who are ready to participate enthusiastically in the making of the nation. The objective is to prepare prudent, honest, responsible and brave young men and women and properly utilize their talents and energies in creative tasks. In order to develop the spirit of cooperation with society amongst the youth, our Mission devoted full two years (2016 and 2017) in organizing various youth camps/ expos/events at national as well as international levels. It is interesting to note that youths in very large numbers participated enthusiastically in all these programs and they are now ready to take up new responsibilities. With this view, we are seeking the involvement of youth in different activities during phase – I (and beyond) of Matrushakti Shrāddhanjali Mahapurashcharan. Point-wise list of activities, in brief, is given as follows:

1. Expansion of sadhana-centred activities: In order to maintain personal integrity and earn pranic energy, it is advised that our youth volunteers should do upasana daily. At least, japa (chanting) of 5 malas of Gayatri Mantra or writing 50 mantras in mantra lekhan book or reciting Gayatri Chalisa 5 times is needed daily. Regularity in this routine is very essential.

2. Yagya movement: In a massive movement to make yagya reach every home, there is a plan to perform yagyas in one crore homes in the coming 3 years. Starting with a ‘Balivaishwa Yagya’ let us perform one or five-kundi yagya in the every house. If the oblations of Gayatri mantra and Maha Mrityunjay mantra are given daily, one can perceive the transformation that will come over the society in just three years. This is an easy experiment and can be accomplished by everyone quite conveniently. These yagyas will not only rejuvenate the families but also purify the atmosphere.

3. Come! Let us nurture a generation that is endowed with sanskaras: In this program, we plan to organize special workshops / camps for couples and other members in the family. Sanskaras like Punsavana (Womb ceremony), Namakaran, Annaprashan, Mundan, Vidyarambha, Deeksha, celebration of birthdays and wedding anniversaries should be performed. Through these family-linked activities, noble sanskaras will be instilled in people. This global movement will go a long way in introducing and popularizing the concept of sanskaras.

4. Providing momentum to creative activities:

a. Bhagirathi jalabhishek yojana –In this program, we will intensify our participation in ‘Ganga Safai Abhiyan’ (Ganga Cleaning Program). The plan is to form Ganga Pragya Mandals and arrange meetings near we will also focus on constructing Shriram Sarovars and do intensive campaigning to encourage water harvesting. This program will also include regular cleaning of water sources and supervising them.

b. Vriksha Ganga Abhiyan – Apart from extensive tree plantation, it is planned to establish several Shriram Smriti Upavans at tehsil or district level. This has been one of our successful experiments and we have completed 250 such gardens so far. Our goal is to establish 24000 memorial gardens by the year 2026.

c. Expansion of Bala Sanskarshalas – We should extend the bala sanskarshalas to one lakh places with minimum of 25 children in each.

1. Establishing Sanskriti Mandals in 1 lakh schools – If we are able to achieve this goal in the next 3 years, the coming generation of youth will be endowed with divine qualities. Also, our Bharatiya Sanskriti Gyan Pariksha will need to reach out to 2 lakh more schools.

2. Establishing one thousand Gram Teerths – Each village should be transformed into a Gram teerth. It should have one Chaupal (a community space or building) and a satsang mandal.

3. Organize ‘Divine Workshops’ in one lakh schools/colleges – This will instill new zeal in the minds of young men and women. These students will join our mission as committed volunteers after is extremely important that the young generation takes selfless interest in social welfare activities.

4. Compassion oriented activities in shaktipeeths – Well-developed shaktipeeths may arrange to provide food to the disabled or the poor admitted in hospitals; they may also arrange for the medicines in genuine cases.

5. Establish Aranyakas in forest areas –It is planned to conduct training workshops for self-reliance of vanvasis. We should also have “Swavlambi loksevi mandals’ in such places so that employment generation is made possible. We should also conduct programs related to education, health, self- reliance, and social awakening.

6. Vyasan Mukti Andolan – De-addiction programs taken up by our Mission should be conducted across the nation. These activities have caught momentum mainly in Uttar Pradesh and few other places. But we need to increase its pace and give it a form of revolution.

7. Kanya Kaushal – Kishore Kaushal – Sanskar Shivirs: These should be conducted in each district. There should also be regular regional-level gatherings.

8. Shaktipeeth Anniversaries: Each Shaktipeeth should celebrate its annual function in keeping with the tradition of the Mission and resolve to develop the Shaktipeeth as a center for realizing the dreams of Param Pujya Gurudev.

9. Devparivar Nirman Satra: It is the need of the hour that the families of our volunteers should get connected to Gayatri Parivar. Their sons, daughters-in-law, daughters and sons-in-law should get connected. With this purpose, 2-3 day Dev Parivar Nirman satra should be conducted in various places.

10. Cow-based farming and development of cow-based products: We should focus our attention on these topics and ensure good participation of others. The economy of our nation is based on farming. If we want to improve it, this is the only way forward

11. Translation and publication of Yug Sahitya in various Indian and foreign languages: This will help us in bringing knowledge revolution in the whole world.

12. Akhand Jyoti Magazine: We should increase our subscriber base to five times its current number in the coming three years. Presently, this magazine (Hindi and its translations in other languages) reaches 1.2 million homes. By 2020, we should reach out to 6 million. This is not an impossible task. We should all strive to achieve this goal.

13. Pragya Pustakalay (Libraries): We should start Pragya libraries containing inspiring literature (Yug Sahitya) in one lakh villages. This will be a very important activity; and more dedicated volunteers will be required for this work.

14. Social Media: We should use social media extensively to publish our bulletins and use it for our publicity.

This is our initial proposal. We will continue to refine and add more activities as time goes by.

‘Yug Srujeta’ Program

The concluding function of ‘Yuva Kranti Varsh’ (Youth Revolution Year) is proposed to be organized from January 26 to 28, 2018 at Nagpur (Maharashtra). Prior to this, four video raths, from four directions will commence their journey in the third week of September, 2017 and campaigning and churning the minds of masses along their routes will reach Nagpur on January 26, 2018. The route chart of these video raths is given on the inner cover page (p. 51). Greater details of the final program will be given in the next issue of this magazine.

“Riches may enable us to confer favors,
but to confer them with propriety and grace requires something that riches cannot give.”

Charles Caleb Colton

“The golden opportunity you are seeking is in yourself.
It is not in your environment, it is not in luck or chance,
or the help of others–it is in yourself alone.”

Orison Swett Marden

Promise Yourself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet. ……
To think only the best, to work only for the best, and to expect only the best;
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

Christian D. Larson, Your Forces and How to Use Them

“Money is a terrible master but an excellent servant.”

P. T. Barnum

Shantikunj News in Pictures

Sri Guru Gobind Singhji Maharaj 350th Prakashotsav at DSVV

A unique congregation of reverent people at DSVV, Haridwar on the occasion of 350th Prakashotsav of Sri Guru Gobind Singhji Maharaj

Vriksha Ganga Abhiyan at Golegaonkar, Maharashtra

Villagers of Golegaonkar, under the guidance of Gayatri Chetna, Aurangabad (Maharasthtra) accomplished a stupendous task of planting 11,000 saplings under our Mission's campaign Vriksha Ganga Abhiyan

Itinerary of Yuva Kranti Rath-yatra, a nation-wide tour for Youth Awakening

Itinerary of Yuva Kranti Rath-yatra, a nation-wide tour for Youth Awakening under the auspices of AWGP, Shantikunj, Haridwar

Shraddheya felicitated newly elected President and Vice President of India

Shraddheya Dr Pranav Pandya, Head of AWGP, felicitated the newly elected President of India, H.H. Sri Ramnath Kovind (left) and Vice President, H.H. Sri M. Venkaiah Naidu (right) and presented them Yug Sahitya on August, 18 and 19, 2017 respectively.

Youth camp and 108-kundiya Yagya in Canada

Shraddheya Dr. Pranav Pandya and Dr. Chinmay Pandya (top left) during their sohourn (from July 21 to August 2, 2017) in Canada, conducted Youth camp, 108-kundiya Yagya and delivered lectures on Scientific Spirituality at various places. In the picture (bottom), they are with the volunteers of AWGP - Canada and USA.