Akhandjyoti English Sep Oct06

||O® bh¿rbhuva¡ sva¡ tatsaviturvareñya® bhargo devasya dhºmahi dhiyo yo na¡ pracoday³t || (May Almighty illuminate our intellect and inspire us towards the righteous path)

- Rigveda 3/62/10; Samveda 1462, Y ajurveda 3/35, 22/9, 30/2, 36/3 Yajurveda

Volume - 4 Issue - 5 Sept-Oct, 2006 Date of Publication: 01.09. 2006

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A True Prayer Our prayers should be worthy of us as children of The Divine. We must pray the Almighty to arouse our indwelling love, wisdom and strength, which would support and guide steps in all phases of the revolving wheel of circumstances. We, as sparks of Divine Light, ought to pray for illuminating our inner self with the subliminal glow of divinity so that no storm of hardship or turbulence of ups and downs of life could ever quaver the flame of our faith in the divine origin of our souls. “Oh Lord! Bless us with strength, courage and wisdom so that we could meet adversities as opportunities to refine our qualities and strengthen our potentials. The roadblocks of obstacles and challenges of the path should serve as harbingers of a brighter tomorrow.” –– Such would be an ideal prayer to elevate the level of our optimism and enthusiasm and would protect us from becoming disheartened, weak or cowardly. We have to become intrepid warriors of Light and not perplexed fugitives in the battlefield of life. Prayer is less about asking for things we are attached to than it is about our relinquishing our attachments – thus taking us beyond fear. When we pray, we don’t change the world; we change ourselves. We move away from BEGGING to LETTING – “In this moment I am here, Oh divine master, use me. Let thy will be done through me.”

– Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya

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Contents 01

Amrit Cintan A True Prayer......................................................................................................

03

02

From Chief Editor’s Desk: Wake Up Call for the Youth...................................................................................

05

03

On the Sacred Parva of Ashwin Navratri The Miraculous Rewards of Gayatri Sadhana...................................................

07

04

Vedic Solutions to Modern Problems: Social, Cultural and Economic Developments ..................................................

10

05

Art of Living – 4 Tapa and Vrata Bring Order into Life................................................................

15

06

The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting...............................................................

17

07

Youth Column Dress Should Accord With the National Culture..............................................

20

08

Beginning the Quest............................................................................................

22

09

Health Tips Get Rid of Obesity–Why?..................................................................................

29

10

Science and Spirituality Timeless Existence...............................................................................................

34

11

Companions in Solitude-10 ..................................................................... Companions in Solitude.....................................................................

39

12

My Life: Its Legacy and Message- 21 Fourth and Final Pilgrimage to the Him³layas...................................................

43

Amrit V³ñº The Holy Him³layas and the Glorious Rishi Culture..........................................

46

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4

Sept-Oct 2006

From Chief Editor's Desk

Wake Up Call for the Youth Dr. Pranav Pandya

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uring the last few years of Gurudev’s sojourn on earth the one thing that was the cause of his deep divine disgust and heartfelt pain was the overall degeneration, depravity, crass selfishness and insensitivity of the so-called elites of society – in politics, administration, business, industry and professions - towards the sufferings of the vast majority of the deprived, oppressed and exploited masses. His constant refrain was that a dedicated band of youth from amongst the elites fired by soul level compassion, empathy and altruism could free the fallen human consciousness from the clutches of evil; and lead humanity towards an era of universal brotherhood, understanding and a spontaneous sense of sharing and caring – Love in action. Gurudev’s universalized soul acutely suffered with the sufferings and pain of the downtrodden masses – like Jesus Christ on the cross. The situation has become far grimmer over the past two decades – in the world at large in general and in India especially. Wherever we turn our gaze, we are confronted with a depressing, deplorable and seemingly irreversible process of reckless and wanton defiance of ennobling values of Dharma. We the Parijans of Gayatri Pariwar have been resolutely and humbly trying to arouse, inspire and train the youth of the country (in India as well as those living abroad) to join the ranks of warriors of LOVE IN ACTION by breaking free from the bondage of craving for worldly power, pelf and position; and offer themselves for loving source of ‘Narayan’ in the guise of the poor, the sick, the ignorant. Our humble efforts have given us encouragement to strive still more resolutely to build up a well-trained, wellknit and dedicated group of elite youth – engineers, scientists, healers, management experts, political and social activists, etc – whose hearts are overflowing with empathy Sept-Oct 2006

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and compassion for the sufferings and pain of the lowliest and the lost. Let the youth from all strata of society listen and respond to the call of the Time Spirit and join the vanguard of crusaders for total transformation of the deluded, divided and fractured human society into a new race where each individual soul lives, moves and has its being in the unifying cosmic consciousness of the Supreme Being. Thus will we be fulfilling the legacy of our Gurudev. A similar wake up call had gone forth from the great Swami Vivekanand, more than a century back in these stirring words:

“ Feel, my children; feel for the poor, the ignorant, the downtrodden; feel till the heart stops and the brain reels…….; then pour the soul out at the feet of the Lord; and then will come power, help and indomitable energy. What we want are some young men who renounce everything and sacrifice their lives for their country’s sake– Be the servant while leading. Be unselfish. Have infinite patience, and success is yours–” My Love-filled Navratra, Vijaya and Diwali Greetings to all Parijans.

Testing the devotion of young Dhruv, Devarshi Narad asked him, “Son, what would you do if God does not get pleased with you even after your long and arduous penance?” Dhruv replied smilingly, “O great one, then I would continue doing my penance to find out whether one life is enough to attain God or isn’t.” Infinite patience is required to attain one’s goal. 6

Sept-Oct 2006

On the Sacred Parva of Ashwin Navratri

The Miraculous Rewards of Gayatri Sadhana

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ahatma Anand Swami was among the greatest Gayatri sadhakas of his time. He held many high positions in Arya Samaj from time to time and was also known for his journalistic attainments. He spread the message of Mother Gayatri inside and outside the country till the ripe old age of 92. His personal sadhana of Gayatri was of the highest order and was reflected in equal measure in all dimensions of his personality – his words, thoughts and actions. Mahatma Anand Swami wrote Gayatri Mahamantra, Anand Gayatri Katha and many other books on spirituality. Anand Gayatri Katha among these has descriptions of the many miracles of Gayatri sadhana that he personally experienced in the course of his life. Some of these experiences are being given below in his own words. “In my childhood, when I was studying in the 6th or 7th standard I was a very dull student. The teachers would routinely stand me on the bench at the very beginning of the class and this practice would unfailingly continue in every succeeding class for hours together. Upon returning home, the father would beat me and say – ‘you are a moron, wholly incapable of doing anything’! I would weep and reply – ‘Father! I do study attentively. But what can I do? Whatever I read I just cannot retain it in my memory’. But the father would not believe me. This routine of daily beating Sept-Oct 2006

and humiliation depressed me so much that even at that tender age I began to seriously think about committing suicide. Death would be better than this humiliating life. One day, after the classes were over, I went to the small stream flowing by the side of my village. It was rainy season and the river was full. I advanced to the bridge across it and flung myself into the swirling waters underneath. I was determined to die but God had willed otherwise. Probably He had some other scheme for me. The fast currents carried me two miles downstream and threw me on the bank in an unconscious state. The locals there recognized me and took me home. “One day Swami Nityanand of the Arya Samaj came to visit our village, Jallalpur, and camped in my family’s orchard. My father assigned me the duty of taking meals to him daily. One day, upon my father’s instruction I took our buffalo to the village pond. The buffalo slowly advanced to the deep waters. I was a kid; I began to shout at her and throw pebbles. Finally the buffalo emerged on the other side of the pond and crossed into the zamindar’s fields. By the time I could skirt the pond and reach there, she had ruined a good part of the standing crops. The zamindar came running and thrashed me severely. My bones began to ache. Earlier that day I had taken beatings in school, too. When after the buffalo episode I finally came home, the father was angry at my being so late and he also beat me. I began 7

to pray to God about what I should do. Father then ordered me to take food to Swamiji in the orchard. I did accordingly. Swamiji started eating and I stood by the side – sad and sullen. Swamiji occasionally looked at my face and after finishing the meal enquired, ‘Khushal Chand! What is the matter? Why are you so downcast today? At these words of compassion I began to sob. Swamiji sat me on his lap and asked, ‘What has happened?’ Why are you so miserable?’ I narrated the whole tale of my woes to him. I told him that I was mentally dull and could not recollect any lesson even after trying my best. Swamiji soothed me. He wrote out Gayatri mantra on a slip of paper, gave it to me and said, ‘Here is the medicine for your ailment. Get up very early in the morning, about 2 or 3 a.m., when other members of the family are fast asleep, take bath and recite this mantra.’ He also explained to me at that time some meanings of the mantra, which I have not forgotten even after such a long time. “From then onwards, I began to get up early. But I felt sleepy during japa. To solve this problem I would tie my choti with a long rope to the iron hook on the ceiling. After 5 or 6 months the effects of the japa were discernible. Previously my answers would be invariably wrong; now I began to pass the examinations. My teachers thought that I was copying someone. I told them that it was not so, that I was only chanting the Gayatri mantra regularly. They were skeptical, but nevertheless I started securing good marks. I wrote a poem too and got a reward of one pound from my teacher. I showed the poem to my father who gave me another pound. 8

“A few months after this another significant even occurred. The annual festival of the Arya Samaj of Jalalpur Jattan was being held. Mahatma Hansraj had delivered a lecture. I prepared a report of this lecture and showed it to him. He asked, ‘Whose son are you?’ I replied, ‘The secretary of Arya Samaj Lala Ganeshdasji is my father’. Mahatmaji enquired from my father about the work I did. My father said, ‘He is poor in studies. So I have installed a socks-weaving unit for him.’ Mahatmaji said, ‘Munshiji, this work is not suitable for the boy. Assign him to me. I will put him to the work for which he is suitable.’ Father replied, ‘How can I refuse? He is your child. Do as you think fit.’ “Sometime later Mahatmaji summoned me to Lahore. There, I began to work in the Arya Gazette on a monthly salary of thirty rupees. With time I rose to be its editor. During those days there broke out the Moplah revolt in Malabar region. Thousands of Hindus were killed or forcibly converted to Islam. Something had to be done. But the press of the time was adopting a posture of complete silence on this happening. No one wanted to print and bring to light this tyranny on the Hindus. I felt that this was no way to bring about Hindu-Muslim unity. After much deliberation we started Milap magazine with a view to organize the Hindus. Its aim was to usher in Hindu-Muslim unity based on right behavior and conduct and to generate a sense of security. “By the grace of the Mother Gayatri the publication of Milap was a success in spite of initial hiccups. House, cars, cattle and other kinds of riches became available to me. I was Sept-Oct 2006

blessed with sons and daughters too. I got everything because Mother Gayatri is the bestower of heavenly gifts – progeny, health, happiness,…… “In Lahore University’s hall an attempt was made on the life of the then Governor of Punjab. Four young men were arrested, prosecuted and awarded death sentence. One of them was my son Ranvir. Meanwhile another mishap occurred. During an Arya Samaj ceremony I slipped and fell down a high hill. The spine was injured. I lay in a Lahore hospital bed, the whole body in plaster. People would come to sympathize with me on the award of capital punishment to Ranvir, their faces showing a sad look appropriate to the occasion. But they would find me cheerful and non-chalant. This would surprise them and they would exclaim, ‘Do you have a stone for heart. Your son is standing in the death row and you are smiling’. I would reply confidently, ‘Listen, if my good lies in the separation of my son from me, he will be separated for sure. But if our good is destined in his survival, no power on earth will be able to snatch him away.’ People would weep for Ranvir; I never did. One day Swami Satyadev, who was guru of the king of Jammu and

Kashmir, came to meet me. He looked at me and said, ‘You can remain undisturbed and joyous even in the face of this calamity. Who then can take away your son?’ His words proved true. Ranvir was discharged and freed. “Mother Gayatri is the bestower of not only material benefits but also spiritual gifts. She purifies the soul and after granting longevity, children and all kinds of glory and riches, beckons one to accompany Her to Brahmaloka (the highest celestial abode). Leaving all these things behind, I put on the ochre robe and marched onto the path shown by the Mother. “Right from the age of eight there has not passed a day when I have not drunk the nectar of Mother Gayatri’s grace. The purpose of narrating all this is to emphasize that even in this age of Kali, worship of Mother Gayatri enables one to get all the things about which Bhishma Pitamah had told Yudhisthira. What the rishis and seers over the ages including Shankaracharya, Maharishi Dayanand, Gandhi, Tagore, Tilak and Ramkrishna Paramhansa have preached cannot be untrue. I have myself experienced it personally. Hence I do assert – it is true, it is true, it is true!”

A man asked: “Who are the two gods who embellish life”? “Heart and tongue”, came the reply. The next question was: “Who are the two demons who destroy life”? “Heart and tongue”, was the reply again. The cruelty and tenderness of heart make a person mean or great respectively. Non-control over tongue leads to loss of health and cooperation. Sweet and amiable speech, on the other hand, begets for a man ample love and affection of others. Sept-Oct 2006

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Vedic Solutions to Modern Problems: Social, Cultural & Economic Developments - I

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n the earlier articles of this series we had addressed the problems pertaining to atmospheric environment and ecosystem. However, as we all know, the socioeconomic and cultural environment has equally important impact on the course of human life. Disorder or disparity of any kind in the sociocultural and economic systems disturbs the peace and progress of people’s life in several ways. Then what to say of the detrimental effects of the falling moral values, cultural degeneration and ideological confusions and conflicts of today? The complexity and magnitude of the problems and associated harms convolve manifold when the society is diverse, multicultural, overpopulated and undergoing rapid but unequal and shortsighted economic growth. These have posed a hidden but alarming threat to healthy survival of the human-society today. It is time to seek effective solutions to these gigantic problems. Hence the importance of reinvestigating and implementing time-tested knowledge and guidelines, including ancient vedic texts, that have been commended by great personalities and social reformers over the millennia. While referring to the Vedic texts we often find two extreme and mutually contradicting approaches of intellectuals – one that regards the Vedas as divine, self-existent and the other the so-called ‘rational’ and ‘scientific’, that criticizes these as mythological creations of 10

primitive minds, orthodox treatises and what not. Their debates mostly revolve around selective and prejudiced interpretations of the ancient language and half-cooked arguments on the time and place of origin of the Vedas and Aryans, etc, and these serve no purpose other than, perhaps, satisfying the ego of a dry and cynical intellect. A balanced approach is that of a learner whose attempt is guided by the unbiased, scrupulous and sagacious yet lucid explanations of the great saints and social reformers of our times whose life and works stand as living testimony to the authenticity of their views and teachings. The writings and speeches of Sri Aurobindo [1] , Swami Vivekanand, Mahatma Gandhi and Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya [2] are worth referring in this context. Some of the research treatises [3-4] cited here also follow their guidelines and adopt a balanced and thorough approach. The unique and most comprehensive aspect of the Vedas with regard to socio-cultural and economic spheres of human life is that every individual is regarded here as both a divine and a social being and thus the importance of both the inner and the outer worlds of a person are given due consideration. As remarked by Dr. George Moore (in Historical and Theoretical Trends in Psychiatry), the Indian rishis were the philosophers of all dimensions of human psychology. Indeed the rishis (seer - sages of the Vedas), being scientists of spirituality, had Sept-Oct 2006

a reach into the deepest depths of human mind and heart and the sublime horizons of consciousness. The Vedic socio-cultural system, as propounded by the rishis, therefore emanates from classification of social responsibilities considering the intrinsic tendencies, aptitudes, and abilities of the individuals and the social needs. Accordingly, four social groups were formed. The Rigveda (1|22|15) refers to these four groups as Chatv³ra Varña-Aïrama, namely Br³hmaña, R³janya (KÌatriya), Vaiïya and Ï¿dra. The four varñas are described as essential components of the body of the omnipresent divine cosmic being – thus implying, in rhetoric language, that a member of the human society is a divine child by virtue of sincerely transacting his social duties. The Varña System: Quality-based Distribution of Social Responsibilities As explicitly defined in the Yajurveda (30|5) the origin and identification of the four varñas pertain to what social duties one bears as per his/her liking and abilities: Brahmañe Br³hmaña, KÌatriya R³jyanam, Mar¿dbhyo Vaiïya®, Tapase Ï¿dra® | Broadly the following qualities and duties characterized the four varñas: Brahmaña: One who is truthful, who observes non-violence; who lives for attainment and dissemination of (pure) knowledge; who lives an austere, chaste, altruistic life and does not accumulate material comforts and wealth; who is endowed with immense inner strength Sept-Oct 2006

dedicated to divine values; who observes ascetic disciplines of self-refinement and practices yoga s³dhan³ and spiritual elevation; who conducts yagya for the welfare of all. (c.f., for example, Yajurveda [33|81]: P³vakavarña¡ Ïuchayo Vipaïchita¡ ; Yajur.[34|56] UttiÌÚha Brahmañaspate; Atharvaveda[5|19|4]: Tejo R³Ìtrasya Nirhanti ; Athar.[12|5|1-3]: Ïrameña Tapas³ SraÌÚ³, …….| Ïraddhay³ ParyuÃh³, ….. Yagye Pratisthata||) KÌatriya: One who has valor, courage, skill and determination to destroy the enemies; who is dedicated to the protection of the society (nation) and is ready to sacrifice his life for this cause; who is fearless and wise and whose personality radiates vigor, strength of character, enthusiasm and alertness; who has all qualities of a good king who makes his nation strong. (c.f., for example, Rigveda [8|67|1]: Kìatriy³na Ava Âdity³na Yachi̳mahe|| Atharvaveda [5|17|3]: That³ RaÌtra® Gupita® Kìatriyasya || Samveda [17|59] Vaya® Dhan³ Ï¿ras³t³ Bhajemahi || Yajurveda[22|22] R³janya…..RatheÌÚh³¡ ||) Vaiïya: Who can generate wealth; who can mobilize the expansion and utilization of wealth; who has skills of fair trade; who is industrious and enterprising; who bears the responsibility of providing and managing the material resources for the society. (c.f. for example, Rigveda[4|24|9-10]: Krºñ³ti …. Avikritah | Yajurveda[30|17]: Tulayai V³ñijam | Atharvaveda[3|15|2]: Ye Panth³no ….. Dhanam³har³ñi || Atharvaveda[3|15|4] Prapaño Vikrayaïcha …. Utthita® Cha ||). Ï¿dra: One who is strong and good at physical labor and handicraft (e.g. fine arts, pottery, 11

carpentry; weaving, etc; who may not like mental work and intellectually skilled works but has talents of body (e.g. gymnastics); who is industrious and offers his services in the performance of heavy tasks demanding physical vigor and mental alertness; whose hard work offers essential services and constructive contribution (c.f. for example, Yajurveda[30|5] Tapase Ï¿dra®| Yajur.[18|47] R¿cha® No Dhehi … R¿cha® ViïyeÌu Ï¿dreÌu || Atharvaveda[19|32|8]: Priyam Ma… Kranu …. Srudaya ||) The crucial role of this varna is evident from the fact that the Rigveda (10|90|12) terms it as the foundational basis of the society (Padbhy³® Ï¿dro Aj³yata) || Similar is implied in Yajurveda [31|11] and the Atharvaveda [19|6|6]. Vedic society never prohibited any member of any varña from gaining education and aspiring for enlightenment by study of the Vedas. For example, the Yajurveda [26|2] asserts that the laborers in the Ï¿dra varña also have a right to study the Vedas and it encourages them to do so (Yathem³® V³cha® …… Ï¿dr³ya Ch³ry³ya Cha||). There are several other hymns in the Yajur, Atharva and Sama Vedas and in the Vedic scriptures including the Brahmanas-Aranyaks that describe in detail the duties and social importance of each varña. All the varñas are recognized as respectful components of the society. It is only the avarñas – who do not abide by the norms and duties of any of the four varñas – that are condemned in the scriptures as dasyu or d³sa because of their selfish, audacious and anti-social activities. 12

Nowhere there is mention of varña defined by birth and no concept of caste is present in the Vedic social system. Many of the rishis – most revered seer and sages in the Br³hmaña varña – were born to a Ï¿dra; for example, Maharshi Vyasa, who scripted the Puranas and Saytakama Jabala, who was the most eminent disciple of Maharshi Gautam, etc. Rishi Vishwamitra, Valmiki, Kvaish Aylush and several others were also born in non-Br³hmaña families. Even change of varña was allowed in the ancient Indian society; for example one could become a Br³hmaña at any age if he/she acquired higher knowledge by dedicated endeavors, adopted the necessary ascetic disciplines of thoughts, emotions and conduct, and transacted noble duties accordingly. As analyzed by Muni Yask in Nirukta [2|3] — “…. varño varñote¡” — because of chosen (p.p. of verb varaña) way of life and activities, it is termed “varña”. Lord Krishna also preaches in the holy Gita (4|13): Carturvarnyam Maya Srastam Guna-karmavibhagashah| Meaning: The four varña are created by me (God), according to the different classes of qualities and deeds of people. This shows that at least until the Mahabharata war, there was no distortion of the varna system. The gigantic war of Mahabharata devastated the then Indian civilization and also totally ruptured the socio-economic structure; by the medieval times, the society was ruptured and got trapped into cultural decline and superstitious customs. What we see today is an offshoot of further tidal changes that are largely dominated by opportunistic, egotist and material and comfort driven progress. Sept-Oct 2006

The philosophy of the varña based social structure offers rare clues on how to balance social concerns with economic growth, choosing the best of the rightist (capitalistic), leftist (communist) and centralist ideologies for the balanced welfare of all. Implications: Guidelines for Modern Times As we all know, the root cause of evils and agonies in the human society are greed, ego and ignorance. The untoward tendencies, passions and fallacies generated from these pose numerous hurdles at every step towards the development of an ideal society. The varña system aimed at diminishing the spread of these vicious tendencies by associating the duties of each varña with divine law. Today as well there should be awareness among people about the necessity of spirituality in every walk of life for everybody’s well-being and viable progress. The much-desired awareness and sense of responsibility among the masses, and harmony in different components of the society will lead to social harmony and spiritual upliftment. The blind pursuit of acquisition of wealth, honor and power to indulge in insatiable egotist passions is a major cause of corruption in all fields of human activities today. Remarkably efficient control over these was ensured in the varña system where no single individual of any varña was entitled to have all of these simultaneously — honor, power, wealth and unbridled sense-indulgence. The Br³hmañ’s character and deeds bestowed distinct honor upon him from all directions. But the power remained in the hands of the KÌatriyas, who shouldered the responsibility Sept-Oct 2006

of governing the society and protecting it. Because of generating and augmenting wealth for the progressive management of society, this was naturally owned by the Vaiïyas. The Ïudras being associated with physical labor or creative handwork, did not have to worry about unpredictable changes and future planning for the society etc, and so they were more relaxed and carefree than the other three varñas. Though there was difference in nature of works, none was regarded as higher or lower in any respect. The materialistic resources were also shared with others happily as per his/her genuine needs. The organization of duties and lifestyles broadly prescribed for each varña was such that no individual could possess anything without discharging his due responsibilities towards the well-being of the society. Mutual respect and cooperation among all the four varnas created an ideal society blossoming with illumined joy and all round progress. As analyzed by modern scholars [3-5], the four varñas encompass both the social instincts and individualism amongst the human beings. In such a society every member is both a “means” and an “end (accomplished goal)”. As a social being he works for the welfare and progress of the society on the altruistic philosophy of “idam na mam.” As a divine-child, he strives for physical well-being, and mental, intellectual and spiritual evolution of his real extended Self. Each individual of Chatv³ra Varña-Aïrama has been given guidelines in the Vedas to attain perfection in social, economic, scientific and spiritual fields, not only for his/ her satisfaction but also for the welfare of society. The Vedic society was thus the 13

community of persons belonging to four divine groups, which correspondingly strove for evolution of human consciousness in total harmony with Nature. Collective Administration: The social order and all-round progress was maintained by two principal institutions: sabh³ and vidhat³ [5]. All men and women of the four varñas were allowed to participate in the meetings of these institutions. It should be noted that women were granted equal rights with men in discussions and decision-making (c.f. for example Rigveda [10|85|26-42, 47] and Atharvaveda [14|1-20, 22 & 14|2-64,71]). Even the avarñas (the anti-social or perverted fellows) were invited there so that they could get proper guidance and support. S³bh³ was a kind of a political and social assembly where all citizens deliberated on social and political problems of the polity and society. It had several sub-committees that served as the executive bodies. It also had judicial bodies to review whether someone was drifting from the duties, spreading any declining values, or in any way disturbing peace and harmony of the society. Vedic Vidhat³ was a religious institution in which all matters relating to Dharma (moral values and spirituality), and —ata — the cosmic laws of Nature and sublime knowledge pertaining to divinity, and soul reality, consciousness force, etc - could be discussed and deliberated upon.

In essence the vedic social system was maintained by collective sharing of responsibilities and rights by all citizens aiming at what is referred in the (Yajurveda [3|43]) as a social prayer — “May we acquire mundane and celestial joy and felicity, which could help in per-forming our noble deeds and duties, creating concord and peace everywhere”. References: 1.

Sri Aurobindo: The Secrets of the Veda (On the Veda – Part I). Aurobindo Ashram, Pondicherry. 1956

2.

Acharya Pt. Shriram Sharma: Vedon K³ Divya Sandeïa. Yug Nirman Yojna, Mathura, 1985. + Engl. Translation: The Divine Message of Vedas. Yug Nirman Yojna, Mathura, 1994.

3.

Padmshri Dr. KD Dwivedi: Vedoó Meó Sam³jï³stra, Arthaï³stra aur Sik̳ï³stra. Vishwabharati Anushnadhan Parishad, Gyanpur (Bhadohi), 2002.

4.

Dr. AK Jayaswal: Vaidika Sansk—ati Ke Vividha Ây³ma. Lalit Prakashan, New Delhi. 2000.

5.

Prem Sabhlok: Vedic Metaphysics (www.sabhlokcity.com/metaphysics), 2005. (To be continued)

It is nice to be important, but more important is to be nice. 14

Sept-Oct 2006

Art of Living – 4

Yena dev³¡ svar³ruruhurhitv³ ïarºramm—tasya nabhim| Tena geÌma suk—tasya loka® dharmasya vratena taps³ yaïasyava¡|| - Atharvaveda 4/11/6 “The Supreme Being by whose grace the selfrealized, after discarding their mortal bodies, have attained to the elixir of mokïa or salvation, by the grace of that Supreme Being, and by vrata and tapa we seekers of glory will also attain to that transcendental abode.”

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egulating the daily routine not only improves health but also imparts a certain glow to the whole jºvana s³dhan³. The daily routine may appear to constitute a small aspect of life, but on a deeper look we find a reflection of the whole gamut of life in it. The values of life, its aims, direction, ideals, goal – everything we can glimpse in the daily routine. One whose day-to-day life is haphazard and disorderly, remains confused and aimless in the larger scheme of life, too. This is a cardinal truth whatever arguments and excuses to the contrary may be proffered. An organized routine ensures refinement and priming of the energies of the body, mind and soul, and their application in a specific direction. It is important to distinguish that order or organization does not merely mean Sept-Oct 2006

Tapa & Vrat Bring Order into life the existence of a particular condition; the indication of a particular direction, too, is implicit in it. In disorder, on the other hand, there is neither any specific condition nor any direction. In order, there is spontaneous creation, whereas in disorder, only destruction flourishes. This truth can be perceived clearly in every walk of life and every nook of the society. Haphazard routine not only ruins health but also gives birth to serious psychological problems. Even the school going children and teenagers, not to speak of the adults, have become victims of these maladies. A disease like diabetes is not sparing even small children now. Miscellaneous studies point to only one factor as the root culprit, viz. the life-style has become unbalanced; the daily routine has become chaotic. Sleep time is wasted in fun and frolic while that for waking and working is spent in sleeping. This topsy-turviness has antagonized nature. Experts of human physiology as well as of human psychology are convinced that man will have to suffer the ill consequences of tampering with the biological rhythm ordained by nature. And this is exactly what is happening. If we have to salvage the situation, there is no alternative to reversing the inverted. This is the only solution which can bring modern life presently groping in the maze of wilderness back on the right tracks. 15

There is an illuminating anecdote often related among the Vaishnav saint community. An elderly saint lived in Vrindavan, the dh³m or abode of Lord Krishna. Many among the wealthy and elite were his followers. They, too, suffered from the frailties which invariably develop from surfeit of money and power, but still they all possessed sense of veneration for their guru. They would often ask their guru about the ultimate secret of life. The saint fenced the question with a laugh because he knew that the underlying spirit of the question was not genuine enquiry but mere curiosity. But one day the contrary happened. A true seeker asked the same question. In response, the guru became somber. He sent the seeker to the great saint Roop Goswami of Vrindavan with the instruction that if the aspirant could learn the essence of that saint’s life, then he, too, would instruct him in the ultimate mystery of life. What the saint said was somewhat unusual but the disciple had total faith in him. In pursuance of his guru’s instruction, he remained with Roop Goswami for some time and then came back. When he bowed at the feet of his guru, the latter looked at him questioningly and asked: “Tell me, what is the essence of the life of Goswamiji”? “Tapa and vrata”, the disciple replied succinctly. The saint’s face lit up with a sense of satisfaction and he said: “Son! Tapa and vrata

are the quintessence of not only Goswami’s life but the ultimate secret of everyone’s life. When a person is able to bring order into his daily routine with the help of the formula of tapa and vrata every other thing – money, fame, power, respect and spiritual glories – become easily accessible to him. Tapa means to prevent the wastage of one’s vigor and energy, and vrata means to resolutely pursue the path of self-enlightenment”. Those who are desirous of regulating their daily routine should get up before sunrise, prepare a schedule of the day’s work, and fix one goal for everyday. They should spend the entire day within the framework of this discipline and go to bed in the night immersing themselves in the remembrance of the merciful God. Some practical guidelines to a disciplined routine can be learnt from the s³dhaka’s diary printed by Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya. This diary will help the s³dhakas organize their routine and guide them into living a life of tapa and vrata. It is important to keep in mind that the seed of wakefulness lies in sleep. So that the day is begun on the right note, sleep should commence at the right time too. The diet also should be regulated because food impacts the entire course of life.

May we get peace? May we silence the ever-disturbing words and sounds in our mind? It is only by attaining absolute inner peace that we would realize the ultimate, the original source of true knowledge. The foundation of inner peace is essential for the rise of true knowledge. Attempting to seek true knowledge without this foundation is a futile exercise 16

Sept-Oct 2006

The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting

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ntentionality – Parenting As a Spiritual Discipline-Intentions remind us of what is important. When we form the intention to do something, and that intention in turn informs our choices and our actions, the chances that we will be sensitive to what is important in our lives increase greatly, and we are more likely to see the big picture. Our intentions serve as blueprints, allowing us to give shape and direction to our efforts, and to assess how we are doing as we work at developing something worthy of ourselves and our lives. So at some point, whenever that is, we have to decide what is really important for us, and then work at constantly keeping that framework in mind as things unfold. In mindful parenting, certain principles are important to affirm from the very beginning. This does not mean that if we already have children, it is too late to become more mindful in our parenting. It means that we begin, when we are ready, wherever we are in our lives, and work with the here and now, formulating the intentions that are important for us to affirm and to implement, and that are realistic. Not only is it never too late to introduce mindfulness into our lives; the very moment that we make the conscious commitment to do so becomes the perfect moment to begin. Here are some intentions that you may find helpful. Of course, you can also create your own. Sept-Oct 2006

Intention One: I will bring my entire creative genius to the work of mindful parenting. Intention Two: I will see parenting as a spiritual discipline, meaning that it provides me with every necessary opportunity to cultivate wisdom and openheartedness in myself, so that I may come to know and express my true nature and share what is best in me with my children and with the world. Intention Three: I will cultivate mindfulness and discernment in my daily life, especially with my children, using an awareness of my breathing to ground me in the present moment. Intention Four: I will make every effort to see who my children actually are, and to remember to accept them for who they are at every age, rather than be blinded by my own expectations and fears. By making a commitment to live my own life fully and to work at seeing and accepting myself as I am, I will be better able to accord a similar acceptance to my children. In this way I can help them to grow and to realize their full potential as unique beings. Intention Five: I will make every effort to see things from each child’s point of view and understand what my children’s needs are, and to meet them as best I can. 17

Intention Six: I will use whatever comes up in my own life and in the lives of my children, including the darkest and most difficult times, as “grist for the mill,” to grow as a human being so that I am better able to understand my children, their soul needs, and what is required of me as a parent. Intention Seven: I will fold these intentions into my heart, and commit myself to putting them into practice as best I can, every day, and in appropriate ways that feel right to me and that honor my children’s sovereignty, and my own.

4.

Be mindful of your expectations of your children whether they are truly in your child’s best interest. Also, be aware of how you communicate those expectations and how they affect your children.

5.

Practice altruism, putting the needs of your children above your own whenever possible. Then see if there isn’t some common ground, where your true needs can also be met. You may be surprised at how much overlap is possible, especially if you are patient, and strive for balance.

6.

When you feel lost, or at a loss, remember to stand still, as in David Wagoner’s poem: “The forest breathes … “Listen to what it is saying: “The forest knows where you are. You must let it find you …” Meditate on the whole, by bringing your full attention to the situation, to your child, to yourself, to the family. In doing so, you may go beyond thinking, even good thinking, and perceive intuitively, with the whole of your being (your feelings, intuition, body, mind, and soul) what really needs to be done. If that is not clear in any moment, may be the best thing is to not do anything until it becomes clearer. Sometimes it is good to remain silent.

7.

Try embodying silent presence. This will grow out of both formal and informal mindfulness practice over time, if you attend to how you carry yourself and what you project in body, mind, and speech. Listen carefully.

8.

Learn to live with tension without losing your own balance. In Zen and the Art of

Twelve Exercises for Mindful Parenting. 1.

Try to imagine the world from your child’s point of view, purposefully letting go of your own. Do this every day for at least a few moments to remind you of who this child is and what he or she faces in the world.

2.

Imagine how you appear and sound from your child’s point of view, i.e., having you as a parent today, in this moment. How might this modify how you carry yourself in your body and in space, how you speak, what you say? How do you want to relate to your child in this moment?

3.

Practice seeing your children as perfect just the way they are. See if you can stay mindful of their sovereignty from moment to moment, and work at accepting them, as they are when it is hardest for you to do so. 18

Sept-Oct 2006

Arcbery, Herrigel describes how he was taught to stand at the point of highest tension effortlessly without shooting the arrow. At the right moment, the arrow mysteriously shoots itself. Do this by practicing moving into any moment, however difficult, without trying to change anything and without having to have a particular outcome occur. Simply bring your full awareness and presence to this moment. Practice seeing that whatever comes is “workable” if you are willing to stand in this way in the present, trusting your intuition and best instincts. Your child, especially when young, needs you to be a center of balance and trustworthiness, a reliable landmark by which he or she can take a bearing within his or her own landscape. Arrow and target need each other. Forcing doesn’t help. They will find each other better through wise attention and patience. 9.

Apologize to your child when you have betrayed a trust in even a little way. Apologies are healing. An apology demonstrates that you have thought about a situation and have come to see it more clearly, or perhaps more from your child’s point of view. But we have to be mindful of being “sorry” too often. It loses its meaning if we are always saying it, or make regret into a habit. Then it can become a way for us not to take responsibility for our actions. Be aware of this. Cooking in remorse on occasion is a good meditation. Don’t shut off the stove until the meal is ready.

Sept-Oct 2006

10. Every child is special, and every child has special needs. Each sees in an entirely unique way. Hold an image of each child in your heart. Drink in their being, wishing them well. 11. There are very important times when we need to practice being clear and strong and unequivocal with our children. Let this come as much as possible out of awareness and generosity and discernment, rather than out of fear, self-righteousness, or the desire to control. Mindful parenting does not mean being overindulgent, neglectful, or weak; nor does it mean being rigid, dominating, and controlling. 12. The greatest gift you can give your child is yourself. This means that part of your work as a parent is to keep growing in self-knowledge and in awareness. We have to be grounded in the present moment to share what is deepest and best in ourselves. This is ongoing work, but it can be furthered by making a time for quiet contemplation in whatever ways feel comfortable to us. We only have right now. Let us use it to its best advantage, for our children’s sake, and for our own. -Myla and Joan Kabat–Zinn [Published with glad permission of the authors. Dr. Joan Kabat-Zinn is the founder Director of the Stress Education Clinic of the University of Massachusetts and Myla is a child-birth educator, birthing assistant and environmental advocate. – Editor]

19

Youth Column

Dress Should be Accord with the National Culture Vastreñeva v³say³ manman³ ïuchim - Rigveda 1/140/1 (Meaning: We cover the sacred and the private (organs) with the right dress.)

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he style of dress reveals a person’s cultural affinities; it indicates that the person cherishes deep inside him particular cultural values. Blind imitation of western dress is a pointer to thoughtless belief in superiority of western civilization and culture. This tendency shows that such persons are cut off from their own cultural moorings. Their sense of pride in Indian culture and motherland has virtually died down. Otherwise, why should they be reluctant to adopt the dress style of their own country? Those who are desirous of treading the path of jivana sadhana should be conscious about their clothing. The recent history of our country underlines the significance of this fact. The great men who led the nation during the tumultuous days of the freedom struggle, had almost wholly received Western/English education. Many of them had studied in England. Some of them had even turned down high and prestigious posts like the I.C.S. In the initial stages and during their studentship, almost all wore English style dress. But when love for the nation began to stir them, their dress styles changed too. Barrister Mohandas 20

Karamchand Gandhi could become Mahatma Gandhi only by adopting Indian dress and ethos. His followers and associates, too, set out on the noble task of awakening the nation after adopting native style of clothing. There is a touching incident having a bearing on this matter. The world famous chemical scientist Dr. Prafulla Chandra Roy was Professor in Calcutta University. As befitted a university professor, his apparel, too, was western. Those were the days of the Independence Movement. The whole country was resonating with national sentiments. The sensitive heart of Dr. P. C. Roy could not remain unaffected by all this. Love for the nation began to stir in his bosom too. But he was in a fix. How could he pursue this love in the midst of his scientific work? In what way could he serve the nation? To find the answer, he met Gandhiji. He was wearing western dress as usual at that time. Gandhiji looked at him from top to bottom and said with a smile: “Roy Sir! What was the great hurry that you have come unclothed”? Dr. Roy was perplexed. Why was Mahatmaji talking in riddles today? I have come fully clothed, yet he is saying that I am without clothes. Gandhiji explained: “Nation can not be served properly under alien attire. National values, national sentiments, national culture – these all have only one identity and that is our own Sept-Oct 2006

national mode of dressing”. Now Professor Roy was able to understand the import of Gandhiji’s words. He completely changed his attire from that day and made the ethnic khadi his life-long companion. Those who advance the excuses of dress norms operative in technical and higher education institutions should stand reminded here that there are so many persons working in our mission (Gayatri Pariwar) who have completed their technical/higher education in dhoti-kurta. Students doing engineering studies including M. Tech. and that too from the best institutes of the country, donned dhotikurta and maintained the dignity of our culture. There is a famous proverb: “Where there is a will, there is a way”. So the need is to generate the will; corresponding ways will materialize on their own. With strong will power and overflowing love for one’s culture, the entire course of life can be transformed, what to speak of the dress style. The modes of dress prevalent these days reflect neither Indianness nor Indian culture. The general wear on school and college campuses is expressive of only tastlessness and lack of decorum. The situation at homes is no better. It all indicates that our cultural sense is fast depleting. Even from the health point of view experts regard the body-hugging and skin-revealing apparel as unsuitable. It lies upon the young generation of the country to check and reverse this rapidly worsening trend. Any appeal to those whose cultural

sense has died and in whom national sentiments have almost dried up is futile. But those, who have become indifferent for some other reasons, should wake up. Let such brave young men and women come forward and, through their mode of dress, reflect their distinctive nationality and culture. There are some important elements of a proper sense of dress. The first is hygiene. Not only the clothes but the body, too, should be kept clean. Unkempt hair and uncut nails, for example, are a public announcement that we are not yet civilized. The second element is selection of apparel in accord with the season. The textile and the style both should match the different seasons - summer, winter and rainy. The third point is about the general nature and form of the dress. Instead of being very tight and body-hugging, it should be slightly loose-fitting. At the same time, the cut should be such that the body could be properly covered. The fourth element concerns the understanding of our cultural roots. There should be no glaring antagonism between the dress and the socio-cultural values. As far as possible, the attire should be in conformity with our soil and our culture. Our dress should announce to all that we are not only politically but also culturally independent and we have firm belief in the Indian ethos. To make this belief strong, we will have to give proper direction to our imaginations and learn the art of putting them to right application.

Air, water and food are essential for the nourishment of the physical body of a living being. Similarly knowledge that leads to integrated refinement, development and the activation of the potentialities of the heart, head and hands is true nourishment of the soul. Sept-Oct 2006

21

Beginning the Quest - Sant Vinoba Bhave My Life as a Student FATHER HAD PLANNED not to send his son to school but to have him learn dyeing. So he taught me at home up to the level of the fifth or sixth class, and then sent me for admission to the Kala Bhavan {technical school} at Baroda, where he was well known and respected. Everyone recognized me as ‘Bhave’s son, but they could not admit me. They asked me how far I had gone in English and I told them ‘up to the third English class’; since other candidates had got as far as ‘intermediate arts’, I had no chance. My father then began to teach me further himself, and finding that his lad spent more time roaming about than studying, gave me a lot of mathematical problems to keep me busy. So what did I do? I concentrated on the more difficult ones which were set out in small type at the end of the text book, worked them all out and left the rest. Father realized that I grasped the subject so he said nothing, and what I learned with him was all I needed up to the matriculation level. I would first finish my assignment in Maths and English within the hour and then be off on my wanderings for four or five hours at a stretch. So finally in disgust father dumped me in school. There too I carried on in the same way. I not only went on roaming, I pulled my friends out of their homes to join me and gave them 22

no chance to study. Babaji Moghe used to hide in some temple to study and keep out of my way, but I would search for him, find him and drag him out. As a boy my two hobbies were reading and roaming. I would be off whenever I got the chance. Another friend of mine, Raghunath Dhotre, would always tell me that I had wheels on my feet. ‘Vinya,’ Mother would say, ‘in your last birth you must have been a tiger; for one thing, you must have your daily round, and for another you have a very keen nose, you can’t bear the slightest bad odour.’ So I soon knew every street in Baroda, and I would be off at all time of day or night -any time would do for me. I liked running too, but I never kept any record of the distances I covered. I once set out for a run at half past midnight, and took the road past the Baroda Palace grounds. The sentry shouted his customary challenge Hukum ...Dar,1 but I took no notice and ran on. A little later I returned by the same road. This time the sentry stopped me and asked why I was running; ‘For exercise,’ I replied. He retorted: ‘Who runs for exercise at one o’clock in the morning? You are up to mischief, you are a thief!’ ‘And when did a thief ever come back by the same road he went out?’ I demanded. He had no answer to that and let me go.

Sept-Oct 2006

One Diwali I spent hours during the three days of the festival going into every little lane and side street in Baroda to see whether there were any houses that did not display the festal lamps. I did not find a single house in the whole city where no lamps were burning. The Muslim houses too all had their lighted lamps. I also used to visit the various temples. There was one temple, close to Kamathibag, whose deity I named ‘Lord of Exams’. Our college was nearby, and during examination days crowds of students would visit the shrine for darshan, and to pray that the Lord would grant them a ‘pass’. In school and college my only concern was how soon the class would end and I be set free. But there was one occasion when the teacher began to dictate notes. I wrote nothing, I just listened, and the teacher noticed it. When he had finished the dictation he told me to stand up and read what I had written. I stood up at once with my notebook in my hand and repeated all I had heard. The teacher was taken aback. ‘Just let me see your notebook,’ he said. I showed him the blank pages. ‘You won’t be able to read what I have written, sir,’ I said. Mathematics was my strong subject. The teacher was fond of his pupils and took great pains over his work. One day I consulted him about an exceptionally difficult problem. He thought for a while and then said: ‘Come back to me tomorrow. In all my years of teaching no one has posed such a problem before. I am so familiar with ordinary mathematics that I could teach it in my Sept-Oct 2006

sleep, but this problem of yours is a different matter. I shall be able to give you an answer only tomorrow.’ These words made a very deep impression on me. But some teachers, when the children can’t work out their maths problems, have a habit of slapping their cheeks. I wonder what a slap has to do with mathematics? Is it perhaps that a slap on the cheek stimulates the flow of blood to the brain, so that it begins to work better and so solve the problem? Could that be the reason? When I was a little lad, about twelve years old, one of the teachers in our school used to cane the children a lot. He seemed to think that caning was the only basis for knowledge. He had a long cane which he kept locked up. We children didn’t like canings, but what could we do? Finally one day I managed to pick the lock and throw the cane away. When the teacher found it gone he guessed, of course, that one of us had been playing pranks, but he said nothing. Next day he brought another cane, and I got rid of that one too. He got yet a third cane, and that also I disposed of. Then he got really annoyed and began asking questions to get at the source of the mischief, but none of the boys said a word - they were all on my side. In the end, however, the teacher did discover the truth, and having found the culprit he had to devise a punishment. He sentenced me to five hundred ‘sit-ups’2 and told another boy to stand by and count. The boy was a friend of mine and his counting went like this: ‘onetwo-three-four-seven-ten’. After a while he got tired and sat down. I went on with my ‘sit-ups’, and soon he started counting again, and told the teacher that the five hundred had 23

been completed. But I too had been counting in my head, and I knew I had only done one hundred and twenty-three. So when the teacher told me to stop and sit down, I said: ‘The five hundred isn’t finished yet, Sir, only one hundred and twenty-three.’ The teacher thought, ‘Here’s an honest lad,’ and said: ‘Sit down, you have already done eighteen too many.’ So I did sit down, but I didn’t understand what he meant. I puzzled over it and in the end got it: five hundred meant five plus a hundred, not five times a hundred-and on that reckoning, as the teacher said, I had done eighteen extra ‘sit-ups’. That was how that teacher took pity on me, and I have never forgotten those figures. Our English teacher once set, as the subject for an essay, ‘Description of a Marriage Ceremony’. But I had never attended any marriage ceremony. I couldn’t describe it what was I to do? So I invented a story about a young man who got married, and all the sorrow which befell him and others as a consequence. The teacher noted on my essay:’ Although you did not dea1 with the set theme, you used your intelligence,’ and he gave me seven marks out of ten. The Central Library at Baroda was then considered one of the best libraries in India. During my vacations, after I had had my meal, I would spend the afternoon there. Two or three hours would go by very pleasantly, and the librarian would kindly help me to find the books I wanted. During the hot weather I would take off my shirt and sit reading stripped to the waist, until one day one of the attendants objected that my dress was not ‘decent’; I ought to have the sense to dress 24

properly, he said. I told him that I dressed by the common sense God had given me, and turned back to my reading, in which I was soon absorbed. But a complaint reached the Director that a student was sitting in the Reading Room without a shirt and refusing to listen to the staff. The Director was an Englishman; his office was on the third floor and he summoned me there. I found him ‘correctly’ dressed in shirt and trousers-but he had a fan over his head: He kept me standing before him (as the English usually did in those days) but as he was older than me, I did not find that humiliating. But then he pointed to my naked torso. ‘Why this?’ he asked. ‘Don’t you know what good manners mean?’ ‘Certainly I do,’ I replied, ‘in my own country.’ ‘And what is that?’ he asked. ‘In this country,’ I said, ‘we don’t think it’s good manners for one man to remain seated and keep another man standing.’ He was very pleased that a mere lad like me should have answered so boldly. He at once gave me a chair, and I explained that in India it is no breach of good manners to go naked to the waist in the hot weather. This he accepted, and went on to ask me about my studies, and then told the librarian to give me whatever help I needed in finding the books. Then there was the celebration of the birthday of Shivaji. I and my friends were discussing where it should be held. Shivaji was a lover of freedom, I said, so we should celebrate him in the open air, not under any roof; we should go off to the hills and the jungles. So that was settled, but then another obstacle arose: the Sept-Oct 2006

day was not a holiday. ‘Well,’ I said, ‘We are studying Shivaji in the history class. We might cut that class and go off into the jungle then.’ This was agreed; off we all went and held our commemoration with all solemnity .On the way back we began to talk about what would happen the next day, when we would surely be punished for our absence. I suggested that we each take a quarter-rupee with us to pay the fine. In the history class the next day the teacher asked where we had been, and we said that we had been to the jungle to celebrate Shivaji’s birthday. ‘Couldn’t you have done that here?’ he asked. I answered like a shot: ‘Shivaji the freedom-lover can’t be commemorated in the halls of slavery!’ The teacher didn’t like that.. ‘You’ll all be fined,’ he said, and we all put our hands in our pockets and laid the coins before him. In this way we had a lot of discussion and debate about special days and important topics, and a lot of vigorous argument went on in the course of our walks. There were about ten to fifteen of us friends, and we all wanted to undertake some public service. After a time we decided to give our group a more definite shape, and in 1914 we formed a ‘Student Society’ which held regular celebrations of the birthdays of Shivaji, Swami Ramdas and so on. We also had studydiscussion groups with talks on such topics as the works of the Saints, love of country, the lives of great men, the development of character. At first we met in one another’s homes, then later we hired a room for a few ‘annas’. I began by asking Mother for the money for the rent, but afterwards everyone Sept-Oct 2006

subscribed. We got together a good library, about sixteen hundred volumes of biography, travel, history, science and so on. I myself once gave a talk on Mazzini; in fact many of the talks were given by me, and I gave them with a serious sense of responsibility. Itwas in this Student Society that my public life began, and took it as my model when I founded the Grama Seva Mandal (Village Service Society) in 1935. I certainly profited by all the study needed for the talks I delivered, but the greatest boon the Society gave me was friendship; the friends I made in it have remained my friends for life and have never left me. In 1917 I returned to Baroda for its annual meeting, and suggested that the Society should propagate the use of the Hindi language. I wrote and told Gandhiji that I felt sure it would take up the work and be ready to carry on in Baroda his campaign for Hindi. Near our house in Baroda lived an old man who used to sit spinning yarn by hand for the ‘sacred thread’. I and my friends looked upon him as a laughing-stock. ‘What a relic of the primitive!’ we would say. In later years many of us joined Gandhiji; we too were destined to spend our time spinning yarn by hand on the wheel! Leaving Home When I was ten years old I resolved to follow the path of brahmacharya and already, even in childhood, I was thinking about leaving home. I had three great examples before me: Gautama the Buddha, the Maharashtrian Saint Ramadas and the Jagat-guru (world-teacher) Shankaracharya. They exercised a powerful 25

attraction. The Buddha had left behind his wife and little son; Ramadas had been impelled to abandon his bride while the wedding ceremonies were actually in progress; Shankaracharya had never married at all, but taken the vow of brahmacharya and left home when he was only eight years old. These three men were always in my thoughts, and I cherished the inward hope that someday I too would leave home. I was like a girl whose marriage has been arranged, and who in imagination abandons her parents’ home and dwells already in that of her future husband. I too had inwardly left home, and I gave my attention to making sure that I did not go out into the world raw or ‘half-baked’. I prepared myself of course by study and meditation, and in addition I did all I could to make my body a fit instrument of spiritual discipline. During childhood I had got hold of a book which described a brahmachari’s rule of life, and quoted Manu the things forbidden to him: he should wear no shoes, use no umbrella, sleep on no mattress. So I too stopped using these things. Giving up the mattress and the umbrella cost me nothing, but going about barefoot, roaming on the tarred roads for hours on end in the fierce midday heat of Baroda, proved to be bad for my eyes. In Manu’s time students would probably be living in an Ashram where there was no need for any footgear. But as a boy I was very rigorous about this discipline of the body. I also observed rules about eating and drinking. I never attended wedding feasts or similar festivities. Sister was married when she was still a child but even at her wedding I stuck to my rule and told Mother that I was 26

not going to eat the feast. Mother said nothing; she cooked some food for me and served me. But afterwards she came to me. ‘Vinya,’ she said, ‘I can understand your not eating the sweets and other wedding delicacies, but why should you object to the plain dal and rice? How can it be wrong to eat the rice and dal cooked for the wedding, when it is exactly the same as what I have cooked for you now?’ How skillfully Mother managed it! She didn’t argue: she cooked, she fed me, but then she made her point, and I agreed to eat the rice and dal as she said. I had a knack of putting my thoughts into verse. I would compose poems, taking two or three hours, sometimes a whole day, over each one. Then I would chant the verses aloud and correct any shortcomings that I noticed, and when I felt fully satisfied with it I would offer the poem as a sacrifice to the god of fire. One day during the cold weather I was sitting by the kitchen fire keeping myself warm and burning poems. Mother noticed it and asked what I was doing. When I told her she said: ‘But I have never seen your poems!’ So after that, whenever I completed a poem, I would first recite it to her and then throw it into the fire. Later in Benares I would sit composing my poems on the banks of the Ganges, and after I was satisfied with them I would immerse them in the water. Near our home in Baroda lived a potter who kept a donkey. When I sat down to study at night it would begin to bray, and I found it especially irritating when I was working at some mathematical problem. Could anything be done, I wondered. Then it occurred to me that though the braying was a nuisance to me, Sept-Oct 2006

the other donkeys probably enjoyed it, and in that case it couldn’t be called ‘bad’. From that day forward I began to train myself to think of it as ‘good’. Whenever the donkey started to bray I would stop studying and attend to its discourse, trying to hear the music in it. Sometimes I would start braying myself in unison with the donkey, so as to feel more at one with it. I began to hear compassion in the sound and named it, in high-sounding Sanskrit, ‘Theme Song of the Donkey’. As a boy I was physically weak and sometimes had severe headaches. When the pain became unbearable I would say to myself, sometimes speaking aloud, ‘This aching head is not I, I am not my aching head! I am not my head, I am something else!’ It was a great help to me to use these words; they led me to practice the attitude of mind which declares: ‘I am not my body’. At that time too I read the Yoga-shastra, and in it was a description of the posture of one who has attained Samadhi (the experience of ultimate unity). I would seat myself in this posture and imagine myself to have reached Samadhi, though all the time my mind would be running here and there. In Baroda the summers are extremely hot, so I would sit in this posture under the watertap. As the water dripped from the tap above me and trickled over my head, I would imagine that I was the Lord Shiva himself entered into Samadhi. As I played these games my mind did sometimes grow so peaceful that I felt I really was in Samadhi. I don’t know whether it was what the scriptures mean by Samadhi, but it gave me a great joy and I felt emptied of all desire. Sept-Oct 2006

The Gaikwad of Baroda, Maharaja Sayaji Rao, had installed a statue of the Lord Buddha in one of the public parks, the ‘Jubilee Gardens’, which I always thought of as ‘the garden of the Buddha’. The statue attracted me greatly because the thought of leaving home was in my own mind- put there by the life and teachings of Swami Ramdas, and reinforced when I became acquainted with those of Shankaracharya. It was kept continually before me by the statue of the Buddha, who in youth had turned his back on the pomp of kingship and the pleasures of family life, as being things of no account. There was no solitude to be found in my Garden of the Buddha, but I often went there nevertheless, in order to contemplate and reflect upon this image; it had a great influence on me. Before I left home I made a bonfire of all my certificates, including my matriculation certificate. I wanted to cut loose, once and for all, from every cable that might tie me down, but Mother was very unhappy and asked why I should burn them. ‘I don’t need them now,’ I said. ‘Perhaps not now,’ she replied, ‘but what harm is there in keeping them?’ ‘No, I shall never take any salaried job,’ I said. The thought of leaving home had come to me first in 1912, but I tested myself rigorously for four years before making my final decision. Once my mind was made up I never looked back. I wanted to go to Benares, for two reasons. One was that having had a ‘Western’ schooling, and also having studied the lives of the Saints, my education would not be complete without travel. Benares was reputed to be a storehouse of knowledge, especially of Sanskrit and the Scriptures. There I could 27

study the Scriptures. The second reason for going to Benares was that it lay on the route both to the Himalayas and to Bengal, and both these places had a powerful attraction for me. I felt a great affection and devotion for my father and mother. I was so deeply attached to my mother that in 1918 I went back home to be with her on her deathbed. After her death I chose two of her things to keep in her memory .One was a sari, her precious wedding sari; the other was an image of the goddess Annapurna to which Mother had always without fail made a daily offering. I used the sari as a pillow for many years, until we took the decision to use only khadi (home spun cloth) for all purposes, and the sari was not khadi. I went and bathed in the Sabarmati river and immersed the sari in its sacred waters. As for the image of Annapurna, I used it occasionally in meditation -which is a form of worship. But it had always been used for regular daily worship, and I began to feel that my mind would be more at ease if it were in the hands of some pious woman who would offer daily puja as my mother had done. I could have found many such, but I had a special faith in Kashibehn Gandhi.3 I said to her: ‘This image was my mother’s; will you accept it and offer the daily puja as she did?’ Reverently and lovingly she agreed. But love and attachment for my parents could not stop me leaving home. Everything else paled before the force of the spiritual quest. In those days one had to go to Bombay to sit the Intermediate Examination, and a few of us set off from Baroda together. But I and two others, Bedekar and Tagare, left the Bombay

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train at Surat and took the train for Benares. I wrote to tell my father: ‘Instead of going to Bombay for the exam, I am going somewhere else. You may be assured that wherever I go I shall set my hand to nothing that is wrong.’ That day, the day I left home, was March 25,1916. Notes: 1. The traditional English challenge ‘Who goes there?’ had first been turned into ‘Who comes there?’ and then Hindi-ised, so that ‘who comes’ became hokum (‘command’) and ‘there’ became dar (‘beware!’). 2. A wrestler’s exercise consisting of rapidly alternating standing and sitting postures, up-down, up-down. 3. The wife of Gandhiji’s cousin Chaganlal. With her husband and two sons, Krishnadas and Prahhudas, she devoted herself to Gandhijj’s Constructive Programme, the general title used for his village upliftment work which included handicrafts, village industries, the removal of untouchability, bringing harmony between different religions, and simple living.

[Published with glad permission of Kalindi Behan, the original compiler in Hindi (and translated into English by late Marjorie Sykes) of Vinobaji’s Memoirs titled ‘MOVED BY LOVE’ of Brahmavidya Mandir, Pawnar (Wardha). – Editorial Team]

Sept-Oct 2006

Health Tips

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mong the host of health hazards faced by the modern society, obesity has become a matter of deep concern. Excessive fat or overweight body not only reduces one’s physical beauty and gives a funny appearance, but at times it also hampers one’s alacrity and work efficiency. Overweight people feel tired and start panting after a little hard work. More severe are the negative effects of extra fat upon the tiny arteries and blood vessels. Obesity increases the chances of high blood pressure, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, cardiac problems – with high risk of sudden heart-attack or even failure of heart because of arterial block, restlessness, insomnia, hormonal disorders, osteoporosis and related problems of weakening of the bones and the joints, physical disability, etc. Thus, not only the appearance-conscious or smart people, but also those who care for health and fitness are always keen to maintain their body-weight within healthy limits and try to turn to expensive gymnasiums, diet courses, aerobic exercises and what not. In spite of growing trends of fashionable looks and slim bodies and also of health-awareness, the number of over-weight people and fatdriven diseases is increasing, especially in the urban societies and developed countries. Earlier the over-weight people used to be usually the adults after a certain age. Fatty

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Get Rid of Obesity Why? heftiness was seen rarely among the youths and children and it was mostly because of hereditary factors or utterly lavish eating since childhood. However, these days the incidence of this abnormality seems to have risen in people of all age groups. According to a clinical survey report of 1997, over 30 crore people below 65 years of age are suffering from high obesity throughout the world. These days many kids are also found suffering from this abnormality. This is because of excessive use of soda-bicarbonate-made cold drinks, and eatables like chocolates, pastries, and cheese. It is also found to be a congenital abnormality because of the chemically synthesized vitamins and medicines consumed by the mother during pregnancy. Youths, who have a stressful routine, are also found having fat on their tummies and the cases of coronary arterial blocks are rising alarmingly among the urban youths in the young age-group 30-45. Comfort based lifestyle, wrong eating and drinking habits, less nourishing but high calorie artificial foods, side effects of medicines, hormonal disturbances, etc are also responsible for this hidden hazard. Although yoga is becoming popular among other methods of keeping fit, people often regard it only as a package of physical exercises that could be practiced at any time 29

in any order. This is a pity. In fact yoga pertains to much deeper folds of life and if its philosophy is also understood and adopted in righteous manner with necessary disciplines, it would ensure physical and mental well-being as well as psychological, intellectual and spiritual evolution. Considering the present context, we may focus only on the yoga-aspects pertaining to physical health. In this regard, as also for overall health of the mind-body system, an ideal routine and food habits suggested under Ayurveda are derived from the philosophy of yoga. Before we look into the preventive and remedial modes suggested under Ayurveda to avoid or get rid of obesity, we shall see the characteristics and hazards of obesity defined in the Ayurvedic scriptures. The Ayurveda Shastras refer to Obesity as sthaulya roga or sth¿lat³. In the section “Sutra Sthanama” 21|9 of Charak Samhita describes it as — “The disease in which meda – fat, fatty serum (and marrow) and flesh, etc – increases and accumulates in excess on the tummy, buttocks (hips), waist, chest/breasts, arms and muscles of other parts. This growth is so much that the flesh in some or these ‘inflated’ components makes them heavy and it even hangs freely and shakes randomly while the patient runs, walks moves his body for some work. This also disturbs the metabolism and normal supply of blood and essential (bio)chemicals and thus hinders the health and vigor of these and other components of the body. Excessive eating, or fat-rich heavy food, habit of frequent eating that disturb healthy metabolism, are common causes of this disease”. 30

If we eat more than what is essential for balanced nutrition of our body in terms of its natural constituent (prakrati) and mentalphysical work, or if we eat frequently fatty or glucose or hydrocarbon rich substances or high-calorie edibles, these are not decomposed or transformed in the regular metabolic reactions and are thus not utilized in the healthy physiological and biochemical functions and requirements of the body. As a result, these get deposited as excess fat and flesh in those parts of the body that are less exercised or are naturally located and tuned to store the extra fat or flesh. Sometimes this extra accumulation could occur due to disorder of metabolism, which might be triggered by some malfunctioning or unnatural reaction (e.g. side-effects of a medicine or psychological complexity) at the hormonal, genetic, (bio)chemical or physiological level. This excess accumulation is referred as meda or sthaulya in Ayurveda. The word “Obesity” of the modern medical science is derived from Latin “Obesus” which literally means – eating more. Here overweight is defined as more than 10% above the average limit, statistically estimated from the ratio of body height and weight. Accumulation of fat often begins on the tummy because natural stock of ‘meda’ lies in the stomach and the intestines; its excessive accumulation spreads disproportionately on the hips, thighs, arms, neck, chest, cheeks, etc with maximum on the tummy and hips, thus deforming the figure of the body and giving it a funny appearance. According to the Ayurveda theory, the excess of meda hinders the normal Sept-Oct 2006

growth and distribution of all dh³tus (vital elements, compounds produced or released by metabolism). As a result, bones, muscles, marrow, etc are deprived of adequate nourishment and strength. Weakening of the body components and disruption of some of its normal (healthy) functions naturally reduces the stamina and resistance and invites several other diseases. Even adequate breathing becomes a problem in most cases of obesity. This is why obesity is referred as the root cause of many other diseases and is referred so in Ayurveda Scriptures. It is counted in Ayurveda among the eight blemishes of the body. The list of these eight negative attributes prominently includes sth¿la (very fat) and k—aïak³ya (very thin) bodies. For example, the shloka no. 21|1-2 of “Sutra Sthanam” in “Charak Samhita” specifies — “…. Tatr³tisth¿la K— aïayorbh¿ya ev³pare ninditaviïe̳ bhavanti |” (Of these, the sth¿la and k—aïak³ya are among the worst. However, as mentioned in the succeeding shloka, (cited below) in relative comparison of the two, the thinner fellows are regarded as still better than the fat ones: Staullyak³ïrye vara® k³ïrye samopakarañau hitau | Yadyubhau vy³dhir³gacchetsh¿lamev³tipºÃyet || Meaning: Thinness is much better than obesity because even if both are weak, a very fat person would suffer a disease more than what a very thin would. The average lifetime of a very fat chap is also lesser. As is generally observed, people might sympathize with a thin chap but would at a Sept-Oct 2006

first sight laugh at the fat one. The fatter one’s body is, the more likely he is to be a subject of fun. Accordingly the scripture further states – “K—aïa¡ sth¿l³t p¿jºta¡” (thinner ones are relatively more respected than the fats). Indeed health is an integral component of one’s personality. Healthy body, brilliant intellect and good character and conduct are the keys to success and prestige. One’s recognition and status in the society largely depend upon these factors. Obesity is criticized not only for its role in making one less efficient, less resistant to diseases or funny in appearance but the scriptures also cite the severity of its consequent diseases and disorders, which have also been listed in the modern studies. Most common and high-risk health hazards that go like hand-in-gloves with obesity are — breathlessness, cardiac problems, high blood pressure and diabetes. Frequent fatigue, loss of efficiency and uncomfortable and laughable physique pulls their morale down and thus in many cases they are also found suffering from inferiority complex, depression and related psychological and neural complications. At the root of most of the negative consequences of obesity lie the excess accumulation of fats and hydrocarbons that upsets the normal metabolism and thus in Ayruvedic terminology, augments the tridoÌas – v³ta, pitta and kapha, as per one’s natural constitution. Indigestion, constipation, acidity are frequent consequences. Exceptional hunger is also a consequence of increased v³ta in obesity, which amounts to further increase in patient’s body weight. Malfunctioning of the 31

liver and kidney are more dangerous consequences of pitta and v³ta doÌas in prolonged obesity. The problems caused by high v³ta are also most likely companions of obesity; these include — joint pain, backache, arthritis, sciatica, spondylitis, other problems of the spinal cord, hernia, varicose veins, osteoporosis, etc. The rise in kapha doÌa would add to the lethargy of fatty patients; short breaths, snoring, sleep apnea, are also common complaints in such cases; impotency would be an added risk if this doÌa were very high. Among the well-known hazardous effects of metabolic disorders and disruption of the regular production and supply of vital elements (dh³tus, in Ayurvedic terminology) because of accumulation of excess fat and flesh are — reduction in useful cholesterol (H.D.L.) and increase in the harmful cholesterol (L.D.L.), which disturbs the rheology of blood and leads to blood pressure and heart related problems. The increased rigidity of red blood cells, coagulation propensity and inadequate blood flow also enhances the risk of brain stroke etc. Reduction in secretion of several vital hormones like insulin is another severe hazard of obesity, which is being researched all over the world. Deficiency of insulin secretion corresponds to alarming chances of diabetes. Therefore those desirous of good health and fitness should take necessary measures to prevent obesity along with the other diseases which they might be prone to because of family history, environment and physique, or living style and habits. There is no need to panic or rush for extreme dieting. Only an alertness and discipline are required. Ayurveda and yoga 32

After his death Dharmaraj Yudhisthir was presented before the angel Chitragupta. Accounting was made of his accumulated merits and sins. Once he had spoken a half-lie in the context of Ashwathama. For this, he had to spend one day in Hell and the next one hundred years in Heaven. He was asked: “Where would you like to go first, Hell or Heaven”? Yudhisthir opted for the Hell. Upon his reaching there, the entire atmosphere saw a welcome change: A cool breeze started blowing. The harsh behaviour of the guards and keepers (yamadoots) suddenly softened. The inmates felt a great relief. When next day, the Dharmaraj (epitome of righteousness) started to leave, the helldwellers began to weep. They wished how good it would be if Yudhisthir had stayed there for good. The Dharmaraj enquired of Lord Chitragupta about any possible way of his continuance in hell. The latter replied that it was possible provided Yudhisthir donated all his acquired merits to the inhabitants of hell and took upon himself the whole burden of their sins. Yudhisthir did accordingly. The helldwellers went to Heaven. By his righteous conduct Yudhisthir turned even the merciless yamadoots into friends, and created a Heaven-like ambiance in hell itself. Persons with tender emotions are able to achieve whatever they want with their transforming influence. Sept-Oct 2006

provide you with substantial support in prevention and cure of this problem without taxing your money and peace of mind.

in occurrence of obesity. Obesity has therefore become a cause of deep concern on the health scenario of urbanized population.

As we all know, the early signs of obesity, except in case of pregnancy, are – gain in weight (above the usual range suitable for one’s height) with visible growth of the abdominal region. Rise in appetite, thirst, perspiration, fatigue or sleep above one’s normal trait are also definite signs of its onset if coupled with some other symptoms like drowsiness, lethargy, frequent desire to eat something sweet, feeling of swollen throat, stinking sweat, unusual odor of mouth, etc. The overweight of the body puts extra pressure on the knees and toes so these start paining and get swollen at times.

Most of us might be well informed that the frequent and substantial use of cheese, butter, deep-fried spicy foods, chocolates, cakes, icecreams, pizza, burgers, other fast-food items, pastries, sweets, dry-fruits, coffee, alcoholic and cold drinks should be avoided to minimize the risk of high cholesterol, blood pressure, obesity, etc. But we somehow have got so used to these that unless these affect our health and the doctors warn us we don’t restrain ourselves at all. Moreover, the risk is higher in today’s life style, as we don’t want to do physical work at home and prefer living in as much comfort as possible. What could be worse, the culture of watching TV with munching adds to these negative habits right from childhood! Above all, there are subtler self-invited hazards too! We shall discuss them all in the next issue, where we shall also present some easy to adopt, low-cost, naturally effective remedial and preventive measures available from Ayurvedic knowledge.

The common causes of obesity as described in “Sutra Sthanam” (21|3) of “Charak Samhita” include – consuming heavy (lavish, deepfried) foods, sweet and oily (rich in fats) dishes, or cold eatables, alcohols and cold drinks; relaxing or sleeping immediately after taking meals; eating frequently. The scripture also cites hereditary factors and certain kinds of brain secretions (rasa) as other contributory causes. All of these factors (which have been affirmed by modern health scientists and nutritionists) have become more pronounced now and hence there has been significant rise

(To be continued…)

Immense inspirational energy is enfolded in the Scriptures, capable of annulling all sense of lack, ignorance, impotence and worry, and infusing the body, mind and soul with vigor wisdom and bliss. Nowhere else in the world would we find such a treasure trove of life, light and love. Sept-Oct 2006

33

Science and Spirituality

Timeless Existence

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he volume of air inflated in balloon remains confined to a fixed size. The moment this sheath is removed, it spreads freely and unifies with its gigantic expansion in the open space (in earth’s atmosphere). The same is true of the human self. Till it lives in the gross body and is attached to the experiences of the latter, its identity is bound by that of the body and remains limited to that of a living toy of flesh and bones. However, as this bondage of attachments is freed, its existence evolves in the subliminal realms and eventually transmutes it into its infinite origin. Nothing would then be unknown or beyond its realization. The state of sublime realizations is referred as that of timeless existence. In the normal case, we experience our selves and the existence of the world in the present tense. The past and the future are beyond our reach. Although the present contains the past and the future in its continuous flow, we do not realize this because of the subliminal existence of the latter two phases of time. But, sublime does not mean false or non-existent. Whatever we utter from the mouth or whatever sound is produced near us appears to be lost the moment we have heard it. But the physicists know that sound is never lost. Whatever we can’t hear exists beyond our audible frequency range. Kindling of fire 34

generates (thermal) energy; this energy would continue to exist even after the fire is extinguished. By the universal law of conservation of energy, this ‘invisible’ energy would be never lost. The gross (physical) body dies and disintegrates into the basic elements of Nature that constitute it. But the soul, the eternal flow of life (consciousness) never dies. The same is true of every incident or experience. Whatever we perceive or experience in the present phase of time is only a manifestation of the unexpressed (what ‘was’ existing in the ‘future’ until then) or the subliminal into a form that could be grasped by our conscious faculties and sense organs. The same continues to exist as it is but in a time-domain that becomes ‘past’ for us. As discussed earlier, the division of time in the past, present and future is only relative with respect to the experiences or activities in the physical (gross) world perceived by our conscious mind. Scientific theories define time as a continuous, complete unit. The past, present and the future are not disjoint in reality. In linear dimension, the present is a continuous interval with the left end opening in the past and the right in the future. Mathematical physicists have analyzed the possibility of realization of the past and the Sept-Oct 2006

future in the present under several nonlinear, multidimensional models. Prof. Emil Dieuette of France envisages (c.f. “The Dead Past” authored by him) that –– In the coming century, the possibility of traversing in the lost and unseen phases of time will be proved true. Not only that, scientific techniques would make the voyage in the infinite domains of time feasible for mankind. Referring to a hypothesis on reaching the past, he analyzes that – as time is stationary and everything in the space is moving, in order to access a particular phase of the past, we will have to identify our position and the position of the earth in the space during that time. However, as the earth is spinning around its own axis and orbiting around the sun in a circular domain, and the sun, as well as the entire planetary system, the galaxies, etc, each is revolving around some other non-stationary centers, it would only be a theoretical possibility to locate that spot and thus reach in the corresponding instance of past. Einstein’s theory of relativity in the everexpanding universe also supports the possibility of live experience of the past. Advocating the mathematical rigor and scientific validity of this theory, Kurt Godel has gone further ahead in stating that – it would be possible for an old man to meet his own young ‘incarnation’ during this journey into the distant past. The ‘wormhole’ principle of renowned physicist, John Wheeler also indicates this possibility. In his view, if one could enter the inter-universe connecting tunnels (like the black holes), it is quite likely that one would exit from it in an infinitely distant past or future. Sept-Oct 2006

It is quite disappointing for the physicists that despite attractive theories and principles ascertaining the possibilities of timeless experiences, no experiment in the modern laboratories has been able to demonstrate this feasibility. It was around the time when research in this area had almost reached stagnation, that a news item published in “Miami Herald” on 17 th August 1958 had revived the hopes. Quoting the Associated Press of America, this newspaper had reported about unexpected results on an experiment of the United States Air Force. A special infrared camera was installed in an airplane for intelligence purposes. In a trial experiment, this detective camera was focused on a ground that was used for parking. When it clicked this compound from air, there were no cars parked there –– the ground was empty. Surprisingly, upon development, the photograph showed large number of cars parked at the same spot. Further inquiry revealed that the cars were indeed standing there a few hours earlier. That means the camera had snapped a past instant! This unusual observation had given new direction and support to future research on designing of special purpose radar for ‘possible reception’ of signals of the past and the future. Incidents of the above kinds are discussed in detail in the celebrity book entitled “Beyond the Time Barrier” by Andrew Thomas. The photographing of a past instant by the infrared camera – which is something impossible for an ordinary camera, had given rise to new scientific hypothesis. It was postulated that normal (white) light would not cross through 35

the ‘boundary’ between the past and the present. However, the infrared light being subtler, could perhaps do that up to some thin ‘layer’ through this ‘barrier’ (immediate past up to a few hours, for example). A natural scientific query arose thereafter that – how far could the infrared rays reach on the other side of the present time. For this, several experiments were conducted on similar infrared cameras in some deserted lands and forests, which had been civilized cities hundreds of years ago. But the photographs always showed only what was seen during the present. It was then concluded that the scenes or images that are visible in the present become subtler as time passes. The events of the distant past are therefore so subtle or far in the depth of time domain, that even the infrared radiation could not reach there. Several scientific groups are now investigating on the possibility of subtler light or energy wave that could perhaps pierce this shield too. Frontline researchers do not deny the potential of the cetan (conscious) energy in accomplishing this ‘timeless vision’. May be,

the identification of some kind of brain impulses would provide the desired results some day. The erudite writer of “Time – The Ultimate Energy”, Moore Hope explains that –– as consciousness is the subtlest ‘element’ in the cosmos, it can cross the barrier of time too. Therefore it is possible for the sublimated force of consciousness to reach any phase of time – the past, present or future, beyond any limit. In the state of deep sleep, bonds between the individual consciousness and the body are loosened. This lets the former move freely in its subliminal expansion. This journey of the inner consciousness in the infinity brings new, yet unknown information of the past and the future horizons of time. At times, this information is so clear that it occurs in the dreams repeatedly, and the dreamer gets panicked of this unusual experience. Moore Hope has cited several live examples of the dreams that were precognitive, which had introduced the dreamer to the yet unknown and absolutely new horizons of

The following incident is of 1936. Mahatma Gandhi was touring the country on his campaign for removal of untouchability. During his stay in an Orissa town, a group of pandits (learned in scriptures) came to him for a discussion on the matter. Their point was that untouchability had the sanction of scriptures. Gandhiji accorded the visitors due respect and said: “Learned Sirs, I have not studied scriptures. Hence, I readily accept defeat. But I do believe that all the scriptures of the world combined cannot falsify the principle of the equality and fraternity of mankind. Humanity outweighs your scriptures. It is to this dharma that I subscribe, and I will remain unmoved in this belief till death”. The pandit delegation felt ashamed by Gandhiji’s irrefutable conviction and returned without giving an answer. 36

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truth. In many cases, people realized the truth of the dream only when some time in future they experienced – in reality, the moments depicted in such dreams. It is generally accepted by researchers that inner consciousness can, in the state of deep sleep and with activation of the unconscious mind, become independent of time and experience any segment of this fourth dimension without any constraint. However, the possibilities of such experiences in the awakened state are mostly annulled. The major argument in support of this view is that – in the physically awakened state, the conscious mind is so engrossed with the perceptions and feelings linked with the body that it remains confined to a gross and narrow domain of experiences in the present tense. Rare though, there have been authentic reports of such experiences in the awakened state too and these have triggered rethinking on the above assertions. It happened in Scotland where the Tomin family had a huge estate in the countryside. Thomas Tomin, a member of this large family was used to taking long walks in his fields every day. One day he was feeling so fresh and enthused after the regular stroll that he planned to go further to peep in the forests far ahead. After crossing his fields, at some distance he saw an old Scottish colony. Strange! He was unable to recognize the route! “How stupid of me? I never came to see these places across my field.” – he thought after reaching this colony. He went further ahead with curiosity.

Sept-Oct 2006

There he saw some huts and houses in rather uncommon architect; it appeared to be that of the old times. On one side, there were cattle grazing near a brook. Little ahead were some people seen around their houses – busy in sundry activities. Amazing! This colony was still aloof from the modern trends! The outfits of these fellows appeared to resemble what he had read in the history books about the attire of English people several centuries ago. He tried conversing with some of them but they paid no attention, they all seemed to be deaf to his call. He called for the cattle. The latter appeared to show some response when he shouted loudly. Back home when he narrated this strange experience at the dinner table, nobody believed it. No one in the family or in his friendly circle had seen or heard of any habitation beyond the Tomin Estate surrounded by mountains in that direction. There was no tribal land either. Thomas took some of them to the same spot, but found a vast ground shrouded with shrubs and some cattle grazing, surrounded by mountain range on the other end. There were no signs of any village or colony. But, he could not accept the earlier experience as an illusion or dream. Some researchers also explain such rare experiences of reaching in the distant past in the awakened state. They express a possibility that if one is engrossed in a particular mood, his focused consciousness is mostly detached from usual experiences of the physical body. In this state, his conscious mind could become relatively free for some time and enter higher domains beyond 3d-space and present time. But then, it would be a state similar to that of 37

deep sleep and activation of the inner mind? How could the conscious (external) mind be regarded as awakened there? But, whatever people experience in this unusual state is different from that in the dream. For instance, Thomas clearly remembered what he experienced through his awakened senses during that mysterious journey in an earlier century. This riddle remains unresolved for the researchers of the current times. Although modern science has not yet approved such a possibility, the science of spirituality affirms infinite potentials of the individual consciousness. This field of knowledge also provides the methods of refinement and spiritual sublimation of mind so that it could be trained to reach any horizon of time – beyond every bound of what is “present tense” for the physical body. Specific s³dhan³s were devised and successfully accomplished by the rishis for experiencing the past, the future, or both at will. The siddha yogis and s³dhakas of the later ages too are found to have been endowed with such supramental talents. Purity and integrity of thoughts, deeds and overall conduct is described to have been practiced by all of them as that happens to be essential for any s³dhan³. Sincere adoption of the prescribed disciplines of yoga and unperturbed endeavors of s³dhan³ successively educe sublime transmutation of the individual consciousness. Extrasensory experiences beyond the perceivable domains of time and space then become as natural and easy for the s³dhaka as that of the present by the gross body.

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Swami Ramtirtha landed on the coast of America. By the time he disembarked from the ship, his pocket was practically empty. He was a complete stranger in the country, with no acquaintance or helper there. On the ship, an American had become a chat-mate of Swamiji on matters spiritual. While getting down, he asked as a matter of courtesy: “Where would you stay? Please give me the address of your host. If time permits, I will try to contact you”. Swamiji put his affectionate hand on the latter’s shoulder and replied: “I have only one friend in America, and that is you”. The man was dumb-founded. He was greatly impressed by the radiant personality of Swamiji, full of selfconfidence and amiable mien. He took Swamiji to his home, and for the whole duration of the latter’s stay in America, played a perfect host attending to his comforts and requirements. Such great souls alone are able to win the confidence of the masses and provide inspiring leadership to them. Sept-Oct 2006

Companions in Solitude – 10

Companions in Solitude - Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya

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an has the wonderful capacity of adapting himself to the surroundings he lives in. When I came to stay in this hut in solitude, I felt loneliness all around. When the loneliness within comes out it sees loneliness everywhere. But now when the narrowness within is giving way to vastness, I feel everything around to be mine and feel oneness with all. Now where has the solitude gone? Now whom to be afraid of in darkness?

moulding their stand according to the situations in order to please the king and to be in his good books. It is expert in easily putting forth innumerable proofs, reasoning, logic and justifications in favour of the changing moods of the mind. It was out-doing the advocates in enumerating the merits of household comforts and the demerits of the troublesome hut in the solitude. Its arguments continued like a tempest.

It was a moonless night. The sky was overcast. It was slightly drizzling too. The cold wind was trying to get in, piercing through the blanket. Lying inside the hut on the mat of leaves, the body was today feeling uneasy and unwell. Sleep has also deserted me today. The flow of thoughts gushed out. It began to compare the home filled with loving and caring people and means of comfortable living, with this dripping hut in lonely darkness and freezing cold. The merits and demerits began to be enumerated.

At that moment a tiny insect from its hole in the wall against my head began singing a song. Getting inspired, one by one all the insects in the hut began singing in chorus. On many earlier occasions the singing of the insects was casually heard by me. Their songs then appeared to be hoarse and meaningless. But today the mind had no work. So it began to attentively hear the ascending and descending order of the song. The mind had also grown tired of blaming and finding fault with solitude. This flirting monkey always needs new kinds of works. It now began to enjoy the song session of the insects.

The mind-body duo was feeling uncomfortable. Why should they bear these discomforts? They are one in conspiring against the soul. Brain is their captive advocate. Its business is to support what they are interested in. The brain is like the royal attendants who are pastmasters in the art of Sept-Oct 2006

The insects sang a sweet song. It was not worded in human language, but the ideas and feelings contained therein were same as of human beings. The idea of the song was like this: “Why can’t we be infinite? Why not enjoy 39

being infinite? Limitation is bondage. In infinity lies the key to liberation. How can those whose happiness is limited to sensual pleasure, to whom only a few things and people are considered to be theirs and whose desires are limited to some petty indulgences, experience the unbound joy available in abundance in the vast world of the Supreme Infinite? Hey creature, you be infinite, expand your soul to infinity; there is happiness allover; experience it yourself and become immortal.” The insects were singing together uninterruptedly like a group of saints, who had relinquished worldly pleasures, and were singing psalms of liberation to the music of a single stringed instrument. It was not meant for any audience. It was for the joy of Self. Moved by such sentiments I got lost in the song. The discomforts in the hut caused by the rain were forgotten. These companions of the solitude who sang the song of peace dispelled my gloom and charged the atmosphere with joy and enthusiasm. Old habits began to change. The world began to appear wide and vast, when I tried to extend to all the creatures the intimacy, hitherto kept confined to human beings. I learnt to enjoy the company of other creatures too just like I used to do with human beings. Loneliness was nowhere to be seen now in this un-peopled wilderness. Today, while I was wandering out of the precincts of my hut, companions began to be seen all around. Tall big trees appeared like fathers and grandfathers. The maroonskinned birch trees (Bhojpatra trees) looked as if some great hermits clad in their ochre 40

clothes were performing ‘Tap’ in standing posture. Tall trees of cedar and pine were standing erect in attention like guards, determined not to let in any wickedness prevalent in human society. Small tiny plants and creepers were sitting like tiny kids in rows. Their heads were decorated with flowers. When the wind blew they began to swing their heads and looked like children in a primary class shaking their heads in a rhythmic motion while reciting the mathematics tables. The birds perched on the branches were chirping so sweetly, that it seemed they were heavenly singers incarnated here in various beautiful forms to sing the virtues and praise of the beauty of the woods. Like naughty children, the deer were playing, running and jumping all over. The wild sheep were loitering in the woods as if they were the landladies of this forest. Small worms and reptiles were moving around like the springfitted toys. Their colours, shapes and graceful gaits were all worth seeing. The butterflies and flowers seemed to be competing in beauty contest. The mountain brook was flowing beside, dancing coquettishly like a maiden unable to hold the freshness of youth within herself. Its fickle, playful, sprightful movements were so captivating that the eyes and mind stay riveted on the sight. Many other rivers also come and join the Ganga. Their meeting at the confluence looked like two emotionally charged sisters embracing each other while going to the house of their in-laws. Himalayas, the king of mountains, might have given his daughters in marriage to the ocean. How intimately and Sept-Oct 2006

sentimentally the sisters meet at the time of going to the in-laws house could be seen here. No duration of time was sufficient to be satiated with this scene of sentiments. One wishes to be looking at it forever. Like old and wise kings and leaders, the mountain peaks were seen sitting in calm posture as if engrossed in deep thoughts to solve some serious problems. The white snow appearing atop was their white hair. The small clouds hovering around appeared to be offering headwear of fresh white cotton and also wrapping the naked shivering body with costly blankets and shawls so as to afford protection from cold. Wherever I looked, a large family was seen around me. They had no language; they could not speak; but the consciousness dwelling in their souls was speaking aloud without words. Whatever was said was coming straight from the heart and what they preached was practiced too by them. Such unspelt, yet most touching words, were never heard before. Their words went straight into the soul and set all the cells of the body aquiver with a new awakening. Where is the solitude now? Who is to be afraid of? There are soul companions sitting all around. The golden light of the sun came down to the earth from above the mountain peaks, as if the company of noble souls was enlightening ignorant hearts. The sun stays here and there behind the mountains. Only at midday it is fully seen for a couple of hours or so. Its rays fill vigour and vitality in all the living elements. Enthusiasm and energy begin to sprout. The sun of knowledge of the Self also Sept-Oct 2006

normally stays curtained behind the peaks (veils) of lust and greed; but whenever and wherever it focuses its golden rays they invariably shed divine effulgence all around. My body too came out of the hut in order to enjoy the golden sunrays and moved on to stroll over the green grassy carpet outside. A little distance away there was a hillock laden with flowers of several shades and colours. Eyes could not resist their attraction and the legs moved on towards it. The plants adorned with flowers looked like little children wearing colorful caps, standing together and engaged in planning some game. I too went and sat amidst them, and began to feel as if I were one among them. I wished I were a child again and those little plants accepted me as their colleague. Imagination flew unfettered. When the inner self is filled with joy, ego-centric thoughts calm down. There is tremendous power in the imagination of man. It creates a world of its own - palpably real, powerful and active. Its power is so great that it has created gods and divine beings and by infusing devotion and dedication made them lofty and venerable. It did not take long to be in that state when the feelings within me began to take flight. I felt that these children standing in rows have accepted me as their companion and have welcomed me to play with them. The wild plant I was sitting by was laden with yellow flowers. It looked very pleasant natured, smiling and talkative. One of the flowers spoke to me in its language -”Dear friend you have unwisely chosen to be born 41

as a man. Theirs is a wretched life -Always worried, puzzled, tense and grudging! Next time you should choose to be born as a flower and be with us. See how happy and contented we are! We all know what peace there is in living life as a game. Do you not see the unalloyed joy within us coming out as fragrance? The flowers are the manifestation of our laughter. We are loved by all. We offer joy and solace to all. We live happily and make happy all those who come close to us. Ours is the true art of living. Man boasts of his intelligence, but what worth is this intelligence when it cannot help him learn the simple process of living in a peaceful and playful way?”

and play with us for some time, leaving the ‘wise’ people. If you wish you can learn from us, humble beings, an important lesson about the true art of living life.”

The flower continued - “I have said this neither to humiliate you nor to extol our superiority, but to acquaint you with a simple truth. While we are not rich, wealthy, learned or talented and yet we live life playfully spreading fragrance. In comparison to us man’s resources are many times more. Yet if he lives in worry, sorrow and unhappiness, it can be attributed to his sheer lack of true wisdom. Dear, you are wise in that you have come to live among

The ever-glad yellow plant laughed heartily, nodding in agreement and said. “There is no dearth of teachers for those who want to learn. At every step teachers are available. But where are the learners? Who cares to learn these days? Everyone is gloating over one’s own pride. In order to learn, the door of heart should be kept open. Then knowledge, true knowledge will automatically enter into it like blowing wind”.

My head bowed in reverence. “Dear friend Flower, you are very blessed. Though having little resources, you have mastered the technique of living life purposefully. On the other hand, we waste our jolly gifts in grudging and grumbling. My dear friend, you are a wise counselor. You teach, not by words, but by example. Dear young friend, I have come to learn, and will learn a lot from you. Please teach me like a true friend.”

In truth God is the only reality, there is no other. His name in itself is enough for us, for He is one without a second. And yet, as within one pomegranate there are countless seeds, so within the immeasurable reaches of His Being there are countless Saints. When our hearts are filled with devotion we recognize that they too take a central place in our lives. For my part, I can make Mirabai’s words my own, for they fit my case exactly: “On the path to freedom two guides are mine: The saint to bless without, Ram to dwell within”. By the grace of God the blessing of the one rests upon my head, the place of the other is in my heart. -Sant Vinoba Bhave 42

Sept-Oct 2006

My Life: Its Legacy and Message – 21

Fourth and Final Pilgrimage to the HIMÂLAYAS [Autobiography of P¿ jya Gurudev, continued from the previous issue]

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essage was received, as in the past, and I was summoned to the Him³layas for the fourth time for a week in June 1983. There was no question of any delay in compliance with the instructions. Although, physically I have been engaged in doing the work entrusted to me, my soul has always remained in the inaccessible Him³layas with Gurudev, who lives in the Him³layas but whose soul always hovers around me. His voice always echoes in my inner-self in the form of inspiration. My heart, mind and soul dance to his tunes. The journey was difficult, as before. This time, on account of my spiritual maturity, I was summoned in my astral body, which had to appear again in three tests simultaneously. As before, I reached Gomukh and from there I was escorted to Tapovan. I never asked where Gurudev’s astral body lives and what it does. I am only familiar with our meeting place, the velvety carpet. I picked up the flower known as Brahma-kamal and placed it at the holy feet of Gurudev. This time also, after exchange of usual salutations and blessings, conversation started. Throughout the journey, I was thinking that whenever I was called earlier, I was asked to leave the old place. Probably, this may happen this time, too. I may be asked to leave Shantikunj and live in this —ïi ³ïram and may be entrusted with some important work here. Sept-Oct 2006

Gurudev expressed satisfaction with the work done thus far. I humbly told him that although everything was being accomplished by him, its credit was being given to me. Having fully surrendered myself to him, it was for him to take from me whatever work he wished. Gurudev said, “Whatever you were asked to do till now was local and ordinary which can be done by any sufficiently evolved and elevated soul, as was done in the past. All these works will now be carried on by your followers and you will have to take up more important responsibilities. These days the physical and subtle environment has become so much poisonous and polluted that not only human dignity but the very existence of human species has been endangered. The future seems to be grim, dark and dreadful. To flush this poison out of the collective physical and subtle spheres, we will have to do indirectly all that which may be called unique and supernatural. The air surrounding the earth, its waters and land have all become poisonous. Scientific advancement has made an unholy alliance with diabolic greed and selfindulgence and the poison has been spread everywhere by mechanization on account of which the risks of infirmity, disease and ultimate extinction seem imminent. The danger of irresponsible, reckless or inadvertent use of nuclear weapons by immature and unrefined persons in authority, causing mass 43

scale annihilation, is also there. Children are being born like mushrooms. What will they eat? Where will they live? All these horrifying forebodings and possibilities coupled with the poisonous atmosphere would turn this earth into a veritable hell. “Whosoever lives in this environment perforce indulges in evil thoughts and deeds, resulting in immediate miseries. Holocaust appears to be imminent. This is the result of invisible pollution in the atmosphere. Persons living in such conditions will behave like beasts and devils. It pains me to see humanity and the earth, which are the highest creations of God, turning into hell. Humanity is heading towards a great devastation. A huge mountain will have to be uplifted, as did Shri Krishna to save His people from the wrath of Indra, the Rain God; a vast sea will have to be bridged and crossed to solve these problems and for this you will have to take great strides like Vaman.

raising up a huge organization I had simply played the role of his instrument. I told him that I knew it very well whose power was working behind all these accomplishments. How could I, therefore, suggest or give advice? I told him, I will do whatever I was asked to do. Every drop of blood and every cell of my body and my inner consciousness, I said, were surrendered to him, for the service of humanity.

“For this you will have to become fivefold and take up strategic positions. Like Kunti, you will have to create five Dev-putras, deploy them on specific fronts and assign them different tasks.”

I was given necessary instructions and indications and was told, “You have to transform yourself from one to five. You have to do five types of austerities in five different manners, as was done by messenger of Ram (Hanuman) or by five Pandavas. Five birds can live on a tree. You have to transform into five. This is known as sukïmºkaraña. These five emanations will discharge these colossal tasks. You have to nourish and strengthen these five astral bodies so long as they do not get matured and are able to function independently. This may take one year or more. When they become powerful enough, leave them to do their own work independently. When the time is ripe you will shed your visible physical form.”

Interjecting in the middle of the talk, I said it was for illumined souls like him to think about and find out solutions for these momentous problems. So far as I was concerned I was his child, a puppet in his hands and was prepared to dance to his tune. I asked Gurudev to kindly direct me what I had to do. Right from the performance of twenty-four Mah³puraïcarañas of G³yatrº to participation in the movement for Independence, from lifting the pen and start writing, to the performance of huge yajóas and

This was the guideline given by Gurudev. It was explained in detail what was to be done, how it was to be done. I am not permitted to disclose all these details. I am doing what I have been asked to do. It could be summed up as follows: (1) Purification of atmosphere; (2) refinement of the environment; (3) ushering in of a new era; (4) neutralization of the danger of mass destruction; (5) creation and development of divinised humanity (Devm³nav).

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Gurudev told me how these five types of austerities had to be done, how my single entity was to be transformed into five entities, how the dual roles of Dadhichi and Bhagirath were to be played. He said, “For this you will have to retire from worldly activities and focus all your scattered energies. This is sukïmºkaraña.” Gurudev continued, “You will be indicated from time to time what has to be done. You will be protected from demoniac assaults, which will be mounted to terminate your life with a view to abort the plan. There may be repetition of the earlier attack at any time in the form of assault on righteous parijans, but I will provide protection in all such eventualities. Now start entrusting your outer work to competent efficient parijans so that you may be free from all the responsibilities and worries of the work of this mission. The great change which is in my mind will be disclosed to you at the proper time. Premature disclosure of the strategy in such a critical time is bound to do harm.” This time I was not detained for a long time and there was no talk about recharging my battery Gurudev said, “My energy will always be with you in invisible form. Myself and the —Ìis will always remain and work with you. You will never feel any dearth or lack of spiritual power. In fact, it will increase five times.” I was given farewell. I returned to Shantikunj. My sukïmºkaraña s³dhan³ started on Ramnavami in 1984.

(To be continued)

Sept-Oct 2006

The life of Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya, who got self-realization on the Vasant Parva day of 1926, is an open book. It is a testimony to how by imbibing the art of spiritual living one can transform oneself from the level of the ordinary to the extra-ordinary, from human to super-human. His packed schedule from morning to evening, effective time management, punctuality in every work, interaction with people, generosity and affection for all – these are some of the virtuous qualities whose even partial imbibing will lead one to greatness. His autobiography “My Life: Its Legacy and Message” is a unique revelatory book of its kind which has been inspiring countless number of persons, and will continue doing so in the future. If we want to learn how to enrich life with sadhana, upasana and aradhana (self-discipline, worship and selfless service) we should try to know and understand the multi-dimensional personality of the Acharyashri. 45

Amrit V³ñº

The Holy Him³layas and Glorious Rishi-Culture (Translation of a discourse in Hindi on “Guru-tatva Kº Mahim³ Aur Garim³” Delivered by Rev. Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya on Guru Purnima, 1981 -Continued from previous issue)

Let us begin with a collective chanting of the Gayatri Mantra:

“O® bh¿rbhuva¡ sva¡ tatsaviturvareñya® bhargo devasya dhºmahi dhiyo yo na¡ pracoday³t ” Sisters and Brothers, Special crops grow in special soil and climate. The oranges of Nagpur, bananas of Bhusawal, mangoes of Lucknow, etc are popular all over the world for their special taste. But these fruits won’t taste the same if grown elsewhere, say here in Hardwar. You must have heard of the sandalwood of the Neelgiri Hills. What a heavenly fragrance! The plant might grow at your place as well, but won’t have the same smell. Then what about the unique herbs and the fruits and flowers – like Devkand and Brahmkamal – grown in the serene regions of the great Himalayan heights? These paradise-species won’t even grow anywhere else. The soil, the climate, the subtle environment of every place has its distinct effects. The holy Himalayas are unique because of the vibrant spiritual ambience generated here by the long-term dedicated tapa-s³dhan³s of the Rishis – the seer-sages, saints of Vedic Age. 46

Indeed this land is divine land that nurtures virtuous tendencies and induces angelic inspirations. Every seeker of spiritual realization and inner light wants to spend sometime in the pristine shelter of the Himalayas. I had also got this opportunity. You are all sitting here in Shantikunj, Hardwar; this is the land where the Ashrams of the Sapatarshis1 were located thousands of years ago. This is the sacred land where these preeminent saint-sages, whose glory continues to sparkle like the unique cluster of seven stars in the sky, had undertook devout tapaïcharya. The holy Ganga surrounds this place much like a mother’s lap protecting a child. This is the place where, once upon a time, lion and cow would drink water from the same water pond, standing besides each other on these banks of the Ganga! Indeed, there are such spiritually energized locations and the siddhas 2 whose company can awaken the divinity hidden within us! This Ashram of Shantikunj is established at such a place. Have you seen the temple of Dev³tm³ Himalaya here? There is no deity-idol for worship in this temple; there is only a model of the holy Himalayas. As you know, the idols of God enshrined in the temples symbolize the divine powers. This temple Sept-Oct 2006

should make you aware of the divine nature of the Himalayas. Why refer the Himalayas as “Dev³tm³” (embodied divinity)? Because divine spirit indwells the serene ambience of these great heights. The Himalayas appear to be the playfield of God. You can feel His subtle presence here. Many elevated souls - the rishis, great yogis and spiritual masters - have pursued long-term s³dhan³s here and invoked divine powers; many continue to do so even now in the intractable regions of the Himalayas. The divine Indian Culture is a majestic bequest bestowed on us by our rishis of Vedic Age, whose devout spiritual endeavors intensified the divine aura pervading the Himalayas. This temple is to remind you of their angelic s³dhan³s and this mission of ours is an attempt to revive, to the extent possible, the Rishi Culture – the divine Indian Culture. Let us look at some of these efforts and introspect whether and to what level we have imbibed the noble values of the Rishi Culture in our lives. The great rishi (maharshi) Ved Vyas had written eighteen Puranas and the Darshanas. In an attempt to remind people of the Vedic scriptures, as my homage to the maharishi, I have translated the compilations of the four Vedas and the six Darshanas in Hindi so that vast majority of people in the present times, who may not be scholars of Sanskrit or Vedic Literature, would also get an opportunity to study and benefit from these invaluable pearls of knowledge. You all have heard of yoga. Do you know who was the great rishi, who discovered through Sept-Oct 2006

personal experience this great science of healthy, happy and illumined human life? Yes! It was Maharshi Patanjali. His treatise on “Ashtanga Yoga” is the magnum opus for guiding researchers and practitioners of yoga since yore. He had researched and carried out enormous types of yoga-experiments on his own body and mind. In the s³dhan³ courses here, we also teach the yoga-³sanas, pr³ñ³y³ms and meditation practices most suitable for present times. The discourses here aim to enlighten the students with the rare pieces of knowledge of the philosophy of the “Ashtang Yoga” and its roots in the spiritual science of consciousness. I have experimented it on myself sincerely and have been blessed by its immeasurable beneficial effects. All the s³dhakas who teach you and give you practical demonstration here have also practiced it thoroughly. Rishi Yagyavalkya, ((likewise Rishi Kanad) is notable among the Vedic seer-sages who discovered the science of Nature and methods of benefiting from it while also maintaining its perfect balance and resources. He also had undergone rigorous s³dhan³s in the Himalayas. He grasped the principles of Yagya underlying the visible and invisible systems of Nature and systematized the Vedic Science of Yagya. He had developed the experimental methods of doing Yagya as a fire-ritual with chanting of Vedic Mantras and sacrificing of selected herbs/ plant medicines. Yagya was an integral part of people’s life and used to play a key role in their physical and mental well-being. But, this superscience got distorted in the vicissitudinous tides of time; and largely became only an elaborate ritual of arbitrarily putting into fire tons of ghee and precious 47

metals and even animals. As a result the scientific thinkers and wise people spurned it and discarded its practice. The challenge of reinvestigating, confirming and expanding this ancient science in new light was taken up by our mission. We have been able to achieve success in this endeavor to a great extent. The yagya you do here at Shantikunj every day, the path-breaking scientific research in the Yagyopathy lab at our research centre “Bramvarchas Shodh Sansthan” and its findings, the revival of the original method of performing yagya and its dissemination among the masses, are standing examples of this success. We have to reestablish and expand Yagya-based therapies to counter the psychosomatic disorders and dreaded diseases that are infecting and killing more and more people today. Rishi Vishwamitra had attained the preeminent knowledge of Gayatri by devout tapaïcary³ and spiritual s³dhan³s in this Himalayan land. The Gayatri Mantra that we chant here was revealed to him in syllabic form. In the classification of this supreme Vedic Hymn you may find that the divine power center associated with this mantra is Savita and its rishi is Vishwamitra. You may find his idol enshrined in front of the temple of Goddess Gayatri here in Shantikunj. I have performed 24 mahapuraïcarañas 3 of Gayatri. The s³dhan³ of Gayatri Mantra has been the root, the nectar-source of our mission’s origin and ascent. I regard Rishi Vishwamitra as my Guru and pay my reverence to him. You should not be surprised to know that my noble Guru in this life, who is in the Himalayas, is incarnation of Rishi Vishwamitra only. Such 48

are the supernormal powers of these great Himalayan yogis! Beyond our imagination! You must have heard of Rishi Bhagirath and his ascetic tapaïcary³ in the Himalayas to bring the heavenly Ganga on the earth. The scriptures describe that if the holy Ganga had directly descended from the heavens, its gigantic force would have shattered the earth into pieces. Therefore, as a reward for Bhagirath’s supreme Tapasya, Lord Shiva controlled the flow of the Ganga by giving it shelter on His head. From there its currents emerged in the form of a stream. As it followed the path of rishi Bhagirath who was walking ahead, the sacred river is also named as Bhagirathi. Well, the narration has deep philosophical significance. What is important for us at present is to recognize what our ancient rishis have beatified us with. And ponder over what we have done to the divine culture they had founded! Rishi Bhagirath is not there in physical form with us but the place where he carried out his epochal tapa-s³dhan³ is — it is the Bhagirath Shila, a rock besides Gaurikund near Gangotri. As per the guidance and inspiration of my Guru, I have also carried out one year’s ascetic tapa-s³dhan³, anuÌÚh³na, sitting on the Bhagirath Shila. This was before commencing our “Vichar Kranti Abhiyan” aimed at resurrecting the Ganga of divine knowledge in this world, with a view to awakening and enlightening the masses. Our Vichar Kranti movement is to purify peoples’ intellect, and give a constructive, righteous direction to their thinking; to make them happy, bright and righteous in heart, head and conduct. Sept-Oct 2006

Tapa and S³dhan³ have been an integral part of every moment of the lives of the rishis. I have also tried to follow their tradition. It is the impact of the tapa-s³dhan³s of the rishis that has enriched the Himalayas with divine spiritual vibrations. Otherwise what is so distinct here – the marvelous height, snow peaks, the amazing beauty of Nature? But these things can be found in some other mountains, elsewhere in the world as well. This unique, majestic glory of the Himalayas is because of the Rishi Culture that originated and flourished here. This is why the great tºrthas – the ‘Char Dham’ of pilgrimage are also here; maximum number of rivers of the world emerge from here and feed nearly one-sixth of the population of the world; there are four Gupta Kashis and five paradise- like lakes here, the paeans of which are sung at length in the Vedic religious scriptures. It seems all the treasure of Nature, all the sublime vibrations of divinity and sources of spiritual illumination and ascent have been gathered and condensed here in the Himalayas. Little efforts of spiritual elevation, noble deeds here result in manifold beatitudeous effects. If there were paradise anywhere on the earth, it must have been here. Obeying the subtle instructions of the Himalayan Rishis, I am trying to develop Shantikunj as a live tºrtha that will remind people how the tºrthas used to be during the time of these rishis, and will also serve the purpose of a true tºrtha where one gets virtuous light, practical guidance and courage to follow the path of authentic spirituality. The spiritual ambience here rejuvenates one from within and elevates one’s noble tendencies. Sept-Oct 2006

It is an established truth that whoever listened to and heeded the call of the Divine was never a loser. The Buddha gave the call of “Buddha®, Dhamma®, Sangha® ïarana® gachchhami” to protest against the then prevalent malpractices. Thousands of persons forsook everything and followed him. He ushered in a reform process through intellectual revolution. Gandhiji brought about a similar miracle. One and a half thousand years long slavery and suppression had left the populace emaciated, and it lacked the courage and wherewithal to take on the mighty British Empire. A small number of satyagrahis were simply no match. But the widespread and deep resentment coalesced into the great freedom struggle. Circumstances started turning favourable, and India became independent. The present age is witnessing a spiritual – intellectual revolution. The human consciousness is on the verge of an upward transformation. Indian culture is on the threshold of becoming world culture. Change of era is imminent. 49

Rishi Parashuram was blessed by Lord Shiva who gave him a divine ‘axe’, which the rishi had used to ‘destroy’ evil-minded people on the earth for twenty-one times. This is a rhetoric narration. The ‘axe’ and use of the ‘axe to destroy’ people symbolize that he was gifted with chiseled courage and trenchant reformative skills to uproot the vices from people’s mind and eliminate the evil tendencies pervading the lives of the mighty kings. As suitable and relevant today, our Vichar Kranti Abhiyan is also doing the same. Also, the reformative programmes of our Yug Nirman Yojana of personal, familial and social upliftment are aimed at the same purpose – elimination of the outmoded customs, corrupt mentality and ignorance, refinement of attitude, establishment of angelic human values. Almost all the rishis of the ancient times and many great spiritual sages of the later times have chosen Himalayas for conducting their s³dhan³ experiments. Following them, I have also made similar attempt. In view of its great responsibilities as an institute for spiritual refinement of the masses, I have chosen to establish Shantikunj in Hardwar on way to Rishikesh. Hardwar is the doorstep of Himalayan region. At the same time, the climate here is bearable by ordinary people. Going further high to the snow-covered mountains in chilling weather with bare

minimum accessories would make life difficult for many of you. Up till this place (SaptSarovar, in Hardwar), the purity of the Ganga is also fairly well maintained*. So this is an ideal location for an Ashram like Shantikunj. Most importantly, as I told you earlier, this is the place where Ashrams of the seven preeminent Vedic Rishis existed. (To be continued in the next issue) *Remark: The densely populated cities throwing dirt in the holy river are far away from Hardwar. The crowds throwing flowers, grains and what not on religious occasions are distant and the practices of throwing dead bodies also start later on its way to the Bay of Bengal. So far, air-pollution has not reached here and the natural serenity of the river has been protected. Notes: 1.

Sapatarshis: Seven rishis of the Age-ofTruth, who propounded the Vedic Culture.

2.

Siddhas (people endowed with angelic powers and supernormal talents)

3.

Puraïcaraña: The supreme level anuÌÚh³na of 2400, 000 japa s³dhan³s of the G³yatrº Mantra under distinct ascetic disciplines.

Yasya Sarve Samarambha¡ Kamasamkalpavarjita¡ | Jó³n³gnidagdhakarm³ña® Tam³hu¡ PañÃita® Budh³¡ ||

( He, whose undertakings are all free from the will of desire, whose works are burnt up by the fire of knowledge; him the wise have called a sage) 50

Sept-Oct 2006