Kalyana Kalpataru June08

˙ ¬Íáʸ◊Œ— ¬ÍáʸÁ◊Œ¢ ¬ÍáÊʸà¬Íáʸ◊ÈŒëÿÃ– ¬ÍáʸSÿ ¬Íáʸ◊ÊŒÊÿ ¬Íáʸ◊flÊflÁ‡ÊcÿÃH

A MONTHLY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF SPIRITUAL IDEAS AND LOVE FOR GOD

Vol. 53

June 2008

No. 9

Guests of ›abar∂ ∑¢§Œ ◊Í‹ »§‹ ‚È⁄U‚ •Áà ÁŒ∞ ⁄UÊ◊ ∑§„È°U •ÊÁŸ– ¬˝◊ ‚Á„Uà ¬˝÷È πÊ∞ ’Ê⁄¢U’Ê⁄U ’πÊÁŸH (Månasa III. 34) She brought and offered to ›r∂ Råma, the most delicious bulbs, roots and fruits. The Lord partook of them with great relish praising again and again. ❑❑

C O N T E N T S 1. Guests of ›abar∂ 2. The Philosophy of Worship óBrahmalina Sri Jayadayal Goyandka 3. Pleasure and Pain óBrahmalina Swami Ramsukhdas 4. Unto BlissóNityalilalina Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar 5. UpåsanåóSwami Sivananda 6. Såk¶∂ GopålaóSri Parameswar Brahmachari 7. The World.....from DesiresóSri Paramahansa Yogananda 8. Aids to RealizationóThe Ideal of ›iva óSwami Rama Tirtha 9. Read and Digest 10. Doing Good to OthersóLi Hong Chong 11. Uniqueness of ManóD. V. Sahani 12. Spiritual EvolutionóSwami Rama-Rama 13. Service and Humility óSwami Akhandanand Saraswatiji Maharaj 14. Muråsura Sa≈håra L∂lå óDr. Mukunda Pati Tripathi ëRatnamaliyaí 15. Devoteeís Sincere Supplication 16. The Place....an IdealistóP. S. Ramanathan 17. Self-SurrenderóLaljiram Shukla 18. The Crest-FallenóAmolok Ram 19. Lord ›iva as Dak¶iƒåmµurtióRukmini Ramamurthy 20. Påta¤jala Yoga-SµutrasóN. S. Pandya 21. Twenty Important Spiritual Instructions óSwami Sivananda Saraswati

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ILLUSTRATIONS 1. Lord ›r∂ Vi¢¢hala (Cover) 2. Guests of ›abar∂

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website: www. gitapress.org e-mail:[email protected] EditoróKeshoram Aggarwal Co-EditoróDr. Prem P. Lakkar Printed and Published by Jagdish Prasad Jalan for Gobind Bhawan Karyalaya, Gita Press, Gorakhpur (India)

The Philosophy of Worship óBrahmalina Sri Jayadayal Goyandka (Continued from 754)

His consciousness, too, is of a singular type. Everything that exists in our body is inconscient, and the principle that knows them alone is conscious. That which is knowable is inconscient, objective: it cannot know the Self. Hands and feet, for instance, know not the Self: the Self, however, knows them. It is the Self that knows everything: knowledge is its very essence. Even God who is omnipresent consists of knowledge. Every inch of space is occupied by Him. There is no nook or corner which is devoid of Him. That is why the ›ruti describes Him as ‚àÿ¢ ôÊÊŸ◊ŸãàÊ¢ ’˝rÊÔó ëBrahma (God) is Truth Absolute, Knowledge Absolute, and Infinite.í Attracted by the love of His devotees and with a view to redeeming them, the self-same Brahma manifests Itself as an embodied Being and appears before them. It is something beyond the range of human intellect to describe the manifest forms of the Lord, which are innumerable. He manifests Himself in the same form in which a devotee likes to see Him. The Lord is not independent in the matter of assuming a particular form: it is His loving devotee who is responsible for His manifestation. Arjuna, for example, expressed a desire to behold His Universal form in the first instance, then His celestial form endowed with four arms, and last of all His human form with two arms only. The Blessed Lord, in order to fulfil the desire of His beloved devotee, appeared before him in all these forms successively within a short time

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and also divulged to him the secret of His unmanifest aspect. In this way the devotee can visualise Him in whatever form he may be worshipping. Hence it is not necessary to change the form of worship. In whatever form we worship Him, whether in that of Råma, K涃a, Vi¶ƒu, ›iva, Næsi≈ha (Man-lion) ›akti, Gaƒe‹a or any other form, the object of worship is the selfsame God. Nor is it necessary to make any alteration in the form of prayer. The only thing which requires to be changed is our conception of God, if it is narrow. A devotee should always remember that the God whom he worships pervades the whole universe, consisting of moving and motionless beings, in His unmanifest form; that He is omniscient and the overseer of all that is happening. He is all-wise, all-pervading, all-virtuous, allpowerful, the witness of all, all-existence, all-intelligence and Bliss personified. It is He who assumes different forms and plays different roles as a mere sport in conformity with the desire of His devotees and with a view to redeeming them. God is never invisible to such souls who have understood His true nature, nor does He ever lose sight of them. The Lord Himself has said in the Bhagavadg∂tå (VI.30)ó

ÿÊ ◊Ê¢ ¬‡ÿÁà ‚fl¸òÊ ‚flZ ø ◊Áÿ ¬‡ÿÁÖ ÃSÿÊ„¢U Ÿ ¬˝áʇÿÊÁ◊ ‚ ø ◊ Ÿ ¬˝áʇÿÁÃH ìHe who visualises Me, the Universal Self, as present in all beings, and looks upon all creatures as existing in Me is never lost to me, nor am I ever lost to him; for he is established in unity with Me.î There is no material difference between the Manifest and Unmanifest aspects of God. It is the Unmanifest that becomes manifest. The Lord says:ó

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•¡Ê˘Á¬ ‚ÛÊ√ÿÿÊà◊Ê ÷ÍÃÊŸÊ◊ˇfl⁄UÊ˘Á¬ ‚Ÿ˜– ¬˝∑ΧÁâ SflÊ◊Áœc∆UÊÿ ‚¢÷flÊêÿÊà◊◊ÊÿÿÊ– (G∂tå IV. 6) ìThough unborn and unperishable and also the Lord of all beings, I am born, as it were, through My own Yogamåyå (enrapturing power) wielding My Nature (Prakæti). One may ask, why does He take a body? An answer to this question is furnished by the Lord Himself in the following words:ó

ÿŒÊ ÿŒÊ Á„U œ◊¸Sÿ Ç‹ÊÁŸ÷¸flÁà ÷Ê⁄UÖ •èÿÈàÕÊŸ◊œ◊¸Sÿ ÃŒÊà◊ÊŸ¢ ‚ΡÊêÿ„U◊˜H ¬Á⁄UòÊÊáÊÊÿ ‚ʜ͟ʢ ÁflŸÊ‡ÊÊÿ ø ŒÈc∑ΧÃÊ◊˜– œ◊¸‚¢SÕʬŸÊÕʸÿ ‚¢÷flÊÁ◊ ÿȪ ÿȪH (Gµ∂tå IV. 7-8) ìWhenever righteousness is on the decline, O descendant of Bharata, and unrighteousness is on the ascendancy, I body myself forth. For the protection of the good and the annihilation of evil-doers and for the rehabilitation of the Divine Law I appear in this world from aeon to aeon.î In this way the Lord, who is imperishable and immutable, is born in this world of His own free will, attracted by the love of His devotees and with a view to redeeming the world. He is an embodiment of love: every activity of His, is inspired by love and compassion. He delivers those whom He slays. Even death at His hands, is a token of His all-embracing love. But the ignorant world, who does not realize the true significance of His mysterious incarnations and activities, entertains all sorts of doubts about Him, The Lord says:ó

¡ã◊ ∑§◊¸ ø ◊ ÁŒ√ÿ◊fl¢ ÿÊ flÁûÊ Ãûfl×– àÿÄàflÊ Œ„¢U ¬ÈŸ¡¸ã◊ ŸÒÁà ◊Ê◊Áà ‚Ê˘¡È¸ŸH (G∂tå IV. 9)

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ìHe who truly recognises My incarnations and activities to be divine is not born again once he has left this body and is united with Me.î God Almighty, who is truth, knowledge and bliss personified, is unborn and imperishable, the ultimate goal and the supreme asylum of all beings: it is only with a view; to the rehabilitation of the Divine Law and the deliverance of the world that He takes a personal form by dint of His Yogamåyå. Hence there is no one so benevolent, so loving and such a reclaimer of the fallen as God. He alone who realizes this and, thinking of Him constantly and with undivided love, fares in this world free from attachment knows Him in essence. Such an enlightened soul never returns to this mortal world, this ìvale of tears.î He alone is truly blessed who has come to realize the divine (ÁŒ√ÿ) nature of His incarnations and activities.The word “ÁŒ√ÿ” in Sanskrit is variously rendered as ëtransparentí (©UÖÖfl‹), ëilluminatingí (¬˝∑§Ê‡Ê◊ÿ), ëtranscendentalí (•‹ÊÒÁ∑§∑§), ëPureí (‡ÊÈh) and so on. In fact, the incarnations and activities of the Lord partake of all virtues. Stories of His activities gain currency in the world and impress every heart. They become popular throughout the universe; nay, the hearts of even those who remember and recite them get purified and become transparent like crystal. Hence the activities of the Lord are termed as transparent (©UÖÖfl‹). The more they are broadcast the more effective they are in dispelling the darkness of ignorance. Where the exploits of the Lord are recounted daily the whole atmosphere gets illumined by the rays of knowledge, and the darkness of sins and afflications disappears. Hence it is that they are called illuminating. The activities of the Lord, again, are not actuated by any selfish motive or self-interest or desire, they are free from all tinge of sin and all impurities. Hence

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they are called pure. No one can emulate His activities, even gods like Brahmå and Indra are infatuated by His actions. He brings within the region of possibility even that which cannot be conceived by the world at large, that which is impossible. He sometimes accomplishes even that which is improbable. He transcends even J∂vanmuktas (those who have been liberated from the trammels of birth and death even during their life-time) and Kåraka Puru¶as (representatives of God incarnated in the world like God Himself). Hence He is characterised as transcendent. His incarnations are pure in every respect. He manifests Himself by way of sport. He assumes a personal form which is an embodiment of love. Love constitutes His glorious form; hence those alone who are of a loving nature can recognise Him. Those fortunate beings who, having realized this truth, worship Him with love are blessed with a sight of the loving countenance of Him who is all-love. Hence we should surrender our allóbody, mind, intellect, nay, our very soul,óat His lotus-like feet and remain absorbed in His thought day and night. We should always remember His loving command and assuranceó ìEstablish your mind in Me, into Me let your Reason (Buddhi) enter; then without doubt shall you abide in Me hereafter.î ❑❑

Everyone is one's own in one way or the other. All of us live on the same earth and share the same air, water and light etc., and we are all the children of one God alone. Acceptance of this fact will naturally mean that we will not harm anyone but will help each other as far as possible. This helps in establishment of an ideal society and preservation of world peace. óRevelation of the Spiritual Path

Pleasure and Pain óBrahmalina Swami Ramsukhdas

God does not care for pain arising from worldly things, and God cannot bear pain, coming from (real) pangs for the sake of God. Under Godís auspicious dispensation, whatever favourable (pleasure-giving) or unfavourable (painful) condition comes, it is only for our good. To be sorry or happy in pain or pleasure, is not the fruit of past acts, but a fruit of foolishness. This folly is wiped out by good company (Satsa∆ga). Like an ever greedy person, an aspirant should grant pleasure to others. By this, he would rise above pleasure and pain. To make efforts to seek pleasure, is to invite pain, and to strive for othersí happiness, is to invite bliss. To get pain or pleasure, is the result of oneís acts, but to become happy or sorry is the fruit of ignorance and foolishness. To avoid the fruit of action, is not possible by our hands, but eliminating foolishness is entirely within the grasp of a person. When man serves others under happy circumstances, he does not become unhappy in painful conditions or does not desire pleasure for himself, then he is easily liberated from worldly ties. Under the influence of nature-born pleasure, there is no end to the tradition of its succession. In reality, happiness in favourable conditions is the reason for unhappiness under unfavourable circumstances;

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because a condition-bound pleasure-seeker, cannot ever escape from unhappiness. Unhappiness comes to make one giving up desire for happiness. One who seeks happiness (for himself) from others, he would have to suffer great unhappiness. We are ourselves the cause of our pain and none else. So long as we treat others as cause of pain, till then our suffering would not be wiped out. By being happy with oneís own happiness, one surely becomes unhappy and acquiring happiness from otherís happiness, his pain is lost forever. To treat the body as ëIí and ëmineí, is the cause of all pain. So long as we draw happiness from the world, till then natureís link would not be lost. The deficiency of a thing does not cause unhappiness, pain arises from the desire to get a thing. Things do not cause unhappiness, as unhappiness is the result of the absence of proper thoughts, not of things. So by reflection pain is eliminated. Happiness lies in stillness (giving up thoughts of the world) and not in enjoyment. Wherever one notices worldly happiness, examine the same with deliberation, one would find unhappiness there, because the world, in reality, is unhappiness personifiedó ëDu¨khålayamí (G∂tå VIII. 15). If one wants to hear, pain is caused by not hearing. You want to see, and being not able to see, causes pain. Want power and you are unhappy with powerlessness; you want youth and one is sad for being old. It means that deficiencies themselves do not make people unhappy, but because of desire, and by the feeling of want, that people feel unhappy.

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If we are attached to the world, pain is endless. If we link ourselves with God, then happiness (bliss) is unlimited. Should you want happiness, then bring happiness to others. Just as you sow, so would you reap. When you notice worldly happiness around, be sure that there is some danger there. Everything is GodóëVåsudeva¨ Sarvamí (God is all) but He is not an object to be enjoyed. Anybody who wants to enjoy Him as object of enjoyment, suffers. In a household, if a feeling exists in all, that they should have happiness, then everybody would be unhappy. However if they feel as to how others would become happy, then every being would be happy. If you do not desire pain, do not seek worldly happiness. ìLet others be happy.î If this feeling prevails, then all would be happy including himself, who wishes so. ìLet me be happy,î if this feeling prevails, then all would be unhappy, as well as the person concerned. Why does worldly happiness not last ? As it is not at all, of us and for us. Happiness appears good, but its end is not good. Unhappiness makes one feel bad, but its result is good. A state of unhappiness in Godís regime comes for our highest good. So one should not wish to remove it, and bear it peacefully. One who harms others, he in reality, harms himself most, and one who helps others to be happy, he verily makes himself happy. To be happy on receiving pain, is one of the highest means of Sådhana. Man is not free, to get rid of circumstances but he is quite free, capable and competent in not enjoying them or to be happy or sorrowful. It means that, in not being happy or unhappy, man is always free, capable and powerful.

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Until favourable or unfavourable circumstances influence till then, the Yogas of Karma, J¤åna and Bhakti or any other ëYogaí are not successfully mastered. The world does not cause pain to anybody, but it is the acknowledged link with it, that inflicts pain. By worldly happiness, worldly unhappiness can never be wiped outóthis is a rule. On gaining ingress to the world, greed increases and pain results. But on achieving God, love increases and bliss wells up. A sufferer of pain can in future, be happy, but one who causes pain, can never be happy. One who, in order to seek happiness, does not establish a tie up with anybody, he lives happily and dies happily. But those who link themselves with others, intent upon seeking something, they remain unhappy while alive and die in unhappiness, as well. Just as thirst for water makes a person unhappy, though water by itself does not cause unhappiness. It is the attachment to the worldly happiness, that causes pain, while the world by itself does not cause unhappiness. ❑❑

It is self-evident that the food you eat is manufacturing the mind all the time. It is matter. The Self is above any connection with food. Whether you eat or not does not matter. Whether you think or not...does not matter. It is infinite light. Its light is the same always. If you put a blue or a green glass (before a light), what has that to do with the light? Its colour is unchangeable. It is the mind which changes and gives the different colours. The moment the spirit leaves the body, the whole thing goes to pieces. óSwami Vivekananda

Unto Bliss óNityalilalina Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar

(Continued from 761) Purge your mind of all thoughts of worldly objects. Banish from your mind all thoughts save those relating to God. In case you find yourself unable to do so, you should entertain only noble ideas. Cultivate and develop the virtues of cheerfulness, joviality, wisdom, serenity, harmony, benevolence, compassion, love, commiseration, harmlessness, service, charity, friendliness, continence, self-control, etc. You will then be able to create an atmosphere suited to your temperament. You will get a society of your liking and your activities also will conform to your mental disposition. If you enshrine love rather than hatred in your heart, it will be reflected in your eyes, in your countenance and in your speech. People will be drawn towards you; they will get a glimpse of love as soon as they look at you or listen to your words, as as they are brought face to face with you. Nay, they will reciprocate your love. If your heart is full of love, your actions, too, will be saturated with it. The result will be that the whole world will extend its love to you. The same is true of all other virtues. The feeling which has the sole possession of your mind or that which predominates will find its response in this world. The cheerfulness of your heart will elicit cheerfulness, the love of your heart will elicit love and the feeling of compassion existing in your heart will elicit compassion. Remember: the consummate love of your heart, the perfect serenity of your mind, will have its expression in your eyes, your body and your words, and diffuse love and peace

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throughout the universe. Your very sight, your very touch and your very words can communicate love and peace. The very touch of Lord Gaura∆ga filled people with divine love, even savage beasts who saw him or heard him reciting the Divine Name began to dance in ecstatic joy. Evil propensities could not enter the mind of a creature within a radius of eight miles round about the hermitage of ›r∂ Kåkabhu‹uƒŒi. You too, can develop such powers. * * * Similarly, if your heart is full of ignorance, hatred, grief, melancholy, selfishness, partiality, lust, anger, avarice, animosity, unrest, violence and so on, you will create an atmosphere congenial to the growth of these propensities, you will associate with people of a like nature and your actions also will conform to your disposition, and consequently your whole being will be moulded accordingly; nay, you will communicate the same thing to whomsoever you meet and to the world at large. It is not that good and evil ideas crop up in the mind for a moment and disappear the next moment, having produced a pleasurable or unpleasurable feeling; they leave behind their impression in the form of a seed which sprouts forth and fructifies over and over again when the atmosphere is favourable to its growth. Suppose you harboured ill-will against someone today. The result is that the impression of this rancorous feeling is imprinted on your mind in the form of a seed, you have come to know what malice is. It will reappear whenever it gets a suitable opportunity and torment you.The same is true of noble ideas. Hence you should never harbour and nurture evil ideas, never allow them even to enter your mind. These constitute the hell-fire which consumes and shall continue to consume you hereafter. It will incite you to perpetrate fresh sins, and their chain would be difficult to break. You shall have to be repeatedly born in hellish

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species and undergo unbearable tortures, and even then you shall not be easily rid of trouble. * * * * Keep your mind overflowing with benevolent intentions, wish well of all, invoke Godís blessing on all. You should visualise the day when devotion to God will become universally popular, when noble virtues will thrive everywhere and when the whole world will be knit together in bonds of love. Believe it: your ambitions can be realised, your desires can be fulfilled, by the very intensity of your feelings and by the very strength of your pure will.You can rid many an afflicted soul of his afflictions, can relieve many an ailing person of his ailment, free many an ignorant man from his ignorance and absolve many a sinner from his sins by force of your will. * * * * Believe it: by dint of your benevolent intentions, your noble thoughts and your noble desires you can produce similar ideas, thoughts and desires not only all about you but throughout the world. Thus you can make yourself as well as others happy. * * * * Even if such a thing does not happen just now, you can make yourself happy at any rate. This is something which lies within your power. You can make yourself extremely miserable and a thorough-going sinner by cherishing and nurturing Tåmasic and Råjasic ideas and evil thoughts. On the other hand, you can make yourself blissful and highly meritorious by banishing such ideas and replacing them with, and nurturing, noble thoughts and noble desires. You should remember in this connection that noble desires constitute heaven, while fruitless desires and sinful desires constitute hell. Immortality consists in noble desires and

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noble ideas, while fruitless and evil desires and fruitless and bad thoughts constitute death and something beyond it. * * * Should you be able to make your mind blissful, virtuous, illuminated, peaceful and harmonious, believe it, you have very nearly approached God and attained the goal of your life. It all depends on you. Think and meditate, and engage with your heart and soul, and with firmness, in surcharging your mind with noble ideas. ❑❑

Upåsanå óSwami Sivananda

Upåsanå means worship. It literally means ìsitting nearî (God). Upåsanå is approaching the chosen ideal or object of worship by meditating on it, in accordance with the teachings of the ›åstras and the Guru and dwelling steadily in the current of that one thought like a thread of oil poured from one vessel to another (Tailadhåråvat). Upåsanå is of two kinds, viz., Prat∂ka Upåsanå and Aha≈graha Upåsanå. ìPrat∂kaî means a symbol. Prat∂ka Upåsanå is Saguƒa Upåsanå. Aha≈graha Upåsanå is Nirguƒa Upåsanå or meditation of the formless and attributeless Ak¶ara or transcendental Brahma. Meditation on idols, ›ålagråma, pictures of Lord Råma, Lord K涃a, Lord ›iva, Gåyatr∂ Dev∂ is Prat∂ka Upåsanå. The blue expansive sky, all-pervading ether, all-pervading light of the sun, etc., are also ìPrat∂kasî for abstract meditation. Saguƒa Upåsanå is concrete meditation. Nirguƒa Upåsanå is abstract meditation. Hearing of the L∂lås of the Lord, K∂rtana or singing His names, constant remembrance of the Lord (Smaraƒa), service of His feet, offering flowers, prostration, prayer,

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chanting of Mantra, self-surrender, service of Bhågavatas, service of humanity and country with Nåråyaƒa-Bhåva, etc., constitute Saguƒa Upåsanå. Chanting of O≈ with Åtma-Bhåva, service of humanity and country with Åtma-Bhåva, mental Japa of O≈ with Brahmabhåva, meditation on Soíha≈ or ›ivoíha≈ or on the Mahåvåkyas such as ìAha≈ Brahmåsmiî or ìTattwa≈ Asiî after sublating the illusory vehicles through ëNetií ëNetií doctrine constitute Aha≈graha Upåsanå or Nirguƒa Upåsanå. Upåsanå changes the mental substance. Upåsanå destroys Rajas and Tamas and fills the mind with Sattva or purity. Upåsanå destroys Våsanås, T涃ås, egoism, lust, hatred, anger, etc. Upåsanå turns the mind inwards and induces Antarmukha Vætti, eventually brings the devotee face to face with the Lord, frees the devotee from the wheel of births and deaths and confers on him Immortality and freedom. The mind becomes that on which it meditates in accordance with the analogy of the wasp and caterpillar (Bhramara-K∂¢a-Nyåya). Just as you think so you become. This is the immutable psychological law. There is a mysterious or inscrutable power is Upåsanå (Acintya ›akti) which makes the meditator and the meditated identical. Saguƒa Upåsanå is Bhakti-Yoga or the Yoga of devotion. Nirguƒa Upåsanå is J¤åna-Yoga or the Yoga of Knowledge. The Yoga of devotion is much easier than J¤åna-Yoga. In Bhakti-Yoga the devotee establishes a near and dear relationship with the Lord. He cultivates slowly anyone of the five Bhåvas according to his temperament, taste and capacity. The five Bhåvas areó›ånta Bhåva, Dåsya Bhåva (Master and servant), Sakhya Bhåva (friendship with the Lord), Våtsalya Bhåva (father and son relationship),

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Mådhurya Bhåva (lover and the beloved). The last Bhåva is the highest culmination of Bhakti. It is merging or absorption in the Lord. The devotee adores the Lord. He constantly remembers Him (Smaraƒa). He sings His name (K∂rtana). He speaks of His glories. He repeats His Name. He chants His Mantra. He prays and prostrates. He hears His L∂lås. He does total ungrudging unconditional surrender, obtains His grace, holds communion with Him and gets absorbed in Him eventually. In J¤åna-Yoga or the path of Vedånta, the aspirant acquires the four means of liberation, viz., Viveka or discrimination, Vairågya or indifference to sensual enjoyments herein and hereafter, ›ama or tranquillity of mind, Dama or restraint of the Indriyas, Uparati or renunciation, Titik¶å or power of endurance, ›raddhå or faith in the words of Guru or spiritual preceptor and in the ›rutis (Upani¶ads), Samådhåna (balance of mind or onepointedness of mind) and Mumuk¶atva (keen longing for liberation or deliverance from the round of births and deaths). Then he approaches a Brahma‹rotra Brahmani¶¢ha Guru who has realized the Supreme Self and hears the ›rutis from him. Then he reflects and meditates on the Self or Åtmå and attains eventually Åtma-Såk¶åtkåra or Brahmånubhåva (direct realization of the Self). Saguƒa Brahma is Sopådhika (with Upådhi). Måyå is His Upådhi or Kåraƒa-›ar∂ra. Nirguƒa Brahma is Nirupådhika (without any limiting adjunct). He is free from Måyå. Saguƒa Brahma is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent. Saguƒa Brahma is ∫‹vara. Nirguƒa Brahma assumes the form of Saguƒa Brahma for His sporting (L∂lå) and for the pious worship of devotees. Nirguƒa Brahma represents the Sun. Saguƒa Brahma represents the rays of the Sun. Just as water exists in the unmanifested state in the form

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of vapour so also the Nirguƒa Brahma exists in an unmanifested state. Vapour, water, and ice are one. So also Saguƒa Brahma and Nirguƒa Brahma are one. The Ak¶ara Brahma is the Unmanifested (Avyakta). He is incomprehensible to the senses (Akaraƒa Gocaram). He is destitute of all Upådhis or limiting adjuncts. That which is visible to the senses (Karaƒagocara) is called Vyakta or the Manifested. The Unmanifested transcendental Brahma is beyond all limitations. He is beyond time, space and causation. He is eternal and indefinable. He is beyond all limitations. He is beyond the reach of speech and mind (Avå∆manasagocara). He cannot be actually shown (Anirde‹ya). He cannot be defined because He is beyond the reach of words or speech (A‹abdagocara, Avåcya). Why the Ak¶ara Brahma cannot be defined? Because He is unmanifested. He has not got the four Dharmas viz., Jåti (caste, such as Brahman, K¶atriya, etc.), Guƒa (attribute such as blue, white, etc.), Kriyå (action such as he who reads, he who walks, etc.) and Sambandha. (Relationship such as Janaka-Janya Sambandha like father and son). He is unthinkable, because He is the unmanifest (AvyaktaAcintya). Whatever is visible to the senses can be thought of by the mind also. That which can be grasped by the organs of knowledge (J¤åna-Indriyas) can be thought of by the mind also (ÿØ Á„U ∑§⁄UáʪÊø⁄U◊˜ ÃØ ◊Ÿ‚Ê˘Á¬ Áøãàÿ◊˜). Worshippers of Saguƒa (the qualified) and Nirguƒa Brahma (the unqualified) reach the same goal. But the latter path is very hard, because the aspirant has to give up attachment to the body (Dehåbhimåna), from the very beginning of his spiritual practice. The Ak¶ara or the Imperishable is very hard for those who are attached to their bodies to reach. Further it is extremely difficult to fix the mind on the formless and attributeless Brahma. Contemplation on the Ak¶ara or Nirguƒa Brahma demands

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a very sharp one-pointed and subtle intellect. The ›ruti saysó

∞· ‚fl¸·È ÷ÍÃ·È ªÍ…UÊà◊Ê Ÿ ¬˝∑§Ê‡ÊÃ– ŒÎ‡ÿÃ àflÇ ˝ÿÊ ’ÈhKÊ ‚͡◊ÿÊ ‚͡◊ŒÁ‡Ê¸Á÷—H ìThis Åtmå is hidden in all beings and does not shine forth, but it is seen by subtle seers through their sharp and subtle intellect.î He who realizes the Nirguƒa Brahma attains eternal Bliss or self-realization or Kaivalya Mok¶a which is preceded by the destruction of Avidyå with its effects (Kåryaprapa¤casahita Avidyå Nivættipµurvaka Nirvi‹e¶a Paramånanda Brahmapråpti). He who realizes Saguƒa Brahma goes to Brahmaloka and enjoys all the Ai‹warya of the Lord. He then gets initiation into the mysteries of Kaivalya (Gurµupade‹a) form Hiraƒyagarbha and without any effort, without the practice of ›ravaƒa, Manana and Nididhyåsana attains, through the grace of the Lord, Kaivalya Mok¶a the same state attained by Vedånt∂s. Through the knowledge of the Self (Tattva-J¤åna) Avidyå with its effects (Kårya-Sahita Avidyå) is destroyed in the case of the Saguƒa Upåsakas also. May you all attain the goal of life either through ìPrat∂kaî or ìAha≈grahaî Upåsanå according to your temperament, Sa≈skåra, taste, capacity, disposition or attitude in this very birth. ❑❑

Knowledge of Non-duality is the highest; but God should be worshipped first as a master is worshippped by his servant, as the adored by the adorer. This is the easiest path; It soon leads to the highest knowledge of unity. óSayings of Sri Ramakrishna

Såk¶∂ Gopåla (Lord Gopåla As Witness) óSri Parameswar Brahmachari

(Continued from 769) On the next day he called the people of the village and narrated this story, then the people sent for the old Brahmin. When the old Brahmin came to the meeting, the people asked him, ëwhy do you not give your daughter to him in marriage, when you promised him in a sacred placeí. Then the old Brahmin said, ëOh, gentlemen and my friends, just hear me. I do not remember when and where and what I told him regarding this matter.í As soon as the old Brahminís son heard this statement from his father he hastily took advantage of the position and came to the front to frown upon young Brahmin and said, ëOh my friends when my father went on a pilgrimage he had with him much wealth and this racal noticed that and wanted to seize it. There was none around. This wicked Brahmin, gave my father Dhatµura (thorn-apple) to eat and made him mentally deranged and then snatched all the money of my father. Thereafter he declared that thieves had stolen it and now this wicked Brahmin says that my father promised to give his daughter to him, I leave it to your judgments. You decide and give your judgment whether this man has any right to have my sisterís hand.í The people in the meeting felt doubtful and thought to themselves, ìThat sometimes it happens like this, just to gain otherís wealth people become forgetful of religious duties. Perhaps this happened in this case too.î

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Then the young Brahmin said, ëO noble people present here, kindly hear me, this Brahmin is telling a lie just to win his case by arguments. The truth is that being pleased with me and my service to him he volunteered to give his daughter to me in marriage in spite of my objectioní. After narrating all the discussions he had with old Brahmin at Vrindaban, the young Brahmin said, ìFinally I told him that if you are certain to give your daughter to me in marriage, then give me the pledge before the Lord Gopåla.î He then came to the Lord Gopåla and said, ìO my adorable Lord! I promise that I would give my daughter to this young Brahmin in marriage.î Then I also said humbly to the Lord Gopåla, ìO My Lord if this old Brahmin breaks his word I shall call Thee as Witness.î Kindly remember this. So I have a Witness, Whose words are accepted as true by the three ëworldsí. Then the old Brahmin said, ìYes! We are ready to have trust in this story. If the Lord Gopåla Himself comes here and given evidence, then instantly I will give my daughter to this young Brahmin.î Holding the same opinion his son too said, ìyes we are unanimous on this point. So let the Lord Gopåla come here and give evidence surely this is a good proposal.î Now the old Brahmin became very pensive. Lord K涃a in naturally affectionate to His devotees. He will come here to prove the truth of my pledge. But his sonís conception was that, the witness is mere Image, and it cannot bear witness. So the father and the son agreed to the proposal with two separate intentions. The Young Brahmin now said, ëalright, I also agree with you all, but let us write an agreement on a paper so that these words might not be violatedí. In this manner, the people assembled wrote an agreement, and kept it with an impartial person. Then the young Brahmin said to the

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people, ëreally this old Brahmin is truthful and pious, he will not break his pledge. He is just afraid of his kinsmen and dear ones. He may break his pledge out of fear. O my good people! I shall bring the Lord K涃a here for the sake of his virtue and help him to keep his pledge.í Some people laughed in ridicule. Some others said, ìthe Lord is merciful to His devotees, consequently Lord K涃a may come here.î The young Brahmin then went to Vrindaban and fell in prostration before the Lord Gopåla, and he narrated to the Lord what had happened about the proposal of the old Brahmin. And he said to the Lord Gopåla, ëO Thou Worshipful Lord! Gracious One! The Witness and Refuge of all, Thou art shining in the hearts of all, Obeisance unto Thee. Naturally Thou art benevolent to the Brahmins. O Lord! I do not expect to enhance my pleasure by getting the daughter of the old Brahmin, but it really pains me that being an honest Brahmin, his pledge be broken. And Thou knowest all these. So be kind enough to bear Witness to the old Brahminís pledge, and protect both of us. For He who knows the fact but does not give evidence shares the sin for the same.í Then the Lord Himself said to His devotee, ëOh Brahmin! Go home and call a meeting there and just remember Me, I will appear there and shall give evidence and I would save both of youí. But the young Brahmin replied to the Lord, ëO Thou Merciful Lord! Nobody will believe Your words, if you appear there as a four-armed Deity. But if You go there in this same Form and speak with Your Own Mouth as a Witness, then and then only people will take Your words as true.í Then the Lord Gopåla smilingly said, ëO Brahmin, I have never heard that a Deity can walkí. Then the Brahmin

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replied ëO Lord! then how do you speak being an Image? O Lord! Thou art not an Image, but Very Self of Lord K涃a. Yet Thou hast assumed this Form, to gladden the hearts of Thy devotees and shower Thy Mercy upon them. So be kind enough to do this unpleasant work for the sake of the old Brahmin.í The Lord Gopåla laughed and said to him, ëalright, I shall go in the same Form, but there is a condition that you should not turn back to see Me. If you do so anywhere on the way thereafter I wonít move from that spot. Only by hearing the sound of my anklets you will know that I am following you. Further the Lord said to the young Brahmin, ëO Brahmin, you cook one kilogram of rice and offer it to Me. Then I shall start with you after I have eaten that riceí. On the next day the Brahmin cooked the best quality rice and offered the same to the Lord Gopåla and with the permission of the Lord the young Brahmin started towards his home and the Lord too followed him. The young Brahmin was very delighted to hear the charming sound of the anklets of the Lord. He thought, ìHow Merciful! How Gracious! How Munificent Lord is! Being the Supreme Lord He is affectionate to His devotees. Just to keep the pledge of His devotees He was walking on the road today.î Thus Gopåla walked the long distance from Vrindaban to Vidyanagar. When the young Brahmin came to his own village he thought to himself, ìnow I have come to my own village and shall inform the people of the arrival of the holy Witness. So unless I see, I do not believe that Lord Gopåla has come. If the Lord Gopåla would stay here itself, there will be no danger in it. But I must see the beauty and gracefulness of the Lordî. Thinking thus

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the young Brahmin turned back to see the Lord and on the very moment the Lord Gopåla stopped with smiling Face. Then He said to the Brahmin, ìcall the people here.î Accordingly the young Brahmin went to his village and described everything to the people there. As soon as they heard of the arrival of the Lord Gopåla, the people were surprised and rushed to, the spot to see the ëLord Gopåla as Witness.í When they saw the charming beauty of the Lord, they burst in joy and fell in prostration before the Lord Gopåla again and again. They were amazed to know that the Image walked all the way. The old Brahmin became overwhelmed and the tears of joy rolled down from his eyes. He fell in prostration before the Lotus Feet of the Lord Gopåla and said. ìThe Lord Himself has come here. Nothing more is there to prove. Moreover, before all people of Lord Gopåla bore Witness.î The old Brahmin then gave his daughter to the young Brahmin in marriage. The Lord then said, ëO My dearest ones both of you have been My devotees in every birth, being pleased by your respect of the truth I have come here. So ask Me some boon.í Then the two Brahmins said humbly with folded palms, ëO Lord if You are so kind enough to give some boon to us, then we pray that you should stay here in this same place. And by this, people will know that You are so Merciful to Your servantsí. So from that time Lord Gopåla stayed there in Vidyanagar itself and they worshipped Him in pomp. Thereafter the king of that country heard of the miracle and struck with wonder came to see the Lord Gopåla. The king was very much pleased to see the Lord Gopåla and built a temple to worship of the Lord. Thus the Lord established Himself in Vidyanagar and accepted the worship of devotees there.

The World.......from Desires

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Later the King Puru¶ottamadeva of Utkal, in a war, conquered Vidyanagar. He was a great devotee of the Lord K涃a and he prayed to the Lord Gopåla to come to his kingdom. Lord Gopåla being pleased with the kingís devotion, ordered to take Him to his kingdom. According to the Wish of Lord Gopåla the king took the Lord with him to Cuttack, and established a place of worship, known as ëSåk¶∂-Gopålaí or the ëLord Gopåla as Witness.í At present it is one of the sacred place of pilgrimage in Orissa state. It is situated 12 km away from Puri towards Howrah and there is a small Railway station called ëSåk¶∂-Gopålaí. ❑❑

The World Ends for Us When We are Free from Desires óSri Paramahansa Yogananda

In a metaphysical sense, the end of all earthly desires is the end of the world. For your own happiness, you must strive to live free of worldly desires. If there is anything you canít do without, you still have a terrible lesson to learn. Imagine yourself taken away from this earth with all of your desires unfulfilled. They are like cankers in your soul. You would have to return here many times, enduring heartaches and disappointments again and again, to cure yourself of those desires. It is far better to say to God, ìLord, I didnít ask You to create me. I am here because You put me here. I will do the best I can, but I have no desires except to do Your will. I donít want to be sent back here to suffer anymore. I donít want to go on endlessly returning, sometimes as a rich man, sometimes as a poor man, sometimes with ill-health and disease; sometimes with sorrows, sometimes with snatches

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of happiness. I am not a mortal being. I am the immortal soul.î Donít worry that by freeing yourself of desires you will become petrified, like a stone. Desirelessness is a most marvellous state of consciousness. I enjoy everything, but I have no desire for anything, so there is never any pain or disappointment from unfulfilment. Whatever I do, wherever I go, I enjoy myself. So the way to true happiness is to do your best in the role in which God has placed you, without creating further desires. Then you can be a king within, no matter what your outer conditions. You can be happier than a millionaireó in fact, if you knew the troubles of millionaires, you wouldnít want to be one. The fear of losing all that money; the fear of disease; the feeling of insecurity, never knowing who oneís real friends are; these are some of the struggles and sufferings of those who have too much. I wouldnít want anyone to like me just because I had money. What kind of love is that? To me, true friendship is the greatest of all treasures. I love friendship that is given without any demand, friendship for the sake of friendship, without expectation of anything in return. That is one thing that you can never buyónot with money, show, fear, or power. It must be given freely. If sometimes you fail to receive that kind of friendship, donít be discouraged. If you are sincere, you will find those true souls who will appreciate you. Live without being attached. Wherever you are, carry within your bosom a portable heaven of joy. Remember that you are here in this world to be entertained. When you go to a movie, whether you see a tragedy, or a comedy, or a drama, you say afterward, ìOh, it was a good movie!î So must you look upon life. Have no fear. If you live in fear,

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health will go. Rise above disease and troubles. While you try to remedy your condition, inwardly be untouched by it. Be strong inside, with full faith in God. Then you will conquer all the limitations of the world; you will be a king of peace and happiness. That is what I want you to be. The Lord gives you that freedom every night, in sleep. When you retire, say to Him, ìLord, the world has ended for me. I am resting in Thine arms. Thou hast put me here to watch Thy movies of life: tragedy and laughter, health and disease, life and death, wealth and poverty, war and peaceóthese are naught but dreams to entertain me. Untouched, I rest in the thought of Thee, the only Reality.î ❑❑

Aids to RealizationóThe Ideal of ›iva óSwami Rama Tirtha

God is represented in some other aspects now. In a wide, wide ocean of milk which covers the whole universe, a beautiful crawling snake or dragon forms a soft bed with some of the folds of its body for a cushion. It has a thousand heads serving as an umbrella. Upon such an ocean lies a most beautiful, lovely Divinity who is the consort of the God. She has a transparent body, eyes half closed and lips smiling. She is softly rubbing the feet of the God. This lovely figure is sitting upon a beautiful, magnificent Lotus, and sitting upon that she is rubbing his feet and kneading him. The eyes of the two are meeting, each is looking into the eyes of the other. Now what does this consort represent? She represents Divinity, Wisdom, Bliss and Happiness. That is his own glory. This means that the free Soul looks into his own glory all the time and that the Soul is free when the world is all drowned for him.

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Away from all relations and connections, having snapped all ties, he has nothing to do with the world. The Ocean means Infinity. And why is this ocean said to represent milk? Milk has three attributes. It is light, then it is white which means Bliss, it is also invigorating, which means Power. Consequently the ocean of milk represents Infinite Light, Infinite Bliss, and Infinite Power. In this the two rest. Now what does the snake mean? The serpent means one that survives everything. When the female snake gives birth to its hundred eggs, she begins to eat up the eggs that she has spawned. Everything dies away, the one thing remains. In the ocean of bliss, knowledge and power, the Immortal One remains. Both are in their own glory, perfectly happy, calm, and peaceful. Råma brings to your special attention two important points : 1. Denial of little Self, 2. Positive assertion of Real self. FirstóDenial of self, according to Vedånta, is perfect relaxation, relief, rest, renunciation. Whenever you can spare time, just throw down your body on the chair or bedstead, as if you never carried that burden or weight and had nothing to do with it and it were quite as much a stranger to you as any piece of rock. Let the body rest for a while, like a dead carcass, altogether unsupported by your strained will or thought so that there is no tension. Give up all attachment and clinging to the body. Let the mind be relaxed of all care and anxiety for the body or anything. Give up and deny all desire or ambition. This is denial or relaxation. SecondóGodhead. Make Godís will your own. Defend His purpose as it were your purpose whether for weal or

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for woe, and according to the trend of thought laid down in the lecture on ìRealizationî feel yourself above the body and its environments, above the mind and its motives, above thoughts of success or fear. Feel yourself to be the allpervading power supreme, the Sun of suns, above causation, above phenomena, and one with all the mighty worlds, the all-bliss, the free Råma. Chant O≈ and sing O≈ to any tune or tunes that naturally and spontaneously occur to you. Feel that you are all happiness, happiness, happiness. Thus will all causes of complaints and maladies leave your presence of themselves. The world and your surroundings are exactly what you think them to be. Let not the world lay heavy upon your heart. Day and night meditate upon the truth that all the public opinion and society of the world is simply your own idea and that you are the real power whose breath or mere shadow the whole world is. The reason why you do not attain the height of your aim is that you are more courteous and polite to the fickle, unsettled, hazy judgments of others than to your own near neighbour, the Real Self Supreme. Råma says, live on your own account, not for the opinions of others. Be free. Try to please the one Lord, the Self, the one without a second, the real husband, master, your own inner God. You will not in any case be able to satisfy the many, the public, the majority and you are under no obligations to satisfy the hydra-headed mob. Do you owe the public anything? Are you under any kind of debt to the people? No, not at all. You are your own architect. Sing to yourself as if you were all alone and no listener near by. When your own Self is pleased, the public must be satisfied. That is Law. What is the use of living unnatural lives for others? A prince in his childhood was playing hide-and-seek with the children of noblemen. He had much ado to find

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the boys. A bystander remarked, ìWhat is the use of making so much fuss to discover the playfellows who could be collected immediately if he exercised his princely authority to order them?î The answer to such a question is that in that case the play would lose its relish. There would remain no interest in the game. Just so, according to Råma, in reality you are the supreme Ruler and allknowing omniscient Divinity but as you have in fun begun the search for your own subjects (all sorts of ideas and so-called knowledge) in the great hide-and-seek labyrinth of the world, it would not be fair play to give up the trial of thought and exercise in the game the authority which checkmates the whole play. In the plane where the past, present and future and the thousands of suns and stars become your own Self, and are mere ripples and eddies in the ocean of your knowledge, how could you care for the Law examinations and worldly success? If you want to possess the Divine clairvoyance, you have to give up or rise above the very plane of senses from which you sought clairvoyance. A net was spread to catch fish. The fish on falling into the net carried it off by their stupendous strength. Do not counsel God how to behave; do not dictate your will to Him, just resign yourself to Him, abandon the little self, renounce spurious desires and thus you will make your body and mind full of Light and a perfect instrument of the revelation of Divinity. All true knowledge and education worth the name comes from within, and not from books or extraneous minds. Men of genius, original workers in the field of investigation make their discoveries and inventions only when they were merged into thought Absolute, far above the plane of senses, far, far above yearing or hurrying of any sort, making their mentality and

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personality free of any tendency to selfishness. They were looking through a transparent mirror or glass and the light of knowledge shone through them, they shed light on books, illumined libraries and books, and libraries could not enlighten them. This is work. By work Råma never means plodding drudgery. In Vedånta work always means harmonious vibrations with the Real Self and attunement with the universe. This unselfish union with the one Reality, which is real work according to Vedånta, is oftentimes labelled and branded as no work or idleness by the ignorant. Please read the ìSecret of Successî once more thoroughly. Again even a most laborious undertaking, pursued in the spirit of Vedånta, is found to be all play and no drudgery or burden. Thus that which is called the highest work from one standpoint is no work at all from another, according to the teachings of the Vedånta philosophy. There are two pictures of God given in the Hindu mythology. Every religion ought to have three phases, one is philosophy, the other is ritual and the third is mythology. Philosophy is for the learned; ritual is for the ordinary run of people and mythology is for the thinker. The three have to go hand in hand. If any one lags behind, then that religion cannot stand. It is because of these three, being in perfect harmony in the Hindu Scriptures that the Hindu religion is still the religion of 300,000,000 people. Any religion that lacks one of these cannot be the real religion. In the Hindu religion all these three are in a perfect state. From the Hindu mythology Råma will tell you about the perfect man or Divinity which is continually held in mind. There are two phases of God, two sides of Divinity shown in the Hindu Scriptures. One is a white, grand, majestic, all-knowing God a glorious figure, sitting on the heights of the Himalayas, lost in meditation and contemplation,

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eyes closed, insensible to the world, a picture of ecstasy itself. Away from troubles and turmoils, exempt from all anxiety and care. Free, free. A being to whom the world never existed. This is one picture of God. This picture is of contemplation. A free, emancipated Soul. The white is symbol of the Himalayas; the mind at rest, peace, peace. Along with it there is the consort of that God, who is represented as of rose colour from head to foot. She is sitting on the knee of this God and goes on grinding vegetables and other fermented juices all the time for his sake. God opens his eyes and immediately his consort holds to his lips a cup full of the intoxicating juice she has prepared for him, in order that he may fall back into his state of reverie again. She then puts questions to him concerning the whole universe and he explains them to her. She is the daughter of a king, but gave up all her beautiful things in order to be near this God. That God is called ›iva, his consort is called Girijå. O≈! O≈! O≈! ❑❑

All of you should periodically analyze your progress in life to see if you are in a rut. First, ask yourself what kind of road you are driving on. Are you travelling a smooth, bright highway that will take you surely to your life's destination? Or are you travelling the hazardous, muddy back roads of evil or wrong behaviour? If you are moving along a good path of right actions, may be the car of your life will not get caught in ruts. Yet even then there is a chance that you are not steering properly. If you are too sure of yourself and carelessly take your eyes off the road, you can veer off course and into a rut by the wayside. óParamahansa Yogananda

Read and Digest Be with God, think of Him every moment so that even during your hours of activity, you are cultivating a deeper relationship with Him. * * * Change the subject, and the object is bound to change; purify yourself and the world is bound to be purified. * * * All beings, great or small are equally manifestations of God. * * * The pure heart is the best mirror for the reflection of the truth. * * * All knowledge is within us. All perfection is there already in the soul. * * * The world will change if we change; if we are pure, the world will become pure. * * * I cannot see evil unless I be evil. * * * Weakness leads to slavery. It leads all kinds miseryó physical and mental. Weakness is death. ❑❑

Doing Good to Others óLi Hong Chong

Doing good to others, seems to be good. At least it is very pleasant to hear; but does a pious and devout soul do good to others? ëDo good to othersí is a good advice, and wise people have ever been teaching this useful lesson to man. But the questions are:ó ëDo good creatures in reality stand in need of it?í Is not God the sole master of this universe? If so, how could He be negligent of His world and its denizens and leave them to the mercy of men who are or seem to be of a benevolent temper, who pose as doing good to others. Those who do good to others, do they not regard these others as inferior beings who stand in need of assistance from them? And do they not presume to attach importance to themselves as superior personalities? And if so, are they not in the danger of falling into the pit of vanity and pride, which in itself is a very pernicious and vicious attitude of mind? First think and then, if desirable, answer these simple questions to yourself and not to others. There lived a really good saint in this land of India in ancient times. Wherever he went, he diffused sunshine and cheerfulness all around himself as if he was a luminary orb. Those who came in contact with him felt happy. Association with him was ever deemed as a grace and blessing. His very shadow was illuminating, and its bright influence ever helped them to dispel the gloom that so often darkens the mind of melancholious. Once he came to the sacred land of Kashi, People

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thronged around and about him with the object of acquiring merit by coming face to face with him. All who came to him imbibed his healthful and helpful thoughts, and became different beings from what they were before. He appeared to them as something very Divine. His words, his sight, and his thoughts proved blessings to them. The learned Pandits of Benares heaped eulogies over his head, praising him as a Divinity moving on the face of the earth. The saint did not appreciate their efforts to please him, but on the other hand felt disgusted. They said, ìHe was the incarnation of Mercy, and his life was devoted to the good of othersî, etc., etc. One day, when they exaggerated his merit, he said to them, ìFriends, praise God if you want. All praise is due to Him and Him alone. I do not deserve any eulogies from you. You think that I am doing good to others. No such thing at all. By intercoursing with you I am benefiting myself. Had you not come to me, I would have never acquired any opportunity of opening my mind to you, and cultivating the hidden potentialities of my mind. They lay dormant within, you came and I received an impetus. I spoke to you and thus acquired fluency. If I give you good thoughts, I am the first person to be affected by them, and then they are imparted to you afterwards. If anybody is profited by them it is myself, and the profit is double. Practice makes a man perfect and you give me the chance of it. It is I that ought to be grateful to you and so I ask no one among you to acknowledge my good instruction, and I do not expect any gratefulness from you.î ìThis is the first point in view.î ìThe second point is upon the ëothers.í Who is, or are this other or those others? Myself and yourself, both are one and the same thing. If you think that by deeds, thoughts,

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and words, I am doing good to others, these others are my own self, and I am therefore doing good to myself and not to those that are different from me.î Saying this, he became silent. All felt the strength and vigour of his arguments, and the next day he disappeared and no one knew where he went away. ❑❑

Uniqueness of Man óD. V. Sahani

In Godís scheme of things, Each one is different, There is no second to him. No one is indistinct, Each one is distinct. No one is dispensable, Each one is indispensable. No one is useless. Each one is precious, As well as gracious. In the eyes of the Creator, Each one is equal. The Lord has given each one A role to perform, According to his capability. And for that matter, Each one should express His gratitude to the Lord. ❑❑

Spiritual Evolution óSwami Rama-Rama

The knowledge gained by a J∂va in previous births will fix the standard of evolution for it, but will not necessarily help it in further evolution. In order to understand the law which guides this process, one must remember that desire for life and more life drives the J∂va to take birth. It is on the physical plane that the J∂va suffers most misery, as its physical necessities get thwarted and many disappointments bring grief and sorrow. But gradually higher principles and love begin to bring harmony into the physical experience and the J∂va begins its career of mixed good and bad Karma. Good Karma is good thoughts as well as good actions. These good Karmas begin to purify the life energies that were surging away from God, and bring the realization that the right path is the return to God. The life energies are then sought to be controlled and directed towards the higher ideal of realizing oneness with the Divine Mind and this is done by thinking and doing everything as if you had the trusteeship of the world, even as the Lord has the trusteeship of a great universe. This is the path of higher evolution; that way you work for the fulfilment of the Divine Plan instead of thwarting it. A J∂va takes repeated births till it begins to evolve on the right lines. The physical life and its experiences take the J∂va a short way during each life. In the next life the old threads are taken up and the journey is continued for long cycles of time. The evolution in the spirit world is very little in the beginning. But if the life experiences are of a higher character, the evolution of the J∂va continues in the

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spiritual planes also. In the case of the highly advanced souls, there is greater evolution of life in the spiritual planes than in the physical plane. As the J∂va becomes greatly evolved, the incarnation changes in character. The incarnations are few and far between and take place into highly spiritual families; where the J∂va begins its spiritual life from infancy upwards. The higher the evolved soul, the lesser it strays amidst the varieties of life and experiences. It has an inner certainty of the real values of the world and so proceeds by rapid steps towards its higher Destiny. Now you can understand how the life experiences of one incarnation fix the standard from where the J∂va is to go forward on its journey of evolution. You must remember that simple as the J∂vaís repeated births appear in explanation, it is extremely difficult to realize the actual conditions of a J∂va. The thick Måyå of the phenomenal world with a thousand and one fictions cover up the soulís vision and its limited outlook on life is its great handicap to know anything beyond its immediate experiences. It knows its hunger, its wants and when there is immediate satisfaction, the soul goes into Tåmas∂ sleep of ignorance. Thick clouds of worldly thought obsess the soulís vision. False ideals of knowledge, power and fame attract its gaze and the journey of life becomes a neverending race through the mazes of illusion after various types of mirage. Great knocks on the head and painful blows gradually make the J∂va realize the nature of these varieties. Then step by step the J∂va begins to turn to the great realities and as the miseries of life become agonizing and unbearble, the soul completely turns away from the meshes of life which were dragging it away from God, and begins to evolve in the right direction. The soul begins its eternal journey homewards. The return journey is again retarded and kept back by past memories and past associations

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which have to be completely and radically removed before the soul can acquire its full force to press forward in its journey to the Goal. The soul begins to realize its destiny, its oneness with the Divine plan and begins to work and think for the furtherance of the Divine plan whose basis is Love and mercy, which begin to govern its relations with all people and all environment. A pure life dedicated to service of God by active philanthropy greatly helps the rapid evolution of the soul. Everything depends upon the energy with which each soul sets upon this journey Godwards. Renunciation of worldly aims and ideals helps greatly. Prayers are direct attempts to live in the Divine thought by communion. Prayers effectively made help more than anything else. Prayers help the soul to remove the screens that separate it from the Divine centre and there is realization of the Unity. Prayers endow the soul with great strength and so helps the journey Godwards. So prayers, a life of pure thought and deed, full of love and sympathy will bring you nearer the Goal in as short a time as possible. Every J∂va, once it is born, gets complete freedom of will and complete freedom of action. The impulse due to past lives brings it in a particular surrounding. To some extent the acquired body and environment begin to give a colour to the life, but the dynamic energy for further progress has to be supplied by the soul itself which is a completely free agent. It is just like this. If a boat is left in the current of a river, the current will carry it onwards. But when the boat touches a shore or gets stranded, it has to move again into the current by its own force of propulsion. The boat touching the shore means physical incarnation. The current of the past livesí energy leaves the soul or J∂va stranded in a particular place in life, where again it can use its energy to get back into the stream of evolution. Every man can evolve rapidly by first understanding the

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values of life rightlyóby right thinking, right conduct and right sort of prayer. ❑❑

Service and Humility óSwami Akhandanand Saraswatiji Maharaj

You are bound to have an urge to serve, because you cannot live without service from others. The question isó how do you wish to serve? Do you wish to serve as per your preference, or do you wish to serve as per the preference of the one you serve? Do you wish to provide comfort, or do you wish to do good? There is a difference between these two, although they may occasionally be the same. It is not always easy to differentiate. You have to observe yourself minutely, and check whether the service you render, fills you with pride. If your service to the Lord, service done for the benefit of all creatures, for society, for the community, for your religion, for your colleagues, or any other, gives you a feeling that you have done something great, then your service is no service to anyone else but your own ego! The sandalwood paste has been smeared on your own forehead; the garland has been placed round your own neck; comfort and pleasure have been given only to yourself. It is essential to remain alert that your service does not give rise to any feeling of superiority. The world is vast. The needs and demands of this world are so great that all your service is not even a drop in the ocean. Just think of the knowledge, the power, and the wonderful actions of the Lord seated in your heartóyou will realize that you have no entity separate from Him. Just become His instrument, and continue to serve. ❑❑

Muråsura Sa≈håra L∂lå óDr. Mukunda Pati Tripathi ëRatnamaliyaí

In the days of yore, there lived a mighty demon named ëMuraí. He was the son of Sage Ka‹yapa and Danu. Despite being the son of a sage, he did have a demonic disposition. So, he took a keen interest in fighting with divine deities. He thought of conquering all the ëDevas.í He took recourse to ëTapasyåí with a view to getting supernatural strength unparalleled in all the ëLokas.í He began to worship Lord Brahmå. His austere penance perturbed all the Devas, Någas and Asuras. The seat of Lord Brahmå began to shake. His heart melted with compassion and he appeared before the ambitious Asura. He urged him to ask for boons. The giant Mura, being overglad at the sight of Lord Brahmå requested him to grant him such a boon as might give him supremacy over all creatures. Expressing his fervent desire he said to him, ìGrant me sir, such a superhuman strength as nobody may stand indignantly before me. Please instil in my hands such a power as everybody may succumb to death whomsoever, I touch with my palms.î

ÿ¢ ‚

ÿ¢ ∑§⁄UËŸÊ„¢U S¬Î‡Êÿ¢ ‚◊⁄U Áfl÷Ê– ‚ ◊hS¢S¬Îc≈USàfl◊⁄UÊ˘Á¬ ◊⁄Uàfl×H

(Våmana Puråƒa LX. 33) Granting his demand, ëBrahmåj∂ departed to Brahmalokaí and he repaired to his habitat. The news of his grand ëSiddhií spread far and wide Devas, Yak¶as, Men and Asuras all accepted his suzerainty. Lord Indra, the king of gods, left the divine throne with all his family-members and he occupied the celestial throne. Other mighty demons like ëMayaí and ëTårakaí etc., joined his company. He began to enjoy the supreme control and

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command of Amaråvat∂. One day, while making a tour of the earth, he reached Ayodhya where King Raghu was performing a ëYajµnaí under the guidance of Sage Vasi¶¢ha. Angry Mura went to him and said to himóìStop this Yåj¤a or fight with me. You canít worship gods in my presence.î Wise Sage Vasi¶¢ha succeeded in diverting his attention from King Raghu to lord Yamaråja. He said, ëO mighty king of Demons! Victory over kings and kingdoms counts little. You should try to trounce Yamaråja.

Á∑¢§ Ã Á¡ÃÒŸ¸⁄ÒUŒÒ¸àÿ •Á¡ÃÊŸŸÈ‡ÊÊ‚ÿ– ¬˝„UÃȸÁ◊ë¿UÁ‚ ÿÁŒ â ÁŸflÊ⁄Uÿ øÊãÃ∑§◊˜H (Våmana Puråƒa LX. 47) Haughty Muråsura turned to Yamaloka. He went straight to Yama, the king of death, thinking that it was he who killed everybody so victory over him meant the victory over every creature, mortal or celestial. He threw out the gauntlet to him. Wise Yamaråja well aware of his boons, thought that fighting with him, was of no avail. He said to the demon-king, ëI am quite inferior to you in prowess. I am a nominal ruler of creatures. My real strength lies in the strength of Lord Nåråyaƒa. The moment you vanquish him, all the gods will be defeated outrightí. The demon-king became very glad at the submissive gesture of Yamaråja and started for fighting Lord Vi¶ƒu. Lord Vi¶ƒu welcomed him warmly, asked about his welfare and wanted to know the purpose of his arrival. The poor devil not knowing the superb acumen of Lord Vi¶ƒu, proposed to him to enter into a dual fight.

Ã◊ʪâ ¬˝Ê„U ◊ÈŸ ◊œÈÉÊA— ¬˝ÊåÃÊ˘Á‚ ∑§ŸÊ‚È⁄U ∑§Ê⁄UáÊŸ– ‚ ¬˝Ê„U ÿÊh¢È ‚„U flÒ àflÿÊl â ¬˝Ê„U ÷Íÿ— ‚È⁄U‡ÊòÊÈ„UãÃÊH ÿŒË„U ◊Ê¢ ÿÊŒ˜œÈ◊ȬʪÃÊ˘Á‚ ÃØ ∑§ê¬Ã Ã NUŒÿ¢ Á∑§◊Õ¸◊˜– Öfl⁄UÊÃÈ⁄USÿfl ◊È„ÈU◊ȸ„ÈUflÒ¸ ÃãŸÊÁS◊ ÿÊàSÿ ‚„U ∑§ÊÃ⁄UáÊH (Våmana Puråƒa LXI. 73-74)

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Lord Vi¶ƒu said, ìFine O dear Mura! very fine. I, myself, want to fight with someone but why does your heart-beat and waver so fast like a man caught by fever? I canít fight with any timid person.î Getting indignant at this, the giant king retorted, ëwhat a nonsense talk do you make? Your eyes do not work well.î The Lord Vi¶ƒu deluding him said, ìIf you donít believe in my words, you may testify the veracity of my statement yourself putting your hands on the heartî. Poor fellow Mura placed his hands on his own heart and lost his life. Lord Vi¶ƒu cut his head off by Sudar‹ana Cakra.

ßàÿfl◊ÈÄÃÊ ◊œÈ‚ŒÍ ŸŸ ◊ÈL§SÃŒÊ Sfl NUŒÿ Sfl„USÃ◊˜– ∑§Õ¢ Äfl ∑§SÿÁà ◊È„UÈSÃÕÊÄàflÊ ÁŸ¬ÊÃÿÊ◊Ê‚ Áfl¬ãŸ’ÈÁh—H (Våmana Puråƒa LXI. 75) So, the panic of Muråsura came to an end. Without shedding a single drop of blood. Happy gods rejoiced. Lord ëMadhusµudana became Muråri also. May Lord Muråri save us from all the baffling situations of life.

üÊË∑ΧcáÊ ÁflcáÊÊ „U⁄U ◊È⁄UÊ⁄U „U ŸÊÕ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ flÊ‚ÈŒfl– Á¡uÔU Á¬’SflÊ◊ÎÃ◊ÃŒfl ªÊÁfl㌠ŒÊ◊ÊŒ⁄U ◊ÊœflÁÃH ❑❑

It is not enough merely to take the name of the Lord absent-mindedly. What is necessary is that when we say, "My God," we mean it, and we feel His presenceówe actually realize that He is just behind the curtain of darkness of our closed eyes. He is the mysterious Power that keeps our hearts beating, the Power that converts the food we eat into energy that sustains our bodies, the Power that enables us to feel and know and love. óSri Daya Mata

Devoteeís Sincere Supplication ∑’„È°U ∑Χ¬Ê ∑§Á⁄U ⁄UÉÊÈ’Ë⁄U! ◊Ê„UÍ ÁøÃÒ„UÊ! ÷‹Ê-’È⁄UÊ ¡Ÿ •Ê¬ŸÊ, Á¡ÿ ¡ÊÁŸ ŒÿÊÁŸÁœÔ! •flªÈŸ •Á◊à Á’ÃÒ„UÊH 1H ¡Ÿ◊-¡Ÿ◊ „UÊÒ¥ ◊Ÿ Á¡àÿÊ, •’ ◊ÊÁ„U Á¡ÃÒ„UÊ! „UÊÒ¥ ‚ŸÊÕ uÔÒU„UÊÒ ‚„UË, ÃÈ◊„ÍU •ŸÊÕ¬ÁÃ, ¡Ê ‹ÉÊÈÃÁ„U Ÿ Á÷ÃÒ„UÊH 2H Á’Ÿÿ ∑§⁄UÊÒ¥ •¬÷ÿ„ÈU Ã¥, ÃÈê„U ¬⁄U◊ Á„UÃÒ „UÊ– ÃÈ‹Á‚ŒÊ‚ ∑§Ê‚Ê¥ ∑§„ÒU, ÃÈ◊„UË ‚’ ◊⁄U, ¬˝÷-È ªÈL§, ◊ÊÃÈ-Á¬ÃÒ „UÊH  3H (Vinaya-Patrikå 270) Just cast a benign glance at me, O My Lord! It matters little whether I am good or bad For líve been Your faithful follower, indeed. Taking into consideration these viewpoints, Would You generously overlook my faults? In my myriad births preceding the present, I was ever suppressed by my fickle heart. This time would You help me in subduing it? If You do not take a fright at my meanness, I would luckily have a master of Your status. And You would be called a supporter of orphans. Owing to my apprehension, I beseech You as under. In reality, You have been my sole well-wisher. As Youíre my Guru, God, parents in all respects, To whom should I, Tulas∂, go to tell my distress? óTranslated by R. S. Sengar ❑❑

The Place of Bharata in Råmåyaƒa as an Idealist óP. S. Ramanathan

The greatest challenge for the truly virtuous is to cope with the tight spot when their very integrity becomes suspect. It is very difficult to face such a situation when one is pure and true at heart and yet becomes an object of censure and blame. Among the characters in Råmåyaƒa, Bharata, the embodiment of virtue, faced such a humiliating experience on his return to a grief stricken Ayodhya. His plight was fraught with an extraordinary twist that was most painful, even as it was most expected. Bharata became a victim of developments over which he had no hold. The irony was that he was falsely held responsible for the banishment of his beloved brother, Råma and of the demise of his dear father in the absence of his brother. What added to his anguish was that he was saddled with the burden of kingship without his wanting and working for it. On the one hand was his mother Kaikey∂ offering a kingdom that she had manoeuvred from the rightful heir apparent to the throne, Råma and on the other hand was the rest of the world against him with charges of coveting his own brotherís kingdom. If he was angered at his mother who had caused such an embarrassment, he was more hurt by the momentary sarcasm and doubt in Kausalyåís speeches. A broken-hearted Bharata vowed that he would incur the worse of punishment for the worst deeds, if Kausalyå suspected his intentions. Kausalyå regained her composure

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after recalling Råmaís precise assessment of the noble Bharata contrite and ashamed at her misjudgement of such a righteous soul, who stood unfaulted by any standards, she reassured him. Bharata who remained unwavering about accepting the kingdom pledged to bring back Råma to Ayodhya at any cost. Råma had relinquished his kingdom and betaken himself to the forest. When the kingdom, promised as a boon to Kaikey∂ by Da‹aratha for her son, came into his hands, Bharata surrendered to his elder brother, Råma in an extraordinary way. Bharata accompanied by the subjects of the kingdom, the ministers, the elders, the queens and the whole retinue went to the Bharadvåja Å‹rama, where Råma stayed with Lak¶maƒa And S∂tå. During his visit he persuaded Råma to return to Ayodhya to take the kingdom. He tried his best to convince Råma to yield to his wishes. He pleaded with Råma for its on irrefutable grounds. He said, Råma was pre-eminently fitted to wear the crown. He put forth these vital questions before Råma, for consideration. He emphasised the unbroken tradition of the eldest of the sons succeeding to the throne in the Ik¶våku family. He expressed his unwillingness and his annoyance at the success of the improper proceedings of his mother, without being foiled while he wished no profit at all, under any circumstances, thereby. And lastly he pointed out to Råma, the unanimous desire of the subjects, for Råma to return and assume the kingship of Ayodhya. He implored for Råmaís word on it for making the kingdom left by Da‹aratha secure and the subjects happy. The kingdom fell back to Råma a second time, now. He stood faithful to his father and refused the offer, once again. For Råma it was not a matter of succession. To him the great thing was to save the honour of their father, to

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redeem his solemn promise and ensure his passage to heaven. He should vindicate the honour of his father. This he fell could be fulfilled only by carrying out his fatherís command of staying away in the forest without choosing to be the king of Ayodhya. Bharata was steadfast in getting Råma crowned as the king of Ayodhya. Råma was equally resolute in carrying out the wishes of his father. Vasi¶¢ha who was then a witness to the scene came to their rescue. He suggested a solution which met the conflicting views of the brothers. He counselled Bharata to get the sandals of Råma from him and get them installed in his place to represent Råma, as the titular king while Bharata can discharge the regal duties for him, as his deputy or regent during his absence. This wise counsel prevailed. This is how Vålm∂ki puts itó

∞ÃŒ˜ ⁄UÊÖÿ¢ ◊◊ ÷˝ÊòÊÊ ŒûÊ¢ ‚¢ãÿÊ‚◊ÈûÊ◊◊˜– ÿÊªˇÊ◊fl„UìÊ◊ ¬ÊŒÈ∑§ „U◊÷ÍÁ·ÃH (V. R. II. 115. 14) Råma is still the king. He has only deposited the kingdom with me as trust. He is the king. Råma placed his feet on the sandals and gave it, his powers. Bharata reverentially took them on his head and carried them home. He installed them at Nandigram, regarding them as his elder brother, Råma. The moral authority and inspiration he got from them enabled Bharata to rule the kingdom for fourteen years during the absence of Råma. The Pådukå regime earned the glorious tribute of Bhavabhµuti in his Pådukå Sahasram of Uttara Råmacarita. On his return to Ayodhya, after the conquest of Lanka, Råma sent Hanumån in advance to feel how the mind of Bharata tends after the fourteen years of his exile. He wanted to know the relative stand so that Råma could

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regulate his behaviour. ìIf Bharata had grown attached to the kingdom during the years, let him fill the throne and rule the earth. It is natural and if he desires to continue to hold the reins of the kingdom, I shall not stand in the way, let me go back to DaƒŒakåraƒyaî thought Råma to himself and gave expression to it. These words of Råma is a proof of the intense love of the brothers for each otheróa proof of ideal brotherliness. In exactly the same way, when Råma returned after his great triumph of Lanka, Bharata offered his kingdom to Råma, as he did before. His words are now more impressive and undeniable invitation for Råma to take over the kingdom. Bharata was the scion of the race of Raghu. He was a character of unrivalled purity and sublime selflessness. J¤åna and Bhakti will grow by a contemplation of the Personality of Bharata. The story of Bharata uplifts the hearts and gives us a glimpse of the heights of which human nature can rise, When cleansed by love and devotion. The episode is one among the masterpieces of world literature. Bharata has set us an example for purity of life and devotion as idealism to be held high in life. ❑❑

To translate the precepts contained in the books of the sages and saints into action is to have your afflicted body soothed, to have your bruised soul healed, and to save yourself from all kinds of ills of life which are due to ignorance. Spiritual books act as consoling companions under all vexing circumstances, as ideal teachers in all difficulties, as guiding lights in the nights of nescience and folly, as panacea for evils and as shapers of destiny. óSwami Sivananda

Self-Surrender óLaljiram Shukla

߸‡fl⁄U— ‚fl¸÷ÍÃÊŸÊ¢ NUg‡Ê˘¡È¸Ÿ ÁÃc∆UÁÖ ÷˝Ê◊ÿã‚fl¸÷ÍÃÊÁŸ ÿãòÊÊM§…UÊÁŸ ◊ÊÿÿÊH Ã◊fl ‡Ê⁄UáÊ¢ ªë¿U ‚fl¸÷ÊflŸ ÷Ê⁄UÖ Ãà¬˝‚ÊŒÊà¬⁄UÊ¢ ‡ÊÊÁãâ SÕÊŸ¢ ¬˝ÊåSÿÁ‚ ‡ÊÊEÃ◊˜H (G∂tå XVIII. 61-62) ìO Arjuna, the Lord dwells as the inherent self in the hearts of all beings, who are mounted on the wheel of this body, causing them by his enrapturing power to revolve according to their deeds. O Bhårata, seek refuge in Him alone wholeheartedly. By His grace you will obtain supreme peace and the eternal abode.î So long as man goes on asserting his vain egotism, he can never be happy. As the intelligence of a man grows, his consciousness of power also grows. But at the same time he becomes painfully aware of the limitation of that power. Thus intelligence makes a man aware of his own greatness, makes him also aware of his limitations. The consciousness of his limitations brings him more pain than the joy he gets by an awareness of his powers. Hence it is that genius suffers from pain most. Happiness can never exist along with perpetual want. The egotistic self can never be happy. The assertion of oneís individuality is at the same time a negation of our relationship with the Cosmic Life. Through such assertion we ignore that we are merely a tool in the Divine Hand. We can be happy only in so far as we act according to the nature of our true beingóthat is in so far as we surrender ourselves to the will of God.

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The egotist individual, one who does not believe in Divine Dispensation suffers from a thousand phobias. Recently the writer met an individual suffering from the obsession that he was going shortly to be hanged. The man was otherwise quite sane. He wanted to get rid of the fixation. But the greater the effort he made to be free from it, more strong did the fixation become. He was all the time worried with the painful thought; it haunted him everywhere like an evil genius. One can be free from the evil genius itself but who can free himself from his own evil thoughts! There was no way out. He was so miserable due to the oppressing thought that he wanted to commit suicide. This is an abnormal case. But most of us who are called normal do suffer from obsessions that oppress us all the time of our life. It is true that they leave us at times, but others take their place at once. We differ in this respect from the lunatics only in the degree of our abnormality and not in kind. The wisest among us seem to be caught in the mesh somehow. Are we not often oppressed by the thought that some evil is going to befall us, though as a matter of fact the evil may never come? We are afraid beyond measure of our own failures, of criticisms of our conduct by others, of misfortunes and what not. At times we become introspective and see the folly of our own thinking. After all the failures, the criticisms, and the misfortunes may never come. But by dwelling on such negative thoughts we make our mind so weak that we find ourselves helpless in getting rid of the oppressing worries. It is only Nature that cures us of our worries by bringing about a change in the environment and thus creating distractions to relieve us of our fixations. But the relief is only temporary. The mind is not made strong and we are relieved of one trouble only to get into another. Often we invite actual misfortunes by dwelling on them.

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Thoughts actualize themselves into objective events if they are allowed to stay for long. Many a failure of life would not come had we not thought of failures. But after all it is not the failures themselves that are so depressing as the thoughts of failure. The real pain of death lies in the thought of death. The remedy to get rid of such a diseased state of mind lies in believing in the Eternal Mother and leaving oneself like a child to her care. God is in heaven, And all is right with the world. When we rely on our power for our success, anxiety comes. For the power, that really makes an individual succeed, is the power of God. In the Kenopani¶ad, the story of the various gods, Wind, Fire and Water, disputing among themselves as to who is the greatest, brings home beautifully the lesson of the impotence of the individual. All energy, all vitality comes from the One Source, and as long as we keep ourselves connected with that source, so long we are strong. There is no power in any individual but that of God; there is no beauty in any creation but that of Him. These days psychic disorders are increasing. It is one of the chief characteristics of the present civilization that there is a larger number of mentally unhealthy persons in society, today than they were ever before. The civilization has increased the demands of life, raised our standards of living. Our aspirations have been bloated. But the corresponding supply is not forthcoming. For one mouth that grabs the dainties of the world, there are twenty that go without having the ordinary morsel. For one cleanly dressed gentleman riding a motor, there are a hundred covered with dust, and an equally large number working in smoky or dark dungeons. The latter have souls as living as the former have; when the

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former are enjoying the excellences of life, the latter are feeling its pinchesñwhich become all the more painful because of the airs that the former put on. It is natural that those who go in the cars should remain as unhappy as those who have to bear the dust raised by them. When there is a disturbance in the psychic atmosphere, it is bound to affect everyone. What is it all due to? This is due to manís being lost in matter. The joys of the flesh are all that we know of. Materialism today is grounding down humanity. The rich are lost in their wealth; the poor in their misery. Neither are happy. While the poor suffer from physical pain, the rich suffer from the mental pain. The intelligent men of the world, those in power, have deprived the poor masses of their only consolation in lifeónamely religion. Now there is nothing to ease the emotional tension. It must naturally result in general mental instability and derangement. This mental derangement is bringing about social disorder also. Humanity is unhappy; the slave nations are unhappy because of their exploiters, the exploiters are unhappy because of mutual jealousy. The so-called wise men of the world want to bring about peace. They call conferences and make pacts. A host of propagandists go out to preach the values of peace. But how can there be peace without when there is no peace within? And obviously there can be no peace within when we have lost our souls. The burden of materialism must be removed before humanity can have peace,. Not sham preaching of ìGood Willî will do this, but actual sacrifice in the service of the Lord. He alone will be saved who loses himself in Him. The present mental unrest is the symptom of a disease that is very deep-rooted. In our pride, we have forgotten the Great Life from which we emerge, in which we remain, to which we all go. We have tried to disconnect ourselves

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from the Source of life. How then can we live? It is committing suicide. The lesson that was taught by ›r∂ K涃a several thousand years ago is the lesson of eternal life, of eternal joy. The same lesson has been repeated by other prophets and sages again and again in this land and in other lands. And the lesson isóthe Ego is nothing, the Lord is everything. This is what in substance the Buddha said, this is what Jesus said, this is what Spinoza saidóin fact, the saints and sages of all times said the same thing. They allowed the flesh to be crucified in order that the soul may be savedóthey gave up their all to gain the love of God. ❑❑

The Crest-Fallen óAmolak Ram

Goswåm∂ Tulas∂dåsa, in quartet 228 (8) of Ayodhyå K僌a, says: “¡ª ’ÊÒ⁄UÊß ⁄UÊ¡ ¬ŒÈ ¬Ê∞°” i.e., status and power make everyone mad. The context in which it was said proved to be unreal. Lord Råma declared in unambiguous words that Bharata would not become conceited even if he is elevated to the stature of Brahmå, Vi¶ƒu or Mahe‹a. The truth and universality of Goswåm∂ís maxim cannot however, be denied or undervalued. It was a time when Twa¶¢å, superior among the gods, was Prajåpati. He had a son named Tri‹irå, who was a knower of Vedas and was always engaged in Tapa¶yå. Indra became apprehensive that Tri‹irå may attain Indrahood by virtue of his vigorous penance and replace him. He first sent some Apsarås to swerve Tri‹irå but when they failed, Indra killed him. Indra had no reason to kill Tri‹irå. Prajåpati Twa¶¢å was furious and he created a demon named Vætråsura to avenge himself of the death of Tri‹irå. There was a fierce battle between Indra and Vætråsura and

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Indra left the field. Later, with the help of Lord Vi¶ƒu he killed Vætråsura also by taking recourse to deceit. The death of Tri‹irå and Vætråsura brought ignominy and the stigma of Brahmahatyå to Indra. In fear, he fled away and hid himself in the water of Månasarovara. The absence of Indra brought in trail lots of miseries. There were no rains, no water in the ponds and rivers, and consequently no agriculture. All round there were famines and epidemics. The §R¶is and other pious people felt anguish and thought of installing someone else as Indra. They scanned the universe and ultimately their search ended when they noticed King Nahu¶a. He ruled the earth at that time. He looked after his people in accordance with the edicts of Dharma and had already completed more than a hundred A‹wamedha Yaj¤as. The §R¶is found him suitable and installed him on the throne of Indra. The miseries ended and prosperity and mirth were abundant again. After becoming Indra Nahu¶a gradually forgot ethics and gave himself to a life of lust and licence. One day his eyes fell on ›ac∂, the Indråƒ∂ and he was excited by her youth and beauty. Claiming himself to be the master of the three worlds and king of gods, he ordered his counsels to bring ›ac∂ to his palace. The news reached ›ac∂ also and she was badly terrified and shaken. She went to Guru Bæhaspati for protection who assured her that Nahu¶a would never be able to touch her. Nahu¶a was enraged when he came to know that Guru Bæhaspati was hindering and frustrating his efforts to make ›ac∂ his consort. The gods made frantic efforts to convince Nahu¶a that such an act would be tantamount to Adharma. They entreated him to forbear his anger and devote himself to the care of his subjects in terms of the injunctions of Dharma but all their pleadings failed. When the gods realised that power, passion

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and lust had made Nahu¶a mad and blind, they went to Guru Bæhaspati and pleaded in favour of Nahu¶a. They requested Bæhaspati that ›ac∂ be given to Nahu¶a but there was a firm ìNoî from the Guru. Then they assured ›ac∂ that Nahu¶a would not be successful in his nefarious plan. ›ac∂ hesitatingly agreed. Nahu¶a was overwhelmed to see ›ac∂ within his reach. ›ac∂ however, told Nahu¶a that he may allow her some time. If by the end of that period, she was not able to locate Indra, she would be at his service. Nahu¶a agreed. ›ac∂ was successful in locating Indra with the grace of goddess Upa‹rut∂. Indra, however, told ›ac∂ that he was powerless at that time and therefore, she should protect herself by using some stratagem. ›ac∂ made a plan. She went to Nahu¶a and admitted that Indra could not be located. She however laid on condition to be fulfilled by Nahu¶a before he could be her master. She desired that Nahu¶a should come to her in a novel-vehicle which heretofore, had not been used by anyone. She suggested that §R¶is should bring him on their shoulders. Nahu¶a agreed to make §R¶is and Brahmar¶is his carriers. The §R¶is and Brahmar¶is were put under yoke and the carriage moved on. Nahu¶a was afire with passion and wanted to reach ›ac∂ in no time. He was aggressive angry and abusive over the slow gait of the §R¶iís. In fury and indignation, he kicked §R¶i Agastya on the head. The §R¶i, who never knew what anger was felt humiliated. In utter disgust he cursed Nahu¶a that he may fall from Indrahood and be a python for ten thousand years on the earth. So he fell. The story teaches us to be on guard against our burning passion and unbridled sense-organ or else. We are due for a fall to unfathomable depth of hell. ❑❑

Lord ›iva as Dak¶iƒåmµurti óRukmini Ramamurthy

Lord ›iva is extolled as a great Yog∂, a master of music, arts, and all sciences. He is the teacher of Åtmaj¤ånam which liberates the J∂va from the bondage of Sa≈såra. As a teacher, ›iva is known as ëDak¶iƒåmµurti.í There are some etymological significances behind his name. ëDak¶iƒåbhimukhå mµurtiryasya sa dak¶iƒåmµurti¨ó this means as Dak¶iƒåmµurti, Lord ›ivaís form faces South. Lord ›iva is seated facing South as He imparts J¤ånam to §R¶is. In the ›åstras, South stands for death while the North stands for liberation. The seeker of Åtmavidyå appropriately approaches the North in search of liberation as he faces the GuruóDak¶iƒåmµurti. Another derivation of the word Dak¶iƒåmµurti is ëdak¶iƒa‹ca asau amµurti‹ca.í ëDak¶inaí here means ëdexterous, capable. This aspect of the Lord is evident in every detail of this universe which has been so intelligently and efficiently engineered. At same time, the Lord is Amµurti of formless in His essential nature. This Mµurti of figure of the Lord represents omniscience. This aspect of the Lord is always invoked by students of all arts and sciences and especially by students of spiritual knowledge. This Mµurti radiates peacefulness and quietitude that is needed for a student, whatever be his pursuit. Dak¶iƒåmµurti is represented in four aspectsónamelyó as a teacher of Yoga (Yoga-Dak¶iƒåmµurti), of V∂ƒå and music (V∂ƒådhara-Dak¶iƒåmµurti), of J¤åna, (J¤ånaDak¶iƒåmµurti) and of other ›åstras (Vyåkhyåna-

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Dak¶iƒåmµurti). Of these, the last form is most commonly represented in most temples. The niche on the outer face of the southern wall of the sanctum sanctorum usually has the figure of Dak¶iƒåmµurti enshrined in it. Lord Dak¶iƒåmµurti is generally shown seated under a banyan tree on a stone which is covered with a tigerís skin. He is seated in V∂råsana with the left leg resting on the back of the Apasmåra Puru¶a who is a personification of the ignorance of living beings. Lord ›iva dispels this ignorance and grants knowledge to the seeker. This Mµurti generally has four arms. The two upper hands hold the Ak¶amålå or Damarµu and fire or as in some rare cases a snake. The lower hands are generally shown in J¤ånamudrå (symbolizing the Lord as a teacher) and VaradaMudrå in the attitude of blessing). On rare occasions, the Varada-Mudrå is replaced by the DaƒŒa-Mudrå (the hand resting on a stick). His head is adorned with Ja¢åbhåra, the Ja¢ås being held together by a Pa¢¢a Bandha. The head is adorned with Durdhura flowers, the sun, the moon and the smiling face of Ga∆gå. His complexion is generally white. In some instances, He is also portrayed as red, yellow or black. His person is adorned with all ornaments and he wears a white garment and Yaj¤opav∂ta. Further, a tigerís skin adorns his hips. He wears ›a∆khapatras or KuƒŒalas in his ears. His chest is adorned with sandal paste, Rudråk¶aMålås and snakes. His sight is fixed on the tip of the nose. The very form of Dak¶iƒåmµurti represents the entire cosmos. The Mµurti is called A¶¢amµurtibhætóthe Lord of eightfold Factors. Those are the five elements, the sun which represents all luminous bodies in the sky, the moon which stands for satellites and planets and the J∂vaóthe observer. The œamarµu stands for space since it encloses space and creates soundóthe quality of space. The Pa¢¢a

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Bandha or hair band represents wind. The fire he holds, represents Agni or fire principle. The head with Ga∆gå represents water, the idol is made of stone or bronze which stand for the earth principle. There are five elements. Two other factorsóthe sun and moon adorn the lordís head. The eighth Mµurti is the J∂va represented by the disciples sculpted at the base. The number and identity of the disciples vary from one sculpture to another. Generally, there are four disciplesóSanaka, Sanandana, Sanåtana and Sanatsujåta. There are other variations too. These sages received the wisdom from the lord and through long, unbroken chains of Guru- ›i¶ya tradition, this wisdom had come down to us. The other forms of Dak¶iƒåmµurtiónamelyóJ¤åna Dak¶iƒåmµurti, V∂ƒådhara Dak¶iƒåmµurti and Yoga Dak¶iƒåmµurti are more sparsely represented. These forms have many variations. Dak¶iƒåmµurti is very youthful and strikingly handsome. There are some excellent stone sculptures of the various forms of Dak¶iƒåmµurti in Deogarh, Avur, Sucindram, Kaveripakkam, Tiruvengavasal, Kanchipuram and Nanjangodu. Down the centuries Bhagavån Dak¶iƒåmµurti has bestowed J¤åna of all formsóand principally spiritual knowledge to all aspirants. His grace when invoked, never fails. It flows like the perennial Ga∆gå.

fl≈UÁfl≈UÁ¬‚◊ˬ ÷ÍÁ◊÷ʪ ÁŸ·ááÊ¢ ‚∑§‹◊ÈÁŸ¡ŸÊŸÊ¢ ôÊÊŸŒÊÃÊ⁄U◊Ê⁄UÊØ– ÁòÊ÷ÈflŸªÈL§◊ˇʢ ŒÁˇÊáÊÊ◊ÍÁøŒfl¢ ¡ŸŸ◊⁄Uáʌȗπë¿UŒŒˇÊ¢ Ÿ◊ÊÁ◊H I pay my obeisance to Dak¶iƒåmµurti who takes his seat on the ground near the banyan tree, who bestows knowledge on all the Munis, who is the only preceptor of all the worlds, who is the Super Controller of the universe and who is apt at destroying the troubles of birth and death. ❑❑

Påta¤jala Yoga-Sµutras (An Exposition) óN. S. Pandya

Påta¤jala Yoga-Sµutras expound (present and explain) in a well-planned manner the mysteries of manís involvement in worldly life. The adept, the learner, is guided step after step into the ecstasies of achievements culminating in the liberation of the soul from clutches of MåyåóIllusion. It is a self-help affair in which man has to learn and practise the technique of Yoga with humility and devotion. The absolute, the supreme spirit is consciousnessó Caitanya. Ådi-›akti, prime energy is the motive power behind creation. Eternal motion in the higher echelons of existence carries this prime energy. Creative, super-sensitive energy pervades space as ëÅkå‹aí which is a subtle form of prime manifestation, the vehicle of life and energy. The individual soul is a microcosm, a miniature of macrocosm, the whole of the complex structure of the Universe. Yoga is the science of leading the individual soul, the microcosm, by awakening power in its own self by drawing it from the depths of its being. As if responding to the age-old call to wake up, the soul emerges into the spiritual dawn of beatitudeó Ånanda. Through ages past developed a number of methods claiming liberation under the title Yoga. They are: 1. Karma Yogaó Path of action. 2. J¤åna Yogaó Path of Knowledge. 3. Bhakti Yogaó Path of devotion.

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4. Mantra YogaóLiberation through chanting and incantation. 5. Laya Yogaó Exercises to make the ego weak and merge with the Infinite. 6. Ha¢ha YogaóPostures and breathing exercises... 7. Råja YogaóYoga put forth by Pata¤jali. Ha¢ha Yoga has just been touched upon by Pata¤jali. The worldly soul is a projection of universal soul in the human being. As the soul acquires a human body and awakens in this world, it is enveloped by MåyåóIllusion with its dual powers of Åvaraƒa, power of veiling and Vik¶epa, power of creating something that appears real but is not in fact soóa mirage. Befuddled by Måyå, the soul becomes egotist, assumes self-importance, becomes conceited and arrogates for itself the dominance of a petty kingdom in the mortal body. The human body is described as a mega-city with eight districts: 1. Five organs of perceptionóeye, ear, nose, tongue and skin. 2. Five organs of actionóhand, foot, larynx, genitals and excretary organs. 3. Five PråƒasóVital life forces: Pråƒa, Apåna, Vyµåna, Udåna and Samana. 4. Anta¨karaƒaóManas (mind), Buddhi (intellect), Citta (thinking, reflecting-function) and Aha≈kåra (egotism). 5. Five MahåbhµutasóPæthv∂ (eartha), Åpas (water), Agni-Tejas (fire), Våyu (air) and Åkå‹a (the principle of conscious pervasion). 6. KåmaóDesire, covetousness, craving. 7. VåsanåóThe energy of unfulfilled desires impressed on subconscious memory. 8. KarmaóThe principle of balance and compensation.

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The soul usurps power over these functionaries and rules in an autocratic manner, in this world of ëNåmaí name and ëRµupaí form. Yoga-Sµutras are presented in four ëPådasí-sections a quarter of the whole from. Påda IóSamådhi PådaóProfound Concentration : Samådhi is steady, unwavering concentration. Mind is completely assimilated in the object of contemplation; the principles of materiality and intellectuality are fused at the root-level of existence. A synthesis beyond the conceptual capacity of human mind, the synthesis of cause and effect has taken place. In common parlance, modification of mind has taken place. It has become the conduit of exchange energy between the phenomenal and noumenal in a state of dynamic equilibrium. The mind itself undergoes change, it gets rarefied to a state beyond common understanding and its individuality expands to the limits of space, from personal being to universal being. ❑❑

This Bhakti, or love of God, of the G∂tå is unique.The God of this Bhakti is not far away, is not extra-cosmic, but is nearest to every human being as one's own Infinite Self, as the Antaryåm∂, or the Self regulating from within, as the Antaråtman, or the inner Self. Thus It is meant for all. You can meditate on Him as that Infinite Personal God of love and live your daily life in the context of that Truth within. You can follow any path to realize Him according to your inclination; the Sanåtana Dharma gives that freedom to every seeker. óSwami Ranganathananda

Twenty Important Spiritual Instructions óSwami Sivananda Saraswati

1. Get up at 4 A. M. daily. This is Bråhmamuhµurta (the Divine Hour) which is extremely favourable for meditation on God. 2. Åsanaó Sit on Padma, Siddha or Sukha Åsana for Japa and meditation for half an hour, facing East or North. Increase the period gradually to three hours. Do ›ir¶åsana and Sarvå∆gåsana for Brahmacarya and health. Take light physical exercise as walking, etc., regularly. Do twenty Pråƒåyåmas. 3. Japaó Repeat any Mantra as pure O≈ or O≈ namo nåråyaƒåya, O≈ nama¨ ‹ivåya, O≈ namo bhagavate våsudevåya, O≈ ‹aravanabhavåya nama¨, S∂tå Råma, ›r∂ Råma, Hari O≈, or Gåyatr∂ according to your taste or inclination from 108 to 21, 600 times daily (200 Målås X 108 make 21,600). 4. Dietary DisciplineóTake Såttwic food (›uddha Åhåra). Give up chillies, tamarind, garlic, onion, sour articles, oil, mustard, asafoetida. Observe moderation in diet (Mitåhåra). Do not overload the stomach. Give up those things which the mind likes best for a fortnight in a year. Eat simple food. Milk and fruits help concentration. Take food as medicine to keep the life going. Eating for enjoyment is sin. Give up salt and sugar for a month. You must be able to live on rice, Dåla and bread without any Ca¢an∂. Donít ask for extra salt for Dåla and sugar for tea, coffee or milk. 5. Have a separate meditation room under lock and key.

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6. CharityóDo charity regularly every month or even daily according to your means or one anna per rupee. 7. SwådhyåyaóStudy systematically G∂tå, Råmåyaƒa, Bhågavata, Vi¶ƒu-Sahasranåma, Lalitå-Sahasranåma, AdityaHædaya, Upani¶ads or Yoga Våsi¶¢ha from half an hour to one hour daily and have ›uddha Vicåra. 8. Preserve the vital force ëV∂ryaí very very carefully. V∂rya is God (in motion or manifestation, Vibhµuti). V∂rya is all power. V∂rya is all money. V∂rya is the essence of life, thought and intelligence. 9. Get by heart some prayer in ›lokas or Stotra and repeat them as soon as you sit on the Åsana before starting Japa or meditation. This will elevate the mind quickly. 10. Give up bad company (have constant Satsa∆ga), smoking, meat, and alcoholic liquors entirely. Do not develop any evil habits. 11. Fast on Ekåda‹∂ or live on milk and fruits only. 12. Have a Japa Målå (rosary) in your neck or pocket or underneath your pillow at night. 13. Observe Mauna (vow of silence) for a couple of hours daily. 14. Discipline of SpeechóSpeak truth at any cost. Speak little, speak sweet (Mådhurya-Bhå¶aƒa). 15. Reduce your wants. If you have four shirts, reduce the number to three or two, lead a happy, contented life. Avoid unnecessary worry. Have simple living and high thinking. 16. Never hurt anybody (Ahi≈så paramo dharma¨). Control anger by love, K¶amå (forgiveness) and Dayå (compassion). 17. Do not depend upon servants. Self-reliance is the highest of all virtues. 18. Think of the mistakes you have committed during

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the course of the day just before retiring to bed (selfanalysis). Keep daily diary and self-correction register as Benjamin Franklin did. Donít brood over the past mistakes. 19. Remember that death is awaiting you at every moment. Never fail to fulfil your duties. Have pure conduct (Sadåcåra). 20. Think of God as soon as you wake up and just before you go to sleep. Surrender yourself completely to God (›araƒågati). This is the essence of all spiritual Sådhanås. This will lead to Mok¶a. All these Niyamas or spiritual canons must be rigidly observed. You must not give leniency to the mind. O≈ ›ånti! ›ånti!! ›ånti!!! ❑❑

There are so many detrimental habits that hold you back. Anytime you are compelled against your will to do something evil or harmful, remember, you are in one of the mental ruts of mortal delusion. How to get out of them? Analyze yourself. Introspect to see if you have progressed in any undertaking that you have set your mind upon. Ask yourself in what ways you are in ruts. Practise this review at least once a week, keeping a mental diary. The best way to see yourself is to look through the eyes of conscience: "Have I become more peaceful? Have I become more understanding? Have I become more tolerant? Have I become more loving toward others?" Your friends and relatives may pigeon-hole you, saying that you are such-and-so kind of person and always will be. But do not believe them. You can be anything you want to be. You will be surprised to see how life can be changed for the better if you develop the will-to-accomplish attitude. óParamahansa Yogananda