Akhand Jyoti by Gayatri Gyan Mandir

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Exhibition

Dev manch and Yagyashala (The llf,ain Altar)

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Volume - 9

FOUNDER - PATRONS

Annual SubscriPtion

Issue - 6

Paru)it Shiram Sharmn AcharYa Mata Bhagutati Deoi Shanna

India: Rs.90.00

November-December Date

Abroad: Rs. 1000.00

of Publication: 16.11. 2011

CHIEFEDITOR Dr. Pranao PandYa

Refnement Of Humon Nature ls CeftoinlY Possible other (as if A feeling of togetherness and a sense of being close and connected to each

about and help each belonging to the same family) naturally induces individuals to think yearning to transform the other in every possible way. These days, my mind is passionately that anyone who happens personalities of all my spiritual kith and kin in such a glorious way that the Yug Nirman to see their transformation will really get amazed and also get convinced future for all) is not Yojana (i.e. Gayatri Pariwar's mega-plan of creating a new era of bright which is neither difficult a flight of fancy but a very simple and totally workable method, nor impossible to adopt and apply on collective basis'

is rigidly set right There is a widespread popular belief that the nature of every individual wrong' I from birth and cannot be changed or moulded afterwards. I wish to prove this wish to transform the nature of my kith and kin. I have started that process of exffaordinary science is transformation in my spiritual laboratory - Gayatri Teerth, Shantikunj. Physical knowledge bringing about so many amazingtransformations in the material world. spiritual in man's inner and its application too can certainly bring about promising transformation

world, i.e. his nature! - Pt. Shriram Shanna Acharya

learnt the true art of Akhand Jyoti

tlovember-December 2011

01. Amrit Chintan Refinementof human nature is certainly possible

From Chief Editor's Desk: Apowerfultoolforthoughtrevolution

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03.

ThcHingunhealttrylifestyle

04.

Scicnce and Soiritualitv Omnipotentroleof soundintheuniverse This world is full of beauty andjoy

06.

Thlks on the Gita - 23 ContemplationofGod'smanifestations- |

07. 08.

Odtsset of the Enlightened Call from the Himalayas - 3 -

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22 -- 22

Youth Column Youth is the spring of life

(D.

10.

11.

On Women's Empowerment

Women's role in the creation of New

Era---------

Yoga Therapl - 23 Yogic freatment of irregular menstrual

cycles

Amril

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Van

Resolutions and disciplines associated with the sacred thread -Z -------------:----------------- 3g

12. An Etemal Message of Puila Gurudev to Parijans Potential Hurdles in Our YagyaCampaign-

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is trulv a brave Akhand Jyoti

t'tovember-December 2011

4,Er

APowelfulTool For Thought Revolmion to If we can make positive use of communications network that we have today, ttten in addition tool for Thought sharing information and thoughts, it can be used as an efficient and effective geographical Revolution. The penetration of mobile phones amongst all strata of society and in all Barelyl0 years locations is undoubtedly the biggest success of telecommunication explosion. 3 in 100 people' back, the number of people who either had a mobile or landline was less than a But now every home in cities has about 5 mobiles and in villages 9 out of 10 people Possess phone. In the same way, the network of computers and internet has also expanded tremendously'

and Tlre cyber cafes that have been opened not only in large cities but also in small urban Twitter' suburban clusters are connecting all parts of the world with each other' Through is progressing Facebook and Orkut,India is getting to meet its own new-self and the world and ever)twhere' on the path of communication revolution at a fast pace. Internet has spread its roots Tamilnadu There are many examples like e-governance, e-banking, e-chowpal, Tata kisan sansar, e-uttaranchal, mahila vikas nigam, Drushti Gyandoot, ]agruthi e-seva, Lokmitra, Janamitra,

that Lokvani, etc that have proved the usefulness of communication revolution. Statistics say internet has reduced the unnecessary travel for citizens all around the world, which has resulted in savings worth 250 crore dollars of petrol. This has also incieased the number of hours of work which amounts to economic gain of 500 crore dollars'

However, there are some ill effects of internet too. The youth are getting addicted to pornographic another sites. In this era of net, chat, set and flat, people are meeting less and less with one perverted physically. But we can attribute this misuse to man's own Perverted mind. When this thinking is cleansed and refined, then this telecommunication revolution can truly become a powerful tool for Thought RevolutionMahatma Gandhi, in whose name some social workers oppose telecommunication revolution, himself supported it. The photographers of Dandi march in 1930 made the event of Salt Satyagraha an international event. Before proceeding to Dandi, Mahatma Gandhi had taken three film technicians and few photographers along with him. They travelled behind Gandhiji's car and videoed and photographed the entire march which was later broadcasted worldwide. The picture of Mahatma walking in long strides in the dust-coverecl ground had become imprinted

in the minds of people around the world. A coward dies several times before death but the brave dies only cince.

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Akhand Jyoti

trtovember-December 2011

Be it that era or this era, if the intentions are noble, then the communication network can really become a powerful medium of bringing hearts of humanity around the globe. Recently, when

thousands of people got together in Egypt's Tahrir Square to trigger a historical revolution, there was also the marketing manager of Google Wael Ghonim among them. He had his personal Blackberry phone with him. It was with this phone that he kept posting to his Twitter account. International media broadcasted these tweets. His messages conveyed something tike this * "We have been badly beaten up by the police. We are now locked inside a gas station. We are now Proceeding towards Tahrir Square with our slogans demanding food, freedom and selfrespect." Was it possible for Ghonim's messages to reach the microblogging site without a mobile? Just like Ghonim, another person who stood out during the revolution in Egypt was Aasma Mahfouz. Aasma was so very angry with the corrupt and tyrannical government of Hosni Mubarak that she marched towards Tahrir Square one week before 25th January. But the security personnel did not allow her to stage her protest. However, the photographs of Tahrir Square clicked by a mobile reached millions of people through Facebook and Twitter. It was through these photographs that people realized that a 26-year old woman along with her friends is giving a clarion call for revolution with such courage. Before Egypt, the revolt in Tunisia also became known worldwide when the video clips and photos of the protest at Sidi Bouzid were taken using a cell phone. These clips not only found their place in social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, but also in the Al Jazeera channel. The photographs before the violence that erupted at Manama's Pearl Square in Bahrain were also taken by a mobile phone. The wave of revolution in attracting human psyche is riding high in various forms on the multiple communication media today. This has been observed in India, Egypt, Tunisia and Libya. We believe that with the right use of communication networks, we can easily spread the essence of Indian culture and Indian spiritual knowledge across the globe. If the intelligentsia focus their efforts in this direction, then the task of rejuvenating Indian spirituality is definitely possible. India and the world is definitely going to benefit by the modern communication technology. ,'---V-\ l\ri f" V 0 )" I .J'I

- Pranav Pandya "The revolution in communication media has made this world a smail village. ln yesteryears, people in different parts of the world had to use several different methods of keeping in touch with one another. The circumstances today have changed with the multi-faceted developments in the field of communications. Now, there is no reason to consider oneself superior and others inferior. A new, great, usefuland holistic culture will be created by including the selected aspects of all global cultures. -Param Pujya Gurudev pandit shriram sharma Acharya, in vangmay 2g 'sookshmeekaran evam ujjvat bhavishya ka avatarafi,, pg 2.lg-2.1g

Jealousy eats a person in the same way as the moth eats the cloth. Akhand Jyoti

trtovember-December 2011

6tr

Tockling Unheolthy

Lte*yle If we apply the thought revolution process

get rid of their medical drugs and lead a naturally

(vichar kranti) for taking care of our health, as we apply it towards Yug Nirman Yojna then a total transformation of our health is possible. We can eliminate many illnesses and experience a positive change in our body right from the day of its implementation. - Param Puiya Gurudev on'Changing Oudook Towards Diet and Lifestyle'

healthy lifestyle. It can even be characterized as

Awareness towards health is the key to a healthy life. Lately, people all around the world are beginning to discover the hidden treasures that'Indian lifestyle and culture have to offer. People who have read Indian philosophy have realized that health has a deep connection with purity of thoughts and a natural lifestyle. India has been slowly gaining prominence in the medical community for the affordability of its medical procedures and compliance with the international standards of medical care. Millions of people have visited India to receive health care. But they don't visit India merely for its low cost medical care. A large number of people visit India also to enjoy the benefits of Ayurveda, yoga and nafural treatments. Arnold Schwarzenegger was probably the only politician in the world to have wooed Californian voters by his robust physique and personality. There has been a rapid rise in health awareness

in India as well. The young and the old want to

a health revolution, with people from all walks

of life actively supporting it. There has been a proliferation of yoga and naturopathy centers all across India. These centers are contributing towards the growth of health awareness in India. One of the prominent ones is 'Vivekananda Needam', a health center in Gwalior (M.P.), which is inspired by Swami Vivekananda's philosophy and is trying to spread health awareness not only in Gwalior but all across the country. The center teaches yoga, meditation, naturopathy and spiritual lifestyle. It was founded in year 1995 and is situated in a pollution-free, tensionfree, beautiful location. Western tourists have often asked - What is the key to maintaining good health in Indian culture and philosophy? The answer is: There are two sutras (keys). The

first one is pure thought and second is pure conduct. The key to purity of thought is Gayatri Mantra: Om bhur bhuuah swah tat saaitur oarenyam bhargo deoasya dheemahi dhiyo yo nah prachodayat

Gayafri Mantra is comprised of four parts: (i) Om bhur bhuaah szpah - Paramatma (God) resides everywhere in the three realms, there

An honest person is like a sparkling diamond among thousand beads. E7 I

Akhand Jyoti

ftovember-December 2011

is no place without Him;

(ii)

tat saoitur oarenyam

-,Only He is wgrth worshipping., we, should remember Him and devote orrr""i.rui to His service; (ni) bhnrgo dnnsya dheemahi

- we should bathe in His pure effulgent spirit and assimilate His spirit in ours; and (iv) dhiyo yo nah prachodayat we should always strive to keep our thoughts and minds aligned to the righteous path.

The key to purity of conduct is mentioned in the seventeenth stanza of sixth chapter of Shreerirad Bhagvad Geeta - Yuktahar uiharasya yukta cheshtasya knrmasu I yukt saapraabodhasya yogobhauati dukhha I I

is-we should wa.tch what'we eat, how we live, how we peacefully sleep and work during our waking The simple meaning of this stanza

hours, and the motive behind our work. There should be nothing that is against our naturallives. The essence of these two sutras is that if we maintain a symbiotic relationship between our lifestyle and nature, and between our thoughts and Paramatma (Go4), then we will be healthy

Swami Vivekananda had once said

"The only

solution to our country's plaguing problems is to revolutionize righteous thinking on a grand national scale, a revolution which could shake the whole country out of its slumber and alter the course of history." This quote is not only true for India but every

nation in this world. This quote raises questions in the minds of many people: Questions such as - Who will start this revolution? Where will it start? How will it start?

The answer is - Pandit Shri Ram Sharma Acharya has already sowed the seeds of this great revolution. The revolution is being carried forward by his followers through various institutions founded by him. The torch of revolution lit by him is showing path to millions across the world. Physically he is not amongst us an5rmore but he continues to live through his teachings inspiring others to change this world. Regarding health his sutra is "The day we stop mistakiingprewilent unrei,*qined

at both physical and mental levels. Practice of

behaaior as modernity and correct our thinking that

these two sutras can revolutionize health movement in any country.

is the day the eclipse of ill-heslth

will

be oaer"

Ektah kratavah sarue sahasravardakshihah. Anyto rogbhitanam praninam pranrakshanam.

-Mahabharata 'Meaning- Rescuing the life of the ailing, who are sutfering from diseases, is greater in all proportions to even the most magnificent SahasraviddhiYagya(grand sacrificial ceremony), in which large amounts of donations are given.

Share your bread with the nee Akhand Jyoti

November-December 2011

Science and

spiritualitv

Omnipotent Role Of Sound ln The Universe The Vedic scriptures on the origin of the universe mention that the absolute existence of the Brahh is expressed and realized in the sublime vibrations of Sabda and Nada. The anahat I7l swqr (the

evolutionary impulse of cosrric sound) induced by these vibrations is said to be the generator of perpetual energy in the universe. S:"ta" - the omnipresent eternal origin of sound and Na-da - the eternal element of the selfexistent cosmic impulse of

music, immanent in the subliminal as well as the gross realms of existence and their ever-evolvrng expressrons ln infinity are referred in the scriptures as Sabda Brahtu and Nada Brahh.

Sabdaitavdda

- the

Vedic knowledge of absolute sound, describes the sublime power

source of energy and motion

existing in the universe. The

of the material world is said to have existence

originated from the cosmic impulse, the Big Bang of Sabda. [The Big-Bang theory of the modern science agrees

with this conclusion of the risftls -scientists of yorel. The non-existence or absolute end

of the world at the ultimate time - the other 'end' of the

universal cycle - is also described to be a consequence

similar

supersonic explosion. On the subliminal front, the existence of enormous activities of mind is

said to have been realized through the eternal medium of sound.

' In our day-to-day life, we ' generally come across with two types of sound - ayakta (audible) and aayakta (non-

(e.g. while thinking....) or through the language of mind are examples of the latter. Acoustic theories of modern physics have characterized these categories in terms of frequencies of the involved

'hard

sound'.

The

manifestations of the ayakta and aoyakta are relative in the physical world. The ultra and supersonic forms are aayakta to our ears, which can normally sense a sound only in the frequency-range of 20 to 20000 vibrations per sec. Similarly, the loud noise of a busy road would be nonaudible to a person who is sitting in a closed house away from the road. These examples clearly illustrate that the aoyakta sound also exists in the same 'reality' as the ztyakta one.

of the omnipresent

audible). These are defined as

Our cosmos consists of the sound waves in all frequency

(Sabda):,as an eternal,

jalp and antarjalp in the Jain

ranges

scriptures. The spoken words fall under the first category and those expressed silently

our audio sensors and even beyond the limits of our

sound limitless whole and the sole creator of' the universe. Sound is regarded here as the basic

beyond the grasp of

imagination. Each impulse of

Life is'time'; those who love life should not waste it in laziness.

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Akhand Jyoti

November:December 2011

the infinite activities of Nature

indwells in the cosmos in the form of subliminal vibrations (of Sabda) before its physical manifestation in space and time. Many animals in this world are well equipped to perceive such subtle sounds in some range. Several varieties of birds and animals are therefore able to sense the future events, especially, many of the natural calamities of tremor etc that are impossible to be recognized

by humans. Often

this 'superhuman' potential of animals and birds beats the advanced sensors of sophisticated instruments.

The sonic vibrations of each spoken or mentally thought syllable eternally exist in the

universe. Some frontline researchers of the modern science of sound hope that further advancement of science and technology would

across the universe. This power was indeed supernormal as compared to

applications of ultrasonic and infrasonic technology range

the capabilities of the modern

biomedical instruments, from brainwashing to sound

inventions like

radio,

television and radar, etc.

therapy

Mantra Vijfidna is the science of the subliminal as well as the cosmic powers of sound. The specific configuration of the syllables compiled in the mantras makes them important in terms of associated sonic effect. The enunciation of a aedic mantra in a specific composition of accent, pitch, intensity, amplitude and rhythm results in its expansion (at a pace faster than the laser beams) in the endless domain of physical energy waves and consciousness. Because of the unique property of sound to traverse (via the electromagnetic waves) anywhere in the space, the collective chanting of Vedic mantras can induce cosmic impact.

telecommunications to remote control of the spacecrafts....

one day enable recording the

voices of the sages of yore in

the omnipresent 'ocean' of ether. The Vedic science of mantras the Mantra Vijfidna, developed

by the rishis had endowed them with an exceptional faculty of communication

Significant scientific research on the demonstration and the measurement of sonic energy has been carried out in the modern age of advanced technology. This includes pioneering research in the area of ultrasonic tebhnology in the USA and Germany. The

Domestic life is like a sacred grove wheie service and tolerance have to be Akhand JyOti

from strategic weapons to

November-December 20't1

and

from

Having realized that the energy generated

the

decomposition - through japa [2] of a mantra - of the cosmic

sound (Sabd.q) would be of exponential magnitude as compared to that of the atomic

energy/ some pioneering scientists have also begun an

in-depth study of the mantra vijridna. However, the researchers of this field must note that it is the sublime effect of the mantras on the consciousness which is more important than the gross (physical) sonic effects.

Studies

in this

direction

should therefore pay greater attention on the possibilities of spiritual enlightenment of all conscious beings with the help of msntra vijfidna.

The treasure of

mystic knowledge in the Vedas is encoded in the form of mantras and chhandas (hymns).

Every mantra and chhandahas its significant importance. The

{ I j .;

Gdyaffi Mantrais honored

as . The symbolic depiction in the ' consequently effectuated

the

preeminentinthescienceof..shastrikliteratureabout,,the.existenceandmanifestationof ' the electromagnetic waves ' spirituality and the mantra seven horses of lord sun ' ' the and the basic physical vijfrdna. This adi (absolute gaining energy from ' mahadakai (the ' energies of sound' heat and origin) mantrais a compilation vibrations in light. of nine special *oid, (in I cosmic dimensions)...." -- . of generation ancient Sanskrit) formed by I imPties the the spirltualsadhanasl4lof tl:ftle twenty-four syllables. The . seven natural notes of music ' (from Nada-Yoga lead to the japa of this mnntra creates . by the 'explosion' " realizationof orhkdr andhence rhythmic pressure on the . quintessential to perceivable '' ' of the to the unfolding of the secrets nerves and also titillates the state of existence) '. This cosmic ' of Nature and deciphering of extrasensory energy centers andhat nada. time (the six chak1as) and subtle ' expression of sabda Brahrh- thehiddmmovementsof . (past and future events). (upatyitcas) that I NadaBrahrhisdescribedasthe

we{rundles

origin of the evolutionary of ' impulse that resulted in the ' During the initial stages . gror, (perceivable) and ' Nada-Yogaonehastomeditate . subliminal existence of the : uPon the internal 'sounds' ' the . perceived through closed ears said to have been realized ever-evolving Nature and ' universe' ' while sitting in an externally through the cosmic vibrations ever-exPanding ' afflatus is ' silent surrounding' Long of the eternal, sublime force This evolutionary

generate soothing effects in the siidhaka's body and mind and also affect his deep inner self. This supreme mnntrais

term dedicated practice of this I of the omnipresent supreme ulro described in the rhetoric of the scriptures ' method results in the consciousn ess (Brahma)' This ' presentation the cosmic force I exPerience of a variety of mahdmantrais referred to as as

thedivinemotherofalllhs.generatedbytheunionofthe''otherwise'non-existent '. ' sounds ranging' for instance' Vedas and hence of all iratqali and Puril;a l3l. ' from that of a whistle or flute branches of knowledge. It is or a big-gong; also recognized as the .. The sublime vibration of the . to a buzzer tinkling of a beetle, peeling of smallest of all religious eternal sound of the self- ' ' bells' to the noise of the scriptures and volumes of existent absolute syllable

' Anrrnperturbed ultimate knowledge.... ' Pronounced as oath indwells ' thunderbolts' humming sound (of Because of its unique ' everywhere in the cosmic subliminal 'Othkhr") is experienced in the potential of inspiring the ' expansion. The selfin the t1" **i deptht ":tf yoga individual consciousness to . generation of its rhythmic ; :t phase of this link with the supreme . imPulse (ofijkdr) - the 'Big ' ultimateThe attainment of this the s-adhand' consciousness, the Gdyatrl Bang', had generated of the "' ultimate state of deep trance in Mahdmantrais indeed the most . ir'rrit it" spectrum '. Ndda- Yoga cotresponds to powerful and astonishing . sublime and the gross . reflections of Sabda and ' absolute harmony and creation of Sabda. g,

distress and disease' tr11

Akhand Jyoti

November-December 2011

engrossment of the mind and the soul with the cosmic,echo

source

knowledge and

of Oah.

realization of the seven eternal .ruftes{manfestea in the natural octave) and the rience of. oritkar

Realization of the sublime

and music.

' Higher level

power of Sabda Brahrh - Ndda Brahrit immanent in the human bodyTmind and the inner core of the soul is attained in some

The elementary practices of Sabdn Yoga dealwith training,

higher levels of spiritual sadhanas.

All the branches of MantraIQinato and relabd fuMs oI yoga

wi& trre study and practice of rhythmic enunciation of mnntras and deep meditation deal

upon the tlanscendental powers

fuMa and Nadahidden in the forrler. These areas of research in t*le rience of spiritualily and of

gq3n deal

wiflr the l.nowledge of

Stua nann - Nadn Brahh. Tlne irdusion of the penennial syllable

(M)

and lts phonelnrre Oiilrdra is

compatible as well as essential with respect to the compilation of a mantra. Therefore, the science and philosophy of Orhkar

also fall within the vast domain

of knowledge pertaining

control and refinement of voice and speech. Consistent attempt for observance of purity, truth, precision and sofhress of spoken (vocally or in ,mental conversation via thoughts) words in day-today conduct are prerequisites before one could initiate Sabda Yoga. Gaining knowledge through sacred means like good literature, interaction

and

learning

from

(of a mantra) with spiritual sddhand should ' meditation; realize the spoken and '. 3. Prafuatimd,Pwu;a:Pratqati he

Thelndian scriptures onyoga and spirituality mention a great deal

inspirations.

Oarh, and Ndda Brahrh ) as the

endeavors of '. Sabda Yoga and Nada yoga . result in the attainment of . e.xtrasensory potentials of . communication in the . subliminal horizqns . of ' sup[amental . intellect and ' superconsciousngss.,,,,A,n ' accomplishedyogi of the Sabda '. Yoga, ca4 transmit his . tfoughts and inspirations, to . educe and control the minds . of others at will. Similar state . of success in Nada Yoga ' enables one to receive cosmic ' signals, divine voices and ' messages of great go. lrl5 and '. yogis froa higher regJms. of

disciple (sadhaka) of this .

written words as live carriers of thoughts, sentiments and

the science of the etemal syllable

classical music).

enlightened personalities who possess truth and piety of . consciousness. character, and transmitting it ' Notes: to the deserving persons via . '1,. Andhat: Non-vibrant, still, equally noble mode are also . unheard (subliminal).' '. necessary as a preliminary 2. Japa: Repeated rhythmic exercise of Sabda Yoga. A . enunciation or recitation

fuMa Brqhir- Ndda Brahh.

on Sbbdo Brahh ( as the basis of all branches of Mantra Vfifiana and

through sincere training of '. the shastriya sangtta (Indian

' I '

eternal power of creativity in

Nature and Purtisiz - the reatoroftheuniverseandthe

anti-universe;

. The Ndda Yoga principle 4. Sadhana-: A self-deterniined, j . focuses upon the sddhanq-s of. . (spiritual) endeaVor:61r"11i i . realizing the spiritual dignity ' ' transformation ahd!{inhei). . llnd divine bliss of rnusic . refinement and elevation,

not by:sPeech *but Akhand Jyoti Novernber-Decernber2ol,rt

br't*tmt,.. ,

This World ls Full Of

Beomy The assessrnent of a Person based on his/her good and bad qualities is always relative' On either scale you would find persons who belong to a grade lower than yours, those who are in the same grade as your own, and others who have a much higher grade than yours. WIE it comes to good qualities, the persons

haviry m(me virtuous tendencies, strength of draracter and rdned talents i.e., who are more satogut-tt would be in the highest grade; the who, ffce maiority of people, are dynamic, ambitious and may be talented, but are not free of negative instincts of ego, lust, attachment, passions, etc, are like average rajoguqti fellows

grade characters; lethargic, idle, sluggish ones aiming at only easily available carnal pleasures would be tamogunl and would thus fall in the

lowest grade on this scale. But amongst people in each of these broad SrouPS also there would be relative grading.

For instance, amongst the criminals, a thief is better in comparison to a dacoit, because the former is at least more humane. Compared to both the thief and the dacoit, a laborer has more satoguua. A social reformer would have more satoguua than a common man, and a spirifual seeker more than that of the social worker. Thus, on the scale of satoguua, a spiritual seeker stands at a much higher level than a dacoit, but he would be graded lower than his

Realize your worth and tr13

&loy

enlightened master, silent presence of whose liberated soul itself is the greatest of sermons. But this does not mean that the dacoit is the most degraded soul. He may be better than a beastly, cruel dictator and so on.... The superiority of spiritual level of a person is

measured by his selfless love and altruistic compassion for every being. At the lowest level are the self-centered people whose aims and actions are confined only to selfish motives and at the most for the gains of their own families.

A dacoit does not rob members of his

famitry.

A thief does not commit theft in his own house or even in the house of a close friend in the neighborhood. Welfare activities of a social worker generally pertain to a particular type of work, to a particular class or community. A true spiritual master works for the welfare and ascent of all beings. The enlightened souls see all livingbeings,.as manifestations of the Divine,

be it a human being, plant or animal. In nutshell, in the Process of progressive evolution of consciousness, before attaining self-realization, all living beings are at different stages of awakening. Everyone lives with lack of some virtue or the other. \A/hen all impurities are removed, nothing can stop a person from reaching the ultimate state of blissful salvation from all thralldoms and cycles of birth and death. This is the ultimate goal of human

that you are u in the world. Akhand Jyoti

Nwember-December 2011;

existence. Human life is regarded as a precious

We should make an endeavor to enjoy, imbibe

opportunity to march ahead.towards further evolution.

and encourage the good qualities of a person. This does not mean that we close our eyes to the blemishes. Be aware of the vices but do not get obsessively involved in them. There is a well-known story of Rishi Dattatreya. As long as he continued to compare the bright and dark aspects of life he remained troubled and unhappy. When he concentrated only on the positive aspects of Nature's creation, he found that in this world all living creatures were sacred and adorable. He realized that he could learn something from each of them. It is said that he acquired his spiritual insights from twenty-four teachers. Amongst these were insignificant creatures like dog, cat, jackai, spider, fly, vulture/ crow etc. He recognized that nobody was despicable; that each one had within it the soul, which is a spark of that SuperBeing; that every being is a link in the spiialing chain of eVolution. The horizons of our'vision change, when we make ourselves receptive to good qualities. Shortcomings are overlapped by excellence, wickedness by goodness and prevalence ofunhappiness by abundance ofjoy. The world that we earlier thought to be full of wicked persons now appears full of decent, well-mannered, helping and inspiring persons.

If we see and analyze human life more deeply; we shall find that, taken together, virtues in this world are far in excess of vices. No doubt, imrnorality is also there, but, though less visible, the roots of morality are much stronger and more prevalent in the human ccinscience. There is more enlightenment than ignorance in this world. There may appear bad people everywhere in the world, but most of them too have more virtues than vices in them. We should keep in sight only the goodness of the world, enjoy the beauty of the virtues and work for the â&#x201A;Źnhancement and expansion of Virtuous tendencies.

Nature has made a provision of cyclic occurrence of day and night to teach us how to behave in the world. During the day we keep awake, take advantage of the sunlight for working and prefer to live in an illuminated place, than in darkness. Light gives us the advantage of acquiring knowledge through sight. When darkness of night descends, we go to sleep or, if required to work, use artificial light. Because of the natural structure of eyes, man instinctively prefers to live in an illumined environment. Light makes our perspective illuminated. In the light we clearly see objects as they are and dispel our ignorance about them. It shows that we should ignore the dark side of the world and illumine our outlook by preferring to look only at the brighter aspects of human personality i.e. good qualities and potentials.

Every individual has his own personal pâ&#x201A;Źrspective of people, places, things and events. On account of the prejudiced perspective, someone would find the world as bad, whereaS someone else would find it good.

Therefore, throw away the cobwebs of 'your old and biased'perspectives. Use your lthird eye' (wisdom) to penetrate the illusions of your old world. Let your present wicked world (of

The birth as a human beirig is edsy but it requires a'great effort tO be humane. Akhand Jyoti

November.Deeeniber'20"11'

t4tr

r in its place create your.own bright and happy world (of Satyuga) in your inner self. Stop, being deluded by the negativity and darkness of the world (tamogurya) and focus your vision at the brightness (satoguqta). You will find the same world as 'transformed' into a heaven. When you change your outlook, you will find your disobedient child as not so bad, or as getting improved into an obedient one. Your worst enemies, quarrelsome wife and hypocrite neighbors, everyone will then appear totally dlfferent. Kaliyuga) destroy itself and

In frcL tre factor of negativity in the character or behavior of a pereon is usually very small. Antagonisrr in the mind of the observer magnifies it nanif- old. Suppose your spouse does . not .behave,.a.q, pe{j:you1 expectations becauâ&#x201A;Źe of her preoceupation or some other valid reason; when you are not aware of it, you are likely to take it as an affront and become resentful or angry. With anger, the evil traits lying dormant in the inner folds of your own mind get activated and produce negative mental image of the subject. Darkness makes out a monster out of a bush. Similarly, anger, due to. distortion caused by inner turbulence, produces a defiant, disobedient, disrespectful picture of an otherwise simple, innocent person who receives a harsh punishment for a small lapse. On the other hand, this unjust reaction also infuriates the recipient of the undeserved treatment, The counter-reacting angry person too begins to see wickedness, foolishness, cruelty and many other negative traits in the other person. On repetition of such trivial incidents, the two imaginary ghost personalities

confinue to grow and their confrontations convert two si.rnple-hearted, fliendly persons into bitter antagonists On many occasions, it is possible to reconcile the differences between bitter advgrsaries b1z rnaking them understand the triviality of the root-cause, which had made a mountain out of a molehill. Such situations often arise because

of gap in

communication. With mutual understanding, sharing of feelings, and objective analysis of each other's expectations, behavior and psychological background, ninety percent of .estrangements can be amicably resolved. In fact the factors responsible for such estrangements are very minor. We may compare their incidence with the quantity of salt in our food. SaIt and pepper in themselves are distasteful, but a small quantity of these makes food palatable. Occasional cooling off of warmth in close relationshipg is required to break the monotony of life. With mutual trust,

we maintain the bond with

deeper understanding and warmth. The birth, the subtle body of everyone brings with it many imperfections and,traits of its past lives, including those in sub-human species.

A newly born human child is very little qualified to.,live amongst human beings. He falls asleep anytime durirtg the day, keeps awake during nights, soils the clothes and makes loud hues and cries for his biological needs , of, fondling, food and water.. Nevertheless, neither these baby-tantrums disturb the househgld, nor does the addition of one more member make the house unlivable.

On the contrary, the innocent and immature

Being ignorant is not that shameful as lack of e?gorhqss to:learn. tr15

Akhand Jyoti

NovembehDecember

20lt,

child becomes a means of enterthinment for the family, The morally less evolved persons of the society should be treated in the snme way.

For evolutionary growth of the soul it is the -duty of the wise to work for the progress of other-persons, who are at lower stages of soulgrowth and encourage them to work for their own upliftment. Wickedness,will always be there in this world. There is no reason to be afraid of it. Whosoever is desirous of selfenlightenment should learn to face and overcome the disturbances caused by the wicked. It is necessary to restrain the evil and

of evils, we should work for proliferation of good qualities and benevolent tendencies.'Ihe physically sick may be cured by medicines,.,but

no amount of medication and number of hospitals can cure the 'moral' illness.,Law enforcement machinery works like a hospital for the wicked the morally sick. It can take care of only symptoms and contingencies. However, law cannot remove the root causes of societal ills.

prevent the beastly traits from polluting

It is not possible to eradicate evils by violence or by suppression or use of force. Violent opposition would only incite a stronger counter-reaction. A surgeon does not act like

humane values. Flies have to be kept away from

a butcher. He makes a precise incision. Instead

sweets. The efficiency of one's karmas is dernonstrated in preventing spread of sinful traits in the society. A great deal of caution is requfued in this endeavor. It is like walking on the razols edge. This truly is a knrma-yoga: the yoga of best transactions of duties without self interest and attachment; the art of equanimity

of direct confrontation, blabbing, showing

of temperament in the face of all circumstances.

What should be our course of action in this world to eliminate the evils? In this context example of the Sun is worth emulating. Its light dispels the darkness. Its heat forms the clouds;

clouds bring down rain and cool the heat. When we take food, hunger goes by itself and when we follow laws of health, weakness is removed without much effort. trn order to remove ignorance, we, try to acquire knowledge. An adept way of checking the spread of an.infectious disease is to educate the masses about the significance of laws of hygiene and health. For making the world free

resentment, expressing helplessness, follow the positive path of forgiveness, reformation and love. According to a philosopher, "A word of love creates much greater impact thari a blow on the head". Everyone has more or.less goodness in him. Make an effort to identify your own virtues and make them more effective in life. Also find out the good qualities and potential of the other person and try to encourage him to cultivate more and more virtues. Do not fight your battle in the darkness of ignorance. Make your battlefield illuminated. Do not get frustrated or disappointed,by the spread of immorality. Counter it by promoting constructive reformation and morality at your level best. The only way to remove evils from this world is to encourage and expand goodness. If you

want to empty all air from a bottle, fill it with water. Do not associate with vices. Why should

ilure only proves that there was effort fror success. Akhand Jyoti

ttovember-Deoembei 2011

16tr

you like to collect the garbage (of evilsX Let othens do this dirty job. Your work is to disinfect the,rot. Why should you do skinning of .dead animals (finding faults of the evildoers)? Assume the more dignified role of a teacher. Remember! In this world quite a few persons have a faultfinding attitude. Perhaps there are more persons inclined to punish the guilty than are necessary. When a child teases another one, quite a few of his companions slap

him on the cheek. But how many in this world are prepared to give free food and clothes to a needy chi'ld? One day or the other, the evildoers would suffer the consequences of theil, misdeeds. You don't have to penalize them. Take the venerated seat of the mother, who feeds the infant by the extract of her own blood; who suffers in cold but shields the child in her bosom. You nurture goodness in the society with the affection of a mother. Like a

learned teacher, distribute the wisdom acquired by you amongst the immature, ignorant and the way-lost people. Jhg.glrorious Bath,of reformation is not easy to follort. P,eople may make you suffer, insult you, r,rpke fun of you. They may even regard :},ou:â&#x201A;Źls a crackbrain/ may oppose you and create hugdles to block your work for no rhyme or .reason. Be least apprehensive about such rpersons. Do not deviate from your path. The 'impact'qf such habitual leg-pullers is always insignificant. In the end, the number of these denunciators will be very small against the ;farge nurnber of appreciators of your good wprk. Their antagonipm, too, will come to you ,as a,:token of Divine Grace; It would provide :you opportunities for .introspection and

Gods'beco'" rl17

corrective action. This will charge you with higher potency energy for speedy progress. You might have understood that significance of persons, events and objects, which come in our lives in this ever-changing material world, is momentary and illusory. Therefore rn-aterial objects and relationships are not worthy of blind pursuit for their acquisition or attachment thereto. Such a detached attitude would in no way discourage us in performance of our duties. On the contrary, only by being detached to the material world, we can pay attention,to our progress without worry. It is a great misconception to regard this world as full of misery. World is full of things of beauty and joy. Had it not been so, the free, spotless, illumined blissful soul, which is a spark of the Supreme, would not have chosen it as its abode. Unhappiness is nothing but absence of happiness. Unhappiness means abandoning a highway and wandering astray through the thicket of thorny bushes. As discussed earlier, mostly the unhappiness, antagonism, enmity, distress and conflict faced by us are illusory and people are not as wicked as we assume them to be. If we clear our minds of prejudices, and throw away the 'stained glasses' of faultfinding. from our eyes, only then will things appear in their true colors.

. the mirror of world reflects happiness for the . virtuous and optimist hard-workers, and . unhappiness for the pessimistic evildoer. As . soon as we change our attitude, see the good . qualities only and thoughtfully resolve to . transform the wrong into right, the vice into ' kindness, endurance, and understanding, the

oo[i;lt:ilJr?':l;t

:lffin:"

*n"n

we turn a

Akhand Jyoti

November-December 201

entire world showers us with petals of love. In doing so you would also reeeive uninterrupted blessings of the angelic souls from the invisible heavenly world: The glaring and burningblaze of hot summer changes into the soothing luster of the full moon. His creation is full of beauty and joy. When you look for happiness, each particle of Nature is prepared to give you peace and joy. Your mind can give you the taste of royal.style lavish dishes in your own dry morsel of bread. Mind always seeks peace and happiness. you should cultivate an optimistic temperament to see the good in the world. This will keep your mind energetic, alert and contended.

the pace of your self-evolution. Without a system of examirntio+ how would there be a differentiation between a learned person and a rustic illiterate?

inert, this material world is incapable of giving us pleasure or pain. The essence, beiog

No doubt, in this world one has to face

world is a mirror reflecting the beauty or ugliness of our own mind. When the philosopher ealls this world '1An existence in virtual rea71ty", it is implied that one sees the world according to one's own state of mind. It is like the many blind persons giving their description about the shape of an elephant after feeling only a part of animal's body. You can transform your circumstances by changing your outlook and inner ambience.

adversities and unhappiness as well, but one can bear them if one adopts righteous attitude.

Expand your compassion/ benevolence, love, sympathy and optimism and project them in

Adversities of all kinds, including predominance of wicked persons around you, occur to test your endurance and to accelerate

your conduct and you will find it reflected back to you as a world full of bliss like,the Biblical Garden of Eden. :

An eye witness account from New York City, on a cold day in December, some years agoi A little boy, about 10 years old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering with cold. A lady approached the young boy and said, 'My, boy you're in such deep thought staring in that window!' 'l was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,'was the boy's reply. The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her. she took the litile fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washed his litle feet, and dried them with the towel. By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks. Placing a pair upon the bofs feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes. She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, 'No doubt, you will be more comfortable now.'As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her. ,Are you God's wife?'

The Akhand Jyoti

ofa

November-December 2011

man is modesty: self and soft on others.

on.the 18tr

Talks on the Gita -

Corftemplation Of God's

-I The first half of the'Gita: A retrospect Friends, we have come halfway'.through the Gita. It will be worthwhile to recapitulate before we proceed further. In the First Chapter, it is stated that the Gita is for overcoming delusions and inducing us to follow sznadharma. In the Second Chapter, the basic principles of life are stated and the concepts of karmayoga and, sthitaprajnfl are spelt out. Chapters3,4and 5 explain the cuncepts of funnn, otanru and akanna. Karma means the performance of swadharmn. Vikarmn means inner mental action that needs to be done to aid such performance through outward actions. When karma and aikarma fuse together, mind is completely purified, passions and cravings die out, distinctions

vanish, then the state of aknrma is reached.This state is

of two kinds. In one, hectic activity goes on unceasingly

but still the doer feels inwardly that he is doing nothing. In the other, one is outwardly inactive but is still acting ceaselessly. The state of aknrma attains fruition in both the ways. Although these two ways appear different, they

are completely identical. These ways are called karmayoga

and

sannyasa

respectively. Although they are known by different terms, they have the same essence. The state of akarma is the ultimate goal, which is also called moksha. Thus, in the first five Chapters of the Gita, the philosophy of life has been fully spelt out. To attain the state of aknrma, there are various types of aikarma. There are several means for the purification of the mind. Important among them have been described from the Sixth Chapter onwards. The Sixth Chapter

tells about the yoga of meditation to have one-

pointedness of mind and about the supplementary means of ablryasa andaairagya.

The Seventh Chapter is about

the great and noble means of bhakti. You may go to the Lord either with love or with the quest for knowledge or with passion for the well-being of

all, or even with desire for personal gains; the important thing is to enter into the presence of the Lord. I call it prapattiyoga or the yoga that asks us to surrender to God.

The Eighth Chapter puts forward satatyayoga (the yoga

of uninterrupted pursuit). You will not find these terms in other commentaries; I have coined these terms myself as I have found them useful for

understanding the Gita. Satatyayoga means

continuing

thesadhana - the spiritual quest

- till death. Orre should never leave the chosen path; one should go on advancing along that path without break. If one vacillates, there is absolutely no hope that he

will

castles|n the air without considering his worth and circumstances makes himself an obiect of ridicule.

He who makes

tr19

Akhand JyOti

November-December 2011

ever reach the goal. One should never despair or get tired and complain, "How long am I to go on doing sadhana?" Sadhana should continue till it attains fruition.

After explaining

this Lord tells in the Ninth Chapter something very simple, yet capable of transforming the life totally. That is rajayoga. The Ninth Chapter asks us to satatyayoga, the

dedicate all the actions to the Lord as and when they take place. All the means enjoined

ahutam sukrit anchi f o ili, mhnuttl' aitth ali a ao aili. B

('It is only when good deeds are done'in many births that the mind is drawn towards the Lord.') The most trivial things bring tears to our eyes, but the Lord's Name does not move us to tears. What is to be done then? This sadhana, as the saints say, is easy in one sense, but difficult in another; it has become all the more difficult in the modern times.

by the scriptures, all

the aikarma everything gets dissolved in

Today, the film of materialism

karma and

has obscured our view. We begin by doubting God's

rajayoga, the yoga of

existence. Nobody finds Him

surrender. Nothing else is needed. Surrender of everything to the Lord is an .and

anywhere. Life is full of lust, passions and distortions and iniquities. The greatest among the philosophers of our time

powerful idea. It appears simple and easy, but still it

cannot think of anything higher than providing two

turns out to be exceedingly difficult. This sadhana is easy because anybody, from an illiterate villager to a great

square meals daily to all. They are not to be blamed for it; it

all-encompassing

scholar, c.an practice it wherever he is, without much effort. But although easy, it requrres extraordinary moral and spiritual merit.

is a fact that many do not get even that. How to provide

food to all is the biggest problem today, and the best brains are busy in tackling it. Sayanncharya has defined Rudra as'Bubhukshamanah rudraroopen aaatishthate' - the

hungry people are Rudra [1] incarnate. A number of ideologies, isms and programmes have arisen to solve the problem of hunger. We have no time to look beyond this problem and think of anything else. The most strenuous efforts are being made to find out how people could have a couple of morsels in peace withou't clashing with each other. In such a strange social order,

is no wonder that the simple idea of dedication to the Lord appears exceedingly difficult. What is the remedy? We shall see in the Tenth Chapter how

to master the yoga

of dedication to the Lord, how to make it easy to practice. An easy way to learn to see God The Tenth Chapter suggests the same methods that are employed in teaching the children to enable us to see the Lord everywhere. The children are taught the alphabet in two ways. One method is to teach the letters fiist by writing them in big size. When the children aie conversant with them, they are acquainted with,the letters in smaller sizes. The other

million times better to do should be written as a sermon than to write a sermon. Akhand Jyoti

NovemberDecember 2OlI

20tr

method is to teach simple

letters first and

the complicated ljoint' [2] letters thereafter. In the same way, we should first learn to see God in bigger and more conspicuous things. The Lord manifest in oceans or high mountains can be grasped at once. When we come to experience His presence therein, we shall realize subsequently that He is

present even in a drop of water or a speck of dust. There is no difference between the capital'A' and the small'a'. This is one way.

stand the sight? Kunti

God manifest in Rama, who is full of love and compassion.

wished to see the Sun god face

It will take time to discern

to face, but when he.

divinity in Ravana. But one has to reach that stage. One should first learn to discern God in a good person, but

approached hern she could not stand the scorching heat. We cannot bear the Lord

ultimately one should be able

to discern Him in an evil person too. The Lord who is in an ocean is present in a drop of water too. The Lord who is in Rama is present in Ravana too. What is present in the gross is present in the subtle; what is present in the simple is present in the complex. Our vision should be informed with this outlook.

His

simpler manifestations, and then to move on to His complicated manifestations. One can quickly Comprehend His manifestation in a pure form. For example, one can easily discern God in Rama. Rama is like a simple letter. But what about Ravana? Ravana is like a'joint'letter. In Ravana, His manifestation is difficult to discern because there is a mixture of good and bad in the person of Ravana. Ravana's penance and energy are indeed great, but they are mixed with cruelty. So, to begin with, learn to behold

with all

His power and 91ory. But we do not accept Him in milder and gentler forms. We cannot digest sweets made from milk

and do not relish ordinary milk! These are the symptoms of our wretchedness and doom. Such a sick mind is a great obstacle that prevents us from seeing Him. We must discard this state of mind.

[Reproduced with kind permission

Paramdham

Publication, Pavnar from

The other way is to see Him

first in

[31

This vast creation is like the Lord's Book. When our eyes are covered with thick veils, we think that the Book is closed. Everywhere in this Book, the name of the lord is written in beautif-ul letters. But we fail to read that. A major obstacle is that a man does not recognize the Lord in the ordinary and simple forms which are near him and His distant and dazzlng manifestations are too difficult to grasp. If you tell him to see God in the mother, he will say, "Is God so simple?" But if the Lord appears before

you with His

dazzling

will you

be able to

splendour,

Chapter 10 of 'Talks on The Gita'by Sant Vinoba Bhave, 15m edition (fan 2005)l Notes: 1. The fearful form of the Lord, out to annihilate the whole world 2. In Dev Nagari script, alphabeb are joined to form joint alphabets. Their form may change in the process. Therefore, they are more difficult to learn. The point is that one should advance from a lower to a higher difficulty-level. 3. The mother of Pandavas

and the aunt of Lord Krishna.

Be as generous to others as God is to you. Akhand Jyoti

November-December 2011

Coltr From The Himoloyos - 3 Towards Tapovan The time it took to return to Joshi Matha was felt a little longer than the onward journey. It could be due to the fact that it was a return journey. The route had been seen before and hence there was no curiosity or adventure involved. After that, it was as though time was just flying. In foshi Matha, he met two old sannyasis near Shankar Cave. The difference between their ages would have been about ten - fifteen years. Elder sannyasi was about sixtyyear old and his name was Swami Nirmalanand and the younger one was named Swami Gambhiranand. They were Guru and disciple. Shriram introduced himself and interacted with them with natural ease. It did not take any time for them to decide that they would travel together. Within ten minutes it was decided that they would move together upto Gomukh. It all happened as though everything was decided in advance.

The season in which this travel was being undertaken was winter. The difficulties during the travel were more fearsome than the climate. The words of the Tapasaiwho gave the message

to go to Gomukh near the lake be.yond Bhnaishya Badri were echoing

in the mind of Shriram. After meeting that Tapasai, a ny of hope awoke in Shriram that he might meet gome Siddha Purush

or Yogi on the way. In the rrountainous terrain in which he was traveling with the two sannyasis, there were caves everywhere. He felt as though some siddha-

will

emerge out from such a cave. When theymoved past a cave without any such mahatma

incident, Shriram would feel disappointed. They would then move till the next cave with the same hope and then face the same disappointment again. There reached a state when he lost all hope about meeting a siddha yogi. The distance was covered easily by conversing with his two

fellow-travelers. There were small shops at halting places. All three of them would stop and take some rest there. They also spent time talking to the residents of the hilly terrain who visited those shops. The shops sold useful things like wheat flour, pulses, rice, gram, jaggety, sattu, potatoes, matchboxes, etc. There was a facility to cook and eat also at the shops. On buying the provisions, they gave cooking utensils and other things free of cost. Shriram did not encounter too many camping or halting places. They passed through some villages which were very sparsely populated.

In that little population, the percentage of women,was more. Men had gone out to earn a livelihood. Even if there was company, one was

sure to feel frightened of the lonely roads where every once in a while wild animals were seen. During the twenty - twenty,two hours of their journey, they came f.ace to face with tigers, leopards and bears.more than fifteen times. At sorne places, smaller tigers were also seen. Today, such tigers are not at all seen in

speaking;.and fools are those k first and think later. Akhand JyOti

t'tovember-December

201,1

r these regions. People who trade the skin of

wild

of those ranimals. But, durin g 1927-28 s:uclrtigers were present in large numbers.

was as though one was confronting death. But those animals also feared men. Wherever they haii.tirrcamp for the night, they could hear the hissing of black cobras and pythons. They had

The route to Gomukh, which normally tookthree

come across huge lizards, bears, leopards and elephants. On the snowy plateau of Tapovan,

animals have almost decimated the population

days, was covered i I

in one day itself. Gomulrtr is

twenty kms from Gangotri, but one had to climb up hazardous and narrow paths to reach there. The two sannyasis went their way after reaching Gomukh. They had been living in these regions for the past twenty years and hence were conversant with the short-cut routes to the places. They were familiar with every nook and corner of Uttarakhand. The short-cuts were extremely difficult, but those who traveled by foot normally chose those routes only. Those who have a robust

body prefer to reach their destination faster by going through the short-cuts

Shriram remembered those encounters but this plateau was even more threatening and nervewrecking. One could only see a snnnyasi or two here and there. They told some stories about their

one was to concentrate on those experiences, then it was all the more hair-raising

travel.

and fearsome. Shriram came out of his adventurous musings and experiences and began to enjoy the colorful rocks and flowers on the way. On a landscape that was carpeted with snow, these rocks and

flowers were beautifying it with rainbow hues. At the same time, Shriram remembered

Danger on all sides

the dangerous ravines present there. The two

Beyond Gomukh, there were just valleys of snow and nothing else. On all sides, it was as though a white blanket had been spread. On this snowy plateau, there were challenges at each step. There were so many ravines and trenches that the danger of falling into them was ever-present. The route beyond Gomukh was just four kilometers, but one had to be extremely cautious and careful at each step. There were places in which instead of snow, stones and sand were seen. While walking these four kms, Shriram remembered his joumey during the previous two days several times. Those routes were no less dangerous; however they did not have these fatal ravines at each step. Main threat was then from the wild animals: when face to face with them, it

contradicting experiences made him understand that true happiness in life is experienced only when one always remembers

death. Only when we bear in mind the inevitability of death can we completely live the present life. The moments available to us are spent in achieving our goal and this is what

gives us the blend of truth and happiness.

Along with this experience, he

also

remembered that he did not have to wear any woolen clothes in the past three - four days.

He was not tormented by cold at all. As he was thinking about cold, there arose a thought in his mind that when face, eyes, ears, nose etc do not feel the cold though they are not covered, then why should other parts of the body feel the cold? People on the mountains

God's love is reserved only for virtuous and responsible persons. tr20

Akhand Jyoti

November-December2011

live without woolen clothes. They do not feel cold. He remembered the words of Swami Nirmalananda when they had traveled together from Joshi Matha to Gomukh. He had said, "The Mountains are cold on the outside. But there are caves which are very warm. Leaves llke langda, marcha and others produce heat when eaten raw. If one was to boil the knots present on the Bhojpatra, and drink the potion made of them, there is no chance of feeling the cold at all. Even when one sits with knees and head pressed onto the stomach, one does not feel cold." The journey that was full of dangerous situations, wild animals and natural dangers presented itself in a different way in the plesent situation and was making it all the more thrilling. Onthatplateau, he met a sannyasinamed Swami Tatvabodhanand. He had made a small hut for himself but he rarely stayed there. Most of 'his time was spent in the snow-clad Tapovan. He had draped his body in a single cloth. His hut was for people who reached upto that point once in a while. When someone went there and was shivering due to the cold, he asked them to stay in the hut. Except for this, the hut

remained unused. From the point where Tapovan begins, there was no ashram, house, temple or teerth.

Entering Nandanvan

Moving beyond Tapovan, one I enters Nandanvan. Rarely could a traveler reach there in those days. Except snow and a herb'or two somewhere, nothing else was visible within the reach of eyesight. There was no tourist spot or pilgrim center there. That is why people

sensibly went only upto Tapovan and not beyond it. Ninety nine percent of the people ended their pilgrimage at Gomukh itself. That is why Nandanvan remained ever isolated and devoid of attraction. Had Shriram not got the command to go there, he too would,never have

turned his face towards this place. Nandanvan is a few kilometers beyond the plateau. The conditions there were much more frightening.

A thin film of snow was present eve4nvhere

that one had to watch each step while walking on it. Swami Tatvabodhananda had told, "When you extend a foot forward, you should place it on the snow very slowly as though you are placing it on a flower. This applies even when you have taken the foot away from the ground to move forward. One can also use a stick but it is advisable not to trust the stick alone; care and caution would be required even then. U:rtil the body is balanced when you move one foot, do not lift your other foot. There are water pits from place to place. This technique can be used to avoid them too."

One flower valley is also located in Bhuyinder valley, near Dhandhariya beyond |oshi Matha. This is called Nandan Kanan. The more famous name for it is 'Valley of Flowers'. This isthe place where Lakshman had done penance in Treta Yug. People believe that the Valley of Flowers was created by Parashurarn. During the Swayamvar of Sita, he had been asked by Lord Rama to retire to the Himalayas and do atonement for shaying away from the dharmn of a Brahmin by killing the Kshatriyas. He had taken up weapons in his hands to curb the

This world would be Heaven if we practice what we preach to our children, Akhand Jyoti

November-December 201

24tr

immoral Kshatriyas but he felt that he had swerved from the Dharma of a Brahmin. He sought Lordfs advice to alleviate this pain of sin. The Lord had then asked him to beautify the Himalayan region with flowers and plants. A partial avatar of Vishnu, Parashurarri, had done penance in this region and planted innumerable varieties of flowering plants. In the region that stretches five kilometers in length and two kilometers in width, one can

recognized the fragrance, he turned his eyes away from the herbs and looked in the direction from

find more than 700 varieties of flowering plants.

which the fragrance was coming. Gurudev was

No other part of the world nu, so many

know the working process of a natural phenomenon, then it is nafural for one to assume it to be a miracle. The moment his attention was on the herbs, there was a cool breeze which had a slight fragrance. He tried to identify the smell and realized that it was the same fragrance that he had experienced nhis puja room on the day

Vasant Panchami

1926. The moment he

standing in his Digambar (naked) form a few steps

flowering plants and herbs.

away from him, Shriram was overwhelmed with joy on seeing him. He bent down to offer his

The Nandanvan that Shriram reached was different from this place which is famous by the name of 'Valley of Flowers". This place was not accessible to anyone. Let alone easy entry, this

respects. The hands of the Digambar yogi were

place could not be reached even if one was ready

to take lot of trouble and exhibit immense courage. Shriram followed the instructions given by Swam! Tatvabodhananda. Even then he faced

raised

in the blessing mode. Behind the snow-

white beard and moustache, one could see a smile emerging from his lips. The shine of his eyes was

greeting Shriram. He did not say anything. He did not follow the ritual of asking for his wellbeing. He merely signaled Shriram to follow him.

great difliculties at some places. Even when the foot was firo,ly lodged, he felt as though it was

Shriram began to follow his Gurudev. Now he was no more worried about walking cautiously.

sinking into the depths of the ground. The very next moment he experienced as though someone was holding his hands and helping him get stabilized.

He was walking behind his guide with a peaceful

mind free from any kind of anxiety. Gurudev was proceeding towards the same hillock seeing which Shriram was filled with awe. But he did not climb the hillock. He went into a cav_e dug in

They again meet face to face

After walking for two to two-and-a-half kilometers with care and caution, he saw a hillock. Some herbs wene seen making their way out of the snow-clad hillock. He was surprised on seeing this greenery amidst stony--hard snow. Ttien he answered it himself that this must be the miracle of nature or it was possible that this

is a nafural phenomenon. When one does not

th6 snow. While going into the cave behind Gurudev, a thought crossed Shriram,s mind as to what would happen if the snow present above

fell and closed the cave. They would then be buried alive. Immediatety, he laughed at his own thought. The moment he laughed, Gurudev said - 'lBeing buried alive has its own benefit. you can then take up a subtle body and begin to live in this home of enlightened ones!,,

The most wretched person is one who does not have self-control. tr25

Akhand Jy0ti

November.December 20.t1

Yputh Column

Yonh ts The gring Of L,ile "For a revolution to create a new man, family and society, there is neither a need of resources nor favorable circumstances. To achieve this, we justneed suchbrilliant youth in whose veins runs the blood of our noble rishis." -Param puiya Gurudea: Inaitation to the autakened souls for creating the new era AkJnnd lyoti, March197L, Page

61-

'The youth have changed

out a smile. He completed his

Masters in

Aerospace

Engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) after which he joined the American Air Force. But the smell of his nation's soil pulled him back to India. 29year old Rikin Gandhi chose a unique way of offering his services. He used his handycam as a weapon for social networking.

their path. A desire

has awakened in them to realize the purpose of their life; to identify and appreciate their nation and its culture and legacy that they have

inherited from

their

ancestors. They are focusing

their efforts in transforming the society. There are many people who have left behind handsome pay packages and flourishing careers abroad and have come down to improve the villages. I am

also one among them.'

Saying thus Rikin Gandhi let

"There are some people who live in a dream world; and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other." - Douglas H. Everett

His working method was simple. He recorded the problems, solutions and with his handycam. Through his organization Digital Green, success'stories of farmers

he ensured that these videos reached the right people who

needed them the most. Mostly, he has kept these videos at a local level, owing to the language and socioeconomic background of the people. Through this effort he

has tried to help 1,7,000 farmers in 300 villages of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

During this campaign, he directly or indirectly came in contact with several young men and women with similar interests. It is after meeting them that he felt that the youth have really changed their course of life. One such person is Mukul Kanitkar, who is trying to inspire the youth based on the teachings of Swami Vivekananda. He

Scriptures and holy books are like teachers who im@ teachings without caning or admonition. Akhand Jyoti

November-December 2011

26tr

book titled 'Write examinations with a smile', which became quite popular among the youth. According to him, healthy, educated, cultured, self-reliarrt and service-oriented youth will be the' people capable of building a new India.

wrote

Another such person is Vimala Tiwari, who is ipreading the message of culture and samskar through the medium of Sanskrit in Jhiri village of Rajgarh, Another youth, 34-year old Naman Ahuja completed his Doctorate in School of Oriental and African Studies of London University and is working for now , rejuvenating Indian culture.

Rikin Gandhi says that previously only negative aspects of youth were discussed - how they were

companions, he'fills them

getting addicted to drugs or how they were suffering due to unemployment or how the

convqrsation, he looked at his

young generation was getting entangled with the culture of

dating, mating etc. This is certainly one aspect of the youth and is worrisome. However the other part of the truth is that 54% of the youth do their daily prayers. It is true that the youth of today want to earn in lakhs, but it is also true that 72Vo of the youth give money in

charity. When lean and

ordinary-looking Rikin ' Gandhi speaks to his

An old man resided in asmallhuton the banksof Ganga. He had domesticated a tortoise. When he used to go to the

villageto earn a living,'he used to bring some grams for it. Once a man came to his hut and exclaimed - "What a difi creature! Throw it away." The old man, being hurt

I lt

with these words, replied - "lt is my mentor, don't insult it. draws in its body parts immediately even on hearing the slightest of sound. So it constantly teaches me to stay away It

from avarice and greed and to keep evil away from me." The visitor instiantly recalled tre eighth shloka of the second

chapter of the 'Sthitpragya'section of Bhagwata Geeta. He prostrated in devotionand left.

energy and enthusiasm.

During the course of the friends and companions and smilingly said - "Why discuss always about negative aspects? If we have to discuss about something, why not talk about 30-year old joshua

Hishey who has been educated from Kendall College of Art and Design,

Michigan, USA and is working on making the traditional handicrafts of Uttarakhand world-famous through a design'led social enterprise'studio Alaya' with the help of his wife Richa Dhamsiyal. Similarly, 27-year old Masrat Dawood famadar has left behind Dubai and London and is teaching backward children of Fatehpur Shekhavati, Rajasthan. 27-year old Divya Bajaj has started Miracle Foundation in Bengaluru and has offered her life in this effort of de-addiction

program exclusively for women. 27-year old Rajat Dhariwal, a young IITian, along with 25-year old Manuj

Dhariwal and 25-year, old

Madhumita Haldar

ETI

with

has

Man is not the slave of circumstances. Hels]he creator, controller and master of them. Akhand JyOti

ttovember.December 201 1

;

ir I i I I

I I

established MadRat Games Pvt Ltd. Through this, they have come up with several computer games in Hindi

The so-called body of seasons

also goes through stages of childhood, teenage, youth and old age. Youth is the qpring.ti*q of.life and bodn Seasons keep repeating year on year, but youth comes only once,to an individual. Flence:there is the need to

gets cultured youth, then there

mouid this'red-hot iron. It

will automatically be

would be waste of energy to hit the'iron once it grows

unique revolution that will get triggered.

,cold., Youth shodld be utilized, for th'e good of society and humanity at

Rikin

that make education easy and interesting."

Rikin

Gandhi,

who incessantly tries to connect to the roots of our culture and traditions, always suggests that we maintain a positive outlook of life. He says that the youth,have always been revolutionary, even if they had ,to go against their family and friends. Let us take the scriptural example of Nachiketa, 'who openly

condernned his father

Vajashrava's unethical proposal and directly went to the doorstep of God of death, Yama and learnt the knowledge of Brahrnavidya. It is true that the mind is on

a running spree during youth, emotions waver and dreams keep changing at a fast pace. They neither have the sense of time Ror.can they maintain,restraint. In spite of ,all these distractions, it is, the stage

of youth that is the right time , for taking up revolutionary activities.

large. The youth haverunderstood this truth and have changed their path. 3$-year old Saima Iqbal is,so vigilant about :our culture,that she'has made it her mission to restore the cultural sanctity of Jammu and Kashmir. She says ihat the mantra of her life is -."This is our own heritage. Let's care for it and.pass it on to our children, so they never forget

where they came from." Saidai Duraisamy envisioned a unique stlategy to help the youth through his

organization Naeyam'

'Manidha (meaning

humanitdrian). He provides free IPS and IAS coaching for deserving students. Through

There is no foe more Akhand Jyoti

the .process of 'coagringT'he not only teaches them the formal courses but also awakens patriotism and an emotion to offer themselves

ttovembeFDecember: 2011

for rejuvenation of

our culture. He believes that if

the government

Gandhi

has

innumerable stich, examples 'that go to show that the path of the ,'youth 'has

undergone a chalrge. He 'smiles , and says that Mahavir, Hanuman and Swami Vivekananda are the ideals' fot,the, youth today.

He believes' that, ': The fdture of each and,every youth is bright and glorious. fust have faith on yourself. Each soul is potent with immense energy ind with that you can transform lndia and the

world; Get upand work. tife is too ,short,'Ehrning money alone is not the,true

meanlng of :tife. Work towards the welfdre' bf humanity. At the same time, take care ,rif your health too.

and nearer than laziness.

Women's â&#x201A;ŹmDowennent - 5

Women's Role ln The Creotion OfNew Era Change is the law of Nature.

Things at molecular and cellular levels change in

Scientific Development'. Now, after facing some tumultuous phases of

at global levels may take

transition, it is going to usher in the 'Age of Transformative

centuries or even millennia.

Cultural and

These changes could be social,

Upliftment'. Transformation of the world is going to be like a new 'creation' in

microseconds but the changes

cultural, political, economical,

physical, biological, or demographical. The juncture

of unfolding of the

27"t

century is unique not only because it coincided with change of a millennium, but more significantly, because, as predicted by the seer

visionary Achraya Shriram Sharma [1-3], it happens to be the harbinger of epochal changes. It is going to witness social, cultural, political, economical, as well as some geographical and psychological transf ormations in the world at large. fourney of modern human civilization has so far crossed the

milestones of the 'Age of Muscular Might and Valour', and then the 'Age of Intellectual Evolution and

Spiritual

which women have to play a prominent role. Before going into details of how this will be possible, and, why and how women will help it happen, let us glance at the present state of the

world and status of life. Human life today appears entrapped in unprecedented hazards, risks, threats, insecurity and stress. On personal, familial, social,

disaster of global warming, toxic pollution of food, water and air, humanity is cursing the skewed advancement of science and technology and

the materialistic culture. Sitting at the edge of extinction, it is crying for help. But who is listening? Who is there to care?

In the mad race of dominance in global power, trade, commerce/ and resources/ one

nation tries to subdue the other; one community tries to

suppress the other; there

appears no end to the

growing mistrust

and conflicts. In every sphere of life there is crisis of faith (in values of humanity). In every respect the human race is

sliding down towards

national, and international fronts, everywhere there is

bottomless pit. Social anarchy,

restlessness, tension, despair,

political disorder, religious

and insecurity in one form or the other. There is hardly any day when there is real peace in one's life. Threatened by

intolerance, fundamentalism,

the risks of nuclear war,

blind faith, unrighteousness/ wickedness, deception, moral

devolution, and bankruptcy of integrity and character are

A noble person remains humble in times of abundance; and in times of Akhand Jyoti

November-December 2011

spreading like cancer in the human society.

. First of all we will have . womanhood, undermine the . to awaken and expand . dignity of women? It

. sensitivity - compassion and ' sincerity in our own hearts. ' We need to cultivate and ' augment sensitivity towards ' the family members, friends, ' colleagues; towards the ' society, nation and the world : as a whole; sensitivity . towards the environment, grand revolution for natural resources, other Under these circumstances, the world is anxiously looking for a saviour. It desperately needs peace, love, security, trust and stable organizational support. The prime need of the hour is complete transformation,

reestablishment of righteousness, and positive development. Feasibility of

doomsday sounds

mrrage/ utopia! Nevertheless, there is a clear sign of positive hope! This

silver line is that

affection. The domain of their influence and activity must be expanded. We must liberate

resurrecting the essential Indian Culture, the culture of co-existence, unity, peace, and sustainable holistic progress. It is the call of the Time Spirit to revive the culture of our rishis (Yedicsages) and inspire the feeling and determination of social, economical, political, moral and spiritual ascent in more and more people and set

live examples before them.

We, the Indians,

must dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly for this noble cause/ as the inheritors of the ancient Vedic Vision.

ourselves from the dark shadows of medieval times that obscured the freedom and progress of women and

paeans

Look at the Vedic text! It sings in the glory of women

such as Ghosha, Apala, Gargi, Maitraiyi, Anusuya, etc. Many of the hymns of Vedas were realized and scripted by these rishikas. Women priests and spiritual masters were honoured as Brahmaaadinis. Men and women used to contribute to socio-cultural development on equal footing in the later ages

propagated their oppression and exploitation in the name

too. History of this great

nation has also witnessed so many great women emperors and warriors. Is it the sarne

of religion and traditions. land where we are living How would a religion that today? Are we really aware of emanates from the divine our great culture and eternal .

cultural philosophy of

'oneness with all

beings'allow discrimination between humans, between sons and daughters? How would the . culture of benevolence, .

selfless love and compassion,

the culture of worshipping these intrinsic qualities of

. .

No one is mo

accompanies him in adversity. Akhand Jyoti

' '

from women, whose hearts naturally pulsate with love, compassion, and care and service with 'motherly,

certainly does not.

. as manifestations of ' goddesses. There are ' respectful descriptions of the . lives and works of so many . eminent women amang rishis

beings. This can be best learnt

all these happening before the

November-December 2011

values of religion? Well, some of us may consider all this as unnecessary, as they consider

themselves fornrard-looking progressive people. But if we are really so, we must be

aware of the forefronts of progressive trends. Those having farsighted vision can

see the

light beyond

the horizons; they can sense the onset of revival of our ancient cultural values with the rise of women in many parts of the world and our own society in several fields. Much before the dawn of the

new

millennium, emancipation of women had begun and brought many of them to the mainstream of progress. They can be seen taking active part in almost all fields of social, national and

international importance including teaching, research, arts, administration, finance, business, corporate sector, transportation, shipping, aviation, defence, etc. Their intrinsic capability that helps them maintain harmony in the

families is reflected in their professional management as well. Sooner or later, they are going to play significant roles in reversing the declining trends on socio-cultural fronts. For this, they and also the progressive men in the society will have to work to disseminate the importance of women empowerment at the grass-roots level to awaken and improve the status of women, majority of whom are

Esf

still deprived of the freedom, education and the right to augment their potentials.

Although several government-schemes for

health, literacy,

and employment of rural women and their participation in the local governing bodies e.g. Panchayats and Municipal are Corporations, implemented and many of the NGOs and social organizations are also doing good work in this regard, still the blind .conventions,

customs and

contribute to the family's progress and social activities. This will be like lighting of new lamps with the help of the flame of the already lighted ones and so on. This way a long series of lamps can be lighted everywhere to illuminate every home, every village, town, city and eventually the entire globe.

Women can Create Heaven on Earth: Protection of mother earth

and

humanity with

sustainable growth cannot be

the goal of all emancipation

participation of the

removed on war footing through greater participation of women themselves. This is essential and will also make the task of social, political and economical reconstruction easier.

Upliftment of oppressed women

will

better,

masses.

Women can most effectively nurture and spread this sentiment in their families and social circles. Mothers being the first gurus of their children can nurture the new generations in wholesome ways. They, as the pivot of the household activities, can also

motivate the entire family towards what is good for the wellbeing of the family and

so-far

the society as a whole. Instead

enable

of fiercely competing for worldly possessions and status the neighbours,

them to educate their children

will encourage them

to effectively nurture good values in the children and also

: -i

accomplished without awareness and active

and empowerment of women in most parts of our country. These obstructions should be

: t

social psychology have hindered

round

friends, and relatives would then compete for moral and

Not riches, but nobility of character and honesty are the true touchstones of greatness. Akhand Jyoti ttovember-December

2011

cultural progress and service of humanity.

Our ancient texts on social engineering and culture say " Yatra Naryastu Pfriyante,

Ramante Tatra

Devat-a".

Meaning: Divine

grace pervades there where women

are treated with high reverence. Annals of our ancient history affirm this fact. The glorious prosperity, scholarly digt'tity and cultural superiority of this nation flourished so long as women were treated here with great regard and shared equal status, importance and responsibilities with men. Gradual decline on all fronts began with disregard of and iniustice towards the betterhalf of the society. The earlier

we reverse this negative trend and elevate and empower the women-force the better for us and also for the entire human society.

Woman is not only the

embodiment of

love, compassion, care, serenity and harmony in her roles as mother, wife, sister and daughter; but if necessary, her power can also manifest the spark of Goddess Durga and

Kali to eliminate the devils. Our country has been graced by the ideal mothers who blessed the world with great sons like Dhruv, Prahlad, Abhimanyu, Shivaji, Rana Pratap, etc. This land has also

witnessed the valour of Ranachandi in the warrior Kshatranis, Rajputanis, and in Ranis like Durgavati and Laxmibai.

Humanity today is looking for such women. It needs empowered women who are not slaves of glitter, glamour, or power, but rather who would play the role of saviours. In this period of allround reformation and reconstruction, the educated, economically independent and empowered women owe responsibility greater towards mass awakening and upliftment of their sisters who are still weak, ignorant and oppressed. To start with, health, awareness and education of girls and mothers in these sections of the society are a must.

talented children; as wives they would be more capable life-partners and friends and advisors of their husbands and would also cultivate cultural values in.the family. Integrity of character of a strong woman can inculcate the purity and strength of character in her children and also shape the conduct of her life-partner in a righteous way. She can thus build the character of the society and the nation. Woman can be the source of

awakening and also of illusion; she can spread affection, or bind in attachment. An ancient Greek

philosopher with pen namâ&#x201A;Ź " Afalaturr" had rernarked that

woman is a gateway to heaven or hell. This indicates the power of a woman in turning the course of one's life. If the awakened wonren

of today determine and further enhance the integrity of their character and elevate their inner strength, they can indeed briog heaven on this earth.

. Educated, strong and . culturally refined women as . mothers would be able to . bring up cultured and

Amrapali and Sanghmitra of Buddhist period, ]oan-of-Arc and Like

Don't praise them, who earned their fortunes by unfair means' Akhand Jyoti

November-December 2011

92tr

Florence Nightingale, Sister Nivedita of later times, the enlightened women of todaY may dedicate their inner strength, knowledge, talents, pgâ&#x201A;ŹltiaLi;and efforts 'for the noble cause of helping other women,regain their courage, self-confidence and Prestige. They may inspire the well-off, progressive and caPable women and men of todaY to spare some time, efforts and rlesources in suPPorting and further expanding this great movement of the modern age.

Apart from social, Political and economical reconstruction

and sustainable develoPment; the challenges of todaY demand greater work focus

on character building, nurturingr ' sense of responsibility and care for others. Spiritual illurnination of .masses san'play wonders in'

making all this possible in a few decades. Here'again greater reliance and responsibility rest on women.

rnasses.

religious leaders exploited the faith, and religious

of their

int'rinsic sincerity and sensitivitY, women in general are found more devstional and religious: In the last millennium many hyPocrite

resurrecting women's glorY and erecting bright future for humanity is a colossal task.

inclination and sentirnents of women in many ways. But thib'

will not continue'any

more' On the contrary, now. women are,going to play a leading

Whether self-inspired, selfdetermined, guided by great personalities, or enforced bY new social trends or Nature's wrath, women and men will have to transform our own personalities and lives and wholeheartedly also discharge our responsibilities to usher in the ProPhesied golden era.

role in resurrecting faith in divine virtues and insPire inculcation of'sPiritualitY in: people's life. The new age is going to be shaPed bY awakening and ascent at the level of thoughts' and emotions by cultivation of natural 'virt'ues of womanhood. Hence the leading role of womeir, in building up d brightrfuture is

RefereBces:

1. Acharya Shriram

Sharma

(1990):; Parivartan ke Mahan

a must.

But all this will not haPPen without gigantic endeavours of all of us. Without exercising ourhands and mouth we can't even eat our favourite dish kept ready in front of us' Then how would the " ePochal mission of creation of a new

Kshana.l2th Print in 2010. Yug Nirman Yojna,

Shriram Sharma AcharYa Samagra Vangmaya Vol.

Divine incarnations in human cooperation from the masses' Angelic souls like Buddha and

great personalitieb like Mahatma Gandhi'had also called for support of the

Mathura. Acharya Shriram Sharma (1995): Yug Parivartana -

Kaise Aur Kab?. Pt'

erabe accomplished so easily?

forms too have required Because

The target

Akhand |yoti

Sansthan, Mathura; UP, India. Acharya Shriram Sharma (1995): Ikkisawi Sadt - Narl Sadt? Pt. Shriram Sharma Samagra Acharya Vangmaya Vol. 52 Akhand jyoti Sansthan, Mathura; UP, India.

model of heaven on earth. Akhand Jyoti

November.December 2011

Yoga Therapy-23

Yogic Trestment of lrregulor

Menstruol Cycles In this article of Yoga therapy, detailed

Sometimes this is not a disease. Since pituitary

description of problems related to irregular menstruation in women is presented along with their yogic treatment. Menstruation is a very special and complicated process that happens every month to women. The modern unnatural lifestyles have given rise to several problems and complications in this process. There would be very few women in whom this process happens normally these days. Menstrual cycle is a special gift of nature. If it becomes irregular occasionally, that is normal. Irregularity is considered a disease only when it becomes frequent or when some other symptoms of disorder show up.

gland controls and regularizes periods, this situation may arise during normal course of growing up.

Specific diseases related to menstruation Primarily, there are three types of diseases: 1. Amenorrhoea This term means absence of menstrual cycle. In the natural course, this happens before the end of teenage and after mid age (40-45 years). The stage after mid age is called menopause. Types of amenorrhoea: There are two types: Primary amenorrhoea - Normally menstrual periods start in girls between 15 to 77 years of age. But the absence of periods beyond this age is called primary amenorrhoea. Doctors

must be consulted in such a situation.

Secondary amenorrhoea - After puberty, at times the periods stop in between. This condition is called secondary amenorrhoea. Causes of amenorrhoea - Primarily this disease happens due to lack of intake of sufficient nutrients in food, and absence of fresh air, sunlight, and sufficient physical activity. According to modern medical science pregnancy, disorder in hypothalamus and pituitary glands, increased levels of corticular stimulating hormone in ovaries are among several reasons for this condition. Genetic disorders, rigorous exercise for long hours, smoking, drinking, Turner syndrome, intake of steroids and Danazol kind of drugs are some other reasons. Among psychological reasons mental tension and excessive wony also cause this disease. Tension and worries severely affect the subconscious mind, and when their effect reduces the disease gets cured.

Irregularity of food habits and lifestyle disorders are also important factors that cause this disease, because this process is extremely sensitive. Secondary amenorrhoea also occurs

There are only two ways to be happy: minimize your needq and harmonize with the circumstances. Akhand Jyoti trtovember-December 2011

34tr

of wrong

usage of

ii. Congestive dysmenorrhoea - This is also

contraceptive pills. So self-control and balanced

called premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Even

lifestyle can often solve the problem. Negative thoughts aggravate the disease

before the periods begin, woilâ&#x201A;Źo :often complain of heaviness in lower waist and

sometimes because

abdomen, Some women feel pain in chest and

2. Opmenonfioea

The condition of pain and problems experienced before or during the menstrual period is called Dysmenorrhoea. This is of two types: primary and secondary. Normally this starts in the teenage and reduces with age. It normally stops after first pregnancy. The process of origin of pain during menstrual

periods is very complicated. Almost women suffer from this problem.

40%

of dysmenorrhoea Causes ,of primary dysmenorrhoea Increased release of Prostaglandins due to Causes

muscular contractions, no blood-flow into the uterus, cervical problems, displacement of uterus from its place, mental stress and worries

abdomen. Sometimes swelling and mild pain is felt in the whole body. Weakness, depression and anxiety are so high that women get completely disturbed. The main reason for this condition is stress. According to Kundalini :.

Yog, these problems arise due to disturbance tn Mnladhm and Swddishthan Chakras.

of secondary dysmenorrhoea

Endometriosis, adenomyosis, uterine contraction, infectious disease in pelvic area, fibroids etc are the main causes of this disease. This is also of two types: i. Spasmodic dysmenorrhoea - In this, strong spasms dre felt in lower abdomen at the beginning of periods and nausea occurs. General weakness and fatigue is felt. This is called primary dysmenorrhoea and it happens b unmarried girls.

F Ei

5 l

3. Menorrhagia When the menstmal periods are heavy and prolonged then this condition is called Menorrhagia. Periods that normally last 4-6 days get extended to 7-8 days.

Medical,treatment plan - There are several medical ways to treat this disease. Several different therapies can be used.

are the primary reasons.

Causes

!r =

Naturopathy - In amenorrhoea, stimulating foods like chilly, ginger, tea coffee, fast food, and all intoxicating substances should be refrained from. Abdomen could be kept cool by using enema. Cold bath and occasionally steam bath should be taken. In Dysmenorrhoea along with the above suggestions, wet mud pack should be kept on pelvis at night at the time of sleeping. In heavy periods cold water pack on abdomen and intestines should be applied, cold bath should be taken and wet mud pack should be tied. In case of excessive discharge cloth piece made wet with cold water should be kept on vagina.

A man does not get tired,by the enormity of work but by considering it as a burden and doinq it Akhand Jyoti

trtovember.Decernber 2011

i ,1.,.: :..:,.1 ,. Ayurvedic therapy- , Titlauki seeds, nutmeg, peepar, jaggery, madanphal, sur,a seeds, yashtimadhu, snuhiksheer should be taken in.equal proportion, and should be grinded with water to make a suppository. After drying when.this is kept inside the vagina, ,theft.stopped menstrual periods can restart. Amla.powder, Arjun Chhal powder and Haritaki,powder, taken in equal qtrantities with wate4 help in controlling excessive bleeding, This is used only for menopause. Taking leaves.o{ lisaude and rice in equal quantity ground in waterhelps in stopping periods. This is also used,to solve menopause

problerns.

Yoga therapy 1. Srtrya NamaskAr - Start with one cycle and gradually increase to 12 cycles as per capacity. Thls would enhanceprs?ic energy and.balance neuno-hornonal secretions. : ,. .:.:,

- During periods, all asqns where head goes lower than,the body like shirshdsan and, sarvanglfuan are not.allowed: practtee* q:irdsan, 2-

group of asans llke aajrasan, supt vajrdsan, us h

ffAs an, m drj d r i d s a n, vy a-g h r a-s a n, s h a s h a n k as q n,

shashank-bhuj angdsan.. To remove all, .o.bgtacles

in the flow of energy to pelvic region the most effective are the Shaktibandh group of a-sars like Nauka sanchdlan, Chakki chdlan, Rope

ijulling, Wood cutting, .Namaskdr, Vayunishkdsun, (Jdarakarshail etc'. Back bending asans'like Bhujangasan, Shalabhasan, Dhanurasan, Chakrdsan., Grivasan (especially for detayed puberty and Leucorrhoea) should be performed. Post menstruation, perform aTans where head goes lower. This helps in diverting flow of blood away from the genital organs

.,and thus

in retnoval of all unwanted elements

that cause obstruction. Each dsan:has a",speeial method of performance and a special,ef,fect. This topic is too detailed to be discussed here. Otherwise readers would really be amazed at their rnagical potential. To,experigncb.their powers, one,,must practice the.rn oneself.. i..,

':"

3. Prapdydm

- Nadi S"hodhan ;, Ujjayi and Bhrdmhri PratJAyam are very bâ&#x201A;Źneficial,to get relief fronr headache; rnigrain-e,and stressful conditions arising during periods. ptdptiydm can help in getting rid of several kinds of problems. It helps in subdual andregulation of p.ragrWhich

is the basic procedure to cure diseases. ,Prdndydm removes mental instability. and provide peace and calm ness: BhastrikA p rdpiiydm enhances the life-force and all poisEnqurs elements from the blood get removed. This is used for Amenorrhoea and. Dysmenorrhoea 4. Mudrd and

Banilh:

Practice.of 'Vjpritlkaran

mudra, P dshlnt-mudrd, and yogmadrd

isbmeficial. and, Sahjoli mudrti enhance energy in lower organs, They agtivatb related nerves of the nervo-l;ls systenr and regulate gereetic and excretory,,systems.- To femove stieSs prior to'.*n*ertstf ua,l ; period s practicâ&#x201A;Ź of maha mudrii dnd mahirbandh mudrd are especially beneficial. Their practice helps i.n tf iinsrnissiort,aiid propef . didtrtbEson of energy in the body and helps in creating physical, mental ani stability: I

''Ashwtni mudrd, Mul bandh

"*otiorul

5, Shat Kriyd

- Perform lalneti ever-.yj.day. Practice Kunjal ,.Kyiyd . , u19,, ,,rLlghu

shankhaprala halan twice aweek or as prescribed

by some expert yoga practitioner. Constipation

God, hehs,thos.g who hef p: tfiemselves. Akhand Jyoti Noverno"r*"."r0"

'36

is a major cause of these diseases. It causes congestion in the pelvic region which increases pain.and spasms.

highly effective. If these are practised along with yogic asans then very complicated diseases also can be cured and health and happiness can be restored.

6. Shithiltharag - Yog-Nidrd is an effective remedy for these diseases. Yog-Nidrd regulates the stress situation caused by menstruation.

Mental stress, depression and irritation are effectively removed by this. If sufficient time is not available for practice of Yog-Nidra then lie down in Shavdsan and practice breathing into

Other suggestions

necessary to re-regulate menstrual periods.

Practice meditation while being seated'in Sidtlhayoni dsan. According to Yog,

menstruation is related to Muladhar and Swddhisthdn chakras. If these chakras are properly meditated upon then the fundamental causes of the disease get c.ured. In addition,

Protect body and feet from cold as muih

as possible. Fomentation on lower

the stomach. 7. Dhgan

Breathing fresh air in good quantity, sufficient rest and morning walk are

3. 4,

abdomen helps relieving pain. Drink cold water daily. Make arrangements for regular self-study

and satsang. This helps in removing negativity in thoughts. Several women suffer from this grave problem and they can get cured only this way.

,4jayid.j'ap, Antarmaun, Chidakash Dharna, Nadyog,

It is definitely possible to get cured of these

Gdyatri and Mahamrutyunjay mantra jap and

diseases completely.

chanting of some mantras of Durgdsaptshati are

How ts handle insult and maintain compassion?

One day Buddha was walking through a village. A very angry and rude young man came up and began insulting him. "You have no right teaching others, he shouted." You are as stupid as everyone else. You are nothing but a fake." Buddha was not upset by these insults. lnstead he asked the young man "Tell me, if you buy a gift for someone, and that person does not take it, to whom the gift belongs?" The man was surprised to be asked such a strange question and answered, "lt would belong to me, because I bought the gift." The Buddha srniled and said, "That is correct. And it is exactly the same with your anger. lf you become angry with me and I do not get insulted, then the anger falls back on you. You are then the only one who becomes unhappy, not me. Allyou have done is to hurt yourself. lf you want to stop hurting yourself, you must get rid of your anger and become loving instead. When you hate others, you yourself become unhappy. But when you love others, everyone is happy." The yurng man listened closely to these wise words of the Buddha. "You are right, O Enlightened Onti;''he said. 'Please teach me the path of love. I wish to become your follower."

Try to be'humane. lf you succeed in it, yoil will succeed everywhere. Akhand Jyoti

ttovember-Deoember 201

AmritVani

Resolutions & Disciplines Asocided

With The Socred Threod - 2 (Translation of a discourse by,Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya on the topic ' "Hemddri Sankalpa Aur Usase Ju{e Anuiasana" - Continued from previous issue) Friends,

It's by enormous grace of God that one is born as a human being. This gift of life should not be squandered in devilish arrogance, cravings, or insane passions. The body

of a human being is

marvelous machine. Brain and

mind are masterpiece creations in which the

animal! But in terms of the two foundational regulators the conduct of a narapaiu is similar to that of a beast. What are these two principal regulators? They are one's

desires and

mental

tendencies. These influence one's thoughts and actions and hence his overall course of his life. So if these revolve

Omniscient Creator has 'installed' unlimited potentials of the Supreme Conscious Force. How unfortunate, how foolish, how preposterous, how

no better than a narapa:iu. Tendencies of excessive arrogance and crookedness, in addition, make one worse, a

shameful, is it on our part that

narapiidcha.

we waste this invaluable bequest in meaningless activities! Most people live like

narapaiul; some egotist, self-

around instinctive joys of sensual pleasures then one is

When ? person awakens and starts attempting to refine his thinking, his goals, improving

centered, cruel ones even descend to the level of narapiidcha (a monster or demon in human from). No doubt, in terms of mind and

his life-style and activities, from the level of narapiidcha

body a human being

induce this awakening. What one is taught along with the

drastically different from an

or narapaiu to that of a proper

human,

it is his second life.

Yagyopaoita Samsknra aims to

wearing of yagyopaaita is in simple terms like a rnoral school teaching of becoming a good, kind-hearted person. The disciplines and sadhana practices initiated with it are like a scheme of evolving from a level of narapiSachq or narapaiu to that of a human being. The disciplines associated with yagyopaaita are meant to train the disciple in saiyam and tapa2, moral conduct, . and sense of responsibility. These help us uproot the untoward assimilations of the past (including those inscribed in the unconscious mind from the earlier incarnations) and thus commence cleansing of our mind and transformation of our beastly tendencies. Heaven and Hell: The easiest way to transform yourself accordi.ng, !q lhe dignity of yagyopazsita is.to understand where your real

Only a virtuous and self|esstsocial,workercan,uplift the nation. Akhand Jyoti

t,tovember-December 2011

38.tr

self-interest lies. Look at the horizons of your life with a

colleagues, or anyone in the

new;'broad and positive

appears , s'i:lfish, ', iegotisi, careless, against you, even your own body \eeps

perspective. You, like anyone,

deserve to be huppy. A life full of happiness and peace is like heaven. In fact, there is no separate world or place beyond this world where heaven exists. You know

thoughts,

up and locked inside

troubling you with

one ailment, deficiency, or the other. One way or the other, all circumstances irritate you or add up to adversity. You keep saying "what the hell it is". So you know where hell exists and how it is.

beyond the three-dimensional world, the fourth dimension, fifth dimension etc, exist in the

level '' ' of

understand if an animal is tied

social field around yov,

own vices,

wrong attitudes. The moment you break them, you are what saint Kabir used to call"Jtuana Mukta". This liberated state of

ccintemplations. Heaven is also one such dimension. It exists in your own mentality, your attitude, your outlook about, the: world. If you

. It is true that circumstances . are not always in your hand. . There do occur adversities . and testing moments. But it all ' depends only on you how to cultivate a positive and ' take it. There is heaven as well generous attitude to see the as hell in this very world. good, the joy, the beauty that I There are thralldoms -as well dwells in some form or the as means of liberation. It is up othei in Nature, in the world, I to .r, what we choose!

mind is the source of unalloyed joy, enthusiasm, hope and zeal. A life full of these is trulyfulfilling. So your real sâ&#x201A;Źlf-interest lies in achieving this state.

But remember, you can't remain happy for long if people around you are unhappy. That is why the

your heart will be full of joy,

your mind will generate . tt i,

positive,

constructive thoughts. YOu will feel cheerful and peaceful in all circumstances. This is what heaven

is.

. . . .

. . And what is hell? Wherever . you see you find adversities, . anger, cunningness, jealousy, . negativity, etc. Whomsoever . you interact with your . spouse, children, neighbors, .

tr39

other facet of

ironical to see that most of us today, because of our

duties

associated wirh yngyopnaitn is

ignorance and negligence,live in the same mire of arrogance,

also equally important. It requires you to be a good natured, cultured, civilized, person who cares and works for others' welfare.

cravings, worries, tensions, yt1tr, etc and thrrs create a hell around us. Our body,s 'computer, revolts against us, making us sleepless, restless

cravings,

attachments, weaknesses, and

the ho,iise f6r' some time. But how can a human being be captured in his own house, all the time? Well so the shackles that have captured us in the smog and filth of a hell are our

Dignity of Human gfe: and what not! Our body is , Compassion and altruistic weak; our mind is tensed and . service for the welfare and confused; in short we are . upliftment of the society are captured in a hell. One can . regarded as signs of human

dignity, measures of evolved wisdom. It is like accomplishing what the Almighty expects. You might

great epic, the Holy

needy, for collective welfare

Ramayana by the rishi).

of those who are deprived and downtrodden. If you do

God has sent hurnan beings as

some fasting on Ekadashi, or on the auspicious days every week or month, that is very fine, it is part of cleansing your body and mind, training you in self restraint. Remember again that your fasting in His name or visiting His shrine barefoot etc does not please God. He can be pleased only

have imagined god as a small

His envoys on this earth to

self-centered being like you, who likes His devotees to

spread the message of divine sentiments the sentiments

worship and chant the hymns

compassion, benevolence, selfless service.

in His praise, who

gifts

whatever a worshiper prays

for. That may be

your personal god, may be your self-created deity. But such worships and prayers, such devotees and such gods are like grouping of sycophancy and false pride. I refer to a different God. The God I am tatking about dwells in the sentiments of love, compassion, mercy and generosity. He is.reflected in benevolence You might have heard of rishi Valmiki! An un-precedented stream of compassion emerged from his heart all of a sudden when he

saw the suffering of a "Kraunch" bird that was

of love and

A human being is His best creation, His crown prince upon whom He has bestowed the responsibility of guarding and beautifying this world. He wants us to worship him by altruistic service. You

service. You may therefore cultivate cooperative attitude

or respect for all

might wonder then what is the use of doing japa (sllent

mantras, etc? My child, all those practi

duties towards others"who have ever directly or indirectly helped you.

ces of y o ga- s ddhand

are to lend you support, to help you weed out seHishness,

to lend you support

fellow

beings, follow the disciplines to check the causes of decline, and to recognize and fulfill the

rhythmic chanting with meditation) of the sacred

Gradually your domain of self expands and nurtures the feelings of altruistic service. As your goodwill expands,

observe self-restraint, to

inspire sensitivity and dutifulness in your hearts. .

the number of your wellwishers and friends also

severely hit by the arrow of a

Continue yout sddhana updsqna

hunter and heard the cry of its female counterpart. This was like awakening of the saiirthood hidden in his hearf this was the sunrise of spirituality - the expression of divinity in his inner self. (This sparked scripting of the

with this very feeling; pray

The plant

by generosity and selfless

awakening of

for divine

sentiments. Adopt an austere

life-style and contribute your financial and other material

resources,

your physical

potentials and talents for His work for the service of the

lncreases.

. :

People's cooperation and support in your efforts also increase. accordingly.

Look at the lives of great. personalities whose lives and,

works shine with immortal

glory. Their'self-interest' was

of personality grows when it :gets a fertilizer of virtues and the watering of honesty.

Akhand Jyoti

ltovember-December2011

40tr

not different:from that of the world. They found their joy and success rin welfare of the wortrd. By :virtue,of' being sup.fâ&#x201A;Źrllâ&#x201A;Ź..rereation of the Su.pren're, Cteator,, the real self-interest of mankind can't be,,lesser, than, this. Selfwelfare and social welfare are

interwoven.

Materialist

worldly

Progress/ achievements are incomplete without:.,spirituality and spiritual ascent is not possible without fulfilling,your duties towards others' upliftment. Tr.ue devotion can''t be confined to a. narrow concept

and reminded you,all of the

adequate exe,rcises and

significance-of this 'day of

observing self-restraint. For

with the sacraments' sf wearing :this sacred thriad, you:.,,also

body, functions, you need to

Shraoani Paroa so that

introspect

, and .:'review

whether you are rcally a dwiia

is really ytrur second life, i.e. a life aimed'at enlightenment and service, a life of evolution: of , your aspirations, thoughts, and

whether

deeds?

of 'God.. You rnust' rrnderstand

that,;God1s',worship onl5l

and hemadri sankalpa.

means care and, beautification .

of His.world' without vested interest.,,No:thing more is req;uired ;to,worshiP IIim.

lmplications of Rituals of Shrovgni Parvs:, ' So now you must have learnt the essence of the philosophy it is the bdFnnd,,yhwopaaita .

philosophy cif refinement of demonic, or beastly mentality into that of an awakened, duty-bound, altruistic human being. ,It ,is ,the basis of gradual,ftansformation of ,an ordinary-huinan being into a divine,being: Lhave explained

There

enhance yo:ut pralxa. (vital spiritual energy). There are ten streams of prdlta that regulate vital functions of the

mind-body system.

The literal meaning o,f daiasnana is bathing"ten times. What does that mean?,You have already taken a bath, as you do every day. then what

is this bath; that too, ,ten times? Well, the. ten;baths here refer to 'cleansing and chiseling' o,f theiten'Gaia) sense organs * five, sense organs of action (karmendtiyas) and fivefaculties of perception

The

sources of manifestation of the existence of (physical)

world and the mind-body system are also.ten

Every rituatr performed during this sacra;ment symbolizes something important. O{ these, 'the crucial ones :drâ&#x201A;Ź. :- daiq.sndna

revitalization of all mind-

the five

basic elernents (panch tataass) and the five senses (panch tanm.dtrds3) associated with them.

So, doing daia-sttdnq means purifying, balancing and making constructive use of all these building blocks and resources of the sustenance and functioning of our living

system. You have already been told and given guidelines on the disciplines e.g. diet and practices healthy but control by eating simple and freslr food, fasting and self-determined restraint on the sense organs. This

bathing is mole imp.ortant than bathing the body with

(gydnendriyas).,Cleansing soap, foam and what not. means, : removing the,dirt,of lethargy, sensual passions and/or vices and,prejudices; . The rituals of daie-snaila are and revitalizing,.them'i by . simple like those of

is nothing;'wrong if:,people,,praiseryou'for,good deeds;' but the lies ahead if you do.sornething,in. @r,der,'to get praise, Akhand Jyoti

danger

NovemberrDecember 2011

E E]

pavitrlkarqna sprinkling of

water on the body with chanting of some sacred hymns; or dchamana drinking some spoon-full of oblation-water with chanting of some sacred hymns, etc that you might be doing every

day before worship, prayers and devotional meditation, etc. All these rituals are for example, while symbolic worshiping the idol or picture of a deity you might be offering flowers, rice grains, sweets, etc, with chants like "pusparyi samarpaydmi!', "

naivaidyarh nivedaydmi"

etc.

What is all this? This is a symbol .of expressing the feeling of gratitude to the Almighty for His immense gift of this life, wonderful faculties of mind and body, enormous natural resources/ etc. The rituals remind us that

we convey our thankfulness by sacrificing substantially (from what we have acquired in this life) for the welfare and healthy sustenance of his creation. It's like paylng tax to the Nature for everything (air,

water, sunlight, vegetation, minerals, etc) it is giving us so generously. If you do only the mechanical actions of the rituals without any feeling

and without realizing and following their philosophy then you are only doing a child's play. Better don't do anything, because this way no sacrament, no worship, no devotional practice, nothing will be of any use. You will

not achieve

anything worthwhile and will only keep complaining that God has not been happy with you, or that destiny has not been favorable to you! All these are lame excuses and selfcheating.

bebroadly classified as bad negative, hdphazard vague, and good, positive, and constructive. The gra and intensity of the reaction (effect or result) of a depends upon the depth

mental concentration

contemplation and the thinker's emotional involvement. With he,mdd sankalpa you vow to figh against the negativity, viciousness and

of your mind. If a soldie exposes his weaknesg an ignorance before the enemy

Therefore wake up with this ritual of daia-snana now and initiate cleansing and control of the senses. For this you will

have to fight against your accumulated habits, vices and

lack-lusture attitude. The

the enemy will certainl overtake, capture and exploi the soldier. If one does take necessary precautions protect his valuables in t house, burglars ma

is what is pledged as part of

sometime easily snatch aw everything. So first of all have to be strong and to battle with the demons negative tendencies, thieves i the form of passions of pleasures, and deceivers i

the Hemddri Sankalpa.

the form of

Hemddri Sankalpaz Thoughts are like seeds that

thoughts within you. Y have to guard your men and emotional fortre adequately. The easy t

potential of all the faculties of the sense organs and most importantly that of the mind and intellect need also to be engaged constructively. This

fructify into specific deeds. In fact thinking itself is an action which has reaction (or consequences). Thoughts can

untowa

practice, time-tested

as recommended by t sagacious masters of all

Be joyful like a flower and fragrant like a perfume; then'even God will cherish you. Akhand Jyoti November-December20:11

that train and protect your mind for this are swadhydyaa and satsang!. These should be integral part of your routine.

found C,od in their childhood itself. Awakened by the powerful words of Narad rishi, a single incidence could

turn the life of a 'robber' You'also do the rituals of dat ap uj an and r iship uj an as p ar t

of the

sacraments. These symbolize invocation and paying reverence to the divine like great beings personalities, the rishis and praying before them to guide us to the path of illumination most suitable to our present level.

As the literal meaning of the word'rishi' implies, rishis are

preeminent,

powerful,

talented personalities. They are able masters whose

teachings and inspiring

guidance c.rn

.awaken,

influence, motivate or compel one (the disciples) to adopt ascetic disciplines and rise against the prevalent 'easy going' kends. You might have

read in the Puranas, how Narad Rishi used to reach the deserving seekers and inspire

them to struggle against all odds and pursue arduous sddhanEsll with unperturbed faith to attain divine light. Following his advice, princes like Prahlad and Dhruva had

Valmiki downside up and he could transform his life into that of a great saint-sage by sincerely following the path

guided by the rishi. The daughter (named Parvati) of King Himachala found Lord Siva through lifelong arduous sddhana under ascetic disciplines, as guided by Narad rishi. Our ancient texts are full of the angelic teachings of the divine rlshls. The ritual of devapfrj ana and rishipfrj a na is

to remind us

without transforming your aspirations and thoughts. Swddhydya and satsan{ are essential for this purpose. Through these your mind,will be naturally trained, conditioned and inspired to

move from the smog of ignorance and delusions to the

righteous, illumined path.

Some Practicat and Social Aspects:Y agyopaaita is also

called laneu in popular language. This word is a deviation of related word that means /ra n (Jtvan)-udyeiya

(purpose of life).' Indeed, yagyopaaita teaches and

the importance of devotion and

constantly reminds us of the purpose of life. As this is a

the guidance of rishis llke adept gurus. We need the

sacred thread one is supposed

guidance of a noble master for proceeding along the path of spiritual ascent that we are

clean. Care should be taken

supposed

to follow

after

wearing the yagyopauita.

Devotional practices alone won't help you cleanse and control your mind and sense organs. A Rishi-llke guru would also be available only if you are a sincere and deserving seeker (of the path of spiritual ascent). All your

efforts

will be incomplete

to take care of keeping it

that it is lifted upwards (wound on the right'ear) while going to meet Nature's call. Though it is washed every day while taking bath, still if need arises, it may be changed in:between, There is also a custom of changing it after solar or lunar eclipse, after death of someone in the house, etc. Although specific sacrament like today's is not performed, you may recall the principal teachings associated

The only difference between, ranxiety: and lfunepsJ pyret.:is that Olle 'lS, invisible and the other is visible. Akhand Jyoti November-December

2011

with it and introspect whether you are following the disciplines adeptly whenever you chan-ge this thread with a new one. Yagyopaaita is also referred

The importance of protection and empowerment of women

is also taught

Indian cultural texts as Raksha

Sustra (sacred thread of protection) or simply as Sutra, as sincere adoption of all its

disciplines elevates one's prdlta (vital spiritual energy) and willpower thus makes him or her strong. But this 'thread of protection' also implies that the person who wears it owes the responsibility of protecting the cultural values, protecting the society, the masses. How can you protect the society? Well this in our society would essentially mean protection of the respect and rights of women. Women make the foundation of the society. They, as mothers, are the first teachers and

architects of the future generations. If they are healthy, educated and given due respect and right to think independently and express their.views and, talents, the society as a whole will be empowered and make viable Progress.

. . . .

of the society for ;which yagyopaaita'binds' you.

through

another'ruksha,sustra' called There is another crucial 'rakhee'which the sisters tie on element of happy and the wrist of their brothers,on progressive survival of any the occaqion of the family society or nation. No law, no festival of, Raksha-Bandhan. As police or administrative a custom, a sister offers some machinery can protect it sweets and csconut to the unless the moral character of brothen and ties rakhee after the citizens is''strong. So the lighting a lamp. The brother duty of social :protection ,touches her feet and offers associated with yagyapaaita (e.g. her some,gift a sari or also incorporates that you dupatta). In the form of her will adopt and propagate rakhee a s\ster 'ties' the brother moral disciplines. with a pledge to protect her :self-respect.,This is not only ' In our culture, there is also her respect alone, but a rakhee ' another 'rnksha sustrn'for this is a symbol of protection of ' purpose. In ancient times the the self-f,espectrof all women. '. rishis used to" tie it:on the She is not dying for a gift ' wrists of their, . disciples. from her brother. Rather, in ' Mighty kings, scholars, the form of. rakhee, all the ' seekers of true knowledge, as brothers (all the boys and ' well as common people',,trsed men) are reminded of their ' to visit the Ashrams oflrishis duties towards women, who . to get their blessings. Along as mothers, sisters, or wives, . with the blessings, or as a have contributed so much to . symbol of the blessings;, rcshis the existence and huppy . would tie the raksha sustra on sustenance and progress of . their wrists. As the,Vedic men's life that they can never . Hymns (e.g,'tYena Boddho '. pay back. BaIirAjd, DAnauendre" .:....") . chanted with'the tying of the So remember that the '. raksha sutra imply, this threail protection and empowerment . used to,,work as. a wonderful

of women are vital to the . protector if the, disciple protection and strengthening . followed the, disciplines,

encouragement .that can rawaken one',s sâ&#x201A;Źlf-confidence. Akhand Jyoti

trtovember.December 20l1

4tr

fulfilled the responsibilities with which the rishi had 'tied' trim.

In the present times as well, a guru or a priest ties such a symbtrlic thread on the wrist of the devotees before worship of divine powers as part of any Hindu sacrament. (You may recall tying such a thread with the chants of "Vraten Diksham Apnoti...."). With this he/ she not only blesses you but also 'ties' you with the promise to follow moral disciplines. Y'agyopaaita

Ifyou assure me that you would and beatifying success.

Notes:

1. Narapaiu: Animal-like

sincerely follow the disciplines and duties associated with it that we

man whose life revolves only around eating and sensual pleasures.

I can you peace assure of and have reviewed today,

happiness in your lives.

refinement.

It is good to know that you

had protected the yagyas froin' demonic attacks. In retutn the rishi had blessed h,im,with divine weaponry

Panch t'ataasi (and

have an interest to know our

correspond ing tanm atras)

rishi cuJture. I appreciate

Pancha Tatvas: The five foundational elements of Nature, which also form the natural medium for its expression. The pancha

that. I hope and wish that

this f estival of

Shraaani infuses new light and energy in you to follow the

teachings and disciplines of the sacred thread and receive divine blessings.

I IOM SHANTI'I

tqtvas are namely pyathvl,

jala, agni, va-yfi and akaia. The first four refer to the basic elements or sources of matter and energy and the fifth implies the

will give you the

light and power you pray for but first you will have to be deserving. It's like a mutual binding. As you might have read in the Holy scriptures, rishi Yashishtha had asked King Dileep to protect the cows (cattle) and the ashrams, and after due examination of the King's sacrifice, had blessed him with:divine power and glory and salvation. As asked by rishi Vishwamitra, Lord Ram

Saiyam and Tapa: selfrestraint and practice of asceticism for self-

subliminal / etheric domain of existence and expansion of mental and emotional faculties.

Every test in our life makes us bitter or bette Eve ry problem comes to make us or break us,

Choice is

self-training in the light of

sagacious

thoughts, teachings and works of elevated masters and

ours

whether we become victim or victorious !!!

Swddhydya: Self-study and

great personalities.

.5. Satsang: :

Attending enlightening discourses and discussions; being in the company of great personalities.

Don't pay,attention to what, people say': tnstead,'see whether the goal that was worth attaining has been achieved or not. tr45

Akhand Jyoti

Novembei-December 2011

Potential Hurdles ln OurYagyo Campaign lThis is the translation of an article published in "Akhand lyoti" (Hindi), Sept. 1955 pp 3840. Parijans shou,ld read this article carefully as an eternal message of Puiya Gurudev and see its relevance in the present context and the explanation of the setback in ISS. I

in the category of yagya, but most important of all, for the purpose of purification of external as well as sublime environment, is its agnihotra

or haaan (fire-ritual) form conducted under precise disciplines guided in the Vedic texts. (In this article, we are referring to this form of

yawa.) People suffer from a variety of adversities and sorrows in this world. The root-cause behind these, in one form or the other, is emotional

vices, evil intentions, crooked mentality, or unethical deeds. The tendencies which generate vicious thoughts in one,s mind and trigger evil actions are antireligious and reflections oI asuratd (devilishness). The divine tendencies (devatva) that nurture virtues showering peace and happiness, as well as the devilish elements both are present in the sublime core of Nature since its existence. When the elements of divinity are more powerful and active in Nature, people by and large live and progress happily with mutual trust, compassion, harmony and love. On the contrary, when there is excess or dominance

of devilishness then there is negativity, adversity, hardship, suffering, and hgony everywhere, as we find today.

is a spiritual process of destroying devilishness and nurturing divinity. As such all benevolent activities, altruistic deeds fall Ya.gya

man

There is nobody in this universe who would

ever tolerate being destroyed without any reaction. Then what to say of the cruel devilish

elements? Sensing the threat to their evil influence, they would retaliate and attempt to thwart or disrupt the yagyas in all possible ways. Even the yagyas conducted by Vedic sages like Vishwamitra had to face the attacks of demons Tadaka, Mareech, Subahu, etc. Vishwamitra had gone to King Dashrath and brought his princes (Lord) Ram and Lakshman to prevent the attacks of such devilish beings. As described in the ancient texts, the devilish forces are clever and delusive. They would use

their intellect and talents in all sorts of scandalous efforts, spreading mistrust, cheating, stepping on the back, etc to counter divinity. This is how they often succeed in defeating the more powerful devatas (divine forces, virtuous beings). By their very nature, devatds are kind-hearted and simple. They follow the noble path of truth, morality, and

to do anything; but there is

seleetion of its,'consequences. Akhand Jyoti

November-Deaember 2011

regarding the

46tr

generosity- Taking advantage of their forgiveness and {rercy, the devilish forces easily :Escape :punishrnent and' eo,r*inue deluding the devatds. The latter often get trapped .in,*he,illusions and sc,andal* of tlre devils. Although diviniry being guided by absolute truth eventually conquers the devilish forces, usually devilishness has an upper edge

in the first battle. In this illusory world., demons have also been on the beneficial end in their initial efforts against the rishis (sages of Vedic era) and devata-s. It is to counter and

devastate such demons that Almighty,s incarnations descend as unflinching warriors from iime to time. Ram, Krishna, Durga, Parashuram, Narsihma, Kachchha, Machchha, Varah, etc, had come into being to fulfill this very PurPose. .

undertaken by the Gayatri pariwar, is an altruistic spiritual initiative aimed at the global welfare. This endeavor inspired by sacred force

of divinity is not for any particular person or sociefy; its objective is noble and is also being conducted sincerely as per the guidance of the holy- Vedic texts for universal good. There is no:room for any shortcoming in this regard at

oul end. Care has also been taken to annul the chances of mistake or lacunae on the worldly front such as accountability of resources. No particular person, business house or group of people provides the resources. The campaign is also kept away from the support or interest of any political party or ideology. It is a mass movement supported by collective efforts of people who care for divine cultural values. We have kept its mode of propagation and expansion as moral and adept

ii'

its noble cause

Ancient texts cite many incidents of virtuous persons being driven by devilish illusion and

and divine foundation

influence. For example, the ',Tand.aya

However, no one can guarantee that devilish forces would not attempt to impede this

Brahmana" narrates an episode when the devil

elements tried to hide in subtle forms inside the food grains and thus attempted to enter the vital components of the devata-s who would eat this grain. As cited in Ramayana, the sinful advice of Manthara and consequent fateful

demands uttered by Kaikayi are historic examples of the devilish influences on their tongues. The Mahabharata also describes how the devil force of Kaliyug had hidden himself in the gold and hence could enter the crown

of King Parikshit and divert his thoughts in sinful direction. The campaign of reviving the Vedic Culture of

Yagya

in scientific light in modern times,

benevolent mission. In spite of our best preparations, devilish elements can still find some ways out to thwart this grand movernent

of yagya. Larger the number of thoroughly conducted spiritual experiments of yagya, stronger would be the sublime ambience and positive force to diminish the devilish tendencies. Thus the threat of invisible devilish powers is likely to increase more with the progress of our yflWa-campaign. It is not possible that our epochal mission would succeed without any hindrance or trouble from the demonic forces. No noble mission has ever progressed without any struggle against negativity. No obstruction,

Nobility is available free of cost, but everything ddn be acquired through it. Akhand Jyoti

NovemberrDecember 2011

opposition or interference of any kind against our efforts, would indicate that the yagynexperiment is not effective enough to trigger concern at the devil's end. In some sense the

intensity of devilish protest would be

measure of the strength with which out yaryas

will have to counter the dreaded devilish threat by increased depth of our unflinching faith in divinity and greater sincerity of our s-adhand

have disturbed the devilish hold. We

for the yagyn. In the recent years (referring to period around 1956 AD), several devotees and religious minded people have shown enthusiasm for organizing 7)\-Kundiya yagyas. It is quite heartening to see this wave of faith in yagya. But the number of letters and other communications informing about the difficulties, protests and restrictions against materialization of these initiatives is also rtot less. This shows that devilish elements have also begun their planning not to let any yagya take place or to disturb or counter the processing of these spiritual experiments. Wherever asurata finds suitable ground or ambience, ii spreads its wings in varieties of forms. For example, it augments selfishness, arrogance, jealously, etc in the minds where the samplings or seeds of these negative tendencies are already present. If such people af,e, acquainted or associated with the organizers of yagya, they may not do any harm visibly but will try to discourage the organizers by unnecessarily criticizing them, spreading rumors, creating misunderstanding, illusions, confusions among the supporters of yagya, etc.

Several Pandas and Pujaris (conventional

Hindu

priests) have been ahead of other opponents of this sort. They are afraid that these yagyas will propagate the facts of Vedic Culture and religion in righteous light and would,,thus hamper their source of income that they have been making through ostentatious worship rituals and emotional exploitation of ignorant masses in the name of religion. There is no dearth of such jealous, egotist, narrow-minded

critiques and vicious troublemakers in this world. They can spread the stinking smell of filth of their minds around any pious place, any time. That way no one has succeeded in interfering with our yagyas so far, but we cannot ignore the possibility of disturbances in the future. As the power of divine forces will awaken and expand its domain with the progress of, our yagya movement, the devilish forces would start attacking with greater impact. When congregation of people increases in size for a motif that appears a threat to a dictatorial

governing system, its police forces try to disperse the crowd by releasing tear gas. If that does not work they start hitting the people with their heavy sticks. If in spite of this they don't succeed in disrupting the.collective strength of the masses, they would start firing. The devilish forces, the opponents of our divine movement are going to proceed in a similar way.

. Initially they will criticize yagya as a,smoke . producing ritual in which nourishing . substances are burnt and wasted; some of them . might find faults with our method of

The fragrance of flowers does not spread. against the direction of wind, but the fame of noble virtues spreads in all directions. 48tr Akhand Jyoti November-December 2011

condueting yaryas vis-h-vis the religious bds (which they have never read, or which they know, only partially) and try to scare the simple-rnind,ed devotees. This islike use of

bar-

gas" In the next phase of successful pogress of our ynrye-campaigry as our message would reach out and.attract larger and larger sections

of the society, some established religious schools and communities would see a threat to their,influence, atheists would regard it as a threat,to their (pseudo) secularism, or,

revival,of religiousness that might uproot their hold. (in the name of modernity) on the younger generation, etc. This would trigger harsh and strong opposition and rivalry'of such forces, and might also invite as

their attacks from different directions. Threats, notices (of complaints against us se,n.t , -to administrative authorities), humiliation,and ph'ysical attacks on our volunteers, spreading rumors,,attempts of burglary, fire, at the venue of. yagyas, etc would be immediate actions from their side. This .is'like,use of stick by the police to

distnrb a.,pe.aceful revolutionary congregation. The last atternpt of devilish influence against our successful yagyn movement would be most challenging. The torchbearers of this,mission, the organizers' of grand yagyqs may be put into horrifying situations which can perturb even rishi Vishwamitra; they may have to face liferisking adversities and testing times as were faced by Prahlad, Harishchandra, Pandavas, Jesus Christ, Socrates, Mira Bai, Chaitanya

Mahaprabhu, Vikramaditya, Adi Shankaracharya; Dayanand Saraswati, etc.

Should we get scared of these challenges of devilishness? Can we.escape from our duty of. contributing ,to establishing peace and happiness in the world in the present times? No,'we. can't be coward. If a brave-heart finds a cow surrounded by wolfs in the jungle, he does not care for his own safety and comes forward; he tries his level best to save the helpless cattle. Today, humanity is facing a threat to its very existence. The demonic tendencies of dishonesty, selfishness, arrogance, false-pride, sensual passions, ungratefulness, cunningness, jealousy, mistrust, immorality, corruption, fallen character, cultural anarchy, lack of faith, indiscipline, value-less and irresponsible freedom, extremism, fundamentalism, cruelty, violence, terroq etc, have trapped the human race and dragged it into the mire of stress, fear, tensions, worries, infirmities, poverty, and selfcreated sufferings. Dedicated efforts of lifting it up from..the slippery path of decline are

urgent'need of the hour. As the invisible devilish influence is rooted in the mental and emotional .domains, the endeavors to uproot and eliminate it should also be effective in the sublime environment (of thoughts and intrinsic

sentiments). Our movement of yagya is most promising of such noble attempts. Awakened souls, devotees of righteousness/ cannot opt out of this grand effort simply because of the possibility of conflicts, humiliation, rumors, etc, orbecause of criticism, protest, oppositiory threats, attacks of negative forces. We cannot surrender before any threat or pressure from any quarter; wrong, immoral forces, howsoever mighty they be, cannot divert us from the noble deed of yflWa.

Merging one's happiness into that,of'others is called olove' El49

Akhand Jyoti

ruovember-December 2011

i .l

! il

Resurrection of the glory of humanity and sustenance- of peaceful and progressive life in these mornents of all-round crisis would be possible only by adoption of our divine cultural values, For this we will have to disseminate the divine light of Gayatri - the primordial deity of enlightened wisdom, and amplify and spread the energy of Yagya, and its teachings of self-less love, cooperation, service, and sacrifices fot noble ends. This is our urgent and utmost duty. This movement is inspired by

attacks, etc in mobilizing it. Each one of us should be well-prepared to happily face all these.

Our goal is high and path is hard but our will is strong and our means are noble. We will collectively bear the great responsibility with unperturbed faith, patience, courage, and prudence. A rustic with dense grey moustache, wearing

a shawl, boarded an ordinary coach of the

Godfs Will and is destined to reach its ultimate goal as per the determination of Supreme Time-Spirit. We, the members of Gayatti Pariwar, are bestowed with the opportunity and responsibility to carry forward this unique movement which will also glorify our dedication for humanity.

train at the Patna junction. Five or six college students were also sitting in the same coach.

They started mocking at him. Meanwhile, the'ticket checker arrived. None of the students possessed the ticket, so he started abusing them. At this, the fifty year old said-

"Why do you use such an abusive language, justtake yourcharge." With these words, he paid for their ticket. The students

U it is the Will of the Almighty, how can we deviate from it? We have to transact this divine duty and we will do it. No matter what hurdles and dreaded challenges this mission has to face, we will not turn back. We will march with

realized the generosity of the person whom they were mocking at. Meanwhile, the train reached Mughalsaray station. The entire platform echoed with the

firm determination. We have to reach the goal

of resurrection of divine culture with unflinching faith in divine v-irtues and disciplines, integrity.of character, strength of morality, sincerity and sensitivity, guidance of wisdom, and support:of global-amityT truth, iustice and love. We,should be aw-are that the route'aheed is thorny and the journey is axduous" But we should neither get frightened nor should we deviate from the chos"r, "o,rrru. Out yagya campaign ,is the most important part of this , grand mission of c.ultural renaissance. We may have to face scornful humiliation, criticism, protests, threatening

slogans 'Rajendra Babu ki Jai'. The students now came to know that this benevolent person was none other than Dr. Rajendra Prasad. Seeing the gloomy faces

sf the students, he said - "Don't worry. You are too young right now. This type of behavior is natural at your age, but utilize your potentials for the sake of your nation." '

This incidentof the life oI lndia'sfirst president,

the jewel of the nation, Dr.Rajendra Prasad, teaches us an important lesson of humility and forgiveness.

Life is like a mirror; we get best results when we smile at it. Akhand Jyoti

t',tovember-December 201 1

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