But Change in Attitude

-Acharya Mahaprajna--

It is narrated how a primitive villager tried to blow out an electric lamp when he failed; he began to wonder what kind of a lamp it was. He had thought it to be like an oil lamp whose flame could be extinguished by blowing. In spiritual matters we too are like the primitive villager. We are ignorant of the process of self-transformation. The aim of Sadhana is to transform the self. Knowledge is the first prerequisite of this transformation. The second prerequisite is practice. We know that we inhale and exhale air through each nostril by turns and we have also learnt that in the exercise of controlling breathing the mind goes in and comes out with each breath. But mere knowledge is not enough. We often commit errors of judgment in the course of our practice of meditation. We often fail to be self-watchful and become negligent. Our success depends on repeating the process intelligently. Bhagavana Mahavira, therefore, observed that knowledge combined with practice is the only path leading to deliverance from miseries. Both are inseparable elements of spiritual exertion. Moreover, practice cannot bear fruit without discernment, which is a corrective of practice. Only a combination of the two leads to enlightenment.
Meditative practice should begin with a correct disposition of the mind. This disposition can be strengthened by the will to achieve the end. The practitioners should develop an urge to achieve and a faith in the ideal. Moreover, he should be self-critical. The more the disposition develops, the more self-watchful will he become.
He has to remind himself continuously that his self has to perceive itself. This reminder should not be taken to be something mechanical. It should be constantly strengthened by a strong disposition towards self-perception. Success in developing the disposition results in a change of attitude. A changed attitude brings about a transformation in the very course of the practitioner's life. You cannot change the course of your life without changing your attitude about it. The world and human life will continue to be what they are. Nobody can change nature. What we can and should do is to change our attitude towards it. If we did so, we will find life to be entirely different from what it is.
The desirability to change one's attitude can be illustrated by the following example. A preceptor had two disciples. He asked one of them as to how the latter felt the world to be. The disciple replied that it was a hopeless world. Even the bright day lost its value when he saw that it was preceded and followed by dark nights. There was more of darkness in the world, which was disgusting.
The preceptor called in the second disciple and put the same question to him. The disciple replied that it was a wonderful world. How bright the (days were! Of course, the nights were dark, but then each night was followed and preceded by a bright day.
This example illustrates two attitudes towards life. The first disciple saw only the nights and their darkness. The second saw only the dlays and their brightness. The first was not able to appreciate the brightness of the days, and the second did not pay any attention to the darkness of the nights. It is the attitude of the mind, which matters. It is the mind, which makes a heaven of hell and a hell of heaven.
The Anitya Anupreksha meditation is performed in the early hours of the morning. During this meditation we try to feel that the body is transitory. The idea of the transistorises of the body gradually comes to develop into a felt experience. It is an experience of the truth about the body. We know that the body undergoes continuous change. Heat, cold, the winds, and the atmosphere affect it. It is subject to diseases, old age, and death. But if we could know the truth about these changes and the body, it will be a happy experience. We are afraid of death and feel unhappy about it only because we do not know its nature.
As soon as we have known the true nature of disease and death, our attitude towards them will certainly change. Death is a terrible thing no doubt, but one who has known the truth about it will be prepared to welcome it whenever it comes. We can develop this attitude towards death through the Anitya Anupreksha meditation.
The greatest punishment the state can award is the punishment of death. Death appears to be a terrible thing to every one. But to the Sadhaka it is no longer so. It is rather a welcome guest. Sadhana brings about a complete self-transformation. It is also a transvaluation of values. The old values disappear, giving place to new values. Sadhana is a journey to death. A change in our attitude towards life and death is the prerequisite of Sadhana. It means getting rid of all kinds of predispositions, predilections, and preconceived notions

Gayatri
The essence of vedas

Dr Sunita Gupta

Gayatri is the essence of Vedas. This is the most powerful of all the mantras and is often referred to as mother of all the mantras. This is also called as guru-mantra. The syllables of this mantra said to positively affect all the charkas: that is the energy centres. Thus regulates the "prana" through all the charkas and rejuvenates all the energy centres.
They say that all the knowledge of Vedas has come from this mantra hence called as Mahamantra. (Yajurveda chapter 36 verse 3). Gayatri protects Tra: (wealth) Gya; (breath) of those who speak it with devotion. It has 3 parts. In First part a devotee sings in the glory of the Almighty, the omnipresent God. The second part the sadhak prays to seek His blessings and the third part is for purification of mind and soul and thus to lead a purposeful life as said below:-
"Oh, creator of universe; we meditate upon thy supreme Splendour. May thy radiant power, illuminate our intellect, destroy our sins and lead us in the right direction."
Even silently thinking, speaking of chanting, gayatri mantra influences the physical and emotional aspects of human life, thus helps us in living a balance life. Gayatri purifies the chanter and it purifies the listener too. It exhorts one to tune oneself to the cosmic mind and its laws of dharma. Our energy centres, levels and systems are activated by means of breath which is drawn through nostrils. So during the recitation of this mantra, even while doing mansic-japa the breath is automatically regulated and all the energy centres are activated even at very subtle level… it has been proved scientifically that it works on multitude of ways which align the energies, magnetic currents biochemistry and brain wave pattern on a very subtle level, thus helping one to strike balance between body, mind and soul. It is also scientific, practical and antibiotic in nature. The most beautiful aspect of this mantra is that it can be recited by any - body at any time and at any place though morning 4-8 a.m. and evening 4 - 8 p.m. is the best time. Since it has 24 syllable so it activates 24 divine qualities in a devotee. A particular letter has a particular meaning and is related to a particular part of the body as shown in the figure. Even the westerns have found that the correct recitation of it with proper accent as described in Vedas produce certain vibrations that make the atmosphere visibly illuminated known as brahm-parkash. It dispels all the fears and anxieties and strengthens faith in self.
Gyatri is synonymous with intellect. Since, sorrows may be individual or at macro level but their root lies in low intellect so in this Mantra one prays to God for attaining a pure and taintless intellect. This mantra has the rare capacity to attract Divine cosmic powers in the psyche of a mature devotee.
Meaning :
The word meaning of Gayatri:-
OM - the paranav --- the word that is God almighty is the primordial fundamental sound symbolic of universal absolute.
BHUH - God who is eternal embodiment of vital or spiritual energy.
BHUVAH - God who is the creator and destroyer of sufferings.
SAVAHA - God who is independent embodiment of happiness.
TAT - the eternal God.
SAVITHUR - divine sun (the ultimate light of wisdom).
VARENEYAM - the supreme God
BHARGO - that light that bestows wisdom, bliss and everlasting life.
DHEVESYA - the light of effulgent god/divine grace.
DHEEMAHI - we meditate/contemplate.
YONAHA - be directed by the lord
PRACHODYAT - towards illumination/enlightment.
Thus it a unique combination of three - concepts of stotra i.e. singing the praise and glory of God, dhayana and prarthna. As described below:-
Oh ' almighty god
Embodiment of vital spiritual energy
Destroyer of suffering, embodiment of happiness
You are bright like sun, destroyer of sufferings
Your divinity may purify us
And guides us on the right path.
Thus Gayatri should be recited while meditating upon the fact that -
Every thing is within oneself and thus
One should keep and develop confidence in self.

What is human life all about

Lt Col R K Langar

One way of looking at life is that man enters the world from one door and leaves it from another. Man enters the world when he is born, he grows up, get educated, obtains a job for his living, gets married, brings up children, gets old and leaves the world by another door at the end of his life span. Is this a correct way to describe human life. Those who believe in this way of living live mechanically from birth to death. The fact is that life is much more than a sheer mechanical living. Life provides plenty of adventure and opportunities to those who live every moment of it mindfully. So what exactly is life. We have a few options to describe human life as perceived by our men of wisdom.
All life is Yoga: Our great spiritual philosopher Sri Aurobindo says that all life is Yoga. Yoga is defined as the method of connecting individual soul to the Supreme soul or over soul. This concept is based on the Hindu ideology that human life should be utilized for God realization.
The soul inside a man is potentially divine and while living in the world we should direct our entire effort to unite the individual soul with the supreme soul to free ourselves from the cycle of birth and death. All life is yoga implies that whatever we do in life is done in a spirit of dedications towards God. It never means that we should discard the world and go into a forest to realize God. It only means that we live in world do our best to contribute towards world solidarity with the mind settled in God consciousness. This is in confirmity with what Gita says "Remember Me at all times and fight". Conduct yourself in the world while firmly established in God.
Life is a School: Sri Aurobindo further says that all life is a school where learning process never ends. In this process of learning earth is considered as a big class room. When we accept that life is a school, we accept that life teaches us if we keep our mind open. Rig veda says that let noble thoughts enter your mind from all sides. You can learn from any one, even from those who are younger to you in age. In Shrimad Bhagawat sage Dattatreya says that if we keep our eyes ears open we will find that everything that exists in nature around us, even birds and animals, have a lesson to teach us. Dattatreya talks about twenty four gurus from whom he has learnt. For example earth teaches fore bearance, tree is an excellent example of selfless service since it provides shade to all without any expectation of return. But why should we learn throughout our life. It is because Learning makes us gain both worldly and spiritual wisdom. Learning enables us to unlearn or weed out what is unwanted or undesirable in our mind. Learning makes us grow inwardly to find newer interest in life learning gives us freedom, learning makes us observe the reality and at the same time we become open to change our perceptions. Therefore be not a scholar but be a brilliant student. Develop sun like affection, river like generosity and earth like hospitality.
Life is a battle field: Dr. Radha Krishan says that life is a battle between spirit and matter, between knowledge and ignorance, between self control and temptation, between discrimination and sensual life. When we commence to fight this battle then our journey starts from humanness to divinity. Life is a battle because no one will give room for yourself, we have to create it for ourself. Human life is not programmed. We have a free will to be what we want to be. When we look inwardly we find that we are fighting the inner battle continuously. Fighting the outer battle of life means tackling our day to day problems relating to ourself, our family, our profession and our society. Since man lives in two worlds, outer and inner, simultaneously he as to fight both these battles firstly to evolve himself and secondly to become a useful member of the society while contributing towards its efficiency. Hardest battle you have to fight is the battle to be just you.
Life is a train Journey: Life could also be compared to a train journey where all are traveling towards our destination. We meet new people who enter our compartment and then there are those who leave our compartment at different stations never to meet again. This happens in worldly life where we meet some for the first time and loose some of our dear ones for ever. Our relationship in life is not permanent as people come and go from our life. Some time the train passes through green fields and some time later through barren ground, sometime through a tunnel. This compares with the pleasant and unpleasant situations which we meet in Life. There are some in the train who are traveling in higher Class while majority is traveling in lower Class. Those who are traveling in higher class are those who are spiritually evolved. There number is very small as compared to the worldly people who are in majority and are traveling in lower class in the train.
Life is a celebration: Sri Sri Ravishankar a spiritual teacher and humanitarian par excellence and founder of Art of living foundation call life a celebration Sri Sri Ravishankar himself is cheerfulness personified, He says that man has become too serious in life and forgets to smile. He ask human beings to smile and serve, to meditate and celebrate. Sri Sri Ravishanker says that sun rises and celebrate, rivers flow and celebrate, tree flowers and celebrate then why not man evolve himself and celebrates life. Spirituality is not seriousness but cheerfulness.
So what is human life all about and what should we do in life. The answer is simple. We should become a yogi, we should learn from every moment of life, we should fight the battle of life to undertake the journey from humanness to divinity. We should celebrate life as we celebrate any festival because life is a beautiful experience. While doing so we should listen to the advise of Lord Krishna. He gave to Arjuna in Bhagavad Gita that or we should live life in spirit of Yajna or Sacrifice doing our best to look after the welfare of others. Do not cook food only for yourself because if you do that then you are a thief.

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Snippets from Nandbab's life

C L Trisal

The vale of Kashmir perpetually shines in its pristine glory and is blessed to have been a place hallowed by great saints and men of deep insight. This place though ravaged by the travails of time, even now, holds aloft the light of spirituality and mysticism in its fragrant ambrosial sands of time. The beauty of subtle celestial vibrations still pervades the land. Among the myriads of spiritual giants who attained true self realization, Swami Nandbab Ji is regarded as a 'venerable intercession' between him and his God as a bridge for humanity to touch the trail of cosmic consciousness.
Many anecdotes about his life have been recorded and almost all of them point to his divine attainments and mastery over the four 'fruits of life'. The bliss that emanated from his being was for everybody near to uphold and feel blessed. Outwardly he sported no signs of a darvesh such as beard, jap-mala since he was way beyond the idea of body consciousness. His magnetic persona reflected the aphorism of "Tat tvam asi" - you are that? That infinite Atman is not limited by sensory bioscope of the ephemeral world. At the same time he also knew that it would require a superhuman effort from an ordinary human to transcend Mahamaya and hence preached no obscure philosophy but lent his personal help to obviate man's material and spiritual trials. This clearly points out his concern for humanity which could not comprehened lofty philosophy but like smaller boats needed a big ship for them to overcome the wirls and potential dangers of life. What separates this man of God from many other saints is his uniqueness to alleviate human suffering instantly. He was clairaudient and clairvoyant-could hear and see things beforehand. According to the recorded version of Justice J N Bhat, a few anecdotes about Swami Nandlal would substantiate the persona of this sage. Nandbab would always pay attention to keeping himself tidy with daily morning bath through regarding food he would be abstemious. He would talk in parables and generally the words seemed incomprehensible but soon it would be realized that he saw before him events that were about to happen or would happen later.Oft times saints and mystics behave in mysterious ways to convey a message and at the same time to accentuate the transitoriness of the material world. Nandbab was no different in such strides of mystical communion that upfront look strange and devoid of normal sense. His empathy with fellow human beings was revealed in several situations when suffering persons who were terminally ill and spurned by medical specialists miraculously got cured through his benign gaze. Though he didn't seem to speak directly to a person, his spiritually murtured seekers; he evinced interest in their personal matters in order that they don't get dragged back to the muck of the material world. He protected his chosen flock like a mother rendering personal attention to her child's well being.It is difficult to fathom the mysterious ways of a profound mystic with a stature as high as Nandbab, for the perceptions that we tend to hold based on the glamour of the world are often foggy, coloured by prejudices. Thus it is appropriate for us to prostrate before such a mystic and entreat him to bestow on us clarity of vision. Saints serve not from the standpoint of personal seeking but a broader cause in order to open our inner eye. They are intoxicated by a state of supreme love and strive to sacrifice themselves for the good of many. A saint’s whole life prods us with the vedantic inquiry. "Tattakim" what next! What next! The great thinker Abraham Maslow puts it very well when he states that every human has four basic needs - those of food, protection, recognition and self-actualization. Of these self-realization should be the supreme aim of every true spiritual seeker.
Our scriptures state that the subtler an object is the more is its capacity to hold energy. Body is gross; it has muscular energy which looks great from outside but that is not necessarily a sign real strength. Nerve fiber is very subtle, it holds the fine power of thinking and is a testimony to the strength of great thinking. Individual soul is the subtlest and an infinite energy reservoir. It augurs well for us to shift our attention slowly and gradually from gross manifestations to the subtler ones in order to comprehend our own true nature. May the spark that Nandbab has lit in our hearts during his earthly sojourn continue to guide us and help us in realizing our own true potential. May everybody of our life be a festival of lights! Hallowed be thy name-the omniscient Nandbab-the mystic extraordinary!
To quote Shamboo Nath Dhar who served in J&K Accountant General's office, Nandbab made a sudden entry one day into office and signalled with his staff in hand to a junior clerk to occupy a vacant seat nearby. Shaken by the attire of the swami, the employee complied and occupied the chair. Within a few days, he was promoted out of turn as accountant in Radio Kashmir. This is a pointer to the sage's clairvoyance.
Nandbab was observed to dress up as in a battle uniform with an English hat on during the 1947 raid in Kashmir. And during that time he would draw out his stick in different directions as if he were someone to save the native land. During the invasion of Kashmir by Pakistan, people at a place where petrified to hear the sound of saber jet flying over the city. Nandbab assured them that the enemy would be kept in check but consternation was more than real for people to feel satiated. He calmed everybody that if they required his assurance on a stamp paper he would willingly provide. This raised an air of reassurance in the audience and the ritual ceremony continued. It was soon seen that despite best attempts by the enemy, Srinagar Airport did not bear a scar from the attack.It is also reported that during Bangladesh conflict, Nandbab was seen very worried for a couple of days and later he suddenly seemed to revel in joy and murmured with himself, "Everything is alright now." He also asked a person to prepare tasty Kashmiri food at that moment. Next day on All India Radio it was announced that Pakistani military had surrendered en-masse to India in Bangladesh.Nandbab was always seen scribbling something on chits of paper which people would call parvanas. Parvanas were some sort of foretelling of events about to materialize. There is a reported incident about a young man of average intelligence being given one such chit and told that he has been offered a post. Many people irrespective of faiths and age were blessed to receive these chits which indicated their soon-to-be-good fortune.
Contemporary to his times there was a towering spiritual personality staying nearby - the great Bhagvaan Gopinathji. A day before Bhagvaanji attained Mahasamadhi Nandbab was crying inconsolably and shedding tears as if possessed by some grief. When a few people interjected and asked him the reason, he said, "The king of rishis is going away and leaving a huge worked on my shoulders."
In conclusion, I should add that Sadgurus remove "darkness" solve very difficult problems faced by their devotees, cheer them up with their sweet and soothing words. Nandbab was certainly a godly person endowed with spiritual siddhis of a rare order.

Shiv Shakti Avtar
Capt Purushottam Sharma

‘‘Man is as ugly as nose-less face if he has no wisdom.’’ —Baba

Thousands of hands raised in reverence and stretched necks could be seen directed to the entry gate from which Bhagwan Baba appears for 'darshan'. Divine Darshan of compassionate Lord carries floods of feast to the eyes which forget to blink and waves from the ocean of love. The loving Lord showers His grace in abundance on concourse of His Devotees.

Centuries of incessant study of Vedas could not satisfy Sage Bhardwaj's yearning for Supreme knowledge. To help the saddened Sage, Indra advised him to propitiate Mother Parvati. The Sage decided to hold a 'Yagna' and reached Kailasa to extend invitation to the Mother of the Universe. As the Ishwara and His Consort were dancing in ecstasy, he stood continuously for eight days in snow-clad place to witness it which caused him a paralytic stroke. The Divine Couple rushed to his help. Ishwara sprinkled the sacred water on the Sage and cured him. He granted him a boon that He will incarnate in Kaliyuga thrice. First was the Shiva Avtar, a third child to a pious couple Smt. Devagiriamma and Ganga Bhavida in village Patri (Maharashtra) and He was Sri Sai Baba of Shirdhi. The second is the Shiva-Shakti Avtar of Bhagwan Sri Satya Baba. The Third Incarnation will be Shakti Avtar, Prema Sai.

Bhagwan Sri Sathya Sai Baba was born on 23rd of November, 1926, in Ratnakar family of Bhardwaja Gotra in a tiny village of Puttaparthi falling in Anantpur District of Andhra Pradesh. He had chosen a devout couple Srimathi Easwaramma and Sri Pedda Venkama Raju as parents of His physical body. His grand father Sri Kondama Raju was deeply religious and carried firm faith in the prophecy of his Guru Sri Venkavadhoota that God would incarnate in his family. Known as Sathya or Raju, He was the darling child of the whole village. A strict vegetarian, He could not withstand cruelty to animals and birds. He was called Biddalguru (child-teacher) and a Brahmajnani.

He excelled in studies, sports, music, dance and other such activities. Like Yashoda to Krishna, Karnam Subbamma, who lived next to Sathya's family house, served Him with deep devotion and affection. Sathya stayed in her house for several years. Baba was away when Subamma shed her mortal coils. Just before her cremation, He returned to Puttaparthi and called the dead, Subamma! And Lo! And Hail! she promptly responded the Divine Call, smilingly opened her eyes and feasted with Lord's 'darshan' to her fill. Baba poured the sacred water in her mouth as promised thus fulfilled her last wish. She slowly and peacefully closed her eyes and returned to her eternal abode.

Sathya made declaration of His Incarnation on 23 May, 1940 announcing "I am Sai Baba." On return from school on 20th Oct. 1940. He threw His Schoolbag and started His Mission of Transformation of Mankind. In reply to a letter on 25th May, 1947, to His elder brother Seshma Raju, Sathya revealed His Mission saying that He had:

a) a task to foster all mankind and ensure for all of them lives full of Bliss (Anand);

b) a vow to lead all who stray away from the straight path again into goodness and save them;

c) He was attached to a work that He loved, i.e., to remove the suffering of the poor and grant them what they needed; and

d) He expected those devoted to Him to treat joy and grief, gain and loss, with equal fortitude.His message of manifestation of inherent human values-Satya (Truth), Dharma (Righteousness), Shanti (Peace), Prema (Love) and Ahimsa (Non-violence) is fast propelling transformation all over the world.

In His commandments, He lays emphasis on Patriotism, respect for all religions, brother-hood of man, cleanliness of suroundings, not to encourage begging but provide livelihood to the needy, not to have difference of caste, creed or religion, not to give or take bribes, self-dependence, fear of sin, love for God and to honour the law of the land.Baba's Divine plays are amazing. He possesses unlimited powers. In His childhood, He would materialize sugar candies, books, pencils and erasers from His school-bag and distribute these to His class-mates. From the dry-beds of Chithravati River, He would bring out idols of various gods and goddesses, vessels full of nectar and other objects. He commanded a tamarind tree to promptly delivers varieties of fruits calling it Kalapvriksha (wish fulfilling tree) and distributed among the devotees....

Word SAI is pregnant with great significance in that the letter S stands for Service (Sewa), A for Adoration (Prema) and I for Illumination (Viveka). SAI also stands for transformation at Spiritual, Association and Individual levels. Baba's abode is Prashanti Nilayam (the Supreme Peace conferring place) to which millions of devotees throng for Divine 'Darshan.' Some of them are interviewed, given patient hearing and Divine counseling. Heaps of mail is received from all over the world. Besides, Baba receives letters from devotees sitting in 'Darshan' lines. He answers prayers of His devotees and grants them His Grace. Bhagwan Baba lovingly called Swami also by his devotees, reaches thousands of miles away to His devotees even without their calling or invoking or inviting to protect them from perilous situations.

Baba makes a permanent seat in the heart of His devotees and often communicates with them through visions and dreams. His devotees can never forget Him. His remembrance brings a feel of His presence and refuge to them.

"Atma Glows when Ego Goes." "Promote the "Religion of Love, Promote Morality." Swami says that He considers "Students as His very Life. Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning at Puttaparthi is a Deemed University College at Bangalore and Anantpur and schools from Kindergartens to Higher Secondary level, Chaitanya Jyoti depicting His Life, Mission and Message, Super Speciality Hospitals at Puttaparthi and Whitefield (Bangalore), Music College at Puttaparthi, the Gowshaalas of Gokulum of Brinadban (Bangalore) and Puttaparthi, a magnificent Indoor Stadium at Puttaparthi, several safe-drinking-water projects for millions of people, Bal Vikas Programmes and other social welfare projects are boons to the society. Baba has melodious voice. He has composed hundreds of soul-stirring Bhajans Himself. The Vahini series written by Bhagwan Himself, Sathya Sai Speaks series containing His Divine Discourses, Sathyam Shivam Sundram series containing His Life Story and Divine Leelas, Summer Shower seris, Children's books and thousands of other books and publications are most magnificent treasure available at Prasanthi Nilayam. Sai Organization has three Wings: Service Wing Education Wing and Spiritual Wing which undertake their actvities all over the world under their respective Sai Centres Samities. Bhagwan Baba has Army of His own devotees called 'SEVA DAL' drawn from all over the country to perform various duties in the Ashram and its Institutions. The Seva Dal volunteers treat it a proud privilege. The volunteers deem it Bhagwan's grace indeed.

Prana, the real force

Jagdeep Singh

Once, for some season, the Divine sage Narada suffered from delusion. As he wanted to get rid of his delusion, he went to Maharishi Sanat Kumar. Maharishi asked, " O, Naroda! why do you seem to be so gloomy ! Where has your humour gone !" Naroda said, "Maharaj ! I have come to touch your feet so that I may get the peace of the self .?" Maharishi said, “why don’t you have the peace of the self?” Naroda regretted his inability to point out the reasons. Sanat Kumar asked, "O, Naroda ! Apprise me as to what branches of knowledge have you known and what not !" Naroda replied, "Bhagwan ! I have studied the six school of philosophy, the four Vedas, the Sub-Vedas, Mathematics and all other sciences but I am not able to get the peace of the self." Sanat Kumar said, " O, Naroda ! All this knowledge is of a very high order. This only will bless you. You dive deep into it. This will make you one with the world."
Naroda said to Sanat Kumar, "Maharaj ! I want to know whether there is any other thing greater than this knowledge in the world."
Truth
Sanat Kumar said, "Yes, there is a thing greater than this. And it is speech. You should worship speech. Speak the truth. Whatever you utter, it should be truthful. It can take you to God head."
At this the Divine sage Naroda said, "Maharaj ! I would like to know if there is anything higher than speech."
Mind
Sanat Kumar said, "O, Naroda ! There is a thing still higher than speech. And it is mind. This mind is very significant. So, stabilize your mind. Invoke the mind. It will help you to realize God."
Naroda asked, "Sir, tell me ! if there is any thing higher than the mind."
Intellect
Sanat Kumar said, O, Naroda ! Intellect is higher than the mind. It is a gift of God to human beings. You pray to God that He should bless you by intellect so that you may properly discriminate the phenomenon world. The intellect is the guide of our life. You should act intellectually. This individual soul merges with supreme soul after attaining three types of intellect - Medha, Ritambara and Pragya. Liberation is achieved.
Naroda asked, "Maharaj ! I want to know whether there is any other thing higher than intellect."
The sub-conscience
Sanat Kumar said, "O, Naroda ! The sub-conscience is higher than the intellect. You should make this sub-conscience sublime. In this subtle and subtle sub-conscience, all the entire planetorium of God is observed. Merge your intellect in the sub-conscience."
Naroda asked, “Sir, I want to know if there is anything higher than the sub-conscience.”
The Memory
Sanat Kumar said, "O, Naroda ! The Smriti (memory) is higher than the sub-conscience. The impressions of several generations remain imprinted on our sub-conscience. Smriti constitutes in their sprouting forth."
Naroda asked, "Sir, Is there anything higher than Smriti even !"
The Vital Energy
Sanat Kumar said, "Yes, Brahmcharya is higher than Smriti. This Brahmcharya accords radiance and splendour. It helps one to revel in Brahma. If we do not observe Brahmcharya, then our life is only for name sake. "
Naroda said, "Maharaj, I want to know whether there is anything higher than Brahmcharya."
The Food
Sanat Kumar said, " O, Naroda ! Food is higher than Brahmcharya. So worship food and this vegetable kingdom. Food gives us radiance and Brahmcharya. Food is sacred for us."
Naroda Muni said, "Sir, what is higher than food ?"
The Mother Earth
Maharishi Sanat Kumar said, "O, Naroda ! The earth is higher then Food. Invoke the earth. She is our mother. She blesses us. O, Mother Earth ! We seek Electric Energy", you are kind enough to give us the same. It is you who enables us to cross the surging sea of this phenomenon world by doing righteous deeds."
Naroda said, "Bhagwan ! I would like to know if there is any thing higher than the earth."
The Fire Principle
Sanat Kumar replied, "Higher than the Earth is the fire principle which is pervading the cosmos. It is activating all the phenomena. This is principle causes rain which helps in the growth of all forms of foods. "
After this Naroda asked, "Sir, what is higher than the fire principle ?"
The space
Sanat Kumar advised, "O, Naroda ! space is subtler than the fire principle. Whatever word we utter, it permeates in the space. From the space it is picked up and interpreted according to our receptive intellect.
The space is the prompter of our intellect. It initiates the air principle, it initiates the fire principle. "
Thereupon Naroda said to Sanat Kumar, "Sir, what may be still higher than the space?"
The Cosmos
Sanat Kumar advised, "O, Naroda ! this cosmos is higher than the space. Look! How many worlds known as the Lunar sphere, the Solar (sphere), Dhruva Mandal, the Saptrishi Mandal, Boor, Bhawaha, Swaha, Maha, Jana, Tapah and Satyam Mandal exist. All these worlds remain the womb of cosmos and exercise their influence in the respective spheres."
Naroda than asked, "Sir, what is higher than the Cosmos?"
Prana the Real Force
Sanat Kumar said, "O, Naroda ! the Prana is higher than the Cosmos. This Prana is providing every creature in this phenomenon world. The Prana is motivating the world. It is working in collaboration with Atma (Soul). This Prana is activating the inanimate Nature. O, Naroda ! you invoke the Prana. This Prana is the Prompter of your spiritual peace."
Paramatma - The Supreme Being
After knowing upto Prana, Naroda kept mum and only observed that he was experiencing the Spiritual peace. Maharishi Sanat Kumar added, "O, Naroda ! There is some entity still higher than the Prana. And this is the Supreme Being. He is the one who only motivates Prana and who only blesses the Atma. O, Naroda ! if you want the spiritual peace, you should go in His refuge.

GAYATRI
THE POWER OF POWERS

Kundan Kashmiri

It is wrong to conceive of the notion that the Gayatri Mantra is solely meant for the chosen orthodox Brahmin class. It is universally applicable, for it is nothing but an earnest prayer for light, addressed to the Almighty supreme spirit. It is verily the sole transcendental guide-light to humanity. Of all Mantras the supreme and the most potent power of powers is The Gayatri Mantra. The nature of Gayatri is such that you can adore worshiping it in any form or name you like. The Gayatri is the support of every seeker after Truth who believes in its efficacy, power and glory, be he of any caste, creed, clime, or sect. It is only one's faith and purity of heart that really count. In deed Gayatri is impregnable spiritual armour, veritable fortress that guards and protects the votary that transforms him into the divine and blesses him with the brilliant light of the highest spiritual illumination.
Dear aspirants! Realise the wondrous potency of this glorious Gayatri. Realize clearly what a precious heritage you have in this Mantra. Neglect not this Divine Shakti that the Rishis of yore have bequeathed. This is the only true Shakti before which electricity, radio active nucleus and atomic forces appear as mere vulgar futile trifles. Start regular daily Gayatri Mantra/ Japa and feel for yourself the wondrous power that you derive there from. Fix a particular time for the Japa and stick to it permanently. At least one mala of Japa you must do daily without a break. It will guard us from all dangers, give us infinite strength to overcome all obstacles and give us power, peace and bliss.
THE GAYATRI MANTRA WHICH WE HAVE TO PRACTICE DAILY AND REGULARLY IS: -
"Om Bhur Bhuvah Suah"
Tat Savitur Varenyam
Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi
Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat".
"Let us meditate on Ishvara and His Glory, who has created the universe, who is fit to be worshipped, who is the remover of all sins and ignorance. May he enlighten our intellects."
The aspirant prays to Gayatri as the Divine Mother: "O Beloved Mother! At present I have taken my body as the Self owing to ignorance, through my impure intellect. Give me a pure intellect which will enable me to know my real nature. Give me light and knowledge" Gayatri is the 'Blessed Mother' of Vedas. There is no milk superior to cow's milk. There is no Mantra superior to Gayatri. As Omkara is for Sanyasins so is Gayatri for brahmacharins and householders. The fruits that are attained by meditation on Omkara can be attained by meditation on Gayatri.
For meditation of Gayatri we would have to get up at early in dawn and start Japa and meditation on Gayatri, five faced Devi seated in lotus flower, sitting on Padmasana, or siddhasana facing north or east. After bath continue the Japa for two hours or more and have another sitting at in the evening hours. Constantly feel that you are receiving light, purity and wisdom from Gayatri. Concentrate on the meaning of Gayatri which is very important and keep the image of the Gayatri at the Trikuti, the space between the eyebrows by closing the eyes and concentrate there, or keep the image in the lotus of the heart and concentrate there. You will have Darsana of Gayatri.
It the advisable to have Japa of Gayatri 3000 to 4000 times daily. Your heart will be purified rapidly. If you are not able to do this number, you can do 1008 times daily. If you find it difficult to do this number, do at least 108 times daily, 36 times at sunrise, 36 times at noon, 36 times at sunset. There is a special mysterious spiritual force or wonderful magnetic power at Sandhi or junction of time, sunrise and sunset. The mind will be elevated quickly. It will be filled with Sattva. Concentration will come by itself without any effort at this time. If you find it difficult to get up very early than get up before sunrise. The man who fails to do Gayatri at the Sandhya fails in the discharge of his daily duties. He becomes a fallen man, loses vigour, vitality and Brahma Tejas.
In the Gayatri Mantra there are nine names, viz., 1. Om 2. Bhur 3. Bhuvah 4. Svah 5. Tat 6. Savitur 7. Varenyam, 8. Bhargo and 9. Devasya. Through these nine names the Lord is praised. "Dhimahi" is worship of the Lord. 'Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat' is prayer. Herein there are five halts or stops, viz., 'Om' is the first stop; 'Bhur Bhuvah Svah' the second "Tat Savitur Varenyam' the third; 'Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi" the fourth; and "Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat" the fifth. While chanting or doing Japa of the Mantra, we should stop a little at every stop or halt.
A man repeat Gayatri mentally in all states, while lying, sitting, walking etc. there is no sin of commission and omission of any sort in its repetition. One should thus perform Sandhya three times with this Gayatri Mantra everyday, in the morning, noon and evening. It is the Gayatri Mantra alone that can be commonly prescribed for all the Hindus. The Lord commands in the Vedas, "Samano Mantrah" Let one Mantra be common to all. Hence the Gayatri should be the one Mantra for all the Hindus.
I would like to give a word to our younger generation and to some others who have forgotten all about glory and high efficacy of Gayatri Sandhya / Mantra. Please don't ruin your selves by neglecting Sandhya. Regular performance of Sandhya will give you success in life and material and spiritual prosperity, good health and long life, purity of heart, and help you to attain God-realisation. Do it from now at least. Yet there is hope for you. Wake up. Be sincere.
Now take strict resolve from this very moment to be regular in your daily Sandhya, even under many distractions and obstacles, Begin it from this very moment. Do not delay reduce your daily activities. Talk little. You will get plenty of time for your Gayatri Sandhya/ Mantra. The Sandhya will not take more than half and hour daily take it as a your compulsory duty of the day and treat it more important than your eating and talking. It will purify your mind will give you peace of mind and good health. If you become habituated of the same you will feel more joy more pleasure more divine illumination.

Way to Happiness and Success

Gani Rajendra Vijay

Man, Family, society and nation are components of an interlinked hierarchy. In fact it is a happy, satisfied and contended family, which leads to a healthy and glorious society and nation. A family is the basic unit to develop mankind. The collaborated joy, oneness and love found in a family are difficult to find anywhere else. A family symbolizes a collective unit. The heads of the family can motivate the entire unit towards a positive direction.
As it is said ‘united we stand, divided we fall’. Each finger in itself is unable to do much, but when all fingers together form a fist, they can break anything. Honeybees are happily united such that even an elephant is afraid to go near them. Trees grow together; bear the violent storms by leaning against each other. A united family can successfully overcome all obstructions.
Once there was a rich man with a large and happy family. With changing times, the Seth suffered a big loss in business, and became financially unstable. Despite this, his family continued living unitedly and happily. Putting together his business again, the Seth decided to go abroad with his family. On their way, they rested beneath a shady grove. Many weeds were growing there. By the Seth's order, all weeds were cut down, soaked in the water and beaten. These weeds were then tied around the tree to make them into ropes. The tree was the abode of a Yaksha, who, seeing them working together, appeared and asked -“ What are you doing?”.
The Seth cleverly replied-“Yakshraj! We want to confine you with the ropes. We do not have any money. If you do not want to be confined, remove our poverty.”
Impressed by their unity, Yakshraj said, “Go northwards, you will find a big treasure when you dig the earth.”
They acted likewise and found the treasure and returned home happily. Their business flourished again. Seeing the Seth’s prosperity, his friend enquired about the sudden turnaround in fortunes and the Seth related the whole episode to him.
That friend also set out on the journey with his family and rested under the same tree. As he had heard from his friend, he ordered his sons to cut the weeds, but they all made excuses. At last he himself went out and cut the weeds. Then he asked his daughters-in-law to weave the rope but they started quarrelling. Frustrated he started weaving the rope himself by tying them around the tree.
The Yaksha appeared and said – "I am overseeing all your activities but I don’t see any unity in your family. You continuously fight with each other. Get away from here at once, otherwise your hands will get stuck to this tree."
The whole family raised their voice, and replied that they would not leave without the money. Having said that, they started confining the Yaksha to the tree. At this Yaksha lost his temper and stuck their hands to the tree. All were freed after a lot of persuation and request. They returned to their city with a heavy heart.
Socrates has written–“Make yourself worthy of the honour you want from others. Man’s honour is like his shadow and when the shadow walks behind him, its size is smaller.”
If you don’t stand by each other in the family, what is the purpose to live together? When a tree falls, it falls directly on the ground, but in a bamboo forest, a falling bamboo tree is always supported and saved by its counterparts. It is a fact that one bamboo tree stands for the sake of other bamboo trees. This is the basis of a happy family. We all know we cannot pick up anything unless all fingers join together.
It is said that first we should light a lamp at home and then in a temple. One, who finds peace at home, spreads the message of peace wherever he goes. The beautiful combination of simplicity, compassion and gentleness is the foundation of a successful family life. Forgetting the family responsibilities, those who are involved only in social commitments, lose their peace and happiness in family. Those families, which lack humbleness and humility, convert their home into a battlefield in no time. Peace in the family is essential and a prerequisite for meditation.
The two key facets of an individual’s personality are modesty and greatness of thoughts. Thoughts help in building character. If you want to find real happiness, realize that it lies in modesty and helping others in their miseries.. Two things about Islam are very touching–Simplicity in richness and generosity in poverty. If you want to lead a simple life, ask yourself two questions before buying a luxury item – Do I really need this thing? Can I not do without it?
Man’s inner self is the source of all happiness and success. An enormous problem becomes trivial for a person whose heart is pure. Lord Mahavira has said “the seeds of religion sown in a pure heart, blossom into great fruits of nirvana over time.”
‘Respect towards elders and affection towards youngsters’: this mantra helps make family life blissful. Its been said that the basis of religion is compassion and its fruit is happiness, we experience true bliss only when we serve others.
Mutual affection, humility, respect, faith, conviction, tolerance, equality, fondness, recreation etc. are the elementary features of an ideal family. Vulgar mentality, selfishness and discontentment cause quarrels and unhappiness in families. Mutual faith and love is diminishing every day. The head in the family is losing the authority.
In order to reconstruct the society, the family has to be reformed first. The joint family system is a powerful medium for the formation of good sanskaras. Both parents and grandparents should shoulder the responsibility to imbibe good values in little children. Keeping this in mind, the Sukhi Parivar movement has been set out. This is an endeavour to create a happy, prosperous and strong family.
We have created a code of conduct for every family under this movement, which will endow family members with good moral values and strong character. Thus a family would turn into a happy family. . As told to Gaurav Garg

Secret of success

Lt Col R K Langar

No one meaning of success is same for two different people. For a sportsman success means winning a medal. For a worldly man success means doing well in his job or business which secures comforts and luxuries for him. For a writer success means his writings are appreciated by one and all, for a student success means securing a high grade in exams and for a housewife success means looking after the needs of all members of family but commanding their respects. All these definitions of success are partial and not complete. Swami Vivekananda says that to be successful in life means to perform all activities as God service to benefit human kind. Successful people are those who serve fellow beings. He grades a successful person as on who lives for others with love.
So what is real success? One definition of true success is to remain dedicated to a cause which is greater than once self. Real success is more inclined to man's duty towards his fellow beings rather than looking after himself exclusively. Real success is complete inner growth which is your life time constant companion which will never leave you even when you are in adverse conditions and circumstances. Worldly success is with us today but may not remain with us tomorrow. But this does not mean that worldly success has to be discredited. Worldly success is equally important but it has to be supplemented with inner growth and success. Worldly success and inner success go hand in hand with inner growth monitoring the outer success.
To be successful in life means to have a constant urge to evolve oneself to a higher state of existence. To be successful means to become a part of world development and upliftment process. Sri Sri Ravishankar says that what hold the key to success is awareness, sense of belongingness and commitment. Awareness means being conscious, interested in knowing, informed and not ignorant. Sense of belongingness means I belong to you and not that you belong to me. When you say that you belong to me there is sense of possession but when you say that I belong to you there is no possession. You can belong to whole world without a sense of possession. As they say make the whole world your own. Commitment means fully involved with anything you undertake. Commitment means giving hundred percent to anything that you do. To be successful one should be free from all forms of limitations, one should be living in the present moment. To be successful means you are useful to people. To be successful means you love everyone around you. Without ethical foundation none can achieve success inwardly which is the main component of personality development.
Success is an inner state. It is a feeling of inner worth which is higher than worldly success. Success lies ultimately in gaining knowledge about one's own self. To be a real successful person, one has to be a man of values. Einstein says "Try not to become a man of success but be a man of values." If you are successful in worldly affairs but you yourself are not morally upright, then you are not successful in the real sense. Real success lies in our sincerity, honesty, transparency, and most importantly, in our attitude towards life. Attitude is the inner working of mind which is a vital factor in achieving success. Attitude moulds our inner personality and paves the way to become an elevated person while living in the world. Finally I would say that real success lies in refining and elevating our thoughts to enable us to think positive. This underscores that secret of success lies within us and not outside.

Swami Jeewan Sahib

S N Pandita

There is a beautiful health resort at the foot of the famous and centrally located hill, Vastervan, known as Ladhu. The hill is known as Veshrivan to the scholars of our ancients chronicles and is said to be a store house of many myths and truths for the people who live in its vicinity, who confirm that they used to get many items of their day to day need like tea, salt, medicine, some ores like iron and even gold from it. The village has remained a seat of learning for Shaivism, Buddhism and Vaishnavism during our glorious past and the broken fragments of the fine stone slabs and the ruins of the ancient monuments scattered over a large area of the village bear a testimony to this fact. The area of these ruins now known as Sankarshan/Samsa:ri' Nag is also known as Gosa:ni' Nag perhaps due to assemblage of the Saints and seers who often visited the place for religious and other discourses. The shrine of the famous shakti_Upasak, his holiness Jeewan Sahib who is said to have erected a platform of 18 feet high to lit the holy fire "Dhuni", has remained a place of pilgrimage of Kashmir since the second half of the eighteenth century. The area is flanked with a cave where the famous Sufi Saint, Nund Rishi worshipped for a long time and the seat of the famous Sufi poet, Wahab Khar stands close to this shrine on the Khrew-shar road.
Young Jeewan Sahib worked as a domestic servant in the house of a Hindu family of Rainawari, who was a Tehsildar by profession. It is said that he lit the kitchen oven early in the morning as a holy fire and used the dried cow dung as an offering to it while reciting "SWAHA". He made his abode the kitchen room and would seldom come out of it. One night the sleep of mistress of the house broke at the midnight due to the smell of smoke coming out of the kitchen room, she got up to see the matter herself as soon as she reached to the kitchen door, she was astonished to see the full room glittering with dazzling light and the cook sitting on it in 'Abhaya Mudrah' the lady got perplexed and informed her husband who also visualised the whole seen and informed his wife, that the man is spiritually positioned very high and we should discard him from preparing our meals, instead we should grace him with respect and reverence. Thus the hidden treasure came to light and people started thronging this place.
The exact date of the saint is not forthcoming in any of the records available with us at present. P.N.K Bamzai in his book "History of Kashmir", (Revised Edition), 1973, confirm his time somewhere close to the second half of the eighteenth century, when Azad khan, the Afghan Governor declared himself as the independent ruler of Kashmir (1784-85). Jeewan sahib led a life of austere meditation and penance at Rainawari the eastern suburb of Srinagar city and thousands of people used to flock to him for solace and listened attentively to his discourses, the burden of which was simple living and high thinking. It was at his instance that a hard hearted tyrant and arrogant man like Azad Khan came under a spell of devotion and love. In 1785 Timur invaded Kashmir with a strong Afghan army and thus ended the period of tyranny let loose by Azad Khan. The Governors from Kabul, or their representatives who ruled over Kashmir after Azad Khan, were not less tyrant, so Jeewan Sahib, left his city dwelling and after a thorough Wandering he reached to the famous village, Ladhu of Vihi Paragana in the lap of the valley of famous hill vasturvana and made his habitant in a stony gap of the hill near the most fascinating spring of fresh water known as DaderNag. It is said that he worshipped here for a considerable period facing towards the holy shrine of mother goddess Jwala Ji, which, it is said, was live on the Jwala parbhat just opposite to the present hermitage of the saint.
It is said that devotion unto him is a source of floodlight and it does not remain concealed. People thronged the hermitage of Jeewan Sahib. The news reached to the governors of Kabul regime. They tried to persuade the hermit to return to the city but of no heed. Finally the rulers ordered a land grant to be kept at the disposal of the shrine so as to look after its day to day requirements. The fame of the Dhuni hermit had reached to all the quarters of the valley. The whole area had once again reassumed its lost glory and fame. The Jeewan langar was opened to every devotee who visited the place. Religious discourses and discussions were held. The land bestowed by the royal seal was managed by the disciples of the Reshi. Everybody was welcome to attain the Reshi cult barely observing two restrictions strictly. One was to remain vegetarian throughout the life and the other was to abstain from the family life. Such dedicated devotees had to maintain complete austerity throughout their life.
He has reported to have taken his disciples to the holy dip of the Ganga at Haridwar, through the waters of the Dadher Nag. It is said that one of his disciples insisted for the said purpose and Jeewan sahib took a plank of wood in his hand and throwing it into the water of the said Nag. He sat on it wearing his wooden sleepers and asked the disciple to extend his hand while closing his eyes. Lo! The next moment they were at the Haridwar and back after the holy bath. It is said he had meditated in the deep forest of Gosain Gund, Anantnag for a long time where he planted a half burnt and left over pine tree branch of his Dhuni at the time of his departure. The branch sprouted forth and is now a big pine tree of that area known as the Jeewan sa'bin Ya'r. A pint of ashes from his Dhuni worked miracles for the remedy of innumerable ailments.
The fame of Jeewan Sahib spread far and wide during his life time. He was revered by all the Muslims and Hindus alike .The exact date of Nirwan of this Luminary of Kashmir is Shrouded like his date of incarnation but it is said that he was a contemporary of H.Hs. Mirzakak, Shakkar Sahib, Kashkak, Bhagwan Gopi Nath JI and Wahabkhar are reported to be the regular and early visitors of his holy shrine. The Samadhi of this great Luminary who remained a Shakti Upasak all his life is situated in the area covered with lofty chinars. His disciples at his Samadhi known as "sheshyas" besides remaining brahamcharis all their life preserved and upheld the holy fire of his Dhuni.
We celebrate his Jayanti on the second day of the bright half of the month Margashirsha and the tithi of his Nirvana on the second day of the dark half of the month of the Phalguna. The devotees hold a big Hawan on his Jayanti and Nirvana.
Recently the devotees have initiated renovation of Samadhi and Dhuni Sahib, and needs attention of all concerned to preserve this and bring back its cultural, heritage.

Upayas in Kashmir Shavisim

V N Jotshi Bhat

If we contemplate the purpose of life, the question invariably arises "what is the origin of life". When a person is seeking knowledge of the origin of life, and begins to understand its reality, he occasionally loses interest in mundane matters. Sometimes he thinks worldly knowledge may be hindrance to the realization of truth. This kind of thinking occurs because of his limited knowledge of the truth. This also happens because of ignorance of ones own self. Siva Sutra describe this condition, "Limited knowledge is bondage."
In every ones life there are two duties, one is to serve illusion and the other is to serve reality. When one serves the reality, he is elevated and one who serves the illusion he is deluded by 'maya'. Whether he serves the illusion or the reality one may think that he is master but he is actually a servant. When one has family, he may think that is master of his wife, children or home etc; but that is false notion. One is actually the servant of his wife, children and his home etc. Our position is always as servant, either as servant of illusion or servant of God/Siva. If we remain the servant of the illusion then our life is wasted. Everyone is thinking that he is not a servant that he is working only for himself. But when one awakens to transcendental senses and actually becomes situated in knowledge, one then becomes a servant of reality. When a person comes to the platform of knowledge, he understands that in all circumstances he is a servant. He is much better situated serving the reality instead of illusion. When one becomes aware of this, he attains the platform of real knowledge. So, the self ones true nature is essentially consciousness or Siva for that reason, Iccha Shakti - the act of will, Gayana Shakti - the act of knowledge and Kriya Shakti - the divine action exist in it. By freeing himself from attachment, and aversion and by detaching himself from praise and blame, yogi experience his own self.
Through the wisdom of Shakti in which the entire Universe appears as 'I' which comes through Anugraha/Shaktipat or Divine Grace one has to undergo spiritual discipline known as Upayas. These are 1) Sambhavoupaya 2) Shaktopaya and 3) Anavopaya.
In reality all the Upayas are one. Their technique vary to suit the needs of different individuals having different temperaments, mental impurities, countless lifetime impressions and various kinds of understanding.
Samphavopaya: Through intense awakening all thoughts cease. Such experience in simple terms is called the Sambavoupaya.
The Universe is a garden for us to roam in with love, without any trace of attachments, jealousy, hatred or anxiety. We have to give up all desires. If something comes, let it come if something goes, let it go. It is all Siva's play. This is all His reflection. If such an idea stays with us and the understanding that the world is the embodiment of Him, we need love it. Meditate on the awareness that all conscious beings as well as inert matter are Siva. This is a type of being ascetic (sanyasi). Siva alone exists everywhere. The experience that the world is the embodiment of Siva is known as Shambavoupaya. (Prakash - Vimarsh).
Shakt Upaya: "God exists in the form of feeling: The Bhagwat Gita says, the world exists in my feeling. All ones activities take place according to ones understanding. According to the tendencies of mind, a particular man is ones father, mother, brother, daughter, son, guru, friend etc. One's feelings of that person slow down when one no longer recognises that person and treats that person as non-existent. Tendencies of mind, therefore, are positive as well as negative but once they merge into consciousness they become one with it. So mental tendencies are both dual and non-dual.
To obtain the experience of all pervasive unity through the power of feeling ones thoughts gradually calm down and so one rejects the dualistic tendencies, which exist in the ordinary state. Mantra is non-dual contemplation. Siva Sutra (II/1) "The mind is that which illumines and understands the highest reality and becomes Mantra. Seeker worships a deity of the mantra. This is also established in Samb Panchashaka verse 15 "O Additti (Chit Surya) you are the knower, known and the knowledge so you are infact seeker, the hymn and the deity of the hymn. I simply bow down with devotion, which you will accept. Because there cannot be any real entity other than you. Reverse of it is untrue". Through grace of real Guru, a seeker loses the sense of duality. Thus, knowledge of his true nature is the source of contentment for such person. Therefore Shaktupaya is a means of transcending worldly existence. It is a technique for pursuing a particular mental awareness arising from the group of syllables. Limitless powers are created by group of letters. Therefore Shakti Upaya enables a person to become one with the truth, (I, & this).
Anavupaya: It is also called Bhedopaya. The empirical self is known as anu.
A technique of approach by means of something different from essential self is Anav Upaya. It uses Kriya (activity) in a gross form i.g. repetition of mantra, worship of a chosen diety, an idol etc.
Perfect absorption into the essential divine self is achieved through the following methods:
a) Ucchara b) Karna c) Dhyana d) Verna e) Sthana Kalpana (M.V. II-21).
Anavupaya leads to Sakta Upaya, which in turn leads finally to Shamboupaya (Pan - Apan).
There is a fourth upaya, which is called the Anupaya. This upaya is for superior seekers who are fully elevated. Here no action, rituals or meditation are required. Simply hearing the instructions of Guru within the short period of time and with firm faith one recognizes the Siva Principal-the supreme Reality. This upaya is also known as Guru Kripa upaya - the Guru's grace.

From selfishness to selflessness

Lt. Col. R. K. Langar

Selfishness is the basis of all immoral and corrupt practices that is prevalent in our society. Our worldly desires make us self centered and to fulfill them we focus on self interest and in the process we acquire selfishness. Main cause of selfishness is that we only think about our own interests and comforts. Selfishness starts getting into the background when we think about others , their problems and what we can do to mitigate them. Selfishness is the biggest impurity in us which does not permit us to look beyond our own self. Once we are rooted in selfishness we move away from truth and at the same time show very little respect for others and their opinions. Swami Vivekananda had once remarked that what is selfish is immoral and that which is unselfish is moral, People are selfish due to wrong understanding that if their desires are met they can be happy for ever. They fail to realize that the main end of life is not the pursuit of material happiness. It is in the pursuit of eternal happiness which has nothing to do with material happiness. It is obtained by looking inwards to realize our spiritual destiny. World is tempting and eye catching which gives instant joy to a worldly man who shall be ever busy in fulfilling his desire by activating selfishness. Mahabharta says that desires can never be satiated by gratification of desires. The more they are enjoyed the more they grow as fire by the pouring into it of butter.
Man Performs three types of actions which can be put under three heads- selfish actions, unselfish actions and self less actions. Selfish actions are those which are based on your needs and also on your greeds. These actions are performed to cater for selfish desires. Unselfish actions are those which may be based on selfish desires but there is some sort of unselfish goal like how can I contribute towards betterment of society. Then there are selfless actions which re not propelled by any desires but man considers his duty to work for the up lift of his surroundings or environment. For a selfless man every thing other than he himself in environment not only the trees, rivers or plants around him but also all living being around him. Selfless action are basically duty driven actions where man consider it as his duty to act for others and even goes out of the way to help others particularity those who are in need. Selfless work is the highest type of work and selfless people are assets to society. They are those who set example to the ordinary people. Selfless person does not expect any rewards for his actions.
The Gita defines Yoga as skill in action or efficiency in actions. Skillful actions are those where our personal interest in the work is not there and we put in our hundred percent in the task given to us. It is man's, Selfishness which results in inefficiency in work. There is corruption. There is poverty, there is crime, violence and backwardness in society, all these are caused by inefficiency in work. Efficient work is that where there is sincerity in work where there is commitment, where there is transparency and where there is rightful attitude behind the works we undertake during our day to day living.
Way out of selfishness : Selflessness in life, Selfishness in death, says Swami Vivakananda, When we act as per sense of duty we are not victim of play of our nature. To wake up to the world of spirit we have to fight selfishness. Man's aim of life is not eating for himself or working on his personal needs. Man lives in a community which can run only on exchange of commodities and service. Gita asks you to work in a spirit of Yagya or Yajna. It says all works bind excepts those which are done in a spirit of Yajna. This can be activated when you get yourself out of action by fixing your mind in higher ideal. Higher ideal unlocks your potential. Then your mind moves away from the idea of putting your mind on the results of action. Gita admonishes those who are selfish and says that those who cook for their own sake and do not share with other are thieves. It is very appropriately said that he will never go to heaven who is content to go alone. This brings us to a very noble idea that we should share with others which is the hall mark of Indian culture. We have to bring about a change in our attitude towards, Life. We have to change from the attitude of hoarding to the attitude of sharing. Share your knowledge with others and it would increase many fold.
Giving is important to root out selfishness. Give preference to giving rather than taking from others. Joy of giving is sixteen times more than the joy of taking from others. To root out selfishness one should involve oneself with charitable acts. Another way to get out of selfishness is to replace self interest by social interest. You should undertake social work with a sense of responsibility and with a conviction to change the society for its betterment. Make selfless service to other as the basic aim of your social work. The answer to the questions why should I serve others is very simple. Man benefits himself by doing good to others. When man establishes himself in benevolence, his selfish thoughts decline and he moves onto the path of enlightenment. He acquires wisdom which is higher than Intellectuality. A wise person is always selfless whereas an intellectual can be selfish. And finally when you inject duty idea into your life. You shall ever remain selfless because life is duty and at the same time life is beauty. One thing is common in all great people of the world. They were selfless workers. Selflessness come from cessation of desires. Desires means feeling of deficiency whereas desirelessness is feeling of completion. Desires are not to be suppressed but controlled with inner blossoming. You may draw enjoyment when associated with beautiful things but never develop attachment or craving for them.

Chaitanya Mahaprabhu:
Incarnation of Love

Vipin Vihari Dasa

Lord Krishna says in Bhagavad Gita 4:7 "Whenever and wherever there is a decline in religious practice, O descendant of Bharata, and a predominant rise of irreligion-at that time I descend Myself." In past ages Lord Krishna has appeared in various forms. Over 5000 years ago He appeared as Himself in His original form as Bhagavan, Sri Krishna. In this present age of Kali Yuga, He appears in His most merciful form as Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu. While other forms of the Lord descended with various paraphernalia to deal with the demoniac and irreligious influences of the time, Lord Sri Caitanya was equipped with the most powerful weapon against irreligion, the Maha Mantra..(Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare - Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare ). The chanting of the holy name of Lord Sri Krishna is the sublime and recommended process in this age for the deliverance of all souls from the clutches of maya (illusion) and irreligion
Lord Caitanya is Lord Krishna's devotional form and is mentioned in Srimad Bhagavatam 11.5.29 "In this age of Kali, people who are endowed with sufficient intelligence will worship the Lord, who is accompanied by His associates, by performance of sankirtana-yajna", (chanting the Maha Mantra - Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare - Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare). Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is Lord Krishna's most merciful form who comes under the guise of a devotee. Lord Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu was setting the perfect example of the "pure devotee of God", yet, He is God Himself! He is the devotional form of Lord Sri Krishna. The purpose of Lord Caitanya's appearance was to spread the sankirtan movement of chanting the holy names of the Lord to every town and village worldwide as the main means of God realization for this present age of Kali Yuga. He encouraged His followers to write books on Vaishnava sastra and to defeat the present infection of mayavadi impersonalism that is present everywhere and establish within the hearts of all, the practice of bhakti (love and devotion) to the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Lord Sri Krishna.
CAITANYA MAHAPRABHU'S
APPEARANCE
Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu appeared in Mayapur, India during an eclipsed moon on the evening of February 18th, 1486. Caitanya's father was Jagannath Misra, a poor Brahman and his mother was Sachi Devi. The people of the area were engaged in bathing in the holy Bhagirathi, as was customary during such occassions. With loud bursts of Haribol! Lord Sri Caitanya makes His appearance into this age known as Kali Yuga.
He mastered Sanskrit and Vedic scriptures before he was sixteen. Even as a youth He humbled many an erudite Vedic scholar in debate on the interpretation of the Vedanta Sutras. He converted several staunch advaitins (followers of Adi Shankaracharya's monism) to vaisnavism. Differing from the advaitic interpretation of the Vedanta Sutras, Chaitanya propounded the philosophy of achintya-bhedabheda-tattva - that the Supreme Person is simultaneously one with and different (bhedabheda) from His creation; and that the philosophy is so esoteric that it is inconceivable (achintya) to the unrealised human mind. He maintained that between the Supreme Person (God) and the jivatma (living entity), there was an eternal sameness as well as a distinction which endured even after the jivatma had attained liberation (moksa). This was different from Shankara's assertion that the jivatma merged into and became one with a formless and attributeless God.
According to Chaitanya, Krishna is the Supreme Godhead, the cause of all causes, the source of all incarnations, the Absolute Truth. Krishna's spiritual body is pure sat (existence), cit (consciousness) and ananda (bliss). Among His infinite powers, three are primary. His cit-shakti, internal and intrinsic power; maya-shakti, external creative power, and jiva-shakti, His marginal power that constitutes all the living entities. Krishna's cit-shakti has three aspects, sandhini, samvit and hladini. It is the hladini aspect, the pleasure potency, which delights Krishna. The essence of hladini is prema, or love. Krishna is delight Himself, yet He enjoys delight and gives delight to His devotees. It is said Krishna was so puzzled by the intensity of Radha's love for Him, that, to find out why, He advented Himself in the blended form of Radha and Krishna in one body as Chaitanya, and portrayed Himself as His own devotee. Thus He would be Krishna in one mood and Radha in another. He once told His close devotee Ramananda, I make My own heart imagine Radha's emotions and thereby taste the delicious sweetness of Krishna.He preached that love of God (prema) was the highest form of bhakti.
A vaisnava devotee should aspire for the kind of love the gopis had for Krishna - unconditional, selfless love. The fruit of prema is not liberation (moksa) but the beatitude, eternal happiness and contentment that one derives from loving service to Him. Chaitanya advocated that the best and simplest method of bhakti in Kaliyuga is to praise the Lord, Sri Krishna, sing His glories and chant the mahamantra, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare; Hare Rama Hare Rama, Rama Rama; Hare Hare. He popularised the sankirtan movement by himself leading congregational dancing and singing the glories of the Lord throughout India. As He had prophesied, Krishna's names are being chanted throughout the world today.
Chaitanya left behind only eight written verses, in one of which, in his aspect of Krishna's devotee, he says: "I seek not wealth, nor fame, nor pleasure, nor literary greatness; what I pray for is that I may have in life after life devotion to Thee with no extrinsic motive behind". Chaitanya was an apostle of supreme love of God. He distributed prema and brought it to the highest level conceivable to man.