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Hiding The Lamp

2012-02-04T06:02:00.001-08:00

Light From Eternal Lamps–Essays On Practical Spiritual Life–by Swami Nirmalananda Giri

Hiding The Lamp

"No man, when he hath lighted a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light."1

A person would be somewhat crazy to light up a lamp and then put it away or cover it up so he would still be in the dark. Yet there are those who love darkness but want to claim possession of the light.

I remember very well when as a child I discovered the existence of one kind of these beings. In our small town people rarely had cement walks leading up to or around their houses, Instead they would lay down boards and use them for walkways. Our house had such wooden walks, as well. One day in attempting to straighten out a board that had gone awry, I turned it over and discovered underneath a multitude of little creatures that scrambled wildly to get away from the light. In a few moments there was nothing where before there had been a large assembly! So from then on I often amused myself by turning over the boards in our yard and watching the scramble. Being a solar creature myself, who did not at all like the dark, I was fascinated to discover that there were some of my fellow inhabitants of the earth that preferred darkness to light–who seemed to actually fear or hate light.

It intrigued me that those creatures did not live down in the depths of the earth where they could be assured of uninterrupted darkness. No, they wanted to live up on the surface of the earth and at the same time they wanted to be covered up in order to be in darkness. Their behavior had a profound message, though at that time I did not figure it out.

But if we consider seriously we can see that most people in the world want to live like those insects. Or at least the "religious" ones usually do. They do not want to be identified for what they are–spiritual moles–or to have someone recognize them as truly being ignorant, unspiritual, or even irreligious. Not that they really mind being those things–they do not with to be anything else–but their egos do not want them to be recognized for what they are and labelled accordingly. They want the low things of life, the things that darken and coarsen the mind and heart through their indulgence, while at the same time having the reputation that they are living up high within the light. Yes, they even aspire to be spiritual examples and leaders of others! They also want the constant company of the dwellers in the darkness, as well as their good will and approval, affirming almost hysterically that they refuse to be "fanatics" or "extremists." "After all, we do live in the world," they conclude with smug satisfaction. But Saint Paul says that Christians have been raised up to dwell in the heavens,2 that we shall henceforth live in the spirit and not in the flesh.3 But the "moles" much prefer to believe in the resurrection of the body rather than the resurrection of the spirit. "How can I be in the light according to external appearances while still living in the dark?" This is the question vital to them.

The answer is simple: create a spiritual cover, a shield under which they can crawl in the dark, congratulating themselves that they are not like those beneath them living in the depths of the earth, but have evolved up to the surface with those who walk in the light. And all the time they can be comfortably in the dark–a darkness they can even begin calling "the light"! After a while they can begin to say that those who do not dwell with them under their spiritual rock are "outside, in the outer darkness," doomed to sure perdition.

Such were the pharisees of Jesus' time, to whom he is speaking, and so are they today. Taking refuge in external displays of righteousness, they remain interiorly darkened, preferring to reverse the old adage and snuff out the candle and curse the light. If their cover is the least bit disturbed, the intrusion–or even the threat of intrusion–of light is desperately, even violently, resisted to the utmost of their power, which is not inconsiderable. Dogmatic theology is the most effective cover of these people along with token external observances originally meant to symbolize and stimulate people to attain the very illumination they now disdain and call "darkness."

But let us not look at others. Let us take a good look at ourselves as aspirants to Christhood. How often do we lie even to ourselves, saying: "I want the Light," and when we get the light, putting it conveniently out of the way. We don't reject it–that would be too honest and we would have to face ourselves squarely–but just push it out of sight, like the man who buried his talent in the ground rather than putting it to use.4

To keep from falling again into that folly, what must we do? We must lift up our consciousness on high through meditation that it may shine into every corner of our darkness and fill us with light.

Meditation confers both knowledge and power, which must then be applied, made to produce practical results. For meditation is a real birth,5 and once a person is born they cannot go back and forth into the prebirth state and into the birth condition at whim. In fact, to reenter the prebirth state is to die! Whimsically dying and living alternately is just not possible, though we might fool ourselves that we are succeeding when we really are all the time simply dead.

Many of us do not want to be in complete darkness, but hope to manage living in a comfortably dim twilight. But the Light of Christ is meant to be lifted up on high. And this is literally so. That is, we must continually lift up our consciousness to the higher levels of perception–"heaven"–away from the "earth" of lower consciousness and perception. This is the inner meaning of Jesus words about "lifting up" the Son of Man–the human consciousness–so that in its lifting up it may be transmuted into the consciousness of our real nature as sons of God. Those who live in deep valleys experience the minimum of sunlight, but those who live on the top of the mountains receive the maximum degree of light. In all religious traditions we find holy places established on the tops of mountains to symbolize this truth and to demonstrate the necessity for climbing the mountain of consciousness and establishing ourselves in the highest possible states–not just popping up and down, in and out, but attaining an unbroken condition of higher awareness.

The essential practice to accomplish this is, of course, the continual practice of meditation. Saint Vincent de Paul was at one time a slave in the household of a Moslem alchemist who really could turn base metals into gold. He trusted Saint Vincent enough to teach him how to do the same. In later years the Saint was constantly besieged by people who wanted him to reveal the secret to them. Knowing that human beings were greedy enough, he prudently refused to do so. But one thing he did tell, and that was that an alchemist does not take all base metals and turn them into gold, but that he makes an amalgam of gold, silver, and other metals. In time the entire mass becomes gold, but first gold is there as a "seed" or aid to transmutation by affinity. So it is with us. At first we mix the base metal of our mundane thoughts and "original ignorance" with the silver of higher aspirations and the gold of the inner consciousness that is cultivated through meditation. This is the most precious secret known to the seeker. Just as continual heat and pressure eventually turn a piece of coal into a diamond, so regular meditation eventually brings us into the status of the Christ of God. It is a great labor indeed, for it is itself the Great Work of divine Alchemy.

But this Alchemy works total change, and many of us do not want to purify our lives and hearts of accommodate that change. Thus we want to flame of Christ to be submerged so we may go about "business as usual." But there is nothing "usual" about a real seeker, and we had better accept it. Of all spiritual aberrations, cowardice is among the worst. Sri Ramakrishna used to tell His disciples that shame and fear were the supreme obstacles to divine realization.

We often want the light, but do not want it to make any drastic change in our lives. And especially we do not want those around us to think we have "gone strange" or become "religious fanatics." Not willing to change ourselves, we insanely expect the Light to change Its nature and cease to shine out–except at command at our own private whim. But Jesus says that everyone will witness the presence of the Inner Light when it is correctly posited (applied).

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven."6

Light does not change darkness–it annihilates it. So no wonder we fear its action upon us. Most of our "life" is a construct of shadows. The moment the light shines we will lose that shadow life. So we cling to it, denying the light rather than our illusions. "For whoseover will save his life shall lose it,"7 says Jesus.

Please understand, I am saying that the Inner Power changes the meditator, dispelling from his inner and out life all that is incompatible with its action. I am not saying that those who are seekers of Christ become these mouthy evangelists of themselves who go around holding up their claims to spiritual life as beacons for others to follow. Just the opposite. He need proclaim nothing. Those who have eyes to see will perceive the light, and those who seek it will come to the light. The blind and the perverse will continue to shuffle along in the darkness of their self-satisfaction. When the light shines there is no need for someone to proclaim it. The light is its own witness and evidence. The wick that sputters and makes noise is a wick that has water mixed in with the oil, and may go out. One of the traits of phoney religion is the tremendous amount of sputtering its adherents make. But the perfect light shines in silence, needing no signal. Yet it must be willing to be visible.

At the very beginning of our spiritual life we must learn this dual lesson regarding the necessity to constantly elevate our consciousness and to make it manifest–that is, visible–in our external lives.

My first instructions in higher spiritual life came through a series of printed lessons. When I applied for those lessons, at the end of the application form there were two boxes to check. One was to be checked if I wanted the lessons sent with the name and address of the spiritual organization on the envelope; the other was to be checked if I wanted them sent in a completely plain envelope with no indication as to their source or nature. In other words, was I scared to have others know what I was doing and run the risk of being ridiculed or criticised? At the time I was living in an environment utterly hostile to belief in higher consciousness, must less the attempt to attain it. Meditation and metaphysical thought was "of the devil" absolutely. Once that envelope arrived bearing the name of the publisher, a real storm could break loose.

You may think I was mistaken, but I considered that I was facing the first test of my spiritual search. More, I felt assured that my decision would effect the ultimate outcome of my endeavors. To check the box for the plain wrapper was to already be in retreat before the forces of darkness that would rise to prevent my progress. The best defense truly is a good offense. So I checked the other box and sent the application on its way. You can't fight a battle in the dark and in secret. You have to stand out in the light and "be counted." I had read the Bhagavad Gita, and out of all the profound expressions of wisdom my favorite was the simple exhortation: "O Arjuna, stand up and fight!" What kind of battle could I begin if I was afraid of my family disapproving of my inner search?

In the church I was brought up in, there was a woman who had told me about her cousin that had been miraculously healed of tuberculosis when the physicians had predicted she would die in a matter of days. This woman had gone with her sister to see their dying cousin, and had given her a New Testament. She had never been given any religious teaching at all, but in reading the Gospels believed she could be cured. And so she was. When anyone saw her, radiantly healthy and strong, and remarked on it, she would openly tell them that God had healed her. Her parents would immediately get the visitor off to one side and assure them: "Eva's mind is affected by her illness. Don't pay any attention what she says."After some weeks, however, her parents told her that if she did not quit saying she was healed and–even more important–"give up this religious stuff" she would have to leave home. The girl had never been off the farm in her entire life of nearly twenty years, except to go to a little country church in her early childhood. She had never even entered the house of another family. But she made her decision. One day she bundled up her clothes and started down the road that led to a nearby town. Turning back she saw all that she knew lying behind her. And ahead of her was nothing but uncertainly. The pull to return was nearly overpowering, so she knelt and prayed as best she knew. Then she stood up, turned her back on "home," and walked down the road singing:

Jesus, I my cross have taken,
All to leave and follow Thee.
Naked, blind, despised forsaken–
Henceforth Thou my all shall be.

And it had been true. She attained a marked degree of spiritual growth before, in a few years, her life ended. So remarkable had her spiritual character been, that a minister who knew her personally wrote her biography and it was widely circulated.

Could I do less than that poor girl–especially since I had been given so much more understanding than she had? Yes, I could, but would I? No, it would be too shameful. My motivation may have been egotistical, but my decision was the right one. How could I hope to conquer my own ignorance, if I could not withstand the ignorance of others? The first step of the journey often determines what the last step will be–or whether there will ever be a last step.

Our inner life is to no purpose if we do not put it to practical use. When Moses came from communicating with God the ignorant demanded that he put a veil over his face so they would not have to see the reflected light of God's glory.8 But there can be no veils for the seeker, whose very intent is to pierce through all veils. If we try to veil our light we will surely extinguish it. And those who live long in the dark become blind.

Rare are those who both can and will let the light shine forth without any inhibition, putting it on its proper stand and letting it light up the whole house. Of them alone will it be said: "Ye are the light of the world."

Wholistic Religion

2012-02-04T05:35:00.000-08:00

Light From Eternal Lamps–Essays On Practical Spiritual Life–by Swami Nirmalananda Giri

Wholistic Religion

"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The Son of David. He saith unto them, How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son? And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any [man] from that day forth ask him any more questions."1

In recent years we have heard many things described as "wholistic"–that is, dealing with the whole being. But two thousand years ago our Lord spoke of the need for wholistic religion when He cited the passage from the Torah that said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."2 The Greek words for "heart," "soul," and "mind" used by Saint Luke in his translation of Saint Matthew's Gospel from Aramaic were kardia, psychis, and dianoia. Kardia means both "heart" and the core of our being. Psychis means mind, but in the sense that includes the astral bodies. Dianoia means the intellect and intelligence, and encompasses the causal bodies. In other words, we must love God with the totality of our being–physical, mental, and spiritual. That is easy to say, but in our present fragmented condition, how can it be possible? We do not do anything with all of our being at present. Therefore we must find the way to unify all aspects of our existence before we can fulfil this "first and great commandment." We need to consider the things we can do for the unification of our being.

The foremost is meditation. Meditation, being simple, works for the simplification of our consciousness. Therefore we relax into the simple awareness of awareness itself to attune "all of us" to the Divine Consciousness that Itself is a perfect unity. In this way we work to restore the divine image that is the essence of our being. Meditation then works in two ways: it attunes us to divine unity, and then unifies all the levels of our existence. The Kingdom of Heaven is indeed within our reach through meditation.

It is important to keep in mind that Jesus mentions loving God totally before any mention is made of loving human beings. This is because no one truly loves another who has not first loved God. We can be attached to or infatuated with someone, but our attraction is utterly material and egoic. Love does not come into it, because God is love,3 and when we are not living in God we are not capable of love. Moreover, our feelings for one another are in constant flux. Jesus showed this in His life. The same people that shouted "Hosanna" on Sunday yelled "Crucify Him" on Friday. As Swami Yukteswar Giri often commented: "Human conduct is ever unreliable until it is anchored in the Divine." Human feelings are equally unreliable, as well. Only when we have restored the divine image in ourselves will we truly love. The acknowledgment of this pinches our egos, but we are wise if we face the truth. Those who would be loving must first love God. Then we will not love with our little finite love, but the love of God will flow through us to others. It is this transforming love that the world and its citizens need.

It is easy for religious people to fall into two traps: either becoming obsessed with external righteousness and actions, or obsessed with the psychic side of things. Both of these are destructive when there is no true love of God and our fellow human beings. This is why Jesus said that on the love of God and man "hang all the law and the prophets."

The second half of this passage deals with the nature of the Messiah. Naturally, the Hebrews considered that the Messiah would be a man like them, albeit a remarkable one. Further, he would be a descendant of David the Prophet-King. But Jesus pointed out that under divine inspiration David spoke of the Messiah as Lord–that is, Adonai, which the Hebrews used as a "cover word" for the sacred Name, Jehovah. In other words, David was saying that the Messiah would be the Supreme Lord. On the other hand, the prophecies were clear that the Messiah would be a human being. So here Jesus is indicating that He, the Messiah, was both God and man. And so are we, which is the whole purpose of His manifestation. In Christ Jesus our own Christhood is revealed.

We must maintain a careful perspective on our own dual nature. We must be very aware of our present humanity and our actual and potential divinity. If we consider ourselves as only human and therefore, without exception, mortals and sinners, we cannot possibly fulfil the purpose of Christ. For Jesus came into the world to save us from the delusions of mortality 4 and sin.5 It is not correct to deny mortality or sin, for they do exist, though as delusions. Darkness is not real in itself, being the absence of light. Yet, there is such a thing as darkness. We must admit this personally. That is, we must admit our ignorance and its fruition, sin, in our own lives–more, in our own hearts. But we do not wail and weep about darkness, condemning it and ourselves, and trying to will or pray it away. Rather, we simply bring in the light and it is dispelled.

We are at the moment mortals. And no honest person denies being a sinner.6 But these are only momentary states which we need to overcome by entering into our true nature as immortal and divine. Once more, meditation is seen to be necessary, for without it the dispelling of our darkness is impossible. With it enlightenment is inevitable and we should work toward that with hope and confidence.

Just as we must not fall into the delusion of thinking we are only hopeless sinners, so we must not engage in the even worse delusion of thinking that right now we are perfect and need nothing but "our selves." For we do not know our true selves, but only our egos. If we mistake our egos for our true selves we will be hopelessly trapped in delusion. Therefore verbal affirmations and arrogance operating under the label of "self esteem" are killers, not cures.

What must we do, then, to know who we are and to manifest it? We must avail ourselves of all the means we have discussed. By meditation we will truly come to see and know who and what we really are. Therefore we must work for the perfection of our humanity in order that it may be transmuted eventually into divinity, saying with Saint John: "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."7

"The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."8 Until the revelation of our divinity we, too, should sit–that is, be established–on the "right hand" of God by means of the spiritual life that is "born" in meditation. The statement that our enemies shall be made our footstool is very significant. The "enemies" spoken of are those things, both external and internal, that oppose or prevent our spiritual perfection. It is interesting that these enemies are not to be destroyed or banished, but rather to be made a support for our feet. That is, through dealing with the outer obstacles we shall become stronger than we would otherwise be. And by the transmutation of the inner forces through meditation they shall become repolarized and an empowerment for good.

The final verse of this Gospel passage tells us that after Jesus had spoken so firmly about the nature of the Messiah–that is, about His own nature–no one was able to contradict Him or raise any questions.

All spiritual aspirants are plagued by questions and doubts–some are even deflected from spiritual life by them. Others are certainly troubled and hindered by them on occasion. Therefore we must eliminate such negative threats to our spiritual and mental well-being. The only sure way to do that is to experience the truth about our own Christ nature. And that is possible only through meditation.

Once we know who we are in fact and not in theory, and once we have been established in that consciousness, we shall know peace. We can expect that external forces will continue to fuss and carp–the lives of the saints demonstrate that–but if we have inner peace we can move right on without hindrance to possess fully and forever the infinite Kingdom that can know no end.

Where Do We Find God?

2012-02-04T05:34:00.000-08:00

Light From Eternal Lamps–Essays On Practical Spiritual Life–by Swami Nirmalananda Giri

Where Do We Find God?

"And when they came nigh to Jerusalem, unto Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount of Olives, he sendeth forth two of his disciples, and saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him. And if any man say unto you, Why do ye this? say ye that the Lord hath need of him; and straightway he will send him hither."1

In every religion that makes offerings to God, it is understood that nothing can be offered that has been first used by another person–for example, flowers should not be smelled before offering, nor should food be tasted beforehand.

Jesus, entering Jerusalem, would ride only on an animal that had never before been ridden. This is a symbol of the advent of higher consciousness within our own being. Where can Christ Consciousness "sit" within us? Not our body, emotions, mind, intellect, or will–they have all been used (and used up) by ourselves and others.

Sweet as it sounds, it is pointless to ask God to come into our heart. How much trash is in the heart! How much foolishness is in there! Our heart is like the proverbial crazy person's house that is filled to the top with junk. There is not even anywhere to sit. Most people want to clear a tiny space for God, as long as He will not stay too long (after all, they do have to get on with "their" life, they cannot waste all their time looking at God). But it does not work. God does not come.

But we want God to come and stay. How can we manage that? By establishing ourselves in that part of our being which can be touched by none other but God: our spirit. And what will happen then? We will find that God is already there. In the depths of our being God is already present and waiting for us to arrive. We are the absent party, not Him.

We cannot meet God through body, feeling, senses, thoughts, or desire. Only in the spirit can He, the Infinite Spirit, be found. This is why religion is such a detriment. It points outward, saying: "God is there. Worship and serve Him." This includes so-called Christianity, even though Jesus says: "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."2 Of course professional religion is interested in perpetuating itself rather than introducing people to the kingdom of God–for then they would have no more business. However that may be, the truth is this: God can neither be worshipped nor served. But He can be KNOWN.

"Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you."3 Now that is possible. Most of the practices of external religion are just painted doors on a blank wall, but through meditation we can approach and meet the God Within. When we turn within, away from all that has been handled, smudged, and damaged by "the world and all that therein is" and enter into the simple principle of consciousness that is the real "us," the search for God will be over, and the endeavor to make that state permanent will begin. And meditation is the way to accomplish that, too.

Called By God

2012-02-04T05:33:00.000-08:00

Light From Eternal Lamps–Essays On Practical Spiritual Life–by Swami Nirmalananda Giri

Called By God

"The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me."1

In the Gospels we do not always have complete accounts of events. Often only their salient–that is, their symbolic–points are being recounted to us in order to convey their esoteric meaning. There is also another reason for the brevity of the Gospel narratives. Since the early Christians were vegetarians, they refused to have their holy books written on the skins of animals as was the Jewish custom. Consequently all the writings of the New Testament were written on papyrus scrolls. Whereas the length of an animal-skin scroll was virtually unlimited since the strips of skin could be sewn together, a papyrus scroll could scarcely be even fifty feet in length. So the Gospels were also written with this limitation in mind.

The deliberate brevity in the Gospels is evident in this verse, according to which Jesus goes to Philip and just says: "Follow me." Philip goes to Nathanael straightaway and announces to him that he has met the Messiah. Although it is true that spiritual events are often unexpected, rapid, and even cataclysmic, it is not usually so, and it is reasonable to feel that in these few verses we do not have the whole story. So we should look at them as giving the esoteric essentials only.

These telegraphic words point out a very important fact of spiritual life that is easily overlooked by the ego-centered: the fact that spiritual life is never initiated at the will of the individual, but is the direct and exclusive action of God. This is not pleasing to our egos, since we wish to preen ourselves on what intense seekers we are and how wonderfully dedicated we are to walking "the path." But Jesus said: "No man cometh unto me except the Father draw him."2 This is why missionarying in the ordinary sense of the word is utterly futile. We can certainly herd people into an organization and intellectually or emotionally convince them to declare their adherence to a set of beliefs and to even swear loyalty to an institution, but none of this is drawing near to God. Usually it is exactly the opposite.

Jesus told the Apostles toward the close of His life on earth: "Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you."3 In spiritual life as with everything else, things work from the top down. In India they say: "When a man chooses God, you can know that God has first chosen him." Only when we work within this framework can spiritual life be viable to any extent. This principle indicates that the moment the very idea of spiritual pursuit arises in our mind we have been called by God. And since God said through Isaiah: "My word that goeth forth out of my mouth shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please,"4 there can be no doubt of our ability to succeed if we act immediately upon that call.

I say this, because some people use the "I don't know if I'm ready or not" excuse to avoid spiritual life. Others lack confidence in their ability to succeed spiritually and they, most of all, need to have the correct perspective on this matter, for they will realize that since their desire for God is really God's desire for them there is no question of its fulfillment. God never fails. "And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness."5

When we realize the truth of things we shall be assured that the very fact we seek to find God means that God has already "found" us–as was the case when Philip said he had found the Messiah. The essential thing is to have absolute confidence in God–the rest will take care of itself.

Do your best.
Leave the rest.
Angels
do no more.

This is most important at this point in time because of the continual destructive cant about how we all need "self-esteem" and "positive self-image." This is actually a very negative approach. It is bad enough to have little confidence in ourself, but it is insufferable to then be badgered about it by Ipana-smile experts who insist that we artificially create a self-image that is rooted in their mouths but not our hearts.

Although the aforementioned badgering is a hallmark of the "new age," the "old age" had plenty of tools for beating up its helpless victims, too. One of these was a continual din about humility. The popular idea is that an humble person has a low opinion of himself. That is not true. A person with a low opinion of himself is simply a pessimistic egotist. The truly humble person is one who has no opinion about himself, but who occupies himself exclusively in involvement with God–about Whom he has an opinion of love.

We are weak, corrupted, ignorant, broken, and mortal. That is, our bodies, minds, and egos are all those things. Our ego may lie, and say: "I am rich, and increased with goods," but it is still "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked,"as Jesus tells us in the book of Revelation.6 Therefore if we clear-sightedly look at what we erroneously believe to be our "selves," we cannot help but be utterly depressed and without hope. But if we look to God, Who is all perfection, we will have hope, for in God we will discover our own perfection. Only when we seek to behold God alone is it possible for us to behold ourselves in true perspective. That is paradoxical, but so is any reality.

Jesus said that we have to lose our life to find it,7 meaning that we have to let go of our false ideas about ourselves to find the truth of ourselves. As the great master Yogananda used to say: "Let me drown in Thine ocean and live." He also used to say: "When the 'I' shall die, then shall I know 'who am I.'" When I was a child I greatly loved a song with the refrain: "Let me lose myself, and find it, Lord, in Thee." Although my personal philosophy may have become somewhat more sophisticated over the years, that idea is still valid.

We are told that the incident recounted in the Gospel occurred when "Jesus would go forth into Galilee"–that is, return to His home. God has spread forth this creation, having actually become the creation itself, including the body vehicles in which all individual consciousnesses are evolving. Having projected the universe and sent into it the evolving souls, the intention of God is to systematically withdraw the universe and bring back into His bosom each one of us. It is this will to return, the call back to the origin, that is behind the contact of God with the soul. In the form of vibratory matter–physical, astral, and causal–God looks after and fosters each being. But it is a kind of subliminal or automatic attention they are receiving. It is only when the time has come for a conscious return into the depths of His being that God really "finds" us in the sense of communicating with us. Our return, our ultimate salvation, is His only motivation.

This is also the sole motivation behind divine incarnation. God does not incarnate merely to deliver us from the symptoms of ignorance and suffering, but rather to deliver us from their cause: the separation of our consciousness from Him. The compassion which drew the great being known as Gotama Buddha into earthly incarnation was not directed at our momentary sufferings and foibles, but at their root: the terrible condition of delusion. This is borne out by the fact that Buddha never worked any miracles of healing, nor did He ever do anything to alleviate material suffering. Rather, He presented the knowledge of the path which would lead to nirvana, the state which precludes all possibility of future suffering. This is the truth with all divine incarnations and all valid religions. They are not intended for the momentary relief of suffering, but rather to reveal the cause of all suffering and to arouse and empower us to escape from that deadly root.

Hence when God contacts the soul He has but one idea in mind: its return unto Him in total union. God wishes no other thing for us than this turning back and journeying to our eternal home. Using this fact as a touchstone, we can determine the reality and quality of any aspect of our spiritual life and condition. That is, only the degree to which we are both aspiring to and actualizing our individual union with God is a reliable indicator of the reality of our spiritual search and life.

We must continually apply this test as we live out our life. When encountering anything–be it religion, teachers, associates, activities, objects, ideas, goals, and even our own inner reactions and dispositions–we must ask the single question: "Does this call me toward God?" and–even more important–"Does this enable me to go toward God?" Unless the answer is an outright Yes, then that thing should be forgotten by us. Considering this from the aspect of the concept of God, which is the heart of religion, the great master Paramhansa Yogananda wrote in The Science of Religion: "Whatever concept we have of God, if it does not influence our daily conduct, if everyday life does not find an inspiration from it, and if it is not found universally necessary, then that conception is useless. If God is not conceived in such a way that we cannot do without Him in the satisfaction of a want, in our dealings with people, in earning money, in reading a book, in passing an examination, in the doing of the most trifling or the highest duties, then it is plain that we have not felt any connection between God and life."

This principle can be turned about to great profit. That is, not only should our religion affect every aspect of our life, our every activity should be viewed within the context of religion–specifically, how it affects our search for oneness with God. Whatever does not further or facilitate our search for God, our religious life, should be eliminated. For Jesus said: "He that is not with me is against me."8

This may sound odd, and a host of things in our life may spring to mind that we would think could not be considered as religious acts: taking a bath, cooking and eating food, working for a living, putting on clothes, and tying shoes, for example. Yet if we look at them all we can see that if they are done for the maintenance of order in our life and for the maintenance of life itself, then if our life is dedicated to the search for God–they are all religious acts. For example, taking a bath to remove dirt and the toxins accumulated on the body is a religious act, for by so doing we further the health of the body, and the body is necessary for our spiritual practice within this world. When understood in this way, even cutting our fingernails is a religious act. It is this perspective which Krishna presents to Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, telling him that every action offered to God is worship of God and effectual spiritual practice.

Our life, when lived sensibly and in harmony with the divine law, can be a continual act of worship to God, a fulfillment of Saint Paul's injunction that we should offer ourselves as living sacrifices unto God.9 This can only be actualized when we daily practice meditation and throughout all our activities constantly maintain that inward consciousness produced by meditation. The saints of the Church were greatly diverse in their personalities and approach to life, but they all held the inward experience of the spirit to be the heart of their lives. And so it should be with us who aspire to sainthood through Christ.

It is within the divine life of Christ that our entire life can be divinized. Our Lord Jesus did not simply appear on the earth as an evanescent spirit, fading in and out like a vocal ghost. Rather, He was born in a physical body and lived in a truly physical manner, in this way demonstrating that physical embodiment need in no way impede the full manifestation of divine consciousness within a human being. In exoteric Christianity (when it has even thought about the subject) there has arisen the doctrine that the vision of God is impossible for those within the human body and that the fulness of spiritual perfection is likewise impossible for the embodied Christian. This is to completely misunderstand and even to deny the purpose of Christ's incarnation. One of the reasons He suffered and died was to show beyond any possibility of contradiction that He was indeed fully human and, yes, fully mortal, subject to all the laws of physical existence. This is considered at length in the book of Hebrews where it is affirmed that Jesus became absolutely like us in all things. That is, without any lessening of His perfected consciousness whatsoever, Jesus became an absolutely real human being. He became exactly what we are without the darkness of sin and ignorance, so that we, leaving behind that darkness can become what He is. This is the essence of Christianity, and all else within our spiritual life only serves to support and ensure our attainment of Christhood.

In summation: if we even know that the attainment of Christhood is possible, then we may be sure that God is calling us to it; that we have already been found by God so that He may be found by us. And we can further know that through His action within our lives produced by our own faithful spiritual practice we shall succeed in our spiritual endeavors. So as the nineteenth century hymn exhorts us: "Let us be up and doing; we have no time to lose. There is life and death before us–O which one will we choose?"

A Strong Man, Fully Armed

2012-02-04T05:32:00.001-08:00

A Strong Man, Fully Armed

"When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils."1

The ancient principle: "As above, so below" is irrevocable. Since "above" and "below" are only relative terms, we can also say: "As within, so without."

We are each a universe unto ourselves, living in the greater universe. No force in the outer world can come into the orbit of our life and affect us if there is not a corresponding entity or energy already inside us in one or more of the subtler levels of our being. Every person, place, or situation we encounter is inside as well as outside of us. It is a lot like picking up a radio or television broadcast. First there is an attunement of the inner mechanism and then the corresponding outer signal becomes manifest in and through the set.

So we should understand that whatever happens to us externally is also occurring internally. This is why those of true wisdom tell us that when we wish to alter our external life we should do it by altering our internal life, for it is our internal life which really determines what can arise in our outer world. It is no exaggeration to state that the inner is the cause and the outer is the effect.

Therefore, if we have something negative constantly arising in our environment, instead of complaining about it and wishing that we did not have to put up with it, we should instead look deep inside and ask: "What inside me corresponds to this negative situation?" For if we can discover and correct that we will find it becoming automatically corrected in our outer life. Like every other truth regarding our individual existence, this underlines the unalterable fact that we–and we alone–are totally responsible for our lives, that we are at all times fully in control of all that happens to us.

A very interesting and valuable aspect of this approach to life from the interior viewpoint, is the common observation that usually when we correct our inner life or consciousness, the negative object does not necessarily go out of our life, but instead ceases to be negative and becomes positive. Thus, by healing our inner negativity we have healed the outer negativity as well. Many people think that meditation–which is the prime healing process–is selfish and only of benefit to the person who meditates. But by uplifting ourselves we can uplift the world. This is why Saint Seraphim of Sarov used to say: "Acquire the spirit of peace and thousands around you will be saved." Paramhansa Yogananda often told his students: "Save yourself and you will save thousands."

Realizing this, when we look at the world around us and its problems we should not see them as external difficulties which "they" in the form of governments or other social structures should straighten out. Rather we should realize that they are things which we must straighten out by means of the reconstruction of our own consciousness.

It was long ago said that in the presence of a man of peace no violence can arise. Even wild animals are tame when near the saints. Evil men wished to destroy Gautama Buddha, and set an insane elephant on the road where he was walking. It came charging at him, but upon coming into his aura, the elephant became docile and did him no harm. Instead the elephant was cured of its insanity.

"Pilate went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above."2 Jesus meant that since there was in Him no hatred, hostility, or the desire or impulse to injure anyone or anything, His enemies were able to harm Him only because it was so decreed in the divine plan. He could say this because He was the strong man who was the master of his palace. That is, He was "a strong armed man," the master of all levels and aspects of His consciousness and the bodies in which it dwelt–for the word translated "armed" in the verse means "fully armed."

"In my Father's house are many mansions," applies not only to the external creation, gross and subtle, which is composed of numberless "worlds," but to our own individual mode of existence as well. In the "house" or "palace" of our dwelling are many levels and many rooms–most of them completely unknown to us until we take up the path of conscious self-evolution.

In the East the human complex is sometimes spoken of as "the city of nine gates." In the Song of Solomon "the city" refers to both body and mind. The souls speaks of searching through "the streets and the broad ways," referring to those passages in the physical and subtle bodies wherein the life energies flow. Saint Theresa of Avila wrote of the "Interior Castle" of the mind and heart.

We are strong in our inner nature, but that is not enough. We must also be armed. So this parable indicates. There is more to life than just being here, as there is more to school than just sitting. There must be study and learning. And beyond the learning there must be practical application. The armor spoken of in the Gospel passage is the mastery of all our inner powers, the consciousness of the totality of our being.

The human being is a true marvel. We are often lost in admiration of the world around us, but we are also worthy of admiration. Sadly, we are awed by human technology, feeling as though we are nothing in comparison, when a little bit of reflection should show us that the mind which can produce such awesome technology is obviously far more astonishing and admirable than its product. And the mind is just one part of us!

Although all that exists is ultimately good, being a manifestation of the divine consciousness, God, it cannot be denied that there is a negative force within the universe–and within ourselves. If we are not armed through interior mastery, the negative principle within our own selves may give us great trouble. To evade our personal responsibility we often seek to blame external factors for our life's problems, but that is basically dishonest. The outer things which we accuse have only entered into our life sphere because there is a corresponding negativity within us.

The universe cannot exist without positive and negative poles, and we cannot exist within the universe without them either. But one can become progressively more assimilated into the other. That is, the negative can become absorbed into–and become–the positive, or vice versa. And when the absorption is perfect, then duality vanishes and we are not in this or any other world, but have passed into the transcendent mode of being that is beyond all worlds. This transcendence is called nirvana in Eastern philosophy. In actuality there are two kinds of nirvana. One occurs when the negative principle has fully assimilated the positive within us and we have thus become a completely negative being. This is quite possible. When we thus transcend this world we find ourselves in that abyss which the Lord called "outer darkness." If on the other hand the positive absorbs the negative into itself, then we enter into the inner light, the Kingdom of God within. This latter process is the only way to be strong and armed. After we have made some advancement in spiritual life we must begin to transform and restore the negativity into its true positive state.

This state of things can sometimes be observed in places of great spiritual power. Not only are positive entities attracted there, but negative entities are drawn there as well. The negative entities, having become so "bent" that they find themselves incapable of extricating themselves from their dilemma, seek out a positive atmosphere with the hope that if they can endure to remain in it (and it is very unpleasant to them), then their negativity may become loosened up enough for them to begin shedding it by their own efforts. After some time in the holy atmosphere their astral forms became changed. Becoming brighter and brighter, those forms eventually dissolve and they pass into another dimension for their evolution before returning here for another incarnation upon earth.

At the beginning, however, they may be so habituated to evil that they will cause disturbances in that holy place and even trouble the people who have also come there for upliftment. This is because negativity has become an automatic reflex with them. Therefore the aspirant must realize that many times when he finds himself attacked by negative intelligences–both embodied and disembodied–he is really being sought out for help, and should deal with them accordingly. It is not easy to love evil human beings or evil spirits, but if we can do so they may be delivered from their evil.

The great Master, Paramhansa Yogananda, was more than once held up by robbers. By steadily looking into their eyes with love, he was able to change them, and they asked his forgiveness and left him alone. One mad man came with a gun and told Yogananda that he was going to kill him. The Master stood calmly, loving him as only the saints can do. After some time the man threw down his gun and said: "Forgive me. You have taken away my evil." It is the great lovers of God who can say to their straying brothers: "Your sins are forgiven you. Go in peace." This troubled world of ours does not need peace conferences and cultural interchange programs with slogans and demonstrations. It needs saints who will heal it by their very presence. And we must strive to become ourselves those needed saints.

It is easy–when you know the methods–to put up a strong defensive aura so that no negativity can come near or touch you. But it is better to be able to change that negativity, to heal it and cause it to become wisdom instead of ignorance. When our spiritual consciousness is strong enough, those who are spiritually asleep will be awakened by simply coming into our presence. The Lord Jesus said, "Ye are the light of the world."3 But we must hurry up and light our lamp.

All along the way, until we arrive, the negative and positive sides of us take turns at being the "strong man" that is "armed" and in control. But one must eventually despoil the other and take unto itself all that the other has. One is going to eat up and absorb the other. And the one that absorbs the other is the one who truly wins. So we must strive to see that the right man wins!

In many of our ancient "fairy stories" there is great occult wisdom concealed beneath symbols. One wisdom story is Little Red Riding Hood. In the Scandinavian and German tales the wolf always represents the principle of darkness. During eclipses of the sun the people believed that the wolf had leaped into the sky and swallowed it. When the sun reappeared they felt that it had escaped from the wolf's jaws or stomach. In the same way the grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood represent the individual souls who are swallowed by the darkness of ignorance. The woodsman and his axe or sword represent the principle of gnosis, of illumination. He cuts through the wolf of darkness and sets the pair free.

The crux of the story really is that if Little Red Riding Hood had not dawdled on the way to her grandmother's house and had not as a consequence entered into conversation with the wolf she would never have gotten into trouble. And especially she could not have been fooled into believing that the wolf was her grandmother!

Now, in or outside the wolf's stomach, Red Riding Hood was essentially the same. Even when swallowed by the wolf she remained intact and uninjured. Being confined to the wolf's stomach was unpleasant enough, we can be sure. In the same way the divine soul can never be anything but what it is–a part of the greater Life that is God. But it is up to us to decide whether we are going to end up in the bosom of the Father or in the wolf's belly. And it is not wise to assume that somebody will for sure come along with a sword and get us out of the wolf's interior.

How, then can we arm ourselves? We should learn how to tune in to every level of our being in turn and master it. This is accomplished through meditation, by means of which our higher, spiritual will comes into function in every facet of our existence. This is not just hopeful fantasy. Those who meditate experience this.

It is necessary to realize that we need not worry about or fear any external principle of darkness, but we do indeed need to be concerned about our own inner darkness. For that alone harms us–indeed, that alone brings us into contact with the outer darkness. Once the inner darkness is dispelled by the inner light of Christ, then all will be light in our outer life as well. This is why the saints have passed through this world of turmoil and suffering while experiencing only peace and joy. Their consciousness was not posited in the world but in God, Whom they had found within. They did not look outward to the darkness of the world, but inward to the immortal kingdom of God.

It is not the world or the people in the world that need to be changed. We are what needs changing, though that is usually the last thing we acknowledge or agree to do. A real Christian is one who is making himself into a Christ, not busybodying in the lives of others.

"My brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all."4

Putting on the whole armor of God, as Saint Paul has advised us, we must strive upward on the path to enlightenment. False mysticism says: "Oh, you are trapped in material existence which is evil and delusive. Do these practices and untie the knots of the bodies and they will fall away and you will be released into spirit." Yes–and then we will have to return again as an atom of hydrogen and go through the whole process of evolution all over again, because we cannot evolve except through these bodies. Just as by destroying our auto we do not get to the place we want to go, so by dissolving the vehicles of our consciousness we will not arrive at the Goal. As we have to get in auto car and drive it to our destination, so it is with our body-vehicles. They must be used for that attainment. Then, just as after arriving we can get out of the auto and leave it behind, so it is with our bodies, gross and subtle.

The path of mastery is the only path to peace, to the completion of the aeon-long struggles of evolution. "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out.…He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith."5

Light From Eternal Lamps–Essays On Practical Spiritual Life–by Swami Nirmalananda Giri

Awakening To God

2012-02-04T05:29:00.001-08:00

Awakening To God

"He entered into Capernaum, after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them."1

Original Interpretation

From the beginning of the Christian Church the entire Bible was interpreted as a book of esoteric symbology. An exactly literal interpretation of the Bible was not considered illegitimate, but such an approach was always considered less than secondary both in practice and importance. This was nothing new, as many Jewish commentators before Christ also interpreted the Holy Scriptures in a symbolic manner. When we read the works of the great Alexandrian Jewish philosopher Philo we find this approach brought to perfection.

Although many early Christian writers wrote on the books of both Old and New Testaments from the symbolic–and therefore esoteric–perspective, the best known was Origen, who compiled the first critical editions of the Bible and wrote more than three hundred books. A few centuries after his death nearly all his works were destroyed by the zeal of the Byzantine imperial Christians whose degraded exoteric view of Christianity was contradicted by Origen's works. However, the original approach to the Bible was not completely annihilated and has survived, although feebly, within the Eastern Christian Church.

I say all this because we are going to consider the verses quoted above in an exclusively symbolic manner. This is not to imply that the account given is not historically accurate, nor to imply that the historical event was not of great importance within itself. But it has always been the feeling of the Church that the symbolic interpretation is the most relevant for it deals the most directly with the matters of spiritual evolution.

Awakening

First of all, we are told that Jesus entered into Capernaum "after some days." This is an indication of the awakening of consciousness within the human being. The mystic poet Rumi speaks of sleeping as a plant, dreaming as an animal, and awakening as a human being. Although the divine essence is within every form of existence, yet it is for all practical purposes slumbering and operating only on an unconscious level. As the individual spirit moves from lower to higher forms its capacity for consciousness proportionately increases. But until it reaches the human form the consciousness is submerged in the subliminal and instinctual levels of the developing (evolving) mind.

The ancients stated that the trait which most dramatically distinguished human beings from animals was the power of logos–of "word." Looked at simplistically it would seem that they merely meant that the difference between humans and animals is the ability of speech. But anyone with a modicum of experience with animals knows that they do indeed speak their own kind of language and are also capable of understanding human words and even human concepts. Since this is so, were the ancients wrong in their statement regarding the unique power of human beings? No, for logos implies far more than mere verbalization. In its fullest sense it means the power of self-conscious thought–that is, the ability (and we might say even the impulse) to be aware of oneself as a conscious entity and to objectively reflect upon its own nature.

The consciousness of the animal is centered in sensory experience and instinctual response. Intelligence is certainly displayed through animal behavior, but it is utterly responsive. That is, the animal consciousness is totally turned outward and is actually incapable of internal contemplation. The human being, on the other hand, possesses the power to live a fundamentally internalized life. Because the evolving soul has recently been in animal form, primitive human beings do not greatly manifest this capacity for self-contemplation. Nevertheless it is there in its full potential, awaiting for the moment when it can manifest in the simple question: "Who am I?" Once this thought arises spontaneously within the mind true humanity has been attained.

Evolving Consciousness

The arising or "entry" of full consciousness is a matter of evolution, an event that occurs only "after some days." The conscious search for God is the capstone of human evolution. The whole idea of being human is not to make better gadgets or get more possessions or to have influence over others. The evolutionary current of humanity, when not deflected or impeded, leads toward one thing: the vision of God. Only in sainthood do we find a fulfillment of our humanity.

In esoteric philosophy we often speak of transcending humanity, but we do not mean this in a sense of rejecting or casting away our humanity. Just the opposite. We mean the full realization of our human potential. This being so, true religion is the only real "human potential movement" possible.

What Is Implied

The fact that spiritual consciousness is a product of evolution implies two very significant points. The first is that spiritual consciousness is inevitable, for evolution never ceases. It is indeed true that in our presently-flawed universe the evolutionary force can be diverted or even reversed, but such a bending or deflection is only temporary. (I use the word "only" when looking at the matter from the standpoint of the soul's eternity.) In time the evolutionary stream must lead right back to the place from whence it began–the heart of God. No matter how bleak the picture may be, we can be optimistic and affirmative about the eventual destiny of all human beings. Beneath the veneer of delusion and confusion lies the reality of the ultimate return of every spirit unto God.

The second significant fact brought out by an evolutionary understanding of spiritual life is the truth that spiritual consciousness can never be imposed from the outside. Rather, spiritual consciousness must arise from deep within. Moreover, it must arise spontaneously. Although we can physically awaken a person by shaking him or making noise, it is quite different with spiritual awakening. That must come from within the individual himself. Of course, it arises from the "advent" of God in the person's consciousness, but God is also within each one, and the awakening is an interior condition and movement. It is true that we have all experienced moments where external occurrences, objects, or persons have evoked a spiritual stirring or response in us. But these events were like the falling of ripe fruit from the tree during the blowing of wind. In one sense the wind did cause the fall, and in another sense it was the condition of the fruit which caused it. As with all realities there seems to be a contradiction when examined by our limited intellects.

Basis Of True Religion

The important thing, though, is to realize that all true religion must be based on the interior nature of the human being. A religion which only concerns itself with intellectual philosophizing and dogma is no religion at all. Neither is a religion which concerns itself obsessively with external observance–whether in the form of moral acts or religious duties. Obviously since we are rational beings, we do need some intellectual principles and understandings upon which to base our attitudes and actions. Further, without discipline there can be no spiritual progress any more than there can be progress in any science without methodology and routine. But still, in the context of spiritual life, all ideas, actions, and refrainings from action, must point back to our interior being–must have an interior effect–to be spiritually legitimate. Thus religious principles, practices, and disciplines must be only those which reveal and further the inner evolutionary movement of the individual soul toward divine perfection.

Signs Of Our "Time"

How do we know that this point in our evolution has come to us? As I have mentioned more than once, one ploy of the ego is to tell us we are not "ready" or not "evolved" enough to take up spiritual life seriously and commit ourselves to working at it faithfully. The gospel reading gives an indication of when that time in our growth has really arrived. It tells us: "and it was noised that he was in the house." That is, the word was spread about that Jesus had come there. The same thing happens in our life. We begin to hear the truth about our spiritual destiny as perfected sons of God. Sometimes we hear it in conversation, sometimes we read it from the printed page, or we hear it on the radio or even learn about it from television.

Sometimes the first "noisings" we hear are in the form of negative statements about this truth. I well remember hearing a radio preacher in western Canada fulminating about those who meditated and tried to turn themselves into "cosmic nothings." As Babe Ruth commented, it does not matter what they say about you, as long as they spell your name right. Once I met a man who was going to visit a great spiritual teacher in India because he had read a lengthy and defamatory denunciation of the guru and realized that the author was at fault and that the master was truly genuine. In my own experience, I rejected the first intimations of spiritual reality I encountered. But they persisted, and in time good sense dawned.

So our lives become filled with the "noise" of the truth that we are sleeping gods. Sometimes we discover that spiritual opportunity has always been at hand, but we either never knew about it or had somehow managed to let it go by when we encountered it, not realizing what it was. But it has been the experience of many people that as soon as the awakening began in them they also discovered many "intimations of immortality" arising all around them. This is only reasonable, since our inner and outer life is truly one.

Something More

Yet Saint Mark is not speaking to us about the din of mere external religion that surrounds us on all sides. Nor is he speaking of exoteric religion–liberal or fundamentalist–that does not speak to us of our own spiritual reality as "gods within God."2 For Saint Mark does not tell us that the word went around that Jesus was somewhere walking the streets of the city. The message was that Jesus was in the house. That is, the word comes to us that true spiritual life is an interior matter, that God is to be found at the core of our being, that God is in truth the Being of our being. More important, the truth is presented to us that we can directly experience this truth by entering into mystic communion with God in the depths of our consciousness by means of meditation. The truth comes to us, declaring that we can awaken the sleeping Christ within and manifest that Christ throughout our life, proving the truth of Jesus' assertion that those who really believe in Him would do all that He did–and even more.3

Rest–Or More Work?

It is the hope of all of us that when we take up spiritual life from that point on all will be smooth sailing. Such a state would be spiritual death, but we do not realize that. For life implies change and struggle, and we must reconcile ourselves to the fact. Some struggle for the things that perish, and some struggle for the imperishable things of the spirit. Having worn ourselves out through so many lives in our frustrating struggles for material things, it is only to be expected that when we decide to turn toward spiritual things we would assume that at last we can get a rest since the objects of our pursuit are so different from the things we sought in our previous lives. But if our path is an authentic one, we soon find that it is just the opposite. Saint Mark tells us that as soon as people learned that Jesus was in the house "straightway many were gathered together." The same will happen to us.

Heretofore we had passed our life completely unaware of the multitudinous aspects of our being–especially of our mind. Also, we have been utterly unaware of so many details in our thought and action–what to speak of our environment–that need to be corrected and brought into conformity with our new life in the spirit. Beforehand, we were coasting along, thinking that we were without a care, thinking that we are pretty good people who are doing rather well. Suddenly the light of reality begins to dawn, and we find that our lives and souls are not the paradise we had assumed, but are more like a wrecking yard or a disaster area! This is no fun, but we should be grateful to at last see the truth of things regarding ourselves (or more exactly, regarding the layers we have to get through to discover ourselves). The foregoing is especially true of meditation. For when we turn within, we find a clangorous multitude of chaotic and negative forces–forces that hitherto have completely dominated our thought and life while usually remaining hidden from our conscious minds.

Reacting To New Life

Saint Mark further tells us that the multitude was so great "insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door." That is, we discover such an incredible number of things clamoring for our attention (and usually elimination), that we find ourselves utterly incapable of dealing with them. Because of past life habit our initial response is to cut and run. This is why so many people are happy to read books on spiritual life and metaphysics but rarely meditate, making various excuses to avoid the rather terrifying inner confrontation which meditation produces. And it is indeed a good question: How are we going to deal with all these things? How can we possibly bring any order out of this explosion, and how shall we ever have the strength to deal with these demands and distractions? The answer is that on our own we can do absolutely nothing.

But we are not alone. Just as Jesus was in the house, so He is within us–especially He is present to those proficient in meditation. Saint Mark says that "He preached the word unto them." Our entire being is yearning for the Word of Life–the word of which David said: "He sent his word, and healed them."4 This inner call to life is the "deep calling unto deep" that David referred to.5 It is the god within calling unto the God without for the ending of that duality, so that at last there will be not two, but One: God, the perfect Unity.

The multitude pressing at the door of our minds and hearts will be cured if, like Jesus, we ever speak to them "the word" of immortal life within meditation. For the light and "word" born of meditation dispels all darkness, transforms, and heals all things within and without, so that Jesus will say to us as He did to Zacchaeus: "This day is salvation come to this house."6

Whom Can I Trust?

2012-02-04T04:37:00.001-08:00

Whom Can I Trust?

A question of truth

Some years back when speaking to an informal group in a friend's home, a young woman asked me: "How can I know if a teacher or a body of teaching is valid?" I asked her to let me delay answering until our next meeting, for I realized how very crucial her question was. To find our way through the labyrinth of clamoring "truth" that assails us on all sides is no simple thing. Nor is it simply a matter of ensuring that we recognize intellectual accuracy, for spiritual teaching is just that–spiritual–and directly effects our personal evolution.

On the surface it does not really matter much what we intellectually believe about many aspects of spiritual philosophy. But on a deeper–and therefore more real–level, it matters greatly. For since it is definitely true that "thoughts are things" it only follows that every individual concept and every system of philosophy possesses a vibrational life of its own–a thoughtform or force that either serves to release the fettered spirit of the seeker into the freedom of the Infinite Spirit, or which serves to perpetuate its bondage within the realm of untruth and illusion.

The hidden life of religion

It is not the obvious, outer shell of a concept or belief that really affects us, but its inner heart–its "blood" which conveys the state of consciousness from which it arises. This is why Jesus told His disciples that they must not "eat" His body alone, but that they must "drink" His blood as well. 1

That is, they were not to simply adopt a series of beliefs or external ways gleaned from listening to Him speak, but they were to access the very Divine Source from which He drew His words–words which, because He spoke from a perfectly illumined consciousness, were in truth "spirit and life."2 For this reason, reading His words nearly two millennia after they were spoken still conveys a definite spiritual power. The same is true of the writings of saints and masters. It is not amiss to say that by reading their words we attune ourselves to their liberated consciousness and begin to absorb some of their interior vision along with the intellectual concepts expressed by them.

Conversely, writings and verbal teachings that arise from ignorance or deception convey the vibration and psychic state of ignorance and deception–even when the words are true on an objective level. This is why Saint Paul 3 spoke of turning truth into lies–not by verbal alteration or rearrangement, but by the infusion of corrupted consciousness. We may think of the simile of good, wholesome food served in a dish laden with virulent disease germs. Those who eat the food also get the disease of the dish. As Saint Ignatius of Antioch, a disciple of Saint John the Beloved Apostle, wrote, it is like a pleasant drink with poison concealed in it so that whose who partake "do sweetly drink in their own death." Teachers and teachings are vessels that either purify or contaminate.

The four traits of trustworthiness

So what did I tell the inquirer at our next meeting? I told her that there are four characteristics which indicate that a teacher or religious-philosophical system is trustworthy, and one through which we can get more than just verbal answers to verbal questions–one by means of whose teaching we may attain to higher consciousness. Those four traits of such a teacher–and teaching–are these:

1) They have a well-established tradition of long standing–however popular the "new religion for a new age" slogan may be. Generations of aspirants who have applied the teachings and practices demonstrate a tradition's validity by their own objective spiritual realization which was gained by their applying that tradition's beliefs and practices.

2) They did not simply read books, do some kind of research, have some vivid dreams, "channel," or attempt to archeologically reconstruct a broken (or non-existent) tradition, and then set themselves up as a teacher or restoration of "lost wisdom." Rather, they learned from living guides, even though the study of written texts is usually part of the training they received.

3) They are supported by other valid traditions–that is, they are in harmony with all other ways of illumination and acknowledge the truth of those ways, not claiming to have the only truth or be the only right teacher and teaching. The differences between the great spiritual traditions are necessary so those traditions may benefit seekers of differing psychic makeup. Although there may be differences or seeming contradictions, there are never really any conflicts between the spiritual systems based on spiritual revelation. Further, each valid tradition understands that its ways are not for all, but only for those who can benefit from their distinctive approach. For example, valid meditators on God with form never disdain meditation on the formless, though they understand that it is not the kind of meditation they themselves need. And true seekers of the formless never disdain or deny the validity of approaching God through form. Nor does either one think that their way is the best one that all must eventually come to. As Swami Nikhilananda, a Vedanta missionary to the West, wrote, we cannot accept Christ and reject Krishna, nor can we reject Christ and accept Krishna. For they are One. And those who rightly seek union with the Real will come to experience that for themselves.

4) They not only give instructions in concepts or external observances, they also open the inner life through knowledge of the practice of meditation so their students may both comprehend the intellectual side of the tradition and on the esoteric side be enabled to attain the same state of consciousness which the original Teacher and His successors embodied. That is, through application of esoteric knowledge and power they are enabled to pass from being Buddhists to being Buddhas and from being Christians to being Christs. This takes much more than philosophy or external disciplines–however subtle or dramatic. It requires the inner experience and knowing that comes from meditation. Saint John wrote at the beginning of his Gospel: "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God."4 That is, those who "receive" the pure consciousness of their own spirit, their own inner Christ, will be enabled to manifest their true nature as sons of God–as gods with God. It should be noticed that Jesus did not make His disciples sons of God. Rather, He gave them the "power to become" and they got to work and themselves did the "becoming" until in time their very shadows could heal the sick.5 As the Rig Veda says of God: "His shadow is immortality," and so is that of those who are one with God.

When these four points are truly possessed, and not merely claimed, then a teacher or teaching may be at least provisionally accepted until the seeker's experience itself becomes the determining factor of trustworthiness.

Talk on Origin of Life – Darwin Under Siege at Shridhar University Pilani Rajasthan

2012-01-13T17:37:00.001-08:00

Here is the link for a press release of our scientific presentation at Shridhar University.

Talk on Origin of Life – Darwin Under Siege at Shridhar University Pilani Rajasthan

http://www.prlog.org/11765438-talk-on-origin-of-life-darwin-under-siege-at-shridhar-university-pilani-rajasthan.html

Recently we had posted a full report of our North India tour and can be accessed at: http://mahaprabhu.net/scsmath.siliguri/reports/NI2011.html

Thanking you.

Sincerely,
B.N. Shanta Swami, Ph.D.
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THE FORCE YOU HAVE NO CONTROL

2012-01-08T09:13:00.001-08:00

THE FORCE YOU HAVE NO CONTROL

Baba said, "The force of his karma has driven him here." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 36.

Ramesh was playing cricket. Suddenly the ball hit him on the back of his head. His head reeled. Everything went dark. He fell down in a deathly swoon. He was immediately taken to the hospital and after undergoing various operations and injections, he was brought back to consciousness.

He asked for some-thing to eat. He cried looking with great fright upon the things around him. He began to question the people around him "Who are you?" "What is this?" The nurses realised that he had lost his mind.

He had forgotten all his relatives; he was not able to tell whose son he was. The elderly nurse who brought him back to consciousness played the part of his mother. She adopted him as her son. The man believed that she was his real mother. He cultivated new friendships and made new friends.

Hardly a year had elapsed before he was irresistibly drawn to the cricket field again. He played as good as he used to previously, though he could not recognize any of his old playmates. People marvelled at this strange transformation of the young man.

Like Ramesh who played cricket, man plays the game of life on this earth-plane. Death seizes him. Everything turns black around him. He loses consciousness. Messengers from the other world take him away; and cut him and torture him for the various sins he has committed while on earth. His consciousness is slowly revived on the earth-plane once again when a mother gives birth to him. He cries at the very sight of the strange things around him..

As he grows more and more conscious of the world, he begins questioning, "Who is this? What is this?" He has forgotten his real father and mother-God. The lady who gave him birth here says: "I am your mother." He accepts her as such. Then he develops a new set of relatives and friends.

But very soon he begins to play the same old game of life, as he used to, irresistibly drawn by the previous life's Samskaras. Wise men marvel at this mystery of transmigration. Though the memory of his past birth is lost, the Samskaras and Vasanas are not lost. They lead him onward.

CONFUSED WHOM TO WORSHIP?

2012-01-07T03:09:00.000-08:00

CONFUSED WHOM TO WORSHIP?

"So with all earnestness and speed, we should strive to attain our end, i.e., self-realization." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 8.

Once there was a very pious Brahmin who was utterly devoted to his family deity. He worshipped this deity every day, sitting cross legged in front of the shrine in his home.

One day during his meditation, he observed that the prasad or food offered to the deity, which is customarily eaten by the devotee after worship, was snatched away by a mouse and eaten in front of his very eyes. The Brahmin was astonished to see this and concluded that the mouse was more powerful than the deity. Otherwise, how could it dare to eat the offering? So he grabbed hold of the mouse, and tying it with a string to the place of worship, decided to worship this creature instead of the deity.

He removed the picture of the deity from the shrine, and started worshipping the mouse. One day his cat, jealous of the attention the mouse was receiving, pounced upon the tiny creature. The two had a terrible fight, but of course the poor mouse was killed in the battle.

Now it was quite clear to the Brahmin that the cat was more powerful than the mouse, so he started worshipping the cat whom he had previously neglected. This continued for some time until one day the Brahmin's dog entered the room of worship. Seeing the attention that the cat was getting from his master, the dog became furiously jealous and violently attacked the cat. The unhappy cat was bitten and scratched all over and bled in many places. When the Brahmin considered the situation, it became quite clear to him that the dog was more powerful than the cat.

So he removed the cat from the place of worship and placed the dog there instead. He now began to worship the dog, who was tied with a rope to the shrine. The animal's continual barking, however, was a source of great irritation to the Brahmin's wife. One day in utter exasperation, she threw a brick at the barking dog. It landed on his head with a thump. The poor dog was in great pain and cried piteously over his wound.

The Brahmin, hearing the whimpering of the poor dog, came into the room, and seeing what had happened, concluded that it must be due to the superior power of his wife.

So he decided to let the dog go and to worship his wife. He said to her, "At long last I realize that you are the most powerful. Only you can be the object of my adoration."

The wife was thunderstruck at these remarks, to say nothing of being puzzled and embarrassed. How could she be the object of his adoration, she thought, since all her life she had been made to feel like his servant, constantly at his beck and call? She finally consented, however, since she had no alternative.

Now the Brahmin's wife had become his object of adoration and worship. He addressed her with words of devotion and praised her divine qualities. So devoted was he that he had the impulse to worship her even when she was asleep. He would awaken her and make her take her place at the shrine where he could adore her. Or if she were in the shower, he would call her to come out. No matter what she was doing she would have to stop and come to the shrine to be worshipped.

Finally the Brahmin's wife became so fed up with this farce that she told him the whole thing was nonsense. At this he became furious. "Nonsense?" he echoed. "How dare you criticize my wisdom?" And he yelled at her loudly. The poor frightened woman began weeping bitter tears. Now, seeing his own power, it became very clear to the Brahmin that he was the strongest of all. So he started worshipping himself, saying, "I am God, I am the greatest, I am everything."

But it did not take him much time to realize that he was merely a prey to his desires. It was his desires that were compelling him to action, either good or bad. So since his habit was to worship the most powerful force, he started worshipping his desires. But he quickly gave this up, for he saw immediately that his desires had no strength of their own. It was his senses that compelled the desires to possess and be possessed.

Then the Brahmin started worshipping the five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. He was now pondering deeply on these subtle things which he was worshipping. After much thought, he concluded that it was the mind which was responsible for the functioning of the senses. So he began worshipping his mind, and felt proud that he had progressed so far from the ignorant animals he had worshipped only a few months before. But he found that his mind was far from satisfaction, and even farther from perfection. So he catered into his heart.

The heart, in spite of having peace and joy and harmony, was still lacking in absolute fulfillment. He was yearning for the supreme power. He concluded that the heart was not enough, so he entered into his soul.

There, in union with his own soul, he got the first glimpse of his divine fulfillment. He plunged deep into the spiritual life. But the individual soul, he found, is not all pervading or all fulfilling. He aspired for the highest. He went even deeper. Deep within, he discovered the Supreme Self.

Here, at the end of his journey, the Brahmin saw that the Supreme Self is the most powerful.

The Supreme Self, which has neither beginning nor end, is all pervading and all fulfilling. The Supreme Self, which is both Creator and Creation, is the Highest.

THE BHAGAVAD GITA

2011-12-30T23:18:00.000-08:00

THE BHAGAVAD GITA

Twenty-fi fth-Anniversary Edition

Translated by

WINTHROP SARGEANT

Edited and with a Preface by

CHRISTOPHER KEY CHAPPLE

Foreword by

HUSTON SMITH

http://www.ziddu.com/download/18021952/TheBhagavatGita.pdf.html

A Series of Books to learn Sanskrit

2011-12-30T22:15:00.000-08:00

A Series of Books to learn Sanskrit

Sanskrit is the language of all mankind; it is an international language and also the language of the gods. The gods are called "girvanas"; so Sanskrit is called "Gairvani". While the emperor of Tamil poetry, Kambar, describes it as the "devabhasa", the Sanskrit poet Dandin calls it " daivi vak"(divine speech) in his Kavyadarsa: " Samskrtam nama daivi vak. "

Sanskrit has no syllable that indistinct or unclear. Take the English "word". It has neither a distinct "e-kara" nor "o-kara". There are no such words in Sanskrit. Neither is the "r" in "word" pronounced distinctly nor is it silent.

Sanskrit, besides, has no word that cannot be traced to its root. Whatever the word it can be broken into its syllables to elucidate its meaning. Sanskrit is sonorous and auspicious to listen to. You must not be ill disposed towards such a language, taking the narrow that it belongs to a few people.

To speak Sanskrit is not to make some noises and somehow convey your message. The sounds, the phonemes, in it are, as it were, purified and the words and sentences refined by being subjected to analysis. That is why the language is called "Sanskrit"[Samskrtam]. The purpose of Siksa, and in greater measure of Vyakarana, is to accomplish such refinement.

To speak the language of Sanskrit itself means to be refined, to be cultured. As the language of the gods it brings divine grace. The sounds of Sanskrit create beneficial vibrations of the nadis and strengthen the nervous system, thereby contributing to our health.

- H.H. Pujyasri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi Shankaracharya Swamiji, 68th Pontiff of Sri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetam

As part of an effort to propagate the Sanskrit Language to a wider audience, a Series of books have been brought out under the title of Samskritasri Patamala. These titles are now being made available online in the form of PDF files. .

Click on links below to download the documents.

	Patamala 1
	Patamala 2
	Patamala 3
	Patamala 4&5
	Patamala 6

LEARN TO LIVE

2011-12-27T23:28:00.001-08:00

LEARN TO LIVE

Baba said, "Mere reading won't do. You have to think and carry out what you read, otherwise, it is of no use." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 21

A learned Pundit was once giving discourses on the Bhagavad Gita in the august presence of a Maharaja.

One day the turn of this sloka came:

"Ananyaaschinthayantho maam
Ye janaah paryupaasathe
Theshaam nithyaabhiyukthaanaam
Yogakshemam vahamyaham." (Gita chapter 9, verse 22)

The Pundit was explaining enthusiastically the many-sided implications of this sloka, but the Maharaja shook his head and said: "This meaning is not correct."

He continued to dispute the correctness of every one of the explanations the Pundit gave. The poor Pundit had won meritorious distinctions at the court of many a Maharaja and was honoured by them all with pompous titles. He felt as if he was stabbed when the Maharaja in the presence of the entire band of courtier condemned his explanation of this sloka a 'wrong'.

He smarted under the insult; but plucking up courage, he again set upon his task, and marshalling all his scholarship, he plunged into an eloquent discourse on the multiple meaning of the words, "Yoga" and "Kshema."

The Maharaja did not approve of even this; he ordered: "Find out the meaning of this sloka and having understood it well, come to me again tomorrow." With this, the Maharaja rose from his throne and went into the inner apartments.

The Pundit lost even the few grains of courage left in him. He was weighed down by anxiety; he tottered under the insult; he reached home and, placing the copy of the Gita aside, he dropped on his bed.

Surprised at this, the Pundit's wife asked, "Tell me why you came home from the palace today in such grief? What exactly did happen?" She rained one anxious question after another so that the Pundit was obliged to describe to her all that had happened, the insults heaped on his head, the command with which the Maharaja sent him home, etc.

The wife listened calmly to the account of what had happened and after pondering deeply over the incident, she said, "Yes; it is true. What the Maharaja said is right. The explanation you gave for the sloka is not the correct one. How could the Maharaja approve it? The fault is yours."

At this, the Pundit rose in anger from the cot, like a cobra whose tail is trodden hard. "What do you know, you silly woman? Am I inferior in intelligence to you? Do you, who are engaged in the kitchen all the time, cooking and serving, claim to know more than I? Shut your mouth and quit my presence," he roared.

But the lady stood her ground. She replied, "Lord! Why do you fly into such a rage at a statement of mere truth? Repeat the sloka once again to yourself and ponder over its meaning. You will then arrive at the right answer yourself." Thus by her soft words the wife brought calm into the mind of her husband.

The Pundit started analysing the meaning of each individual word in the sloka. Ananyaaschinthayantho maam, be began, deliberately and slowly, repeating aloud the various meanings.

The wife intervened and said, "What use is it to learn and expound the meanings of words? Tell me what your intention was when you approached this Maharaja. What was the purpose?"

At this, the Pundit got wild. "Should I not run this family, this home? How am I to meet the cost of food and drink, of clothes and things, for you and all the rest? It is for the sake of these that I went to him, of course; or else, what business have I with him?" he shouted.

The wife then replied. "If you had only understood what lord Krishna has declared in this sloka, the urge to go to this Maharaja would not have arisen.

The Lord in the Sloka clearly explains that – "Ananyaschintayanto maam ye janaa paryupaasate" which means :Whoever worships me without any other thought or any other material worries and if one surrenders to ME completely at all times, his mind ever fixed on Me…

"Teshaam Nityaabhiyuktaanam Yogakshemam Vahaamyaham" which means –" To those devotees of mine, I would provide everything that they need and fulfil all their requirements in life(yoga and kshema)".

Thus explaining the sloka to the Pundit the wife remarked –"You have not done these; you approach the Maharaja, believing that he would provide everything. That is where you have gone against the meaning of the verse. That is the reason why he did not accept your explanation."

Hearing this, that reputed scholar sat awhile, ruminating on her remarks. He realised his mistake. He did not proceed to the palace the next day. Instead, he got immersed in the worship of Krishna at home.

When the king inquired why the Pundit had not appeared, courtiers said that he was staying at home and had not started out. The king sent a messenger, but the Pundit declined to move out.

He said, "There is no need for me to go to any one; my Krishna will provide me with everything; He will bear my Yogakshema Himself. I suffered insult because I did not realise this so long, being blinded by eagerness to know the manifold meanings of mere words. Surrendering to Him, if I am ceaselessly engaged in worshipping Him, He will Himself provide me with all I need."

When the messenger took this message to the palace, the Maharaja proceeded to the dwelling of the Pundit on foot; he fell at the feet of the Pundit, saying "I thank you sincerely for explaining to me this day, out of your own experience, the meaning of the sloka which you expounded yesterday."

Thus, the king taught the Pundit that any propagation of spiritual matters which does not come out of the crucible of experience is mere glitter and show.

THIS ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

2011-12-22T00:22:00.000-08:00

THIS ONE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

"As we all know, four things are common to all the creatures, viz. food, sleep, fear and sexual union. In the case of man, he is endowed with a special faculty, viz. knowledge, with the help of which he can attain God-vision, which is impossible in any other birth." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 8.

One day a clever fox began wondering, "Why man is considered the acme of creation and in what way is he superior to animals? Both man and beast have emotions and passions. Both have their own good and bad qualities. Why then this superiority? Let me go to the king lion and seek his advice."

Thinking thus, the fox hurried to the lion's den. "How nice to see you after so many days. Come tell me what is it that you want?" said the lion.

The fox said in all humility, "Oh, King, Man is growing all-powerful and is claiming sovereignty over the entire creation. I cannot tolerate man's arrogance and his claim of superiority over all animals. In what way are we inferior? Can we not establish our superiority? We must do something about it."

The lion nodded its head and said: "True dear, what shall we do?" The lion and the fox discussed the problem for a long time and decided finally to call for a conference of all animals in the forest. They would discuss thoroughly the relative merits and demerits of man versus animals.

The lion then said to the fox: "Go and make all arrangements for the conference. Invite all animals, big and small without any exception. But, who will preside over the conference?"

The fox replied: "There is a sage in our forest who has been doing penance since a long time. He is a friend of both man and animals. He will certainly have no preference or prejudices. Why not request him to be the Chairman?"

"Do so", replied the lion.

In a week's time the fox executed the whole plan. A vast area in the forest was cleared to hold the conference. On the appointed day the animals began filling up towards the conference venue. Very soon, all the animals were seated in their respective places. The sage arrived in time and took his presidential seat. The lion and the elephant stood on either side of the sage, while the fox stood in front
of the gathering.

The fox being the Secretary of the conference welcomed the gathering and said: "I welcome you all and thank you all for attending this conference". Referring to the Agenda of the conference, the fox said: "I am pleased to place before you four major points over which we have to deliberate. You have to think well and come forth with your opinions as these points have a vital bearing on our self-respect. Man as well as the animals are born alike, of the womb of the mother. Then why should animals be called 'janthu' and man as 'manava'? They should be addressed alike.

There is a fantastic notion that man is wise and animals are foolish. We cannot accept this humiliation and baseless stigma.

It is claimed that man has the most blessed faculty of speech. But what is the reason for pride when man is only abusing this faculty? In what way do we suffer for want of this faculty? Though we are dumb, we are able to procure food, find shelter, rear our children and live happily. So, man cannot be considered as superior to us only because of this rare faculty of which he boasts.

Finally, they say that we are cruel and that man is kind and compassionate. In fact, we are more kind and considerate than man. So, we have to refute this allegation, as well.

Having read out the agenda, the fox went and sat in its place.

The lion stepped forward and raising his head, said in a dignified manner: "I totally approve of all the points of the agenda. I cannot consider man superior to us in any way. Let us first of all take up the point of valour and strength. Is there one among men who can excel me in strength and valour? Even though I am the sole monarch of the forest, I do not indulge in any act of injustice and corruption. I don't kill any animal unless I am hungry. Such being the case, can man claim to be superior to us?" "Never, never", roared the whole assembly.

The lion then resumed its seat beside the sage. The elephant got up and trumpeted its own glory. "In form, stature, and strength, I am far superior to man. He is a pigmy beside me. As for intelligence, I am reputed for my subtle intellect. Since time immemorial, for every important and auspicious function in the temple or in the palace my presence is considered auspicious. In fact pious men offer me fruits and flowers with deep feelings of reverence. How can man call himself superior to us?" The whole assembly roared: "He can't, he can't". The elephant went back to its seat by the side of the sage.

Then came forward the dog and saluting one and all in the assembly said aloud: "I have sound reason to claim that the animals are certainly superior to mankind. Take for example, the quality of love, faithfulness and loyalty. Can any man boast of himself being superior to the dog in these qualities? Man himself keeps us and treats us as a member of his family because of these rare qualities. But, what about men? They have no sense of gratitude even. They keep us on cheap food or on the left over bits at their meal. Man, in his relation to his own master whom he serves is ungrateful to the core. Sir, I am sure, we animals are far superior in these characteristics to man." Having spoken thus, it went and sat in its place.

It was now the turn of the President to give out his decision on the matter under dispute.

The sage got up and said: "My dear friends, what the dog has said is true. Man often says one thing and does another. This inconsistency is not to be found in animals". All the animals clapped for long with joy. The sage continued: "In the matter of food, sleep and allied habits of living, there is absolutely no difference between man and animals. But, there is one fundamental difference. The animals cannot transform themselves, while man can transform himself through education, company and emulation. The animals cannot even change their food habits".

The fox at once got up and questioned, "Oh Master, What you have said is true. But do you think that all men transform themselves?"

The sage said: "Why, without doubt, such men who do not, are worse than animals.

The sage continued: "Men have got another virtue, discrimination". The fox said: "It is true that they have discrimination, but what is the use? They put even animals to shame in their bad conduct. Oh, what a pity. Man spends all his time, talents, strength and money to earn his bread, while we animals procure food without any labour."

The sage could see that the fox was trying to exceed the limits and make much of their instinctive nature.

So, he said: "Oh, dear animals. You must also be told about another important distinction. Man can conquer illusion. He can realise the self or atma and attain immortality. In fact the very word "man" indicates these attributes:

M - means Maya;
A - means the Atmic vision and
N - means Nirvana.

The animals asked him: "Oh Wise one! Do you mean to say that all men make use of these three attributes?"

"No, not all of them," replied the sage.

"Then those who do not attain nirvana by conquering illusion and having atmic vision must be treated as our comrades" asserted the animals, in one voice.

"Oh, Dear ones." replied the sage, "I have come to this forest only to be your friend and prove myself a true Man".

Bhagvad Gita’ faces ’extremist’ branding, legal ban in Russia

2011-12-17T04:50:00.001-08:00

December 17, 2011 10:20 hrs IST

Moscow: Bhagvad Gita, one of the most sacred Hindu religious texts, is facing a legal ban and the prospect of being branded as "an extremist" literature across Russia, with a court in Siberia's Tomsk city all set to deliver its final verdict Monday in a case filed by state prosecutors.

The final pronouncement in the case will come just two days after Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was here for a bilateral summit meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev from Dec 15 to 17.

The case, which has been going on in Tomsk court since June this year, seeks to get a Russian translation of 'Bhagvad Gita As It Is' written by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), on the Hindu religious text banned in Russia and declaring it as a literature spreading "social discord", apart from rendering its distribution on Russian soil illegal.

In view of the case, Indians settled in Moscow, numbering about 15,000, and followers of the ISKCON religious movement here have appealed to Manmohan Singh and his government to intervene diplomatically to resolve the issue in favour of the Hindu religious text, an important part of Indian epic 'Mahabharat' written by Sage Ved Vyasa.

The ISKCON followers of Russia have also written a letter to the Indian Prime Minister's Office in New Delhi seeking immediate intervention, lest the religious freedom of Hindus living here be compromised.

"The case is coming up for a final verdict on Monday in Tomsk court. We want all efforts from Indian government to protect the religious right of Hindus in Russia," Sadhu Priya Das of ISKCON and a devotee of a 40-year-old Krishna temple in central Moscow, told IANS.

The court, which took up the case filed by the state prosecutors, had referred the book to the Tomsk State University for "an expert" examination Oct 25 this year.

But Hindu groups in Russia, particular followers of the ISKCON, say the university was not qualified, as it lacked Indologists.

The Hindus had pleaded with the court that the case was inspired by religious bias and intolerance`from a majority religious group in Russia, and have sought that
their rights to practice their religious beliefs be upheld.

The prosecutor's case also seeks to ban the preaching of Prabhupada and ISKCON's religious beliefs, claiming these were "extremist" in nature and preached "hatred" of other religious beliefs.

"They have not just tried to get the Bhagvad Gita banned, but also brand our religious beliefs and preachings as extremist," Das said.

In fact, the ISKCON devotees have taken up the matter with the Indian embassy in Moscow too, apart from writing to the Prime Minister's Office in New Delhi, for an early diplomatic intervention, before things get worse and the court passes an adverse verdict banning the 'Bhagvad Gita' and Krishna consciousness teachings.

In the Nov 1 letter, addressed to Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Pulok Chatterji, ISKCON's New Delhi branch Governing Body Commissioner Gopal Krishna Goswami, said the prosecutor's affidavit claims Lord Krishna "is evil and not conforming to Christian religious view".

Goswami also urged Singh to accord priority to the matter during his Moscow stay and to take it up with the Russian authorities.

Indian diplomatic corps officials at the embassy here, who were unwilling to be named, told IANS that they have been following up the case since the time it was brought to their notice earlier this year and that they had also taken up the matter at the appropriate levels in the Russian government to get the case either withdrawn or get the defence to fight the case to obtain a favourable verdict.

Officials at the Indian Prime Minister's office, who are part of the Indian delegation accompanying Singh, confirmed the case and the letter they received from ISKCON in this regard to IANS.

"This matter is receiving the highest attention and the Indian embassy officials in Moscow have been instructed to follow up the case with the Russian authorities," they said.

Divine Thoughts

2011-12-11T21:01:00.001-08:00

In the unbroken line of preceptors from Adi Sankara Bhagavatpada, downdards our beacon light in the Sanatana Vaideeka Marga, Sri Chandrasekharendra Saraswathi, the 68th Sankaracharya, shone as bright as Adi Shankara. It was the good fortune of his devotees and of this century, that He was the exemplar for prompting peoples' knowledge, faith and interest in the Karma-Bhakti-Jnana marga. For the learned and the layman, He expounded words of wisdom. These run into over 4000 pages and are being published in various languages. Indonesia has been similar to India, in their way of talk, habits, worship and culture. This has been so for ages. It is a true fact that Sri Mahaswami (Sage of Kanchi) had an affection towards the people of Indonesia. This book titled "Divine Nectar 50" has been translated into the Indonesian language by IBA NOOR AND STAFF "REALIA" Indonesian language school, Yogyakarta, Indonesia and published by P.R. Dandapani of P. T. Ispat Indo, Surabaya, Indonesia, while N. Rajan of UCO Bank Madras has been the co-ordinator . we bless the families of IBA NOOR, STAFF of "REALIA" , P.R. Dandapani, and N. Rajan and pray to MAHATRIPURASUNDARI SAMETA SRI CHANDRAMOULEESWARA that all Indonesians should read this book and benefit thereof. May those engaged in this noble task be the recipients of all bounties and we offer our blessings.

The medicine of Grace to wipe out our sorrows is to develop unshakable faith in God and tolerance is the medicine of Grace to wipe out our sorrows. Bhakti alone can give us the capacity to put up with sorrows. Temples are the agencies for developing that Bhakti. Hence, the need for temples at all places. All offerings to the deities in the temples are tokens of our gratitude to God.

That which is within all, which is seen as "This" is the source. He who is within and sees as "This" is God. It is the reality. It is in yourself. What is limited is Sadhana; what is unlimited is the end.

He alone is an Acharya, who, after clearly understanding the conclusive teachings of the Sastras, makes the people of the world gain their welfare by making them stick to the path shown in the Sastras and also himself does everything according to Sastras and remains in that experience.

Many acts relating to God, like building temples, digging tanks are performed. While executing them, there would be many difficulties. There would come also several kinds of dishonour. Not minding any of these, they would complete their tasks with mental one-pointedness removing impurities from their minds and letting the mind wander. By straightening their mind, they acquire mind control and at the end, they realise the Reality that is to be known. Digging tanks, building temples and such other acts are called poorttam. The performance of sacrifices, etc., is known as ishtam. Combining these two, we have the word Ishtapoortam.

In all that you do, let love be the sole motive. Any need must be with reference to another. Let action be out of love. Passions such as desire and hatred , anger and malice must be totally eschewed. If love becomes the grounding principle of all deeds . then most of the ills of the world will vanish.

We know many faults we commit, even if others do not know them. Sometimes we realise we are doing so many evil things and repent bitterly and feel why we should be born . Our duty is to pray to God -"I have committed so many faults. Will you not, 0 God, give me the will power not do like that in future and will you not purify my mind?" We must note down in a diary every night before we go to bed the faults committed by us and pray to God to give us courage and intelligence not to do so. This must be propagated widely.

Parameswara and Sriman Narayana are one and the same in reality. They are not two. This is the conclusive view of all the sastras. Names differ, forms are different, occupations vary, but the reality which is within Them is one and the same.

What is the purpose of human birth? To earn, to eat, to undergo misery everyday and finally to die? Instead of earning and suffering, can we not die now? The purpose of birth is to avoid re-birth. Except man, all animals grow horizontally. Only man grows vertically. Instead of growing horizontally, it is God's will that he should grow vertically in order to look up. God has given to animals devices for self-protection; to man alone He has given intelligence. By doing nothing, we avoid re-birth; By giving up attachment, we avoid sins.

When any object is consumed by fire, it becomes charred. If that black residue is burnt again, it becomes white ash. White ash continues to remain white even when burnt again. This shows that white is the ultimate and black is proximate to it. Science tells us that diamond and coal are basically one. White and black are not colours. The primary colours get separated from the objects to which they are attached when subjected to the test of fire and ultimately white. Similarly, in the mental and spiritual place, the Ultimate Reality is Siva, who is white and proximate to Him is Parvati, who is dark. When we test everything in the fire of Jnana, or true knowledge, the residue is Siva. Ash in the material plane corresponds to Siva in the spiritual plane. We smear our bodies with the sacred ash to remind ourselves of Siva and the fact that the ultimate goal of life is Siva.

Much is said about the personal God and the impersonal absolute God with attributes and without attributes. It is only when all the colours in the light mix together that we get the colourless rays of the sun. Similarly by the very virtue of being the abode of attributes, God becomes Nirguna, attribute-less.

By education we realise Truth. There are many truths, History is one truth. Geography is one truth, Mathematics is one truth. The content of truth is the greatest in Mathematics. In others, there is an element of imagination. In Geography, we come across names Asia, Africa, Madras, Calcutta, etc. These names were given by us. By imagination, we have given names "plateau" "valley", etc. By a process of gradual elimination of all that is imaginary, when we arrive at truth, that Truth is found to be God. To think of Him with real devotion is the fruit of education.

What is the use of education? Its first use is to develop humility (vinaya). In olden days, the disciple who went to a guru was called "vineyan" meaning a person of humility which is the hall-mark of Instruction he had from his guru, the fruit of education. Education without humility is no education. Education is the same today as it was before, but methods have changed. The medicine is the same but if the diet is changed, the medicine becomes poison. Education has today become merely the means of livelihood. For true education, the student should go to a guru and follow the guru-kula system.

Right education should make us know that God is the Truth. Knowledge must fill one with good qualities, through which one can realise the Truth, that is God. Therefore, the goal of knowledge is the understanding of the Ultimate Truth. The first fruit of education must be humility and self control.

The total surrender to the Lord is a means of learning our insignificance and the transcendent grace of the Lord.

If we engage an inquiry into the Atman, at the end of it, it will be clear that God is in us as our very self. When that stage is reached, we have no use for the devas. Then all karmas will fall away from us. But, until then, we must obligatorily do the karmas directing them to the Gods.

Those who are the leaders of a group, society, or state should not neglect the established religious customs and usages. For themselves the may mot be in need of Church ceremonies, for instance, their advance in spirituality may not require them. But if they begin to neglect them, the people for whom the rituals are really helpful, will also start neglecting them. This would be setting a bad example. In the words of the Bhagavad Gita, the wise one should not unsettle the minds of those who are ignorant, and are attached to action: on the contrary, he should encourage them to perform what they should perform, by himself doing the appropriate actions well and with diligence. It is duty cast upon the leaders and those that are at the top to lead the people from where they are, and not to refrain from participation in the traditional ways of worship.

Of all scriptures, the Gita has acquired a specialty of its own. Like this, there are many other books of wisdom. In the Mahabharata, there are many chapters teaching wisdom. Besides, in the Sivapurana, Vishnupurana, Skandham, etc., there is Jnanopadesa.
So also in agamas. But what is the special importance of Gita due to? Not only in our country but in countries like Java, people follow the Gita. My inference is that because it was born in an atmosphere utterly free from attachment - attachment to life, attachment to body, attachment to kith and kin, but out of attachment only to Reality, it has become so famous.

On deep consideration, ahimsa appears to be good as an ideal or for preaching. But practically speaking, it is difficult to follow fully. First of all, we must love others. But if we love anyone too much, the end is sorrow. Therefore we should love God who always gives happiness and not sorrow. I ask myself if we love God, should we not love anyone else in this world? So long as there is false knowledge which distinguishes God from the rest of the world, there will be differences. If we attain Jnana that God is all, we will develop the same love for all that we have for God; This is the sign of Ahimsa.

For the sake of food, clothing and shelter, everyone is toiling and sorrow-stricken. If sorrow is to be banished and if we are to be ever happy, we must dedicate all our actions to God. If we get His grace, then we need not do anything and can be happy. God is a good master. By praising Him always, we cannot please Him. He is indifferent to our praise or dispraise, action or inaction. But all our actions are ordained by Him and are meant only to purify our minds.

Why so many Gods? Is it not enough to have only one? Other religions speak of one God only and not many. We are assailed by such doubts. We eat to satisfy hunger, the stomach becomes full, there is no trouble or hunger. Then why can't we take cooked rice alone? Why should we eat so many side dishes? So, if we eat, it is just not to fill the stomach, but we want food tasty to the palate and pleasing to the eyes. Whoever is attracted to a particular God he worships that.

By multiplying wants, we only increase poverty. What is essential for life and honour should be made available to all the people of the country. It is for this we want plans. Men of means should live like the poor and should not increase their wants beyond necessities. The rich should share their prosperity with the poor. This is punya, leading to salvation. The more we increase our wants, to that extent, there will be no peace or comfort and it will only produce poverty and sorrow.

Vedanta which is the peak of the Vedas teaches the way for the removal of sorrow. Hatred and desire arise only in respect of the objects other than us. That desire will not arise if those objects are rendered identical with us, if there is nothing other than us, then desire will not arise. If there is no desire, there will be no effort and no sin. When there is no sin, there will be no body and there will be no misery.

We may get many types of sorrow. What seems to be sorrow to all the people of a place may not seem sorrowful to us. If we stay always happy, without wanting to attain anything untouched by sorrow like the lotus-leaf and the Kalakodi - seed, that is called yoga. "Know that to be indicated as yoga which is separation from being united with sorrow, The removal of association with sorrow."

In order to reach one purport, why should the Veda speak of many matters? This question may arise in our minds. It is through many matters that it is possible to understand that one purport which is Reality - yoga, meditation, austerity, sacrifice, performance of karma; when these are accomplished, what they indicate is that one Reality. It is that Reality which is the true purport of the Veda. Other things are of a changing nature. They become woven into a story and then even that story disappears.

What for is the science of medicine? It is for keeping the body strong and healthy. What if the body is not strong and healthy? The body will be subject to diseases. What if there is disease? One will not be able to function properly. He who has given this body is the supreme Self. This is the truth, we should practice several disciplines. We can practice them only if the body is well. In order to keep it well, we must prevent it from becoming a prey to disease. The science of medicine tells us how to prevent diseases. Thus, Ayurveda helps in the realisation of Advaita experience.

Savikapla Samadhi: The mind is steady without any distraction, contemplating its object wholly absorbed therein.

Nirvikalpa Samadhi: This is the goal of yoga. In this, the mind ceases to function and vanishes once and for all, leaving the self to shine forth alone. In Advaita too, the path of meditation is recognised; but here the object of meditation is the distinction-less Brahman.

Sahaja Samadhi: This is realised through the path of enquiry. It is the natural state of Self - realisation and one of utter unconcern for the fleeting phenomena.

There is nothing to feel elated about seeing the people worshipping me. But when I reflect that is worship to the God, who they think are approachable through me, I feel glad that there are so many who believe in a compassionate God who will hear them and remove their misery.

Our religion Hinduism has grown by devotion, meditation and self - purification. The other religions might have grown by propaganda and conflict. The reason for crores of our people remaining within the fold of Hinduism, in spite of powerful propaganda of other religionists, wars, lure of money, etc., is we see a great man (Mahatma) in our midst by whom we are impressed. We develop devotion to him and generate faith in our religion. There is a text in the Veda which says that a flowering tree attracts bees automatically. If we examine ourselves and we find one of use to be perfect, the world will follow him.

A child eats earth. Its hands are tied by the mother. The child gets angry and cries. Is it without reason the mother ties it's hands? We do not know the mercy of Universal Mother. The good or harm coming to us has its source in Her Grace; Suffering - Her Grace for some reason. We must accept whatever comes to us, good or bad, as Her Grace. We do not know why she gives it. Our vision is limited. We do not know what precedes it or follows it. If we are able to look into the past present and future, we will know that God does no harm to us. Other than God, there is no kith or kin for us.

We cannot say that a child or an idiot who keeps quiet without activity like a stone is great. We cannot presume that he has attained jivanmukti. This is the result of sin. He is a Yogi or Jnani whose intellect is very subtle and as sharp as a sword. He has to become like a withered tree, an immovable object with a steady mind. He must understand all that is happening around him. His knowledge should be perfect. He should not be affected by passion or sorrow. He should always be happy. None of us is like that and Iswara is described as Sat-Chit-Ananda.

If God is the ocean of mercy and if He knows everything, He must know what we want. Why should we appeal to Him to do this or that? The reasonable answer is that instead of begging useless people at useless places, we plead before the Highest and the Omniscient. Otherwise, we have no justification to ask Him to give us this or that.

Everything disintegrates on earth and this earth also will vanish one day. The sun will disappear and the whole universe will go. Then there must be some powerful substratum responsible for creation, protection and destruction. We call it God. We have the faculty of thinking and capacity of doing, in smaller or greater measure. This also merges after our death with the omnipotent. Being, from whom we derive this energy. The stable principle which is the cause of creation and destruction of all energy is God, called by any name.

Mother loves her child but later on, an unfaithful sun causes her sorrow. We know of cases where mother starts litigation against sons or sons against mother. If one loves another, and if one of them dies, the bereavement causes sorrow. The bank helps people who have deposited money with them. It is supposed to remove the sorrows of the people in times of need. But when the bank itself is liquidated or closed, the depositors weep. Their sorrows once gave sustenance to the bank. The more we love, the greater the sorrow in consequence. Then, shall we decide that we should not love anyone at all? The object of this birth is to bestow undivided love on someone. The subject of our love should not be quarrelsome or separable. If we say that we should love only the imperishable God, then the question is: can we hate others? Let us learn to love all be realising that God is in all. God is eternal and our love for him should be eternal.

I am prone to come to the conclusion that there lives none without predominantly selfish motives. But with years rolling on, an impression, that too a superficial one, true to my nature, is dawning upon me that there breathe on this globe some souls firmly rooted in morals and ethics who live exclusively for others, voluntarily forsaking not only their material gains and comforts but also their own sadhana towards their spiritual improvements.

It is clear to us that there is birth and there is death. Passion is the cause of birth. Time is the cause of death. What is created by passion is destroyed by time. If passion comes, the seed sprouts. If time comes, the tree dies. Kaalo Jagat Bhakshaka: Even the sun and the moon disintegrate when time comes. If there is no passion, there is no production. If there is no time then there is no destruction. Therefore we have to conquer Kaala and Kaama. Iswara burnt Kaama and kicked time. So if we go to Him, there is neither birth nor death for us. Let us therefore pay to the Universal Father and Mother.
"Jagatha pitarau Vande Paarvati Parameswarau"

A master has two servants. One always flatters the master, the other just performs his duties without any love for the master. If the master is a fool, he would love the flattering servant. If the master is too clever, he will not love either the man working for wages or the flatterer. The master will love more the one who does his job as his own out of devotion. So is the case with the Good Master, God.

Why do we break coconut before Lord Ganesa's idol? He is the Son of Parameswara and asked His Father to sacrifice His head with three eyes because only then, he thought any effort would be crowned with success and without any obstacle. So, instead of the head with three eyes, we are breaking coconut which has three eyes. Ganesa is so powerful as to demand the head of his own father. Whatever is superior to everything else must be sacrificed to God. Symbolically, we are sacrificing the three - eyed coconuts created by God, as ordained by Him. When a sannyasin attains Siddhi, this is done. This practice is in vogue only in Tamil Nadu.

Thinking that God is far away from you, you are wandering in search of Him. So long as you do not know, He is far away. Though you may wander, you cannot see Him, but he is near you. He is distant, yet near. The story of a girl wanting to marry the highest among men, a king, ended, after all the travels, in the discovery of an ordinary man her parents had already selected. The bridegroom was so near. She took a long route to arrive at a point so near.

We see our reflections in a mirror. In a row of mirrors, thousands of reflections are seen. It is only one person who sees all these reflections. The one who resides within us and who sees all this, is God. The seer is the cause of all the seen. That cause is knowledge which is the basis of this world. Where is that knowledge? Within you, what is macroscopic is microscopic in you.

Joy comes in the form of status, money, etc. comes from without. We feel isolated. But it is the smallest fragment of the great joy from within, which is Ananda. Paramatman, the ananda within is not worried whether any joy comes from outside and mixes with it or not. Waters enter into the sea, which though ever being full, is ever motionless.

If we analyse the teachings of the Gita, there may appear to be many contradictory matters regarding bhakti, karma and jnana. But the Lord takes the devotee step by step. We must meditate on the form of God as described in the scriptures. This bhakti will enable us to understand the universal nature of God. Spiritual vision will then make it clear that God without form is the Supreme Reality, which hears without ears, moves without legs. To worship God at the initial stage, metaphysical knowledge is not necessary. The more and more we meditate, bhakti grows and we automatically realise the universal form. There is no distinction between the devotee and the object of devotion.

Our minds should automatically seek and cling to God just as iron filings are attracted by the magnet; the heart of the chaste wife seeks her husband; the creeper embraces the tree; the rivers go to the sea.

Philosophical truths and ordinary people have nothing much in common. Therefore outward garb is useless. The representatives of religion must have real worth, peace - loving nature (shantam), austerity (tapas) and unselfish nature. Hinduism, in spite of its vicissitudes, is surviving even to this day. This is due to the blessings of a succession of saints. If there is one saint among us, the world will prosper.

It is natural that man should seek to satisfy his wants like hunger, thirst, and a place to rest. There are duties which an individual has towards himself, the social group and the nation. Ordinarily, the performance of these duties remains on the level of satisfying the creaturely wants. But there is a way of performing these duties which will elevate everyone concerned spiritually. That is dharma. And it is the duty of the king or the state to see that the citizens are provided every opportunity for spiritual growth and progress. That is the meaning of saying: "Raja Dharmasya Kaaranam".

Upaasana is dhyaana or concentration of meditation. A form is required for concentration. Reality is always the same and changeless. God, as the Ultimate Reality, is Formless. But Upasana of a Form is done with a purpose, namely, the attainment of a given benefit. The purpose to be attained by worshipping or concentrating on a Form differs. The scriptures tell you how to meditate and on what all Forms and with what results. For Upasana, you have to follow the Sastras or Scriptures. The different upasanas are all aids in the path to the ultimate goal, namely, understanding Reality. Scriptures prescribe Upaasana n order to train the mind to concentrate. Upasana is the affair of the individual; there is nothing collective about it.

Neither the raw fruit nor the tree wants to leave each other. But when the fruit becomes ripe, this attachment automatically disappears. Man requires to experience anger, jealousy, passion, etc. just as the fruit had to undergo various stages of growth and taste before it became fully ripe so to get automatically detached from the tree. We cannot overcome these experiences in the beginning. But we must ponder over the fact why we undergo these experiences. Otherwise we will be the losers. We will become slaves of these experiences and can never achieve fulfillment or contentment.

When adversities overtake us, we blame God and complain that He is blind to our misfortunes. But if we indulge in a little introspection, we will realise that our faults are so enormous that we are utterly unworthy of His grace and, in spite of that we are able to get food, shelter and clothing. It is due to the abundant mercy of God. We must consider the difficulties we encounter as a blessing in disguise.

A mother may tie the hands of her child who has the propensity to pick up and eat mud. This seeming cruelty of the mother is for the good of the child. Similarly troubles are verily God's grace to save us. In the entire picture of life, troubles form but a tiny spot. In our inability to visualise the past and the future, we complain when we suffer in the present. A proper perspective will enable us to understand our present plight in its proper setting.

Whenever any honour is done to a person the recipient must remember the divine source from which he derived the qualifications to receive that honour, and feel humble and not elated with a feeling of self - importance.

Cultivate Friendly attitude to conquer the minds of men;
Look at others as yourself;
Give up war; give up jealousy;
Don't commit aggression without reason;
Mother earth is like Kamadhenu to fulfil wishes;
The Lord God is like father showering mercy
People of the World !
Live with discipline;
Live with charity;
Live with mercy;
May all people attain greater well - being

(Courtesy: http://www.kamakoti.org/miscl/divine50.html)

UNBROKEN UNBOUNDED LOVE

2011-12-07T21:59:00.001-08:00

UNBROKEN UNBOUNDED LOVE

"How can we praise love? Everything is insignificant before it. Without love our reading, hearing and the study are of no avail. In the wake of love follow devotion, dispassion, peace and liberation with all their treasures. We do not get love for anything unless we feel earnestly about it. So where there is real yearning and feeling, God manifests Himself. It includes love and is the means of liberation." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch.48.

Once there was a great king named Vishwamitra. One day he learned that there was a saint in his kingdom whom everybody adored. The name of this saint was Vashishtha, and everyone gladly touched his feet.

Now, although Vishwamitra was a very great king, nobody used to come and touch his feet. People were afraid of him, and they would tremble before him. But with Vashishtha it was different. People gladly touched Vashishtha's feet with deepest appreciation and admiration. So Vishwamitra was extremely jealous of Vashishtha.

Vashishtha was a very great saint. After praying to God for many, many years, Vashishtha had realised God and could speak to God face to face. Vishwamitra knew that this was the reason why everybody was adoring Vashishtha instead of him, so he too started praying to God. He prayed to God for a couple of years very seriously, often fasting but still he did not realize God. Then he became impatient. He went to Vashishtha and said, "You have realised God, but I have not been able to. I wish you to tell the world that I have also realised God, like you."

Vashista replied, "How can I say that?"

"You can say it," the king insisted. "If you tell people, everybody will believe you, because you yourself have realized God. You know who God is you speak to God. Tell everyone that I have realized God. Otherwise I shall kill your children."

Vashishtha said, "You can kill my children, but I cannot tell a lie."

Vishwamitra was a most powerful king. One by one he had the hundred sons of Vashishtha killed. The hundred sons were very well educated, kind and spiritual. They had studied the Vedas, the Upanishads and other religious and sacred books. Nevertheless, the notorious king killed them all. Even after doing this Vishwamitra was not satisfied because Vashishtha still refused to announce that he had realized God.

After a few months he thought, "This time he has to tell the world that I have realized God, or I shall kill him." With this idea in his mind he went to Vashishtha's small cottage. Before knocking at the door he stood outside quietly listening to the conversation inside.

Arundhati, one of Vashishtha's wives, was saying to her husband, "My lord, why don't you say that Vishwamitra has realised God? If you had said it I would still have all my children. They were such nice, kind, devoted children. They were all jewels. But just because you wouldn't say that he has realized God, he has killed all my children, and who knows what he will do next."

Vashishtha said, "How can you ask me to do that? I love him. He has not realised God. How can I tell people that he has realized God? I love him and that is why I cannot tell a lie."

Even though Vishwamitra had killed the hundred sons of Vashishtha, the father could still say that he loved him. When Vishwamitra heard what Vashishtha said, he came running in and touched Vashishtha's feet, crying, "Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me, my lord. I never knew that anyone on earth could love a person who had killed all his children."

Vashishtha placed his hand on Vishwamitra's head and blessed him. He said, "Today you have realized God, because today you know what love is, what truth is. God is all forgiveness. I am forgiving you because the God in me is forgiving you. Today you have realized God."

What do we learn from this story? We learn that the ideal of forgiveness is the supreme ideal. When we pray to God we see God's qualities: love and forgiveness. When we receive love and forgiveness from God we can behave like God towards other people.

Vashishtha's hundred sons were killed, yet even then he loved Vishwamitra. Then, when Vishwamitra begged for forgiveness, Vashishtha gave it immediately, as well as giving him his inner Light, Joy and Power.

Like Vashishtha, we always have to forgive people when they do wrong things. In this way we give them our Light, our Truth, our Joy. From this story we also learn the importance of associating with holy men.

Do not develop ill-feeling inside your heart for the man who has insulted you or injured you. This is worse than open anger. This is mental cancer. Do not nourish grievances. Forget and forgive.

PRIDE WILL PUT A STOP TO PEACE

2011-12-06T20:42:00.000-08:00

PRIDE WILL PUT A STOP TO PEACE

"If we become egoless, then our success is assured." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 24.

After the battle of Kurukshetra was over, one day Yudhishthira said to Krishna, "Krishna, we Pandavas have won. Needless to say, it is all your Grace. Otherwise, we could never have won. But you know, Krishna, in spite of our victory, something is bothering me. Do you know what it is? I have no peace of mind. Now that we have defeated the Kauravas, we are supposed to be very happy. But how can I be happy when I have no peace of mind? Why is this so? Why is it that I cannot be happy and peaceful?"

Krishna said, "Yudhishthira, O King, how can you be happy when your worst enemy is still alive?"

"My worst enemy is still alive!" Yudhishthira exclaimed. "Who is he? How is it that I do not know anything about him? Please tell me, Krishna, where my worst enemy is."

Krishna said, "Your worst enemy is not elsewhere. It is inside you. You have been feeding and nurturing that worst enemy for a long, long time. Unless and until you have conquered that enemy, no matter what you achieve, no matter what you do for yourself or for mankind, you can never have happiness."

"O Krishna, for God's sake, tell me who my worst enemy is. Stop your philosophy and now illumine me."

Krishna, with a loving heart and a smiling face, embraced Yudhishthira and said, "O Yudhishthira, you are by far the best not only among the Pandavas, but among all mortals, all human beings. Yet one enemy of yours, which is nothing short of weakness, is most destructive. And that weakness-enemy of yours is your unfortunate pride. Conquer the iota of pride that you have. Then happiness will flow into your mind, and peace will smilingly settle down inside the very depths of your heart."

Yudhishthira said, "Your wisdom-blessing is my mind's happiness and my heart's peace, Krishna, my Krishna."

KNOW THYSELF

2011-12-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

KNOW THYSELF

"A guide is always necessary to show us the right way in small or great matters." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 32.

Patrul Rimpoche was roaming the Tibetan mountains. One day he heard about a great hermit who had spent twenty years in a cave meditating on the Perfection of Patience. Desirous to meet such a saintly being, he went in search of his cave. Poking his head around the entrance, he called out, "Hello there, what are you doing?"

His meditation disrupted by this impertinent hollering, the hermit opened his eye and inquired, "What do you want?"

The beggar crouched down in front of him, his eyes glinting with mischief, without uttering a word.

"Who are you? Where do you come from?" pressed the hermit.

"I come from behind my back, and I'm going in the direction I am facing."

Nonplussed, the hermit continued, "Where were you born?"

"On earth."

"OK," he said, trying to contain his rising frustration, "What – do – you – want?"

"Well, I was curious to know what you're doing here."

The hermit was keen to impress this simpleton. "You see my son, I have been meditating here for twenty years on Lord Buddha's Perfection of Patience.

The beggar howled with laughter, poking him in the ribs with a dirty finger, and said, "Oh, what a great scam. Gullible locals, are they? How much are you making these days?"

The hermit thundered, "How dare you! You barge in here. You give me all these crazy lines. Now you insult me. Out. Out."

As he rose to leave, Patrul Rinpoche calmly observed, "And where's your perfect patience now?"

The hermit's anger froze instantly, as he realized the vanity of his claim. Sitting down and taking a deep breath, he started meditating in earnest for the first time.

Patrul Rimpoche lived in the nineteenth century and was one of the greatest scholar in Buddhism. This highly realized saint roamed all over Tibet anonymously, dressed as a beggar, creating mischief along the way. His primary goal was to focus the mind of people on true spiritual pursuits, while exposing false teachings and fake spirituality.

This hermit had deluded himself for over twenty years, and grew comfortable in it. But a single encounter with a master can shatter a lifetime of delusions and re-establish us on the true path. Were these twenty years of previous meditation a waste of time? Quite the contrary. They were the necessary preparation to bring about this profound transformation.

YOUR REAL NATURE

2011-12-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

YOUR REAL NATURE

Baba said, "You will come across a great Saint by your good luck, and then he will show you the future path, and give rest to your mind and make you happy." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 21.

Once, while out hunting, a lioness gave birth to a cub amidst a flock of goats. She left her newly born baby amidst the goats and returned to her den in the forest. This baby lion began to live with the group of goats. He ate, slept and stayed with them. As he grew up, the shepherd named him Lindiyo, a name normally reserved for goats and sheep. The lion responded to his name, skipped and danced, like every tame animal.

Lindiyo grew up into the full frame of a lion but he himself never knew it. To himself, he was only a weak, frail goat.

One day, while they were on lush pastures, a huge lion roared and attacked the flock. All the goats fled with fear; they ran in all directions to save their lives. Even Lindiyo scampered away.

The lion was astounded and looked twice. ''How did a lion get mixed up with a flock of goats?'' he asked himself. He leaped and chased Lindiyo and soon seized him. Lindiyo was trembling with fright. He shut his eyes tight. ''Hey, you!'' the lion shook him, ''You're a lion. How did you end up in this group of goats?''

''Please, let me go. My name is Lindiyo, Sir, please let me go!'' the lion-goat helplessly pleaded for mercy.

''Come come! You're not a goat! Rather, goats are your daily dinner. Why have you lost your senses? Come with me to the riverside.'' So saying the lion dragged Lindiyo to the river bank and where the water was quite still, he showed him his own reflection. ''See, look at your face. It's like mine. You have a golden mane, see the paws and the claws, everything is like mine. You are a lion and not a goat.'' He further taught him to stand tall and roar like a lion. ''Come on speak like I speak and roar; and remember these goats are our food, not friends.''

Lindiyo suddenly realised his true identity and broke out from his shell of limitations. He himself roared and drove away the goats. He had become a lion from a lion-goat.

We too, suffer from a similar problem. Our true identity is Atman which is not different from the one prevailing consciousness -Brahman, but we have somehow lost that knowledge and believe ourselves to be the body.

We all see ourselves as Lindiyo. We must realise our real nature and identity as the Atman and become the master of Maya and not its slave. And to attain such knowledge, we need to approach a Guru, who shows and convinces us that we are not Lindiyo but the pure and powerful Atma, which is nothing but Brahman - the Absolute Truth.

IT IS EXAMINATION SEASON – FACE YOUR TEST CONFIDENTLY

2011-12-02T17:18:00.000-08:00

IT IS EXAMINATION SEASON – FACE YOUR TEST CONFIDENTLY

"We are tested as it were. If we only hold on steadily to Baba with full faith and continue our endeavours, our efforts will be ultimately crowned with success." – Sri Sai Satcharitra, Ch. 29.

Once there were two disciples of Rishi Apaddhoumya. Their names were Aruni and Upmanyu. Both were young and very quiet. They obeyed the Guru in everything.

Once the Guru decided to test them to the full. He sent them to the forest to graze the ashram's cows. He also ordered them, ''Don't eat anything.'' Both disciples always obeyed the Guru, and so they ate nothing. But whenever they felt hungry they would milk a cow and drink some milk.

After some days the Guru asked, ''What do you eat?''

They replied, ''We eat nothing cooked but do drink milk.'' The Guru said, ''From now on, don't drink milk either.'' The disciples agreed and went happily off to the forest to graze the cows.

In the afternoon both felt hungry, but the Guru had ordered them not to drink even milk now. And so they went to a village and begged pieces of fruit and ate them. Thus they began to do this every day.

A few days later, the Guru asked ''What do you eat?''

They replied, ''We beg pieces of fruit from the village and eat those.'' The Guru instructed, ''We should never beg in this way.'' So the two promised never to beg again.

Aruni and Upmanyu again went to the forest to graze the cows. Never did they find fault with their Guru.

For three to four days they managed to survive without food. But hunger grew and they could bear it no longer. The Guru had commanded not to eat or drink milk. So they ate some wild berries.

The berries were poisonous and the two became blind. As they made their way back to the ashram holding each other's hand they fell into a dry well one hundred hands deep. Seeing the cows return alone to the ashram the Guru became worried. Where were Aruni and Upmanyu? He set out in search of them.

He searched the jungle calling, ''Hey Aruni, Hey Upmanyu.'' He couldn't see them anywhere. However, the two disciples heard their Guru calling and shouted a reply from the bottom of the well.

''Where are you?'' the Guru shouted. ''Over here, in the well,'' they called back.

The Guru had some people climb down into the well and bring the two disciples up. When he saw them he realised they had become blind! He asked the reason for this. They humbly answered, ''You commanded us not to eat or drink anything, but we were so hungry that we ate some wild berries. They were poisonous and then we became blind. And as we tried to make our way back to the ashram, we fell into this empty well.''

The rishi was extremely pleased with their devotion to him. He called Ashwinikumar, the physician of the demi-gods. He gave them potent medicine and so both boys could see again.

The Guru so tested his young disciples, but they were not discouraged. They did not run away and leave the Guru. They had immense faith and devotion and love for their Guru that they were ready to do anything at their Guru's command. Such true faith in a Guru definitely leads one to the "Truth" and brings us true wisdom and enlightenment.

ABTN Newsletter Volume 3 Digest 1

2011-11-14T06:57:00.001-08:00

Volume 3 Digest 1

In This Issue...

Spotlight

Letter from the Editor

by Editors ABTN

In this issue we focus basics of Vedic Philosophy. There are few basic questions which when asked we find it quite intriguing or we may answer without knowing what we are really mean by it. Like ...

Who Am I?
Why I am what Iam?
Why Me?

Here such questions have been dealt scrutinizingly from Vedic point of view but in a layman's language. And don't miss the videos accompanying them they offer lot of infotainment.

Also we have an interesting article that every Indian should read...Breaking India it's a thorough academic work done by two Indian Americans on the different forces that are trying to disintegrate the Indian cultural fabric by micro and macro manipulations. Don't miss the videos. This book has got wide acclaim from many scholars all over the world for its accuracy and stunning details yet unnervingly professional in its work. Its only due to ignorance of the glories of our heritage that although born in India these elements engage in such nefrarious activities. As HH Bhati Vikas Swami mentions in his review of the book it is relevant for everyone who have concern for destiny of India.

Main Course

Latest Truth Articles

Breaking India – Unholy Nexus in action

Its like the story-line in Matrix movie. The human victims are seduced in a dream world by the machines while they continue running their business. This is a story of unholy nexus of three forces slowly destroying the fabric of a great heritage of India while its...Read the Rest

Demystifying God

Krishna – Man, God or Energy? Modern Indologists may regard him as a mythological character from Mahabharata. Intellectuals in India may consider him a great historical personality or a mystic or one of the thousand gods of Hindu theology. In the west he may be known to be the speaker of the Bhagavad Gita....Read the Rest

Science of Reincarnation

Reincarnation is called samsara in the classic Vedic texts of India. The word samsara is Sanskrit and means being bound to the cycle of repeated birth and death through numerous lifetimes. How this works is that those who are materially conditioned transmigrate through different bodies according to one's desires and past ...Read the Rest

Karma – Law of Cause and Effect

Karma is one of those topics that many people know a little about, but few understand the intricacies of it. Analogy with Newton's Law To start with, Newton's third law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. On the universal scale, this is the law ...Read the Rest

Who Am I?

Who am I? What am I? Am I the body, mind or something more? These are the age old questions that every philosopher throughout the ages has tried to grasp and understand. After all, how will you know what to do in life if you do not even know ...Read the Rest

Selected Comments

Comments on Articles

Breaking India – Book Review by Bhakti Vikas Swami

India is clearly the subject of a sustained and perniciously demeaning propaganda campaign undertaken by international academia and communication media. This campaign is so successful that most Indians, including or especially those who are superficially educated, believe and even assist the propagation of the lies that this campaign propagates, for instance that of an Aryan, anti-Dravidian invasion. Much counter propaganda is required to debunk such treacherous myths, and Breaking India will hopefully herald a new genre of well-researched volumes aimed at putting the record straight. Breaking India is one of those rare books that are simultaneously groundbreaking and potentially paradigm shifting. It sheds light on various social, political, religious, ethical, intellectual, and educational issues vital to India's future. Many persons suspect, but have little clear idea about, the frightening phenomena that Malhotra and Neelakandan have scrupulously researched and provided clear perspectives on: the ongoing demographic takeover of India by forces viciously opposed to everything that she has traditionally stood for. Fundamentalist Christians and Muslims, hostile foreign governments, and Maoists and other internal terrorist groups, are realizing their aims, the likely outcome of which is of India descending into uncontrollable sectarian strife and political dismemberment. All this is happening under the nose of and often with the deliberate or unwitting aid of Indian political, intellectual, and business leaders. I learned much from this book and recommend it to all persons benignly concerned with the destiny of India.

Comment on The dangers of Promiscuity by sunny

very beautiful article....if we go back in time in the early 20th century and the 19th century in india...people lived a very happy n joyous life because they were not morally corrupt and nor sexually immoral and thus they developed a very good moral character. If we break god's rules which is happening in the present day society we have to suffer and there is so much suffering in the 21st century compared to previous centuries inspite of technological advancement...this is the result of our own bad deeds and degradation and also faith in the almighty is diminishing very rapidly which is the major reason for such immoral acts and suffering

Comment on This man defies science by his existence by Deepak Pant

Krishna has potency to do anything....................this incident strengthens our faith in God...............and his eternal existence...............He is the supreme controller.........

Comment on This man defies science by his existence by Vrajendra Krishna Das

Its really amazing!! Something unbeleivable but since so many facts supporting it therefore noone can doubt. Thanks a million.

Comment on Are you being manipulated by TV? by Ashwani S.

A very informative nd authentic article. I really liked it. Please go on to enlighten us with our forgotten Vedic Knowledge.

Vedic Paradigm is a credible, rational and logical model; you will not ignore it unless you are prejudiced. And accepting it just makes you a better human with a positive healthy outlook.

"An unexamined life is not worth living" - Socrates.

Can't Read! Get PDF version here.

Truth Musings

"Interview on Breaking India"

rakeshdjoshi on "How to be eco-friendly"

Guest Visitor on "Vaishnavism in Sikhism"

"New emperical challenges to Big Bang"

Truth Q&A

"Story of Soul?"

"Adaptation is not micro evolution"

"Meat eating in Vedic scriptures?"

"The Terror in cow slaughter"

03/01/11 6:57 am

About this Newsletter

ABTN Newsletter is an occasional newsletter sent by Absolute Truth Network.Having trouble reading this email? View in your browser. For full article subscription visit Newsletter section. Feel free to Contact Us in case of concerns or queries.

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SEARCH FOR REAL WEALTH

2011-11-05T04:32:00.001-07:00

SEARCH FOR REAL WEALTH

In India there lived a very intelligent and well-respected man, who was the prime minister of a king. One day he thought himself, "Why am I doing this job? I am doing it only for money. I should give it up and simply worship Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth. Then wealth will come to me."

The next day he resigned his position and went to live by a river. Every day he repeated the mantras to Lakshmi and worshipped her according to the Vedic tradition. The Vedic rituals are very scientific. In ancient times, the sages used to worship the god of rain, and the result was that there were no droughts. In the same way, it was believed that if someone worshipped the goddess of wealth, he would be rewarded with wealth.

Twelve years went by, and not only did the prime minister not receive anything, but he used up all his money and became beggar. Finally he thought, this is useless. No wealth is going to come to me. I will take sanyasa initiation and become a monk.

So he went off and took initiation into monkhood. A few days later, he was sitting on top of a mountain, meditating. At the end of his meditation, he opened his eyes and saw a beautiful woman standing before him. She was shining as if it was made of gold. He was astounded by her beauty.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I am here to see you," the woman said, "You invited me, and I have come."

"What are you talking about?" asked the monk. "I never invited you. I'm a monk."

"Did you recite the hymns to Lakshmi for twelve years?"

"Yes"

"I am Lakshmi."

The monk prostrated before her and said, "I worshipped you for so long, but you never come. Why have you come now?"

"You had accumulated so many sins and so many karmas that your worship could not bear fruit. Finally, when you took sanyasa, all your sins were burnt up and you became completely pure. That is why I have come to you now."

"But I no longer have any use for you," said the monk.

"Still, I cannot leave you," Lakshmi said, "You performed the worship, and now you have to experience the fruits."

"In that case," said the monk, "give me the wealth of knowledge."

Lakshmi agreed to do this. The monk became a storehouse of knowledge and received the name Vidyaranya, which means 'the forest of knowledge.'

He wrote a great book called the Panchadashi, which is still studied by everyone who learns Sanskrit. This book is available in English at the following link: http://www.scribd.com/doc/9580164/Panchadashi

Over 1008 Documents - Website for resources on Hinduism [Important]

2011-11-02T06:28:00.001-07:00

Let's share the following website for resources on Hinduism:

Over 1008 documents on Hinduism: http://www.cincinnatitemple.com/articlesRel.html

Books on:
Yoga,
Astrology in Hinduism,
Aurobindo,
Children's Lessons on Hinduism,
Chidananda Saraswati,
David Frawley (Shree Vamadeva Shastri),
Francois Gautier,
Mahatma Gandhi,
Gayatri Pariwar,
Jainism, Krishna,
Swami Krishnananda,
Maharshi,
Swami Omkarananda,
Rabindranath Tagore,
Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa,
Sivananda,
Stephen Knapp (Sri Nandanandana Dasa),
Tribute to Hinduism,
Poems,
Vedic Math,
Vivekananda,
India cooking / recipes,
Sri Paramhansa Yogananda &
many more.

Over 3800 website links on Hindu related sites around the world: http://www.cincinnatitemple.com/informationHinduCountry.html

Courtesy: Hindu Temple of Greater Cincinnati, USA

Unity in Diversity

2011-10-27T03:57:00.000-07:00

Unity in Diversity

Atul Krsna dasa (Atul C. Shah, MD)

Troy, Michigan , U.S.A.

Presently, we are living amongst the most exciting and enlivening era of the re-spiritualization of our entire planet Earth. Two great and wonderful phenomena are engulfing and incessantly rejuvenating the entire planet with tremendous and full force at the gross and subtle level. These two giant Tsunamis are miraculously affecting the life styles, behaviors and the spiritual aspects of the entire population of this globe irrespective of their cultural, religious, intellectual, national, linguistic or spiritual background or affiliations. In the Srimad Bhagavata Gita the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna says: "Know that all opulent, beautiful and glorious creations spring from but a spark of My splendor" (BG 10.41) as well as "This material energy is working under My direction and the superintendence" (BG 9.10).

These two great wonderful and gigantic phenomena are:

A. The "Great Material Tsunami (GMT) or the Modern Science and Technology"

B. The "Transcendental Spiritual Tsunami (TST) or Transliteration of the Vedic Literature in Sanskrit Language".

At present moment, these two great phenomena are tossing and turning as well churning the every aspect of the modern men and modern civilization so every one of this planet may get the golden opportunity to re-rejuvenate their original spiritual nature and constitutional position as the spiritual spark. These two extra-ordinary phenomena are the just the small spark of the opulence of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. These two magnificent phenomena started or began their origin about four or five centuries ago and presently, they are acting and affecting every one in the full force and great magnitude in our planet earth.

Let us take a bird's eye view of these two great phenomena according to the Vedic perspective and wisdom rather than the modern perspective or modern wisdom as modern wisdom or perspective will be automatically included and described.

A. The Great Material Tsunami (GMT) or The Modern Science and Technology:

Past one century, we all are greatly impressed, educated and trained in and by the current Modern Science and Technology. In this article the Modern science and technology are described according to the fundamental principles and terminology of the Vedic Literature rather than the current understanding or fundamental principles of the modern science. The fundamental principles of the Modern science and technology are semi-scientific, less accurate and relative in nature. The super-scientific concept and the absolute nature of our Vedic Literature will help to remove the semi-scientific and relative nature of our Modern Science and technology. When the relative truth takes shelter of the Absolute truth, the relative truth also becomes absolute and perfect. We will see this fact in the following four passages.

I. The Physical Science or the Science of Inert or Non-moving Material Energy:

Text books of Physics, chemistry, mathematics, oceanology, geology, weather science, astrology and other basic books of material science are basically describing the interactions of the five gross material elements and five subtle elements as described in Srimad Bhagavata Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam – the ripened fruits of Vedic Literature: the Supreme Science of Sanatana Dharma from India thousands of years ago.

The text book of the physical science says that there are 106 or 108 basic or fundamental elements such as Hydrogen, Oxygen to Indium, Americium and Uranium as described in the Atomic Chart. The physical scientists are able to create many wonderful theories, instruments and innovations based upon the quantitative and qualitative measurements of these basic elements. These theories and innovations are marvelously used by the scientists and innovators for the constructive purpose and destructive purposes. But, unfortunately, the physical scientists are not able to describe scientifically or accurately about the fundamental principles of these material elements, the material energies and their inter-actions. The scientists are not able to describe scientifically the Qualitative aspect or the Physical-chemical properties of the basic elements. Also, Scientists are unable to explain where from and how the atoms and sub-atomic particles are originated or produced. Our Vedic Literature are able to describe very explicitly how, why, when and from where and by whom these material elements are produced or originated. If you miss the initial and primary steps, the subsequent steps will be disorganized and mistaken prone.

II. The Bio-medical Science or The Living or Moving Individual Bodies:

Modern Bio-Medical sciences such as Biology, Veterinarian science, Medical Specialties are describing excellently about the gross visible bodies of human and the sub-human beings. This gross anatomical classification provides the detail structural information which is used and applied to fix or replace the parts and organ of that particular individual body. However, this gross anatomical knowledge of Bio-medical Science miserably fails to provide or explain the reason and goal of the human body & human senses and the purpose of life.

Our Vedic Literature very easily answers this important question - the purpose of the human life. Furthermore, our Vedic Literature also describe scientifically about the Functional Classification of the human, super-human & sub-human bodies and senses. This functional classification based upon Ten Senses with their sense objects and functional objects (Five Jnanendriya and Five Karmendriya) according to the Vedic view are very accurate and scientific than the gross anatomical classification described by the Modern bio-medical sciences. Furthermore, we have experience that the natural senses are beautiful, natural, easy to train & master and inexpensive.

III. Modern Technology or the Extended Senses:

The Modern Technologies and Modern instruments can be called as the Extended Senses. Presently, these Modern Instruments and technologies or the Extended Senses are changing the life style and every aspect of the human behaviors in a very drastic way and style. This great wonderful Material Tsunami or the Modern Technology is affecting every continent and every corner of this planet now and in the future.

Some how and unfortunately, the material scientists and modern inventors are unable to explain scientifically the fundamental principles or the basic understanding how these Extended Senses or the Modern Instruments or innovations are working !!!. I am sure you all are surprised with this sweeping statement. I will try my best to explain this statement in the subsequent paragraph.

Our Natural Senses, Five Jnanendriya and Five Karmendriya are searching for "some thing". According to the Vedic terminology - Each and every natural Sense Organ is looking for the specific item or the Sense Object(s). These Natural Senses and their Sense Objects are classified as follow:

I. Five Jnanendriya:

1. Ears are looking for the Sound

2. Skin is looking for Touch

3. Eyes are looking for a form (Color or image)

4. Tongue is looking for a Taste and

5. Nostrils are looking for a Smell.

II. Five Karmendriya:

1. Hands are accustomed to do the manipulation and handcrafts;

2. Legs are accustomed for locomotive and traveling activities;

3. Vocal Cord is accustomed to talk and vibrate (hymns or songs) and

4. Anus is accustomed for an Evacuative activity and

5. Genitals are for the Re-productive activity.

This is the scientific information described according to the Vedic terminology. These fundamental principles are very scientific and very easily understandable by the Nobel Prize winners and high-school students without any dispute or disagreement.

Now, let us come back to the point of discussion that our highly sophisticated and wonderful Modern Instruments and Technologies or the Extended Senses are also Looking for SOME THING. What they are looking for? The Modern Instruments and Technologies are Looooking for Some thing is the same as the natural Senses Looking for "Some thing" just described! I hope you all will be happy to agree with me for this conclusion - the Vedic Conclusion!! This is the primary reason these modern instruments are called "Extended Senses". Also, the Vedic view recommends that our natural Senses and the Extended Senses or the Modern Technology and instruments must be and should be use for the higher purpose - to serve the Spiritual senses the Supreme Lord first and then take partake of the remnant of the senses and sense objects. The Vedic wisdom says that the Super Soul first witnesses or supervises our various "Sensual Abilities" of every Living Entity and then we are able to see, talk and walk etc.

So, any Modern Instruments can be classified according to their Sense Object(s) and Functional Object(s) as described. For an example the Audio-visual equipments are based upon the sense object Sound, Touch and Form (Color and Image); Modern scientists are not able to create an instrument which can taste or smell at this moment. Probably the pH meter can be considered as based upon on sense object Taste! So, any modern instrument and equipment can be classified according to the principle of the ten natural senses - Five Karmendriya and Five Jnanendriya of the human body. The natural senses are more efficient, beautiful, easy to use and natural. The disadvantages of the modern instruments that they are hard to use, not beautiful - they are ugly - , expensive as well as hard to master them. With the help of these Modern Instruments and Technology (GMT) or the Extended Senses our modern civilization are performing Herculean tasks and activities to make our body and senses more comfortable and pleasurable for the masses of people all over the world. There is nothing wrong with this advancement during our modern time but this advancement should be used for the ultimate purpose of the human life rather than only the sense gratifications.

Currently, the Great Material Tsunami (GMT), the spark of the opulence of the Supreme Lord, is essentially misused by the modern men for the perverted sense gratifications all over the world. At the VedicLiteraturetheSupremeScience, NityaKalyan, VFA & KrishnaBhagavan web site members, the Vedic Scholars, Modern Sages and Rishis of the present age, we must try our best to re-direct or divert this great and magnificent force in the perfect and right direction. The primary reason behind this apathetic attitude of the modern men is lack of knowledge and poor understandings of the fundamental principles of the Material Energies and Spiritual Energies of the Supreme Lord. Our magnificent and eternal Vedic Literature can help every one and any one of this planet and universe in this fundamental understanding. The Vedic Literature can unravel any kind of mystery including our current mysteries of the Modern Science and technology. In other word, the Vedic wisdom can de-mystify the "Scientific Mysticism" now and forever.

Also, I want to share with all of you about the great strength of the current Great Material Tsunami (GMT) or the Modern Technology which is unknown even to the Modern scientists and the modern innovators at present moment! The Modern Technology and Modern Instruments has already achieved the mystic perfections known as the Astha-Siddhis or Eight Mystic Perfections known and perfected by the ancient Sages and Rishis in the past as described in the various Vedic Literatures.

The modern scientists have already achieved the Astha -Siddhis or Eight Mystic Perfections through the extended senses or the Modern Technologies such as Audio-visual equipments - Television, Camera, Satellites and Space technologies. Unfortunately and surprisingly, the modern scientists are unaware of their modern mystic perfections they have achieved or perfected. The modern technologies have perfected and they are performing the following eight mystic perfections through the extended senses.

1. Anima 2. Laghima 3. Mahima 4. Prakamya

5. Prapti 6. Isitva 7. Vasitva 8. Kamavasayita.

Srimad Bhagavatam and Srimad Bhagavata Gita describes that the residents of the Siddha-lokas are born with the above mentioned eight mystic perfections. They can be smaller than the smallest, bigger than the biggest, heavier than the heaviest, lighter than the lightest, can retrieve any thing from far distance etc.

The modern technology and instruments are also performing these mystic perfections now! Hollywood and Cartoon networks has been using these Modern technology or Extended Senses to create very wonderful motion pictures such as 'Cinderella', 'Alice in the wonderland', 'The fantastic voyage' and many more movies and motion pictures. In India , Ramanand Sagar and B.R. Chopra have created the greatest Epics of all time - "Ramayana" and "Maha-Bharat" displaying the past times of Lord Ramachandra and Lord Sri Krishna. But the most surprising thing is that scientists and modern inventors are not aware of these mystic perfections they have achieved nor they are able to describe these perfections scientifically and nicely.

In summary, the fundamental principles of Modern Science and technologies can be explained very scientifically and perfectly by the Vedic terminology. The Vedic Literature describe very scientifically and authentically about the twenty five primary and fundamental principles of the Material Universe/planet as follow:

A. the Five gross elements( Earth, Water, Fire, Air & Ether) and Five subtle elements or five sense objects(Sound, Touch, Form, Taste & Smell) ( Ten items);

B. Five Karmendriya (Hands, Legs, Vocal Cord, Anus & Genital) and Five Jnanendriya (Ears, Eyes, Skin, Tongue, & Nostrils) (Ten items); these twenty items are the basic ingredients of the Gross Individual body, depending upon the species as described partially in the Modern Bio-medical sciences.

C. Mind, Intelligence and False Ego (Three items); these three items also known as the Subtle Body or Astral Body.

D. Time and the Super Soul are the last (two items) consisting of the total 25 fundamental principles of the material Universe and our planet as described in the Vedic Literature.

IV. Nanotechnology/Cyber - Technology:

Eminent scientists of this wonderful technology say or claim that this Nanotechnology will change the life style of the modern man in this planet in few decades from now. Also, they claim that every one will live happily forever without four inevitable aspects of the Living Entities in this planet and this material universe. They are as follow:

A. No more Birth,

B. No more Death,

C. No more Disease

D. No more Old Age.

The eminent scientists of Nanotechnology claim that these extra-ordinary events may happen in our life time or within the thirty or fifty years from now. Please go to www.google.com and type "nanotechnology" and confirm this claim or prediction for your information. The eminent scientists of Nanotechnology, surprisingly, also confess that they are not able to describe or they have no scientific terminology to describe the material energies and their inter-actions actualized in the sophisticated Nanotechnology instruments. They are really honest and humble! In other words, the Quantum Physic and modern physical theories and speculations are not sufficient to explain the material energies and their inter-actions used in the Nanotechnology!.

As we all know that the modern physical science and their theories all fall apart miserably at and beyond the atom and atomic level. Who can help these helpless modern and eminent scientists during this critical juncture to solve this problem? The answer is simple --- The Super-scientific concepts and conclusions of the Vedic Literature and not the expensive research and speculations! The three modes of nature as described in the Srimad Bhagavata Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam - the ripened fruits of the Vedic Tree - can help to resolve current problems of the Nanotechnology.

This wonderful Great Material Tsunami (GMT) is affecting every one of us and scientists are in the driver seat now directing or mis-directing the masses of people in every continent of this blue planet. We all are greatly impressed and stunned with these eight mystic perfections applied in our educational, entertainment, cultural, religious and daily life every where in this small planet. What is the purpose of these wonderful phenomena of our present age and time? Why the eminent and brilliant scientists are not able to explain scientifically the fundamental principles of their own territories or own creation? The answer is very simple that they do not care or worry about and they do not know the INITIAL PROCESS and the END PROCESS of the material elements or the material energies. The scientists are very happy to KNOW the MIDDLE PROCESS or HOW material elements work and their fabulous interactions which create or produce many individual bodies, the various physical and chemical processes and modern instruments and technology. Our blissful Vedic Literature will certainly help these scientists and modern innovators in this regard.

The ultimate purpose and the achievement of the Nanotechnology will be to prove presence of Soul and Super Soul within the individual body - Human or Sub-human. This fabulous technology- the spark of the opulence of the Supreme Lord - will help to establish this last frontier of the Vedic wisdom. This Great material Tsunami (GMT) will not help the mini-Hiranyakashipu type claim of scientists to be immortal, young forever and disease-free as this has been never happened in this mortal world with few rare exceptions. The nanotechnology is not intended or created for this purpose - by the Supreme Will.

I have tried my best to explain about the Strengths, weaknesses and the real purpose of the Great Material Tsunami (GMT) or the Modern Science and Technology in nutshell. Now, I will try my best to describe the Transcendental Spiritual Tsunami (TST) or the Transliteration/Translation of the Vedic Literature from the Sanskrit language to English and other languages affecting the modern men at every level for the re-spiritualization the entire planet right now.

B. Transcendental Spiritual Tsunami (TST) OR Transliteration of the Vedic Literature:

The Vedic literature are the original manuals or scriptures for the entire mankind comprehended and written in the Sanskrit language- the language of the Demi-gods by the Sages and Rishis of this great planet since the time of the creation of this planet and the material universe(s). The Shruti division the Vedic Literature describes about the description, characteristic and past times of the Supreme Lord as heard and witnessed by the great Devatas, Devas and devotees since the creation of this universe. The Smriti division of the Vedic Literature describes how these Devas, Devatas and devotees constantly remember and recite the past times of the Supreme Lord through their vast photographic memories or remembrances for the benefit of the masses of the people. Four Vedas, 108 Upanishads, 18 Puranas, Brahma-Samhita, Panch-ratrika and many innumerable branches and twigs and leaves or hymns of the eternal and blissful Vedic tree are unfathomable aspects of the Vedic Literature created by the breathe of the Supreme Lord. Srila Vyasa Deva, the "Literary Incarnation" of the Supreme Lord and his disciples and grand disciples composed this wonderful literary work of the blissful Vedic literature. This is just a bird's eye view only. Please consult the excellent books written by our various Vedic scholars for the detail.

The Supreme Lord is the most efficient cause of the all the causes and He do not duplicate any thing for no reason or un-necessarily. So, all Scriptures of different religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism and Jainism etc are originating from the single source - The Vedic Literature: the Supreme Science. Last five thousand years is very small and insignificant time period or millennium and the Supreme Lord do not have to duplicate the various teaching and spiritual doctrine for no reason. As we all know that the Supreme Lord descends Himself to re-established the principles of the true religion or send His associates as Acharyas, His servants as son or prophets or messengers in this planet and they all consult the Vedic Literature as the prime source of the spiritual knowledge and understanding without any deviation. There is no any need for duplication or deviation from the original spiritual teaching and understanding. So, the Vedic Literature is the original source of all the scriptures of this planet.

Srimad Bhagavata Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam - the ripened fruits of the Vedic literature - are the supreme text books considered as the post-graduate study of the Spiritual science. Brahma-Samhita, Caitanya-Caritamrta, many other Samhita and other advanced Vedic Literature are at the PhD level. Unfortunately and painfully, we have to acknowledge that the scriptures of the Abrahamic Faiths such as Christianity, Judaism and Islam are at the middle school and Elementary school level. This painful reality is known to Christian missionaries and Islamic Scholars for many centuries. This painful reality is reflected in the behavior and mentality of the European and Islamic intellectuals at the European and Middle Eastern countries within last few centuries. For an example - Russia became the atheistic and communist country for about one century. Many Western scientists and intellectuals believe that the religions are Hodge-podge item and religions are not scientific in nature. Germany , France and Netherlands have the high number of atheists and agnostics in the world. This faulty conclusion is based upon the first-hand experience of the scriptures by the followers of Abrahamic faiths – Christianity, Judaism and Islam - in the European and Middle Eastern countries. In a great denial and anger, the scientists, religionists and intellectuals of the western hemisphere and in Middle east countries intimidate and force people with different religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism forcing them to believe that other religions are also un-scientific and hodge-podge. Modern scientists and Modern Religious leaders are taking the advantages of the Great Material Tsunami (GMT) or the Modern technology to misguide the billions of people in the Eastern and Western hemispheres. So, all religions of this planet have a single source – Vedic Literature: the Supreme Science of Sanatana Dharma from India– but with different level of understanding and quality. The Vedic Literature describe this different level of knowledge of the material and spiritual sciences in detail and scientifically.

The Vedic Literature with the super-scientific concepts and conclusions can help to rectify above-mentioned gross misunderstanding of the people of the Western and Eastern hemispheres of this small planet. How this difficult task to help the modern man can be achieved? The answer is - The Transcendental Spiritual Tsunami (TST) or the Transliteration of the Vedic Literature: the Supreme Science in English and other languages which can help the modern man as narrated in the following passage.

Srimad Bhagavata Gita, Srimad Bhagavatam and other Vedic Literature say that the Supreme Personality of Godhead is the cause of all causes and He has no cause. He is the creator of the Spiritual and Material universes and He has multiple energies. The Supreme Personality of Godhead expands into many Personal, Plenary, the subsequent Plenary expansions and minute particles or Jiva-tattva expansions.

1. Svamsa or Personal Expansions (Lila-avatara).

2. Vishnu-Tattva or Plenary and subsequent Plenary Expansions.

3. Jiva-Tattva or Vibhinnamsa or Individual Soul - liberated or Conditioned Souls. The 1, 2 & 3 expansions are the Personal Features of the Supreme Lord.

4. Brahma-Jyoti and Time are the Impersonal Features of the Supreme Lord.

As the Time factor the Supreme Lord is present in every atom and atomic space. This Time factor in the heart of every individual body of a Living Entity is known as the Super Soul or Ksiro-dayasaki Vishnu and in the individual Universe is known as Garbhodayasaki Vishnu. These two Purusa-Avatara are the subsequent plenary expansion of the Karanodayasaki Vishnu or Maha-Vishnu. These three Purusa-Avatara in the Material Universe are the plenary expansions of the Chatur-Vyuha expansion - Lord Vasudeva, Sankarsana, Pradhyumna and Anniruddha of the Vaikuntha planet. The original and un-contaminated material energy is as pure as the spiritual energy and it is known as the Vasudeva-Tattva or Vi-suddha Tattva or Suddha-Tattva. These Vishnu-Tattvas are the creator, maintainer and destroyer of the Material universes and They travel back and forth from the Vaikuntha planet to the Material universes - just like the merry go round. The Time factor transforms this pure material energy into subsequent stages of the Pradhana to Mahat-tattva to three modes of nature such as Sattva, Rajas and Tamas Gunas with Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma and Lord Shiva as controllers as well as twenty three items as described earlier. This is the wonderful description of the creation of the Individual bodies and Universal bodies in our Material world and planet. Modern scientists and Modern Innovators cannot even come close to describe these wonderful stages of the creative process of the Supreme Lord. Only the blissful and eternal Vedic Literature: the Supreme Science of Sanatana from India can explain this sublime truth for the benefit and Enlightenment of the entire Modern Mankind right now.

The sublime purpose and small glimpse of the Spiritual science as just described within the Vedic Literature is to explain the usage of the Sanskrit terminology. The Sanskrit terminologies used in the Vedic Literature are accepted and applied by all the Vedic Sampradayas and the Vedic schools of thoughts since the creation of this universe and the Vedic scriptures. The difference with the various Vedic schools of thoughts are at the level of emphasis and description of the character or emotion or quality of the "Sanskrit Word" used by the individual Sampradaya or the Vedic branch with various PREFIX , SUFFIX or ENHANCER. So there is no dispute or disagreement among the various Vedic schools of thoughts for the usage of the "Sanskrit Terminology". Also, in the various branches of Modern science, student is encourage, expected and forced to learn and use the "Scientific Terminology" of the particular branch despite the likes or dislikes of the student and preceptor. At VedicLiteraturetheSupremeScience, NityaKalyan, VFA & KrishnaBhagavan and other Vedic web sites as well as other Vedic educational system, we may develop the "Universal Terminology for the Vedic/Spiritual Science in English language" based upon the Sanskrit Terminology used and accepted by the great Vedic Scholars of the past and present. Sanskrit is the divine language and English is the language of the masses of the common people for the entire mankind now. I may humbly mention that the transliteration and translation of blissful Vedic Literature from Sanskrit to English language by His Divine Grace A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada is very eye pleasing, mind pleasing and soul pleasing in nature.

The transliteration and translation of the Vedic literature started extensively during last three or four centuries after the arrival of the British and Europeans to India . Many great Vedic scholars and great Vaishnava Acharyas translated and distributed the Vedic wisdom in English language and other local languages in India and the abroad. The notable examples are Bhaktivinoda Thakura, Swami Vivekananda, Dr. Radhakrishnan, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and Srila Prabhupada and many more. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT), the publication arm of the ISKCON have already printed and distributed at nominal charges or no charges about half billion books, journals and periodicals of Vedic Literature or Krishna conscious literature around the world so far. The BBT is very active in the book distribution around the world now. This Transcendental Spiritual Tsunami (TST) originated past four or five centuries and it is at the full force now. The modern Sages and Rishis of the Western and Eastern hemispheres are very active, enthusiastic and powerful enough to re-spiritualize the entire planet earth in the foot-steps of the ancient Sages and Rishis. The modern science and technology are the vital force and ways to transmit this wonderful Vedic wisdom. These two great phenomena or great Tsunamis are just the spark of the wonderful and great opulence of the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna (BG 10.41).

The after-effects of the Great Material Tsunami ( GMT) and Transcendental Spiritual Tsunami ( TST):

1. The atheist and the agnostic will realize that the Super Soul is seating our heart and He is giving us the freedom of choice - to recognize or not to recognize - the Super soul as his or her best friend and well-wisher. Let us turn our face to the Super Soul to recognize and serve Him with love and devotion.

2. Abolishment of the designation based upon the physical and bodily characteristics such as '"I am American, Indian, African, European, Chinese, Australian etc or I am black, white or brown or I am rich or poor etc".

3. Hindu priest will be very happy and ecstatic to say that our real and eternal religion "Sanatana Dharma" is glorified and helping the billions of people in this planet; the Christian priest will say that we have glorified the son of God - Jesus Christ - a lot but now let us glorify the Supreme Father and the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna. The Buddhist monks, Muslim Imam and Sikh priest will be happy to glorify the Personality of Godhead.

4. There will be no difference in the depth and quality of knowledge in the Material and Spiritual Science between a Nobel Prize winner and a street person as this blissful knowledge will be available to both of them in their tip of the fingers easily and free of charge for any one and every one of this globe.

5. The scientists, physicians, professors, entrepreneurs, capitalists, general public and the leaders of the society will be generous and helpful to each others and even to the sub-human beings. These are some of the after-effects of these two great tsunami and we are experiencing this blissful effect of these wonderful phenomena now.

6. The Global Unity in Diversity for six to seven billions of modern mankind right now.

The practical applications of these two great phenomena:

1. World wide distribution of the transcendental and blissful Vedic Literature through the printing of books, through emails, through Internet and micro-chips. At VedicLiteraturetheSupremeScience, NityaKalyan, VFA and KrishnaBhagavan and other several Vedic web sites many Vedic scholars are distributing this Vedic wisdom now through the Modern Technologies all over the world.

2. Modern technology (GMT) will help to create a Virat Murti or images of the Personality of the Godhead in the sky so every one will have audience or Darshana of the Personality of the Godhead. The Shilpa-shastris of the South India, Rajasthan and West Bengal will provide the guidance to the computer and graphic wizards of the Microsoft, Dell and other giant computer companies in India , U.S.A and European countries to create thousand mile long and five hundred mile wide Virat Purusha or Murtis in the sky - just like the majestic rainbow in the sky. Millions of people in the Eastern, Western, Southern and Northern horizons can witness and have Darshana or audience of the various Personalities of Godhead, Their associates, Their devotees, sons, prophets and messengers in the sky during the ceremonies and festivals.

3. The glorious Sankirtana Yajna or the Congregational chanting of the holy names of God as recommended by Sri Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Western brothers & sisters will invite their Eastern brothers & sisters: please come to our large stadium with the wonderful sound systems, karma-free diet and drinks. Easterners will say thank you very much for these great facilities and now let us chant and dance in ecstasy to glorify the Supreme Lord. The Northerners will say to their Southern brothers & sisters: let us have some nice competition between us - who can chant louder and longer to glorify the Supreme Personality of Godhead.

These two great phenomena are currently uniting and helping the six billions of people of this small globe right now. One may believe or not believe, like or do not like, qualified or un-qualified, pure or impure all are the participants of these great phenomena now and in the future. At the VedicLiteraturetheSupremeScience, NityaKalyan, VFA and KrishnaBhagavan web sites as well as thousands of truth-seekers, spiritualists, devotees and the well wishers are united for one purpose – to serve the Supreme Personality of Godhead Sri Krishna - is the wonderful proof of this statement. Also, for the material or monetary gain and comfort many millions of the people are united through these wonderful modern technologies is another proof of this statement.

I greatly appreciate your precious time reading this Re-sent article - Unity in Diversity.

Thank you very much and Hare Krishna.

We wish everyone in this Planet Bharat-varsha Wonderful and Krishna Conscious:

Happy Deepavali

Prosperous New Year 2068

In service of the Sanatana Dharma

Atul Krsna dasa (Atul C. Shah, MD)

Troy, Michigan , U.S.A.

On day of Ekadashi

October 23, 2011

***************************************************

Blissful and Eternal Vedic Tree

Let the hurricanes, storms and cyclones come and go

The eternal and magnificent Vedic Tree remains unscathed and strong

Hurricanes and storms are beneficial for the wonderful Vedic Tree

They wash away the material and negative emotions of envy and jealousy

Hurricanes and storms help to blossom the spiritual emotions of love and respect

The Vedic Tree is eternal, blissful and originates from the breath of the Supreme

The hymns are the leaves; Vedas, Upanishads and Puranas are the great branches

Srimad Bhagavata Gita and Srimad Bhagavatam are the ripen and sweet fruits

The ancient Sages and Rishis has relished these sweet fruits and fragrant flowers

The ancient and powerful Sages and Rishis are eagerly waiting and blessing

The Modern Sages and Rishis of this planet to relish the fruits and flowers

So the Modern Sages and Rishis of this world may blissfully distribute

The Vedic wisdom all over the world in the loving service of the Supreme

Queen Kunti Devi prays fervently - O Krishna, O Madhusudana, O Kesava

Please shower Your mercy upon us in form of the incessant rain of miseries

So we remember You always and we never forget You for a moment!

Atul Krsna dasa (Atul C. Shah, MD)

Troy, Michigan, U.S.A.

YOUR LIFE IS IN YOUR HAND

2011-10-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

YOUR LIFE IS IN YOUR HAND

A man once dreamt that he went into a beautiful shopping complex and after making a tour and buying some items he finally went to the billing counter.

To his utter astonishment, he finds God standing there! He plucks up courage and asks the Lord," God, What are you selling here?"

God replied: "Whatever is good for you!"

The man started thinking. After a while he said, "God, then give me something that can take away my pain."

God said: "No, I will not do that, for trials, tribulations and pain draw you away from the world and closer to me." Then the man said: "God, give me happiness!"

God answered, "No. I can bless you, but happiness is up to you."

The man pondered a little and said, "God give me all the things so that I can enjoy life."

"No. I have given you life so that you can enjoy all things," replied the Lord.

At the end the man was exhausted. He thought frantically and came up with a wonderful solution.

He said: "God, now I understand the most essential, the most valuable thing for a human being. And they are the Human Values! Give me Sathya (Truth), Dharma (Right conduct), Shanti (Peace) and Prema (love)."

This time God chuckled, "Son, you have got me wrong! We don't sell fruits here. We sell only seeds. It is up to you to inculcate them. I can only point, but you have to follow."

HAPPY DIWALI

2011-10-24T22:34:00.000-07:00

The Ill-Effects of Firecrackers

2011-10-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

The Ill-Effects of Firecrackers

Diwali is the festival of lights but many people consider it a festival of firecrackers. Traditionally firecrackers were used during Diwali for a number of reasons. One of them, the more scientific one, is that the fumes produced by the crackers would kill insects and mosquitoes found after the rains.

Today, simple sparklers have given way to elaborate fireworks that can light up the entire sky above your home. Unfortunately the fumes that these crackers produce are harmful to the the environment and us.

Copper: Causes irritation in the respiratory tract.

Cadmium: Reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of blood, leading to anaemia.

Lead: Lead in the body has a harmful effect on the nervous system.

Magnesium: Magnesium fumes cause a condition known as metal fume fever.

Zinc: Causes metal fume fever and also induces vomiting.

Sodium: Sodium is a highly reactive element and combines with moisture to cause burns.

FIRECRACKERS AFFECT OUR HEALTH

The bursting of crackers during Diwali is primarily responsible for an increase in concentration of dust and pollutants. The fine dust that settles after bursting crackers is rich in pollutants like oxides of sulphur and nitrogen, metal dust and organic pollutants.

- Even the tiny sparklers, torches and flower pots which are otherwise considered to create no noise at all generate thick smoke that can affect the respiratory tract of young children.

- The suspended particulate matter (SPM) levels rise significantly during Diwali. This causes throat, nose and eye related problems which can later develop into adverse health issues.

- Firecrackers have much more severe effects in people with heart, respiratory or nervous system disorders.

- They can aggravate problems for people suffering from colds, allergies or coughs and can also cause congestion of the throat and chest.

- They can also cause water contamination and acid rains.

- They result in air pollution that creates carcinogenic sulphur compounds and airborne arsenic effect.

- The green light produced in fireworks displays comes from barium, which is radioactive and poisonous. The blue colour produced from copper compounds comes from dioxins linked to cancer.

FIRECRACKERS AFFECT THE ENVIRONMENT

Fire Hazards: Sometimes rockets set fire to huts, heaps of dry grass and even houses.

Noise Pollution: Firecrackers make more noise than the allowed decibel limit.

Air Pollution: Smog caused by firecrackers is harmful when inhaled. It also causes reduced visibility. The Central Pollution Control Board of India has also banned firecrackers with a decibel level of more than 125 at a distance of 4mts from the bursting point.

FIRECRACKERS AFFECT ANIMALS

- The sound of bursting crackers can be quite traumatic to pets, as they cannot bear loud sounds.

- We know that dogs have an incredible hearing ability and they can detect sounds that cannot be heard by human beings. Shakuntala Majumdar, President of the Thane Society for Protection of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) says, "Their actual frequency range is 67Hz to 45kHz as compared to the human ear's range of 20kHz. Thus firecrackers with low decibels can affect their temperament."

DID YOU KNOW?

Most fireworks are made by factories that employ children as labourers. These young children are forced to handle the toxic substances that go into these firecrackers. As a result, they contract diseases associated with these substances. Limited access to medical aid means that many of them die in their teens.

PRECAUTIONS YOU NEED TO TAKE

- Try to avoid use of firecrackers.

- Use firecrackers that are less noisy.

- Do not try to light a firecracker in your hand.

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR PET

- Take your pet to a vet if he/she is a over-sensitive. The doctor may give your pet some anti-anxiety drugs to reduce his/her fear.

- Create a safe place for the pet to hide from frightening noises such as under the bed.

- Try to distract your pets with any activity that keeps them occupied. Their favourite game or a chew toy can help.

Protect yourself against fire crackers this Diwali

2011-10-24T22:20:00.001-07:00

Diwali means joy, fun and togetherness. It is a festival when all of us come together to celebrate the victory of good over evil.

Diwali also means new clothes, diyas and candles, colourful electric lamps, sweets and firecrackers.

To make your Diwali a truly joyous occasion, here are some do's and dont's you should follow. Ensure you and your family takes these precautionary measures to enjoy a peaceful Diwali.

Do's

Always get firecrackers from an authorized manufacturer.
Keep the crackers in a closed box and place it in a cool and dry place.
Keep them away from the reach of children and also from source of fire.
Go through the safety recommendations provided by the company.
Make sure you have enough open space to light your crackers.
Maintain arm's length distance while you burst crackers.
To ensure maximum safety from fire, wear heavier cotton clothes.
Throw used fireworks in a water bucket which would avoid people from stepping on used fireworks.
Keep buckets filled with water, portable extinguishers ready if in case any fire turns out.
If your clothes catch fire do not panic, drop down on the ground and roll.
Ensure a safe place for people who can become sick due to the smoke and noise generated.
Burst rockets by placing them in a bottle filled with sand.

Don'ts

Do not burn crackers in crowded places and also near sources of fire.
Do not let children burst crackers unless accompanied by an adult.
Do not bend over while lighting crackers especially flower pots.
Never re-ignite crackers that do not light at the first instance.
Do not rush immediately toward crackers that haven't caught fire, wait for a while and then go.
Do not hold crackers in your hand and light them.
Never burst crackers from a metal containers or glass bottle for special effects.
Do not throw lit firework on people, it's a criminal offence.
Do not keep pets near the firing place as the noise generated can hamper them.

So, before you even start hosting the light and sound show make sure you follow the above listed precautions, thus ensuring that everyone around will have a safe and happy Diwali.

Have a safe and happy Diwali and may the festival of light expel the darkness out of your homes.

SUBMIT PETTY THINGS TO GET PRETTY THINGS

2011-10-22T20:03:00.001-07:00

SUBMIT PETTY THINGS TO GET PRETTY THINGS

Jenny was a bright-eyed, pretty five-year-old girl.

One day when she and her mother were checking out at the grocery store, Jenny saw a plastic pearl necklace priced at $2.50. Now she wanted that necklace and when she asked her mother if she would buy it for her, her mother said, "Well, it is a pretty necklace, but it costs an awful lot of money. I'll tell you what. I'll buy you the necklace, and when we get home we can make up a list of chores that you can do to pay for the necklace. And don't forget that for your birthday Grandma just might give you a whole dollar bill, too. Okay?"

Jenny agreed, and her mother bought the pearl necklace for her. Jenny worked on her chores very hard every day, and sure enough, her Grandma gave her a brand new dollar bill for her birthday. Soon Jenny had paid off the pearls.

Now Jenny loved those pearls. She wore them everywhere to kindergarten, bed, and when she went out with her mother to run errands. The only time she didn't wear them was in the shower - her mother had told her that they would turn her neck green. Now Jenny had a very loving daddy. When Jenny went to bed, he would get up from his favorite chair every night and read Jenny her favorite story. One night when he finished the story, he said, "Jenny, do you love me?"

"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you," the little girl said.

"Well, then, give me your pearls."

"Oh! Daddy, not my pearls!" Jenny said. "But you can have Rosie, my favorite doll. Remember her? You gave her to me last year for my birthday. And you can have her tea party outfit, too. Okay?"

"Oh no, darling, that's okay." Her father brushed her cheek with a kiss. "Good night, little one."

A week later, her father once again asked Jenny after her story, "Do you love me?"
"Oh yes, Daddy, you know I love you."

"Well, then, give me your pearls."

"Oh, Daddy, not my pearls! But you can have Ribbons, my toy horse. Do you remember her? She's my favorite. Her hair is so soft, and you can play with it and braid it and everything. You can have Ribbons if you want her, Daddy," the little girl said to her father.

"No, that's okay," her father said and brushed her cheek again with a kiss. "God bless you, little one. Sweet dreams."

Several days later, when Jenny's father came in to read her a story, Jenny was sitting on her bed and her lip was trembling. "Here, Daddy," she said, and held out her hand. She opened it and her beloved pearl necklace was inside. She let it slip into her father's hand. With one hand her father held the plastic pearls and with the other he pulled out of his pocket a blue velvet box.

Inside of the box were real, genuine, beautiful pearls.

He had them all along. He was waiting for Jenny to give up the cheap stuff so he could give her the real thing!

God is waiting for us to give up the petty things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures. Sometimes it is so hard to see what is in the other hand we should believe in one thing.

God will never take away something without giving us something better in its place!

DON’T MISS YOUR TOUCH STONE

2011-10-20T18:08:00.001-07:00

DON'T MISS YOUR TOUCH STONE

When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for a few coppers.

The book wasn't very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the "Touchstone"!

The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold. The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.

So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold - throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea.

The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months. One day, however, about mid afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it into the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along, he still threw it away.!

Our prayers to Lord for days, weeks, months and years get His attention one day and definitely we receive His blessings at right time, but we must be vigilant to identify that right opportunity to find our touchstone. When you get it, don't throw your touchstone in the stream of worldly pleasures and prides.

The Scriptures of Sanatana Dharma - A New Video Presentation

2011-10-18T05:15:00.000-07:00

"The Scriptures of Sanatana Dharma"
A New Video Presentation
With Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya

The Vedic scriptures are a vast collection of hundreds of sacred Sanskrit texts that constitute the greatest spiritual heritage possessed by humanity. The exact nature, contents and purpose of these ancient scriptures, however, remain unnecessarily shrouded in esoteric mystery for all too many spiritual seekers. In this incredible talk, Sri Dharma Pravartaka Acharya explains the precise

nature of these powerful texts, uncovers the wisdom contained in them, and reveals aspects of Vedic spirituality that have been unknown to almost all followers and teachers of Sanatana Dharma until now. If you can understand the scriptures of Sanatana Dharma, you then possess the very foundation of spiritual realization.

WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sgj5MdRFx4

Please subscribe, watch all the videos on the Dharma-Nation channel, favorite, comment, and forward this video to others.

Aum Tat Sat

GOD’S HOLDING MAY CAUSE WOUNDS AND PAINS

2011-10-09T22:13:00.000-07:00

GOD'S HOLDING MAY CAUSE WOUNDS AND PAINS

Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided to go for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house. In a hurry to dive into the cool water, he ran out the back door, leaving behind shoes, socks, and shirt as he went.

He flew into the water, not realizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake, an alligator was swimming toward the shore. His mother in the house was looking out the window saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utter fear, she ran toward the water, yelling to her son as loudly as she could.

Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a U-turn to swim to his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her, the alligator reached him.

From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as the alligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war between the two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the mother was much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard her screams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.

Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal. And, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.

The newspaper reporter, who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter, "But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my Mom wouldn't let go."

We identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. Not from an alligator, but the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret. But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle. He's been there holding on to you.

STOP PRAYING

2011-10-09T07:49:00.001-07:00

STOP PRAYING

Prayer is the most important part of the human experience. It is the most important part of our daily activities. The reason it is the most important part of our experience and our activities is because it is the process by which we create our lives. It should be understood by anyone examining the subject of prayer that everything we think, see, and do is a prayer.

Life is a prayer in the sense that it is a continuous request to the universe and its God to present us with what we choose and desire.

God understands our desires not just through the occasional utterances that we call 'prayers' in the traditional sense, but through every thought we think, every word we speak, and everything we do. Our thoughts, our words, and our actions are our prayers. Most people do not think of life; most people believe they are praying only when involved in that deliberate, peculiar activity we know as prayer.

Thus, many people feel that their prayers either go unanswered or are answered sporadically and only in affirmative. But the truth is, prayer does not begin with kneeling down, or lighting a votive candle, or sitting in meditation, or picking up our prayer beads, or performing some outward or inner ritual.

If we understood that every word, thought, and action was a prayer sent right to God, a request sent right to the Heavens, I believe we would change much of what we think, say, and do. Further, I believe we would better understand why our more formalized prayers seem to be answered only sporadically, if at all. For here is what really happens; in our formalized prayers we seek God's intercession or intervention in our affairs, hoping that God will somehow alter or create something for us. Yet these formal prayers only take a moment or two each day; or for same, each week. The rest of our time – probably 95% to 99% - is spent sending, oftentimes unwittingly, prayers to God that work exactly in the opposite direction of our formal prayers.

So we pray for one thing and we go out and do another. Or we pray for one thing and we go out and think another.

Let me give you a typical example. We may pray for greater abundance in our life, or for help with a financial problem. Those prayers are earnestly offered, earnestly said, and earnestly sent to God during our formal, ritualized time for prayer. Then for the rest of the week we go around harbouring thoughts of insufficiency, saying words of insufficiency, and demonstrating insufficiency in the everyday actions of our lives. So 95 percent of the time we send prayers that affirm we don't have enough and 5% of the time we ask God to bring us enough. It is very difficult for the universe to grant us our wishes when 95% percent of the time we are, in fact, asking for something else.

That is the single most misunderstood aspect of prayer in our human experience. This truth is that the universe is a giant Xerox, sending us, all the time, the answer to our prayers. And we are, in fact, sending prayers to the universe all the time, from morning till night, from birth till death.

Only when we are willing to accept that our words are creative, our thoughts are creative, and our actions are creative, could this be attractive. Many are unwilling to accept this as truth because they are not very proud of the majority of their thoughts, words, and actions and certainly don't want them to be considered as actual requests to God. And yet they are.

The injunction then is to speak, think, and act in a way of which we can be proud – in a way that sends to God our grandest thoughts and produces our highest visions and thus creates Heaven on Earth of all of us.

When we become consciously aware of this, and when we accept this truth with joy, our entire lives change – sometimes virtually overnight and other times more slowly and subtly. When we accept this truth, we suddenly understand that God is our best friend and has given us tools of unlimited power to create the reality we seek to experience.

(Neale Donald Walsch is author of Coversations with God.)