The need of the Hour

 The crucial need today is to bring about a global revolution in existing ideologies. Let us open a front against corrupt practices and force, each and every human being to observe self- discipline of behavior conforming to human dignity. This is the only way to bring back the "Golden Age of Truth" (A reference to Satyug of Ramayana Era.) Let this be the norm for human life in all fields of activity. This is the path of the true believer of the devotee of truth, love and justice. There cannot be a greater act of virtue and service to humankind. This is the noble crusade in which "The supreme Commander" desires everyone to take part. This is going to be the decisive struggle for building a truly bright future for humanity. Wisdom would then no longer remain a Utopian attribute of the residents of Heaven of scriptures, but become a reality on this earth in the third millennium.

For establishing lasting reign of righteousness let us plan for an overall ideological revolution. Let us make the responsible citizens of the world realize how they have become irresponsible because of perverted and regressive ideologies. It would require an ideological crusade. Corrupt ideologies can be overcome only by progressive ones. Let us generate progressive ideas on such a large scale and make them so pervasive that not a single living being on this earth suffers from want and misery.

It is a gigantic challenge confronting the entire humankind. Cleansing the minds and hearts of millions of world's population is not an easy venture. Besides uprooting corrupt ideologies, wisdom worthy of humankind needs to be established to make man liberal and compassionate towards his fellow beings. In order to establish an era of global brotherhood and equality, we shall not only seek willing cooperation of all but also compel by examples the wafers to follow suit.

Where and how should this revolution begin? Who has the courage to bell the cat? For this purpose we would require extraordinarily zealous, courageous and inspired persons, who are prepared to sacrifice personal interests for this noble cause. Where could one find such individuals? Who will fire them with an all conquering zeal? Who would generate strong motivation and dedication for the cause? In the prevailing circumstances, there appears no other option but to make a beginning with one's own close associates. In this country (as well as elsewhere in the world) revolutionaries had always, without exception, started their work with a small nucleus of followers around them.

When Rishi Vishwamitra had sought the help of king Dashrath against the ubiquitous oppression by demons, the former sent none other than his own young sons for eliminating the demons. Likewise, kind Harishchandra had himself come forward to fulfill the wishes of his Guru. Prudence demands resurrection of this age-old tradition. In order to motivate others, one has to put forth our own example as the true followers of the ideals we swear by.

Vital Role of Gayatri Sakti in Human Life

There is no way of glorious success in human life without Sadbuddhi. The support of Gayatri in this form is inevitable for all aspirants of progress and blissful prosperity. There is no path to spiritual evolution, realization of God, or ultimate salvation that does not emanate from the spiritual element of Gayatri Sakti. The Sadhaks or seekers of God should also note that thee is infinity, beyond all perceptions and thoughts. Thou is omnipresent and loves all without any discrimination. No one could have direct reach to thy realization. The subliminal shield of wide separation between the individual self and thy-self could be pierced only by the spiritual force of the enlightened soul. The gamut of the science of spirituality, devotional practices and ascetic endeavors are devised for the sole purpose of arousing this force. Absolute evolution of the Satoguna in the individual-self alone can revoke the hidden spiritual force of the soul and enable its linkage with its divine origin and thy realization. Gayatri Sakti, being the genesis and eternal power of Satoguna is therefore revered as the cosmic impulse of divine conjugation between the soul and the God.

Gayatri Sadhana is the ideal medium for reaching thy realms. Indeed the ultimate realization is attainable only in the sublime core of Gaya tri Sakti. Before entering it, it is only the sentient perception; and beyond it there remains nothing - the subtle senses of the subtle and the astral bodies too get concealed in the absolute void.

Thy devotion and thou realization also attained by the Sadhana, Upasana of Adi Sakti Gayatri and its manifestations in Parvati,-Shiva, Lakshmi-Narayana, Rhadhe-Krishna or Sita-Rama. The devotion of Saraswati, Lakshmi, Kali, Mahamaya, Savitri, Pravati, Sita or Radha is also the Upasana of Gayatri only.

Lord Krishna identifies thyself in the holy Bhagwat Gita as - "Gayatri Chandamaham" (I am immanent in the Gayatri Mantra). Gayatri Mantra is the universal Mantra of the Upasana of God. People might argue otherwise because of their ignorance and prejudices against a particular 'name' (manifestation) of thee, but every spiritually enlightened Sadhak, true devotee of divinity experiences and knows that there is no path isolated (insulated) from the sublime domains of Gayatri that could lead to spiritual illumination, divine attainments and realization of the Brahma.

Worshiping the Motherhood by Gayatri Upasana

Gayatri Upasana is the Upasana of the Viswa-Mata, Deva-Mata, Veda-Mata; it is the devotion of the eternal mother. The deity Gayatri is worshiped in the idol of a Goddess -the divine mother. Mother's love for the child is the most sacred, pure and supreme expression of love. Love experienced in other relationships, howsoever intimate or closed might be is not totally devoid of the influence of selfish attachments and expectations. But mother's love is truly selfless and free from all constraints and perturbations.

Fight from the stage of conceiving a child to raising and training him, she bears a lot and gives what all she has of the welfare of the child; she continuous to bless the child with abundant care and love. Her warm love demands to returns, has not expectations. The saying that "sons could be bad and ungrateful but the mother is never short in her love." Elucidates the limitless grandeur of motherhood. Worshipping God in a mother-form is a salute to the divine nature of motherhood. It also has great psychological benefits. Devotion develops an emotional relationship between the devotee and the deity. Needless to say, the intensity of this intimacy is most deep and natural when the devotee regards the deity as divine mother. The latter also responds accordingly and bestows motherly love upon its child - the devotee. As a child feels most secure and happy in the lap of his mother, the devotee also experiences the same while worshiping the omnipotent divine mother. The immediate psychological impact of this feeling induces soundness in his devotion and liberated the devotee from all tensions, doubts and illusions. When the Sadhak takes shelter in the lap of the Almighty Mother Gayatri and devotes himself, thou too embraces him with equal warmth and endowers the nectar of divine motherly love.

Womanhood is worship-able by men in all its expressions. What a woman gives him as a wife, sister, and mother at least deserves his acknowledgement in terms of amity, affection and respect in the respective relations. The science of psychology reveals that man would have been a cruel, harsh, desperate creature living in the primitive state (of civilization), had he not been fostered by the peerless love and aid of woman. The dry and thirsty land is delighted by the cool lashing of rains and expresses its joy by sprouting fresh greenery. The serene love and sympathy enshowered by woman similarly nurtures and helps excel the potentials of the man. However, the poison of uncontrolled lust, erogeneity and carnal desires often spoils the nectar-like effect that could be generated by healthy cooperation in a couple. The familial and social relations between men and women would have been far more beneficial for mutual welfare and progress had the purity of thoughts and affectionate emotions been insulated from the insidious sensuous passions. The toxic of licentious attitude and eroticism converts the nectar-fruit (of fulfilling relationship) into a deadly poisonous seed.

Gayatri Sadhana is an excellent spiritual remedy to naturally pacify the untoward passions and mental perversions and to purify the emotional fields. Worshiping Mother Gayatri as Vishwo-Mata - the genesis of motherhood the symbol of pristine womanhood gradually invokes sacred feelings and intrinsic respect for womanhood. The Sadhak's sincere attempts of continence over the sense organs, eliminating mental ailments - especially those driven by concupiscence, and his strive for mental concentration over constructive thoughts succeed effectively with the progress of this spiritual-conditioning. Beastly instincts cannot survive in the heart of a true devotee of motherhood. The Upasana of Gayatri as Viswa- Mata is the supreme experiment to educe this spiritual elevation.

Vocal Cord Internal Chanting

Some religions and spiritual practices use verbal chanting, prayer, or reading sacred books aloud in an effort to divert the mind from its ordinary mundane preoccupations and channel it towards the divine. Although this has a definite beneficial effect, it cannot elevate the mind to the highest state, because by this method, the vocal cord is still in operation, and also the ear organ is hearing one's own voice; and thus the conscious mind is still active. Yoga meditation, however, uses a process for concentration which is completely internal by which the vocal cord is not used at all - a process which we will discuss later.

Thus, merely by sitting in the lotus posture, silently and motionlessly, and folding the hands, we have succeeded in inactivating all the five motor organs, hands, feet, vocal cord gentry and excretory organs.

Suspending the sense organs: Closing the Eyes

Then the eyes are closed. In some forms of concentration, a candle is used, and the concentrator starts fixedly at the candle flame. Indeed, by this process one develops some psychic powers, for intense concentration always creates mental force. This technique is often employs by hypnotists and those interested only in utilizing the lower powers of the mind. But it cannot lead to the subtlest state of awareness because the eye organ and thus the conscious mind are still in operation, making it more difficult to dive deep inside the mind. So in meditation we close the eyes.

Turning off the Nose and Ears: Visualization

What about the nose and ears? They are not so easy to close! When you are sitting by an open window above the roar of traffic in the street below, and the next door neighbor is frying some savory dish, how to prevent these sensations from disturbing your mind? For this there is a specific process of visualization to withdraw the mind from all external vibrations. Now psychologists are realizing the tremendous power of visualization in creating mental states, particularly altered states of consciousness. In meditation, we use a specific visualization to imagine that we are far away from the external disturbances - sounds and smells - that may agitate our minds. By this technique, we completely isolate ourselves mentally from the external world; one may be sitting in the busiest city on earth and yet feel the same internal peace, silence and solitude as if he or she were sitting on a Himalayan peak. This is one of the higher practices of meditation, so it can only be learned personally from a trained instructor of Ananda Marga.

Tongue Turned Back and Skin Un-stimulated

To remove the sensation of taste, the tongue is turned back in the mouth in a specific position which effectively stops the operation of the taste organ. And by another internal visualization (which must also be learned individually from the instructor), the mediator withdraws all awareness from the physical body, so all tactile disappear and the skin organ becomes inactive.

All ten Sense and Motor Organs Inactive

Thus, by sitting motionlessly in the proper posture with the hands folded, eye closed, tongue turned back in the mouth, and mind withdrawn from external physicality, all the ten sense and motor organs have been controlled and the conscious mind completely stilled (silence have found in their experiments on yogis that in deep meditation they are completely oblivious to external stimuli. When a loud noise sounds in their ears, or a bright light shines on their eyes, or a hot iron rod touches their hands, they do not respond to the stimuli at all).

This is the correct process of sensory withdrawal, and at the end of it, without using a tube of warm water or any painful, difficult or complicated techniques, the mediator has easily transcended the conscious mind and enters deep into the subconscious state. Thus, it is said that meditation actually begins with the subconscious mind.

You are that which you think

Self is immutable and so is the Supreme self, therefore, be one with the immutable. Why do you allow yourself to be swept hither and thither like a straw? You become peace-less in the face of petty troubles - a notice from a government department, not being able to have your way, not being able to gratify your senses, a slight to your ego, a servant not saluting not getting approval or recognition in some matter….. How small you become!

As you think, so does your mind become? Therefore, please think of God.

Don't let your mind go towards any person or thing other than God. Focus.

You are told that God is in everybody and everything and that His will be done. It means the Lord abides in you. Thousand of gamblers are playing games; let them play. You think of playing with the indweller Lord and so turn your mind inward. You shouldn't exhaust yourself capitulating to kinsmen laboring under delusion. God's will be done means accepting whatever is happening whether or not it is to your liking.

Some people when they meditate expect some type or depth of meditation. Don't predetermine any type of meditation nor have preconceived notions of the results it should produce. As you sit for meditation, tell Him, 'O Lord! Hail to you! Thy will be done! This is meditation and reflection too.

Whatever you do with your body, do it for the pleasure of indweller Lord. Don't work for sense-gratification or for ego trip. Works with a view of propitiate the Lord. This is real service. If people seek your help or service by flattering you, be careful and examine yourself whether you are being motivated by adulation or you are rendering service for the pleasure of the Guru or the Indweller Lord. If you exercise this care, your service will become much rewarding and your nature will be sweet.

Those who work for appreciation and fame end up quarrelling and fighting with each other.

Reject your ego. Doing so is good for you. Give your acceptance by saying. "O Lord! What you will is for the best of all! They will be done! God the knowledge Absolute, Bliss to be like Him. God's will being fulfilled means God will make you God. The Supreme Brahman for you is in substance one and the same as Himself.

Instead of praying for a particular kind of weather, pray to Him, O Lord! Thy will be done! Then whatever the weather may be, it will not cause any trouble to you. Just give your consent. If somebody hurls abuses at you, say in your mind, 'God! You are great! Through these cuss words, you are destroying my ego. O Lord! Thy will be done! This in itself is a great sadhana. If you think 'oh my God! It is very hot………' you will be tormented by hot weather. But you want to enjoy the rain - summer heat is essential for the rains to come.

Summer heat is essential also for making one strong enough to tolerate cold as cold is essential for making one strong enough to tolerate the summer heat. Insults are necessary to make one able to assimilate appreciation and fame. Death is necessary for one to assimilate life. The Lord is doing all that is necessary for you.

'That man is disciplined and happy who can prevail over the turmoil that springs from desire and anger, here on earth, before hi leaves his body.

(Bhagavad Gita 5.21-23)

Change Your Programming

Why do we fear?

Most fears are nothing but movements of thoughts. A thought is a language that we give for words, pictures and feelings. Put in a different way, a thought is just a movement of word, picture and feeling…….. You interpret a thought in your mind in a language that you are afraid, and your experience fear.

What happens when you are in a state of deep sleep? In that state there are no thoughts, and you experience no fear at all. If there is no thought, there is no fear. When you are in deep sleep, a snake may glide close to you, but you are not afraid of that snake in such proximity because you are not thinking about the snake. On the other hand, when you are awake, the sight of even a coiled piece of rope can fill you with fear, because you think the rope is a snake.

Fears that are physical in their origin arise from a threat perceived in our immediate physical surroundings. For example, you may be in the jungle, and you know there are tigers in the jungle. You will genuinely be afraid. Even then, you can turn that fear into an enjoyable experience, what advertisers of adventure sports call an "adrenaline-pumping" or "hair-raising" experience. Such fear also has great survival value. Ask professional hunters and experienced trekkers and they will tell you that it is fear that keeps them alert and alertness that keeps them alive.

You can work on reducing or eliminating your fear. If you have a fear, first understand the nature of the object that arouses it. Let us say you are afraid of your future. What you really fear is the uncertainty that surrounds events yet to happen. By living totality in the present and by planning ahead you can reduce the uncertainty and fear. If you do not know how to plan, you can take the guidance of consultants and counselors. You cannot plan for all uncertainties but being prepared to an extent reduces your fear of uncertainties. Learn the art of enjoying it, too

At times, even when we are thinking positively, negative thoughts and images intrude. How to prevent this?

I will begin my answer with n analogy. You have a computer and you switch it on. Windows 98 comes on. You don't want windows 998. You get angry. You switch off the computer, and switch it on again. Still you see only windows 98. Switching the computer on and off repeatedly will not change the situation. For, the built-in programming environment is windows 98. You have to change the programming. Similarly, the psychological programming inside you, your subconscious mind, should change before any real change can happen. Your subconscious mind comprises engrams - mental traces that have been created over life experiences. These consist of both positive and negative associations and act like computer programmes. So long as the programming remains the same, the computer will function only in the manner dictated by that programme.

Similarly, we have to change the programming of our mind. When you have changed your programming, you start perceiving and acting positively. So it is wise thinking tht holds the key to positive frame of mind.

Food for thought

The ear tests words as the tongue tastes food. (Bible 34.3)

The thought manifests as the word. The word manifests as the deed. The deed develops into habit. And the habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care. And let it spring from love, born out of concern for all beings. (Gautam Buddha)

Nourish the mind like you would your body. The mind cannot survive on junk food (Jim Rohm)

Arrivals and Departures

Flying has now become a terminal condition

Does it have something to do with Saturn becoming more saturnine, or kalam more calamitous? Blaming an Icelandic eruption would be too far-fetched, or simply too far, so instead of the volcano, should we blame El Nico? Is it the negative energy released by 'honor' killings and dishonorable top-cops? There has to be some reason not visible to the naked eye, or even to the fully addressed mind, that accounts for the serial aviation accidents, actual or averted, that have shaken us in the past fortnight.

The fiery end of AI express flight 812 on May 22, the worst ever Boeing 737-800 crash in terms of fatalities, was an unmitigated, unnerving, unconscionable tragedy, but the horror stories which have been streaming out of the skies ever since seem more like farce. Perhaps we should be thankful. For, if those near accidents had come any closer to their grim potential, we would have little to laugh about these either.

Just three days after Mangalore, the travel plans of the presidents of India and Turkmenistan managed to divert as many as 11 Delhi-bound flights. But why you are complaining it? You are getting a free ride to Chandigarh/Lucknow/Jaipur, no? And extra egg bhurji in addition to scrambled appointments too. Expectedly, the Rajasthatn expedition had the most adventure courtesy gusty winds, dust storms and no approach radar at Sanganer airport. When the jet Lite, kingfisher and jet Airways flights finally kissed the ground, they had only three, 10 and 13 minutes of flying time left in their respective fuel tanks. This kind of mathematical neatness may hold up the universe, but it could also have brought it crashing down for their 524 passengers.

In the past week, more bungles tumbled out of real life headlines than anything that could be thought up by a script writer of film drama or black comedy. A tire burst forced a Srinagar bound spice jet to return to Delhi and land with full emergency regalia. Air India had to perform a nail biting 'go around' at Patna airport. An AI express Dubai-Pune flight with 112 passengers rapidly descended several thousand feet above Muscat in a loonatic fashion - the pilot had gone to the toilet, the autopilot got disengaged, and the copilot couldn't control the plane. Then in Mumbai, an IndiGo Airbus 320 blithely entered a runway on which a jet airways boeing was cleared to land, and was already just about 1.8 km from touchdown. An alert ATC saved the day and 230 passengers calling out to the jet pilot to abort the flight, and  the two planes swished past each other.

Yes, Holy/ Bolly/ Tolly/ Molly-wood has been overtaken by folly-wood. Drama (and slapstick) in real life is now showing t an airport near you. And smashing the box-office and passenger confidence. \the descent is scary, dark and deep, and we have air miles to go before we sleep in peace.

Yet all this third world muddling is happening against the background of our swishy new terminals, the most visible proof of India's globalization  Sharad Pawar's disparaging of the earlier Mumbai airport as 'worse than a bus station' is a forgotten nightmare now that these spaces re as different from their socialist avatar as Mr Pateel is from Mr Pawar. Every arrival or departure revels a whole new extension or at least yet another, even more exclusive international brand outlet manned by women as sleek as cabin crew, and made up like the kitchen crew of saas-bahu serials. The runway too is getting the hi-tech treatment, but in the light of the recent adventures of our planes, perhaps it should be called a 'runway' instead.

After Every Monsoon, There's a Flood of Bad News

In the great plains of India, there is nothing romantic about the monsoon; People's fate depends on the monsoon's mood swings. If it falls to keep its date with the country, there is drought. If it's over generous, the floods cause death and destruction. Even when it's "normal", some river somewhere exceeds the danger mark and kills a few hundred people. After the skies clear and the water recedes, armies of mosquitoes and bugs launch attacks. Millions fall prey with chills, cramps, fever. In this part of the world, drought, deluge and death are as much an annual phenomenon as the monsoon.

Bangladesh may be famous for its notorious floods, but India is not far behind. Every year, the monsoon floods leave a trial of destruction in India. Roughly 20% of deaths caused by flooding worldwide occur here; some 30 million people are evacuated every year. Every witness an "unprecedented flood". Every other year the "worst flood in living memory" leaves scores dead. Is India becoming ever more vulnerable to monsoon fury?

No, say Vinod K Sharma and AD Kaushik of the National Centre for Disaster Management in a recent paper on floods in India. They argue that states did not appear quite as vulnerable as before because there was less developmental activity and population pressure. "However; in the present time unabated population and high rate of developmental activities forced on the occupation of flood plains has made the society highly vulnerable to flood losses", they wrote.

In 2009, the monsoon was weak and deficient but it caused floods, deaths and displacement in Orissa, Kerala, Karnataka, Gujarat and the north-eastern states. In 2008, the monsoon was normal, but Bihar faced the worst flood crisis ever as the Kosi brqched its embankment, changed course and deluged several districts, leaving hundreds dead and three million homeless.

Call of Duty

It is better to perform one's own duties imperfectly than to master the duties of another. By fulfilling the obligations he is born with, a person never comes to grief. No one should abandon duties because he sees defeats in them. (Bhagavad Gita 18:44:48)

Duty, the essence of which is truth, is said to be the root of all in this world; it is truth that is the support of duty; everything has truth as its basis; there is nothing greater than the truth.  (Ramayana 109)

If one does not perform duty to one whom the duty is due, one becomes a thief of the duty.      (Avesta, Videvdad 4)

Do daily and hourly your duty; do it patiently and thoroughly. Do it as it presents itself; do it at the moment, and let it be its own reward ……. Never mind whether it is known and acknowledged or not, but do not fall to do it.   (James H Aughey)

A Package Deal

Our daughter's wedding was round the corner and my wife had been pestering me to make the arrangements. Lazy to the core, responsibilities, I had been avoiding this work on some pretest or the other. But when things reached a tipping point, I decided to take the bull by the horns and find a suitable tent-wala for the wedding.

My neighbors were kind enough to give me the address of a tent-wala whose services he had used for his daughter's wedding, with a word of caution. "You can't beat these guys as far as rates are concerned. But if you'll beat them in one thing, they will beat you in two," he warned. Nevertheless after a long discussion with the tent-wala, we arrived at a price for the shaming. "Are there any discounts"? I asked. "Sir, there are no discounts, but the price for you will be less if you take our package deal" came the cocky reply.

I'd heard about deals between Mittal and Arcelor, Sonia and Lalu and, more recently, Sonia and Mamatadi. But getting an offer from a tent-house salesman took me by surprise. The "package deal", it turned out, consisted of "all normal services plus furniture, decoration, mandap and food arrangements" I quipped: You are only a shamiana supplier, what do you know about furniture, decoration and food?" The salesman said: "We have a working relationship with other suppliers aimed t taking care of all our customers' need. Bring your cheque-book along and we'll take care for all your worries!

India's on the move, I told my wife when I got back home. Even tent-walas talk about working relationships, customer needs and what have you. "What's wrong with that? My wife asked. "If fast-food joints in cinema halls can offer deals, why can't poor tent-wala? This is what you call empowerment. Only, it wasn't just one tent-wala, there were four salesmen, each offering a deal different from the other. While one offered a free chair for every table, the other offered a free something else for every chair. I asked my wife: "If the number of guests we invite is fixed what we will do with extra tables and chairs? Besides, I hate this word deal. It makes me feel as if I am doing something's sinister, something under the table, like politicians. One more thing, the offers we get in cinema halls are not deals, they are combos"

"We never had these things in our times", said Arvin, a friend, who overheard our conversation. "All we had were Bata prices and off-season discounts. Marketing was largely transparent. Nobody hid anything from you. In fact there was nothing to hide. There were straightforward products with straightforward prices. You either took them or left them. These days they tell you only half the story, the other half is for you to guess. Or it's hidden behind asterisks saying conditions apply, in print you can hardly read.

I agreed. It was like incoming and outgoing call schemes or mobile companies. Only when you get the bill do you realize what you've gone and done. Two years since I took my connection, I am still to understand the business of incoming and outgoing calls. Arvin reminded me that they also wanted us to believe we can save more by spending more!

At this point, my wife interrupted: "Bata prices and discounts are passé. These are the days of happy hours, combos, grand slams, early bird discounts, and buy two-get one free, buy talc-get soap free and of course, package deals all aimed at making you buy what you don't really need. Go the mall I go to and you'll know what presentday marketing is all about." And that's how the tent-wala came to be absolved.

A Dualistic Interpretation

Implicit in bhakti or devotion is surrender to a personal deity. Herein lays the meta-physical doctrine of tattvavada, a uniquely dualistic interpretation of the nature of reality as advocated by Madhavacharya. Madhana's philosophy of making a distinction between the Absolute and individual soul also known as the dvaita school of Vedanta, proposes bhakti as an imperative, as the only means of merging with the self. This dualistic metaphysics is the basic of theistic Vaishavite school of thought.

Madhava's concept of Five Distinctions is his elaboration of the dualistic vision of reality. The Panch Bheda doctrine provides the logical and empirical basis for philosophy of realism, tattvavada,  by looking at the difference between one jiva or individual being soul and another, the difference between Ishwara the creator and jiva, the difference between jiva and jada or inanimate, between Ishwara and jada and between jada and jada. By formulating  an uncompromising dualism at all levels especially the rigid separation of creator and individual soul, Madhav not only lays down the pristine purity principle of God, but also goes on to emphasize bhakti as the only means to bridge the gulf between the Absolute and empirical world.

While Sankara's advaita sees the external world as Maya or illusion, vyavaharika or a sort of temporary reality, and Ramanuja's vishishtadvvaita views the outer phenomena and objects as a projection-spark of the Absolute, Madhava focuses on difference as the only genuine pramana or experience of every being - everything and everyone is different, our experiential life recognizes only that, as is borne out by pratyaksha or our sense perception. Madhav says other realities are also not created by the Creator, but exist simultaneously with the self. This kind of bipolar consciousness, where the knower and the object of knowledge remain distinct, lays the foundation for his theistic view of life as well.

Madhav asserts that jinana or knowledge is not capable of giving liberation, as the empirical world and its bondages are willed by Brahma, whom Madhav identifies with Vishnu. In contrast to the knowledge Principle of Sankara, Madhav says that moksha is possible only through grace, the grace of the creator, whose is the only independent tattva or reality in the dvaita system. All other beings are termed dependant realities, not created but coexisting with Vishnu the creator, and will continue to coexist in their distinction, even after realization.

Madhava contends that sublimation of the world is not only impossible, but not required since the time-space framework model is all there is; even God as Vishnu loves it the way it is. According to Madhava, knowledge of the self experienced intuitively by the sakshi or witness, the energy of atman, does not imply the illusory character of the physical world as sankara held. The realization of God as the Prime Mover, on the contrary, further establishes the yathrartha or faucal character of the world we live in.

The nation of bimba-pratibimbavada - sources as Vishnu and reflection as all dependant beings - puts Madhana's dvaita school of thought as the philosophical fountainhead of letter Vaishnavite bhakti traditions. For, bhakti, according to Madhavacharya, is one of the greatest spiritual values for the average person.

Kindness of Strangers

Let love of brethren continues. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. (Hebrews 13.1-2)

I try to treat whoever I meet as an old friend with dignity, with honor. (The Dalai Lama XIV)

Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be fair in thy judgment, and guarded in thy speech. Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness and a home to the stranger. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet on the erring. Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, dew to the soil of the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humanity. (Bha' I Prayer)

A Delicate Matter

A few months back a reporter of a Karachi-based local eveninger narrated a funny incident to me. An Urdu teacher in Lahore divorced his young wife when she inadvertently called him "tum" (the familiar form of addressing someone) instead of "aap" (the more formal form)! This is something uncommon in this linguistically indifferent era. But Urdu literature and culture is full of such amusing anecdotes and idiosyncrasies. Josh Malihabadi, the great Urdu poet, who migrated to Pakistan after independence, took umbrage when the Nawab of Hyderabad used "tum" for him. Ghalib wrote "Teri mehfil mein aakar bade beaabroo hue/ Aap se tum aur tum se tu hue" (I humiliated myself in your company/ From aap, I became tum and finallyu tu). Ghalib himself frowned upon the more familiar forms of address and likened them to abuse. It's  said that the main reason for Ghalib's growing disillusionment with his favorite city, Delhi, was the fast intrusion of these modes of address in the Urdu based local lingo of the 19th century city. Ghalib's coeval Daagh Dehlavi was so worried about this undesirable invasion of common language that he almost stopped talking to strangers, lest they address him in a familiar fashion! Abuse me, but don't say tum to me."

There's a famous and oft-quoted anecdote in Urdu literature. The great Urdu poet Mir Taqi Mir was once returning from Delhi to Lucknow. One gentleman from Delhi offered to give him a lift in his horse carriage. That man incessantly kept talking during the journey from Delhi to Lucknow. Mir remained silent. When he reached Lucknow, he profusely thanked that man for giving him a lift and gifted whatever money he had. That man asked him, "Mir Saheb, why didn't you utter a single word during the whole journey?" Because I didn't want to spoil my language by replying to your questions couched in an inferior tongue, "calmly replied Mir Taqi Mir. The late Urdu poet and judge, justice Anand Narayan Mulla, wrote of the legendary Urdu poet Firaq Gorakhpuri who never ever used 'tum' even for his pet dog. Once Mulla went to meet Firaq at his home. Firaq himself opened the door, then saw his dog sleeping on the sofa and mildly scolded it, "Mehmaan tashreeflaya hain aur aap so rahe hain? Jaiya andar jaakar letiye!" (the guest has arrived and you're still sleeping? Go inside and sleep!). Firaq's dog calmly woke up and went inside. Mulla wrote later that he was flabbergasted to see a man like Firaq talk to his dog in such a gentle manner. Moreover, his dog also understood the refined language of his master. Firaq once said proudly, "My dog starts barking the moment he hears tum and he faints if someone calls him tu!

"Tum" or "tu" may be words of endearment for many, but some, still steeped in that pristine culture, find them to be derogatory. Subcontinental Urdu directly originated from Mughal Persian, which was devoid of 'aap'or 'tum'. It's worthwhile to mention that Persian has just 'shuma' (aap) in its vocabulary. It was Arabic, a language rich in expletives as well, that influenced Persian, and today one cn find abuses as well as 'tum' and 'tu' in modern Persian.

But in our linguistically loose times, this is a rarity. Conversations start with tu and end with fighting. So in this rather uncouth era, Lahore's Urdu teacher's stress on polished language is heart-warming and reassuring, but at the same time, isn't divorce too harsh a punishment for a simple bride, who may have said "tum" to show love towards her husband? It's worth remembering that in Urdu culture, Allah is always addressed as 'tu'. And the rationale is, there's no formality between Allah and his worshipper.

Gender bender in a Unisex World

The other day I read that in some cold and organized part of the first world, a group of over funded, under worked engineers had managed to put a female mind into a male body. No, It wasn't Hollywood production. They apparently inserted a chip which was programmed to be a female mind into a hapless male and checked if he stopped watching the sports channel or playing pocket billiards. (Not really, I just made that bit up).

Actually, it was a much duller research project to see whether the technology of gene transfer could be extended into the area of brain. Functions concerning perception. At least that is what I understood, but then I can't add fractions so don't count on me. Now if you have no time for unscientific drivel, go away. But if you have an unfettered imagination, and a propensity to worry about none is sues read on.

Imagine the implications of putting a female mind into male body. If you survive the shock of finding yourself wearing unflattering colors, you may collapse once you've calculated the financial implications of hair removal. The only thing likely to because you joy is the presence of slimmer things narrower hips and hopefully, no stretch marks.

Let's see the impact this would have on society. What would you do if a man walked into the room and, in 10 minutes, no t gets petty bout a new ear that somebody else had bought? Worse still, he won't be smiling foolishly at young women and ignoring the older women. Instead, he would be finding out where you bought that sari, and what the best place to look for throw cushions was.

One could go on making lists of things that a Man with a Woman in his Head (very different from a Man with Woman on his Mind) would be doing but hang on. There are many subjects that have become unisex now. You wouldn't know if it's the chip speaking or whether the original brain has re-asserted itself if he starts talking about cricket, wine or Shashi Tharoor : You will be foxed if he knows the calorific value of cup of sprouts and the long term benefits of Tai Chi.

The truth is that the unisex mind is already among us. We have nurtured it because life now demands that you don the male and female that. If you have reached the age of 50 and believe that the gender of our brains is the gender of our body, then please check out the BBC website. There is a quiz that allows you to find out the gender of your brain. I won't tell you my results but I can tell you that one of my men friends was a borderline male.

It's all very well for men to talk about nurturing their female side, and for women ot believe that they are "man enough". But what if you would happen if men didn't know that when they are being sensitive, it's their female side at work and women didn't know that they were being man enough when they switch off in the middle of a conversation? Losing your gender can be as scary as your hard disk crashing without having saved your files. All the women will break into a cold sweat at the thought of losing their capacity to color coordinate or detect a lie. And you men out there, would you survive if you couldn't compartmentalize your lives and continue to believe that you are emotionally stable? So hang onto your gender because you may be already gender because you may be already on you way to losing it.

Live With Effortless Grace

It was 9:30 in the morning. From my balcony on the eighth floor, I could see below a stream of shining cars crawling on the roads. The traffic seemed chaotic, vehicles trying to get past the other, so much like situations we face in our chaotic lives, driven by competition.

A peaceful life is essentially a simple one and hence effortless. The sheer simplicity of peaceful life is a magnet that attracts, for deep within we identify with it. To be simple is not something external; we have to become simple and natural from within, be open to our own 'internal self' and perform actions knowing where they are leading to. One has to consciously bring bout this change, as Paramhansa Swami Niranjananda Saraswati of the Bihar School of yoga, Munger says, "To change externally is just a cosmetic change, it is feeding the intellect, the real change is internal". Being open to our internal selves connects us to the fantastic inner world wherein in each one of us a 'sage' dwells. Once connected to this sage our decisions are taken from deep within and we no longer need approval of others. We stand tall and empowered, yet simple, natural and in harmony with self and others.

However, being t peace does not guarantee freedom. We all have responsibilities that bind us in many ways, creating a web around us in which we feel enmeshed. So how do we experience freedom? Though it may seem contradictory on the face of it but one who is disciplined is the one who experiences real freedom. Freedom, like peace, is an internal concept; we can experience freedom only when we feel freedom within us. A disciplined man is able to organize his life and take care of his responsibilities with aplomb, and thus he is set free. A disciplined man is able to achieve balance in life.

By virtue of our existence we live in a world of relationships with others. The only constant in life is change and that is true of relationships as well. Only relationship that does not change with time is the one between mother and child, where normally affection is unconditional. If we honestly view our relationships we will find that we are constantly 'performing' with others. We unleash words and thoughts often couched in terms of 'love' while the intent to have control over others. The moment we are able to stop performing, relationship grow within, infuse discipline in our lives and stop enacting dramas in our relationships we are at peace and free. Once at peace and free, happiness happens. Life becomes an expression of divine calmness and flows with effortless grace. One becomes a 'farmer' instead of a 'warrior'. As paramhansa Swami Niranjananda Saraswati says, "in life becomes a farmer instead of a warrior: Learn to nurture and take care and begin the process with yourself with your personality and mind. The victory of a warrior is accompanied by destruction while the victory of a farmer is accompanied by creations".

Sindhu in might surpasses all the rivers that flow… The roar of the river is lifted up to heaven above the earth; it puts forth endless vigor with a flash of light …. Even as cows with milk rush to their calves, so other rivers roar into the Sindhu. As a warrior king leads other warriors, so does Sindhu lead other rivers …….

The shrill note of a motorcar's horn from the street below brought me back from my reverie. I saw a 'warrior' in a huge shining red car weaving his way aggressively through the traffic before I turned and went inside the apartment.

Many Path to Bliss

Sanatana Dharma, which means 'eternal principles of wisdom' can be approached and accessed in three ways: Through the Vedas, through the Upanishads and through the Purans like Shrimad Bhagavatam and Devi Mahatmyam.

The fire rituals or havens that we perform today have come to us from the Vedic age. Despite this the pure austere lifestyle of that age is impossible for most of us to practice in this hectic, demanding modern world.

The Puranic approach is generally for those of us who are more religious in the traditional sense as it establishes a culture or sanskar of rites and ritualistic worship. Though primordial, pure, cosmic consciousness is beyond time and space, it is easier for the verge individual to relate to God through divine forms with specific attributes. So, with their own changed consciousness, they invoked this primordial energy to manifest through a form. Mantras came to be revealed in the process. Each mantra has the divine power to invoke a particular deity. It begin with 'Oam' the seed syllable, concluding with salutations to that particular deity like a bridge that connects us to our own soul at one end and  to Divinity at the other. So, whenever we chant that mantra with faith and devotion, we start vibrating to the frequency of that deity to receive Grace. The 19 major Puranas of Santana Dharma describe the qualities, origin, mystical symbolism and power of these deities through vibrations.

In the Upanishadic approach we understand how to recognize and realize divinity in us in relation to the cosmic power. Our sages experimented in subtle inner realms by following a set of principles with complete awareness for long periods until they reached a state of bliss which was automatic and ecstatic. In this enlightened state, they found that they were permanently free of thoughts, desires, negativity expectations and limitations of all kinds. So, they codified these principles in Upanishads and passed them on to their disciples. In Sanskrit 'Upa-ni-shad' means 'to sit close to the sadguru', i.e. to sit at the lotus feet of the guru as a disciple and imbibe wisdom.

The Sadguru triggers the notion of self-enquiry in the disciple, thus activating his inner most core. The disciple's life then follows a path of dynamic motion and evolution within. Satsangs are spiritual forums where inner exploration is done with fellow seekers and guidance of the sadguru. This is the true 'gurukul' where we are inspired to practice self enquiry. When the sadguru enters our lives and we imbibe His wisdom, it shatters our egoistic mindsets and attitudes, dissolving the karma which had prevented us from feeling the presence of our own soul. His energy ignites our awareness invoking divinity, inner faith and stability. So as we evolve spiritually, our worldly life also becomes free from troubles, problems and worries because we start burning our karmas away. Each day is stable, joyous and fulfilling. The soul's qualities of love, peace, patience, tolerance, compassion, care and share blossom in us, harmoniously integrating spiritual progress and material prosperity.

Sanatana Dharma gives us simple, effective and practical formula to reorient our lives within the framework of satya, dharma, ahimsa and prema or truth, noble principle, non-violence and unconditional love. By walking in the footsteps of realized sages, we learn how to shed our limitations and live constantly in the blissful core of self.

Nature of Renunciation

Don't desire sense-enjoyments. The body is being maintained by providence any way. Have no attachment towards any thing because everything is ever-changing. Know this and be contented. The Supreme Self, witness to these changes, is eternal. Know the majestic glory of the Eternal and be one with that. Enjoy both, the ever-changing and the eternal. Don't allow yourself to be dragged down by the ever changing and do not turn back from the eternal.

For ages we have been wandering through numerous forms of life because of our desire lust and attachment. "Get rid of the sense of 'I' and 'mine' of the pairs of opposites like pleasure and pain. Destroy all ignorance and differences.

Have no attachment and no hatred; eradicate all defects from the mind. Root out desire from your heart. Bring supreme good to your real Self. Destroy duality; contemplate on Self abiding in all/" Thoughts of duality breed vices like attachment and hatred, fear, grief, worry remorse desire and the sense of 'I' and 'mine'. Contemplate on the Universal Self.

What is desire? I want to get something. To seek pleasure in doing something, grasping, seeing and listening. We have been hankering after these desires for ages; yet we didn't get happiness that lasted. Had we got lasing happiness as much as the water on the tip of a needle, we would have had tons of happiness with us by this time. But nothing of that sort happened and we are left with zilch for all our efforts.

Krishna says" Renounce desire; next renounce longing as well. Even after this, attachment or the sense of 'mine' is left. This too brings misery. Renounce the sense of 'mine' as well. But even after renouncing attachment, desire and longing, there remains the ego of renouncing these. This ego too has to be renounced. Ego is of two kinds — natural ego, an evolutes of Prakriti and unnatural or ignorance borne ego.

Natural ego is limited to the body alone. It preserves and protects the body. It says, 'I am the body'. If the body feels hungry, the natural ego provides food to it; if the body is tired, it takes it to the bed. If the mind feels bored it takes the body to a place of entertainment. Natural ego is not that painful.

Ego in transient things like this is my house, I have this much money, I have this much land, I have so many friends is unnatural or ignorance-borne ego.

In reality true renunciation means complete disbelief in favorable and unfavorable conditions because the favorable gives rise to attachment, and the unfavorable to hatred. The absence of attachment and hatred is the only renunciation. Renunciation brings in theism, and then it gets transformed into love and after having experienced theism in absolute sense that love gets culminated in knowledge. Liberation is achieved by renunciation of desire and not by giving up things. The mind becomes free from prejudice after renouncing vanity; it attains peace and the ability to attain to Supreme Brahma.

Desire, longing, the sense of 'mine-ness' and ego or the sense of 'I-ness are the causes of rebirth. If one renounces these four one becomes liberated here and now.

Of the Shelf Gene Tests in US

Want to find out what diseases await you in the future, your chances of developing Alzheimer's? Or whether you will pass something on to your child? Then a trip to the pharmacy may reveal all.

Biotech firm Pathway Genomics announced on Tuesday that personalized DNA tests to detect the risks of developing certain disease will soon be available at Walgreen's, a large chain of pharmacies.

It would be the first time that such tests would be commercially available for consumers, even though the company has offered them online for some time.

The Pathway Genomics kit, dubbed the "Insight Saliva Collection", enables the user to take saliva swabs following simple instructions and send them off to a California laboratory for analysis.

Costing between $20 to $30, the kit will be on sale at some 7,500 branches of Walgreen's from the weekend.

After sending off the swab, the customer has to log onto the Pathway Genomics site and create a personal account to order the tests they are interested in, out of three proposed sets costing up to $ 249. By analyzing the client's DNA, the company can test for markers which could indicate whether the person is at risk for about 70 diseases, including breast or prostate cancer, heart disease, diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis.

They can also test for responses to drugs such s anti-cholesterol medication, the anti-coagulant warfare or tamoxifen used to battle breast cancer.

Couples can also spend $ 179 if they wish to know whether they risk passing on hereditary disease such as cystic fibrosis to their future children. "Every one has the right to know the secrets hidden within their own DNA," the company says on its website. "With personal DNA testing, you can take preventative steps to improve your future, and even extend your life".

If you have faith in the three hundred and thirty millions of your mythological Gods, and in all the Gods which others have introduced into your midst, and still have no faith in yourselves, there is no salvation for you. Have faith in yourselves and stand upon that faith and be strong Swami Vivekananda Great men can even by their words erase the worrying fears generated by an inferiority complex Bhagavata Purana

 

Outdoors on Duty

Not one to get caught in dilemmas, the bandh call on Monday had me trapped for once. Though, to be honest, the desire to bunk office had more to de with the perfect breezy monsoon morning than LK Advani coaxing me to stay put at home. And though the HR guys post thoughts for the day' to act as beacons for the frequent 'dharmasanskarts' of corporate life, theirs is a beatific silence on matters like

Bands bunks'.

If I were to tell the HR guys - only by watching television that said 'rail, road, metro stopped by protesters' to - that I am stuck and can't get to work, would they mark me absent? I am rally dying to get to work, I can plead convincingly, but what to de, the autos won't ply, the buses coast and stop and gosh, I am told somewhere there's been some roughing up ……. circumstances are beyond my control, but that doesn't mean it's an off-day. Does HR have a policy on this? That you mark me absent, all right, but it doesn't get deducted from my leave? Alas, HR's iffy, and the laborer must trudge to work, and so I do albeit armed with Plan B and Plan C.

Plan B is we tie up with colleagues; all try our best to get to work, when we can't note when not if - we might s well meet up at the nearest coffee shop, what? Plan C is we make it to work come what may. Diligently do multiple transports, some waiting, and some walking and make it to work, exhausted and smug; to spend the rest of the day just talking about how we managed to get to work.

But, reality has something else in store. The rains held, as did the traffic. There's riot police managing traffic at an east Delhi crossing - so much efficiency has me foxed - and there are several little groups of red-flag-waving lalas and their chintus walking the edges of the road. Traffic's definitely lean for a Monday morning and ITO - the dreaded crossing that daily demonstrated traffic gnarl-snarl- is a breeze at 9 am. There's police all over; there media all over and traffic's moving smooth and easy. Ah bandh dynamics. Both sides are going to grab credit.

"Total bandh all success" and "Didn't let bandh affect life, managed protesters and traffic very well" are patent responses you can expect from either side. Fact is much of Delhi did stay indoors. But I'd hazard that's not so much in solidarity with any silly bandh call, but more because it has been a lovely day after a long time, and traffic is Delhi's worst nightmare. You simply don't want to take a risk as it were.

To that end, the media rally helps bandhs along. We're told traffic's going to be so bad, you'd best skip life. What nobody really spilled was the protesters' inside-plans. If Nehru Place Gurbaon's choked at 9 in the morning, and ITO's blocked at 12 noon, how about letting us know? After all, there's Brinda Karat at ITO - lady's no bandh gala, she's at it full throttle. Bahadurshah Zafir Marg stretches empty behind her, not because bandh's total but because traffic's been stopped for her speech time. Police must know which leader gets which chowk at what time; they've prepared for it. Why not give us the lowdown too. Advertise next to the call for the bandh, don't fall for the bandh.

But we're the innocents. All drained when traffic stops for about an hour we must head for the nearest coffee shop, "tried couldn't make it". Because you know 'mehengais' hits hard. as for that little matter about the leave, we were on duty, you know, at least emotionally, mentally. One with the workplace and all, no dilemma then on clicking on that OD (outdoor duty) button, then is there?

The Global Language

At the 1920 meeting of the newly founded League of Nations in Geneva, India - a member state represented by Maharaja Khengarji - joined China, Persia and eight other countries in urging the League to take Esperanto seriously. Teaching this easy to learn link language to school children might help shape a viable post war world they felt. The League's vice secretary general, Inazo Nitobe, submitted a positive report. In 1921 India, China, Persia, Japan and nine other countries sponsored a favorable resolution. France vetoed it. Setbacks like this veto - or the 1935 defeat of feminist legislation in the US - make the movements stronger and more articulate. When we look at the way Esperanto has been recontextualized over the decades, it turns out that at every stage there were a few Indians making significant individual contributions.

Maharaja Khengarji III Ketch didn't know Esperanto. That he supported it possibly had something to do with Irish Jehangir Sorabji Taraporewala (1884-1957), a highly visible linguist. As a translator of Tagore, Taraporewala was the first Indian to make it into print in Esperanto. There is an unbroken chain of distinguished Indians publishing in Esperanto, from Taraporewala to Ashwini Kumar and Badal Sircar. But the biggest achiever in this domain was Lakshmiswar Sinha (1905-1977) of Santineketan.

In 1928 Tagore sent Sinha off to Sweden to get some training in the handicraft based pedagogic system called ' sloyd'. Sinha proceeded to learn Esperanto from his new friends in Sweden and promptly became a legend. He published half a dozen books, lectured in 10 European countries, made friends everywhere - their children have fond memories of him to this day - and Esperanto and India on each other's map. His is a key name in the story of work for cultural equity across literary regions.

Sinha's translation of short stories by Tagore, published in 1961, was designated by Universal Esperanto Association (UEA) as the first book in its 'Oriento Okcidento' series. Launched in the context of UNECO's global program for educational and cultural transformation, this series is one place where UEA, on of UNESCO's formal partners, promotes the goal of providing everybody with the equitable diet of cross-cultural reading that they are entitled to.

"But people read each other anyway"! You exclaim. "An overwhelming number of books get translated into English; doesn't that count as global dialogue? It does; but I put it to you that ordinary people reading world literature through English do not run into Lord Tadeusz by Mickkkiewicz of Poland, or Seven Brothers by Kivi of Finland or The Tragedy of Man by Madach of Hungary. But adult readers in Esperanto count as illiterate if they are unfamiliar with these major nineteenth century classics, translated by iconic Esperanto authors like Grabowski, Setala and Kalocsay. This is not about a couple of token peaks; UESS's series is just official applause for a fraction of the work routinely done by Esperanto translators. Catalan author Abel Montegut has shown that the Esperanto translation basket is far more equitable in terms of cross regional representation than the baskets in other major translation vehicles.

Recent extensions of the enterprise are based on Esperanto translations of literacy works that have not been rendered into English. A 2007 Euro Indian project had a Croatian children's classic by Ivana Brlic Mazomanie translated into Bangla through an Esperanto translation. Esperanto's transparent word architecture makes these bridge versions hug their originals very closely. New partners form Italy and Slovenia and EU support have made possible a bigger 2008-10 project. - Publishing children's novels from Croatia,, Italy and Slovenia in Bangla and a Bangla children's novel in Slovenian etx. The public likes the books; if they didn't, we would know we weren't addressing a seriously felt need. Sinha, personally a life long anti-elitist, was part of the transition from our reaching for the elite sky in 1920 to our inter local work today.

The Prime Mover of Life

The ground state or vacuum state is an inexhaustible field of creativity, energy, orderliness and intelligence: Literally a field of all possibilities. Everything in the universe - animate and inanimate - emerges from this quantum mechanical level. It is the total potential of Natural Law. All of the innumerable laws of nature the impulses of nature's intelligence responsible for governing all diverse tendencies in the universe, are found here. This same field of nature's unlimited potential can be located within each individual at the source of thought, the most settled state of one's awareness. Acting from this level of pure consciousness, one inherits the infinite organizing power of natural law, making all power of natural law, making all things easy of attainment.

Imagine a wave on the sea. Even a very big wave has limitations; it is only this high and that wide. Now imagine that wave settling down, until it merges with the sea. Its value then assumes the unlimited, infinitely more powerful status of the sea. The wave, which was bound before, has gained boundlessness.

The mind is capable of the same settling down, or transcending process. During Maharshi's Transcendental Meditation ™, the waves of thought 'retire' to the source of thought. The word 'transcend' means to go beyond; "Meditation" refers to thinking. During TM the mind experiences progressively less excited states of thought until one transcends thought completely to arrive at its source. The agitated, limited value of thought gains the unlimited status of Being, the silent depth of the ocean of consciousness.

Transcending thought is as effortless as thinking. The mind is like a body of water; choppy on the surface, silent and stable at its depth. When we experience only the 'noisy' surface level of thinking, difficulties abound. If we could anchor the surface mind to its vacuum state - if we could enliven the stability inherent at the depth of consciousness - we would be insulated from 'the winds of change'.

In the Bhagavad Gita (2.48) Krishna says; 'Yogasthah kuru karmani': - Established in yoga or pure consciousness, perform actions. Here the mind is most powerful, most effective. 'Yogah karmasu kaushalam' (2.50): Yoga is skill in action. From this level we "do less and accomplish more". The growth of inner silence is the basis of spiritual unfolding and material success.

Consciousness is the prime mover of life. Everything we do depends on the quality of our consciousness. If your mind is sleepy, agitated, or negative, then everything you perceive. Speak or do reflect that incoherence. But if your consciousness is orderly, fresh and alert, the world appears much different. Knowledge is different in different states of consciousness. When you wear red tinted glasses everything appears red and when you wear green tinted glasses everything appears green, The Vedas say that knowledge is structured in consciousness. The world is as we are. If you are anchored to the silent, blissful state of consciousness, everything you do becomes joyful. Maharshi summarizes simply, "Handle that one thing - consciousness - by which everything else is handled".

Will You Marry With Gottra?

Would you yourself marry within the same gotra? Asked Naveen Jindal, the two times Congress MP and icon of young India. It was an interview with TOI where the tables had suddenly been turned. "Yes", said the perplexed reporter. Jindal persisted, "will your parents also not haave any problem"?

When he received "no" for an answer, Jindal insisted that the reporter call up her mother. "Let me speak to your mom and ask her", he said.

"Do you rally want to speak to her"? He answered in the affirmative. "You call her now and let me hear what she has to say", said the 40 years old tycoon and graduate of University of Texas Business School.

The reporter telephoned her parent and asked if she would have a problem if she wanted to marry a boy of the same gottra. Jindal asked for the speaker phone to be switched on and heard the parent reply "NO", even as she followed it up with the suspicious question, "but why do you ask"?

Eventually, the MP took the correspondent's mobile and spoke to her mother to check for himself. When the older lady took Jindal to task for promoting regressive castes views, he tried to defend himself: "No, I am not encouraging any thing (bad)", even as he sought her opinion on what was "the way around" if a same gotra marriage had to be allowed in a north Indian Hindu family.

Universal

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! (Bible)

May we unite in our mind, unite in our purposes, and not fight against the divine spirit within us. (Atherva Veda)

Set your faces towards unity, and let the radiance of its light shine upon you. Gather ye together, and for the sake of God resolve to among you. (Baha'u'llah)

When we really begin to live in the world, then we understand what is meant by brotherhood or mankind, and not before. (Swami Vivekananda)

True happiness comes from a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate a universal responsibility for one other and the planet we share. (Dalai Lama)

Work is What You Make of It

Work is What You Make of It

Work and mentally renounce the fruits achieved thereafter. Don't let the shadow of personal prejudice affect how you perceive work. This is the essence of karma yoga. The wise work for common benefit whereas the ignorant work only for themselves or their near and dear ones. A farmer has control over how he works in his fields, but not over the harvest. Krishna tells Arjun: "Yoga is karmasu kausaalam doing work skillfully in the first attempt".

Work is external but our attitude to it is internal. A certain attitude may make us feel work is miserable while another kind of attitude makes it pleasant. By cultivating the right attitude, we will become spiritual. That is meditation.

Once in a village several people were engaged in construction of a temple. A wandering sage passing by wants to know what is happening there, so he asks a person cutting stone: "What are you doing"?

The labor replies with frustration: Don't you see that I am cutting stone? It's a hard stone. Look at my hands! They have become red. Work is hell. And to make matters worse, you ask me what I am doing. How I wish were not doing this! "The sage asks, "I see you are cutting stone, but let me know what is coming up here?" The stone cutter replies that he has no idea; it does not concern him. He is disinterested.

The sage next goes to another man and asks him the same question: "What are you doing? The man replied "I am cutting stone here; that's my job. For eight hours of work I get paid Rs 100. I have a wife and children to take care of. I am doing my duty."

The sage asks him: "Do you know what is coming up here?" He says: "Yes, they say they're making a temple. How does it matter to me, whether what is being constructed is a temple or a jail, as long as I get paid?"

Then the sage goes to a third worker who is also cutting stone and poses the same question. The man replies: "We are building a temple. There is no temple here; every year at festivals we have to trek to the temple in the next village. You know, every time I hit the stone I hear wonderful music. The temple work has put the sleepy village in a festive mood.

The sage asks: "How long do you have to work on this project?" The man says the timeline is not his concern for as soon as he wakes up in the morning, he gets ready for work and begins cutting stone. He tells the sage that he spends the entire day here, taking a break between mealtimes. "When I go home in the night and sleep, in my dream I think of this construction and feel grateful that I enjoy the work I do. I am truly blessed," he said.

Three men doing the same work have three different attitudes. The first person thinks its hell the second looks upon his work as his duty.

However, the third worker thinks what he is able to do is a blessing. If the work itself had the qualities inherently, good or bad, then these three men might have felt the same. But in reality, it's not the work that disturbs us but something that's subtler; it's the attitude we have towards work.

Devotion & Love

The path to the Un-manifest is very difficult for embodied souls to realize…. But quickly I come to those who offer me every action, who worship me only, their dearest delight, with undaunted devotion. Because they love me, these are my bondsmen, and I shall save them from mortal sorrow and all the waves of life's deathly ocean. (Bhagavad Gita 12.5-7)

He is the Living One; there is no god but He; call upon Him, giving Him sincere devotion. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds! (Quuran 40:65)

If you desire to live in the world unattached you should first practice devotion in solitude for some time….. You should meditate constantly upon God and pray to Him for Divine Love. (Ramkrishna Paramhansa)

Love and Meditation

If some of us have felt the essence of love, the difficulty arises in keeping the flame of love alive. The very moment one transfers the experience of love into words and memory, the mind takes over only to end up in creating an unreal picture of love.

It is imperative to understand the fact that love can be felt only in the present. And all thoughts of love deny love and push the individual to ignorance so that one is in the unreal world of love.

The individual gets mired in the web of thoughts which is basically of attachment and dependency. The built up thoughts about love which bring false happiness, inexorably give way to pain and suffering arising out of losing it. Only an individual who is integrated, harmonious and sensitive can keep the flame of love going. It becomes indispensable for the individual to stay rooted in the present, so as to be in the pool of love. And only an individual who is in love with himself can know the art of loving others.

After knowing that love blossoms and expresses itself in the present moment, the question of whether one is rooted in the present becomes inevitable. If one is in the present and in love with himself and others, then meditation does not mean anything to him.

If you feel that you are not in peace, harmony and in exuberance, then meditation is a tool that can bring you back to love and life. Meditation creates the space in you so that you can witness your own insensitivity and habits. This very seeing of your own insensitiveness opens the doors of sensitivity in you.

This sensitivity of seeing one’s own shortcoming triggers the channel of intelligence. Seeing yourself and others without the interruption and interpretation of the mind frees the mind so as to be active and alert. The natural flow of moving along with the life source makes you supple and receptive.

False images which were products of the mind break down in front of reality. As an individual you once again regain your original innocence of being with yourself and flowing with the present. This being in the present inexorably opens the doors of love which comes along with pure intelligence to face reality without remorse.

Meditation cleanses the dust of ignorance that accumulates over time. The more you use meditation to get back to your source, your inner self, the more you become aware of your unconscious repressions which were hindering you from knowing your potential. Once the unconscious repressions are brought out and they pass through the channel of the conscious mind, you become free of bondages. Without this release, any attempt to love yourself and others becomes an exercise in futility.

Meditation bridge the conscious and unconscious, helping the individual to set himself free from his own bondage. And only the one who has freed himself from the fetters of mind can come back to his natural state – which is love itself. Only a loving person can be with reality and face it intelligently. Meditation becomes the tool which takes the individual to merge with the very ocean of love which is in one.

Ultimately the individual comes to face the truth that meditation is in love personified.

Focus on Your Breath

Concentration is the key to success. The student taking an exam but distracted by a popular song running through his head; the businessman trying to write an important contract; but worried over an argument that he had that morning with his wife; the judge distracted by the fact that a teenager to whose defense he is trying to listen bears  striking resemblance to his own son. All of these persons could tell us something of the disadvantages of poor focus.

A focused mind succeeds not only because it can solve problems with greater dispatch but also because problems have a way of somehow vanishing before its focused energies, without even requiring to be solved. A focused mind often attracts opportunities for success that to less focused (and therefore less successful) individuals appear to come by sheer luck.

Concentration awakens our powers and channels them, dissolving obstacles in our path, literally attracting opportunities insights and inspirations. In many ways, subtle as well as obvious, concentration is the single most important key to success.

This is particularly true in yoga practice. The mind in meditation especially, must be so perfectly still that not a ripple of thought enters it. God cannot be perceived except in utter silence. Much of the teaching of yoga therefore, centers on techniques designed specially for developing concentration.

Of these techniques my guru Sriram Sharma Acharya Yogananda, considered the most effective to be one which involves attentiveness to the natural process of breathing…. The simplicity of this technique causes many a beginner to ignore it; yet in its very simplicity lies much of its greatness.

Concentration implies, first an ability to release one’s mental and emotional energies from all other interests and involvements and second an ability to focus them on a single object or state of awareness. Concentration could be dynamic outpouring of energy to perfectly quiescent perceptions and in its higher stages. It becomes so deep that it is no longer just practice. The yogi becomes so completely identified with the object of his concentration that he and it, as well as the act of concentration itself, become one.

In this way he can even temporarily become one with something external to himself, gaining thereby a far deeper understanding of it than would be possible by scientific objectivity. But focusing on our own higher realities, identification with them becomes lasting. For we are the infinite light, and love and joy and wisdom of God. Consciousness of diligent practice ought to be refined into an effortless process of divine becoming.

The most effective technique of concentration will be one which both interiorizes the mind, and permits a gradual transition from technical practice to utter stillness. The technique of watching the breath fulfills both of these requirements – better perhaps than any other technique possibly could. For not only is the breath one of the most natural focal points for attention, the more deeply one concentrates on it, the more refined it becomes, until breathing is automatically and effortlessly suspended in breathlessness. Mediator, the act of concentration, and the object of concentration, become one.