Yoga of Universal Brotherhood

All that which falls within the purview of the five senses is known as the empirical. As these senses – of smell, taste, sight, touch and hearing – are the preceptors of pleasure and pain, it goes without saying that advancements in empirical science have been resulting in ever-increasing means to heighten both pleasure as well as pain. If we devote just a few moments to look at our own such sensations from a third party point of view, we would conclude that these sensations are in fact being referred to our own ego, the sense of “I” ness. If this were not so then the same objects would have produced the same sensation in everybody and in equal degree. Thus, the ego is the traceable birthplace of all desires and also reason for the relentless but futile struggle to satisfy them. The question...

Nehru's Scientific Humanism

We attach so much importance to the nation of God that according to many thinkers like Voltaire, even if God did not exist it would be necessary to invent Him. According to them. God is a psychological necessity for "the mind of man has always been trying to fashion some such mental image or conception which grew with the mind's growth" In addition, it is our natural tendency to depend on someone else - who we consider to be superior to us in all aspects - in knowledge, competence, power and perfection, for instance. God is the paradigm of virtues and ideals cherished, on whom we can rely in times of crisis and whom we can blame for our failures. Countering the argument of those who upheld the necessity of God or a God-like concept, Nehru argued, "Even if God exists, it may be desirable...

Why We Expect so Much

We tend to get caught in sense illusion. We feed illusions and mistake that for fulfillment. The minute what we expected to achieve does not happen, it makes us feel disturbed. And if the same situation turns in our favor, it excites our senses. However, joy and sorrow are never permanent. They have tendencies to change in accordance to the situation. So whatever is bound to change is not real and what is not real cannot be true. What, then, is truth? Changing situations are always the reason for our happiness or unhappiness. But neither the changing situations are real nor the joys and sorrows. They are just relative terms. These are creations of our avivek or lack of discrimination that makes us float on the surface, preventing us from knowing our true nature. The five subtle organs...

Nurture an Innovative Outlook

To creatively handle innovation is a part of wise living. To know and not to act on what you know is equal to not knowing. One has to see this clearly that, 'if you continue doing what you have done you will get what you have got'. Hence, there is a need for innovation in all walks of life. Our weakness can become our strength. This is true innovation. One has to focus on innovation in different fields like organization, self, creation of wealth and wellness. All this should result in end user innovation' of being happy, being valued and feeling a sense of belonging. The organizational research and knowledge management wing should have methods to arrive at and check whether mission and vision statements have just become a jargon..... That is, remaining as sheer intellectual concepts....

Mango as Spiritual Guide

This is the mango season. That has set me thinking.... Acharya Nagarjuna is a great Indian Philosopher. Many traditions regard him as a Tantric Acharya, in some other traditions he is regarded as an Ayurvedic expert and in yet others, even an Alchemist, but I am yet to come across a story of his being associated with horticulture. I will not be surprised if I discover that some traditions believe him to be a horticulturist. But as far as his knowledge about the mango is concerned it is universally accepted that what he says is but natural and common wisdom. Nagarjuna in his letter talks to the king about different categories of mangoes. They are special varieties whose appearances and degrees of ripening can be categorized as follows :(1) those not ripe but appear ripe; (2) those ripe...

Macrocosms and the Unit

There are two points related to reaching the Supreme: Mata and Patha. Mata means a certain style of thought, so we have to see where the action of thinking originates, develops, and culminates; and on what the action of thinking depends. When someone says, "It's my opinion, my personal view" where does the action of thinking lie and how does it take place? Thinking depends on the unit mind; it originates in the unit mind and is maintained in the unit mind. In the absolute sense what is the unit mind? The cosmic mind reaches a state of maximum crudity through sanchar or external movement and therefore starts returning to its original abode through pratisanchar or internal movement. The small "i" feeling that gradually develops within crude matter is called the unit mind. Although the...

Yoga of Universal Brotherhood

All that which falls within the purview of the five senses is known as the empirical. As these senses – of smell, taste, sight, touch and hearing – are the preceptors of pleasure and pain, it goes without saying that advancements in empirical science have been resulting in ever-increasing means to heighten both pleasure as well as pain. If we devote just a few moments to look at our own such sensations from a third party point of view, we would conclude that these sensations are in fact being referred to our own ego, the sense of “I” ness. If this were not so then the same objects would have produced the same sensation in everybody and in equal degree. Thus, the ego is the traceable birthplace of all desires and also reason for the relentless but futile struggle to satisfy them. The question...

Lighting the Kundalini Fire

“Fire” said Babaji, “has been sacred to all ancient civilizations. Agni, the God of fire was invoked daily in Vedic times. Have you thought about why fire is so important”? I said – “One needs fire to cook food and in winter, fire keeps you warm and wild animals away……” Babaji laughed. “Yes, but there is much more to it. In ancient times, there were no matchboxes. To produce fire, one went through the elaborate ritual of rubbing dry sticks together with invocations to the fire god. When the spark appeared it was indeed a miracle. Where was this fire before it manifested asked seers? Surely it was hidden in the wood always and needed the right conditions to manifest. So fire became a symbol of the spirit, all-pervading, yet manifesting only under certain conditions.” Babaji’s insights...

Householder should fulfill their duty

Meaning: According to the line of Yajurved 19/39 – every good householder must fulfill his duty to make his sons and daughters learned, graceful and strong in character through brahmacharya, good conduct and education. Message: Man receives the education for good culture in the school that is home. The gems of the society also graduate from this school. The individual and the society are two wheels of a chariot whose axle is the institution of home. If this fact can be understood, then just like the need for making a man capable and the society completely clean, the necessity of making the families also cultured will be understood. Every member of such a cultured family gets heavenly bliss and the vital wealth of progress in the small nest of home. After the birth of the child, the responsibility...

When a Rose is not a Rose

A wilting rose, wrinkling skin, graying hair, growing kid, all of these remind us of one fact of life, and that fact is: Impermanence. Has this fact of life ever troubled you? Disturbed you deeply? Then you are lucky, because in you, a Buddha could be born. All of us are aware of the story how Siddhartha became the Buddha because he was deeply perturbed by the scenes of a sick person, an old man and a dead body being carried to the burial ground. It prompted him to question the nature of life and led him finally to nirvana. Let us enquire, is suffering truly in the fact that our skin is less charming or in the fact that we are not as much in control of our business or household as we were 20 or 30 years ago? No. Our suffering is in the non-acceptance of change. Why do we resist change?...

The Glory of the Society

Meaning: According to the line of Rigved 1/164/40 – the mothers should become knowledgeable to make their children properly educated. The glory of the society increases when women produce children after marriage with men of good conduct and make the children cultured. Her sacrifice is as pure as of cows. Message: In her various roles, woman always spends her life by renunciation, sacrifice, patience, sympathy, love and faith for the human race. One sees in her eyes compassion, beauty and joy. Her speech is the source of nectar for the life. Her sweet smile has the incredible capacity to remove all the disappointment and bitterness of the world. As a wife, she is her husband’s partner, and co-performer of religious duties and rituals. The wife’s tender skill saves the husband from rudeness...

Expanding Circles of Identity

Religion seeks to give a sense of meaning and direction to human existence, providing us with understanding of who and what we are. Accordingly, it is inextricably bound up with the different components of our human identity - as individuals, spouses, members of families, communities and nations. These are the expanding circles of our human identity, each of which has its place and value. Sociological analysis indicates that much of the problems of alienation and disorientation within modern society are the result of a loss of traditional components of human identity. These circles of human identity should spiral outwards from the smaller spheres such as family, through the larger, such as community and nation; to ultimately embrace the widest circles uniting all people in universal...

Divine Musical Offering

The musician and the raga are like the priest and the deity. Each morning as the musician sits down to practice, the soulful lyrics and the rhythm rouses the raga’s divine force quite like the ceremonial prayer performed in a temple to ‘awaken’ the deity. Like the priest, the musician first purifies his own mind, body and soul and seeks his guru’s blessings before he begins to sing. As the temple precincts are washed before the daily prayer ritual, the place where the riyaz is performed each day is cleansed likewise. The priest first 'calls' the deity, what is known as the 'aavahan' with mantras and invites Him to be seated in the idol. While bathing the idol, and before starting the puja, the priest decorates the idol with vermillion, ash, sand wood and silk cloth. So does the musical...

Depression as Blessing

A recent research study found that traits like sadness and defeatism define depression but they have their positive side, too. The research conducted by the University of Basel, Switzerland, says depressive individuals perform better than their normal peers in decision-making tasks. What is depression? Depression is a symptom of deprivation. When you think that you are seriously lacking in something that you earnestly desire, this thought is bound to lead to depression. Depression is not a physical phenomenon; it is psychological in nature. If you feel that you have gained what you wanted to gain, that will give you a sense of satisfaction. But when you feel that you have failed to achieve your goal it leads to depression. In the first case, your life very soon comes to a full stop, but...

Deeds for the Progress

Meaning: The line of Athervaved 20/92/5 says us that – O God! May we, along with our sons, daughters, brothers and friends, always be involved in deeds for the progress of the soul? Message: To go ahead for personal and spiritual progress, it is necessary for us to have within us the courage to fight against difficulties and lack of facilities. Man should give more emphasis on increasing his willpower instead of increasing the material means. In real progress there is not as much contribution of means and situations as of thinking and ambitions. The proper blend of all these is possible through profound resolve. All the members of the family must make a firm resolve for spiritual progress and undertake their daily work. With that their personality will become excellent and the family...

Deeds for the Progress

Meaning: The line of Athervaved 20/92/5 says us that – O God! May we, along with our sons, daughters, brothers and friends, always be involved in deeds for the progress of the soul? Message: To go ahead for personal and spiritual progress, it is necessary for us to have within us the courage to fight against difficulties and lack of facilities. Man should give more emphasis on increasing his willpower instead of increasing the material means. In real progress there is not as much contribution of means and situations as of thinking and ambitions. The proper blend of all these is possible through profound resolve. All the members of the family must make a firm resolve for spiritual progress and undertake their daily work. With that their personality will become excellent and the family...

Children Should be spiritually Strong

Meaning: According to the line of Yajurved 33/77 – for the benefit and welfare of the children their parents should make them spiritually strong by giving spiritual and other excellent education. Message: When man gives birth to children, then naturally it is his responsibility to look after them, to educate them, to have them religiously initiated, to get them married and to help them to earn their livelihood. It is proper for a man to arrange for the nourishment, clothing, and education and look after their health during the childhood and teenage of his children and help them to stand on their feet so that they can be physically and mentally independent in future. It is the duty of the elders and parents to provide nutritious diet, proper education, simply healthy entertainment and...

All the Family Member should be Laborious and Happy

Meaning: According to the line of Athervaved 7/60/4 – all the member of the family should earn and be happy. They should not be upset with hunger and thirst nor should they be afraid of each other. Message: We may not have money or wealth, we may not even be in a position to give anything to anyone, but we are always capable of one thing and that is cheerfulness. We can constantly get the benefit of virtue and contentment by distributing cheer. If you include cheerfulness in your nature, develop a sense of humor, and then wherever you be, you will be spreading cheer and whosoever comes in your contact will feel pleasant and will be impressed. In its purest form, cheerfulness is a state of mind which depends on inner culture. There are innumerable men who keep smiling in poverty and can...

Walking the Pathless Path

Sometimes a lesson has to be repeated for thousands of years, not because it was not learned the first time but because new people arrive on the scene. The lesson I am thinking of was Siddhartha's a prince on the Nepalese boarder of northern India. He dropped everything and hit the road, becoming the original or at least the most famous dharma bum. He traveled from seeking to master with his begging bowl, he became impressively austere. Instead of a loving wife, a warm bed, and feasts, he tried the opposite; solitude, sleeping by the wayside, and subsisting on whatever scraps of food he could beg for. It's still an appealing choice, because we equate austerity with virtue. If the stress of a chaotic world is too much, perhaps harmony lies along a different, quieter, moral solitary road....

We Don't Require Leaders, We Require Creators

Outstanding persons are required for raising the level of the society and the country and for its progress in the right direction. Ordinary persons cannot bear this heavy burden. For this purpose, talented great men with leadership qualities are required. Only they are capable of giving good direction to the society. A person does not become an impressive leader merely by speeches from the dais - he has to perform certain deeds and discharge certain responsibilities. To make the society progress, the leader himself has to be of pure character and raise the level of character of the society. In the absence of the above two, no society can go forward on the path of progress. A society can not exist without a leader and vice-versa, but to-day in every street - corner, we find a 'leader'....

We Should Obtain Knowledge

Meaning: According to the line of Athervaved 6/64/1 we can receive the message that we should obtain knowledge by our clean deeds which can be explain as — "It is every man's duty to obtain knowledge and live by mixing with others. May all be blessed with good culture? Just our ancestors have been carrying out their duties. Similarly, let us also carry out our duties completely." Message: The activities of the life of a spiritual person are not based on filling the belly, producing children and desires like the ordinary men who are like animals, but his activities are bright and are inspired by idealism. A spiritual person knows the difference between the body and the soul and believes that the soul is the lord (or the controller) and the body is a means. The person who has clearly understood...

You are What 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...

Subtle Aspects of Yagya

The extremely subtle effects are by far the more important. Like humans, matter too, has three bodies -- physical, subtle and causal. The body which eats, sleeps, walks, acts; which consists blood, flesh etc. is visible man's physical body. Subtle body is that which thinks, considers and controls the physical body. Causal or astral body is that in which faith, convictions, aspirations etc. are deeply rooted. The subtle body is much more powerful as compared to the physical body. The casual body is several times more powerful than the subtle body. The casual energy underlying all the Havishya used in Yagya is stimulated by the rituals prescribed for the Yagya performance. Only then alone it is possible to affect desired changes in the mind and consciousness of the participants. It this...

Study (Swadhaya) of Good Literature

Meaning: The line of Samved 1303 gives us instruction that — "With the study of the literature which inspires men's thinking towards good deeds, men and women feel joy. Imbibing good thoughts, they ultimately get the benefit of salvation." Message: Man's mind is like a blank paper or a slate or photographic plate. The situations, events and thoughts, which come before it, get etched on it and then that type of mental ground or mindset is created. By nature, man is neither intelligent nor foolish nor good nor bad, but in reality he is a very sensitive animal. He accepts the nearby influences and gets cast in the mould of whatever atmosphere exists before his mind. This specialty of his gets him swept in situations which either led him to downfall or to uplift. The path to uplift or progress...

Students Themselves Should Create Their Own Future

Every student should feel that he is going through such an important phase in life that it will play a determining role in shaping his future. Student-life is the most useful and proper time for character-molding. The age of youth suffers from the peculiar malady called "Josh Dherai Tara Hosh cum" (i.e. too much strength and too little sense) and because of this malady it is very easy to be pulled by any attraction during growing years. During these years the youth is easily attracted by the thrill of undesirable activities and addictions. A wicked person creates situations of grief and sorrow for self and relatives and can lead only a hellish life. Personal welfare lies in adopting creative, gentlemanly, good activities. The possibilities for development lie in gentlemanly activities....