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A MONTHLY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF SPIRITUALIDEAS AND LOVE FOR GOD

Subhå¶itam

Ÿ ∑§Á‡øŒÁ¬ ¡ÊŸÊÁÃ Á∑¢§ ∑§Sÿ ‡flÊ ÷ÁflcÿÁÃ–•Ã— ‡fl— ∑§⁄UáÊËÿÊÁŸ ∑È§ÿÊ¸ŒlÒfl ’ÈÁh◊ÊŸ˜H

Nobody knows what is in store tomorrow for whom!Hence the wise completes tomorrowís tasks today itself.

❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

Vol. 61 June 2016 No. 9

C O N T E N T S1. Subhå¶itam ..... 32. Difference between Meaning and Secret

óBrahmalina Sri Jayadayal Goyandka ..... 53. Secret of Success

óNityalilalina Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar ..... 114. An Exceptional Fact about God-realization

óBrahmalina Swami Ramsukhdas ..... 135. Never Despair for Attaining Godís Love

óKeshoram Aggarwal ..... 166. How Three Guƒas can Help in Developing Character

óSwami Ranganathananda ..... 207. Two Character-Building Tools for Children and Youth

óSwami Ramarajyam ..... 238. Be Thou with MeóParamahansa Yogananda ..... 289. The Foundation of Spiritual LifeóSwami Chidananda ..... 29

10. Chaste Lady Khanå ..... 3711. Through Discharge of Duty One Attains Eternal Love

óSwami Sharanananda ..... 3912. Read and Digest ..... 4113. Bahvæcopani¶adóK. Subramanian ..... 4214. God-devotee Jayamala ..... 4715. Remembering God does not Add to His Greatness ..... 4916. Where does Goddess Lak¶m∂ Reside? ..... 5017. Hallowness of Worldly Love ..... 5218. TemptationsóAnilbaran Roy ..... 5519. By Changing Your Standpoint, Be Free

óSwami Rama Tirtha ..... 5620. Our Guiding ForceóMrinalini Mata ..... 5821. Spirituality Brings Magnanimity in LIfe!

óProf Sudesh Gogia ..... 6022. RåmaóA Perfect PersonóSwami Tejomayananda ..... 6323. Self-purification and DisciplineóSwami Krishnananda ..... 65

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EditoróKeshoram Aggarwal Co-EditoróDr. Prem P. LakkarPrinted and Published by Jagdish Prasad Jalan for Gobind Bhawan Karyalaya,

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Difference between Meaning and Secret(Implications of a verse of the G∂tå)

óBrahmalina Sri Jayadayal Goyandka

There was a highly contented, virtuous and learnedBråhmaƒa, who was poor, so far as earthly riches wereconcerned. His wife was a perfectly devoted wife, endowedwith both, learning and knowledge of the Reality, and wasa liberated soul. The ruler of the place, also possessedknowledge of Truth, and was a saint, liberated fromworldly bondage. The wife of the Bråhmaƒa one daythought within herself: ìMy husband is contented, learnedand virtuous; hence he is qualified for the attainment ofliberation. If somehow he comes in contact with our saintlyruler, he may also quickly attain the knowledge of Truth,and obtain liberation.î Reflecting thus, she approached herhusband and made the following submission to him: ìLord!our resources have almost come to their end, and I findno way whereby we may replenish them. People say thatwe possess a saintly ruler, who is well-disposed towardsBråhmaƒas and very generous by nature. If you kindlyonce meet him, he may welcome you, and render youproper help. According to the scriptures, a gift made bya king unasked, should be treated as nectar by a Bråhmaƒa.You are already aware of this.î

The Bråhmaƒa replied: ìWhat you say is no doubt true;but unless I have rendered some service in return, I considerit unworthy of me to accept a gift, even though givenunasked, and use it for our maintenance. Hence I ampositively opposed to what you say, although I may haveto starve.î

6 Kalyana-Kalpataru

The Bråhmaƒaís wife saidóìYou are a learned manand can certainly give some instruction to the king, whichwill be a service to him.î

This argument produced some effect on the mind ofthe Bråhmaƒa, nevertheless he felt most reluctant to go tothe king. But his wifeís slow and steady pressure ultimatelyprevailed upon him, and at last he came to attend the kingíscourt. The Bråhmaƒaís merits and virtuous conduct hadalready earned for him a fame throughout the country.The king welcomed him with much show of respect andhonour. After exchange of formal courtesies, he got fromthe treasury a purse of gold coins and presented the sameto the Bråhmaƒa. But the latter, declining the gift, saidóìYour Majesty! I know how generous you are. But I ambound by a rule, which I have adopted for my conduct.Even though offered unasked, I cannot accept a gift, unlessI have rendered some service to the giver in return. Pleasegive me some work to do: if I can satisfy you throughits performance, you may thereafter offer me whatever youlike, which I shall accept from you.î The king rejoined,ìThank you, PaƒŒitaj∂ for what you say. You are a virtuousand learned Bråhmaƒa. I want to hear the secret of theG∂tå from your lips. Please explain to me the meaning andsecret of verse 16 of Chapter XII of the G∂tå.î

The Bråhmaƒa, first, read out the verse, and thenexplained the meaning of every wordó

•Ÿ¬ˇÊ— ‡ÊÈÁøŒ¸ˇÊ ©UŒÊ‚ËŸÊ ªÃ√ÿÕ—–‚flÊ¸⁄Uê÷¬Á⁄UàÿÊªË ÿÊ ◊jQ§— ‚ ◊ Á¬˝ÿ—H

ìHe who craves for nothing. Who is both internallyand externally pure, is clever and impartial, and has risenabove all distractions, who renounced the feeling ofdoership in all undertakingsóthat devotee is dear to Me.î

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Thereafter, he began to comment on the verse asfollowsó

He who is not awayed by any wish, craving or desire,whose desires are all fulfilled, and hence who is notdependent on anything, is called ë•Ÿ¬ˇÊí (not craving foranything).

One whose heart is exceptionally pure, and whoseexternal conduct also exhibits no perturbation, and is pureand righteous, whose very sight, speech and touch bringpurity to others, is ë‡ÊÈÁøí (pure).

True ëŒˇÊÃÊí (cleverness) lies in gaining the great objectfor which the human body has been obtained, viz., directrealization of God. He who attains success in this is calledëŒˇÊí (clever).

He who, while acting as a deponent, an assessor orarbitrator, shows no partiality to any side out of personalconsiderations of relationship or friendship or under theinfluence of any form of attraction, hatred, greed, infatuationand fear, and whoever remains perfectly impartial is calledë©UŒÊ‚ËŸí (impartial).

One who remains unaffected, when faced with thegreatest cause of misery and sorrow; in other words, whoseheart ever remains free from dejection, sadness and grief,is called ëªÃ√ÿÕí (risen above distractions).

He who renouncing all forms of external and internalactivities, depends only on Prårabdha (destiny), and doesnothing for the satisfaction of his own self-interest, and feelscontented with whatever is obtained unasked, and whodoes not identify his self with the acts, taking place underthe force of ëPrårabdhaí (destiny)ósuch a renouncer ofboth, external and internal acts is called ‚flÊ¸⁄Uê÷¬Á⁄UàÿÊªË(renouncer of the feeling of doership in all undertakings).

When the Bråhmaƒa thus concluded his exposition on

Difference between Meaning and Secret

8 Kalyana-Kalpataru

the verse, the king, with show of much humility, remarkedóìRevered PaƒŒitaj∂! You have given us a splendid expositionon the verse. Whatever you said was quite reasonable, andfaithfully followed the scriptures. But all the same, I havea suspicion that you are yet unaquainted with the secretof the verse.î Somewhat irritated, the PaƒŒita repliedóìIf I am unaquainted with the secret, how could I givethis exposition on the motive of the verse? I have committedto memory fifty-two commentaries on the G∂tå. If there isany secret beyond what I stated, which is known to you,please explain it yourself.î

Instead of giving any direct reply to what the Bråhmaƒasaid, the king, again, humbly submittedóìPaƒŒitaj∂! Yournice exposition following the scriptures has given me greatsatisfaction: I am extremely thankful to you. Kindly,therefore, accept my offering.î

The Bråhmaƒa replied. ìWhen Your Majesty remarkedthat I was unaquainted with the secret import of the verse,the expression of satisfaction has no real foundation. It isnothing but verbal satisfaction. I am not prepared to acceptanything till Your Majesty is really satisfied.î Although theking pressed the Bråhmaƒa, again and again, with muchhumility, the latter refused the gift of the king, and returnedhome empty-handed. Thereupon, the king sent for atrustworthy spy and instructed him to follow the Bråhmaƒato his home, and report to him what transpired there.According to this instruction, the spy followed the Bråhmaƒa,closely watched whatever the latter did and overheard allthe conversation.

Returning home, questioned by his wife, the Bråhmaƒafaithfully reported all that had taken place at the kingíscourt. The lady, thereupon, humbly and lovingly remarked,ìDear! What the king said appears to me quite just and

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proper. You ought not to have felt offended at this.îBråhmaƒaó(Somewhat in anger, and feeling hurt)

Strange! You, also, support the king?WifeóO dear! Do you not always say that one should

support a just statement?Bråhmaƒaó(Further excited, but exercising control

over himself) Do you mean to say that the kingís statement,that my explanation was nice, although I did not understandthe secret of the verse, was a just one?

WifeóPardon me, dear! What the king said was quiteright. It is easy to explain a verse, but very difficult tounderstand its real secret.

BråhmaƒaóHow?WifeóJust as a gramophone record may give out a

song, but this does not mean that it understands the meaningand secret of the song.

BråhmaƒaóDo you mean to say that I am only likea mechanical gramophone?

WifeóWhen we find a person who delivers niceinstructions to others, but does not practise what he teaches,how should we differentiate between him and a gramophone?Have you realized in life all that you preached to the king?

BråhmaƒaóWhy not? What deficiency do you findin me?

WifeóPlease, give me a patient hearing. I request youto explain to me every word of that verse. What is thereal implication of the word ë•Ÿ¬ˇÊí?

BråhmaƒaóHe who is not swayed by any form ofwish, craving or desire, whose desires are all fulfilled, andtherefore who is not dependent on anything, is calledë•Ÿ¬ˇÊí (not craving for anything).

WifeóDo you possess this qualification?BråhmaƒaóWhy not? I suffer from no wish, craving

Difference between Meaning and Secret

10 Kalyana-Kalpataru

or desire. I went to the king only under your pressure, andthough the king entreated me hard, I did not accept anygift from him.

WifeóAll right! I agree you went to the kingís courtonly at my request. It was really an act of kindness onyour part. Please explain the next word ë‡ÊÈÁøí.

(To be continued)❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

The essence of divine life is the killing of this littleëIí. The essence of divine life is a total renunciation ofthe self and dedicating oneself to selflessnessóa totalrenunciation of self and selfishness and self-centredliving and dedicating oneself to total unselfish serviceof one and all, seeing God in all.

óSwami Chidananda

God is not attained by actions. The thing attainedby action, is perishable. Money, respect, honour, welcomeare attained by actions. God is eternal. He is not the fruitof your actions but of your ardent aspiration. If you canítlive without God, He also canít live without you.

óSwami Ramsukhdas

Secret of SuccessóNityalilalina Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar

Remember: the whole secret of real peace, true happinessand real success is faith in God or self-confidence. Whenyou are assured that happiness, peace and success do notdepend on external circumstances, but on your inner faith,that unique potency will be generated in you, which willtransform external circumstances; and happiness, peace andsuccess will automatically flow to you.

Remember: when you will come to have faith in thegrace of God and begin to act in conformity with the DivineWill, all the Divine forces will start helping you and successwill kneel before you and court you.

Remember: when faith in God develops in you, youwill feel that God Himself is shouldering the entireresponsibility of your well-being, immediate as well asfuture, that He is guarding you against every chance ofa fall. Then a natural sense of fearlessness and carefreenesswill dawn on you.

Remember: there is no shortcoming which you cannotget rid of; there is no hurdle which you cannot cross overand there is no situation which you cannot control. Theonly thing needed is faith in God, faith in His grace andfaith in His power.

Remember: there is no enviable position which youcannot attain, no exalted state which is not real and nohigh level which you cannot reach. The entire successrelating to the future lies in your hands; only you musthave faith in the unfailing grace of the Omnipotent Lord,


Who is your supreme well-wisher for all time. You shouldtake refuge in Him and consider yourself supremelypowerful with His power.

Remember: the highest, most reassuring and positivelyunfailing doctrine in the world is that you should reposefaith in the grace of the infinitely powerful God and awakenthe power of yourself on the strength of that grace. Thenthe external and adverse circumstances will not only ceaseto harm you but they will get transformed, assume afavourable aspect and contribute to your success.

Remember: to entertain a low opinion about yourselfand to yield to circumstances is tantamount to suicide.Within you lies the power of God and you can do anythingthereby. It lies in your hands to change the circumstanceson the strength of Divine Grace. You are not poor, youare an eternal part of the universally adored Godhead. Youare not impecunious; you are a child of God, the SupremeRuler of all the worlds. You are not feeble; the limitlessstrength of the great Almighty is ever ready to help you.Have faith and, wiping out all traces of an inferioritycomplex, become great.

Remember: the Omnipotent and Omniscient God, theSupreme Ruler of all the spheres, is your friend, who wantsnothing from you in return. He is ever ready to exalt youthrough His own consummate greatness. Repose faith inHis mercy, have faith in His power, omniscience andmotiveless goodwill and conquering sins, adversecircumstances and hardships, attain true happiness, peaceand success.

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An Exceptional Fact about God-realization

óBrahmalina Swami Ramsukhdas

Man possesses discrimination by utilizing which, astriver can lift himself and can realize God. A striver, byfollowing the Discipline of Knowledge, can discriminatebetween the real and the unreal and thus, get establishedin his own self. A striver, following the Discipline ofDevotion, accepts that he is Godís and God is his, andthis feeling leads him to God-realization. A striver, followingthe Discipline of Action, by using discrimination, utilizesthe so-called body, senses, mind and intellect in renderingservice to others and thus by breaking off his affinity withthem, gets established in his own self. Thus, his discriminationleads him to God-realization, whatever discipline, he mayfollow.

Think ofóëI am not bodyí, because the body changes,while I remain the same; ëThis body is not mineí, becauseI cannot keep this body healthy and in my possession, aslong as I wish; ëThis body is not for meí, because if ithad been for me, I might have not had any other desire.Secondly, this body is changeful, while I am eternal. Howcan this kaleidoscopic body be of any use to the eternalëSelfí? Thirdly, if it had been for me, it would have livedwith me forever, but it does not live. Therefore, if a manthinks seriously and sticks to the thought, ëI am not bodyí,ëThe body is not mineí and ëThe body is not for meí, hewill realize God spontaneously.


Now, a question arises, why Lord Kæ¶ƒa has said thata man should lift himself by his own self, when God,preceptors, saints and scriptures, also lead a man to God-realization? The answer is that all of them will lead us toGod-realization, only if we have faith in them; and itdepends upon us, whether we have faith or we do not.It is because of the lack of faith and desire, that severalincarnations of the Lord and many saints and liberatedsouls, could not enable us to realize God. But, those whohad faith in them, realized Him. Therefore, a striver byhaving faith in them and by obeying them, should realizeGod. It is an unique opportunity for us, that this humanbody has been bestowed upon us in this Kali-age, so thatwe may realize God, not only once, but several timesduring this life. But, we can realize Him only when weourselves want to do so.

Secondly, man has degraded himself as he has acceptedhis affinity for the world, the world has not accepted thataffinity, which breaks off every moment. If one does notaccept any new affinity, he may realize God.

He should not degrade himself. It means that he himselfbeing uniform and sentient, should not enslave himself byhaving dependence on the transient and insentient worldlyobjects, such as riches, ranks etc. By virtue of his richesand ranks, he assumes himself to be elevated. This elevationis of his virtues rather than his own. This dependenceamounts to his degradation. But, how shocking andsurprising it is, that he regards this degradation as promotionand dependence as independence!

A man, himself is his friend, when he accepts that thereis no need for mundane things, such as body, senses, mind,intellect etc., in God-realization. Secondly, he should havefaith in his guide, in God, saints and scriptures. They will

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lead him to God-realization. By having this faith, he himselfis his friend.

He himself, is his enemy, when he accepts his affinitywith the worldly body, senses and mind etc.

A man himself, rather than anybody else, is responsiblefor his salvation (God-realization) or for his downfall. Godhas bestowed upon us this human body and He has alsogifted us with all the requisites. Therefore, for salvationno other person is needed, similarly no one else isresponsible for our fall. The person himself, by becomingattached to the modes, takes repeated birth and death(G∂tå XIII. 21).

Preceptors (spiritual guides), saints and God lead a manto salvation when a man himself has faith and belief inthem, accepts them, has an inclination towards them, takesrefuge in them and carries out their orders. If he does notaccept them as their own, how will they lead him tosalvation? They canít. If he does not became a disciple,what will the ëGuruí (spiritual guide) do? As other personswill provide food to a (hungry) man but the hunger shouldbe his own. If he has no hunger of his own, what is theuse of the food provided to him by others? Similarly ifa striver is not sincerely devoted to his aim, what is theutility of the gospel preached by the spiritual guide, saintsand exalted souls?

There is never lack of spiritual guides, saints and God.There have been many great saints, preceptors and incarnations,but we have not attained salvation. It proves that we havenot accepted them. Therefore, we ourselves are responsiblefor our salvation and ruin. He, who thinks others responsiblefor his salvation and fall, can never attain salvation.

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An Exceptional Fact about God-realization

Never Despair for Attaining Godís LoveóKeshoram Aggarwal

Success of human life lies in attaining Godís love. Godhas created human being for this very purpose. God hasthe hunger for humanís love. It is the blessedness of humanlife that he alone can satisfy Godís hunger for love. Ininnumerable species of life, human beings are very muchblessed one. A human being can be useful for the worldby rendering selfless service to the people at large. He canbe useful for oneís ownself by self-realization, i.e., gettingrid of death and rebirth again and again. He can satisfyGodís hunger for love by developing oneís ownship withGod. One who dispossesses all things and beings, oneísown can develop true oneness with God. Then he cancultivate unfathomable infinite ever increasing Godís love.Even gaining such a high status, he is so convinced thathe is the mortal body and feels despair in attaining Godíslove.

O human being! Just think over, you are not a cageof flesh and bones. You are not this mortal body. Youare Godís child. You are immortal. Bible says, ìYou aremade in the image of God.î You are divine by nature.You are potentially equal to God. Since you are a partof Him. ““◊◊ÒflÊ¢‡ÊÊ ¡Ëfl‹Ê∑§ ¡Ëfl÷ÍÃ— ‚ŸÊÃŸ—–”” (G∂tå XV. 7). Eachone of us has the ability to become godly if he can castoff the eclipse of ignorance. You donít have to acquireanything, You have it already. The gold of soul is rightthere within you, covered with the mud of delusion. Allyou have to do is scrape off this mud. You should never

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look upon yourself as a frail human being.God has blessed human being with two special gifts.

The gift of discriminative faculty and the freedom of choiceand action. But the pity is some people go through lifedull-minded not using their reason. They keep themselvesengrossed in eating, sleeping, enjoying a few pleasures,very seldom thinking deeply. So many people donít reallythink. They have the consciousness that material life iseverything. But this life is only a passing dream. So whyshould you live trying to please the world and pamperingyour body. It is better for a man to try to please Godfirst and attain His love.

God is bound to respond to your love, come to you,but He wonít come to you until you have used rightly yourfree choice and discriminative faculty. Why He has givenus free will? There would be no point in His giving usfree will. Animals have no freedom. God bound them byinstincts. But in man He has implanted wisdom. Humanbeings have the free choice to like the god or reject Him.By our own choice, we alone decide whether to acceptHim or cast Him aside.

God has already given Himself to us but we have notaccepted Him. We do not make necessary effort to knowHim and to love Him. That is the reason we are in a messof worldly troubles and sufferings. What is the use of justcrying and bewailing over lot now? We can make up ourmind. We can have God in this very lifetime. To Him wemust go because in Him is our home. As long as we stayaway from God. There will be no end to our troublesóphysical, moral, mental or spiritual. We have enoughintelligence and potentiality to go back to God whence wecome.

Some human beings think that we are great sinners,

Never Despair for Attaining Godís Love


how we can love God. Jesus said, ìYe are godsî. The grandattitude is not to think of oneself as a great sinner. To thinkoneself as a great sinner is the greatest sin. When a sleepingprince is dreaming that he is a beggar and cries out inanguish at his poverty and hunger, we do not say to himìBeggar, wake upî. We say, ìPrince wake up.î Similarlynone should call oneself or another as a sinner. Forget atall that notion. No matter what wrongs or faults we havecommitted, ìHold constantly to the thought.î Lord, I ammade in Thy image, I am godly, I have all the power tobe godly.î A man is what he thinks. What is the necessityis, that one should make a firm determination that he wouldnot repeat such wrong or mistakes in future. The momentyou make such righteous firm decision, you becomevirtuous this very moment. In G∂tå, chapter IX, verse 31,Lord Kæ¶ƒa has said that ìspeedily even the vilest sinnerbecomes a saint, and becomes eligible for attaining eternalpeace because he has rightly resolvedî. How much kindnessof God is upon a human being is that He considers nomore a sinner, the confirmed sinner even is accounted tobe a saint.

Therefore, there is no point to be despair of in attainingGod and His love. Your love for God should be so greatthat you want nothing else but Him. Do not despair ifyou do not feel an unconditional love for God. ìMake Godthe goal of your life. Become restless without Him. Godwould definitely respond to your desire. God assures, ìOWoman being! I have been watching and waiting for youmore eagerly than you have sought Me. Many times youforgot me indulging in sense-pleasures but I could notforget you.î I sent you some message in the form of miseryto you and making you bored of all sensual pleasures butyou never thought that in this way, God is calling me back.

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ìMy child beloved of your own free-will, you have at lastcome back to Me. We shall never again be partedî. Everyhuman being is loved in that way by God. He is waitingfor us. Donít give the world your attention. Do our duties,but we should be with God. It is worth it. Every momentof our life should be filled with the thought of God. Donítwaste our time. God has blessed us with this precious rarehuman life to cultivate divine love and thus, satisfy Godíshunger for human love. God loves us and pursues us evenwhen we do not love Him. How much foolishness is onour part that we do not seek love of such selfless loverñGod. No worldly love can match that love. We must bevery secret about our love for God. When you developsuch love for God then you become the beloved and Godbecomes your lover. What more gain in this human lifeyou aim at ? This is the highest goal of human life. Pleasedonít be despair, keep yourself seeking it day and nightthat is what expected of us. If we do our duty, God isbound to do His duty to bless you with that divine love.That love which God blesses you, is such that it neverdecreases, satiates and comes to end, it ever increases andever new. To relish this love, even God descends on earthin human form. How blessed is human life that for hislove God incarnates on earth. Therefore, we ought not todespair at all and try our best to attain that divine love.

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Never Despair for Attaining Godís Love

How Three Guƒas can Help inDeveloping Character

óSwami Ranganathananda

This Knowledge of three Guƒas and their operation ishelpful in developing character.

Take, for example, hatred, violence and all such things.All these things come from a mixture of Rajas and Tamas.Society today is full of these. Why should I be like that?That questioning must come. I need not be subject to allthese. I can change the situation. What a beautiful idea!Who will change it ? I myself. Nature cannot change us.The earth or heaven cannot change us. We can changeourselves. Let us keep this knowledge with us and changeourselves. We are free to be fully Tåmasika with allpettiness, with all irksome attitudes, scattering peacelessnesseverywhere. Many people do that. But, why should onedo that? That questioning must come. Then a changecomes. Even the most wicked man or woman can becomea really good person. That change is possible. But effortis needed. Understanding is needed. Then slowly the ratioof forces changes within the human system. Tamas mayremain a little; Rajas also may remain. But a touch of Sattvacomes and the whole thing changes. Even in family life,between husband and wife, if too much of Rajas andTamas are there in them, there will be very little peaceand understanding. A touch of Sattva can bring about greatchanges in inter-human relations in the most intimate field

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of life, namely, the family. Instead, we indulge in quarrelling,fighting, and speaking in such a way as to taunt the otherindividual to bring out the worst from him or her. Andwe bring about suffering all around. Then we go to somemagician to perform some magic on us. Why should wego to a magician when the magic is in our own hands?We can change the ratio of forces within us; we did notknow the truth and now we know it. Vedånta tells everyonethat one is oneís own master, if only one knows how togo about it.

Earlier we spoke about the will. That will can be madepure and socially oriented. How can I make my will theinstrument of somebody elseís happiness? The moment Ithink on these lines, my will gets transformed. Now I useit only for my own happiness. All others must work for myhappiness. I am at the centre, just as the sun is the centrefor all planets. All must spin around me like so many planetsand work for my happiness. But a concern for others isessential. Then, slowly Sattva begins to appear in the humanmind. The spirit of service is a wonderful idea. By that thesepsychic energies are refined and purified. They becomesocially oriented. And that is the product called character.A person of character will only scatter peace, happiness andwelfare all around. This is a possibility for every person.Even the worst person can improve like this by oneselfbecoming oneís own educator in this field. Others may givesuggestions and hints. But the work of refinement has tobe done by oneself. So, none need feel that he or she isdown and out. If we think that we are down and out, thenso we are. If we think otherwise, we can also get out ofit. We should have faith in ourself. ›raddhå, Åtma‹raddhå

How Three Guƒas can Help in Developing Character


should be there; ëI can, I caní, that attitude. I can conquerthis situation. Putting the responsibility on our own self isthe great contribution of Vedånta. We can bring ourselfdown; we can also raise ourself up by changing our mindand attitude, which also means changing the ratio of the threeforcesóSattva, Rajas and Tamas, within ourself.

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The man who acquires godly qualities, is sublimatedand becomes the automatic cause of elevating anduplifting the people around him. Is he not a wonderfulreformer ?

óSwami Rama Tirtha

The world is said to be that place where none is oneísown and where none even owns himself! So ephemeralis our mundane existence!

óSwami Virajananda

Two Character-Building Tools forChildren and Youth

óSwami Ramarajyam

Dear children and youth! This article has been writtenexclusively for you. In this article you will be told, howyou should build and assess your character with the helpof two character-building tools called ìResolve Formî andcharacter-building Diaryî. 1These tools are explained belowóTool I-Resolve Formó

The ìResolve Formî helps you to build your characterby abiding by a few resolves every year. Model resolvesare specified in the proforma of the ìResolve Formî, givenbelow. You should choose resolves for yourself afterconsulting your elders. The qualities of tenacity and fixity2

will greatly help you to abide by your resolves.You should fill in the ìResolve Formî to express your

commitment to abide by your resolves.While filling in thisform, you should clearly state the resolve-related work, tobe done by you and the amount of time you are readyto devote to it. Be realistic in your commitments.

You should abide by your resolves in all circumstances

1. The idea of abiding by a few resolves every year and keepinga spiritual Diary daily, was first conceived by Swåm∂ ›ivånandaj∂Mahåråja of the Divine Life Society, Rishikesh in the context of thespiritual progress of adult aspirants. In this article this idea has beenreshaped for the benefit of children and youth.

2. Tenacity: Remain steadfast. Be determined to abide by yourresolves even at the cost of your life.

Fixity: Donít be a fickle child. Always keep your resolves inmind.


at any cost. If you fail to do so, you should be ready topunish yourself by fasting or doing extra Japa.

Read your ëResolve Formí daily to remind yourself ofyour resolves.

Resolve Form ProformaResolve Form

Resolves for the year ..............................................Name .........................................................................1. I will write my I¶¢a Mantra in the Mantra-writing

copy (book) daily for ...............................minutes.2. I will do..............................Målås of Japa daily.3. I will read with meaning...........pages of /verses

from the ..................(name of the scripture) daily.4. I will give up one of my cherished objects of

enjoyment (for example, an edible which I like themost) for one day every month.

5. I will fast at least once a.................(week/fortnight /month).

6. I will take fruits and milk in lieu of supper oncea...................(week/ fortnight/ month.

7. I will refrain from self-abuse.8. I will practise Yogåsanas and Pråƒåyåmas for

.............................. minutes daily.9. I will do at least one good (othersófriendly) act daily.

10. I will save a portion of money, given to me forpersonal use (minimum.................rupees). This money,I will give away to the needy with the permissionof my elders.

11. I will break the following bad habits: 3

3. Delete those habits which you do not have and add thesewhich you have picked up but are not mentioned here.

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1. Talking falsehood.2. Uttering harsh and vulgar words.3. Bearing others ill-will.4. Quarrelling with others.5. Lack of generosity (miserliness).6. Jealousy.7. Betel-chewing.8. Smoking9. Drug-taking.10. Consuming liquor/wine/beer.11. Playing card games.12. Going to cinema houses.13. Reading novels/ stories which are not educative.14. Getting mixed up with people who distance you from God and egg you on to do others harm.

Tool 2- Character-Building DiaryóThe ìCharacter-Building Diaryî helps you assess your

character. The questions included in this diary, sum-up themajor constituents of character-building.

The proforma of this diary is given below. You shouldmake a final copy of this proforma by making 31 datecolumns in it. You will need 12 copis of this of final copyfor a year.

Keep this diary to record your behaviour daily anddatewise

This diary will prove an affective method of knowinghow high you have moved up the ladder of character-building.

Instructions: 1. Keep this diary daily before going tobed. (2) Give answers with reference to the date on whichyou are writing them. (3) Give true answer. 4. If youranswer is ëyesí, put a tick (✓ ) in the date column. A

Two Character-Building Tools for Children and Youth


negative answer (ëNoí) should be given by putting a cross(✕ ). 5. Total the tick marks serial numberwise from 1 to13 and write the total in appropriate boxes. Total the crossmarks in the same manner from 14 to 25 and write thetotal in appropriate boxes. 6. Read every month the totalof tick and cross marks and compare it with total duringthe previous months. 7. An increase in the total of tickand cross marks indicates that you are making progress inbuilding your character.Character- Building Diary ProformaóName...........................Age............Month...........Year..............

Serial Questions Dates 1 to 31 Total ofNo. Tick Marks

1. Did you get up before sunrise in

Brahma Muhµurta?

2. Did you remember God after getting

up in the morning by chanting His

Name/s?

3. Did you make your obeisances to

your elders after remembering God?

4. Did you practise Yogåsanas and

Pråƒåyåmas?

5. Did you mentally offer your food to

God before eating it?

6. Did you do your homework and

other miscellaneous tasks related to

your studies?

7. Did you play games?

8. Did you do Japa?

9. Did you visit any place of worship

(temple, Gurudwårå etc.) spend some

time in the company of holy men participate

in Bhajana-K∂rtana programmes?

27Two Character-Building Tools for Children and Youth

Serial Questions Dates 1 to 31 Total of

No. Tick Marks

10. Did you assist the members of your

family in domestic chores?

11. Did you read with meaning (minimum)

5 verses from the Bhagavadg∂tå?

12. Did you do (minimums) one good

(others friendly) work selflessly?

13. Were you regular/punctual in all your

daily activities?

Serial Questions Dates 1 to 31 Total ofNo. Cross Marks

14. Did you wast your money?

15. Did you behave in anger?

16. Did you act dishonestly?

17. Did you lie?

18. Did you get your personal work done

by others which could easily have been

done by you without seeking their help?

19. Did you shirk your responsibilities?

20. Did you hurt others through your

speech and actions?

21. Did you ignore your eldersí instructions

and act adamantly?

22. Did you smoke/ take drugs?

23. Did you waste your time in gossiping?

24. Did you spend your time in the company

of bad people?

25. Did you speak/ think ill of others?

Dear readers! Both of these tools complement each other. Use both of them to build your character nicely.

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Be Thou with MeóParamahansa Yogananda

Whether in the prison house of lonelinessOr heaven of blissful solitude:Whether fettered by the chains of labourOr resting idly in the peace of long-deserved rest,I care not,If Thou art with me.

Whether in mosque, church or templeIt matters little,If I love not Thy house and its creedMore than Thee.

In the revolving wheels of factoriesI want to feel Thy pulsing, marching life.If Thou art in the factory.I prefer that to Heaven without Thee.

Whether in Himalayan cavesOr crowded subway.Whether in jungles of HindustanOr of modern lifeóWherever we go,Teach us to discover TheeIn all Thy secret nooksEast, west, north, southEverywhere.

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The Foundation of Spiritual LifeóSwami Chidananda

Bowing down to Lord Gaƒe‹a, Master of the three Guƒas,

The original manifestation of the formless beyond,And to blessed ›åradå, the Source of fourfold speech.Let us walk the path to the eternal abode of God.

O wise mind, take to the path of devotion only,That will naturally lead to God-realization.Give up everything that is censured and sinful.Do everything that is commendable and good.

At the crack of dawn, wake up thinking of Råma.Then through words repeat Råmaís Name aloud.Never give up the sublime path of good conduct.Thus will your life become a blessing to the world.

Verses addressed to the MindóManace ›loka, openswith a four line verse in which Sant Samartha Swåm∂Råmadåsa bows down to Lord Gaƒe‹a, represented hereas the prime originator, the origin of all things, the firstmanifestation of God. It is said that the Praƒava or O≈kåra(the sacred monosyllable ëO≈) first manifested itself asGaƒapati (Gaƒe‹a). Then other things became manifest.Later on, he was brought to this earth plane in a veryunusual way by Goddess Pårvat∂, spouse of Lord ›iva. So,in this opening verse, Sant Samartha Råmadåsa bows toLord Gaƒe‹a and invokes his grace, and then he bows to


Saraswat∂ Dev∂, the source of all knowledge and wisdom,and supplicates her to bless him and give success to hislittle work, to inspire his mind and give him the right words.

Then he says: ìO mind, you must take to the path ofdevotion, which all good people of God have trodden andshown, because the pathway of devotion will take you tothe realisation of God. Manå sajjanå bhakti panthaeciJåvae. Bhakti is devotion; Pantha means path. You mustgo along the pathway of devotion for it is this path onlythat will take you to God. And he says: ìO my mind, avoidthat path which will draw censure from people in thisworld.î You should not do such things or act in such away that will draw censure and adverse comments frompeople. ìInstead, you must do only that which people praiseand laud. This is good for you. You must adopt this wayof living.î

Then he goes on to say: ìEach day is a precious giftfrom God. So, at the very crack of dawn, just as the newday is commencing, you must wake up thinking of God.There should be no other thought of this world.î Prabhåtemani råma cintita java. Prabhåte means early dawn; Manimeans in your mind; Cintita means thinking, thinking ofRåma. Thus, you must proceed upon the opening of theday. Prabhåte mani råma cintita java. But donít allow thisto be merely a mental exercise because distractions immediatelywill take you off the track. In order to augment it and seethat the mind is not distracted, repeat the Name loudly.

Why get up? You get up in order to think of God,remember Him, take His Name, direct your mind and focusit on Him. This is the way to start the day. Gurudeva also,in his Twenty Important Spiritual Instructions says: ìGetup at 4:00 a.m. daily. This is Bråhmamuhµurta which isextremely favourable for meditation on God. Sit on Padma,

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Siddha or Sukhåsana for Japa and meditation for half anhour. Gradually increase the time. Do not be satisfied.

We are never satisfied with tasting things. We are neversatisfied with fulfilling our little cravingsónever, neversatisfied. So, let that not apply only to the lesser part ofour being. Let that also apply to the greater and higherpart of our being. Let us have this aspiration to graduallyincrease the period of Japa and meditation. The purposeof getting up early in the morning is not to listen to BBCradio or take your bed tea or coffee, but to take the Nameof God, meditate on Him, focus the mind on Him and tobe eager to gradually increase the period of doing so. ìAtthe crack of dawn, O mind, wake up thinking of Råma.To steady your mind, repeat His Name loudly. Never giveup the sublime path of good conduct. In this way yourlife will become a blessing to the world.î Thus, may theopening of each day be an auspicious beginning for you.And during the day, take care to do that which gets theapproval of the wise and avoid the contrary way.

Do not cherish, O mind, wicked desires.Never keep, O mind, sinful thoughts within you,O mind, never leave the path of good conduct.Within find the precious essence of Truth.This verse is most important for all Sådhakas, seekers

and spiritual aspirants living the spiritual life. SamarthaSwåm∂ Råmadåsa draws our attention in this fourth ›lokato what he is convinced, has the most important and highestvalue in the life of a spiritual aspirant. He says goodconduct or Sadåcåra has the highest value; there is no othervalue as precious and important as Sadåcåra.You mustbecome a Sadåcår∂, that is, your behaviour and conductmust be strictly in accordance with righteousness orDharma. In your thoughts, in your speech and in your

The Foundation of Spiritual Life


actions, you must strictly adhere to Dharma or righteousness.If you are not able to understand why Sadåcåra is so

very valuable, so very important, just cast your eyes onsociety around you. Observe what type of person is reveredand followed, which quality in a person receives greatrespect from others, not just in India, but all over the world.Observe the state of society anywhere. To what is giventhe greatest respect?

For example, in choosing someone for an importantpost, a great corporation will consider the character ofthe person, not how he looks, how he is dressed, howhis manners are, but what he really is. Is he trustworthy,is he honest, is he totally reliable? That is what theywant to know, because only then will they feel safe inhaving him as part and parcel of their organisation.Otherwise, there would always be some uncertainty andanxiety regarding this person. To feel quite confident thatthey can entrust this person with anything and theirinterests will be safeguarded, they want a person ofintegrity. That is why newly passed graduates or post-graduates, if they put in an application for some job,always support it with a character certificate from theheadmaster or the principal or any other important personin society.

After considering all these facts pertaining to character,you will surely agree, ìOh yes, yes, good conduct is veryimportant; it is the highest thing.î Therefore, says Swåm∂Råmadåsa, ìDo not have any doubt concerning mystatement that character has the highest value. Giveup all doubts and then pledge yourself to abide by thehighest standard of character. Then your life will be asuccess. Happiness, prosperity, everything will come toyou.î

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O mind, give up all sinful desires.O mind, cherish only noble thoughts.O mind, do not dwell on sensual pleasures.The world, O mind, condemns the sensualist.

Avoid anger, O mind, leading to sorrow and affliction.Avoid lust, O mind, leading to ailment and agitation.Do not allow greed to be within you, O mind.Shun evil feelings of envy and pride.Thus, he goes on: ìAvoid anger, O mind! O my mind,

avoid anger! It leads to much affliction and suffering foryou and for others.î Nako re manå krodha hå khedakåri.Krodha means anger. It is the generator of Kheda, muchaffliction, much sorrow, much that is not good. Nako remanå kåma nånåvikår∂óavoid too many desires, there isno end to desires. Here, he is referring to Manokåmanåor desires that arise in the mind. In the ›r∂mad Bhagavadg∂tå,the Lord saysó

äÿÊÿÃÊ Áfl·ÿÊã¬È¢‚— ‚XÔUSÃ·Í¬¡ÊÿÃ–‚XÔUÊà‚Ü¡ÊÿÃ ∑§Ê◊— ∑§Ê◊Êà∑˝§ÊœÊ˘Á÷¡ÊÿÃH∑˝§ÊœÊjflÁÃ ‚ê◊Ê„U— ‚ê◊Ê„UÊàS◊ÎÁÃÁfl÷˝◊—–S◊ÎÁÃ÷˝¢‡ÊÊŒ˜ ’ÈÁhŸÊ‡ÊÊ ’ÈÁhŸÊ‡ÊÊà¬˝áÊ‡ÿÁÃH

(II. 62-63)ìDo not keep thinking about the objects of enjoyment.

If you keep dwelling upon objects of enjoyment, attachmentfor them will be generated in your mind. Once attachmentis generated, then the desire to possess them and enjoy themwill arise. Desire will lead to anger. If anyone interfereswith the fulfilment of your desire, you will be angry withthat person. Or if anyone prevents you from getting theobjects of desire, you will get angry. Anger will confuseyour mind and make you forget all the lessons you have



learned previously. This confusion will rob you of yourintelligence and rationality. And thus, bereft of intelligence,you will perish.î S◊ÎÁÃ÷˝¢‡ÊÊŒ˜ ’ÈÁhŸÊ‡ÊÊ ’ÈÁhŸÊ‡ÊÊà¬˝áÊ‡ÿÁÃH (B. G. II.63). Therefore, Samartha Råmadåsa says, avoid anger andalso give up all miscellaneous desires: Nako re manåkrodha hå khedakår∂; nako re manå kåma nånåvikår∂.

While you are in this pursuit, Swåm∂ Råmadåsa, theGuru of ›r∂ ›ivåj∂, says, ìTwo qualities are very essential:one is fortitude and the other is forbearance.î

Cherish, O mind, ideals great and noble.Endure humbly, O mind, when others abuse you.Let your speech be ever sweet and polite.O mind, make peace with people around you.All who live for an ideal face great difficulties and

many trials and tribulations. There are always detractorswho abuse them, sometimes even belabour them. Theyshould not retaliate. They must put up with it and not losetheir equanimity, not lose their humble attitude. Theyshould not flare up immediately. They should not give into the hurt ego and flare up and try to retaliate tit-for-tat,an eye for an eye, no. That is not virtue.

›r∂ Råma Himself, the incarnation of Lord Vi¶ƒu, forthe sake of an ideal had to wander in the wilderness ofthe forest for fourteen years. What to say of us, humanbeings? The five PåƒŒavas had Lord Kæ¶ƒa as their nearest,dearest friend; what trials and tribulations they had toundergo! Yet, they never asked Kæ¶ƒa, ìWhy is it like this?It is very unfair. We are devoted to you; so how can thishappen to us?î They understood, ìThy will be done,î yousee.

Even so, the little brothers who followed Saint francisof Assisi, the Friars Minore, came in for a lot of abuse.ìYou idlers, shame on you! You are a burden upon others,

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doing nothing, and yet begging from the householders whowork hard to make a living. You go and leech upon them!You leech upon society, a burden to others! Why donítyou work? You useless fellows!î The Friars kept quiet andjust persisted in their begging even though sometimes theywere severely taunted.

Samartha Råmadåsa says: ìO man, it is necessary todevelop great fortitude and forbearance against those whoabuse you, people of mean mentality, people of little mindsand lesser understanding. Keep quiet. Bear with them. Besilent. Do not retaliate, but bow down to them in humility.Be humble.

Let good name and reputation remain after death,O wise mind, do good deeds benefitting others.Wear out the body in service like sandalwood,And thus make the hearts of saints (Sajjana) happy.This is the way you must live. The Great Ones have

said you must live in such a way that, after your death,people will praise you, people will refer to you in greatlaudatory terms: ìAh, what a good person, what a worthyman, what a worthy lady!î In this way, after death youmust occupy a high place in the opinion of people.

You must wear yourself out in the service of others,in trying to do good to others, in trying to benefit others,in trying to help others. Living such a noble life, such ahighly worthy and noble life, yet you must bow down inhumility before others with the ëI am lesser than youíattitude, the servantís attitude.

Just as a piece of sandalwood, used in the temples forworship, wears itself out giving joy to others, so you mustwear yourself out in the service of others. In the temples,pieces of sandalwood are rubbed against a sandstone,becoming smaller and smaller until they are reduced into



a paste that is then dissolved in water and used in the dailyworship. Daily they become lesser and lesser. They firstbecome a paste and then a liquid, lesser and lesser, butthey spread fragrance everywhere. The sandalwood doesnot mind wearing itself out as long as it gives joy toothersóuntil it eventually becomes very small and thendisappears altogether. Similarly in Årat∂, the camphor burnsto glorify the Lord. It burns and burns and burns andultimately it is no longer there. It disappears. It does notmind its self-annihilation because it has done something thatis lofty. It has helped in the worship of the Divine.

ìIn this way, O my mind, think of pursuing the ideal;in this way, O man, should you live your life.î On theselines, Samartha Råmadåsa continues his advice, hisadmonitions, his suggestions, all of them path-pointers. ìOman, this is how you must live, this direction you musttake in your life.î In this way teaches Samartha Råmadåsathrough his little book, Verses addressed to the MindóManåce ›loka, also popularly known as ManobodhaóTheAwakener of the Mind or Admonitions to the Mind.

Sharing these thoughts for your benefit, this servant ofGurudeva concludes this dayís Sevå from this seat on thisauspicious day of the Guru and concludes this sharing withgratitude and thanks for your presence, for your patient andattentive hearing and for your receptivity. Thank you. HariOm.

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Chaste Lady Khanå

L∂låvat∂ and Khanå are the most famous names inMathematics and Astrology respectively. Khanå was adaughter of an astrologer of Lanka Island. In either seventhor eighth century, at that time Ujjain was governed by KingVikrama. In his royal court there were great artists, poets,learned, astrologers etc. Varåha was the leader of Astrologers.He was one amongst nine gems of kingís royal court. Forhistorians, he is known as Varåhamihira. Mihira was theson of Varåha. After the birth of Mihira, Varåha calculatedthat his life was of ten years only; but there was his mistake.While calculating, through oversight, he missed to put onemore zero, as such his life was of one hundred years.Varåha threw him in K¶iprå river duly keeping him in anearthen pot. Earthen pot came into possession of merchants;they nurtured him and set him in some work. Mihira wasverily a promising boy, astrological trait was his ancestralassets; wandering and wandering, he reached to an astrologeríshouse in Lanka. He studied astrology. He was married tothe daughter of an astrologer, she was an expert inastrology. With the passage of time he travelled to India.He also came to Ujjain and defeated Varåha. Somehowor other Varåha came to know that he was his son.

Now difficult amongst difficult questions were beingsolved. On a few occasions, sitting inside her house, Khanåused to remind her father-in-law about his great flaw.Locals were not knowing that wife of Mihira was sointelligent. Varåha felt a grudge on her intelligence. He feltuneasy on his errors; being pointed out by her at times.


She was such an expert in astrological calculations thatVaråha or Mihira were not knowing even a smallest partthereof.

One day, the king asked Varåha difficult question aboutstars-folk. He begged some time. Returning to his housein the evening, he started solving the question but in vain.On dinner table, Khanå solved the question very easily;Varåha was pleased that with the knowledge of hisdaughter-in-law, his dignity in royal court will remainintact. Next day the king asked about the process of solvingthe question. Varåha had to disclose that Khanå has solvedthe question. The king along with all courtiers were takenaback. The king told, ìBring her with respect in the royalcourt, I will ask more questions.î Varåha did not like this.On returning home, he ordered his son to cut the tongueof Khanå. Mihira was in a dilemma, either to obey theorder of his father or to see the love of his pious, chasteand learned wife. Khanå told to Mihira that obedienceto the order of his father is more valuable than the loveand affection of a wife. She told, ìI will die in an accident,therefore, you cut my tongue, fearlessly.î

Mihira followed the request of his chaste wife. He cuther tongue. Thus, pious lady Khanå gave a true lesson toher husband regarding his righteous duty and saved herfather-in-law from taking his daughter-in-law to the royalcourt.

Cultivators and villagers folk use to calculate andpredict about rain and drought etc., on the basis of theprinciples set-up by Khanå.

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Through Discharge of DutyOne Attains Eternal Love

óSwami Sharanananda

The fruit of discharge of oneís duties is not theenjoyment of transient happinessóeven of heavenóbutrelease from the bondage of pleasure and pain and theattainment of eternal life and love. Pleasure and pain aregiven even to the subhuman creation. Man has the privilegeof making right use of pleasure and pain, in the light ofViveka, to rise above them.

A life enlightened by Viveka is a dutiful life, for the lightof Viveka is given to man to illumine his path of duty.

Duty well done makes for Nivætti from unessentialSa∆kalpas and fulfilment of essential Sa∆kalpas; whichtransforms Bhoga into Yoga.

Duty teaches us to make right use of our environmentand to cease to brood over things, objects and environmentnot given to us. In fact, the unfailing watchword ofdutifulness is right use of the power and respect for thelight of Viveka given to one.

A Sådhaka should remain wary in his doings; buthappy in whatever happens, which is Divine dispensation.To be wary in doing means that in whatever we do, weshould reflect over three things: (i) What for are we doingit? (ii) With what motive and feeling are we doing it? and(iii) How are we doing it? What happens is destiny orDivine dispensation. We should not sully our minds byexpecting fruits of action according to the dispensation ofour limited minds! Whatever we do in expectation of anydesired results, is prompted by selfishness or the desire for


indulgence, and must result in sorrow. Desire for fruits ofaction is a symptom of attachment, which should have noplace in the life of a Sådhaka. For a Sådhaka the dischargeof duty is itself the richest fruit of action for it releasesone from shackles of doership. The Sådhaka should reflectthat when he does all that he can, will not the Divine dowhat is best for him? Desire for the fruit of action denoteslack of faith in the unquestioned Master of all actions,which is an affront to the Divine.

When all our Pravættis are motivated by pure feelingsand with the right goal in view, and are carried out withefficiency, that means we are proceeding towards Nivættióleading unto desirelessness and the splitting of the ego. Byacting in this manner and remaining happy in whateverhappens, we obtain an understanding of the Divine Planand a foretaste of divine beauty.

Only a dutiful life is the life for a Sådhaka. Rightthought and right action are the essence of oneís duties.By right thought and right action only we can unwindwrong thought and wrong action and achieve the state ofpure action.

Lastly, right action is attained automatically by one whoperforms all action in the service of others; who never seeksor expects happiness born of the unhappiness of others;who indeed welcomes and feels happy in any sufferingcaused by the happiness of others. Any happiness born ofthe unhappiness of others turns into unhappiness to oneself;and any suffering which is born of the happiness of othersturns into Ånanda to oneself. The rules of right action,therefore, prohibit indulgence in any happiness in whichis ingrained the unhappiness of others, but encouragewilling acceptance of any suffering in which is ingrainedthe happiness of others.

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Read and Digest

Doing good to others, is virtue and harming others, issin.

* * *Truthfulness is God manifest in the human world.

* * *In that heart where love abides, there God is; and God

dwells not in that heart where love is not.* * *

There is no treasure higher than truth. Truth is God,God is truth.

* * *He alone loves who is willing to laydown his life for

the object of his love. It is such love that makes one liveand do great service.

* * *Success lies in goodness only. Strength lies in purity

or in pious-living.* * *

Fear, anger, sorrow, danger, expectations, disappointmentsetc., will embarrass you, as long as the temptations,enchantment and glamour of the world continue to attractand allure you.

* * *A religion does not teach us to fight with others. The

first principle of every religion is know and feel Godíspresence everywhere.

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Bahvæcopani¶adóK. Subramanian

This §Rgveda Upani¶ad is one among the nine ›åktaUpani¶ads and, as its name suggests, describes Goddess›akti (Dev∂) in many words. It explains in detail about theexistence of ›akti from whom all Gods and Knowledgeoriginated. It also hints ›r∂ Vidyå Upåsanå.

’uÔ ÎøÊ¬ÁŸ·Ã˜˙ flÊæ˜U◊ ◊ŸÁ‚ ¬˝ÁÃÁDÔUÃÊ ◊ŸÊ ◊ flÊÁø ¬˝ÁÃÁDÔUÃ◊ÊÁfl⁄UÊflË◊¸ ∞Áœ

flŒSÿ ◊ •ÊáÊËSÕ— üÊÈÃ¢ ◊ ◊Ê¬„UÊ‚Ë⁄ŸŸÊœËÃŸÊ„UÊ⁄UÊòÊÊà‚¢ŒœÊêÿÎÃ¢ flÁŒcÿÊÁ◊–‚àÿ¢ flÁŒcÿÊÁ◊– Ãã◊Ê◊flÃÈ– ÃŒflÄÃÊ⁄U◊flÃÈ– •flÃÈ ◊Ê◊– •flÃÈ flÄÃÊ⁄U◊flÃÈflÄÃÊ⁄U◊˜–

˙ ‡ÊÊÁãÃ— ‡ÊÊÁãÃ— ‡ÊÊÁãÃ—HMay my speech stay permanently in my mind and my

mind in the speech. O Self-effulgent one, reveal yourselfto me. May speech and mind be carriers of Veda to me. Maynot all that I have heard, depart from me. I shall join togetherday and night through study. I shall tell what is verballytrue. I shall tell what is mentally true. May Brahman protectme. May that protect the speaker. May that protect meómay that protect the speakerómay that protect the speaker.

„UÁ⁄U— ˙– ŒflËsÔ∑§Êª˝ •Ê‚ËÃ˜– ‚Ò√Ê ¡ªŒá«U◊‚Î¡Ã˜– ∑§Ê◊∑§‹ÁÃÁflôÊÊÿÃ– oÎXÔUÊ⁄U∑§‹ÁÃ ÁflôÊÊÿÃ–

Hari Om. The Goddess was the only one in thebeginning. She alone created the Universe in the form ofan egg. She is known as ìKåmakalåî and ì›æ∆gårakalåî.

(The 3 Bindus at the centre ›r∂ Cakra (of ›r∂ Vidyå)are the root potential of Sun, Moon and Fire and arecollectively called as Kåmakalå.)

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ÃSÿÊ ∞fl ’˝rÊÔÊ •¡Ë¡ŸÃ˜– ÁflcáÊÈ⁄U¡Ë¡ŸÃ˜– L§º˝Ê˘¡Ë¡ŸÃ˜– ‚fl¸◊L§ºªáÊÊ •¡Ë¡ŸÃ– ªãœflÊå‚⁄U‚— Á∑§ãŸ⁄UÊ flÊÁŒòÊflÊÁŒŸ— ‚◊ãÃÊŒ¡Ë¡ŸŸ–÷ÊÇÿ◊¡Ë¡ŸÃ– ‚fl◊¡Ë¡ŸÃ– ‚flZ ‡ÊÊÄÃ◊¡Ë¡ŸÃ– •á«U¡¢ SflŒ¡◊ÈÁjÖ¡¢¡⁄UÊÿÈ¡¢ ÿÁà∑§ÜøÒÃà¬˝ÊÁáÊ SÕÊfl⁄U¡XÔU◊¢ ◊ŸÈcÿ◊¡Ë¡ŸÃ˜– ‚Ò·Ê ¬⁄UÊ‡ÊÁÄÃ—H

Brahmå was born of Her. Vi¶ƒu was born, Rudra wasborn. All Maruts (wind-gods) were born. Gandharvas(celestial minstrels), Apsarås (nymphs), Kinnaras (semi-human beings playing on instruments) were born. Allenjoyable things were born. Everything was born. Allpowerful things were born. AƒŒaja (Egg-born). Swedaja(sweat-born), Udbhijja (seed-born), Jaråyuja (womb-born),all breathing creatures, movables, immovables and humanbeings were born. Thus this powerful supreme is Parå‹akti.

‚Ò·Ê ‡ÊÊê÷flË ÁfllÊ∑§ÊÁŒÁfllÁÃ flÊ „UÊÁŒÁfllÁÃ flÊ ‚ÊÁŒÁfllÁÃ flÊ⁄U„USÿ◊– •Ê◊Ê¥ flÊÁø ¬ÁÃc∆UÊ ‚Òfl ¬È⁄UòÊÿ¢ ‡Ê⁄UË⁄UòÊÿ¢ √ÿÊåÿ ’Á„U⁄UãÃ⁄Ufl÷Ê‚ÿãÃËŒ‡Ê∑§Ê‹flSàflãÃ⁄U‚¢ªÊã◊„UÊÁòÊ¬È⁄U‚ÈãŒ⁄UË flÒ ¬˝àÿ∑˜ ÁøÁÃ—–

She is ›åmbhav∂ Vidyå. She is Kådi Vidyå, Hådi Vidyåand Sådi Vidyå. She is the secret O≈ groundedin the word O≈. She who pervades the 3 cities, the 3 bodiesillumining in the out dissociating with space, time and object,is the Mahå Tripura Sundar∂ known as J¤ånåtmå.

(›åmbhav∂ Vidyå or ›r∂ Vidyå Mantra is the king ofMantras. Mantra can activate all the inner bodies and bestowpsychic and soul powers like telepathy, hypnotism, astraltravelling and omniscience on an individual. It is the MotherTripura Sundar∂ís Mµula Mantra. It is the famous Pa¤cada‹∂Mantra. It has 3 Sections (Kµutas) each ending with Hr∂≈.

›r∂ Vidyå Mantra that begins with Ka is known as KådiVidyå.

∑§ ∞ ß¸ ‹ OÔUË¥ Ka E I La Hr∂≈›r∂ Vidyå Mantra that begins with Ha is known as

Hådi Vidyå.

Bahvæcopani¶ad


„U ‚ ∑§ ‹ OÔUË¥ Ha Sa Ka La Hr∂≈›r∂ Vidyå Mantra that begins with Sa is known as

Sådi Vidyå.‚ ∑§ „U ‹ OÔUË¥ Sa Ka Ha La Hr∂≈Ist set is the Head of the Goddess and relates to Våk

(power of speech) and also relates to Brahmå and §Rgveda.2nd set is the Neck of the Goddess and relates to

Kåmaråja (king of love) and also relates to Vi¶ƒu andYajurveda.

3rd set is below the Hips of the Goddess and relatesto ›akti (power of Transformation) and also relates to ›ivaand Såmaveda.)

‚ÒflÊà◊Ê ÃÃÊ˘ãÿŒ‚àÿ◊ŸÊà◊Ê •Ã ∞·Ê ’˝rÊÔ‚¢ÁflÁûÊ÷Ê¸flÊ÷Êfl∑§‹ÊÁflÁŸ◊È¸ÄÃÊ ÁøÁmlÊÁmÃËÿ’˝rÊÔ‚¢ÁflÁûÊ— ‚ÁëøŒÊŸãŒ‹„U⁄UË ◊„UÊÁòÊ¬È⁄U‚ÈãŒ⁄UË’Á„U⁄UãÃ⁄UŸÈ¬˝Áfl‡ÿ Sfl◊∑Ò fl Áfl÷ÊÁÃ–

She alone is Åtman. Other than Her is Non-Åtman andUntruth. Hence, she is in the form of Brahmaj¤åna free fromBeing and Non-being. She is the seed of J¤åna and non-dual Brahman. She is Sat, Cit, Ånanda. She alone shinesinside and outside. She is Mahå Tripura Sundar∂ only.

ÿŒÁSÃ ‚ã◊ÊòÊ◊˜– ÿÁm÷ÊÁÃ Áøã◊ÊòÊ◊˜– ÿÁà¬˝ÿ◊ÊŸãŒ¢ ÃŒÃà‚flÊ¸∑§Ê⁄UÊ◊„UÊÁòÊ¬È⁄U‚ÈãŒ⁄UË–

She alone is Sat, Cit, Ånanda. She alone shines insideand outside. She is Mahå Tripura Sundar∂ only. Whatexists is Sat (pure Being). What shines is Cit (pureconsciousness) and what is dear is Ånanda (bliss).

àfl¢ øÊ„¢U ø ‚flZ Áfl‡fl¢ ‚fl¸ŒflÃÊ– ßÃ⁄Uà‚flZ ◊„UÊÁòÊ¬È⁄U‚ÈãŒ⁄UË– ‚àÿ◊∑¢§‹Á‹ÃÊÅÿ¢ flSÃÈ ÃŒÁmÃËÿ¢◊πá«UÊÕZ ¬⁄¢U ’˝rÊÔ–

Therefore, she is the Mahå Tripurasundar∂ who assumesall forms. You and I and all the world and all the divinitiesare the Mahå Tripurasundar∂. Lalitå is the name of the

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sole Truth. It is the non-dual integrated Parabrahma.¬¢øM§¬¬Á⁄UàÿÊªÊŒSflM§¬¬˝„UÊáÊÃ—– •ÁœDÔUÊŸ¢ ¬⁄¢U Ãûfl◊∑¢ ‚Áë¿UcÿÃ

◊„UÃ˜– ßÁÃ–What remains beyond the Pa¤ca Brahma (Brahmå,

Vi¶ƒu, Rudra, Mahe‹wara, Sadå‹iva) and beyond thePa¤ca Bhµutas (Air, Space, Agni, Water and Earth) is theTruth which is the abode for all the Beings.

¬˝ôÊÊŸ¢ ’˝rÊÔÁÃ flÊ •„¢U ’˝rÊÔÊS◊ËÁÃ flÊ ÷ÊcÿÃ– Ãûfl◊‚Ëàÿfl ‚¢÷ÊcÿÃ–•ÿ◊Êà◊Ê ’˝rÊÔÁÃ flÊ ’˝rÊÔÒflÊ„U◊S◊ËÁÃ flÊ ÿÊ˘„U◊S◊ËÁÃ flÊ ‚Ê˘„U◊S◊ËÁÃflÊ ÿÊ˘‚ÊÒ ‚Ê˘„U◊S◊ËÁÃ flÊ ÿÊ ÷ÊcÿÃ– ‚Ò·Ê ·Ê«U‡ÊË üÊËÁfllÊ¬ÜøŒ‡ÊÊˇÊ⁄UË üÊË◊„UÊÁòÊ¬È⁄U‚ÈãŒ⁄UË ’Ê‹ÊÁê’∑§ÁÃ ’ª‹ÁÃ flÊ ◊ÊÃXÔUËÁÃSflÿ¢fl⁄U∑§ÀÿÊáÊËÁÃ ÷ÈflŸ‡fl⁄UË øÊ◊Èá«UÁÃ øá«UÁÃ flÊ⁄UÊ„UËÁÃ ÁÃ⁄US∑§Á⁄UáÊËÁÃ⁄UÊ¡◊ÊÃXÔUËÁÃ flÊ ‡ÊÈ∑§‡ÿÊ◊‹ÁÃ flÊ ‹ÉÊÈ‡ÿÊ◊‹ÁÃ flÊ •‡flÊM§…UÁÃ flÊ¬˝àÿÁXÔU⁄UÊ œÍ◊ÊflÃË ‚ÊÁflòÊË ‚Ê⁄USflÃË ’˝rÊÔÊŸãŒ∑§‹ÁÃ–

That which Mahåvåkya ìPraj¤åna≈ Brahmaî (Brahmanis Consciousness) or ìAha≈ Brahmåsmiî (I am Brahma)mentioned in the Vedas is taught as ìTat Tva≈ Asiî (Youare that) and that which Brahma Vidyås ìAya≈ ÅtmåBrahmaî (This Åtman is Brahma) and ìBrahma Aha≈Asmiî (I am Brahma) etc., are the ›r∂ Vidyå.

She who is worshipped as ìYoíhamasmiî or ìSoíhamasmi î or ìYoísau soíhamasmiî (That which I am, Iam He) or (What is He, is that I am) is the §SoŒa‹∂, ›r∂vidyå,Pa¤cada‹åk¶ar∂, Mahå Tripurasundar∂, Bålåmbikå, Bagalå,Måta∆g∂, Swaya≈varakalyåƒ∂, Bhuvane‹war∂, CåmuƒŒå,Canda, Våråh∂, Tiraskariƒ∂ Råjamåta∆g∂, ›uka‹yåmalå,Laghu‹yåmalå, A‹wårµuŒhå, Pratya∆girå, Dhµumåvat∂, Såvitr∂,Saraswat∂, Brahmånanandakalå.

´§øÊ •ˇÊ⁄U ¬⁄U◊ √ÿÊ◊Ÿ˜– ÿÁS◊ãŒflÊ •Áœ Áfl‡fl ÁŸ·ŒÈ—– ÿSÃãŸflŒ Á∑§◊ÎøÊ ∑§Á⁄UcÿÁÃ– ÿ ßàÃÁmŒÈSÃ ß◊ ‚◊Ê‚ÃH ßàÿÈ¬ÁŸ·Ã˜H

„UÁ⁄U— ˙ Ãà‚Ã˜–

Bahvæcopani¶ad


All Gods and the Universe dwell in the highest shiningsphere. What then he, who do not know this, will do withthe Vedas? They, who know this well, will dwell all right.Thus ends the Upani¶ad.

O≈ Tat Sat.❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

The man who feels the presence of God, both withinand outside himself, deserves to be worshipped, both byMyself and Thyself. Undoubtedly he should also be theobject of worship by others.

óSwami Rama Tirtha

You cannot have God and mammon together. Youmust give yourself to God wholly. He is the Eternal Loverand He is begging the love of you all.

Worrying wastes time and energy. Worry is the brakeon the wheels of your efforts. It brings you to a deadstop. Nothing is impossible unless you think it is.

God-devotee Jayamala

There was a king named Jayamala who loved Kæ¶ƒawith all his heart. He followed with unfailing devotion, allthe rites and ceremonies associated with the adoration ofKæ¶ƒa, whom he worshipped under the name of›yåmalasundara. Completely satisfied with his own IdealDeity, he never directed his attention to any other god orgoddess. One of the inflexible rules of his devotions wasto worship the Deity daily till almost midday. He wouldnever deviate from this practice, even at the risk of hiswealth or his kingdom. Learning this secret, an enemy kinginvaded the kingdom during the morning hours. Jayamalaíssoldiers could not fight without his command; so theywatched the invasion silently. Slowly the enemy surroundedthe moat of the capital; yet Jayamala did not come out ofhis shrine room. His mother came to him and wept bitterly,trying to persuade the king to fight. He said to her calmly:ìWhy are you worried? ›yåmalasundara gave me thiskingdom. What can I do if He has decided to take it away?On the other hand, none will be able to do me harm ifHe protects me. Our own efforts are vain!î

And actually, in the meantime, ›yamalasundara, theDeity Himself had taken the kingís horse from the stableand had ridden fully armed to the field. Alone He facedthe hostile king and alone destroyed his army. Havingcrushed the enemy forces, the Deity returned to the templeand fastened the horse nearby,

Jayamala, on completing his worship, came out and


discovered the horse there, panting and covered with sweat.ìWho has been riding my horse?î he demanded. ìWhobrought it to the temple?î The officers declared they knewnothing about it. In a pensive mood the king proceededto the battlefield with his army and there found the enemy,with the exception of their leader, lying dead. He wasstaring uncomprehendingly at the scene, when the enemyking approached, worshipped him, and said: ìPlease permitme to tell you something. How could I fight? You havea warrior who could conquer the entire world. I do notwant your wealth or your kingdom; indeed I will gladlygive you my own, if you will tell me about that BlueWarrior, your friend. No sooner did I turn my eyes onhim than he cast a spell on my heart and soul.î

Jayamala then realized it had been none other than›yåmalasundara that had appeared on the battlefield. Theenemy king understood too. He worshipped Jayamala andthrough his blessings received Kæ¶ƒaís grace.

❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

All have claim on me and I have no claim at allon any bodyóthis is the root principle of true service.

óSwami Sharanananda

Peace will come when we discipline our hearts tosee God in all, not just in those who love us.

óThe Divine Romance

Remembering God does not Add to His Greatness

If I repeat the Name, I live; if I forget I die;It is difficult to repeat the true Name.If man hunger after the true Name,His pain shall depart when he satisfieth himself with it.Then how could I forget it, O my mother?If all men joined and tried to describe Him,That would not add to or detract from His greatness;He continueth to give us our daily bread which never

faileth;His praise is that there neither is,Nor was nor shall be anyone like unto Him.As great as Thou art Thyself,O God, so great are Thy gifts.They who forget their spouse are evil persons.Nånaka, without His Name they are naught.

óR. R. Khanna❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

Where does Goddess Lak¶m∂ Reside?

One rich man was sleeping in the night. He dreamtLak¶m∂j∂ is saying asóìO Se¢ha ! Your virtue has cometo an end, therefore, I will depart from your house in afew days. Whatever you want to ask for, you ask.î

The rich man toldóìI will consult my kinsmen tomorrowmorning and then I will ask for whatever I have to.î

Morning came. The rich man told about the dream.Some of his kinsmen advised him to ask for diamond andgems, someone advised to ask for enough gold, someonefavoured with lot of grains, someone for vehicle and some-one for building. Turn of his youngest daughter-in-lawcame in the last and she toldóìFather ! When departureof Lak¶m∂j∂ is obvious, then how all these materials willremain with us? So also, though you will ask these butyou will not get all these. You ask for the everlasting loveand affectionate relation with each other amongst kinsmen.If love and affecion remains between one and all, then eventhe days of adversity could be blown up happily.î

The rich man approved the suggestion of his youngestdaughter-in-law. In the next night in dream he had thevision of Lak¶m∂j∂. The rich man prayedóìDevi ! Whenyou want to go then you can do so with pleasure; but kindlybless us with boon that our kinsmen are affectionate to eachother forever.î

Lak¶m∂j∂ toldóìSe¢ha! You asked for such a boon thatyou have bound me. If family-members live a life oflove and affection with each other, how I can leave thathouse.î

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ªÈ⁄UflÊ ÿòÊ ¬ÍÖÿãÃ ÿòÊÊuÔUÊŸ¢ ‚È‚¢S∑Î§Ã◊˜–•ŒãÃ∑§‹„UÊ ÿòÊ ÃòÊ ‡Ê∑˝§ fl‚Êêÿ„U◊˜H

Dev∂ Lak¶m∂j∂ has told to Lord IndraóìIndra ! Theabode where Guru-folks are revered, others are behavedin a civilized manner and no one speak which leads tostrife (one who keep silent even anger is erupted in hisheart), that is my abode.î

❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

Where does Goddess Lak¶m∂ Reside?

To be able to say to oneself, ìI have wronged nooneî is to be the happiest person on earth.

So long as man clings to God and does all his workfor Him, he gains more and more. Thereby, on thecontrary, if he overlooks God and adds to his list ofworks many grand achievements, all done for his ownglorification, he will gain nothing therefrom.

óSri Ramakrishna

When we were hankering after worldly objects, theywere receding, but now, when we have become indifferentto them, they are eager and over-anxious to come to us.

Hallowness of Worldly Love

A Guru said to his disciple: ìThe world is illusory.Come away with me.î But, revered sir, said the disciple,ìMy people at homeómy father, my mother, my wifeólove me so much. How can I give them up?î The Gurusaid: ìNo doubt you now have this feeling of ëIí and ëmineíand say that they love you: but this is all an illusion ofyour mind. I shall teach you a trick, and you will knowwhether they love you truly or not.î Saying this, the teachergave the disciple a pill and said to him: ìSwallow this athome. You will appear to be a corpse, but you will notlose consciousness. You will see everything and heareverything. Then I shall come to your house and graduallyyou will regain your normal state.î

The disciple followed the teacherís instructions and layon his bed like a dead person. The house was filled withloud wailing. His mother, his wife, and the others lay onthe ground weeping bitterly. Just then a brahmin enteredthe house and said to them, ìWhat is the matter with you?îThis boy is dead, they replied. The brahmin felt his pulseand said: ìHow is that? No, he is not dead. I have amedicine for him that will cure him completely. The joyof the relatives was unbounded: it seemed to them thatheaven itself had come down into their house. ëButí, saidthe brahmin, ëI must tell you something else. Anotherperson must take some of this medicine first, and then theboy must swallow the rest. But the other person will die.I see he has so many dear relatives here; one of them willcertainly agree to take the medicine. I see his wife and

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mother crying bitterly. Surely they will not hesitate totake it.î

At once the weeping stopped and all sat quite. TheMother said: ìWell, this is a big family. Suppose I die;then who will look after the family?î She fell into areflective mood. The wife, who had been crying a minutebefore and bemoaning her ill luck, said: ìWell, he has gonethe way of mortals. I have these two or three youngchildren. Who will look after them if I die?î

The disciple saw everything and heard everything. Hestood up at once and said to the teacher: ìLet us go, reveredsir. I will follow you.î (All laugh.)

Another disciple said to his teacher: ìRevered sir, mywife takes great care of me. It is for her sake that I cannotgive up the world.î The disciple practised Ha¢hayoga. Theteacher taught him too, a trick to test his wifeís love. Oneday there was a great wailing in his house. The neighbourscame running and saw the Ha¢hayog∂ seated in a posture,his limbs paralysed and distorted. They thought he wasdead. His wife fell on the ground, weeping piteously: ìOh,what has befallen me? How have you provided for ourfuture? Oh, friends, I never dreamt I should meet such afate!î

In the meantime the relatives and friends had broughta cot to take the corpse out. But suddenly a difficulty aroseas they started to move it. Since the body was twisted andstiff, it could not be taken out through the door. Aneighbour quickly brought an axe and began to chop awaythe door-frame. The wife was crying bitterly, when sheheard the sound of the axe. She ran to the door. ìWhatare you doing, friends?î she asked, still weeping. Theneighbour said, ìWe canít take the body out; so we arechopping away the door-frame.î

Hallowness of Worldly Love


ëPleaseí, said the wife, ëdonít do any such thing. I ama widow now; I have no one to look after me. I haveto bring up these young children. If you destroy this door,I shall not be able to replace it. Friends death is inevitablefor all, and my husband cannot be called back to life. Youhad better cut his limbs.í The Ha¢hayog∂ at once stood up.The effect of the medicine had worn off. He said to hiswife: ìYou evil one! You want to cut off my hands andfeet, do you?î So saying, he renounced home and followedhis teacher.

óThe Gospel of Sri Ramkrishna❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

One may go on a pilgrimage to Ga∆gåsågara (estuaryof the Ga∆gå) or observe austerities or give wealth incharity, yet by these (alone), without knowledge, liberationcannot be attained even in a hundred lives.

óSri Shankaracharya

He is born in vain, who having attained the humanbirth, so difficult to get, does not attempt to realize Godin this very life.

óSri Ramakrishna

TemptationsóAnilbaran Roy

All the beautiful things in the world conspire to makeus renegades. The universe is full of the joy for whichour soul hankers, but we do not know the true way ofsatisfaction. We are irresistibly drawn by anything thatoffers us joy, but through ignorance we fall into traps laidfor us by nature; instead of the true joy we seek, we bringendless misery and suffering on ourselves.

We have a fundamental craving in us for work, forthe expression of our nature through the right and the good;but we do not know the true way of work, and takingour desires as our guide we fall into inexorable bondage.

Our soul thirsts for knowledge, but we do not knowthe true way of attaining the truth, and indulging inincessant, restless mental activity keep ourselves envelopedin darkness.

Our search for the Beautiful and the Good and the Truemust be made through Thee, Mother. Thou embodiest inThyself all the true movements in the universe. We muststernly reject all the temptings of falsehood and constantlyturn to Thee and Thee alone for the satisfaction of the truestneeds of our soul. For me, let there be no world, noexistence except in and through Thee, Mother Divine.

❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

By Changing Your Standpoint, Be FreeóSwami Rama Tirtha

At one time there came a man to a meeting where weall had God-consciousness, and on entering he began tocry and weep and beat his breast; nobody attended to him.He was grieving over the death of Råmaís son and thisboy was related to this man. Well, nobody attended to him,at last he sat down, and then he was asked quietly, calmly,plainly to hush his anxiety and to console himself, and hesaid he could not bear the death of this relation of his (theson of Råma). None of the audience could weep or cryor show any signs of disturbance, for there was the stateof God-consciousness; there was that state where everythingin the world was looked at from the standpoint of God;there was that condition where the old songs were set tothe new music of Divinity. The words or remarks whichescaped the lips at that time were as followsóìO brother,the fact that you are a relative, is of the same sort assomebody coming and saying ëO sir! the wind is blowing,but, O fellow, what if the wind does blow, what isunnatural about it to upset us? Or O sir, the river is flowing;what if the river flows, it is natural, why should it upsetus; the river flows, that is natural; there is nothing abnormalor extraordinary about these statements. Similarly when youcome and say that Råmaís son is dead, there is nothingextraordinary about it, it is most natural; everyone who isborn, is born to die. When you enter the university, doyou enter to stay but a short time or make it your homeall the time; do you get examined or remain there all your

57

life as a freshman or sophomore? When you enter thefreshman class, it is intended that you should leave thatclass one day and go on to the sophomore class, etc.î

When you enter a staircase, it is understood that youare not to remain there always, but will leave the staircaseafter a short time.

When you reincarnate, is it not understood that youmust leave that reincarnation or past life?

Similarly when you enter this body, it is understoodthat you will leave this body. So, if that boy whom youcall Råmaís boy, is dead, it is quite natural, there is nothingremarkable or curious about it. It is not strange, it shouldnot upset you, it is like saying that you had your nailspared today. If the son is dead, all right, there is nothingunnatural about it.

This is the way to look at your worldly relations andthus keep yourself free.

❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

By Changing Your Standpoint, Be Free

You may have faith in all the gods and goddesses,but if you do not have faith in yourself, you will neverachieve anything.

óSwami Vivekananda

The glory of human life lies in being useful for theuniverse by its selfless service, for his ownself by self-realisation, and for God by developing love for Him.

óEditor

Our Guiding ForceóMrinalini Mata

Understanding is the searchlight that illumines your wayand brings success.....Understanding should be your guidingforce in every situation. No matter what your trials, try tounderstand. God never causes harm or suffering to anyone.It is we, who, by understanding or misunderstanding, helpor hinder ourselves......

When my trials become very great, I first seekunderstanding in myself. I do not blame circumstances ortry to correct anybody else. I go inside first. I try to cleanthe citadel of my soul to remove anything that obstructsthe soulís all-powerful, all-wise expression. That is thesuccessful way to live........

Many, many trials I have faced in life. The mostdifficult of all are those with human beings, because theydo not understand. I have seen people, I have loved peopleto whom I have given my heart, misunderstand. But thathas never created bitterness in me. If bitterness arises inyour heart, out of the non-understanding of others, you willlose your own understanding. Do not let yourself feel hurtwhen someone misunderstands you. Rather, pay moreattention to helping that person. If you can neutralize yourfeelings towards those who misunderstand you, you willbe ever ready to help anyone and everyone.......

Put yourself in all kinds of adverse situations, getyourself talked against, be the butt of ridicule and hate,and watch your reactions. If you are not inwardly disturbed,if you can dismiss all feelings of hurt and injustice and

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keep only love in your heart, that is real understanding......Lord Kæ¶ƒa says in the Bhagavadg∂tå, ìBe even-

minded in pleasure and sorrow. He does not tell you tobe callous or hard, like a stone. He tells you to learnunderstanding. When you live in that impregnable castleof understanding, no sorrow can touch you, no disease ortortures of the flesh can reach you......

It is easy to make yourself miserable if you do not haveunderstanding. I could justly reason, ìThe world does notunderstand me. Why be in this materialistic land when Icould enjoy the greatest spiritual freedom in the Himalayaswith Båbåj∂í. But if you have understanding, you say,ìWherever I am. I must conquer.î If you conquer yourselfwithin yourself, all of the weaknesses of your mind, allthe habits that beat you down, you are a real conqueror.You must never admit defeat. Only when you haveadmitted defeat are you defeated......

To fly away from problems may seem the easiestsolution. But you gain strength only when you wrestle witha strong opponent. One who does not have difficulties is,one who does not grow. When you have understanding,you have no fears. In understanding lies security.

Gurudeva taught us that a life without problems is nolife at all, because there is no progress. One would be likea vegetable. Problems make us strong; they give us theunderstanding that Paramaha≈saj∂ is talking aboutóif weface them with the right attitude.

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Our Guiding Force

Spirituality Brings Magnanimityin Life!

(Health is Necessary for Spirituality)óProf. Sudesh Gogia

Health is unpredictable! You cannot buy it at any price.But you can achieve it if you could take care of your bodywhich is possible only if you understand its needs, the rightnutrition and proper exercises.

Body Basics: In Engineering terms, the human bodyis perhaps the most sublimely designed machine form andfunctionality merge seamlessly to produce the complex andcomplicated system known as the body. A whole rangeof systems are interlocked into place skeleton muscular,nervous, lymphatic, cardlovascular, endocrinal, digestiveand the reproductive. They all function in co-ordination soprecisely as to put any most complex machine to shame!

You are what you eat: Food is the fuel of life. Itísthe primary and in real terms, the only source of all thatour body requires to function; vitamins, minerals, nutritionand energy. A healthy balanced diet is vital for a healthybody. But modern lifestyles have brought a sea change inwhat we eat and the way we eat! A change in food patternsand a mismatch between the food pattern and the lifestylebeing lived, is the biggest culprit in the deterioration ofyour health. The urban world is a sedentary space.We nolonger have the time or the space to burn our calories.

The solution is a simple one: Watch what you eat.Understand the value and nutrients integral to each food

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sourceólentils in the form of sprouts are near miraculousstores of energy. Opt for whole grains to refined ones. Usecooking oils thatíre naturally fat. Known that the food thatyou eat, could even affect your emotional mood andintelligence level. An awareness of the pranic qualities offood may be useful in health and spiritual terms. Andfinally, sitting down for a healthy family meal, may notonly keep you off the junk food, but also create a specialfamily bond. And remember the basic equation what youeat, should not be more than what you burn as body fuel.

Fighting Fit: Along with our lifestyles, our options forremaining fit have also changed. Some are our everydaybasic variety. Where possible, opt for the stairs rather theelevators. If itís short distance and thereís a proper walkingpath, use two feet instead of four wheels! Your health andthe environment both will benefit. In body terms, researchhas shown that even as little as 30 minutes of daily properexercises in the vicinity of greenery under the sky, willhave a positive impact on your health. As an added bonus,exercise releases endorphins or feel good hormones intoyour blood stream. So you tend to feel happier and morepositive if you exercise regularly. That means a lesseningof stress, you are lowering your chance of stress andminimizing your lifestyle related diseases. Pick the rightexercise and ëPråƒåyåmaí that work for you! You maygo for Brisk walk amidst trees, plants and greenery. Aregular 30 minute Brisk Walking not only keeps your heartand brain healthy yet diabetes and obesity too are contained.It has also been revealed in a study on 290 patients atAIIMS, New Delhi that menís alcohol and womenís highBP are responsible for the stroke. 30% more women areprone to anger then men! Anger is the root cause forwomen suffering from high BP and stroke! You may opt

Spirituality Brings Magnanimity in Life!


for ancient technique such as Yoga. Avoid A. C. corridorsfor exercises. Breath-in deep fresh air, breath out removingall the toxins of your body. It rejuvenates your body andmind, charges you, energises your cells and retards aging!

Laughter the Best Medicine: Laughter is an internaljogging of your vital organs. Itís considered unfailingremedy for hypertension, manic depressive psychosis,headache, B. P. sleep disorder, heart diseases and cancer.A vigorous healthy laughter reduces cholesterol, increasedimmunity secretions of insulin is optimum. A hearty laughimproves memory, efficiency escalates and the secretionsof endorpohin is at the highest level.

The laughing exercise makes a person joyful apart fromrejuvenating the whole body, improves drastically thedigestive system and strengthens the lungs and the heart.Itís a powerful antidote to stress pain. Laughter chases thetoxins out of your body system, necessary to make youfeel greatly refreshed physically, mentally and emotionally!

Everyone likes a cheerful person! Heís like the brightsunshine for others. John Masefied has correctly said:ìLaugh and be marry!î

Meditation and Spirituality: Meditation is nothing butit introduces you to yourself. Be an enlightened soul andview life as Lord Kæ¶ƒa is singing through you. Followthe doctrines of ›r∂mad Bhagavadg∂tå.

Be spiritual, spirituality brings magnaninity in life.Good health is essential for spirituality.

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RåmaóA Perfect PersonóSwami Tejomayananda

The Råmåyaƒa is the story of a noble prince who wasan ideal son, brother, disciple, husband and king. Generallywe find that a person is perfect in only one or tworelationships. To find someone who is ideal in all of hisrelationships, in all fields of activity is nearly impossible.Yet, in the Råmåyaƒa, ›r∂ Råma achieves what weconsider ìnearly impossible.îMaryådå Puru¶aó

Sage Vålm∂ki wrote the Råmåyaƒa and presented ›r∂Råma as the perfect person because every society alwaysneeds an ideal. When people have a higher goal in theirlives, they strive hard to improve and bring out the bestin themselves. But if oneís ideal is low or there is no highergoal to aspire to, one only drifts along.

Some believe that the Råmåyaƒa is imaginary, nothistorical. This may be because we are unable to live upto even the simplest of noble principles in life, and concludethat a person as perfect as ›r∂ Råma is not possible. Thefact is that ›r∂ Råma was a living person, and even now,lives in our hearts. The Råmåyaƒa is not a work of fiction.Vi¶ƒu-Avatåraó

›r∂ Råma was not only an ideal man, he was anAvatåra of Mahåvi¶ƒu. Because ›r∂ Råmaís life was theembodiment of Dharma of righteousness, the Råmåyaƒais also considered to be a Dharma-Såstra. Its method ofteaching is different from ›ruti and Smæti as the latter teachby way of commandments or injunctions. Prabhu Våkya;


they state directly what one ought to do and what one oughtnot to do; what is right and what is wrong. But anotherway of teaching is Mitra Våkya, by which we are givenfriendly advice about good and bad conduct. As a Dharma-›åstra, the Råmåyaƒa is considered to be a Mitra Våkya.

Most of us need more than just commandments oradvice. We need demonstrations in practical life, and ourquestion is, ìHas there ever been a person who has livedthis life of perfection?î We want to see him, not far offsomewhere, but right here in front of us, going throughall the ups and downs of life!Life Manualó

If we study the Råmåyaƒa carefully, we will discoverthat not only are day-to-day duties demonstrated through›r∂ Råmaís example, but we are also taught how to dealwith the greater conflicts in life, although the exactcircumstances may be somewhat different. For example,one day ›r∂ Råma is told that he will be crowned kingand the very next morning, he is told that he is to be exiledto the forest for 14 years. The whole population ofAyodhya as well as King Da‹aratha begged him to stayand although there were many other arguments against hisgoing. ›r∂ Råma left for the forest, knowing, it was hisDharma to fulfil his fatherís promised boon to Kaikey∂.

It is often difficult for people to determine Dharmabecause, as it is said, ìThe mystery or the secret of Dharmais hiddenî. The great importance of the Råmåyaƒa is thatit teaches us to observe challenging situations and cometo right decisions. Source: The Times of India

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Self-purification and DisciplineóSwami Krishnananda

Knowledge and meditation, however, are not possiblefor one who is worldly, sensual, deluded proud, egoisticand selfish. It is the clean mirror that reflects the shiningsun and not the wall built of mud and stone. Love forthe Infinite means detachment from all particulars andrenunciation of objective indulgence. Renunciation is thedenial of the validity of plural and dual consciousness inthe light of the truth that ìExistence is Oneî. Thediscriminative grasping of the nature of the essentialexistence implies the negation of the state of appearancewhich is in contradiction to the nature of Reality. Anaspiration for higher purposes in life necessitates atransformation and transcendence of lower conditions oflimited life. The mortal and the Immortal are set inopposition to each other. The instinctive assertions of theindividual ego can never be consistent with the nature ofthe Absolute. So long as there is faith in the objective natureof the world, there is a loss of the highest purpose in life.There cannot be perfect satisfaction and Divine Life exceptin the realisation of the transcendent Presence. It requiresa rejection of the form of the world, together with itscontents. Likes and dislikes, attractions and repulsions, aredistractions which hinder the soulís progress towardsEternity. The knots of the heart which tie the individualto the earth, must be broken before the central court ofReality is stepped into. A complete surrender of selfishnessand egoity to the cause of Spiritual Perfection is the


condition demanded by the process of Truth-realisation.Truth does not pay heed to lame excuses and twisting ofultimate facts for oneís material good. A refusal to feedthe selfish individuality and an expansion of consciousnesswith an absolute end are what pave the way to oneís finalliberation.

In the Upani¶ads, we find a scientific and psychologicalpresentation of what is the greatest obstacle to self-realisation. They classify this under three distinct heads:

ìDesire for progeny; Desire for wealth; Desire forworld.î

(Bæh. Up. III. 5)The first is one of the two vital urges of life, the other

being the instinct of self-preservation. It is the expressionof the creative impulse said to have been set at work eversince the original creative will of the Universal Being waslet loose. Variety is the meaning of manifestation. Everyindividual force is a copy of the cosmic creative force ina state of riotous degeneration and uncontrollable activity.It is not easy to direct this self, multiplying nature (Avidyå)unless one starts to work against it with the help of thehigher self-integrating Nature (Vidyå). The seeker of Truthgoes to the very root of this self-reproductive energy andcompels it to diffuse itself in the Ground-Noumenon. Onewho lets go the flow of the creative force gets entangledin the endless process of diversifying and multiplyingexistence and ever remains away from the Consciousnessof the Absolute.

Those who have known the spiritual reality refrain fromthe delusive instinct of creation and hold fast to theconsciousness of Truth.

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kk. june 2016 ist p .(12.5.16) iind p (14.6.16) iiird (1.716)kalyana-kalpataru.org/pdf (full...

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