˙ ¬Íáʸ◊Œ— ¬ÍáʸÁ◊Œ¢ ¬ÍáÊʸà¬Íáʸ◊ÈŒëÿÖ ¬ÍáʸSÿ ¬Íáʸ◊ÊŒÊÿ ¬Íáʸ◊flÊflÁ‡ÊcÿÃH

A MONTHLY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF SPIRITUALIDEAS AND LOVE FOR GOD

Vol. 54 April 2009 No. 7

›e¶a‹åy∂ Vi¶ƒu‡ÊÊãÃÊ∑§Ê⁄¢U ÷È¡ª‡ÊÿŸ¢ ¬kŸÊ÷¢ ‚È⁄U‡Ê¢ Áfl‡flÊœÊ⁄¢U ªªŸ‚ŒÎ‡Ê¢ ◊ÉÊfláÊZ ‡ÊÈ÷ÊXÔU◊˜–

‹ˇ◊Ë∑§Êãâ ∑§◊‹ŸÿŸ¢ ÿÊÁªÁ÷äÿʸŸªêÿ¢ fl㌠ÁflcáÊÈ¢ ÷fl÷ÿ„U⁄¢U ‚fl¸‹Ê∑Ò§∑§ŸÊÕ◊˜HI adore Lord Vi¶ƒu, the only ruler of all the worlds and

dispeller of the fear of worldly existence, who has a tranquilappearance, sleeping on the bed of serpent (›e¶anåga) andendowed with lotus in His navel, the master of gods, thesubstratum of entire universe, resembling the sky and havingcloud-like hue, who has beautiful limbs, the beloved of Lak¶m∂,the lotus eyed one who is known by Yog∂s in their meditation.

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1. ›e¶a‹åy∂ Vi¶ƒu .... 7232. The Secret of Karmayoga

óBrahmalina Sri Jayadayal Goyandka .... 7253. Thou and Thou Alone

óBrahmalina Swami Ramsukhdas .... 7294. Unto BlissóNityalilalina Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar .... 7315. Real FreedomóKeshoram Aggarwal .... 7346. The Real Satsa∆ga Bhavana is in Your Own Heart

óSwami Sivananda .... 7397. Impeach a Bad Habit and Install a Good One

óSri Paramahansa Yogananda .... 7418. The Name of the Lordó D. M. Kodsanikar .... 7439. Universal CitizenshipóDr. B. L. Tekriwal .... 745

10. Never Disregard any Religion or Religious Book óV. N. Sharma .... 749

11. The Universal Presence .... 75112. The Story of SkandaóP. R. Kannan .... 75213. MeditationóS. R. Krishnamurthi .... 75814. Read and Digest .... 76015. Satsa∆ga .... 76116. Upani¶ads: A SummationóS. K. Balasubramanian .... 76517. Premå-BhaktióY. Jagannatham .... 76918. My BelovedóMakhan Prasad Dowera .... 77219. Inner TransformationóLt. Col. R. K. Langar .... 77320. ›iva A¶¢amµurtióKumble Vittal Rao .... 77621. Direction for Life as Pronounced in Our Classics

óP. S. Ramanathan .... 77822. Yoga, Bhakti and Brahmaj¤åna

óSwami Akhandanand Saraswatiji Maharaj .... 78023. The Wonder of WondersóLord ›r∂ K涃a

óDr. Mukunda Pati TripathiëRatnamaliyaí .... 783

ILLUSTRATIONS1. ›e¶a‹åy∂ Vi¶ƒu2. The Child Råma (Cover )

C O N T E N T S

website: www. gitapress.org e-mail:booksales@gitapress.org

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

Gita Press, Gorakhpur (India)

The Secret of KarmayogaóBrahmalina Sri Jayadayal Goyandka

(A) Action for the sake of GodóTo practise worship or service of God through some

representation, or to perform actions enjoined in thescriptures according to the commands of God, and as amatter of duty, for the attainment of Divine Love, or forthe pleasure or realization of God, simply for the sake ofobeying the commands of God, is action for the sake ofGod. In other words, to perform oneís legitimate dutiesplacing all these objects, or anyone of these objects in viewis action for the sake of God. (Vide G∂tå XII. 10)(B) Action as an offering to Godó

It means regarding all legitimate duties enjoined in thescriptures as well as oneís very Self, including the mind,speech and body, as possessions of God, and offering thesame to Him in that spirit. In other words, it meansregarding oneself as wholly dependent on God in thematter of performance of all actions and offering oneíswhole being to Him in the same way as a puppet placesitself completely at the disposal of the showman. Thepuppet, being a lifeless object, does not voluntarily submitto the control of the showman; it is the showman himselfwho keeps it under his control. The devotee, however,voluntarily chooses to remain under the control of hisDivine Lord and is thus even superior to the puppet inthe matter of surrender. Besides this, to feel enrapturedat every moment by visualizing His form and mercy at

726 Kalyana-Kalpataru

every step and to perform all actions according to thebehests of his Lord and as His instrument, regardingeverything as belonging to Him and thus to be freed fromall pride and egoism, is the best form of action as anoffering to God (Vide G∂tå IX. 27, 28).

QuestionóIs the practice of Karmayoga, or disinterestedaction, very difficult to perform?

AnsweróTruly speaking, it is not very difficult. Ofcourse, it is difficult for him who recognizes it to bedifficult, and easy for him who recognizes it to be easy.

QuestionóIf such be the case, the practicant shouldcertainly recognize it to be easy. But why does it appearso difficult even to those who pursue it turning their backon gold, woman, kinsmen and even bodily comfort?

AnsweróThrough fickleness of mind, the desire forhonour, fame, prestige and so on, weaknesses like partialityand prejudice, egoism, attachment and ignorance, lack offaith and love, and want of knowledge of its secret andglory, the practice of Karmayoga may appear difficult tothem.

QuestionóWhat are the special weaknesses which actas hindrances to the practice?

AnsweróLack of faith and love, the desire for honourand fame, fickleness of mind, carelessness, lethargy, ignorance,attachment and egoismóthese are the special weaknesseswhich act as hindrances to the practice of Karmayoga.

QuestionóWhat should the practicant do in order toovercome these weaknesses?

AnsweróWithdrawing the mind from all worldlyenjoyments through dispassion and discrimination, andsurrendering himself to God, he should put forth the bestof efforts for the practice of Karmayoga with reverence

727

and love till the last breath. Through such efforts it maybe possible to get rid of all sufferings and weaknessesand attain supreme Bliss and supreme Peace at no distantdate.

QuestionóWhat is meant by ëputting forth the best ofefforts, even to the last moment?í

AnsweróTo regard even honour, fame and prestige,nay, life itself to say nothing of wealth, woman, physicalenjoyment and comforts as of no value as compared evento an ounce of practice of Karmayoga, and to remainconstantly and diligently striving for the sameóthis is whatis meant by ëputting forth the best of effort even to thelast moment.í

QuestionóWhat are the reasons for our failure to putforth such diligent effort?

AnsweróLack of true knowledge about the glory andsecret of Karmayoga is the main reason for this failure.

QuestionóWhat should be done to gain this trueknowledge about its glory and secret?

AnsweróThe glory and secret of Karmayoga can betruly known through a study of scriptures like the G∂tåwhich deal with them, or through the contact of exaltedsouls who have knowledge of them, and by scrupulouslyand earnestly following their instructions. He who comesto have a true knowledge of the glory and secret ofKarmayoga or disinterested action, can never give it up.Through continued practice of Yoga, he gradually overcomesweaknesses like egoism, sense of possession and attachmentfor worldly things etc., and attains in course of time apermanent attitude of equanimity towards the whole world.He who is thus unshakably established in equality isestablished in God, inasmuch as God Himself is equal or

The Secret of Karmayoga

728 Kalyana-Kalpataru

impartial to all. In this way he is rid of all sins, trials andtribulations and attains supreme Bliss and supreme Peace.He who attains this state even at the last moment of hislife overcomes the terrible fear of births and deaths andrealizes God, the embodiment of Consciousness and Bliss(Vide G∂tå II. 72).

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You must produce goods and services for ensuringsocial welfare by your actions, and you must also becomepurer and nobler through your actions, by steadilymanifesting the ever-present divine within. You must goone step closer to your own Infinite Self through youractions. If you can do so, Karma or action becomes aninstrument of spiritual realization. And efficiency in workis the fruit of equanimity of mind, Samatva; a fussy mindcannot be efficient. When the divine within manifestseven a little, personality energy increases, enabling oneto avoid mental tension, while doing work, even hardwork. Samatva helps one to live a busy life and workhard, with a smiling face and calm mind. This is howthe G∂tå develops its philosophy of life, chapter afterchapter, synthesizing the paths of J¤åna, Bhakti, Dhyåna,and Karma. The Yoga of the G∂tå is the essence of thephilosophy of Practical Vedånta. The G∂tå tells everyworker, politician, administrator, industrial executive, beyou all Yog∂sótasmåt Yog∂ bhavårjunaóbe a Yog∂, OArjuna. (G∂tå VI. 46)

óSwami Ranganathananda

Thou and Thou AloneóBrahmalina Swami Ramsukhdas

It is the best principle of the G∂tå that all is God onlyand the Lord has declared him the rare great soul whohas realized this factó

flÊ‚ÈŒfl— ‚fl¸Á◊Áà ‚ ◊„UÊà◊Ê ‚Ȍȋ¸÷—–(G∂tå VII. 19)

ìSuch a great soul is very rare who realizes that allis God.î

The Lord has stated in the ›r∂mad Bhågavataó•ÿ¢ Á„U ‚fl¸∑§À¬ÊŸÊ¢ ‚œ˝ËøËŸÊ ◊ÃÊ ◊◊–◊jÊfl— ‚fl¸÷ÍÃ·È ◊ŸÊflÊP§ÊÿflÎÁûÊÁ÷—H

(XI . 29.19)ìAccording to My opinion, the best of all means to

attain Me, is that one should have the feeling that all beingsand objects which he perceives with his mind, speech andbody are My manifestations.î

To explain this, three illustrations of gold, iron andclay have been given in the Upani¶ads. There are plentyof ornaments of gold. Though they have various shapes,names, forms, weight, use, price etc., there is only goldin all of them. Similar is the case with weapons of ironand earthen wares of clay. Similarly, in the world createdby God, there are many beings and articles etc., yet thereis only one God in them.

Gold is distinctly visible in the ornaments of gold, ironis perceptible in the weapons made of iron and clay isperceived clearly in the pots of clay; but God is not

730 Kalyana-Kalpataru

perceptible in the world constituted of God. Hence, thereis given an illustration of the wheatfield to explain thateverything is God.

The peasants call the green plants of wheat also asëwheatí. When the cow eats the green plant of wheat, theysay, ìYour cow ate our wheatî, even though the cow hasnot eaten a single grain of wheat! The farmer has no doubtat all in its being wheat, though not a single grain of wheatis seen! If there is a trader living in a city, he would notconsider it as wheat. On the contrary, he would say, ìThisis grass. How can it be wheat? I have bought and solda number of wheat-bags. Hence, I know what is wheat.îBut the farmer would say only that it was not the grassgrazed by the cow, but it was wheat. The reason is thatit was only wheat in the beginning in the form of seedsand only wheat would come out of it in the end. Therefore,it is wheat in the form of plants in the mid-state also. Itis the ascertained truth (i.e., principle) that whatever is inthe beginning and at the end, is in the mid-state alsoó

ÿSÃÈ ÿSÿÊÁŒ⁄UãÃp ‚ flÒ ◊äÿ¢ ø ÃSÿ ‚ŸÔ(›r∂mad Bhågavata XI. 24. 17)

ìThat which is at the beginning and at the end of athing, verily is existent during the mid-state also.î

The Lord is the seed (origin) of the whole worldóÿìÊÊÁ¬ ‚fl¸÷ÍÃÊŸÊ¢ ’Ë¡¢ ÃŒ„U◊¡È¸Ÿ–Ÿ ÃŒÁSà ÁflŸÊ ÿàSÿÊã◊ÿÊ ÷Íâ ø⁄UÊø⁄U◊ÔH

(G∂tå X. 39)ìArjuna, I am the seed of all beings, for there

is no creature, animate or inanimate, which exists withoutMe.î

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Unto BlissóNityalilalina Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar

Remember: human life is meant for the achievementof supreme object, and that purpose can be accomplishedonly in a human birth. That supreme end is final Redemption(Mukti) or God-realization. Striving not for this purpose andto remain engrossed in other occupations constitute theperversion of human life. This gross error should bescrupulously eschewed.

Remember: you have been granted the privilege of ahuman birth only for attaining this Liberation (Mukti) orGod-realization. Therefore, life is to be built up from thevery childhood with this end in view. It is nothing butstupidity to believe that this is a pursuit suitable for theold. Who knows whether one would grow old or not? Whocan assert that one shall not die even in oneís tender age?Hence the adults of a family and sensible youngsters shouldfrom the very beginning create such an atmosphere andconduct themselves in such a manner that the seeds of aholy and spiritual life may be sown even in early infancyand may sprout after years.

Remember: mother Madålaså instructed her children inthe knowledge of Brahma, the Absolute, through her verylullabies. Similarly, Prahlådaís godlike mother, Kayådhumade it possible for Prahlåda, while he was still in herwomb, to receive instruction in the path of Devotion(Bhakti) through the celestial Nårada. In order that the airof a home should breathe the presence of God and exerta salutary effect on a childís mind, discourses on the Puråƒaswere held in every house and parents and grandparents

732 Kalyana-Kalpataru

used to narrate to their children and grandchildren storiesfrom the Råmåyaƒa and the Mahåbhårata. And it was withthis end in view that there was a praxis among the peopleto take, put on paper or utter the Name of God in numerousways and forms while rising, bathing, taking oneís meals,yawning, sneezing, commencing oneís studies, undertakinga journey, meeting someone, writing letters, going to bedand even at the time of death and throughout the way whilecarrying a dead body to the cremation-ground. The sixteenor more Sa≈skåras (sacraments), praying to God threetimes a day and the Nityakarma (the daily routine ofdevotions) were prescribed only to maintain this practice.

Remember: Prahlåda and Dhruva were mere childrenwho in their very infancy attained blessedness by winningthe Lordís grace. Even today everyone feels purified bythe very utterance of their name, as well as by readingand hearing of the anecdotes of their life full of faith inthe Lord.

Remember: in order to turn oneís life towards God itis absolutely most essential that one should abjure once andaway evil propensities, immoral conduct, vicious thoughtsand unholy company and cultivate ideal virtues, an exemplaryconduct, noble thoughts and the fellowship of godly people.Reverence, faith, obedience, discipline, well-regulated life,temperance, plain living and sense-control are the mainfactors helpful to such a course of life. Therefore, startdeveloping these virtues in a reverential spirit even fromyour childhood.

Remember: bowing at the feet of oneís parents, servingthem and administering to their comfort in everyway,showing respect to and obeying oneís teacher, offeringdaily worship and devotions, saying the Sandhyå prayersevery morning and evening, practising Japa (muttering of

733

the Divine Name and other sacred formulas) and regularstudy of the scriptures and holy books according to oneísgrade in society and service of afflicted men and women,are very healthy practices leading to oneís spiritualadvancement. Nay, they bring one sound health, happiness,prosperity, fame, learning, power and honour even in thisworld.

Remember: Devotional practices and aversion towardssense-enjoyments are essential prerequisites for God-realization. Bend all your energies in this direction. Alwaysremain alert and go on striving.

Remember: the utility of wealth, learning, might, manliness,eminence and prudence lies only in their being conduciveto God-realization, otherwise, they are all useless and hurlone into the hell-fire.

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Unto Bliss

Well, now I am to tell you who is the enemyappearing in the guise of a friend. My brothers, that isthe one who lures you towards worldly, pleasures; andthe one who frees you from the world, is your friend.This is very clear.

See, there is a Sådhu, full of renunciation andasceticism. For many years he lived in the Himalayas.Gradually, his fame spread, and people began to go fora glimpse of him, and revere him for his renunciation.Then what? The devotees turned him into a householder,enmeshing him in a worldly life. So, the point is thatthose who appear to be very loving are the ones whotrap us in this world. The enemies who abuse us, insultus, and try to bully us, are the ones who free us fromworldly attachments. They are our friends.

óSwami Akhandananda Saraswatiji Maharaj

Real FreedomóKeshoram Aggarwal

Everybody wants to be free. Freedom is loving to all.In the history of the world, great wars and revolutions tookplace only for the sake of freedom. Crores of people shedtheir blood only for freedom. Children like freedom. Theythink if they get holiday, they will be free to enjoy it.Sunday and holiday gives them a little freedom to enjoythemselves. Therefore, they anxiously and impatiently waitfor Sundays and holidays. They continue to count the daysfor a holiday. The teachers are apparently reluctant to giveholidays to their wards but their love for holidays is noless. We may say that the whole world is after freedom.

The people drink rum, brandy, beer, whisky etc., onlyto get freedom from the anxieties but unfortunately theyonly impression themselves by being addicted to theseintoxicants. Everybody thinks that pleasure is only infreedom. There is no real happiness without freedom.

The question arises as to what is that freedom for whichpeople are longing for so much. Does it mean to let looseyour senses to do as you like, to marry whomsoever youwant, to eat, drink and be merry. To enjoy, drink and danceand to luxuriate in garden house in a lavish way. To dressoneself in the manner one may like or to be a chain smoker,to ride in luxurious cars or to ride on fast moving horses.All these do not constitute freedom. This is giving licenceto senses for fall and degradation.

In Ka¢hopani¶ad there is an allegary, the body iscompared to a chariot. The owner of the body is Åtmå

735

or the self. The chariot driver is the intellect. Reins arethe mind and the senses have been compared to horses.The sense-objects such as form, sound, touch, taste andsmell are like roads for the horses to move. The aim isto attain God-realization or self-realization.

Self-realization or God-realization is possible when themind, senses are under control of the intellect and theintellect is a discriminating one. That means if you wantto be really free you should have a discriminating intellectand that intellect should be joined to a mind that is undercontrol and his senses also should be under control thenonly you can get spiritual progress or real freedom.

Uncontrolled horses or senses are always dangerous.If they are given licence to move in any direction you mayhave to loose your very life. There will be no hope foryou. Your fall and degradation is assured. If you do notwant to be doomed in your life, you must control the sensesand mind. However if they are let loose they will makethe wreck of your life. The conclusion is that if you wantreal freedom you should not allow freedom to your sensesñsnakes in your sleeves. That man is really free who cancontrol his mind and senses.

In G∂tå chapter II. 69 it is saidó

ÿÊ ÁŸ‡ÊÊ ‚fl¸÷ÍÃÊŸÊ¢ ÃSÿÊ¢ ¡ÊªÁø ‚¢ÿ◊Ë–ìThat which is night to all beings in that state of Divine

Knowledge and supreme bliss the man of self control isawake?î

It means the man who has control over his mind andsenses he alone can enjoy supreme bliss or can be reallyfree.

If we delve deep freedom means that one is notsubservient to any sense object or any individual. Reallyfree is one who is self-existent and self sufficient. If we

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feel the desire, passion or requirement of any object orindividual we are slave to that thing. How we can claimourselves as really free.

Why we become such slaves because we have identifiedourselves with our bodies. We consider the requirementsof the body as our own requirements we desire so manythings for our body. We are the immortal souls not the body.But we have identified ourselves so much with our ownbody that we can never think of ourselves as apart frombody. We consider ourselves as bodies only, but we mustrealize that we know the body. We are the knower, the bodyis the known thing. The knower is always distinct from theknown thing. We are never the bodies. We are souls.

The body dies, the soul never dies. The body alwayschanges, the soul never changes. The body is born the soulis eternal. The body is dependent the soul is self-existent.The soul remains same today, tomorrow, and forever.Therefore it requires nothing. It desires nothing. G∂tåimparts us in verse 20th of the II chapteró

Ÿ ¡Êÿà Á◊˝ÿà flÊ ∑§ŒÊÁø-

ãŸÊÿ¢ ÷ÍàflÊ ÷ÁflÃÊ flÊ Ÿ ÷Íÿ—–

•¡Ê ÁŸàÿ— ‡ÊʇflÃÊ˘ÿ¢ ¬È⁄UÊáÊÊ

Ÿ „Uãÿà „Uãÿ◊ÊŸ ‡Ê⁄UË⁄UHìThe soul is never born nor dies, nor does it become

only after being born. For it is unborn eternal, everlastingand primeval; even though body is slain, the soul is not.î

To realize ourselves as soul is self-knowledge or self-realization. If we acquire this knowledge we feel ourselvesalways free and independent then only we are enjoyingfreedom in the real sense of the term. Such freedom shouldbe our goal.

To gain this self-knowledge we must possess a good

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discriminating intellect which is able to distinguish betweenright and wrong, and good and evil. Further our mind andour senses should be under control of such intellect. Thuswhen such a discriminating intellect works in conjunctionwith a controlled mind and senses you are like an ownerof the chariot who has a good charioteer having the servicesof good, well trained horses. Then your mind and sensescan never mislead you and your progress towards self-knowledge is assured. Once you gain self-knowledge youare no longer, a victim of worldly desires and temptations.Then you are the person enjoying the bliss of real freedomwhich should be the aim of every human being. As toachieve this goal alone one is blessed with this humanbodyóthe best creation of God.

If we further think, we will realize that ëattainment offreedom is our goal,í ëwe must achieve freedomí, ëwe shallbe free,í all these expressions strictly speaking are erroneous.It is not as to our becoming free, for we are free at thisvery moment; we are free from the very beginning, wenever were in bondage. So to say, we shall be free is strictlyspeaking wrong. We have created our own bondage bythinking ourselves in bondage. Therefore the bondage isonly the result of wrong thought, ignorance and theconsumption of the false knowledge. Therefore there is nobondage, we are always free. The acquisition of trueknowledge, the realization of the true self or Åtman at oncesets you free, free through all eternity. That freedom wasnever lost. So we have not to think of our freedom as tobe attained in the future but of freedom which has beenours always, which is our birth right, which is our ownnature.

Suppose a man had a necklace round his neck but heforgot everything about it. Now he was searching his

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738 Kalyana-Kalpataru

necklace but could not get it. Someone told him that thenecklace he was looking for was round his neck, now thenecklace was not found in the strict sense of the word forin reality it was there all the time. It was not lost but wasforgotten. Similarly we have always been the same yesterday,today and forever but the mind, the intellect is to overcomeignorance when the mind believes that the necklace is got,in this sense we might say that we have regained ourfreedom otherwise we are always free. Freedom is not tobe attained but we are free by nature.

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It is possible for the human soul to attain the conditionof absolute union with God; and it is then only that aperson can feel and say, "He is the same as myself." Anold servant of the house, in course of time, may cometo be counted as one of the family, and the master ofthe house, being extremely pleased with his work, mayone day seat him in his own seat of honour, saying toall around him that from that day forward there will beno difference between him and the servant. The mastermay say, "He and I are one; obey his commands as youdo mine. Whosoever will not do so will be punished."Though the servant may hesitate through modesty to bethus honoured, the master will by force, raise him to theseat of honour. Such is the condition of those souls whorealise the state of oneness with God by serving Himfor a long time. He graciously endows them with all Hisglory and attributes, and raises them to His own seat ofuniversal sovereignty.

óSayings of Sri Ramakrishna

The Real Satsa∆ga Bhavanais in Your Own Heart

óSwami Sivananda

The Satsa∆ga Bhavana, the place where Satsa∆ga isheld, is Vaikuƒ¢ha, Kailå‹a or Paramadhåma, in reality.The real Satsa∆ga Bhavana is in your own heart. Theredwells the Sat, the Supreme Reality, that Existence Absoluteor Brahman, Control the mind by the practice of Yama,Niyama, Åsana and Pråƒåyåma. Make the mind one-pointed by the practice of Pratyåhåra and Dhåraƒa. Thenmeditate on the Self, the Åtmå dwelling in your heart. Youcan enter into your own Satsa∆ga Bhavana daily throughself-analysis introspection, enquiry into the nature of theSelf. This will lead to Self-realisation, when you willforever be one with that Sat, the infinite eternal Existence.

This is your goal. Forget not, Måyå is very powerful.With all your good intentions, you will forget this yourforemost duty. Therefore, come to the Satsa∆ga Bhavanaand associate with saints and Yog∂s who will instruct youhow to control the mind, how to practise Pråƒåyåma andBrahma-Vicåra, how to wean the mind from sensualobjects, how to fill the mind with Sattva.

Identification with the body and the mind is the causefor all sufferings. In reality, you are Saccidånanda-Svarµupa;identification with this real Svarµupa is the key to perennialpeace and supreme bliss. “•¡Ê ÁŸàÿ— ‡ÊʇflÃÊ ÿ¢ ¬È⁄UÊáÊÊ” (G∂tå II. 20):This Åtmå is unborn, eternal, everlasting and ancient.Be regular in your meditation, Japa, K∂rtana, prayer.People do K∂rtana for sometime, attend Satsa∆ga for some-

740 Kalyana-Kalpataru

time; and then they leave off. This is a sad error. Regularityis of paramount importance in Sådhanå. Whatever you do,do regularly. Increase the period of meditation gradually.Do not be attracted by the tantalising tinsels of this world.Nobody has been benefited by material possessions. Youmay have crores of rupees in the bank, you may have ahundred motor-cars and a dozen bungalows: but, peace ofmind you cannot have from these. You can have peaceof mind only if you are regular in Japa, meditation, K∂rtanaand Satsa∆ga. Only when you realise the Self, will youenjoy perennial peace. Construct the Satsa∆ga Bhavana inyour own heart through regular and systematic spiritualpractice and realise Him, not in the unknown future, butright now this very second. Forget not the goal.

Let me remind you of the last word of the Upani¶ads.Tat twa≈ asi: thou art that supreme infinite, immortalSaccidånanda Brahman. Have constant Nåma-Smaraƒa,even when you are working, mentally repeat ›r∂ Råma,›r∂ Råma. ›r∂ Råma is not only the Avatåra of Lord Vi¶ƒu,consort of ›iva, but He is omniscient, omnipotent andomnipresent Parabrahman. Constantly meditate on ›r∂Råma. Be good. Do good. Be noble. Be gentle. Begenerous. Attain Self-realisation through Satsa∆ga, SvådhyåyaJapa, K∂rtana and meditation. May Lord bless you all!

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Just look about you at the brevity of human love!You see two young people very much in love. Thenpicture them an old couple sitting together, bored witheach other, no communication. A little emotion there maybe; but where went that exhilarating love? The one thingthat never goes away is the love of God.

óParamahansa Yogananda

Impeach a Bad Habit and Install a Good One

óSri Paramahansa Yogananda

A strong bad habit presiding for a long time over thebodily country brings chaos and misery. Spiritual famine,mental fevers, and a universal poverty of body and mindexist in that misruled land. A strong bad habit should beimpeached before a tribunal of daily introspection underthe presiding judge of conscience, who should inform thecourt of reason that the inevitable outcome of persistencein the offending actions will be an impaired nervous system,wasted powers, and vanished happiness. This constantlysounded note of warning may serve gradually to persuadethe jury of reason to the decision to put away forever theguilty victimizing habit.

Sometimes it is difficult to convince the court. Manypersons who excessively smoke, drink, or indulge in sexexperiences do not seek or even wish to be free of theseslavish compulsions. They delusively think that there isnothing harmful about what they are doing because theydonít immediately suffer disillusioning painful consequences.Childlike, they fail to visualize the ultimate results of theiractions. They do not see that they have set into motionlaws that work impartially for good or ill, according to thenature of human actions; that, although the shovels ofharmful habits dig slowly, they yet dig surely a yawning,untimely grave, a pit of misery toward which the slaveof wrong habits proceeds through scorching flames ofsuffering. Of such entrapped persons the G∂tå says:

742 Kalyana-Kalpataru

ìHarbouring bewildering thoughts, caught in the net ofdelusion, craving only sensual delights, they sink into afoul hell.î

First convince your mind that you are going tooverthrow the tyranny of the undesirable ruling habit; thenbegin the work of constitutional agitation and actualimpeachment. A whining or sorrowing attitude, gentleremonstrance, or even violent but spasmodic rebellion isof little avail. It is through continuous repetition of certainactions that you are the maker of your habits; and you mustundo hurtful ones by a similarly regular effort, implementedby conscious exercise of will and the discriminative powerof reason.

Relate your actions to new and better habits. Keep themcontinuously busy, interested, and attentive in serving goodhabits and in fraternizing with other good actions. If youractions begin to revert to their old dangerous habit-influenced associations, donít become discouraged. Persistin right actions, give them sufficient time and attention, andthe voting strength of the new good actions will increaseand finally become powerful enough to overthrow theworthless habit and to elect in its place a worthy one.î

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If one has ego, what should he do? One shouldsurrender that ego completely. "Is it not exactly the reasonthat I am engaged in acts of charity" one may ask. Ifso, as one goes on giving away charity, one's ego shouldgo on decreasing. If on the other hand, if one's egoincreases, the charitable acts that one does would be amere waste.

óSwami Ganapati Sachchidananda

The Name of the LordóD. M. Kodsanikar

He who has read the Name of the Lord, has readeverything, even if he has not read anything else. And hewho has not read the Name, has not read anything evenif he has read everything else.

The Name is better than all the books that have beenwritten and are to be written. For, the Name givesknowledge which books cannot give.

The name is better than rubies. Thieves can steal rubies,but not the Name. If a man has the Name in his heart,he has all the treasures with him. And if he has all thetreasures with him, and has not the Name in his heart, hehas nothing but tribulations.

He alone is a king, who has the Name in his heart.And all other kings are beggars, being always in want.

He who reads the Name of the Lord, shall not want.He who has the Name in his heart, shall not have the ego.And if a man has the ego, the Name of the Lord is notin his heart.

He who loves the Name of the Lord, loves not theworld, or anything that is in the world. And if a man lovesthe world, or anything that is in the world, the love ofthe Lord is not in his heart.

He who loves the Name of the Lord, loves every man,beast and bird and even every plant, for the sake of theLord. And he who loves men to please them for his ownsake, loves not the Name.

He who dishonours even dust, dishonours the Name.

744 Kalyana-Kalpataru

For, the Name is in everything, and everything is in theName. He that honours the Name shall be honoured. Hethat sings praise unto the Name shall have peace andhappiness. But whosoever seeks to glorify his or her ownname, shall fall into the jaws of Death.

If a man can read, let him read the Name of the Lordin everything. If he can covet, let him covet the Name.If he can love, let him love the Name. For, the Lord shallcome out of the Name in the heart of the one that lovesthe Name.

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Bhakti and J¤åna

A Bhakta does self-surrender and dedicates all hisactions at the Lotus Feet of the Lord as ∫‹warårpaƒa untoHim. He says: "I am an instrument in the hands of myBeloved. I have no individual will. I am Thine, my Lord.All is Thine. Let Thy will be done. Thou art everything.Thou doest everything. Even an atom cannot movewithout Thee. Even a leaf cannot move without Thee.Thou workest through all my organs. Thou speakestthrough my mouth. I offer to Thee whatever I do or eat.I offer to Thee my Tapas and everything. Thou canstdo whatever Thou likest. I live for Thee alone. I workfor Thee alone. I cannot live without Thee even for asecond."

Work cannot bring misery but it is the attachment andidentification to work that brings in all sorts of worries,troubles and unhappiness. Understand the secret ofKarmayoga and work without attachment and identificationand you will soon attain God-consciousness. This isJ¤åna. This is J¤ånågni (fire of wisdom) which burnsall the fruits of actions.

óSwami Sivananda

Universal Citizenship óDr. B. L. Tekriwal

The worldóa big globe has become flat as traditionalbarriers like geographical distances, differences in culture,divergence due to religious beliefs having been reduced,and we have become more interdependent and collaboratingtogether. We now live in a ìshared universeî in whichglobal forces are synchronizing for purpose, vision andvalues to take advantage of each otherís strength leading togreater dependency and greater efficiency to help eachother to become prosperous. This convergence has resultedinto integration of operations and homogenising variousaspects of life including standardization of products andservices. In interwoven global trends everything is globalóglobal meltdown, global crunch, global crisis, global recession,global village and global phenomenonóthen why not globalcitizen. Diwål∂, Hol∂, Christmas, Friendís Day, ValentineísDay, Motherís Day, Fatherís Day are celebrated universally.

Every living soul is manifestation of Godóthe unmanifestdivine. All are children of the same Almighty Father. Theessence of all religions is humanity. All world religionspreach supremacy of moral values and welfare of mankind,harmony and co-existence. Sanåtana (Hindu) Dharmapreaches ëVasudhaiva Ku¢umbakamí (the whole world as afamily). Christian religion preaches ëlove thy neighbourí.Mohammed Saheb of Muslim preaches ëwelfare of mankindí.Similar are the messages of both Bauddha and Jaina Dharma.In the end, all religions point to the same light and uplift ofhumanity. Followers of all these faiths believe in God, the

746 Kalyana-Kalpataru

highest beingóworship the same divinity. No religion preacheshatred. Birds sit on the temple, mosque as well as on thechurch. There is no nobler endeavour than the aspirationtowards divinity. Everybody has the potential to be divine.Self sacrifice, self assertion, is the law of the highestuniverse. Not one can be happy until all are happy. All thatunites with the universal is virtue and all that separates issin.

The universal law applies to all things. It includes allphysical things and it includes all personal or spiritualbeing.

In the present times of gloom and doom, when valuesare declining and morals are reclining and the celebratedvalues like honesty, integrity, nobility, morals, ethics, virtues,justice and righteousness are proving hollow giving way tocorruption that has impoverished the whole societal set up,solace lies in spirituality.

Spirituality brings out the divinity in every individual.Spirituality is a love affair with God. It focuses a personísattention to the divine effulgence radiating from oneís ownheart. God is not something external, he is inside us. Themind is the key instrument in a human beingís body, aproper regulation of which, with meditation and spiritualguidance, can help one evolve spiritually to the highest.Only spirituality can initiate the process of inner expansionand eventual freedom from finite existence and supreme selfrealization. True spirituality could be achieved throughselfless service to humanity and leading a life of righteousness.

The core message of the Vedas, is for man to strive forliberation from the perpetual cycle of birth and death (Sa≈såra).This is achieved when the J∂va (living being) realizes itstrue self, the Åtmå (soul) and re-establish its forgottenrelationship with Paramåtmå (supersoul) or God.

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When we liberate ourselves from the limitations ofphenomenal existence and obtain oneness with the absolute,we attain infinite freedom, power, peace, joy and perfection.Transformation of our entire inner nature, of our thoughts,emotions, energies is a wonderful way of acquiring tremendousspiritual powers.

Åcårya Mahåpråj¤a has rightly said that spiritualismunites, materialism divides. According to Sahaja Mårga,spirituality begins where religions ends. While the basiceducation of man can be undertaken by religion, his furtherdevelopment when he has reached adulthood, can only beoffered by spirituality. One that helps a person achieveinner perfection and inner perfection is equivalent to God-realization which is the final goal of every individual.

Love, mercy, forgiveness, peace, compassion etc., arethe essence of the Såttvic Path. It is important to use themto attain the ultimate goalósalvation. The fourfold principlesof human existence are the body is for benevolent living,the mind of contemplating on God, discriminative intellectfor distinguishing between right and wrong and life itselffor acquisition of divine knowledge leading to self-realization.

Being spiritual-minded is practical, as it helps a persondevelop a proper mental attitude towards the changingcircumstances and problems of life. Though Science dealswith energy and matter, there is a spiritual science whichdeals with the ëbeyond mindí state of a human being.While material science enhances ego, spiritual scienceannihilates it.

›r∂ Sir Ravi‹a∆kara has explained that a spiritualperspective is essential to understand human values whichcannot be preached or inculcated from outside. The valuesare already inside, waiting to be awakened or nurtured.Only a spiritual perspective can give people the right

Universal Citizenship

748 Kalyana-Kalpataru

identity, first as part of divinity, then as human being andthirdly as belonging to the male or female gender. Onlynext comes the identity with any religion and lastly as acitizen of a particular nation. Seeing others as oneís ownreflection is the true spiritual basis of human values.

In a period of upheaval, such as the one we are livingin, change is the norm.

Now is the time to consider the concept of One WorldóOne Citizen in which the man will be the citizen of theworldóno nation; He will be spiritualóno religion; Hewill be scientific but creative. He will be pious, compassionateand loving but no celibate. This concept will obviate deficits,shortages, wars, poverty, exploitation, inequality, deprivation,pollution, global warming and uneven distribution of wealthand will result in better use of resources, peace and createa better world i.e., peaceful, loving and blissful. If onlypeople loved each other, this world would be a Heaven.

Let us all strive to create a Heaven and a better globaltomorrow with divine harmony sans visas, tariffs and nuclearweapon to promote universal brotherhood and peace.

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Carefully avoid talks of women, wealth and honour.Speak little, speak the truth, speak politely, speak onlywhat is beneficial to others. Never do anything, nor utterany word, which may make it necessary for you to tella lie in future to maintain your position. Never allow anyword to escape your lips unthinkingly for which yourposition may be lowered in the estimation of others.Remember, he who desires to lower another in theestimation of others is bound some day to be loweredhimself.

óHanumanprasad Poddar

Never Disregard any Religion or Religious Book

óV. N. Sharma

You bow in the East.They bow in the west.They, in the south.And they in the rest.

You say they are wrong.They say they are right.The ultimate truth is oneBut all begin to fight.

An ethereal voice says,ìMy Existence is only one.All worship Me aloneExcept Me there is none.î

Still they fight on ways of worshipAnd say, ìWe are right you are wrong.Silent worship is the right way.And wrong is worship with a gong.î

We say, ìBetter is the worship with form.îWhile they say, ìBetter is the way of without form.îOn these trifling things sometimesThere is a colossal storm.

750 Kalyana-Kalpataru

We have forgotten all learning and knowledge.And we have also forgotten Him.We have yet not realised the Reality.We are all groping under a whim.

Says our Lord in the holy booksAll the ways of worship even out of ignoranceI accept them all with a happy heartBecause devotion to Me alone is of importance.

Never disregard an incarnation or messenger of God.Nor ever dishonour any religious book.Respect all religions and faiths equally.In this respect broad should be your out look.

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ÿŒÊ˘Á∑§Á@ÖôÊÊ˘„¢U Ám¬ ßfl ◊ŒÊ㜗 ‚◊÷fl¢ÃŒÊ ‚fl¸ôÊÊ˘S◊Ëàÿ÷flŒflÁ‹#¢ ◊◊ ◊Ÿ—–ÿŒÊ Á∑§Á@Áà∑§Á@iÈœ¡Ÿ‚∑§Ê‡ÊÊŒflªÃ¢ÃŒÊ ◊Íπʸ˘S◊ËÁà Öfl⁄U ßfl ◊ŒÊ ◊ √ÿ¬ªÃ—H

(N∂ti‹ataka 8)When I knew nothing, I behaved like a furious

elephant in ruts, considering myself an omniscient being;but now when I have come to learn something from thewise, I have discovered my own ignorance, and havingshaken off the fever of vain conceit I acknowledgemyself to be a blockhead.

óBhartrihari

The Universal Presence

God speaks to us in countless ways, by day and bynight, in silence or in sound. Over the whole earth are Hismighty forces employed, and over the oceans are His waysobserved.

The snow that has no voice may drown the harsh voicesof men; even the specks of dust reveal the sun.

The birds in their singing call us to joy that is Eternal;the bees in their work tell us of service that is peace.

The colours of the Lord flame forth in the fields; in thelowly hedgerow there are signs of His greatness.

Through the long day the earth pours our her benisons;the winds are filled with the fragrance of fruits and spices.

Louder than the surge of the stars through their seas ofspace doth the voice of the Lord ring forth in the night;louder than the clamour and tumult of men is He heard inthe morning.

His Presence is universal; the streets of the city cannothide Him. Though they stretch through heaven and hell, Heencompasses them all.

His is the voice that speaks to them that are alone; theweary take heart when they hear Him and the heavy-ladendrop their burdens to grasp His love.

In all ways doth the Lord make Himself manifest tothem that love Him; His voice ceases never and the multitudeof His witnesses increases from generation to generation.

(FromóThe Science of Thought)❑❑❑❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

The Story of SkandaóP. R. Kannan

(Continued from 711)

Skandaís ChildhoodóThe boyís L∂lås displayed his enormous power and

valour. Once he even killed all Devas including Indra injest. At the intervention of Bæhaspati they were broughtback to life. Skanda graced the Devas by showing hisstunning Vi‹warµupa. Indra then explained the torture theDevas were experiencing at the hands of Surapadma andthe other Daityas. The demon once cut the hands and feetof Devas, but found to his utter dismay that they grew againbecause of the Amæta they had imbibed. He even defeatedVi¶ƒu in a battle. Indra prayed to Skanda to take over theleadership of Devas and guide them as Indra. Skanda askedIndra to continue in his position and offered to lead theDevasí army to victory as their general. He was anointed asDevasenåpati. He subdued a goat that emerged during aYaj¤a from out of the sacrificial animal and terrified thewhole world by its growing size and strength. The goatbecame his first vehicle, Våhana. On another occasion,Skanda questioned Brahmå on the meaning of O≈kåra,when the latter ignored him as a boy. Brahmå replied : •„U◊fl•Sÿ •Õ¸—ó I am indeed the meaning of O≈kåraí. Skanda hitthe arrogant Brahmå on the head with his fist and jailed himin Skandagiri. He started performing with ease the creativefunction of Brahmå. This unnatural occurrence led to ›ivaintervening personally. He went to Skandagiri and askedSkanda to release Brahmå. During the discussion, ›iva

753

casually asked Skanda if he knew the meaning of Praƒava.Skanda offered to explain the esoteric meaning provided›iva requested deferentially like a disciple. ›iva acceptedand Skanda did his part like a Guru. He thus becameSwåm∂nåtha. The temple of Swåm∂nåtha at Swamimalai inTamil Nadu is one of the six most important shrinesdedicated to Skanda. An overjoyed ›iva returned to Kailå‹aand explained to Pårvat∂ the various names of Skandatogether with their import. The names mentioned in thePuråƒa in this context include Skanda, Subrahmaƒya§Saƒmukha, Kårtikeya, Senån∂, Mahåsena, Guha, Ga∆geyaand ›aravaƒabhava. Skanda is explained to mean a greatwarrior who can vanquish the entire world with his valour.Battles with Asuras—

›iva acceded to the repeated prayers of the Devas andasked Skanda to proceed for war with the Daityas. Heblessed him and handed him Ekåda‹a Rudras as elevenweapons in his eleven hands. Pårvat∂ gave in his twelfthhand the powerful ë›aktií weapon (known as ëVelí inTamil). The first battle Skanda waged was in the north ofthe country with Tårakåsura. His ë›aktií weapon finallydestroyed Tårakåsura along with his lieutenant Krau¤ca,who had taken the form of a mountain and their large army.Offering worship at various ›iva temples en route, Skandamarched southwards and reached Tiruchendur on the sea-shore near Råme‹waram. He sent his brother V∂rabåhu toV∂ramahendrapuram, the capital of the demon Surapadma,an island to the south of Lanka. V∂rabåhu, the messenger ofpeace, who was not offered a seat in the royal court, sawa throne materialise in front of Surapadma by the grace ofSkanda. On peace overtures not yielding positive results,Skanda started on the great battle. Surapadma rejected theadvice of his brother Si≈hamukha to accept peace with

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754 Kalyana-Kalpataru

Skanda, release the incarcerated Devas and return the kingdomof Swarga to them. He was sure that as he had vanquishedeven Vi¶ƒu in battle, the small boy was no match in valourand power to him. This is similar to Råvaƒa not listening tohis powerful brother Kumbhakarƒa.

The great battle with Surapadma lasted six days. Duringthe second day, Surapadma lost all his weapons, chariot andcharioteer and stood all alone in the battlefield. Skandaspared his life and permitted him to return the next daywith due preparations, like Råma did with Råvaƒa. In thefirst five days of the battle, all great warriors includingSi≈hamukha and the two sons of Surapadma, Agnimukhaand Bhånukopa perished. On the sixth day, a great army ofAsuras from all Brahm僌as descended on the battlefield.Devas became very insecure. Vi¶ƒu repeatedly assuredthem: ìThis six-faced Skanda is none other than ›iva, whocarries out the five great tasks of creation, protection,annihilation, concealment and grace. Where is the difficultyfor him in killing these ordinary Asuras?î The fierce battlewas fought in various Brahm僌as. Skanda destroyed allof Surapadmaís army and brought his own entire army backto life. The lonely Surapadma was advised by his motherMåyå to get the Sudhamandara hill from across the ocean.Once the hill was brought, by the very contact of its breeze,all the dead warriors including Si≈hamukha, Agnimukhaand Bhånukopa came back to life as if from sleep. Thebattle fought fiercely for five days came to nought. Devaswere nonplussed. Skanda then used På‹upatåstra anddestroyed all the warriors in one stroke. Surapadma adopteddifferent forms through his great powers of Måyåóformsof Brahmå, Vi¶ƒu, Rudra, Asura, terrible animals like bulland lion, birds like Cakravåka, wind, fire, darkness, ocean.Skanda extinguished all those forms. He then graced Devas

755

by showing his own Vi‹warµupa, which included Devas,Vedas, Asuras, humans etc. Brahm僌as were seen hangingat the ends of hairs on his body. Surapadma, who also hadthis unique Dar‹ana, temporarily developed intense devotiontowards Skanda, the son of ›iva at that time. Once Skandachanged from Vi‹warµupa to his normal boyish appearance,Surapadma became his former demonist self and restartedhis fight ferociously, assuming different forms again. Finallyhe took the form of a huge mango tree. Skandaís ë›aktiícleaved the tree into two. The Asura came back to hisnormal form and rushed at Skanda with a sword. Skandaísë›aktií again split the Asura into two. The two parts turnedinto a fierce peacock and cock, both pouncing at Skanda.At that very instant, in an unexpected development, by amere glance of supreme grace, Skanda pacified the twoanimals and blessed them with Vij¤åna (Supreme self-experience) and took them as his vehicle and flag. Suchwas Skandaís mercy even to his sworn enemies. Surapadmain his previous life had been Sura and Padma, two Bhµutas,who had prayed to Subrahmaƒya to become his flag andVåhana, the cock and peacock. Their prayer was nowanswered.Skandaís Marriageó

Amætåvall∂ and Saundaravall∂ were two daughters ofVi¶ƒu born from his eyes. They developed undying love forSkanda and performed severe austerities to obtain him ashusband, At Skandaís instructions, Amætåvall∂ incarnated asDevasenå, a young girl under the guardianship of Indra inSwarga. Saundaravall∂ took the form of Vall∂, a lass underthe protection of Nambiraja, a hunter near Kanchipuram.ëVall∂í is a Tamil term for the Sanskrit “‹fl‹Ë”óLaval∂, a kindof creeper. As she was found among the creepers as a baby,the hunter called her ëVall∂í. After the war with Surapadma

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756 Kalyana-Kalpataru

was over, the Devas were overjoyed. Skanda acceded toIndraís prayer to accept Devasenå as his consort. Thedivine wedding was celebrated with great enthusiasm atTirupparankundram near Madurai in the presence of Pårvat∂and ›iva. Indraís recoronation in Amaråvat∂ in Swargafollowed. Devas regained their power and positions. Skandatook his home in Skandagiri. He then proceeded to Tiruttaninear Chennai, where Vall∂ was looking after barley fields.After a series of sportive love-pranks, in which his brotherVighne‹wara also lent a helping hand, he married her.

Jayanta, son of Indra later curiously asked Bæhaspati asto why Devas had to suffer so much for so long. TheDevaguru replied. ““∑§◊¸áÊ— ∑ȧÁ≈U‹Ê ªÁ×””óInscrutable are theways of Karma. He explained that Devas had committed agrievous sin by participating in the Yaj¤a conducted byDak¶a in which offering of Havirbhåga to ›iva was ignored.On the spot they suffered torture at the hands of V∂rabhadraand Bhadrakål∂, who destroyed the Yaj¤a. The balance ofKarma bore fruit in the form of untold suffering over a longperiod.

Skanda-Puråƒam contains a number of soul-stirringprayers including ›iva-Sahasranåmam. ›r∂ Rudram isexplained in an entire chapter in beautiful verses. Thegreatness of Vibhµuti and Rudråk¶am is brought out throughmany stories. A number of passages teach Bhakti and othervalues of life. When V∂rabåhu destroys the invincibleBhånukopa, Skanda offers him boon. V∂rabåhu says:î Pleasedo not give me the position of great Devas like Brahmå andVi¶ƒu. Please grant me unflinching and eternal Bhakti atyour lotus feet.î At Tirupparankundram, Skanda taught›ivaj¤åna to six sons of sage Parå‹ara, the elder brothers ofBhagavån Vyåsa. Skandaís consort Devasenå representslcchå‹akti, whereas Vall∂ stands for Kriyå‹akti. The ë›aktií

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weapon in the hand of Skanda is J¤åna‹akti. In the south,where Skanda is worshipped with special devotion, Bhaktasobserve Vrata, Upavåsa etc., regularly on days of ›uklaPak¶a §Sa¶¢h∂, Kættikå star and Fridays. In addition, specialworship is offered on days of Vai‹åkha Vi‹åkham (celebratedas the brithday of Skanda), ŶåŒha Kættikå, Å‹wina §Sa¶¢h∂(which is known as Skanda §Sa¶¢h∂, the day on whichSurapadma was killed), Pau¶a Kættikå and Phålgun∂óUttaråphålgun∂ (when the marriages with Devasenå andVall∂ are celebrated). Many devotees carry on their shoulderthe ceremonial ëKavatií containing milk, perfume wateretc., to the temple. They recite devotional songs likeTiruppugazh and §Sa¶¢h∂ Kavacam and offer congregationalprayers. Many Homas and Pµujås offering prayers to Skanda,Devasenå and Vall∂ amid chanting of the Vedic ›r∂ Rudram,Chamakam and Durgåsµuktam are conducted. Religiousdiscourses on Skanda-Puråƒam are held.

As per our tradition the differences in detail in regard toSkandaís story among the various ancient texts do notdetract from their veracity or purpose. We regard all versionsas true, enjoy the various L∂lås of Bhagavån and derivespiritual benefit from them. This is similar to the accounts offate met by Par∂k¶it, Vætraís story etc., as described in›r∂mad Bhågavatam and Dev∂ Bhågavatam. Godís waysare inscrutable for the ordinary mortal. The events depictedin various Puråƒas might have happened in different Kalpas.The §R¶is of yore have visualised them with their mental eyeand recorded them for the benefit of posterity. May Skandaísblessings be always with us.

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The Story of Skanda

MeditationóS. R. Krishnamurthi

Meditation is a manner of training the mind, a processthat is capable of producing remarkable effects onconsciousness. In our day-to-day life the mind is alwaysactive with various thought forms occupying itself withdifferent objects and ideas and reacting to diverse forces,internal and external. There is no apparent attempt toconcentrate on any particular problem or issue and generallythe mind resolves such issues as and when they arisewithout any conscious effort. Largely it settles cases withoutwaiting for the inner reaction and the inner self staysdormant or at best only a small portion of it awakens to theproblem posed before it. Meditation is the state when thisinner self is fully awakened and radiates light over the issuebefore it, focuses its concentrated attention on it and givesfull scope for clear thinking meditation is thus concentratedeffort.

According to Pata¤jali meditation, which is a method oftraining human consciousness, enables that consciousnessto function at levels other than ordinary and, besides beingan exercise of the spiritual faculty of man, helps in theexpansion of his capacity to deal with reality in any form.It is primarily the calling up of latent energy.

Quite apart from the clarity of thought resulting frommeditation, it gives a serenity of mind and body. There canobviously be no power emerging out of ignorance and suchignorance, egotism and mental laziness are obstacles tomeditation. Meditation provides an one-pointed approach to

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ideals, the establishment of a goal for oneself and strivingceaselessly towards it. One gains in balance and poise whilethe higher and lower mental faculties become consciouslyco-ordinated. The disturbances of the countless ripples ofeveryday distractions disturb the vision and the busy brainfails to register impressions correctly; but when the mind iscalm in meditation, creative and correlated ideas get clearlyreflected in it without distortion. In the eloquent words ofDr. Rådhåk涃an, the greatest discoveries of art and science,of philosophy and religion have been the results of solitary,independent reflection of Great Spirits who raise themselvesto an exalted state, grasp a vision of truth and beauty andthen bring it down into music, into a sculptured form, intogreat words. All great things have, indeed, been achievedby meditation.

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Meditation

God-realization is the fruit of one's longing. Godcomes face to face with us the moment our longingacquires the required degree of intensity and exclusiveness.Excepting God no other object is responsive to ourseeking for it. All living beings in the world seekhappiness and not misery. But a large majority of themsuffer misery. Therefore, it is sheer folly to crave formaterial objects; they cannot be had by merely seekingthem. They can be procured only by a propitious destiny,which is the fruit of our past good actions and whichis no more in our hands. God, however, can surely berealized through mere seeking. Therefore, one shouldseek to realize God and should endeavour to make thatlonging ardent and exclusive to the requisite degree.

óJayadayal Goyandka

Read and Digest

Each day, accept everything as coming to us from God.* * *

See nothing, look at nothing but your goalóGod, evershining before you.

* * *There is no spirituality without heroism.

* * *Cry to God: ìThe stars may fall, the heavens be shattered,

but never will I cease to cry until Thou revealest Thyself tome!î

* * *A father has his sons and others to free him from his

debts, but he has got none but himself to remove hisbondage.

* * *Who, but oneís own self can get rid of the bondage,

caused by the fetters of ignorance, desire, action and thelike, aye, even in a hundred crore of cycles.

* * *God has not be earned like money. By His grace, He is

already earned and deposited in every soul. But owing tohuman forgetfulness, He has to be rediscovered.

* * *Neither money pays, nor name, nor fame, nor learning;

it is character that can cleave through adamantine walls ofdifficulties. Bear this in mind.

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Satsa∆ga

Satsa∆ga is glorified in all scriptures. Sat means good,noble and eternal. Sa∆ga means association or attachment.Satsa∆ga means association with those men, books orenvironments etc., who are connected with Sat, the Truth.Satsa∆ga is the accessible and effective tool to change badVåsanås into good ones. Good activities counter evil activitiesand in course of time doing good actions becomes themanís habit or nature. Satsa∆ga thus helps one reverse thatprocess which has brought us to what we are todayómenof impure thoughts and wicked actions. Spiritual studyshould create need for self improvement.

The medium which allows Truth to manifest with all itsglories, is called as Sattva. The characteristics of Sattva-Guƒa are cheerfulness, supreme peace, contentment anddevotion and knowledge of God. (Viveka CµuŒåmaƒi)

Viveka is to understand what is right and wrong andalso to use the right understanding to implement in life.Purpose of life is not comfortable life but to realize God.Life long occupation is God-realization. Profession is onlya hobby in life.

›abar∂ got the vision of Lord ›r∂ Råma, through theeasy means of devotion. Dhruva and Prahlåda attained thesupreme state of devotion to God through Satsa∆ga withSage Nårada. Our devotion to God is affected by conflictswithin, between love for God and attachment to worldlyobjects. Attachments result in agitations and sinful actions.

In the company of great people, all infatuations graduallymelt and consequently pure love for God manifests itself

762 Kalyana-Kalpataru

in the form of peace of mind. The meeting with pioussouls is very useful as it is an opportunity for worthyquestions and getting correct answers to strive for ourgoodness. Hearing the praises of the Lord, cleans theimpurity of the mind in the form of desires. Great agonyis felt in crossing Sa≈såra unless we travel in the boatof Bhakti to God. (Bhågavatam)

The qualities of good people are kindness, patience,friendship, nobility, abidance by scriptural injunctions(Bhågavatam). There are peaceful and magnanimous saintswho live like Vasanta-§Rtu for the good of humanity. Theyhave crossed the ocean of Sa≈såra through their self-effort.They however want to help suffering people to cross theocean without any selfish motive. (Viveka CµuŒåmaƒi)

Good people have given up attachments to all externalobjects. Company of such people is to be sought in orderto destroy the evils of bad company which exist in us.(Bhågavatam)

Be in the company of the good the wise devotees findthe Lord as being installed within theirís hearts thoughveiled by his potencies just like the sacrificial fire isproduced our of wood. (Bhågavatam)

A wicked person is like a charcoal which burns thehands even just by an accidental touch. Evil company isto be shunned by all means as it is the cause of lust, anger,delusion, loss of discrimination and ultimately utter ruin.A ripple in the beginning can become an ocean. (Subhå¶itam)

Bhakti means wholehearted devotion and supreme lovefor God in order to be in eternal unalloyed bliss. It is thestate of mind when the mind and sense-organs are exclusivelydirected to the Supreme being spontaneously. A vision ofoneness develops love, readiness to serve all and attitudeof forgiveness.

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A tiny peace of thread when associated with fragrantflowers for tying a knot finds a respected place in the headof a beautiful woman (Subhå¶itam). Sådhus clean theirminds by undergoing rigorous discipline just like gold iscleaned by rubbing. God is pleased with their devotion tohim as they want him alone and not even heaven. Måyåcan be won over by Satsa∆ga by visualizing God ineverything (Bhågavatam). Association with the goodremoves dullness of mind, infuses truthfulness in speechand earns respect, purity and fame (N∂tisåram). Satsa∆gais obtained on the strength of merits earned in the courseof many precious births. We surrender to these great peoplewhose Dar‹ana destroys inauspicious things and promoteswelfare (Bhågavatam).

Sages do not ask God anything during prayer. Theypray in expression of bliss. The holy rivers purify devoteesin course of time. The very Dar‹ana of Sådhus purify thedevotees immediately. By mere remembrance of greatpeople, houses became purified. What to say of the gainsof seeing and serving them (Bhågavatam). Their adviceis nectarólike remedy for sufferings. Attachment to thebody is a fetter for the soul. The same attachment towardssaints is a door to liberation (Bhågavatam). Prayer upliftsman to higher realms. Wrong tendencies fall off. Mindbecomes pure. God is the unknown friend. He is alwayswith us. He is our conscience. He will manifest when allinfatuations melt. Pure love then manifests. We have to prayfor Satsa∆ga in order to kill evil effects of bad companyas was done by devotees in ›r∂mad Bhågavatam.

May I enjoy the company of exalted souls of pure heartin order to cross Sa≈såra (Dhruva). May I be born asa servant of devotees of God. Let there be friendship withdevotees of Lord when I revolve in the wheels of Sa≈såra

Satsa∆ga

764 Kalyana-Kalpataru

(Vætråsura). May we enjoy the company of those whosesins have been washed away and who are endowed withvirtues (Rudra-G∂tam). Oh Lord, you stand, conquered bythe righteous people who have subdued their self (Citraketu).I crave not for Mok¶a as nectar of your lotus feet is notfound there. The nectar is oozing from the words ofBhaktas. Satsa∆ga gives knowledge. Pious people worshipyou to dispel delusion (Pæthu). When I am born again andagain let me have devotion in Lord. Let me also haveassociation with great Bhågavatas. Let me have friendshipwith all beings in the world. I bow to the great God-realizedsouls (Par∂k¶it).

It is best to surrender to Lord as we can get supportfor all problems as he is omniscient, omnipotent andomnipresent. Prayer is tuning our mind to a greater sourceof power, knowledge and wisdom. Be with Him. Be His.

óCompiled by P. R. A. Ishwaran❑❑❑❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

By closing the eyes and not doing anything physicallyone gets detached from the gross physical body and thevisible world. Similarly, by not thinking about anything,one's association with the subtle body and subtle worldis detached and one experiences the peaceful state ofexistence in the causal body. With further deepening ofpeace in this state, the association with the causal bodyis also detached and one then experiences the bliss ofexistence of one's real bodiless self which is immortaland divine. This is attainment of one's real life or Self-realization and God-realisation.

óRevelation of the Spiritual Path

Upani¶ads: A SummationóS.K. Balasubramanian

The Upani¶ads present an entirely refreshing manner ofdiscussing supra-human reality. They affirm that such anentity is a Reality, known as Brahman and that humans area part of it. The Gods, not merely the Hindu ones, are nomore than imaginary cult heads. Evolution, not vestedinterests, political compulsions or delusions, controls andguides human development.

The Hindu paradigm is set by the axiom given in theMuƒŒaka Upani¶adóëSatyameva jayate nånætam,í whichmeans, ìReality prevails over delusions.î Only the oneswithout delusions may ëseeí the reality. The AbhyårohaMantra of the Bæhadåraƒyaka Upani¶ad is based on thisconviction. It says,

Lead thou meFrom the unreal to the RealFrom ignorance to EnlightenmentFrom the ephemeral to the Eternal.The same Upani¶ad looks upon Brahman as infinity,

completely self-contained. It cannot be added to or subtractedfrom.

Delusions are of several types. The most common onesrelate to God. Kena Upani¶ad denies any comfort to thosewho assert that God is in their pocket. It says that it (God)is unknown to the ëknowerí. The ones who claim to knowGod do not know it. Tejobindu Upani¶ad says that Brahmanis beyond ideation. That God is unknowable by the humanmind, is affirmed by the Bæhadåraƒyaka Upani¶ad. It defines

766 Kalyana-Kalpataru

the Reality as indefinable. It asserts ëNeti, Netií ënot this,not thisí. Brahman is not to be limited by definitions.

Brahman is not to be confined to books. Amæta-BinduUpani¶ad says, ìMaster all the texts but (in the search forBrahman) give up all of them completely like the onegleaning for grains rejects the chaff.î I take it to mean thatinformation is not ëknowledgeí. What is contained in books,is information. Knowledge has a certain ageless pristinequality that is more to be comprehended than learnt.

But information, looked upon as ëlower knowledgeí,has its value, ∫¶a Upani¶ad accepts its importance in worldlylife. It says, ìLive according to the ëlower knowledgeí andtranscend it to acquire higher knowledge that alone givesinsight into the Eternal.î

Worldly knowledge is an essential stepping-stone to thehigher one. It is implied that the worldly knowledge shouldnot be ignored. Spirituality does not stand alone. It hasrelevance only in the context of worldly life. One should bea whole or complete human being in the world before heaspires for the next world. Mok¶a is an evolutionary endproduct not the first or any other stage in life.

The G∂tå goes further. It recommends thatëattachmentíshould be given up as the first step. ëAttachmentí is anemotional or ideological locus. The spiritual aspirant shouldrenounce intuitively the limiting loci and the concurrentexistential constraints by remaining objective. One couldsay, ìObjectivity is the operative word of Vedånta.î Eventhis statement is a simplification.

Evolution is the heart of the Hindu approach. Taittir∂yaUpani¶ad details primordial evolution and postulates anotherstage not known so far. The Upani¶ad calls that stage,ìBliss.î That is perhaps for individuals like Bhægu, the sonof Varuƒa, to attain. There is no collective salvation. Sophistry

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does not lead there. Emphatically the Upani¶ad says, ìWordsare echoed back without any impact. So also is intelligenceineffective.î Bliss is an intuitive level. Intelligence is but amere reflection of the ego.

Brahman is seamless continuity. It is intuitive Reality. Itis pristine. It is pure.

Taittir∂ya Upani¶ad asserts Brahman is ëSatya≈, J¤åna≈,Anantamí (Reality, Consciousness and Infinity). This aspectof Brahman is attested to in other Upani¶ads.

The same Upani¶ad gives the logo of Hinduism, O≈.ìO≈ is Brahmanî, it declares. ìO≈ is everything.î O≈ hasfive limbs.

Cosmic consciousness is postulated in M僌µukyaUpani¶ad, as a fourth state of consciousness extendingbeyond the wakeful and the two dream states. It is knownas Tur∂ya.

Cosmic consciousness is again the subject of the AitareyaUpani¶ad that says, ìBrahman is cosmic consciousnessî.

Energy is another constituent of Brahman. It is calledVåyu. Pra‹na Upani¶ad and the ›ånti På¢ha of Taittir∂yaUpani¶ad assert this fact. The latter addresses Våyu, ìYouare the Real Brahman. I accept this (as fact).î Brahmopani¶adacknowledges this. It equates Pråƒa, energy in the contextof the human body, as Brahman.

Light or Jyoti is another form of energy. It is theuniversal vector that determines Time. Both are irreversible.

Taittir∂ya Upani¶ad speaks of yet another component ofBrahman: the Åkå‹a or Space. It is on Space that everythingrests.

Brahman is a five-component (Pa¤cakam) compositeof three-dimensional Space, Energy and Light or Time.

Ka¢hopani¶ad is more mundane. It presents death not asa terminus but as another transit point on the road to

Upani¶ads: A Summation

768 Kalyana-Kalpataru

Brahman. It takes us for a ride in a chariot that is thehuman body. The charioteer is the mind. The horses are thesense-organs. If the horses are under control one reaches thedestination. Otherwise it is a disastrous journey. ìThe pathto Realization is like the razorís edge.î

All this is not empty rhetoric. Taittir∂ya Upani¶ad givesthe advice, ìWhen in doubt consult qualified Brahmins ofgreat learning and a high degree of objectivity. They shouldbe practical and interested in social consolidation and advance.They should have a stake in Dharma with no personalagenda.î Hindu society had produced many such individuals.I mention two: Vidyåraƒya who inspired the Vijayanagarempire and Samartha Råmadåsa, the Guru of ›ivåj∂.

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See how God is manifest in everything! Look at thebeautiful earth, and how nature keeps it in balanceóhowthere is a plan, an intelligence behind everything increation. After the patterns of nature had been created,God created man to appreciate this earth. But see howpoorly we have taken care of it. We have failed miserably.God made all men as brothers, but they have becomeblinded by narrow social and national self-interest. Loyaltyto one's heritage and country is noble, but the wrong kindof fealty and patriotism creates prejudicial mental rutsthat lead to brother fighting brother. War comes; thousandsare killed; and then peace is established and men becomebrothers again for a little while. Then humanity again fallsinto the rut of greed, of selfishness, of intolerance: andmore war is the result.

óParamahansa Yogananda

Premå-BhaktióY. Jagannatham

Premå-BhaktióWe have already said that in God-vision state, a devotee

is frequently thrown into fits of ecstasy in spite of himself,and that they increase in frequency and duration in proportionto the progress achieved in the realm of Premå-Bhakti.When in this way his J¤åna-Bhakti, dissolves yieldingplace to Premå-Bhakti, when Love fills his heart andpermeates his whole being, he attains the next higher stagein his realization, namely, that of God-consciousness. Thedevotee now becomes almost like a baby. As in God-vision, here too two distinct stages are discernible. The firstand lower one is that of a baby of six months to two years.It is only at this stage that it can be asserted as literally truethat he is in the world but not of it. He has gone behind theveil of Måyå which enwraps the whole creation and so, theworldly aspect of things, is to him entirely a thing of thepast, dead and buried forever. The scales have fallen fromhis eyes, and with his enlightened inner eye, he seesnothing but the Spiritual Form of the Lord in the objectsaround him. He has absolutely no ego; knows no fear, andeven the instinct of self-preservation ceases to operate inhim. Although in the initial stage God-vision has its originin sense-feeling and is accompanied by some self-consciousness, God-vision at this stage becomes a spontaneousand causeless gift of the Lord and this Ahetuka Visioncomes unasked and unawares. This spontaneous God-visionis the marked feature of this stage. At times, indeed, the

770 Kalyana-Kalpataru

Lord whose Love-form he has been enjoying in his VisionDivine reveals himself to Him in all His Glory. Throughoutthis stage his whole being enjoys thrills after thrills whichresult from some unbounded and unspeakable joy becausein his eyes all distinctions of objects have been wiped out,and he enjoys only the Prema-Rasa in all things andbeings. As such, a Bhakta sees only the Prema-Swarµµupa inthe objects around him, and it is ridiculous to suggest thathe should have even the faintest memory of their mundanesignificance. He does not seek them of his own accord.Drunk with the nectar of love, he is very cheerful andhappy at all times, and no kind of worldly thought oranxiety, not even the instinctive cravings for the satisfactionof the natural needs of his person, can bring him downfrom this highly ecstatic stage. As a result of his intenseLove for the Lord whom he sees now even in stocks andstones, all his thoughts, all his feelings, and all his aspirations,nay, his very self gets merged in the Divine Music andHarmony that permeates all space, and he forever and everdrinks to satiety the sweet melody of the Flute of the Lord›r∂ K涃a.

This is a very high stage of Premå-Bhakti. The Bhaktawill have reached the end of all his desires when thus hehas begun to love the Lord for Loveís sake. He does notlong for Mok¶a, does not want to become one with theInfinite, but desires to retain as much of his ego as wouldenable him to taste the Love of the Lord.

Premå-Bhakti in its highest stageó The next and thehighest stage of all is that of a child from its birth to sixmonths. Like an infant, the Bhakta possesses absolutely noknowledge of himself or of his surroundings. He is deeplyimmersed in Bliss everlasting; lost in the Joy that knows nobounds. He goes back to the Primeval Being from whom he

771

had sprung and his personality gets lost in His Personality.At this stage, he sees in perfect profound silence a

single effulgent spark from the Supreme Being and in it hebeholds countless Universesóthe trees of the illustrationwhirling in a never-ending dance and beating time to theAbsolute and Harmonious Music that is co-existent with theEternal. It is only at this stage that the Bhakta develops thestate of a insentient beingóthe condition of an inert, senselessor Vacant-looking entity. He does not care for his body,and like an infant he has to be entirely looked after byothers. This is pure God-consciousness, Brahmakara Sthitior the highest Samådhi.

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Premå-Bhakti

No one will ever know completeness, no one will everknow satisfaction, until he has entered that interior worldand discovered his true soul nature. Not all the gold inthe world, not all the pleasures the senses can offer, notall the love of any human being, will ever be able tosatisfy your true Self. Your soul is just using this mortalform for a little whileóand oftentimes not too comfortably.One day the indomitable, immortal, all-blissful, imperishablesoul will leave behind its physical home to return to itshome in Spirit. So why give so much of our life andattention to the passing drama of external circumstancesand events? How blinded people are by this earthly showthat they are so willing to forsake their Divine Abode!While living and functioning on this finite earth, we aremeant to use wisely a part of our time to discover thatinfinite realm whence we have come.

óSri Daya Mata

My BelovedóMakhan Prasad Dowera

My Friend, my Beloved,Dear to me in life and death,Whatís the world to meBereft of Thee?Void, darkness, all dead.

The wind whispers Thy praise to me,The brook ìbabbles over the pebblesîóGlory unto TheeIn the autumn distance I seeThe blue of Thy eyes.The sun reminds me Thy greatnessAs it does.

Peace? Happiness ?I want them not;And Heaven without TheeI loath.Shelter in Thy lotus feetThatís all I want, Beloved, all I seek.

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Inner TransformationóLt. Col. R. K. Langar

What is inner transformation?Inner transformation means changing ourselves from

present state of existence to a higher state. It is based on theassumption that all men are not perfect at birth but canbecome so with self-effort. Inner transformation presupposesthat there is something in a person, which needs to bechanged for the better. Bhagavadg∂tå says that all undertakingshave some defect like smoke in fire. Similarly all humanbeings have some negative traits, which need to be transformed.It is a different matter that some people realize it while otherdonít. In larger sense, inner transformation would meanturning negative emotions like anger, lust, ego, deceit andfalsehood into positive emotions like truth, compassion,peace, forgiveness, humility, simplicity and the like. Innertransformation aims at converting vices into virtues anddemerits into merits. It is like going from darkness into lightleading one to live purposefully. Inner transformation meansworking on oneís own self for self-upliftment.Change of Heartó

In spiritual language transformation implies change ofheart, not the physical heart but conceptual centre in ourbeing. Heart typifies a positive centre in a man from wherepositive emotions like love, compassion, sympathy, forgiveness,truthfulness, and non-violence are radiated. The innermostpart of human personality, the core of human being, the selfor the consciousness is ever pure. But at our ordinary stateof existence the pure consciousness within is covered withpsychological distortions, which mostly constitute our negative

774 Kalyana-Kalpataru

instincts. So change of heart will mean change of ournegativity into positivity leading to a behavioural pattern ofthe individual corresponding to higher values of life.Transformation is fighting inner battle of life—

Generally we are concerned with fighting the outerbattle of life where one has to tackle day-to-day problemsof worldly existence. But the main battle of life is not outer,it is the inner battle where one has to identify inner weaknessesand eliminate them through the process of discrimination.This requires each one of us to set aside sometime from ourdaily routine to look within to find out where we stand interms of our merits and demerits. This process is called self-examination. One of the Greek philosophers tells us that anunexamined life is not worth living. Having found ourstrengths and weaknesses, we should enlarge our strengthsto weaken our demerits. This is what inner transformationmeans. With constant vigil, concentration and practice weget into the process of removing evil bad habits and undesirabletendencies which automatically strengths our positive traits.While we are engaged in the inner battle of life we have tokeep check over our thoughts and sentiments so that ourouter action do not cause any impurity within. This is howwe develop self-awareness, which gives us the ability toundergo inner transformation without much difficulty.Aids for inner transformationó

Our scriptures and perfect guide, which can elevate ourlevel of existence. Then we can study lives of great menand our sages and draw lessons out of them. We can chooseour role model, which could be a scripture or a humanbeing, and follow the role model in thoughts, words anddeeds. We need an open mind to accept what our rolemodel tells us. Open mind means that we are not colouredby our own views. Bhagavadg∂tå, which by itself is aperfect role model for self evolution, says that let the

775

scriptures be your authority in ascertaining what ought to bedone and what ought not to be done. Having known whathas been prescribed by the scriptures, you should act in thismatter. According to Christianity God has already plannedthe process of human transformation and for this purposeGod sent His son Jesus Christ to show us the way to God.Jesus had said, ëBe perfect as your Heavenly Father isperfectí. Islam says, God has given man a code of conduct,the right path that frees mankind from all ills and makes lifeworth living. Koran declares about itself, ëHere is the bookwhere there is no trace of doubtí.Our goal and aim—

Aim of each and every religion is to make us a spiritualperson anchored fully on a sound moral base. Indian spiritualtradition says that self-realization is the goal of human life.When understood correctly religion is the highest motivepower, which injects love, and spiritual power into humanity.Sri Aurobindo says that those who chose God, are chosenby God and therefore, we should not miss any opportunityto seek God through religion. With God on our side innertransformation becomes a Reality.

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Inner Transformation

On account of the sins of previous births, a persondoes not relish good company (Satsa∆ga), he will eitherdoze off during the course of sermon or leave the'Satsa∆ga' or start talking of something else. But if heremains in the good company for a few days, he willsurely come under the holy influence and start singingthe prayers of God. After that he will never leave theholy company.

óSwami Ramsukhdas

›iva A¶¢amµurtióKumble Vittal Rao

›iva is being worshipped all over India, from Kedarnathto Rameshwaram, with great piety, on Mahå ›ivaråtri day,mostly in Li∆ga form, which is symbolic of the miniaturecosmos. Skandapuråƒa says that Li∆ga represents the infinitesky, the earth is its base and all the creation exists anddissolves in it. ›iva as Ådideva or Parabrahma representstrinity i.e., process of creation, preservation and destruction.Li∆ga is also symbol of the mountain Kailash the abode of›iva.

›iva is also known as ëA¶¢amµurtií, representing theprimordial elements i.e., Earth, Water, Fire, Air, Sky, Sun,Moon and as its Yajamåna, the supreme master controllingall. The primordial elements also exist in mini form in ourPa¤cabhµuta ›ar∂ra i.e., earth as our flesh, water as blood,fire as heat, air as breath, sky as space, sun as light andmoon as mind and ›iva as consciousness or soul controllingall these. Hence ›iva has to be worshipped as our Antaryåm∂,as well as Sarvåntaryåm∂.

›iva in physical form, is being worshipped with Pårvat∂as ìJagata¨ pitarau vandeî i.e., Universal Mother andFather. They are known as the eternal couple. Their Sibli∆gasare Gaƒe‹a and Subrahmaƒya. ›r∂ Gaƒe‹a is being worshippedall over India, as the first deity, to ward off all obstacles. ›r∂Subrahmaƒya is known as ëGuru Guhaí and is beingworshipped widely in Tamilnadu and in Karnataka. ›ivaTemples compulsorily have ëNand∂í in front of the ›ivali∆ga.Nand∂ represents ëDharmaí on which ›iva rides. This

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means that we have to be Dhårmic, to get vision of ›iva.›iva is considered as ëÅdi Guruí in Dak¶iƒåmµurti form.

Strangely it is said that ›iva sits under A‹wattha tree, inever youthful form with four hands holding Amæta Bh僌ain one, Abhaya Chinmudra in one, Vedas in one and Japa-Målå in the other. He is surrounded by aged §R¶is, seekingëÅtma J¤ånaí which ›iva graces through his ëMaunaí i.e.,silence.

›iva is easily accessible to both learned and illiterate, toDevas and Asuras and even to others like elephant, snakeand spider. ›iva is worshipped by the learned with all therituals particularly ëRudramí, whereas ordinary peopleirrespective of caste, creed and gender individually can doAbhi¶eka with water, along with Bilva leaves, to begetgrace of ›iva. ›iva means auspiciousness and His worshipconfers all ›ubham, ›åntam and Kalyåƒam.

ì›iva is formless, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscientand also has varied forms. He manifested Himself first asëJyotirli∆gaí as eternal effulgence, on the midnight of Mahå›ivaråtri day. This reflects that ›iva is J¤åna-Swarµupa, todispel our Avidyå or Darkness. People observe fasting andall night vigil on this day, chanting among others, the holyPa¤cåk¶ar∂ ìO≈ nama¨ ‹ivåyaî. This makes people to beaware to the eternal, infinite, luminous ›iva on the ›ivaråtriday. May this enable us to elevate ourselves to worship›iva as the one infinite ëEkameva advit∂yamí to usher in,universal brotherhood and peace in the universe.

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›iva A¶¢amµurti

This human form, which gods and angels aspire for,you have been privileged to get, so that you may attainGod. Waste it not, life is so precious.

Direction for Life as Pronounced in Our Classics

óP. S. Ramanathan

Poet Bhårat∂, in his work on G∂tå has underscored thateven though there are classics in Tamil of a higher orderlike those of Kamban, Tiruvalluvar and Elango, akin to theBrahmasµutras, Upani¶ads and the G∂tå in Sanskrit (knownas Prasthåna Traya), one should not fail to study the G∂tå.The teachings of the G∂tå cannot be understood by intellectbut with awareness (insight). It is different from others,from other texts as one taught by Lord K涃a Himself. Thecrux of His teaching is Swadharma, which is the observanceof the duties prescribed in the scriptures.

The two popular texts, Bhagavadg∂tå and Tirukkuralfulfil the need for guidance in both the material and spiritualfacets of our life, in the world. The thrust of the G∂tå isspiritual knowledge while Tirukkural is an ethical workoffering wisdom about the different aspects of life. Tirukkuraloffers us solace by way of inspiration and direction whenwe are faced with odd situations, sometimes even prettyhard, owing to exhaustion in life.

There is a misconception that the G∂tå impels one tofight. Contrary to it, it awakens oneís conscience to thenecessity of discharge oneís duty. The G∂tå brings solace inmoments of sorrow and tragedy as the mind is receptive onsuch occasions to its teachings.

There are several parallels between the G∂tå and Tirukkural.One such instance is Arjunaís dejection in the battlefield atKurukshetra and the Lordís counsel in explaining him theinevitability of death and true nature of soul. This is the

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occasion when the Lord describes to him the Yoga of action(Karmayoga) and tells him of the nature of the man ofstable mind and his glories (Bhagavadg∂tå II. 39ó72).On the same lines, the Tirukkural of Tiruvalluvar says,death is like sleep, birth is like awakening from sleep(Tirukkural XXXIV.9). The same idea of inevitability ofdeath and nature of soul is expressed by Ådi ›a∆kara, thus,in his Bhaja Govindam, “¬ÈŸ⁄UÁ¬ ¡ŸŸ¢ ¬ÈŸ⁄UÁ¬ ◊⁄UáÊ¢”. There is nogreat folly than infatuation that looks upon the transient asif it were everlasting, says Tiruvalluvar in Tirukkural). Wecan get ourselves enlightened and show better wisdom, ifwe are to take to such classics as the Bhagavadg∂tå andTirukkural for leading a fruitful life.

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Direction for Life as Pronounced in Our Classics

You will find various classes of men in this world.First, there are the God-men, whose self-abnegation iscomplete, and who do only good to others even at thesacrifice of their own lives. These are the highest of men.If there are a hundred of such in any country, that countryneed never despair. But they are unfortunately too few.Then there are the good men who do good to others solong as it does not injure themselves. And there is a thirdclass who, to do good to themselves, injure others. It issaid by a Sanskrit poet that there is a fourth unnamableclass of people who injure others merely for injury's sake.Just as there are at one pole of existence the highest goodmen, who do good for the sake of doing good, so, atthe other pole, there are others who injure others just forthe sake of the injury. They do not gain anything thereby,but it is their nature to do evil.

óSwami Vivekananda

Yoga, Bhakti and Brahmaj¤ånaóSwami Akhandanand Saraswatiji Maharaj

The mind moves in five directions.1. That, which is observed directly, or through its

logical conclusion; like a pot, or smokeósmoke, indicatinga fire.

2. Mistaken assumptions, like seeing the silvery sheenon a seashell, and mistaking it for silver.

3. Barren imagery, like the child of a barren woman.4. Drifting into a haze of sleepiness.5. Remembering things seen, heard or dreamt.These five movements can increase or reduce mental

agitations. Those, which add to increased worldliness, increaseagitation, whereas those, which bring detachment, reduce it.

The practice of Yoga (meditation and other exercises)can still the mind. The one who practices Yoga can becomeestablished in his Self. This state is called ëNirodha Samådhií.It shuts out the world from the conscious awareness.

In this state, however, there is no feeling of devotion.Nor can it attain Brahmaj¤åna (Knowledge of the Brahman,the all-pervading essence of creation), which is what dispelsignorance. The path of Bhakti (devotion) and Brahmaj¤ånaare therefore, separate from the path of Yoga.

In the path of Bhakti, our Guru (or the Scriptures, whichact as our Guru) establishes in our heart, a particular form ofthe Lord, for us to love with faith and devotion. Themovements of the mind dissolve into that form, whether theyare melted by the burning desire to unite with the Lord, orthrough tears of Bliss, imagining that we have been united.

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Melting of the mind destroys all previous forms, and thelove/hate emotions attached to them. The form of the Lordis stamped firmly on the mind, and a great love for Him isdeveloped.

The Yogic processes of Sama and Dama (curbing theemotional reactions of the mind) do succeed in freeing themind of worldly attachments and aversions, but it does notbring the blissful tears and the thrilling experience of Bhakti.

The scriptures, which guard us like a Guru, also implantin a malleable mind, the knowledge of the all-pervading,formless Brahman. Hence, we obtain either devotion to aparticular form of the Lord, or perceive His essenceeverywhere. We obtain Brahmaj¤åna.

What is the difference between Bhakti and Brahmaj¤åna.The difference is, that devotion lasts all through oneís life,but Brahmaj¤åna once it has destroyed our ignorance,becomes redundant. We are at total peace, whether itremains, or not.

Both the form of the Lord, and the formless Brahman,can be established in the mind only through the proofprovided by the scriptures. Faith and feelings are paramountin the path of Bhakti, where the mind is directed towardsthe experience of the Lord in a particular form. Overwhelminglove dominates. This can be altered, continued, or abandoned,according to our will and effort. However, true devoteesclaim that Bhakti is derived, not by any effort of theirs, butby the Grace of the Lord.

The proof of Brahmaj¤åna, is the word of the Vedas.It establishes firmly in our mind, that our Åtman is theBrahman. It helps us to experience that, which already is,without creating anything new.

The objective of Bhakti, itís proof, purpose, and result,is faith, and total immersion of our self into the experienceof a particular form of the Lord.

Yoga, Bhakti and Brahmaj¤åna

782 Kalyana-Kalpataru

The objective of Brahmaj¤åna, its proof and experience,is the establishing ourself as the Brahman.

Devotion is for the tenderhearted, affectionate temperament.Brahmaj¤åna is for those, who are naturally detached, andaloof from, the world.

An immersion of all mental movements into the Lord, isneeded for Bhakti, but no such immersion is needed forBrahmaj¤åna.

Devotion is required to experience the Lord with aForm, and Brahmaj¤åna is required to experience theformless Godhead, which is all pervading.

Hence, there is no cause of debate between the two.Both paths are right, depending upon the nature and desireof the different types of seekers.

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There is no difference in work. Do not think thatthis work will lead to God and that will not.

Everything depends upon His grace. To have Hisgrace, whatever work you perform, do it with sincerityand earnest longing for Him. Through His grace theenvironment will become favourable and the conditionsof realisation will become perfect. If you want torenounce the world, and if your family depends uponyou, perhaps your brother will assume its responsibilityfor you. Perhaps your wife will not hinder you in yourspiritual life, but will rather help you; or perhaps youwill not marry at all and will not be attached to theworld in any way.

óSayings of Sri Ramakrishna

The Wonder of WondersóLord ›r∂ K涃a

óDr. Mukunda Pati Tripathi ëRatnamaliyaí

The open session of Sudharmå Sabhå of Dwaraka wasgoing on in full swing. Various kings, princes, regents,representatives, Brahmins and sages were seated majestically.There was a festive mood everywhere. Proposals for thebetterment of the lot of the citizens of Dwaraka and itsconstituent regions were being put up, pondered upon andokayed. The affluence of Dwaraka was worth emulatingeven for Indra, the lord of ëAmaråvat∂í.

All of a sudden, a strong whirlwind covered the wholeof the sky. There was a blazing flash of light and themelodious tune of ëNåråyaƒa, Nåråyaƒa, Nåråyaƒaí spreadin every direction. Then loomed up the figure of the lute-player sage Nårada. He came straight to Lord ›r∂ K涃aafter landing on the Earth. Unlike his usual gay gesture, hewas in a very thoughtful mood today. Everybody greetedhim and was glad at his welcome arrival. The moment theformalities of welcome were over, he made a remark toLord ›r∂ K涃aó ìO Lord of lords , ›r∂ K涃a! You are thesupreme deity, the perennial source of creation. You arereally the wonder of wonders, the most miraculous andpowerful one.î

Lord ›r∂ K涃a nodding his head in consent saidauthentically, ìO yes! Iím the supreme deity, Iím thewonder of wonders, Iím in all and all-in-all accompaniedwith ëDak¶iƒåí. This satiated ëNåradaj∂í and he got up fromhis seat and left the place reciting the name of Nåråyaƒa.

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All the people sitting there couldnít make any head ortail of this short conversation. They were eager enough toknow the purport of their talk. So, they gave vent to theircuriosity. They said, ìO enigmatic Lord! we are quite eagerto know the gist of the talk between you and Devar¶iNårada.î Lord ›r∂ K涃a, the wielder of supreme illusionand the exponent of perfect ëJ¤ånayogaí smiled and said,ëBetter it is to satisfy your curiosity through the §R¶isí ownmouth.î He invoked him and the sage reappeared. Henarrated the following story:ó

One day, I was travelling on the bank of the Ganges ina happy mood. I was looking at the graceful movement ofthe gurgling river. I came across a big tortoise. I had neverseen so big a tortoise in my pretty long life. I approachedhim, touched and patted him. In the fulness of my heart, Ibegan to extol him, ëO Mighty and majestic one! You arereally wonderful. Iíve never seen any aqueous creature likeyou. You look more formidable than the biggest of thecrocodiles.î

The tortoise modestly refuted my eulogy. He said, ìOsage of the sages! Iím very thankful to you for having sohigh an opinion for me but itís not a right appraisal. Formore wonderful is mother Ganges, who is the abode ofmany a creature like me.î I went straight to mother Ganges,saluted her with folded hands and began to sing her gloryóìO mother Ganges! You are glorious indeed among all thecreations of the universe. You sanctify the ëÅ‹ramasí of§R¶is, irrigate crops, quench the thirst of thirsty creatures andhatch many wonderful animate and inanimate creatures inyour womb.î Mother Ganges refused my remark and said,ìListen to me, O divine sage! your statement contains somegrains of truth only. Itís not totally true. Greater far than me,is the ocean which is the mainstay of so many rivers like

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me.î Then I went to the ocean and praised him, ì O Mightyocean! You are really great in the whole creation forpossessing so many gems and rare species. Your vasttreasure of water causes panic in the hearts of men. So youare matchless and praiseworthy.î The ocean politely refutedmy argument, saying that, it is the Earth alone which is thebasis of so many oceans. So all the credit goes to the Earth.îThen, I marched ahead and invoked goddess Earth. Isaluted her and said, ìO goddess! You are really marvellousand great one. You are the main resort of varieties of floraand fauna. Men, birds, beasts, insects, trees, creepers, rivers,fountains, mountains all the animate and inanimate speciesfind their existence on you. You are the very synonym oflife. You are the centre of all activities.î

The polite Earth rejected my views outright on theground that Mountains are called ëBhµudharasí. They maintainthe balance of the earth. They hold their heads high up in thesky. They are the birthplace of various lifeósaving herbsand shrubs, animal species and rare trees. Being snow-cladthey look very beautiful. I bowed down to the Earth and setout for meeting the mountains. Meeting them I paid myobeisance and said, ìO ye miraculous mountains! you arethe greatest and most majestic ones in this vast universe.Being snow-clad you look very majestic. You are the abodeof gods and §R¶is, gems and joys.î The mountains refutedmy proposition saying that Prajåpati Brahmå alone deservesto be praised because he is the progenitor of the entirecreation. He is adorable for all. Without delaying even fora second, I approached Lord Brahmå, offered my obeisanceto Him and said, ìO Lord of lords! None is equal to you inthe universe. You are the Supreme Source of cosmic life.îLord Brahmå smiled looked at me affectionately and said,ìMy dear son! the creation is really indebted to Vedas and

The Wonder of WondersóLord ›r∂ K涃a

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Yaj¤as. Mantras and Åhutis provide vitality to ëDevasí. So,all credit goes to Vedas and Yaj¤as. I approached Yaj¤as,offered my reverence to them and made them aware of myhigh esteem for them. They, too, disapproved my opinionsaying, that Lord Vi¶ƒu is the perennial source of all theVedas and Yaj¤as. He is the ëYaj¤apuru¶aí. He is the veryembodiment of Yaj¤as. The Vedas are the ëNi‹wåsaí (the airexhaled from His lungs) of Him. I was going in a hurry tosee Him in Vaikuƒ¢ha. I saw Him seated here in the form ofLord ›r∂ K涃a. I greeted Him. He confirmed and welcomedmy viewpoint. So, I departed at once overwhelmed with joy.Everybody present in the assembly felt amazed. The out roarof Jaya ›r∂ K涃a and Jaya Devar¶i reached the sky.

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On any pathway in mortal life one can get mired inruts; they are present everywhere to catch man'sconsciousness. Some channel your feelings into compulsiveanger; some keep you stuck in a mindset of pessimismor despondency; other ruts may hold you in fixed habitsof avarice or jealousy or being overly critical, and soforth. And the tragedy is that throughout one's life, aperson may think he is progressing when in fact he isfirmly stuck in a rut. Just as when a car gets boggeddown in mud or sand, and the driver steps on theaccelerator, making the wheels spin rapidly, but the carremains in the same placeóthat is the condition of manypersons. Even though their engine of life is running, theirwheels are spinning uselessly. The progress and growthof such persons is negligible. They think they have grownup because their body has matured, but their brain, theirmind, their attitudes remain stationaryópsychologicallyand spiritually immature.

óParamahansa Yogananda