Akhand Jyoti Magazine Mar - Apr 2018

|| O® bh¿rbhuva¡ sva¡ tatsaviturvareñya® bhargo devasya dhºmahi dhiyo yo na¡ prachoday³t || (May Almighty illuminate our intellect and inspire us towards the righteous path) - Rigveda 3/62/10; Samveda 1462, Yajurveda 3/35, 22/9, 30/2, 36/3

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Amrit Chintan

The Miraculous Power of Faith Faith is the staunch belief in the virtues of one’s role model. Since God is considered as omnipresent, people all over the world use a variety of representations or symbols for worship. They see God’s presence in natural places of pilgrimage such as rivers, hills, rocks; in manmade structures, holy books, idols and charms. Though inanimate, these centers of faith benefit the believers by fulfilling their desires in answer to prayers. The miracles produced by these inanimate objects defy any explanation. How does an inert object, incapable of protecting its own self from desecration, provide desired fruit to its believer?

It may be understood like this. The interaction between faith of the follower and the object of faith follows the laws of physical science. When a ball of elastic material is thrown against a wall, it rebounds back to the thrower with the force proportional to the force of its projection. Faith and devotion in the believer are produced by the power of the great bioelectric generator imbibed in the soul (referred to as Atma Shakti or inner- power). While praying, the faith of the devotee associated with the force of soul power strikes the revered idol and rebounds back to the believer as desired results in the material world.

There is a tale in the epic Mahabharata about a boy named Eklavya, who was denied admission in the military academy of Guru Dronacharya. Eklavya had great faith in Dronacharya. Determined to learn archery only from him, he built an idol of the Guru in the solitude of a forest and with full devotion began practicing in the presence of this idol, as though the latter itself was Dronacharya guiding him in person. His faith was so strong, that he telepathically received the necessary guidance directly from the experience stored in the memory of the Guru and became more expert than the trainees of Dronacharya learning in the academy under his personal supervision.

Such was the miracle of his faith in the idol. The expertise acquired by Eklavya was the result of projection of strong faith of Eklavya generated by his inner power, which, when projected at the idol of the Guru, made the latter work as living Dronacharya.

- Pujya Gurudev Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya The reason birds can fly and we can’t is simply because they have perfect faith, for to have faith is to have wings. - J.M. Barrie AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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CONTENTS 1.

Amrit Chintan The Miraculous Power of Faith .................................................................................

2.

3

From Chief Editor’s Desk The Need for Conservation of Shakti - The Creative Energy ....................................

5

3.

Earth is Indeed Our Mother ......................................................................................

7

4.

Eat Right Food to Stay Healthy .................................................................................

10

5.

Science and Spirituality Astonishing Power of the Eternal Element of Sound ................................................

12

6.

Astrology - The Science of Planetary Influences on Human Life ............................

16

7.

Foundational Values and Tenets of Indian Culture ....................................................

19

8.

Abandon Blind Faiths and Customs ..........................................................................

23

9.

Yug Gita – 11 Establish Yourself in Yoga and Perform Action as per Yugadharma.........................

10.

25

Peace Pilgrim’s Wisdom – 11 Reflections on the Pilgrimage - 2 ..............................................................................

28

11.

Let’s Resolve to Fight Air Pollution ..........................................................................

31

12.

Odyssey of the Enlightened - 60 ‘Akhand Jyoti’ Begins Its Journey - 3 .......................................................................

13.

34

Youth Column Live in the Present and Shape the Future ..................................................................

38

14.

Rhythm of Life should be Harmonious .....................................................................

40

15.

Amrit Vani Theism, Spirituality, and Religion - 2........................................................................

42

16.

Rejuvenation of our Rivers: A Dire Need ..................................................................

46

17.

The Quartet of Inner Senses and the Science of Atma-S³dhan³ ...............................

48

18.

Shantikunj News ................................... (Inner Cover Pages & Back Cover Page)

Faith is an excitement and an enthusiasm: it is a condition of intellectual magnificence to which we must cling as to a treasure. - George Sand 4

AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

From Chief Editor’s Desk

The Need for Conservation of Shakti : The Creative Energy A simple analysis of everyday life of a common man reveals that most of his plans and activities are centered on seeking peace, prosperity and power. At the root of all this is the desire to achieve health, happiness and harmony. However, it has to be realized that mere desires and plans cannot serve the purpose; one needs shakti (the creative energy) to implement the ideas. Shakti empowers a person to attain power, seek growth and find purpose and fulfilment in life. Therefore, in order to save oneself from suffering and achieve inner peace, there is a dire need to earn shakti and conserve it.

Whether the aim is to achieve worldly success or God-realization, accumulation of shakti and its conservation are necessary. The vibhutis that Lord Shrikrishna has mentioned in Srimadbhawadgita are nothing but the manifestation of different aspects of His shakti in different objects. This kind of God’s power is also present in Avatars too. They are seen to possess immense power and perform unparalleled tasks for the global welfare. There is wrong impression prevailing in the society that earning of shakti and its conservation are not necessary for self-knowledge and salvation. Salvation too requires the powers of knowledge, s³dhan³, tapa, faculty of discretion and renunciation. Lazy and feeble-minded people can neither do self-refinement nor play any role in social upliftment. The author of Mundaka Upanishad has declared clearly – ‘N³yam³tm³ balahºnena labhyah.’ (Meaning – a weak and feebleminded person cannot realize Soul.)

This life is like a battlefield. Very often, we have to face adverse circumstances. Sometimes the body becomes a victim to alien elements and a disease begins to thrive; sometimes the mind is enveloped in fear. Social situations - such as lack of basic needs, resentment, hatred, jealousy, competition, etc - too bring many problems. In order to live in such a society, one needs to be powerful - physically, mentally and spiritually.

Shakti is a divine element. By invoking this element, one can make all the aspects of life beautiful and strong. When shakti is well within one’s body, mind and soul, one will be full of vitality and energy, will possess inner and outer glow and will be able to face the challenges of life with resilience and courage. When the mind power rises, it makes an ordinary lawyer Mohadas Karamchand Gandhi, a national leader Mahatma Gandhi, Vilvamangal, a renowned saint Soordas and Rolihlahla, a famous anti-apartheid leader Nelson Mandela. Thought power transforms an ordinary man into an extraordinary great man. Intellectual power is seen to work behind the philosophical and scientific discoveries. The invocation of spiritual energy makes Maharshi Aurobindo and Ramana Maharshi to eliminate the horrible possibilities of world war by sitting in their Ashrams. By invoking the same power, Param Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.

- Oprah Winfrey AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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Pujya Gurudev launched ‘Yug Nirman Yojana’ to change the fate of entire world and usher in a new golden era for humanity.

For our own physical, mental and spiritual progress, the need for earning shakti is indispensable. At the same time, there is also a need for earning collective power to eradicate social evils. At present, the whole atmosphere is filled with not only physical pollution but subtle pollution of corruption, greed for money and power, selfishness, sexual passions, etc. Every man – every home has been turned into Kurukshetra – the field of a new Mahabharata. The human heart has become a kind of home for devilish tendencies. The result is in front of our own eyes – the newspapers are filled with the reports of crimes, theft, bribery, cheating, scams, and what not. Such circumstances – this ignominious atmosphere is certainly not acceptable to the Almighty. The responsibility of eradication of undesirable traits and establishing a new healthy, happy and harmonious society has been given to the s³dhakas of Gayatri Pariwar.

In fact, the purpose of establishing Gayatri Pariwar is to refine the public psyche and build a new atmosphere of noble thoughts and emotions, thus reawakening the sacred sentiments associated with Dharma. This work cannot be done by the Government or the administration, because it is not their field of activity. The function of Government is to look after the welfare of people in terms of security, generation of resources and their proper utilization, public administration and so on. The task of religious-spiritual organizations is to promote the virtues of piety, divinity and greatness in the human hearts. By making a rule of law, it is possible to do vasectomy; but it is not possible to induce self-control (Brahmacharya) in the concerned people. The Government agencies can arrest the criminals and send them to jail but they cannot make them imbibe the virtues of compassion, non-violence, non-attachment, etc. This is the work of religious-spiritual organizations like Gayatri Pariwar.

It is but natural that for accomplishing such a gigantic task, a huge amount of creative energy is required.

Thus, keeping in view the individual and social needs, this year has been declared by our Mission as ‘Shakti sanrakshan varsha’ (the year of conservation of creative energy). Let us get organized, united and collectively dedicate ourselves to achieve this noble aim.

With Prayer-filled Wishes for a Happy, Healthy and Harmonious New Samvatsar, 2075,

(Pranav Pandya)

Creativity is energy. It's a precious energy, and it's something to be protected. - Ava DuVernay 6

AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

Earth is Indeed Our Mother Indian school of thought and its philosophy has always considered man, God and nature as an integrated holistic entity. The feeling of ‘vasudhaiva kutumbaka®’ not only establishes a warm bond of familial relationship amongst people all around the world, but also creates a unique relationship with nature and earth.

Indian culture has always looked upon Earth as a nourishing and protecting mother that takes loving care of its children. She is an epitome of love and should never be considered just a piece of land. This emotion has aptly been captured in the Vedas by the rishis who proclaim – ‘M³t³ p•athvº¡ putroaha® p•athivya¡’.

This thought form was nurtured since the Vedic times till few centuries ago; and as long as people held this feeling in their heart and mind, they maintained a lifestyle that protected the balance in the ecosystem. They did not exploit Mother Earth. For the past 2-3 centuries ever since industrialization has kicked in, not only has selfishness taken deep roots in man’s mind but his entire demeanor towards possessions has taken such a turn that he has begun to exploit Mother Earth with no restrictions of any sort.

The so-called thinkers and intellectuals fanned this line of thought by painting a picture of Earth as a lifeless piece of land and it led to the thought that it is perfectly okay if she is dug to raise skyscrapers or create bomb explosions to dig out her mineral resources.

Man, being selfish, naturally succumbed to these misguided notions and claims supported by some

one-sided scientific statistics. He continued to disturb Mother Earth in all possible ways and hence began the journey to ecological havoc.

Science said that if Earth had a consciousness of its own, there should be a proof to that. How can we stop the flourishing business and the progress that is being achieved just for a mere emotion that Earth is a living entity?

Scientists never believed that Mother Earth could give a proof of herself as a living entity. Absolute Almighty who is verily the source of all science and technology, can He not ensure that a proof be established? The scientific experiments that have been conducted for the past few years have gone to show that Earth is definitely a living entity that not only creates its own atmosphere but also has the ability to sustain and balance it.

When we look from a scientific standpoint, renowned scientist and mathematician Descartes believed that this creation was but a machine that could be proved using mathematical formulae.

There is no place for God or law of retribution or natural harmony in this creation. This line of thought that was proposed in 16th century continued to rule the roost till almost mid-20th century. The researches of prominent scientists like Newton and Hegel went on to support Descartes line of thinking.

The first ever transformation came in 1943 when renowned technologists Warren McCulloch and Walter H. Pitts proposed a principle that a system that appears non-living does not necessarily

The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” - Robert Swan AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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behave like one. McCulloch and Pitts worked on the concept of binary networks by which the lamps lit during festivals like Diwali were linked with a system that switches on and off in a random manner. But they found that after some time the network develops an ability by which all the lights go on or off at the same time. McCulloch and Pitts gave the name of ‘Self-Organization’ to this unique ability.

Hearing of these encouraging experimental findings, Nobel Laureate Prof. Ilya Prigogine of Free University of Brussels began to conduct chemistry experiments on these lines. Surprisingly he found that when a liquid is gradually heated up, it can be observed under a microscope that the hot and cold elements get interleaved and take the shape like that of a honey comb.

Subsequently, he heated up different colored liquids together. He discovered that different fluids were taking on different shapes on heating.

This led to his conclusion that these chemicals and liquids are also capable of self-organization and can take up any shape of their choice.

Around the same time, experiments conducted

by Hermann Haken on synergetics, Manfred Eigen on molecules, Humberto Maturana in the field of medicine, especially related to cognitive aspects of living systems – all these studies in different fields pointed towards the self-organizing ability of systems.

In early 1961, James Lovelock was engaged

by NASA to develop sensitive instruments for the analysis of extraterrestrial atmospheres and planetary surfaces. During work on a precursor of Viking program (in 1970s), Lovelock became interested in the composition of the atmosphere of Mars. He found that its atmosphere was in a

stable condition close to its chemical equilibrium, with very little oxygen, methane, or hydrogen, but with abundant carbon dioxide. Thus, a stark contrast was found between the Martian atmosphere and chemically dynamic mixture of the Earth’s biosphere.

Dr. Lovelock knew that Sun’s temperature had increased by 25% in the last 400 million years.

This has caused an equivalent 25% increase in the temperature of every planet except the Earth.

Only Earth has maintained its temperature same as it was 400 million years ago. Based on this, he concluded that our planet behaves and thinks like a living entity; by its self-organizing ability it regulates the atmospheric temperature so that the life on the planet is not affected. He named this theory as ‘Gaia Hypothesis’ [1]. Dr. Lovelock named the idea after Gaia, the primordial goddess who personified Earth in Greek mythology.

To convert this hypothesis into a theory, adequate proof was required. So, he teamed up with world-renowned Microbiologist Lynn Margulis and worked towards collecting the proof for establishing the Gaia theory. They discovered that Earth’s atmosphere maintains a fixed ratio of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The amount of oxygen we breathe in is exactly equal to the amount of carbon dioxide we exhale, this is exactly opposite in the plant kingdom.

Carbon dioxide that is in excess of the required proportion is absorbed by the rocks present on mountains. This carbon dioxide when mixed with water forms carbonate that in turn is used up by the bacteria. All these bacteria finally end up in the ocean owing to the rivers that flow down the mountains. The oceanic algae eat these bacteria and convert it into calcium carbonate

Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.

- Mahatma Gandhi 8

AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

or limestone. This limestone travels through the surface of the Earth and reaches the volcanoes where subsequent chemical reaction converts it back into carbon dioxide that is emitted during the eruptions that occur. This is received by the plants and gets converted into oxygen. This thinking of the ecosystem conveys that it is not just the living beings like humans, plants, algae and bacteria that contribute to maintaining balance of the atmosphere, but rocks, mountains, oceans and volcanoes also play a vital role. All these help maintain the ecological balance because of which we are able to lead a life on this planet.

The latest scientific approach that is emerging today, known as ‘Deep Ecology’, has been explained by the world-renowned Physicist Fritjof Capra in his revolutionary book ‘Web of Life’. He says – ‘We cannot hold onto the conventional reductionist scientific view that Earth, living beings and nature are separate from one another. You can no longer think that there is no relationship between matter and consciousness.

There is a very close bond between these; and our life is verily dependent on this relationship.’

Param Pujya Gurudev, while propagating the knowledge of scientific spirituality, used to

say that our objective is that science should be spiritual and spirituality should be scientific. The rishis of the Vedic yore conducted deep research on scientific spirituality. Had it not been so, the rishis would not have proclaimed so confidently about it in Atharva Veda (12/1/12) as follows – ‘O Mother Earth! Whatever nutrition comes forth from your center, the navel and your entire body, please establish us in that. This Earth is our Mother and we are all her sons. Parjanya is our father, let him satisfy us completely’.

We are well aware of the terrible consequences of exploiting the Earth. In a book titled ‘The Revenge of Gaia’, Dr. Lovelock argues that the lack of respect humans have had for Gaia (Mother Earth), through the damage done to rainforests and the reduction in planetary biodiversity, is testing Gaia’s capacity to minimize the effects of the addition of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

This is leading to runaway global warming.

Therefore, we need to behave like responsible children of Mother Earth and stop exploiting it by keeping a restraint on our so-called ‘daily needs’.

We should adopt a holistic approach of simple living and high thinking, caring and sharing not only with human beings but also the nature around us.

Suggestions for further reading: 1. James Lovelock, ‘Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth’ (3rd ed.) Oxford University Press (2000) 2. James Lovelock, ‘The Revenge of Gaia: Why the Earth Is Fighting Back – and How We Can Still Save Humanity’ Santa Barbara (California): Allen Lane (2006)

If you truly get in touch with a piece of carrot, you get in touch with the soil, the rain, the sunshine. You get in touch with Mother Earth and eating in such a way, you feel in touch with true life, your roots, and that is meditation. If we chew every morsel of our food in that way we become grateful and when you are grateful, you are happy.

- Thich Nhat Hanh Mother Earth is a source of Life, not a resource. - Author unknown AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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Eat Right Food to Stay Healthy According to Ayurveda – ‘Traya Upsta®bha iti Âh³ra¡, svapno, brahmacaryamiti ….’ (That is, there are three supports of life - food, sleep, and celibacy.)

The gross physical body is called annamaya kosha or the food body, because it is nourished by food and grows by absorbing the nutrients and energy from the food. Therefore, food is verily the most important basis of a happy and healthy life.

Srimadbhagavadgita (17/8/10) classifies food into three categories: s³ttvika, r³jasika, and t³masika. S³ttvik food has been defined as: Âyu¡ satvabal³rogyasukhaprºtivivardhan³¡ | Rasy³¡ snigdh³¡ sthir³ h•dy³ ³h³r³¡ s³tvikapriy³¡|| (Meaning – The food that enhances lifespan, intelligence, strength, good health and happiness; which augments love, is juicy in nature, which stays in the body and by its very nature is pleasing to the mind – such a food is dear to s³ttvika people.)

Such a food is the best for the body. The Gita defines r³jasik food as the one that is bitter, sour, salty, very hot, full of chilly, dry and acidic; it produces sorrows, worries and diseases. Similarly, half cooked, foul smelling, without natural juices, stale, left over and rejected food is called t³masik food.

In the present times, s³ttvik food has become rare and t³masik and r³jasik food have got proliferated everywhere. Most food products available today are prepared to please taste buds; there is no consideration given to how unhealthy they may

be for people who consume them. The markets and hotels are inundated with food products which are instilled with ingredients to augment taste. Even foreign companies are now investing huge amounts of money in food industry. These products are extremely attractive to look at and are very tasty as well but are harmful for health.

Food has also become a matter of prestige now.

People like to show off their wealth by consuming only branded foods. These food products get a lot of publicity through advertisements on TV which entices the viewers to get addicted to these. In the Encyclopaedia of Junk Food and Fast Food Andrew Smith has described junk foods as the products which are basically created for commercial purposes and are very low on nutrition. These products are high on calories and have excessive fat, sugar and salt content. The latter are added to enhance taste. Candies, fried bakery items, pastries, cakes, different types of namkeens, ice-creams and drinks are some of the popular junk foods. These also are very low on nutrition and contain excessive fine flour (maida), due to which they stick into intestines and create constipation. And, Ayurveda says that constipation is the genesis of all kinds of diseases.

These modern foods have become very popular, but people are totally unaware of the harmful effects they have on our body. A latest scientific study has found that excess of junk food causes a great damage to neurons in our brains. These brain cells once damaged cannot be replenished and their destruction creates a number of diseases related to

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food. - Hippocrates 10

AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

the brain. Excessive consumption of junk food leads to loss of memory, headache, heaviness in the eyes, fatigue, obesity, constipation, acidity etc.

A research study was published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2011 related to junk foods. In this study healthy people were given junk food for 5 days and were subjected to tests thereafter. It was found that there was a clear reduction in their cognitive abilities like memory and attention. In order to make junk food tasty, several specific chemicals are added and these affect the hippocampus region of our brain. Since hippocampus is related to memory and attention, it gets severely affected by such food products.

In a research study conducted by Brown University it was found that junk foods contain excessive amounts of fats and sugar. Both these reduce the activities of Brain Derived Neuropeptic Factors (BDNF), alternatively known as brain peptides. These peptides play an important role in the ability of brain to learn and remember. Since junk foods affect these peptides, learning and memorizing functions of the brain are adversely affected. Professor Suzanne de la Monte, a famous neurologist at Brown University also conducted a study to understand the effects of junk food. She has found that eating junk foods is a very strong causative factor for diabetes and also results in the Alzheimer’s disease. They also cause other mental ailments like depression, stress etc.

Polluted foods are the main reasons for reduction of our life spans. Our eating habits too are in disarray. If our food is good, our brain will develop well and mind will get steady and balanced. Our

Rishis of yore had given this sutra – May you live for hundred years. And they said not just stay alive, they added – may your eyes see for hundred years, you ears hear and your voice speak for hundred years, may you maintain good health for hundred years. This is possible only when our eating habits and life styles are refined and balanced.

Our kitchens are amazing chemical laboratories to try out various experiments. In this laboratory we prepare many nutritious food items rich in medicinal values as well. We must cook foods here that satiate our hunger, give us good health, increase our lifespan, and calm our minds. It has been proven that homes where pure and good s³ttvik food is prepared regularly and family members feel happy after eating, in such homes fights are infrequent and love grows steadily. A hungry and dissatisfied person remains disturbed and also troubles others.

He gets angry easily and remains irritated, but when he gets good food he becomes calm and balanced. So we must eat food that increases our life expectancy, gives us a balanced mind, gives energy, nutrition, health, and increases happiness and love. Such foods are the best.

In this regard, Pujya Gurudev has given us a right advice [1]: In order to maintain good health, there is need to consciously make it a practice to (1) select proper eatables (2) eat in a proper way (3) do appropriate physical exercise and (4) manage the daily routine properly. If the mind is kept alert and the routine is practiced carefully, it will become a habit; and once a person becomes habitual of these four activities, it should be considered that she / he has conquered her / his health.

References [1] Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya: ‘Rejuvenation without medicines’ (Pub: Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust (TMD), Shantikunj, Haridwar (2011) Your diet is a bank account. Good food choices are good investments. - Bethenny Frankel AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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Science and Spirituality

Astonishing Power of the Eternal Element of Sound We all can easily experience the powers of hydro, thermal, electrical and wind energies in different forms. The sound, especially its inaudible frequencies, also has similar or greater impact, but cannot be perceived or realized so effortlessly.

Even the perceivable effects of music are often found to vary according to the psychology or emotional state of the subject and are therefore experienced in varied contexts and intensities.

Scientific investigations on the existence and properties of sound-waves indicate that the effects of sound could be as physical as those of the other forms of energy. The Doppler Effect is worth mentioning in this regard. The historical breaking of a bridge due to the superimposition of the cyclic sound created by the orderly footsteps of Napoleon’s army; collapse of several huge and stout bridges due to the synchronization of sound of noisy winds or noises of the surroundings – for instance, the falls of Angers Bridge (also called the Basse-Chaîne Bridge) in France in April, 1850, the Wheeling Suspension Bridge on Ohio river in USA in May 1854 and the bridge over Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington (USA), in November 1940, etc, are some of the well known examples of this significant effect.

As per some reports, during the period of First World War, some German scientists had acquired the knowledge about development of a weapon that could produce sound- waves of a frequency higher than 105 vibrations per second. Such waves would ruin the targeted persons in few seconds,

as the resultant sonic effect would destroy the neurons of the subjects at a rate faster than that of a high-voltage direct electrical shock.

According to acoustic experts, even the harmonious tune of a musical instrument if repeated under appropriate synchronization (in terms of frequency, amplitude, intensity and rhythm) with some other musical output (e.g. the tinkling sound of the bells in the ankle-ornament of a dancer), can result in the destruction of the stage set for the musical performance. Similar destructive effect could be observed by the orderly, superimposed high-intensity audible sounds.

Occurrences of seismic tremors (earthquakes) are also at times attributed to similar effects of periodic resonance of superimposed sound waves (at specific frequencies in a specific order) deep inside the earth’s surface. Some experiments are also reported to have shown that the destructive power of sound could be used, in lieu of dynamite for instance, to create high-energy explosions.

In order to make constructive use of this physical effect of the amplified powers of superimposed sound-waves some physicists have carried out systematic experiments in advanced laboratories.

An interesting experiment conducted about a century ago in one of the Westinghouse Laboratories at New York is worth citing here.

An eight-feet long iron rod of nearly 50 kilogram weight was hung in the center of the roof of a hall.

A small bottle-cork, weighing about 0.5 ounce, was also hung near the rod at a parallel position.

Music is the movement of sound to reach the soul for the education of its virtue. - Plato 12

AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

The experiment was controlled so that the cork would hit the rod at a constant frequency without any other disturbance. An immediate thought in our minds would be that the hits of such a tiny cork would only result in its own destruction.

But the facts are quite the contrary! After 15-20 minutes of these periodic collisions the rod was found to have vibrations in it. About an hour later, the rod also began to oscillate like a pendulum!

signals, to the neuronal system in our brain and the corresponding sound is ‘heard’ by us. Presence of the medium of air is essential for normal functions of hearing by the ears in a human body.

For most of the marine animals, the medium of water fulfils this purpose. In some creatures the centers for perception and transmission of sound are located along the skin pores or elsewhere in the body instead of the ears.

If the orderly vibrations (and hence the sound) of such tiny dimensions could be so powerful, then imagine the gigantic impact of the enormous vibrations created by the ever more loud sound (ranging from day-to-day speech to the trafficnoise, and to the explosive sound of spacecrafts, etc) produced by the living beings on the earth; and by the natural collisions and (meteoritic) explosions in the space!

Anatomic location (vis-à-vis their connections with specific centers in the brain) of our two ears helps instantaneous hearing of audible sound and recognition of the direction from which it is arriving. However, despite healthy functioning of the brain and the ears, we cannot hear any infra sound - produced by the vibrations of frequencies much lower than 16 cps, and ultrasound -generated by vibrations of frequencies much higher than 20,000 cps. Moreover, even the sound in the audible frequency-range, if produced at a long distance or in a noisy surrounding, would not be heard by our ears; because, the disturbances in air-medium would perturb its original vibrations in such cases.

Propagation and Perception of Sound: Vibrations in any material form or in the etheric medium constitute the fundamental source of existence and manifestation of sound. As people having scientific background would know, the quivering of the wires of a musical instrument creates specific vibrations in the air-particles in the closed vicinity of these wires; due to this, the air around is first compressed and then spreads periodically according to the frequency of these vibrations. The sound so generated is carried along the entire expansion of the air-medium.

Vibrations carried via air-medium are audible (i.e. recognized by the sensors of our ears) if they fall into the frequency range of 16 to 20,000 cycles per second in general. Upon perception by nerve-sensors in the ears, these vibrations are transmitted – through appropriate (bio)electrical

Orderly expansion of the sound-waves (vibrations) of compatible characteristics produces well structured sonic patterns while a disorder converts them into a noise (in terms of communication signals). The velocity (around 1088 ft per sec) of sound is much lesser than that of light. This is the reason why the flash of lightening is seen before the loud noise of a thunder bolt; or, smoke produced by cannon is seen before the cracking sound of its explosion is heard. ‘How far a sound will be heard or received by a sensor that is perceptive to its frequency’depends upon its intensity and loudness. Larger the intensity, the lesser would be the effect of

Rhythm is sound in motion. It is related to the pulse, the heartbeat, the way we breathe.

- Edward Hirsch AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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distance. For example, the deadly noise of the Krakatau volcanic eruption in Indonesia in 1883 is said to have been heard up to a distance of over 5000 miles in open air.

Propagation of sound is hindered or reflected back whenever its carrier medium is blocked.

This gives rise to an echo or to a dispersed sound depending upon the (atomic) structure and shape of the obstacle. The quality (loudness and amplitude) of the reverberation depends upon the type of the original sound and the regularity and geometry of the dense medium (or obstruction) with which the sound waves collide. At times, the sound produced at one place and perceived within a certain range can be heard beyond an intermediate region of its nonperception. For instance, an explosion that took place in Moscow sometime in 1920s became popular because, its noise was heard up to 60 miles but not at a distance from 60 to 90 miles.

Amazingly, it was clearly heard at a distance of another 60 miles forward (i.e. within the distance from 91 to 121 miles approximately) from the place where it occurred.

Propagation of sound via radio-waves amplifies its velocity up to the order of 186000 miles per second or more. This is how the radio stations can communicate from one end of the globe to the other in a matter of few seconds. Marching ahead from the knowledge and utilization of radio waves, the modern science and technology have advanced up to the level of capturing as well as generating infra sound and ultrasound with the help of sophisticated instruments. The present century might enable experimentation on still higher dimensions of sound and pave the way for experiencing the yet ‘hidden’ realms of its sublime existence.

Sublime Facets of Sonic Power: Modern scientific research has gone a long way in its study of the sonic waves. These investigations coupled with the advancement of electronics have now made speech recognition by machines like computers and robots, an established reality.

Applications of radio waves and the lasers have become integral part of modern life. It looks like it will be possible sometime for specifically designed laboratories to experiment and verify (and may also demonstrate) the supernatural physical effects of ïastriya sangºta (Indian classical music): e.g. - automatic kindling of oil-lamps by R³ga Dºpak, the potential of R³ga Malh³r in attracting rainfall, the power of R³ga Ïankar to transform a dry branch of a tree blossom with fresh green leafs, etc.

Advancement of ongoing research on using the creative power of music in psychological treatments, stress management and in healthier maintenance of animals and vegetation, etc, would certainly pave the ways for realization and use of the knowledge of Ïabda and N³da1,2 for an overall ascent of personality as described in the ancient Indian scriptures.

On the subtler front as well, modern science is moving towards investigating, to some extent, the latent powers and subtle energies of Ïabda (and N³da) as described in the ancient Indian texts. The journey of research from atoms to electromagnetic waves has finally been oriented on the fundamental and vital role of sound-waves pervading everywhere in the cosmic expansion. The big-bang hypothesis of the origin of the universe is also coming closer to the ‘theories’ cited in the Vedic literature.

Since light travels faster than sound, some people appear to be bright until you hear them speak. - Brian Williams 14

AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

The scriptures on spiritual science of yoga render significant importance to Ïabda-S³dhan³, viz., a higher level spiritual experiment of realization of the eternal cosmic sound, via the practices of – swara yoga, surati yoga and the mantra yoga.

The science and philosophy of mantra has emerged from the spiritual acumen of the rishis (Vedic Sages) and their expertise in using the sublime powers of Ïabda1 and N³da2 towards fulfilling the noble purposes of collective awakening and upliftment of humankind at mental (intellectual and emotional) as well as spiritual levels.

The Vedic Mantras are said to have been created as specific configuration of phonemes and

syllables corresponding to the ‘sonic patterns’ in the transcendent vibrations and sublime expressions of the afflatus of Brah®3 as realized by the rishis in the state of deep trance. It is the sonic-patterns and strength of vibrations and energy generated by the japa-s³dhan³4 of such a mantra and not its linguistic structure, grammar or the word-meaning that plays the key role in making the mantra so effective.

Sound-energy, being a physical manifestation of Ïabda exists in its original form in the universe forever, without any natural conversion into any other form of energy. The subtle vibrations and impact of devout japa-s³dhan³ of a Vedic Mantra is therefore regarded as eternal.

Notes: 1. Ïabda: Eternal element of cosmic sound generated by the evolutionary impulse of Brah®.

2. N³da: Rhythmic flow (music) of perpetual current/flow of Ïabda.

3. Brah®: Omnipresent, Eternal Consciousness-Force.

4. Japa-s³dhan³: Japa (meditative rhythmic (mental) chants of a Vedic Mantra) under observance of certain spiritual disciplines.

The deeper aim of the early seer musicians was to blend the singer with the cosmic song which can be heard through the awakening of man’s inner experience. Indian music is a subjective, spiritual, and individualistic art, aiming not at symphonic brilliance but at personal harmony with the over -soul. Musical gatherings are an effective form of yoga or spiritual discipline, necessitating deep concentration, intense absorption in the seed thought and sound.

- Paramahansa Yogananda Darkness is to space what silence is to sound, i.e., the interval. - Marshall McLuhan AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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Astrology - The Science of Planetary Influences on Human Life “Jyoti̳® s¿ry³digrah³ñ³® bodhaka® ï³stra®” – (Meaning: The science which gives us knowledge of the Sun and other planets, and their changing positions in space and time is called astrology.)

Astrology is mainly concerned with the nature of stars and planets, their movements, rotation periods, eclipses and other connected events and the consequential good or bad effects.

These calculations are important for human life on earth. It is also a precise technique of personality assessment. It tells us about the potentialities inherent in a person and his future possibilities. One can also know what obstacles he is likely to face in the future and at what points of time.

In astrology, personality has been defined in terms of thought, action and emotion. These are called mental, physical and spiritual aspects.

They constitute the seven aspects of human life – three of external personality, three of internal, and the seventh, consciousness; and are symbolized by the seven planets in the cosmos. These seven aspects of the personality are not identical in all persons. Their positions and circumstances vary from person to person depending upon his karma (actions).

Among the three aspects of external personality, the first is thought which is symbolised by Jupiter. It represents the physical body of a living being and supplies blood for the running of

body’s internal processes. In human physiology, it represents feet, thigh, liver, digestive system, blood and veins. In the sphere of work, Jupiter represents law or duty (dharma). It is connected with the work of priest, minister, judge and charity. In the spiritual sense, it promotes beauty, love, power, devotion, order, intellect, occult orientation, tantra-mantra, etc.

The second aspect of external personality is symbolised by the Mars. All the emotions related with excitement, agitation and sensitivity in humans are controlled by it. Mainly, it is a symbol of desires. In work field, Mars represent professions of soldier, doctor, professor, chemist, mechanical engineering, sports, artisans etc. It is responsible for generating the attributes of courage, determination, self confidence, anger and assertiveness inside a person.

The third form of external personality is represented by the Moon. Moon casts its effects on physical consciousness and regulates the changes occurring in the mind. Physiologically, it is connected with stomach, digestive power, intestines, breasts, ovaries, eyes and all the sexual organs of a woman.

Saturn is connected with the inner and outer consciousness. Mainly, it is a symbol of the ego which maintains a balance between thought and action. It expresses the different esoteric and mystical aspects of life. Saturn in the birthplace strengthens thoughts and emotions. Saturn makes a person farmer, maÚha head, miser, police officer,

A physician without knowledge of Astrology has no right to call himself a physician.

- Hippocrates 16

AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

or sage-mendicant. Saturn also represents rocky terrain, barren land, building ruins, cremation ground, flat land etc.

In physiological sense, Saturn affects bones, lower jaw, large intestine, muscles and nervous system. Spiritually speaking, Saturn is a symbol of thought, reflection, leadership, dutifulness, self-control, patience, determination, character and resourcefulness. Saturn never grants favour to any one; it merely gives result of action (karmaphala). That is why, Saturn is called a judge or magistrate (dispenser of justice). There is absolutely no one in the whole world who can escape from its justice. Thus human life is intrinsically connected with the movement of planets and other cosmic bodies.

Astrology is generally looked upon as a matter of religion, but actually it is a science. Experts of astrology and spirituality both accept this truth that the changes in the circumstances of a higher being like man take place according to his action, thought, emotion and resolve. Hence the

moment of birth has a great significance. True, that every moment of life has its importance, but the birth moment keeps casting its influence on the whole life.

Why is it so? It is so because at every instant, specific currents of the cosmic energy in specific quantum are found at one or the other point. In precisely these moments of convergence, birth of a human being takes place. This moment decides in what configuration these energy currents will meet in the future and what effect they will cast upon the life pattern.

The birth moment of a person always remains with him. It tells exactly with which seeds of action (karmabºja), destiny (pr³rabdha) and ingrained values (sa®sk³rs), and with the convergence of what type of energy currents, the soul has finally taken birth. The birth moment assigns to the person and his life a unique place in this vast cosmic space-time domain. This place never changes.

The whole creation — humans, animals, plants, materials and events —take birth according to the

Two friends were walking through the desert. At one point of the journey they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, wrote in the sand: “Today my best friend slapped me in the face” They kept on walking until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one, who had been slapped, got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but the friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone: “Today my best friend saved my life.”

The one who had slapped and saved his best friend asked him, “After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand and now, you write on a stone, why?” The other replied: “When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand where winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But, when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can ever erase it.”

The Lesson: Learn to write your hurts in the sand, and to carve your joys in stone.

The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves. - William Shakespeare AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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varying sequence of these convergence points. In this very sequence also occurs their dissolutionsubmersion, which in common parlance is called death or transmutation.

The •Ìis who have investigated the science of astrology have classified the flow of these energy currents into - 27 nakïatras (stars), 12 zodiac signs, and 9 planets. They have visualised the sequence of changes occurring therein as vi®ïottara, aÌtottara and yoginº nakïatra sequences.

If we understand the intricacies of astrology in the right manner, we can recognise our inherent capabilities and potentialities, and move forward in that direction. By recognising the specific

pattern of the energy flow that affects our position in the time cycle, we can adopt precisely that line of work or endeavour which cannot be harmed much by the ever changing sequence of energy currents in the cosmos.

In the periods of mah³daï³, antardaï³ and pratyantardaï³ [1] of the planetary positions, one can use the associated mantras, charitypiety, stones and plants-herbs. By doing this, one can keep away from their resulting ill effects and achieve success in life. Even if one does not possess this deep knowledge one can take recourse to regular recitation of the G³yatrº mantra and Mah³mrityunjaya mantra, which will take him to the pinnacle of success in life.

Notes: 1.

Mah³daï³ or major period is the segmentation of human life for each planet with variant size of periods divided within perceived 120 years of a human life as each segment is ruled by a planet.

Mah³daï³s are divided into nine segments called antardaï³s or sub-periods. This is a division of mah³daï³ period where all the 9 planets would have their influence within the major influence of the planet which is a ruler of mah³daï³. Antardaï³ is further divided into 9 segmentations of 9 periods in which all the 9 planets would have their period of influences. These segmentations are called pratyantardaï³ or sub-sub period.

During the war between Rama and Ravana, when the army of Rama had surrounded the kingdom of Lanka, Ravana sent a few spies to know the secrets of the enemy’s army. His two demon soldiers Shuka and Saarana, who in changed attires were spying near Rama’s camp, got caught. The monkey army presented them before the Lord. Both of them accepted that they were spies, and agreed to receive any punishment given to them. Lord Rama smiled and said – ‘You haven’t committed any mistake, you are only obeying your master’s order. Go back to your king and tell him that he should get ready to display all his might and deceit that he displayed when he kidnapped Sita, again in front of us during the war’. Saying so he turned to Vibhishana; and said - “Even an enemy soldier, who is caught armless, does not deserve a death penalty. We will treat them like enemy’s messengers. According to the policy of our rule, free them and safely leave them till the doors of the fort.” Both the demon soldiers bowed down before the goodwill, simplicity and dutifulness of Lord Rama.

Man is the maker of his own destiny. - Acharya Shriram Sharma 18

AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

Foundational Values and Tenets of Indian Culture Human life has two facets - adhibhautika (material, perceivable in space-time domain) and ³dhy³tmika (spiritual). The system of Nature is such that the adhibhautika is naturally expressed and experienced via the physical body and its sensory faculties right since birth. The cry of an infant in the moments of hunger or discomfort (to the body) is well known example of this fact.

As the child grows, it learns to use the natural faculties of his body, almost automatically as per the environment and ambience of his life.

Successively the adhibhautika activities and progress continue via the physical (including biological and (neuro)-physiological) processes of the body. This happens, in one way or the other, in the life-cycle of every being. Then what is so unique about human life?

It is the spiritual facet that makes the human life so distinct. In fact it is only in the human life that the spiritual facet has a chance to get expressed.

Moreover, it also offers an opportunity of further evolution of consciousness. It is after a long journey of numerous life-forms that the jºv³tm³ (individual-self; soul of a being) gets this rare opportunity. This is why human life is regarded so precious. Because of evolved levels and expressions of consciousness as compared to other creatures, the emotional and intellectual faculties of human beings are more developed.

Deploying these consciousness-faculties, humans have succeeded in creation and possession of shelter, food, and other comforts, formation of society, etc. These faculties have made possible the origin and ascent of human civilization and

amazing progress on the adhibhautika fronts of life. But all this amounts to shortsighted and limited use of the immense power of consciousnessfaculties. This is why, despite ultra advancement on the material fronts of life via science and technology, we hardly find peace and happiness in human life.

On the contrary, the rising trends and threats of health-hazards, psychological complications, environmental deterioration, terrorism, social anarchy, devilish crimes, etc., have put a question mark even on sustenance of human life[1]. These negative trends can be reversed, the wrongs can be corrected, and the world can march towards righteous progress, if the unlimited potentials of human mind (including its intellectual and emotional domains) are oriented towards spiritual ascent. Principles and methods of Indian Culture provide feasible solutions to achieve this goal [2, 3].

Spiritual Foundation of Indian Culture: Foundation of Indian Culture is laid on spiritual values and tenets that are essential for holistic progress of human life. Indian Culture in no way undermines the importance of progress on the worldly (adhibhautik) fronts of life, but its focus is to ascertain that development is sustainable and it advances in righteous direction under the guiding light of spirituality. The tenets and values of Indian Culture also aim at spiritual ascent and divine evolution of consciousness, which is the ultimate goal of human life.

Purity, patience and perseverance are the three essentials of success and above all love.

- Vivekananda AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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It is a culture of this kind which produces true saints, altruist social reformers, martyrs, great personalities, intellectuals, scientists and spiritual masters like the rishis (angelic sages of Vedic Age) who bestow the world with divine grace through their noble deeds and virtuous characters.

It is this culture that enables the ordinary mortal beings to overcome their devilish tendencies and beastly instincts, and helps them conquer over the adversities and hardships, if any, on the worldly circumstances of life. It also motivates and guides them to realize and constructively use their potentials to live happily and progress with the dignity of precious human life.

these, adoption of which may resolve many of the dreaded problems faced by the world today.

Unflinching intrinsic faith in divine origin and objective of human-self/soul, consequent purification and virtuous development of character, dissolution of ego, and expansion of selfishness into selflessness are essential for spiritual ascent. Tenets of Indian Culture and the values propounded by it revolve around these core ideas of spirituality.

Whatever one feels through heart, and thinks and does with mental engrossment or intention leaves deep impression in the unconscious mind.

This forms the sansk³ras of corresponding nature. Untoward and negative thoughts and/ or emotions driven by ego, cruelty, erogeneity, sensory lust, cravings, fear, hatred, lethargy, etc, give rise to bad sansk³ras that further trigger corresponding debasing and negative tendencies, and so on. Similarly, the generation and assimilation of good thoughts, tendencies and virtuous sansk³ras, depend upon and augment each other.

Foundational Tenets and Values of Indian Culture: With spirituality as its primary focus, the ideology of Indian Culture lays foremost importance on illumination of the inner cores of mind, purity and righteous orientation of intrinsic tendencies, emotions and thoughts. Tenets of this culture help cultivation of emotional compassion, serene love, and generosity. Their domain also encompasses major traits of the behavioral, social, and several worldly aspects as well. It is remarkable to note that these tenets and values of Indian Culture have remained relevant and important for the welfare and peaceful co-existence of all beings in different periods of human history. Let us look at some of

Inner Purity: Awakening and strengthening of the inner force of conscience by restraining extrovert tendencies and agility of mind and refinement of intrinsic assimilations in mental domain is given utmost importance in Indian Culture. According to Indian Philosophy, one’s intrinsic desires, passions and other mental tendencies, or the in-built character are molded by the sansk³ras (mental impressions and assimilations since the earlier life and the past phase of the present life).

Inner purification therefore requires simultaneous cleansing of the bad sansk³ras and sowing and nurturing of the good sansk³ras. Indian Culture prescribes specific spiritual endeavors for refinement of the existing sansk³ras; the nature and extent of these endeavors depends upon the spiritual stage of a person. More commonly guided and propagated are the practices of self-discipline and refinement at the level of conscious and sub-conscious mind. Adoption of the following values and behavioral traits along

Culture of the mind must be subservient to heart. - Mahatma Gandhi 20

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with positive orientation of the expression of thoughts, emotions, deeds and overall conduct is essential in this regard.

Satya and Ahi®s³: Most prominent and crucial of the universal values of morality in the present era are – satya and ahi®s³. Sincere adoption of these values had transformed ordinary youth named Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi into the great “Mahatma” — a globally revered, immortal icon of inner strength and humane glory.

In simple words, adoption of satya means adoption of truthfulness and honesty in speech, writing, thinking, and, all activities of life.

Adoption of asteya (not stealing or claiming right on anybody’s property, belonging, relationship, idea, etc, in any way), integrity of character, and austerity (simple living with minimal essential means for self) is also essential for practicing satya.

Ahi®s³ implies non-violence — not causing any harm or agony to anybody through any physical or mental deed. Kindness and generosity are natural and nearest associates of ahi®s³. Adoption of ahi®s³ is reflected at the inter-personal and social levels as the tolerance, unity, love, harmony and equality.

Tolerance, Unity and Love: Indian Culture, which emanates from the Vedic wisdom, aims at cultivating the feeling of “Âtmavata Sarvabh¿teÌu” (One should treat every being like one’s own self). Tolerance and Unity are therefore integral to the teachings and practices of Indian Culture. History of India is testimony to the fact that this land, this country, this society has embraced people from all directions and all parts of the world, people of all faiths and traditions.

Ancient Indian Culture was revered as “divine culture” because of the nectar of “Tolerance and Unity in diversity”, and “unconditional love for all”, showered by it. Epics of Indian Culture disseminate this Vedic wisdom in a lucid style: Parahita Sarisa Dharma Nahin Bh³i | Para PºÃ³ Sama Nahin Adham³i || - (c.f. Ramacharitmanas) Meaning: There is no virtue better than altruistic welfare of others, and there is no sin like agonizing or troubling others. Âtmana¡ Pratik¿l³ni, Pare̳® Na Sam³chareta| - (c.f. Shantiparva|Mahabharata) Meaning: Do not do unto others what you would not like to be done unto you.

Yany e̳® Hita® Na Sy³d, Âtmana¡ Karma Paur¿Ìa®| - (c.f. Shantiparva|Mahabharata) Meaning: We must get rid of our (wrong) attitude and behavior which harms others.

The culture which is founded on the principle of “Vasudhaiva Kutu®baka®” (Entire world is like a family), also naturally emphasizes cultivation and propagation of the serene feelings of sharing and caring with unconditional love.

Harmony and Equality: As per their culture, the socio-economic and political line of thinking of most countries across the globe has been polarized towards specific socio-economic systems. For example, some have favored Capitalism, and some others are extremely Leftists/Communists.

Indian Culture has always been centrist in its approach. Barring specific periods of some audacious emperors in the medieval and postmedieval times of cultural–devolution, the Indian socio-economic and political system has never

We owe a lot to Indians, who taught us how to count, without which no worthwhile scientific discoveries could have been made. - Albert Einstein AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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offered favored opportunities to only selected class(es) of the society, or only specific type(s) of development. Every citizen has been given equal right to earn and live with dignity.

Culture of favoritism or exploitation or the system of casteism and communalism that are seen in some parts of this vast Indian society since the medieval times, are offshoots of the attempted cultural distortions and devolution.

(These aspects will be elaborated in articles on social engineering in Indian Culture that will appear in the forthcoming issues of this magazine.) There has been no place for these in the core culture of India. Such biases are therefore never allowed to dominate or overrule the cultural roots of India.

Vedas, the origin and foundation of Indian Culture, clearly declare that — Nature has given equal right to all beings to live and use air, water, soil, and other resources without hampering or harming other. The Vedas preach the principles of equality and harmony. For example, Ye Sam³n³¡ Samanaso Jºv³ JºveÌu M³mak³¡| Ye P³® Ïrirmayi Kalpt³masmilloke Ïatam Sam³¡ || - (Yajurveda 16|46)

Meaning: I (God) like those (people) who believe in equality of all beings and who, through heart, regard everyone as equal. It is only the prosperity (wellbeing) of such people (who share it for welfare of all) lasts long.

Sam³nº Prap³ Sahv³nnabh³ga¡ Sam³ne Yoktre Sahavo Yuniemi| Samyaóchoagni® Sarpaya T³r³ N³bhi Miv³sita¡ || - (Atharvaveda 3|30|6) Meaning: All your resources – milk, grain, etc be equally shared. Like chords in the wheel of a chariot are equal and harmoniously share the load, you all should equally and harmoniously do yagyas (altruist service, welfare activities, and other noble deeds; fire ritual for protection of environment and health).

Several approaches to self-discipline — ranging from restraining the sensory passions by observance of silence, fasting, etc, to higher level ascetic endeavors are prescribed as part of the methods and practices of Indian Culture to follow the abovestated tenets, values and consequent behavioral traits on personal and social fronts of life. We shall highlight more on related topics with discussion on the practical modes and customs under Indian Culture in the next issue of this magazine.

References /Further Reading: 1.

2.

3.

Folly of the Wise (Translation of a Hindi book “Samajhd³ron kº N³samajhº” by Acharya Shriram Sharma). Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar (2016).

Problems of Today, Solutions for Tomorrow (Translation of the Hindi book “Samasy³ein Âja Ki aur Sam³dh³na Kala Ke” by Acharya Shriram Sharma), Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar (2016).

Bh³ratºya Sanskrati Ke Âdh³rabh¿ta Tatva. “Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya Samagra Vangamaya” Vol. 34, Akhand Jyoti Sansthan, Mathura (1995).

Being Indian is not blood as much as it is culture. - Tony Hillerman

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AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

Abandon Blind Faiths and Customs People have held on to a number of blind faiths and meaningless practices for centuries to ensure that auspicious events unfold in life and unpleasant situations get warded off. Blind faiths are the baseless ‘convictions’ which are accepted without logic and thoughtful considerations.

Science has made a tremendous progress; even then in every corner of the world and in our society too there are so many customs, practices and faiths which are completely baseless. There is no dearth of people who get impressed by orthodoxies and blindly accept these beliefs.

A very common belief is regarding an evil eye (burº nazar), which stands for negative or harmful powers. People adopt various practices to save themselves from these. For example, people in India apply a small black mark to ward off evil eye. Both in India and Pakistan lemon is considered auspicious and is supposed to have the potential to protect from negative powers. So many people stitch together seven green chillies and a lemon in a thread and hang them in front of their homes or shops to protect them from the evil eye. These are called ‘nazar battu’ and they are replaced daily, weekly or fortnightly.

On festive occasions, people in India like to add a rupee to the cash they offer as a gift and call it ‘sagun’. It is believed that sagun adds good luck; it is called as a blessing and love of elders and is considered auspicious for the start of a new phase of life. In India as well as many other countries in the world it is believed that by throwing coins in the rivers it is possible to ward off misfortune. In olden

times, the coins were made of silver or brass, and both these metals cleanse the water and kill bacteria.

The main source of drinking water in earlier times only used to be the rivers, and so throwing coins in rivers was called auspicious. In today’s scenario throwing coins is nothing but a blind belief.

Many people consider 13 as an unlucky number.

If a Friday falls on the 13th of the month, the day is considered really inauspicious. When a person steps out of home for some work, asking him where he is going is also not considered auspicious. It is believed that this interruption results in failure of the task which the person has set out for. Similarly, if anyone sneezes once at the time of stepping out it is considered inauspicious, while two sneezes are considered a good sign. All these are also due to orthodox, non-scientific thinking.

Like this there are many blind beliefs prevalent in our country. For example, wearing a white shirt for an important meeting or work brings success. Hanging a picture or poster of a girl with tears in eyes brings misfortune. It is not good to keep shoes or sandals below the cot because they bring bad dreams in sleep. If a new dress is worn and an unhappy event unfolds that day, then the dress should not be worn again. Entering house or office with the right foot first is auspicious. If a wall lizard falls on a person, it is an indication to be careful for the next few days.

If a spider climbs on a person, it indicates that new clothes will be bought soon. Using white bed spreads for sleeping and white sheets for covering up brings an early death. A clock that has stopped working should be taken off the wall immediately because a

The way to see by faith is to shut the eye of reason. - Benjamin Franklin AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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stopped clock indicates that further progress in life would come to a standstill.

Japan has won a lot of acclaim in this modern technological era, but Japanese people still carry some convictions that are a bit strange. For example, they consider the numbers 4 and 7 as inauspicious. If Japanese is offered room number 4 on the 4th floor of a hotel, he does not stay there.

Taiwanese also regard number 4 as inauspicious.

So they never have room number 4 on the fourth floor of their hotels. A blind belief in Taiwan is that number 4 is linked with sudden death. In Taiwan, red colour is linked with happiness and joy. So in marriages, along with the bride’s dress, her footwear, and bridegroom’s handkerchief and tie are also red in colour. Japanese believe that if a person even once in his life gets to see a white snake, his life gets filled with luxuries and successes. So they hang pictures of a white snake on their walls and see it daily. They also believe that if snakeskin is kept in purse or locker, it would always remain filled with money.

In Thailand it is commonly believed that if a snake wrangles a person tightly in a dream this means that the person is going to get married pretty soon.

They also have a blind faith that number 6 always gives adverse result. Since number 6 on inversion becomes 9, so with number 6 all the good luck can easily get changed into bad luck. Japanese and Koreans consider a gift wrapped in white paper as inauspicious. So they never wrap their gifts in white paper. Europeans consider exchanging bouquets of flowers as auspicious, as long as no brown coloured flowers are in them. Chinese do not like to gift each other wall clocks.

Koreans believe that lovers must not give footwear like shoes, sandals etc. to each other as gifts,

otherwise their love and friendship may come to an end. They also believe that during examination days one must not wash hair because when water is poured over head, all that is memorized for exam also gets washed away. Turkish people believe that if someone wishes for something standing in between two people with identical names, the wish definitely gets fulfilled. They also believe that if one feels itchy on the right palm, he would receive money and if he feels itchy on the left palm he would have to part with money. There is also a belief that if food falls on clothes while eating it is a sign that some guest will be arriving.

People in Argentina believe that if a coin is found on street it should be kept carefully because it will open doors to good fortune and bring a lot of riches. According to a belief in Brazil if you put sugar in the cup before putting coffee you can get very rich. In Russia looking at oneself in a broken mirror is considered inauspicious. Another belief is that if someone forgets something at home and has to return to pick it up, he should see himself in mirror before restarting as this brings success.

People in Italy believe that if someone ventures into water after eating he can die. South Koreans believe that if they sleep under a switched on fan they can die. As a result, their fans always have a timer so that the fans get switched off automatically after some time. Russians believe that if a bird dirties a person, he will acquire fame.

In several countries, a black cat cutting across the way is considered inauspicious and it is advised to take seven steps back before starting again.

There are many such blind faiths and beliefs prevalent all over the world and people believe in them seriously. In this progressive world people should reject such false beliefs and move ahead by adopting discretionary wisdom.

Superstition is the poison of the mind. - Joseph Lewis 24

AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

Yug Gita – 11

Establish yourself in Yoga and perform action as per Yugadharma Explaining the essence of Yugadharma to Arjuna, Lord Shrikrishna is trying to bring home the point that if he does not get engaged in war he will incur sin. He has given a remarkable message through these ïlokas: Bhay³d rañ³d uparata® ma®syante tv³® mah³rth³¡ | Ye̳® ca tva® bahumato bh¿tv³ y³syasi l³ghavam || (2/35) Meaning - The mighty chariot-warriors will consider that you have withdrawn from war out of fear; and for those you have been held in high esteem, you will fall into disgrace.

Av³cyav³d³®ïca bah¿n vadiÌyanti tav³hit³¡ | Nindantastava s³marthya® tato du¡khatar® nu kim || (2/36) Meaning - Your enemies also, discrediting your prowess, will speak many insulting words. What could be more painful than that!

Hato v³ pr³psyasi svarga® jitv³ v³ bhokÌyase mahºm | Tasm³duttiÌÚha kaunteya yuddh³ya k•taniïcaya¡ || (2/37) Meaning - Slain, you will obtain heaven; victorious, you will enjoy the empire of earth; therefore, stand up, O son of Kunti, resolved to fight!

Sukhadu¡khe same k•tv³ l³bh³l³bhau jay³jayau | Tato yuddh³ya yujyasva naiva® p³pamav³psyasi || (2/38)

Meaning – Being equipoised in pleasure and pain, profit and loss, victory and defeat, prepare for the battle. In this way, you will not incur sin.

From the above-cited four ïlokas, three main points emerge. First – ‘Your attachment – affection is leading you to indecision. This escapism is a deadly sin.’ Second – ‘Performing one’s righteous duty is best. Getting slain and obtaining heaven or winning the battle and enjoying the empire of earth – should be the sole aim of a warrior.’ Third – ‘Don’t think about profit-loss, victory-defeat or pleasure-pain. If you get caught in this dilemma, you will fall, get insulted and obtain an inferior birth, because you are engaging in this war not for killing but for preforming your duty. Therefore get ready to fight with full determination.’

Undue attachment to near and dear ones, not performing one’s righteous duty, escapism resulting from actionlessness, laziness – carelessness – these tendencies push us towards sin. We should engage ourselves in swadharma – righteous duties. This essence is manifested in the teachings of The Lord till thirty-eighth ïloka.

Lord has made one thing very clear that flinching from one’s swadharma is a deadly sin.

If we, the Gayatri Pariwar parijans, resolve that we have to incessantly work towards ushering in of new era – bright future for humanity - forgetting all our mind-body problems, without getting swayed by laziness-negligence or getting trapped in the web of Kalnemi, then the conduct of swadharma

Perform work in this world as a man established within himself - without selfish attachments and equipoised in success and failure. - Veda Vyasa AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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will be easier for us – the difficult times will also pass and we will reach the era where a small effort will push us to the peak of fame and glory.

Lord says - ‘There will be no loss even if you die doing this work; you will get heaven. If you remain alive, then you will reach the peak of glory.’ The same thing was told by our revered Gurudev. Then what is the dilemma? Param Pujya Gurudev has written in Hindi Akhand Jyoti (September, 1978 issue) – ‘the soldiers of reserve force have slept for too long, have gone lazy; but if they shirk their responsibility now, then it will not be good for them, neither today nor tomorrow.’ These words not only reveal the pain of Gurusatta, but also warn us about our duties.

In ïloka 39, Lord Shrikrishna teaches his disciple Arjuna – which wisdom should be employed in the context of Karmayoga? He said – ‘I have explained to you this wisdom (of Jó³nayoga) regarding the nature of Soul. Now listen to the wisdom of Karmayoga (selfless action), endowed with which, O Arjuna, you shall cast off the bonds of action.’ He further elaborates the same thing in ïloka 40 – ‘In this there is no loss of effort, nor is there any harm (the production of contrary results or transgression). Even a little practice of this Yoga protects one from great fear (of birth and death).

After explaining Ârya Dharma - KÌatra Dharma, Vasudev changes His style of discourse. He has already given the answer to Arjuna’s problem and related dilemma. Now, He focusses on the other aspect. His holy words distinguish between S³nkhya and Yoga. Establishing one’s wisdom in Yoga, when one performs action, he can get deliverance from the bonds of action.

Let us try to understand this riddle in the context of ‘Essays on the Gita’ by Sri Aurobindo. Essentially, the Gita is a Vedanta scripture; it is, in fact, one of the three globally-accepted authentic scriptures of Vedanta. It is revered so much that in spite of not being Ïruti, it is regarded as thirteenth UpaniÌada.

Due to its Vedantic nature, its philosophy reflects a unique synthesis of S³nkhya and Yoga. This is a remarkable combination of principle and practice. The teachings of the Gita are based on the foundation of knowledge and devotion. The S³nkhya of the Gita is the process of self-evolution in a natural way. Its objective is to inspire human beings to uplift themselves by imbibing the principles in practice – climb from the lower ego-centered state to the upper state of divinity.

The same divine knowledge was imparted by our Gurudev in the form of practical spirituality, and he taught the art of living by providing the guidelines for rising from humans to divine beings.

Lord is gradually eliminating the indecision of Arjuna as if some planned surgery is being done. Arjuna is fearful of committing sin and the resulting pain and punishment of going to hell. But he can get rid of this dreaded fear by comprehending the teachings of Lord Krishna.

That is why, He says – ‘Even a little practice of this Yoga will protect you from great fear of birth and death; even a small effort can give you salvation. In this there is no loss of effort; there is no obstacle in your path that can halt your progress.’ What a daring promise of Yogeshwar Krishna? It gives firm assurance to Arjuna who is getting doubtful again and again. With this initial declaration of the Gita, if we relate the guidance of our Gurudev, it would appear that the great hero of this era ‘Yugkrishna’ has been teaching us the same thing. Engaging ourselves in the up³san³ of Gayatri Mantra and making a little of s³dhan³ a

The offering of wisdom is better than any material offering, for the goal of all work is spiritual wisdom. - Veda Vyasa 26

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part of our lives, we can certainly uplift ourselves.

In this, there is no loss of seed; neither is there production of contrary results or transgression.

By explaining this aspect again and again, Pujya Gurudev molded the lives of millions of people.

How a small spark of transforming the wisdom into righteous wisdom can bring about such a gigantic revolution (Vichar Kranti Abhiyan) is a matter to be contemplated upon.

Here Lord says that there are two types of human intellect (ïlokas 41 to 44). The first type has the virtues of focus, stability, devoted only to the supreme element. The second kind has

no resolution, no determination; it generally follows the desires arising out of the needs and circumstances of life. In the Gita, the word ‘Buddhi’ (intellect, wisdom) has been used in the context of the process of making discretion and decision by the mind. Thus the Lord distinguishes between vy³vas³yika and avy³vas³yika buddhi.

The intellect that is engaged in different tasks, divided in different directions (avy³vas³yika buddhi) normally ignores its duties – says the Lord. ‘Our aim should be to make it singlepointed (vy³vas³yika buddhi)’ – In order to explain this fact, Lord has to give so much of clarification to Arjuna.

[To be continued]

[Note: This is the translation of Hindi version of ‘Yug Gita’ (Part 1) by Dr. Pranav Pandya, published by Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar (2003)]

The great war of Mahabharata was going on. Guru Dronacharya and Arjuna were face to face one day. Dronacharya had taught archery to Arjuna; still he was feeling helpless before the latter. The Kauravas asked - “What a surprise that the teacher is losing and the disciple is winning!” Dronacharya said - “I have been living in the luxury of royal patronage for many years now, while all these years Arjuna has been struggling with the vicissitudes of a hard life. Those who live in comfort gradually lose their strength while the strugglers keep continuously adding to their prowess.”

The lives of many great men are a testimony to the fact that the lotus of success does blossom in muddy waters. As long as life is surrounded by obstacles and challenges it remains sharp and sparkling, but the day all adversities go away, life too starts getting dull, delirious and joyless. That is why Maharshi Aurobindo had said - “Pain is the god’s hammer; human life is chiseled by it.”

Reshape yourself through the power of your will; it is the only friend of the Self, and it is the only foe of the Self. - Veda Vyasa AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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Peace Pilgrim’s Wisdom – 11

Reflections on the Pilgrimage - 2 Bridges always offered protection from the elements, as well as dilapidated barns and empty basements of abandoned homes. Culverts and large pipes often served as lodging. But one of my favorite places to sleep is a large haystack piled in an accessible field on a clear night. The stars are my blanket.

Cemeteries are also wonderful places to sleep for the night. They are quiet, the grass is always neatly trimmed, and nobody ever bothers you there. No, there is no intrusion upon the departed spirits. I wish them peace; they understand. But a picnic table at a nearby road stop, a gathering of pine needles in a nearby bush, or the cushion of a blossoming wheat field would serve as well.

One morning, when I was sleeping in a Kansas wheat field, I was awakened to a very loud noise. I looked up only to see this huge reaper bearing down on me. I immediately rolled over several times to get out of the way of its swirling blades.

I feel a complete protection on my pilgrimage.

God is my shield. There are no accidents in the Divine Plan nor does God leave us unattended.

No one walks so safely as those who walk humbly and harmlessly with great love and great faith.

I remember a time of the year when it got very cold at night. It went below freezing, but then it warmed up a little in the daytime, so the days were fairly pleasant. It was in the fall,

and there were dry leaves on the ground. I was in the middle of the woods and there wasn’t a town for miles around. It was sunset and it was a Sunday. Someone had read a thick Sunday newspaper and tossed it beside the road—like they shouldn’t, but they do. I picked it up and walked off the road and found a thick evergreen tree. Underneath it was a little depression where some leaves had blown. I pushed a lot of leaves into that depression. Then I put some paper down and placed the rest of the paper over me. When I woke in the morning there was a thick white frost over everything, but the evergreen tree had kept it off of me, and I was snug and warm in my nest of leaves and paper. That’s just a tip in case you get caught out some night.

Most people interested in vacations are those who are doing things they are not called to do, which they want to get away from for a while. I couldn’t imagine feeling the need of a vacation from my pilgrimage. How good it is to travel south in the fall of the year, experiencing the tranquil beauty of the harvest time — but staying ahead of the frost; experiencing the brilliant beauty of the autumn leaves — but traveling on before they are swept from the trees. How good it is to travel north with the spring, and to enjoy the spring flowers for several months instead of several weeks? I have had both these wonderful experiences in the middle of the country.

During a 1,000 mile walk through New England (which began in Greenwich, Connecticut and ended in Burlington, Vermont) I zigzagged a lot

We always know which the best road to follow is, but we follow only the road that we have become accustomed to. - Paulo Coelho 28

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to walk through not only the large towns but also the smaller towns to which I had been invited.

I started among the apple blossoms — I walked among them when they were pink buds, and when their falling petals were as white as falling snow. I ended among the ripened apples, which supplied me with some tasty meals. In between I feasted on luscious wild strawberries and blackberries and blueberries.

Throughout the country I saw much superhighway construction, and I noticed that these super-roads tended to run in the valleys, tunneling through the mountains and sometimes under the rivers. I’m glad that on my pilgrimage I usually followed the old roads that climbed the mountains. What wonderful vistas there were to reward those who attained the summit: sometimes views of towns or roads where I had walked or would walk, sometimes views of valleys covered with fields and orchards. I know that this is an age of efficiency and that superhighways are much more efficient, but I hope there will always be some scenic roads, too; some roads that climb the mountains.

People sometimes ask me how I spend holidays — especially Christmas. I have spent many of them walking. Many people go for a drive on a holiday, so it is a good time to contact people.

I remember one Christmas Eve when I slept out under the stars. One planet was so bright that just a little imagination could transform it into the star of Bethlehem. The next day, at a temperature of 80 ºF, I walked into New Orleans to find poinsettias blooming abundantly for Christmas — and to find some fine, new friends.

I spent one Christmas in Fort Worth, Texas, where the towers and the tall buildings were outlined

with colored lights, presenting an unforgettable picture as I walked into the city. That day I was given the welcome present of enough time to catch up with my mail.

People sometimes ask me if I do not feel lonely on holidays. How can I feel lonely when I live in the constant awareness of God’s presence? I love and I enjoy being with people, but when I am alone I enjoy being alone with God. Most of the time in the early years I was offered food and hospitality by people I did not even know. I accept everything as an offering sent from the hand of God. I am equally thankful for the stale bread I received at a migrant worker’s home as the sumptuous meal presented to me by a lady friend in the main dining room at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

You know, after you have fully surrendered your life to God’s will — if it is your calling to go out on faith — you will discover that even the food and shelter you need come to you very easily. Everything, even material things are given. And some amazing things are given that still surprise even me.

I first got to Alaska and Hawaii through a wonderful gift from a wonderful friend. Then some of my friends asked me to consider leading tours there, so I led one to Alaska the summer of 1979 and one to Hawaii the summer of 1980.

I arranged the tours to be an educational and inspirational experience for all who participated.

We lived simply and traveled light.

I was not idle while in our two newest states.

Besides showing my friends around, I did a lot of speaking to groups and over the air. Some of

A journey becomes a pilgrimage as we discover, day by day, that the distance traveled is less important than the experience gained. - Ernest Kurtz AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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those friends wanted to get an idea of what my pilgrimage life is like, and I think they did. It was a joy to share these inspiring places with them.

I’ll tell you another thing that happened: I was figuring out my schedule for North and South Dakota and I knew that in North Dakota I would have to interrupt my schedule to lead the tour in Hawaii. I knew it would be at Bismarck and I knew also that it would take me about a week to hitchhike back from Los Angeles, and I thought, “Oh, a week out of the North Dakota schedule and a week out of the South Dakota schedule. I could really use those two weeks in North and South Dakota.” About the time I was thinking these thoughts, someone wrote and offered me

air fare to and from Bismarck. It seemed almost like a miracle that it came. And of course this was something that I needed. I do not take anything I do not need, but I did need the time in North and South Dakota. This was a wonderful gift, which I accepted, and for which I shall be eternally grateful.

So even the material things are provided.

I explained to a reporter one time that I just talk to people and after a time they ask me if I want to eat. He pointed out that he had talked to people for months, even years, and they hadn’t offered him even a sandwich. I told him, “But you’re not a peace pilgrim!”

[Reproduced with glad consent of the publishers – Friends of Peace Pilgrim]

Once Ramakrishna Paramahansa, along with some of his disciples, was walking along the river bank. He saw a scorpion floating on the surface of the river, struggling to get out of there desperately, but in vain. Ramakrishna’s heart melted; he ran into the water and lifted the scorpion. The scorpion which was already scared stung him in its fear. Ramakrishna shook his hand in pain and dropped the scorpion. The scorpion fell back into the river and once again started to swim desperately. Ramakrishna lifted it again off the river with his hand and ran towards the edge of the river to save it; the scorpion stung him again in its confused state. This time he found a twig floating in the water and carefully moved the scorpion to the edge off the water.

One of the disciples, who was watching all this happening, asked his Guru - 'O Master! Why did you lift it the second time even after it stung you causing so much pain?'

The Guru replied 'It is the nature of the scorpion; it will sting us when it is scared. It was struggling, it was in pain; it is my nature to help it. Should I give up my nature just because it stung me?’

When true love fills the heart, one treats other creatures like he treats himself.

Pilgrimage is a powerful metaphor for any journey with the purpose of finding something that matters deeply to the traveler. - Phil Cousineau 30

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Let’s Resolve to Fight Air Pollution All of us are very familiar with the term ‘Air Pollution’ which refers to the release of pollutants into the air that are hazardous to human beings, fauna and flora, and the planet at large. There are several factors that are causing air pollution, some of which can be controlled to a large extent by human effort. Let us understand these causes, their effects on our lives and resolve to eradicate them, so that its intensity could be reduced.

Causes of Air pollution The leading cause of air pollution is the industrial exhaust emitted by manufacturing plants and factories. They release large amount of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, organic compounds, and chemicals into the air thereby depleting the quality of air.

The second main cause of air pollution is the diesel and gas being used in the vehicles. Emissions from vehicles like trucks, jeeps, cars, trains, airplanes cause immense amount of pollution. In improperly maintained vehicles carbon monoxide is released into the air due to incomplete combustion. It is true that transportation is our daily basic need, but the overuse of vehicles is filling our environment with dangerous gases causing harm to the environment.

The third cause is the coal-based electric power plants. Due to these power plants high amounts of hazardous carbon dioxide along with sulfur and nitrogen is discharged into the air. “Most air pollution comes from energy use and

production,” says John Walke, director of the Clean Air Project, part of the Climate and Clean Air program at NRDC (USA). “Burning fossil fuels releases gases and chemicals into the air.”

The fourth leading source of air pollution, especially in India, is large-scale burning of crops residue in agriculture fields. The farmers harvest the crops and burn the rest of the stems, as they have no use for them. Recently, toxic air pollution in the form of smog arose in Delhi and Haryana, due to this mass burning of unwanted stalks in the fields.

Another reason for air pollution in India is firework explosions during festivals and wedding celebrations. The gases and the tiny metallic particles that are emitted during the firework display are extremely hazardous. Fireworks are filled with mainly potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur. Aluminum, magnesium, strontium, sodium, copper, and barium are used to produce silvery white flames and sparks. When the firework ignites and explodes they scatter tiny metal particles in the air, and enter our bodies through our breath.

There are several other causes leading to indoor and outdoor pollution. Household cleaning products, paints, use of wood for cooking food especially in rural areas emit toxic chemicals in the air that cause pollution of air outside as well as inside homes.

Construction of high rise buildings, roads, and mining operations produce heavy dust in their surroundings. This gives rise to breathing

Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become global garbage cans. - Jacques-Yves Cousteau AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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problems to the workers as well as nearby residents. Waste and garbage used in landfills generate methane. Such lands when used to construct buildings normally create problems for the residents.

Natural sources also contribute to air pollution.

For example, dust carried by the wind from locations with very little or no green cover, gases released from the body processes of living beings (carbon dioxide from humans during respiration and methane from cattle during digestion), smoke from the combustion of various inflammable objects, volcanic eruptions, etc also contribute to the bad quality of air.

respiratory diseases and diarrhea, and in adults non-infectious diseases are flourishing.

According to one research study there is a direct correlation between air pollution and water pollution. Air pollution is the deadliest among all pollution. In the entire world this has emerged as the fourth biggest reason for untimely deaths. A new study has revealed that air pollution can also cause kidney damage.

For a very long time, air pollution has been linked to rheumatic disease, stroke, cancer, asthma and COPD. The researchers studied for nearly eight and half years to find the effect of air pollution on

Effects of Air pollution According to The Lancet, a medical journal, air pollution kills more than 10 million people every year in India. Some of the most polluted cities in the world exist in India. As per a report from World Health Organization, environmental pollution is the main reason behind twenty percent of polio and nineteen percent of cancer patients. In the whole world, one fourth of the total deaths in a year have been attributed to environmental pollution.

Non-infectious diseases have become the biggest threat to human life. The biggest reason for these diseases has been attributed to the air inside and outside the houses, changes in the seasons, and synthetic chemicals. Due to changes in air, water, soil chemicals and ultra violet radiation, there is a danger of more than 100 types of diseases.

Children under the age of five, and adults fifty to seventy-five years of age are at a greater risk of getting sick due to these reasons. Due to environmental reasons, children are getting

An apple a day might have kept the doctor away prior to the industrialization of food growing and preparation. But, according to research compiled by the United States Drug Administration (USDA) today’s apple contains residue of eleven different neurotoxins -azinphos, methyl chloripyrifos, diazinon, dimethoate, ethion, omthoate, parathion, parathion methyl, phosalone, and phosmet - and the USDA was testing for only one category of chemicals known as organophosphate insecticides. That doesn’t sound too appetizing; does it? The average apple is sprayed with pesticides seventeen times before it is harvested.

- Michelle Schoffro Cook

You wouldn't think you could kill an ocean, would you? But we'll do it one day.

That's how negligent we are. - Ian Rankin 32

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the body’s immune system, and found that there is clear interrelationship between air pollution and diseases.

Plant trees near your residence. Apart from providing a pleasant appearance to the surroundings, trees also absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen in the air.

How to Help Reduce Air Pollution How to Protect Your Health?

“The less gasoline we burn, the better we’re doing to reduce air pollution and harmful effects of climate change,” Walke says. “Make good choices about transportation. When you can, walk, ride a bike, or take public transportation.

For driving, choose cars that get better miles per gallon of gas or choose an electric car.” You may also make use of carpooling.

Learn to conserve energy; switch off fans and lights when you are going out. Use energy efficient devices like LED lights; they consume less electricity, lower electricity bills and hence save your money as well as environment.

When the pollution levels are high, as far as possible stay indoors. If you go for a walk or a jog, prefer mornings, as the ozone levels tend to be lower during that time.

If you do yoga, pranayama or other exercise outdoors, the chosen place should be away from heavily trafficked roads.

The intensity of ultraviolet radiation present in the sunrays increases in the weakened ozone layer. It may cause skin damage or skin cancer.

Also wear sunscreen.

There was a discussion among scholars regarding who was the most forbearing in this entire creation. Some of them said water while some others said it was air. There were some others who were extolling the greatness of fire while others were suggesting sky. Hearing all these claims, a rishi present in the gathering satisfied the inquisitiveness of everyone by speaking thus – In this entire creation, Mother Earth is the most forbearing and tolerant of all. There can be tornadoes in air and tsunamis in water; fire can take the form of wildfire and sky can give rise to cyclones. But Earth protects all the beings like a mother while being tolerant to all the difficulties. That is why, as soon as we wake up in the morning, before we place our foot on the floor, we say with reverence – ‘O Mother Earth, you bear the oceans and mountains in your bosom. I am going to keep my feet on you, please forgive me.’

God's garden has become man's junkyard. - Anthony T. Hincks AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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Odyssey of the Enlightened - 60

‘Akhand Jyoti’ Begins Its Journey - 3 Place of publication shifted to Mathura Taiji’s suggestion added weight to a similar thought that was already going through Shriram’s mind. He too was thinking on the following lines – “Agra, apart from being a center of literary, administrative and political activities, is also a city of tourists. It has its own historical importance; but for religious – cultural activities, Mathura is better. Normally, the historical places like Agra, Gwalior, Bhopal or Delhi cannot be preferred for religious activities.” Otherwise also, Taiji always had a fancy for Mathura – Vrindavan.

Mother’s devotion and the significance of the Teerth were attracting Shriram to Mathura.

He felt that taking Akhand Jyoti to Mathura was also the need of the future. One dream connected this thought with Yug Gayatri.

The dream occurred one day prior to the commencement of Ashwin Navratri. The sankalpa (resolve) for Navratri Puja was to be taken next morning. In the same night Shriram dreamt – “Revered father was sitting on Vyas Peeth (dais for discourse). He was giving a discourse on Bhagwat. In the background of Vyas Peeth, the photo of Sudarsan-bearing Lord Krishna, similar to the one printed on the front cover page of Akhand Jyoti, was hanging on the wall and his father, Pandit Roop Kishore Sharma, was giving a discourse on the topic ‘Gayatri Bhagwat’. He was making it clear right in the beginning of the discourse that in the coming years, Bhagwat would be confined only to the scholars. After that, the time would also come when this scripture would become only

a book for recitation. The spirit of religion and devotion present in it would vanish. In that era, the essence of Bhagwat would be understood through Gayatri alone.”

Shriram further dreamt – “His father was establishing the idol of Gayatri in front of the photo of Lord Krishna; and along with the worship of Lord Krishna, he was also worshipping Goddess Gayatri. He appeared to be explaining the verse ‘Satyam param dhimahi’ as he used to do in real Katha – weeks. While concluding he said that Shukadevji Maharaj gave the discourse of Bhagwat Katha in the Vrij region. Therefore, the discourse of Katha of Gayatri should also be done from the Vrij region. Saying this he got up from the dais and started walking from the birth place of Lord Krishna to Vrindavan. At that time, at the birth place of Lord Krishna, there was a small temple called Katara Keshav Dev. This temple was overshadowed by the adjacent mosque. When father was seen going, it appeared to Shriram that Lord Krishna was also following him.”

Experiences of Vrij A few days after this dream, during meditation he felt as if his spiritual guide too was asking him to make Mathura the center for spreading the ‘Sanatan Dharma’ filled with the inspirations of Bhagwat and the message of the Lord in the form of Gayatri Mantra. This realization came around Deepawali; and Shriram decided that Mathura

There are only two ways to be happy – minimize your needs and harmonize with the circumstances. - Acharya Shriram Sharma 34

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should be made the center and that Agra should be left as early as possible.

He informed Taiji about this decision. She said – “I have a longstanding wish to live in Mathura. I used to tell your father also to live there. He didn’t listen to me but Thakurji (Lord Krishna) did. It is He who is getting done everything through you.” This reaction of Mother was like a blessing to Shriram. Next day itself he wrote a message to the subscribers of Akhand Jyoti. In this message, he declared that the center of publication is being shifted to Mathura; and that new activity related to Sadhana and Sanskar would soon be started there. After Devotthan Ekadashi, he went to Mathura for making new arrangements.

There was one literary friend of Shriram named Shiromaniji in Agra. His real name was different but he was famous by this name. He used to publish a newsletter titled ‘Sahitya Sandesh’. For sometime he was also associated with ‘Sainik’. When the publication of Akhand Jyoti started, he resolved to cooperate in a big way. He seemed to be enthusiastic to close his newsletter and fully get associated with Akhand Jyoti. Shiromani’s family was quite rich and hence there was no worry of earning.

Shriram did accept his offer but requested him to continue with his newsletter. His plea was: “Akahnd Jyoti is an experiment. Nobody knows what shape it would take in future. If anything unpleasant happened, then the platform of ‘Sahitya Sandesh’ would also vanish.

The company of Shiromaniji Shiromaniji said – “It doesn’t matter. If one has to fail, let the two of us fail together. I have resolved

to live and die with you.” Shriram said –“Please wait for six months. During this period, the future of this magazine will be clear.” He felt satisfied but said –“What do you mean? Till then will even a ray of Akhand Jyoti not be there in my destiny?”

Shriram gave a solution – “During this period, enroll new subscribers for this magazine. The more members we have, more will our family become strong.”

Shiromaniji got engaged in making new members. By his lone efforts, he made seventy new members. During this period, it was decided to change the place of publication. Shirmani’s zeal was reduced slightly. He didn’t become dull altogether – he was working for Akahnd Jyoti as usual; but he abandoned his stubbornness of renouncing everything and joining ‘Akhand Jyoti’. He also helped Shriram in his shifting from Agra to Mathura. In order to search a house, he accompanied Shriram to Mathura three- four times.

Establishment in Vrij Dham The first halt of ‘Akhand Jyoti’ at Mathura was in a lane near Holy Gate. At that time, that lane was unnamed. Long-long back, there used to live a Chaturvedi Brahman named Vallabhram.

It is said that he fought bravely with the invaders who came to loot the temple of Dwarkadhish.

He was slain in that encounter. So that lane was known by his name. The shape of the lane has now changed considerably. Even that house in which Shriram stayed has changed. The March 1941 issue of Akhand Jyoti was published from there. On Pratipada (the first day) of Vikram Samwat 1998, Shriram performed Yagya there.

Religious, literary and social elites of Mathura attended that function.

Being born as a human being is easy, but it requires great effort to be humane.

- Acharya Shriram Sharma AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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Volunteers of Arya Samaj were also present.

At that time, Mathura branch of Arya Samaj was split into two wings –Arya Samaj (Holy Gate) and Arya Samaj (Chauk). People of both the wings participated in the yagya. After the completion of yagya, Shriram gave a brief introduction of his plans. As soon as Shriram completed his address, Sri Satya Prakash Arya, the secretary of Arya Samaj (Holy Gate wing) raised his hand to convey that he wanted to say something; but he didn’t wait for anybody’s permission and started saying – “The thoughts of Shriram are very bright. If he accepts our request, then all our volunteers are ready to work with him. I wish to offer him the post of Chief of Arya Samaj (Holy Gate Wing).’ Other members of that wing also supported him.

Invitation of Arya Samaj Chauk wing of Arya Samaj too didn’t waste time. Its secretary, Divyanand Arya, proposed Shriram as the leader of both the wings. In this proposal, there was a feeling of merger of both the factions. Satya Prakash Arya of Holy Gate wing said further – “Shriram’s views regarding idol worship are against the basic principles of Arya Samaj. If he rectifies his views, then we will receive him with full honour.” Divyanand also said something similar.

There were some scholars of Sanatan Dharma too. They tried to oppose the scholars of Arya Samaj. When only a few heated words had been exchanged between them, Shriram intervened.

He said – “The question of accepting or not accepting the leadership of Arya Samaj does not arise now. Please give me some time for giving a thought to it. At present, we have assembled here to celebrate Pratipada of the

new Samvatsar. From now on, ‘Akhand Jyoti’ will be published from Mathura. I humbly feel that we will be able to establish harmony in the Indian society through this medium. I am not in favour of solving the problems through confrontation. My appeal is for maintaining harmony. If possible, kindly cooperate with me in this endeavor.”

After that, the issue of - handing over the responsibility of Arya Samaj and imposing the conditions – was pushed in the background.

Shiromaniji also attended that program. He was busy in collecting the subscription of ‘Akhand Jyoti’ from the people present there. The same day Shriram started a new program of Sadhana during Chaitra Navratra. He proposed to the devotees present there that they should chant 12 malas (1 mala contains 108 beads) of Gayatri Mantra daily for nine days. Thus they

A man came to Lahiri Mahasaya, greatly troubled, "I keep seeing the hand of a ghost trying to choke me." Lahiri Mahasaya said, "You are frightened by your own dream".

"But it is not a dream, I see it" the man said. Lahiri Mahasaya said, "Still, it is not real; everything is a dream" Lahiri Mahasaya advised him - ‘Use your mind to change yourself, to heal yourself. Always affirm: Nothing can hurt me. Nothing can ruffle me; realize that you are as good as the best man, as powerful as the strongest man. You must have more faith in yourself. If you make your mind strong, you will be rid of your nightmare.’

The man believed the Guru's words and practiced accordingly; and he was healed in a short time.

An honest person is like a sparkling diamond among thousand beads.

- Acharya Shriram Sharma 36

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would be able to complete a brief anushthan of 108 malas during Navratra. The Purnahuti (completion ritual) of this anushthan could be done on Navami (ninth day) Thus started the Sadhana Movement This was a small beginning of the Sadhana movement, along with the publication of ‘Akhand Jyoti’ from Mathura. After addressing the gathering Shriram requested those sadhaks who were participating in that program to write their names. Seven sadhaks wrote their names. Among them four belonged to Arya Samaj. When the secretary of Holy Gate Arya Samaj noticed this, he objected and said – “Will you people do idol worship?

Will you go against the principles of Swami Dayanand?”

Catching the point of objection, Shriram said – “Aryaji! These people don’t have to do japa and puja in a pauranic way. I have requested to chant Gayatri Mantra. For that matter, even Swami Dayanandji Maharaj has stressed the need of chanting this mantra daily. In Satya Prakash, he has advised sadhaks to do sandhya vandan twice (in the morning and evening) daily. How can you consider their sadhana to be against the teachings of Swamiji? Rather, I would say that you should also do twelve malas of japa daily for the nine days.”

The chief of Arya Samaj was not left with any ground for objection. He felt that he had developed a rigid attitude about idol worship and that he should get rid of it. Therefore, in order to clear that remorse, the chief also resolved to take up brief anushthan of nine days.

[To be continued]

King Janaka was one of the favorite students of sage Yagyavalkya. Yagyavalkya would always keep one front seat vacant in his classes, so that if Janaka came, he could sit there and listen to his teachings.

Yagyavalkya had many bright students and some dull ones too. The dull ones complained among themselves 'Sage Yagyavalkya valued wealth of King Janaka more than the knowledge of his "bright" students and that is why he always keeps a vacant seat for him in the front row'. Sage Yagyavalkya was aware of his students' dissatisfaction about this.

One day King Janaka was listening to a discourse by Sage Yagyavalkya at his forest Ashram along with the other students of the sage. There was a huge forest fire at a distance; it was moving in all directions rapidly. One of the soldiers came running to the king and informed, "Lord the forest fire has burnt parts of the palace." The King instructed him on whom to contact and what to do and kept listening to the discourse.

The other students of the sage ran in various directions to save their clothes and stuff; and when they returned after the forest fire receded, they saw Janaka sitting there, fully involved in the learning not bothered about the kingdom. They felt ashamed.

Sage Yagyavalkya retorted - "The king with all his wealth, queen and palace wasn't as much worried as you were for the sake of your torn loin clothes. Now you must have realized why I keep a vacant seat for him to occupy whenever it is possible for him to attend the discourse from his busy schedule."

The identity of a civilized man is his modesty: hard on self and soft on others.

- Acharya Shriram Sharma AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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Youth Column

Live in the Present and Shape the Future A prolific Brazilian writer, Paulo Coelho, says “In magic - and in life - there is only the present moment, the now. You can’t measure time the way you measure the distance between two points. ‘Time’ doesn’t pass. We human beings have enormous difficulty in focusing on the present; we’re always thinking about what we did, about how we could have done it better, about the consequences of our actions, and about why we didn’t act as we should have.

Or else we think about the future, about what we’re going to do tomorrow, what precautions we should take, what dangers await us around the next corner, how to avoid what we don’t want and how to get what we have always dreamed of.” True! Our mind seldom stays in the present. Usually it keeps wandering either in the past or in future. It is beneficial to think for the betterment of ourselves and our loved ones, but it is wrong to neglect the present for the sake of it because present is that platform on which we stand and by walking through which we create the path to the future course.

There are some points which should be kept in mind for efficiently managing the present and simultaneously materializing our future dreams.

The first and most important point is to decide the short term and long term goals of life. Having done so, we should adopt a logical approach towards planning our actions to achieve those goals. While planning, we should take into consideration whether the achievement of our short term goals would contribute to the ultimate aim of life or not.

We should ask ourselves where do we see ourselves about 10 to 15 years from now and leading what sort of a life? Do not impose any restrictions on yourself, but think about every desire and dream carefully and analyze whether your desires are matching with your actions. This means that the activities of the present should be analyzed on the basis of to what extent they could fulfill our aspirations for the future.

Give some time daily to fulfill the higher ambition (the ultimate aim). Augment your knowledge and experiences in that field and have unfailing confidence on your potentials.

When you start acting on your plan, very often there would be hurdles, obstacles, setbacks, and the resulting delays and disappointments.

In order to tackle such situations, think that everything in life is temporary. Every time it rains, it stops raining. After the darkness of night, there is always the dawn of light.

Nothing lasts forever. So if things are good right now, enjoy it. It won’t last forever. If things are bad, don’t worry because it won’t last forever either.

Please keep in mind, worrying and complaining won’t help at all. In this context, someone has rightly said – ‘When the door of happiness closes, another opens; but, often times, we look so long at the closed door that we don’t even see the new one which has been opened for us.’ Spending today complaining about yesterday won’t make tomorrow any brighter. Take action instead. Let

Leave aside your regrets of the past and anxieties of the future; and focus intelligently on the present. This is the best way of ensuring a positive future. - Chinmayananda Saraswati 38

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your experience help improve your life. Make a change and never look back.

Be an optimist. In his autobiography titled Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela, says – “I am fundamentally an optimist. Whether that comes from nature or nurture, I cannot say. Part of being optimistic is keeping one’s head pointed toward the sun, one’s feet moving forward. There were many dark moments when

my faith in humanity was sorely tested, but I would not and could not give myself up to despair. That way lays defeat and death.”

In conclusion, we should not lose our present for our future, but should also not be so much overwhelmed by our present that we may be totally unaware of the future. We should live in the present keeping the ultimate aim in mind; and make realistic plans and execute them sincerely and earnestly.

A wandering monk once visited the city of Mithila, ruled by the Sage King Janaka. "Who is the best teacher around here?" - He asked the people around. To his surprise, every person referred to him the name of King Janaka. The monk was both puzzled and furious. "How can a King be spiritually that high? These people don't know what true spirituality is." - He thought.

He went to the King and asked him "O King, learned people around here, speak highly of you; how can you, a worldly man of pleasures, be more spiritual than those who have given up everything for the sake of knowing the highest truth?"

"Dear one, you have come from a far place, you must have been tired, let’s eat and rest for the day, we can discuss further tomorrow." Saying so king Janaka took him to the royal dinner table, fed him variety of foods, and pleased his palates. He took him to a spacious room and told him to rest there. There was a huge sword hung from the ceiling, hanging just above the bed. "What is this?" asked the monk. "Oh don't mind it; it has been there for ages. It is an old custom; just have a good sleep. See you in the morning." said the King and rushed out hurriedly.

The monk was worried that the sword might fall on him and kill him during the night; he couldn't close his eyes even if he tried. The king met him tomorrow, "Sir, how was the night, I hope you slept well" asked the King. "How could I sleep?

There was a huge sword hanging at my neck." monk explained his worry. "When one knows death is certain, how the pleasures of world can sway him away? How can the worldly duties ever limit his eyes from the supreme goal?" said the King answering the Monk's earlier question.

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. - Soren Kierkegaard AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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Rhythm of Life should be Harmonious There is a rhythm in our life; and in this rhythm lies the beauty of life, its essential nature and character. A disturbance in this rhythm produces distortion in our lives too.

For example, when the musical note acquires a pattern, melody is produced. But when this pattern gets disturbed melody turns into noise.

Noise is distortion in sound pattern. So we also call it sound pollution. When the words are properly tuned, they form a song; otherwise they produce a shrill.

Human life has many layers or levels in which the activities of life take place. The nature of man is essentially biological, and in this biological nature there is a rhythm.

For example, there is a rhythm in the way our heart beats. There is music in our heart which is reverberating in our pulse beats.

Thus, not only in the blood flow, but in all the biochemical processes in our body there is a rhythmic pattern. Whenever, this pattern gets disturbed, we fall ill. When our pulse (n³dº) becomes slow the heart begins to feel pressure.

When the pulse beats rapidly, body runs fever.

When the flow of blood becomes slow or fast the blood pressure correspondingly increases or decreases.

A special characteristic with human life is that behind the gross or visible level, there is a subtle level which is invisible or impalpable. This is the level of pr³na or the vital force. There is a rhythm, a melody in the flow of this vital force too. The notes of life are entwined with the note of pr³na.

The experts of acupressure-acupuncture say that there are 108 points or nodes in body through which this vital force keeps flowing. When this flow becomes slower at any node, or ceases, it affects the other areas too. So these experts, first of all, try to identify those points where the flow of vital force is blocked, and put pressure on those points to re-start the flow.

There is one more subtle element dissolved in this pr³na. This element is our mana or mind, our imaginations, our thoughts and our emotions. This, too, keeps flowing inside our body, and a disturbance in this causes problems. One level is connected with another level - body with pr³na, pr³na with mind, and mind with body. If one level is hit, others are affected too. For example, if germs begin to multiply inside our body, the tuning of body gets disturbed. This leads to decline in our vital force which, in turn, causes agitation in our mind or mana. We become restless, disturbed or sad. The whole rhythm of the body becomes topsy-turvy. If we set right the first, the other automatically becomes normalised; when the second is normalised, the third one is also cured.

Similarly, when we start from the third and heal it, the second, and then the first spontaneously get healed. That is why there are many systems of healing developed over time. One is the system of medicine. In this, we take medicines through our mouth, which go to intestine, get dissolved in the blood stream and destroy the pathological micro-organisms like bacteriavirus proliferating in the body. The body gets

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.

- Thomas Merton 40

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cured, the vital force becomes normal, and we begin to feel healthy again.

If the vital force which flows in our body is robust, no external harmful element can enter our body; no virus or bacteria can infect it. Be this invasion bodily or gross, or be it subtle - it does not matter because the shield of pr³na is impregnable. Similar is the case with mana or mind. If the shield of mind is strong, there is no disturbance or agitation in emotions, no conflict in thoughts, and the thinking process continues smoothly.

When, for whatever reason, this rhythm of life gets disturbed, it can be normalised by dhy³na (meditation). Human life is like an earthen lamp (diy³). This diy³ is made of soil; oil or ghee is kept in this diy³, wick is put in this oil and lighted, and only then there is flame. Our body is like this

diy³, and oil is the pr³na or vital force. The hot flame which rises upwards combines both the gross and the subtle elements. In our life, too, the gross element is entwined with the subtle, and the subtle with the subtlest. Dhy³na maintains a tuning between all these levels. Dhy³na makes us sensitive, perceptive and conscious.

If the body is healthy and mind is clean, the larger society, too, remains clean and healthy.

Guru Gorakhnath says-“Hasib³, khelib³, dharib³ dhy³na” (meaning – laugh, play and meditate). Dhy³na is not something which requires us to do some big physical labour or exercise. Dhy³na is, of course, an ascent to the peak, but it is not like mountaineering requiring physical exertion. When we begin to get joyful every moment and this joy becomes intensified, dhy³na automatically gets more and more developed.

I want to learn how to speak to anyone at any time and make us both feel a little bit better, lighter, richer, with no commitments of ever meeting again. I want to learn how to stand wherever with whoever and still feel stable. I want to learn how to unlock the locks to our minds, my mind, so that when I hear opinions or views that don’t match up with mine, I can still listen and understand. I want to burn up lifeless habits of following maps and to-do lists, concentrated liquids to burn my mind and throat and I want to go back to the way nature shaped me. I want to learn to go on well with whatever I have in my hands at the moment in a natural state of mind, certain like the sea.

I will find comfort in the rhythm of the sea.

- Charlotte Eriksson Now this is very profound, what rhythm is, and goes far deeper than words. A sight, an emotion, creates this wave in the mind, long before it makes words to fit it ... - Virginia Woolf AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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Amrit Vani

Theism, Spirituality, and Religion - 2 (Continued from the previous issue) Friends, I hope it is now clear to you that “Having Faith in God” and “Performing rituals of worship”, are altogether different. Faith in God means faith in divinity — devotion to divine qualities and divine disciplines.

A true devotee, a true “Theist” is the one who knows and firmly believes that — God is Omnipresent, Omniscient, nothing is hidden from Him; God regards and loves everyone alike; God’s Law of Karma is absolute; God judges every human being according to the latter’s character and karma (physical, intellectual, and emotional deeds). His blessings shower only as a result of good deeds, virtuous character, and NOT in return of any ritual of worship.

In order to examine whether a currency note or a coin is genuine or fake, or whether an expensive item is genuine or imitated, one applies specific tests or validation checks. In God’s system, the worth or level of a person is judged based on only two tests — what is the quality or standard of that person’s karmas; and what is the nature and level of his/her thoughts, feelings and overall character?

His love showers upon people only according to these two criteria. You keep beseeching to see God, to be graced by His blessings. But you often forget the fact that it is purity of your thoughts and the dignity of your character (and overall conduct and behavior), benevolence of your deeds, and your emotional sensitivity, that count

there; these alone can invoke God’s enormous grace and divine blessings.

A True Theist must be a Karma-Yogi: A true believer, a true devotee, therefore gives utmost importance to hard work and wholehearted fulfillment of his duties. He knows his responsibilities and contributes his bit most sincerely towards betterment and progress of the society and the world at large.

In the holy Bhagvad Gita, Lord Krishna has emphasized the utmost importance of Karma Yoga. He Himself, in his human incarnation, had dignified efficient transaction of duties sans any expectation or attachment for the results, and accomplished the supreme yoga of human life as — “Yoga¡ Karmasukauïal®”. A true theist would therefore live a duty-bound life. For him every task at hand, every responsibility, every duty, is like God’s order. He not only fulfils it sincerely but also constantly endeavors to improve his potentials, refine his qualities, so as to enhance the efficiency and worth of his deeds. To achieve this end, the thoughts and duty-bound ideals of the enlightened, elevated, great personalities are often his nearest guides and source of inspiration; he happily attempts to follow them to his level best.

Prudence and Courage are Signs of a Theist: A true theist, a true believer in God has the strength of moral character. He is therefore strong

Religion is belief in someone else’s experiences. Spirituality is having your own experience.

- Richard F. Holmes 42

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and fearless. He knows that if he has not done anything wrong, God will always be with him.

He knows that even if someone tries to blemish or harm him, his honesty, his fairness, will one day set everything right. “Truth will always triumph” is a God’s assurance to him. He knows that everything, every activity of Nature is there as per God’s Will, every circumstance is created

by Him. Even adverse circumstances, hardships, testing challenges, nothing perturbs him from the chosen path of truth and duties.

One who knows that God watches all his actions, one who knows that even what he thinks or feels, is not hidden from that Omnipresent, would naturally be scared of God’s absolute law and would therefore refrain from doing anything wrong or immoral.

On the contrary, irrespective of whether he practices, any religion or not, goes to a shrine or not, whether he claims himself to be a “theist” , “antagonist”, or an “atheist”, if one does not quite experience or accept God’s Omnipresence and eternity of His absolute Law of Karma, would not be all that honest.

His belief or ‘faith’ in God (or “no-God”, as the case may be) would be superficial, which could be shaken even by a powerful force of sensory attractions, ego, worldly attachments and what not! He would be scared of hardships and adversities; may not always face all challenges with firm confidence and courage.

A True Theist is always Happy: “Who is the happiest person?” According to the holy Ramayana, one who is absolutely fearless is always happy: “Sakal Karam Kari Thakeu Gos³ºó| Bhaye Na Sukhº Abhaya Kº N³ió|| Meaning: Got

tired of trying all possible means (to seek joy), but could not get the kind of unalloyed happiness that is experienced through fearlessness.

Indeed, one who has absolute faith in God certainly has faith in his own efforts! He sleeps in the night without any worry or concern regarding tomorrow.

He has no suspicion, no doubt, no despair, no expectation, and no cause for any worry. He knows that God, the Supreme Creator, the Supreme Guardian of all has made arrangements (in Nature) for every creature; right before birth of a child he sends healthy milk in mother’s breasts that can be fed to the child. Then why should he, a grownup with so many potentials of body and mind gifted by God, worry about his own substance of life now?

A true theist experiences the caring protection of God all the time, he knows that (c.f. the holy Ramayana) —J³ko R³khe S³iny³, M³ra Sake Na Koya| B³la Na B³óka Kara Sake, Jo Jaga Bairi Hoya|| Meaning: Nothing can kill the one who is protected by the Almighty. Even if the entire world is against him, nobody will be able to disturb or harm even his tiny hair.

Often the so-called believers in God, the religious people, are seen running behind astrologers to ‘know’ their future; they are extremely scared of if the horoscope shows ‘non-supportive’ positions/movements of the ‘strict’ planets Saturn, Mars, Rahu, Ketu.

They attempt all sorts of preventive measures ranging from arranging grand p¿j³s and visiting shrines… to… wearing specific gems and precious stones, distributing alms, etc.

A true theist, even if he accepts the ancient science of astrology, does not go to any astrologer, he is not perturbed by the indications

Just as candle cannot burn without fire, men cannot live without spiritual life. - The Buddha AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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of his horoscope. He knows that all this is a part of the drama set by the Supreme Director, the Supreme Creator of Nature.

Indeed, it is this level of depth of belief in God, this level of prudent self-confidence, this level of freedom from all attachments and worries, this kind of absolute emancipation from all fears, worries, expectations and concerns that define a true Theist.

A True Theist Cares for All: A true believer, a true devotee sees God’s grace in the entire creation and therefore regards everything, every being, every circumstance as reflections of ‘Thy Will’. For him everyone is alike. He is spiritually enlightened in the truest sense. He sees the glow of the Eternal Light in every soul.

Many of us (especially among the Hindus) have a conviction that a religious person, a devotee must offer worship and services in a temple or religious Ashram. We happily do so, for example, we clean the idols of deity, offer flowers, cloths and ornaments for decoration of the idols before the rituals of worship; at times we also help in the preparation and distribution of food as part of alms in the Shrines and Ashrams. All of this is fine provided it is not done for demonstration of self-pride or ostentation, and is carried out through heart. However, even if offered sincerely, this kind of service is not necessarily a religious act. More important are our feelings, attitude, and our behavior towards others. We must introspect and ask ourselves — do we offer services outside the shrine or Ashram for the welfare of others? Are we always ready to help the needy to our level best? Do we always

treat every helpless person before us with compassion and respect? Unless the answer is honestly affirmative, our faith, devotion and religiousness would remain superficial.

If we are religious, if we really believe in God, we must learn to love the soul residing in every one.

Every soul is His reflection. Every being deserves fair treatment. This is what is conveyed in the perennial teachings of the Vedas. Goswami Tulsidas has expressed this devotional depth beautifully in Ram Charit Manas (Ramayana) as — Sºya R³ma Maya Saba Jaga J³nº| Kara¿ó Pran³ma Jori Juga P³nº|| Meaning: (I find) the entire world as immersed in the holy reflection of (the divine grace of) god Ram and goddess Sita. I (therefore) pay my respect to everyone by folding my hands in the posture of Prañ³ma.

Just imagine! If we all cultivate this outlook, where will be the possibility of any animosity, hatred, cruelty, misbehavior, insult, jealously, revenge, anger, deception, or any such negative trait in the human society? Instead, mutual harmony, trust, healthy spirit of serene love and collective progress, would naturally flourish all around. In fact, this is what should be the purpose of a society. This is how we all as ‘social-beings’ are supposed to behave and do to live collectively.

But does that mean that the criminals should not be punished? Or, the hoodlums and thugs should be treated softly and allowed to continue with their misdeeds? No, certainly not. What I mean is that there should be fair treatment of all. There should not be any discrimination in dealing with one’s

I was asked once what my aspiration in life was. My response?

To eventually satisfy my soul, enlighten my spirit and awaken my true-self. - Lara Rwagasana 44

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actions. There should be strictness against the wrongs and no efforts should be spared to prevent the misdeeds and vicious tendencies; but should do all this only as part of our duties and should remember that under no circumstance, we should think ourselves as superior human beings. Let me elaborate it further to make the point clear.

As you might know, before the final execution of the death penalty (hanging till death), the Police Superintendent, the magistrate, D.M., or equivalent judicial authority that has sentenced the punishment, all go to the spot in black coats/ gowns and remove their caps/hats as a mark of respect to the soul of the criminal. This indicates that the severe punishment is against the crime and the respect is for the human being.

Our approach towards the culprits, towards punishment against the crimes and prevention of evils, criminal mentality etc, should be that of an expert doctor, who may prescribe bitter medicines to the patient, and if necessary, even cut a portion of some organ by adequate surgical procedure, put the patient on strict diet-control, etc, but he

does all this only to help the patient regain normal health. A disciplinarian teacher may be strict on his students when it is necessary, but it would be wrong if he does so to rule over the students or to punish them because of his personal anger, revenge or discriminatory feeling. Best approach for disciplinarians/regulators should be similar to that of responsible parents or teachers — “Hold a carrot in one hand and a stick in the other”.

We must remember our duties and fulfill them to our level best with a feeling of service and not for some vested interest of gaining name, fame, or favor. We must not forget that numerous people have directly or indirectly contributed to our achievements, our talents, our resources, our privileges, powers, etc. Therefore nothing that we think as our ‘own’ is meant for our selfish possession and joys. Rather, we should contribute our talents and resources humbly, prudently and generously for the welfare of the entire society.

If we do so, then only we would be fulfilling the duties entrusted to us by the Almighty. This is what would make our devotion, our faith, our religiousness, worthwhile.

(To be continued in next issue)

Additional Reading: [1]

Acharya Shriram Sharma. Up³san³ k³ Tatva Darsan aur Swar¿pa. Publ. Yug Nirman Yojana, Mathura. (2nd edn., 15th Print) 2016. [English translation: “Meaning, Purpose and Benefits of Worship” Publ. Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust Shantikunj, Haridwar. (1st edn. 3rd Print), 2015].

Once a British asked Swami Vivekananda – ‘Why can’t you wear proper clothes to look like a gentleman?’

Swami Vivekananda smiled and said – ‘In you culture, a tailor makes a gentleman. In our culture, character makes a gentleman.

Effective and meaningful sermon is that which is given not by speech but by example.

- Acharya Shriram Sharma AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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Rejuvenation of Our Rivers: A Dire Need Indian rivers are the roots of Indian civilization and culture. Our ancient civilization flourished in the North on the fertile lands of Indus, Sutlej and Sarasvati Rivers; and in the South near the banks of Krishna, Cauvery and Godavari. Rivers of North and South, both, have nurtured the entire country for thousands of years. However, since the past two generations these rivers have been polluted. All the dirty sewage water merges with these rivers, making river water impure. In fact these rivers are losing their existence due to lack of proper care. Most of our rivers have dried up at many places. Indus and Ganges rivers are listed in top ten most polluted rivers of the world.

Our physical body is composed of different systems such as circulatory, respiratory, digestive systems. The circulatory system contains veins and arteries, which help in circulating blood in all the parts of our physical body and provides life force. Our rivers flowing in different parts of India are the arteries and veins of the country which provide water to all the residents of the country and help in quenching their thirst and providing energy as well. Like the blood of our physical body, on getting contaminated with toxins, bacteria or viruses, results in the manifestation of different kinds of diseases; similarly polluted water around the country can harm us in many ways. River water not only feeds human beings but also birds, animals and plants. Cattles drinking polluted water give milk, which can have bacteria and viruses; crops in the farms can get contaminated in a similar way with dirty water and eventually we human beings can

catch many kinds of diseases by consuming milk, vegetables or polluted water. Polluted water can cause tremendous damage to the environment and spread diseases, which might result in unnatural calamities.

In today’s world, most of the rivers and natural springs have dried up. Few of them, which have survived, have polluted water. In the past couple of years, underground water has also reduced rapidly in our country. Only 22% of clean water is remaining. If we do not pay attention to our rivers, we will be left with only 7% of total water required for our day to day survival by the year 2022-2025.

All the rivers, which used to be the source of sustaining life, had been overflowing in India from times immemorial, but now they don’t have enough water; they overflow only during rainy season. During winter and summer, the situation of these rivers becomes worrisome. Cauvery River in Tamil Nadu has a stretch of about 430 km. However during summer, its water level goes so low that it does not reach the Sea. Cauvery is seen mixing with Sea water only in the rainy season for two to three months. Due to this, a dispute has arisen on the use of Cauvery waters between Karnataka and Tami Nadu.

It has to be realized that we cannot change the climatic conditions for our rivers to make them flow in natural way. However, we can certainly make dams and keep them clean for our better future. One easy way to save rivers is to plant

We won’t have a society if we destroy the environment. - Margaret Mead 46

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many trees on the riversides. We think that trees are surviving because of rivers, but truth is the opposite; rivers are surviving because of trees.

At present, most of the existing land near rivers is used for farming. Therefore, trees should be planted at a distance of about 1 km from the banks of large rivers and ½ km distance from small rivers, instead of planting trees very near to the rivers. The factors responsible for pollution of river waters should be eliminated. First major action should be to stop the flow of sewage water into the rivers and keep the banks of the rivers clean. During rainy season, all the dirty water, containing plastics and other garbage, flowing into the rivers, not only creates hurdle for natural flow of our rivers but pollute them. Clean river water campaigns at local level should be initiated like the Kuttamperoor stream rejuvenation in Kerala. The Kuttamperoor was once a full 12 kilometers long and over 100 feet wide river. For over two decades, the Kuttamperoor lay neglected

and abused and, by 2005, it had been reduced to a marshy, polluted cesspool perhaps 10-15 feet wide, with patchy water and almost no flow.

Budhanur gram panchayat in Alappuzha district took initiative in transforming it again as a flowing river, thanks to the commitment of 700 local men and women who worked to bring the river back to life under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

On similar lines, resuscitation of Banas River in west Rajasthan has been taken up by the volunteers of All World Gayatri Pariwar (Pushkar zone). Instead of waiting for the Government to do something for the rivers, the local folk should gather courage to rejuvenate the nearby rivulets, water tanks, wells and other water bodies. Where there is will, there is a way. The same strategy may not work for all the villages or towns; the locals should make their own plan for rejuvenating the water resources as they are the people who are going to be benefitted by it.

I thought how lovely and how strange a river is. A river is a river, always there, and yet the water flowing through it is never the same water and is never still. It’s always changing and is always on the move. And over time the river itself changes too. It widens and deepens as it rubs and scours, gnaws and kneads, eats and bores its way through the land. Even the greatest rivers- the Nile and the Ganges, the Yangtze and he Mississippi, the Amazon and the great grey-green greasy Limpopo all set about with fever trees-must have been no more than trickles and flickering streams before they grew into mighty rivers.

Do I change like a river, widening and deepening, eddying back on myself sometimes, bursting my banks sometimes when there’s too much water, too much life in me, and sometimes dried up from lack of rain? Will the I - that is me - grow and widen and deepen? Or will I stagnate and become an arid riverbed? Will I allow people to dam me up and confine me to wall so that I flow only where they want? Will I allow them to turn me into a canal to use for they own purposes? Or will I make sure I flow freely, coursing my way through the land and ploughing a valley of my own?”

- Aidan Chambers We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.

- Native American AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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The Quartet of Inner Senses and the Science of Atma-S³dhan³ The consciousness manifests itself through the quartet of inner senses. The consciousness is one. It can neither be visualized as divided into different parts like the fingers nor is there any division of the tasks done by it. The same single power acts differently at different times.

Whatever work it does, it is called by that name.

The same single person may be seen performing the role of an orator, student, actor, sportsman, friend, foe, customer, salesman, etc. at different times. The camera will take the picture of a person in the form of work in which he is engaged at that moment and others after seeing his picture will call him accordingly. The four titles of consciousness may be understood in the same fashion. The quartet described below should be considered as consisting of four independent agencies appointed for performing different tasks.

(1)

Mana (mind): The task of mind is to imagine.

The field of imagination is normally confined to the inner desires and the knowledge of the pleasant experiences of the past. The second aspect is fear. Self-defense against fear or loss too is effective like the joy of pleasures.

The mind goes on frisking between these high and low tides. It presents several aspects of imagination and scenes with the help of which it becomes easier for the next layer of consciousness, Buddhi (intellect) to decide between the right and wrong; and between the possible and the impossible.

Many times irrelevant thoughts are also generated; though they too have some

connection with some memories. Thoughts that are totally new and those pertaining to unknown context seldom come to the mind.

They roam around in the background of their earlier knowledge.

(2)

Buddhi (Intellect): It is that element which has to take the decision of what is useful and what is useless in the vast field of thoughts.

It may be called the judge. In a typical case, several witnesses, complainants, defendants, their lawyers, and others defending the two sides, put forward their arguments and views at different times and in their own way. The judge, through his wisdom, extracts the truth from this mesh and gives the judgement accordingly. The intellect plays almost the same role. Normally, the basis of its judgement is a combination of what is possible and what is of self-interest.

The refined intellect, which in Gayatri mantra has been called as Dhº and in philosophy has been called •tambhar³, goes beyond the circle of selfishness and gives priority to righteousness and idealism.

Whatever is the level of intellect, it will give decisions accordingly, but its task is to give judgement only.

(3)

Chitta (psyche, or conscience or reasoning faculty): It may be called a faculty of assessment. The task of Buddhi is to decide what is acceptable from amongst the wild imaginations of Mana, but it is not essential

Decipher knowledge through wisdom; knowledge brushes away ignorance. Knowledge culminates in achievements; it sharpens your intellect by instilling judgment (in you). - Samarth Ramdas 48

AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

that those decisions will be transformed into actions. The coordination of desire, resolve and the courage develops that kind of mentality which compels a person to take some concrete steps. In order to proceed towards the destination, several resources have to be gathered and several ways of removing the obstacles from the path have to be thought of. This preparation is done only after taking a definite decision. For practical purposes, the faculty of transforming a thought into an effort has been called Chitta.

In scientific terminology, Chitta is known as inanimate. Through its past experiences, it is very well acquainted with the basic activities of sustaining life. The automatic execution of all the bodily functions, like blood circulation, compression and expansion of heart, respiration, digestion and excretion, sleeping and awakening, etc. is done through this faculty of Chitta.

Good and bad impressions reside in this very Chitta. The roots of habits may be found in this very field. The aim of Tapa-S³dhan³s (penances) is to mold the direction of Chitta and develop one’s personality by performing the most important task of forgetting the past and teaching it virtuous traits.

(4)

Aha®k³ra - It is that layer of consciousness which contains what a person considers himself to be. Though one of the meanings of aha®k³ra is vanity, but in philosophy it is used in the sense of ego. Therefore, the essence of Aha® should be considered as the realization of the level of self. A person makes his own assessment about himself.

His desires and viewpoints are formed

on this basis. Faith and devotion are the products of this very field. This may also be called the seed of personality. The external life is the manifestation of the same thing.

It is on the basis of the self-consideration that a person’s desires, thoughts and actions get the direction and speed. In whatever form a person appears in an external life, it should be considered as the mere image of his internal self. Yogic exercises are done to influence the same layer. It is the emotional flow of faith and devotion that is capable of changing the level of ego.

In the course of their stroll in the royal gardens, king Vikramaditya suddenly remarked to the great poet Kalidas: “How creative and talented you are! You are a litterateur par excellence. I wish God had given you a matching and handsome body”. The satire was not lost on the wise Kalidas.

He did not say anything at that time.

On return to the palace, he ordered for two pots, one of clay and the other of gold. Both were filled with water.

After some time, Kalidas asked the king. “Now tell us, which of the two waters is cooler?” “That of the clay pot” - replied Vikramaditya. A smiling Kalidas then said: “Just as coolness does not depend on the beauty of the pot, talent too is unrelated to the physical appearance of the body.

O King! One should look at the inner virtues, not the external beauty. It is the beauty of the soul that is supreme.

Learning and greatness are linked with the soul, not the body.”

Compared with all other forms of discipline Knowledge of the Self is the one direct means for liberation. - Adi Shankara AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018

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The integration of quartet: The coordination of all these four layers of consciousness completes the objective of Atma-S³dhan³ in its totality. If only one or two of these layers are utilized, the task will remain incomplete and whatever benefit of the thought power should have been obtained, may not be obtained.

A mental figure of any object of desire is prepared on the basis of imagination. It is necessary to prepare the map and a model prior to the construction of a building or to prepare a pencil-sketch prior to making a painting. In the same way, the pen of imagination prepares a rough figure of the set objective. This very task is done

by Mana. It goes on flying from one to the other object of desire. It goes on sketching the mental figures according to the desires. The next task of classification of useful and useless amongst these is done by Buddhi. During shooting, a lot of film is exposed in taking various scenes. The director selects useful parts of the film and discards the rest.

Children tell many things and put forward many demands, but the parents distinguish between the desirable and undesirable things and decide what should be done. Buddhi is that touch stone which

distinguishes between the real and unreal. It is the task of Buddhi, to extract a useful part from wild imaginations.

A long term coordination of one type of thoughts with corresponding actions makes one’s nature accordingly and automatically similar types of desires are aroused and they are converted into actions. This is called psyche or Chitta. The fourth factor aha®k³ra or ego is made of selfassessments and activities. It forms a cover to the consciousness. It may be compared with the slough of the snake or the glass of the bulb. This very aha®k³ra may be called personality. This is the main separating wall between the soul and the supreme soul. This aha® is made to vanish by totally surrendering at the feet of God through worship. Eradication of evil traits and imbibing of virtuous traits is done through Tapa S³dhan³ (penance). The intellect is refined by Sw³dhy³ya (virtuous reading), Satsang (virtuous company), manan (thinking) and chintan (contemplation).

The Mana (mind) is made to form useful sketches for virtuous deeds through the control of senses.

In short, this is the essence of Atma-S³dhan³ (self-realization).

A rich man was extremely miser. He had instructed even the women of his house never to give alms to the beggars. One day a disabled man came to the house and requested for some food. The newly-wed daughter-in- law of the house was from a noble family. She told the beggar that the house had nothing to give him. He beggar asked, “Then what do you people eat?” “We eat the left overs and stale food, and when even these will be consumed, we too will start begging like you.” - Came the reply.

The master of the house was upstairs and listening to this dialogue. He was greatly annoyed. The daughter-in- law explained, “We are reaping and consuming whatever we have earned as a result of good deeds in our previous births. We, devoid completely of the virtues of charity and munificence in this life, are adding nothing to that asset. Naturally when the previously earned wealth of ‘punya’ gets exhausted, we too will be left destitute.” The rich man highly appreciated the wisdom of the young girl and then onwards started devoting his time and money towards the welfare of others.

The Soul has been given its own ears to hear things; mind does not understand. - Rumi 50

AKHAND JYOTI March-April 2018