Akhand Jyoti Magzine Jan Feb 2019 by Akhand Jyoti Swadhyay

(May Almighty illuminate our intellect and inspire us towards the righteous path) - Rigveda 3/62/10; Samveda 13/4/3 , Yajurveda 3/35, 22/9, 30/2, 36/3

Annual Subscription: VOLUME: 17

ISSUE:1

India: ` 140.00

Abroad: ` 1200.00 Jan.-Feb. 2019

Amrit Chintan

Self-Refinement is the Noblest Service to the Society Scriptures have described various types of altruistic activities and religious rituals that can be undertaken to achieve the ultimate goal of life. They have also given, at length, the material and spiritual benefits of such activities and rituals. Selfless service of others is also considered a noble task. This gives a person name and fame as well as inner-satisfaction. But, there is one task that is superior to all these; and that is – self-refinement. Burning one’s evil thoughts, tendencies, jealousy, greed, anger, worry, fear, and sensuality into the fire of self-knowledge is such a grand yagya that cannot be compared with thousands of Ashwamedha Yagyas. Removing the darkness of ignorance and lighting the lamp of knowledge in the temple of mind is true worship of God. Removing the sense of insignificance and inferiority from the mind and augmenting the virtues of courage, truthfulness, piety, and joy is more significant than donating millions of tons of gold. If every human being does his own refinement, then this very Earth can become a Heaven. Then people will not wish to attain Heaven; rather, gods in Heaven will be eager to descend on Earth. Helping others is considered a noble task, but improving the self is more auspicious. Augmenting one’s own physical, mental, spiritual, economic, and moral levels and making oneself an ideal citizen is such a magnanimous righteous task that no other altruistic activity can be compared with it. Self-refinement is the noblest service to the society. - Param Pujya Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya

‘AKHAND JYOTI – THE LIGHT DIVINE’ EDITORIAL TEAM WISHES ITS READERS A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND HARMONIOUS NEW YEAR 2019 Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do. Don’t wish it were easier; wish you were better. - Jim Rohn AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

CONTENTS 1.

Amrit Chintan Self-Reﬁnement is the Noblest Service to the Society. .............................................

From Chief Editor’s Desk Let’s Learn to Live in the Present This New Year .....................................................

Love is the Creative Energy of Nature .....................................................................

Simple Steps to Boost Your Immunity ......................................................................

Science and Spirituality Matter &Life: Uniﬁcation of Physics and Vedic Theories ........................................

The Six Darïnas of Vedic Knowledge ....................................................................... 15

Regular Walking – A Basis for Healthy Life ............................................................. 19

How will the Scarcity End While the Misuse Exists? .............................................. 21

Yug Gita – 12 True Identity of a Person of Steadfast Wisdom ......................................................... 23

10.

Peace Pilgrim’s Wisdom – 12 Solving Life’s Problems – 3 ...................................................................................... 27

11.

Let’s Move towards a Meaningful Republic ............................................................ 29

12.

Odyssey of the Enlightened - 65 Future Calling - 1....................................................................................................... 32

13.

Youth Column Utilize Your Powers Properly .................................................................................... 35

14.

Why Majority of Women is Suffering from Mental Depression? ............................. 37

15.

Amrit Vani Remember Death and Respect Life ........................................................................... 39

16.

Pretention of Being Rich by the Poor ........................................................................ 43

17.

Simple Techniques of Pranayama to Stay Healthy -1 ...............................................

18.

Tree Communicates in Their Own Way! ................................................................... 47

19.

A Guide to Sanskrit-English Transliteration.............................................................. 50

20.

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

The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary. - Vidal Sassoon 4

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

From Chief Editor’s Desk

Let’s Learn to Live in the Present This New Year Life flows incessantly in the tide of time. New buds blossom into flowers spreading their fragrance and beauty from time to time and disappear. This is exactly how life moves in tandem with time, developing and enhancing abilities until the journey ends eventually. Many years come and go between the start and end of life. New Year, in true perspective, is the celebration of invigorating our life with new resolutions, dreams, hopes and enthusiasm. There is always a joy associated with new beginnings and that is propelled by a renewed enthusiasm. This gives an opportunity to forget unfulfilled dreams and failures and motivates us towards positivity and accomplishments. New Year brings the treasure of learning from the past, plan of action for the present and a hope for future. This puts us on the path for doing something great; becoming someone we have always aspired to be and to achieve something of true substance. So, in the happy and invigorating ambiance of New Year, we should do something that provides a chance for our life to bloom in the right direction and to bring forth our latent capabilities so that we can move on the path for fulfilment. This requires us to understand the value of time and refine our personalities by grooming our innate talents. Nature has given two precious boons to everyone – time and capabilities. There has been no discrimination of any kind. Time is provided equally to everyone, though the capabilities might differ from person to person. All of us have them in one form or the other. It is totally dependent on each individual how he utilizes his capabilities, strives to enhance them and channelizes them in the right path. The first condition to optimal utilization of time and talent is – to live in the present. Man does not want to live in the present, he does not want to mold himself to the circumstances because of which he is unable to make use of his abilities and hone them further. All the intoxicating drugs that have been discovered till now have been designed to escape from the present. Using them will only be a futile attempt to close one’s eyes to the challenge in front of oneself. When we work with complete dedication and are ready for the entire struggle it takes to face the challenge, at that time we remain most alert and conscious. In this state of readiness, even our capabilities will be doubly efficient. It is unfortunate that our natural response is to turn away from problems. It is indeed easy to live being unconscious. Being unconscious can be of two types – internal and external. When one falls unconscious under the effect of drugs, the body is inert outside and the consciousness becomes inert inside. Externally, activities are impeded and internally, one’s capabilities get weakened. Don’t be afraid to give up the good to go for the great. - John D. Rockefeller AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Doctors and physicians can bring one’s body back into conscious state. But the inner consciousness can be awakened only when one lives in the present. A large chunk of our energies are focused in reminiscing the memories of the past and planning for the future. Slowly our present slips away from our hands and becomes past that comes back to haunt us. We are left with disappointment and restlessness at the end of the year. On the other hand, the virtues required to be developed, if we want to live in the present, are – creativity, focus, utilization of abilities and constant awareness. Our inner-self falls silent in the presence of the noise of our incessant thoughts. The melody of life is disrupted. When the brain is continuously contemplating about past or future, the energies are not only getting scattered, but diminished. If we learn to live in the present, our mental energies are prevented from depleting. When an individual learns to live in the present, consciously and with total awareness, then this improves his ability to focus. Even an ordinary work done with elevated levels of focus is extraordinary and beautiful. Excellence is perceived in every bit of that work. Expertise and talent go hand in hand, inspiring and enhancing each other. Creativity surges forth in the presence of these qualities. In addition to all these, when one practices to live in the present, his extrasensory perceptions also begin to develop. The emotional and mental psyche of the individual gets so refined that he begins to perceive the events of the future. This ability makes him realize the truths of life and helps plan his life goals in a realistic manner. It is true that eternity is hidden in a single moment and universe is present in an atom. When we presume that the atom is insignificant and ignore it, we run the risk of losing the universe. Similarly, anyone who ignores the moment will end up losing his lifetime. Hence, it is not wise to misuse time. New Year is a time for inspiration – to live each and every moment fully and meaningfully; to enhance talents and improve the quality of life. This is one such possibility which gets activated when we realize its importance and is accomplished when we work for it. If we can successfully convert this possibility into a reality, trust me that this New Year will open new doors of opportunities and accomplishments. The first Sunrise of the New Year will not only fill light outside but also within you. I urge our readers and parijans to invoke this light with their resolution for sustained efforts to use their time and abilities to carve a great future. With Best Wishes for Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year, 2019

(Pranav Pandya) Though no one can go back and make a brand-new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending. - Carl Bard 6

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Love is the Creative Energy of Nature This beautiful creation of God would be incomplete without love. Love is inherent in every atom of the Nature. It is the binding force which has made life possible on the earth. The moment love diminishes, destructive events begin to take place. It is the call of love which embellishes nature with its rich, beautiful and charming look. When nature is imbued with love, it gives nourishment and protection; when there is no love, the same nature shows its terrifying force and wreaks havoc. What is love? Love is the name of the immense energy inherent in this cosmos. All the humans and animals, plants and trees, and other living beings possess this love in some measure, in one form or the other. Love is an essential element in nature. Without it, neither life nor procreation is possible. Animals and birds love one another, and express this love through myriad forms they play and eat together, touch, smell and lick, communicate among themselves through voice, live in community, recognise one another, and upon death of a member become mournful. It is love which motivates them to care for their offspring, feed them and protect them. Cows and buffaloes suckle their young ones; birds bring food grains from afar and feed these grains into the beaks of their new-borns. The little creatures become happy and express their joy through chirping and frolicking around. It is again the emotion of love which makes cuckoo dissolve sweetness in nature through her melodious voice, a love bitten skylark waits for the rains, and drinks only the raindrops of swati nakshatra.

Humans too express this love in numerous ways. Sometime this love takes the form of infatuation, sometimes it turns into worship. On some occasions, love resonates through the words of a prayer, on others it sprouts forth through poetry or songs. Love binds a person to the family and society. It is love again which inspires him to take the path of self-upliftment and to strive for realisation of God. During his existence in this world, man often has this feeling that even though he is physically living amidst the people and is present right before their eyes; still he is lonesome in an undefined sense. He, therefore, endeavours to relate to others. The family and the society fulfil this very need. Man takes something from them; and, considers it his duty to give something in return. In this process of give and take, his development takes place at many levels. Although man is a part of nature, yet to rise above the nature and to express himself, he keeps creating new dimensions. During the process of any creative work, man establishes a rapport with it, and through this he connects himself with the outside world. All these inter-connections or linkages are made possible only by love. Love is, in a way, an extension of the ‘I’. In love, this ‘I’ first becomes ‘she’ or ‘he’ and then ‘all’. Love is giving, not taking. ‘Giving’ is supreme joy. Love is creating; to create something, first within oneself and then within others. When the gardener nurtures his flowers, or when the mother nurses her child and tends to him every waking moment - this is love. Both do not demand

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm. - Ralph Waldo Emerson AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

anything in return. The blossoming and growth of the tended ones is the blossoming and growth of the tenders themselves. This is the reward. The mother does not think of the child as another being, or as distinct from her. Similarly, there is no ‘other’ element between two lovers; no feeling of ‘otherness’. Each thinks of the other as his or her alter ego. Thus in love, separateness vanishes, and only one entity expands. When the feeling of love grows in a family or society, this family or society becomes the place to enjoy bliss. That is why, Yugrishi Param Pujya Gurudev used to say that the family which is full of love and caring is the heaven on earth. To be in love with God is, of course, good but better still is to begin it at home. How can one who does not have love for another human being love God? It is God himself who is present in every part and parcel of the nature. Humans, animals, birds and plants - all are, in essence, abodes of God. In the name of religion, people kill others cruelly, burn habitats, indulge in rioting and spread terrorism. This shows that they have no love for the Divine, because how is it possible for those who love God to behave like this towards other elements of the same Divine?

Only when we are in true love, we are able to know what life is. If someone is asked about the best moments of life, probability is that the person will recount those moments when he had received love, affection and respect in ample measure. These are the moments when a person forgets his ego and merges himself with someone else. There remains no consciousness of time for him and he feels buoyed with joy. Whenever a person starts remembering the best moments of life he, in fact, pauses in time, his eyes stare into vacuum and he transports himself to those bygone times. The joy which a creator experiences while looking at his creation, or which the mother feels in gazing at her baby is incomparable; it is sheer delight. In love, a person is not simply creating another person, but is crafting his own self too. In other words, there is no ‘another’ element in love. In true love, you are the clay, you are the clay worker, and the pot is also you. In this process, you have to make the pot only; you do not have to create the rains. The rain shower of love spontaneously descends upon you. In this way, love is the most creative energy in the Cosmos.

I have a different theory. It goes like this: Maybe we should all just love one another, even if we don’t completely understand the things that people bear in their dark, strange hearts, even if the stars that other men and women are following seem invisible to us. If we make ourselves open to the humanity of others first, maybe understanding will follow. An incomprehensible theory of the universe isn’t necessary if your only ambition is to embrace another soul. What you need, maybe all you need, in fact, is the willingness to love. - Jennifer Finney Boylan

Keep your face to the sunshine and you can never see the shadow. - Helen Keller 8

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Simple Steps to Boost Your Immunity Cleanliness and hygiene are essential in our lives to maintain good health. Instead of depending upon on medicines, it is much better to adopt basic rules of hygiene in our lifestyle to remain healthy. At the same time, there is a limit to how much hygiene is necessary. Living in a place which has very low count of bacteria poses its own challenges. It has a bad effect on our immune system and we could end up falling sick very often. It is more sensible to pay attention to increasing our immunity in addition to maintaining basic hygiene. According to a report by Global Hygiene Council, 62 percent Indian kitchens have very high bacteria count. Almost 100 percent of cloths used in these kitchens are found to be full of e-coli bacteria, which are the prime causes for diseases of the digestive system. Kitchen counters and taps are found to have staphylococcus aureus bacteria which cause the diseases of respiratory and urinary systems. Dr. Charles, a microbiologist with University of Arizona says that like at home, on the office desks also the bacterial count is found to be quite high, as many as 20,961 bacteria per square inch area. This is mainly due to food stuff eaten on the office desk. So, cleanliness of office table tops is also essential to prevent infections. There are some people who go overboard in maintaining hygiene, which is not essential. Experts say that by living in excessively clean places with very low bacteria count, our body loses the capability to fight microbes. Excessive hygiene destroys the balance between the body and naturally found bacteria in soil and environment.

According to a research study, people who live in excessively clean surroundings become highly susceptible to autoimmune disorders like asthma, eczema etc. It has been found through research that in homes with pets like dog, cat, etc. children are found to have fewer allergies. Due to pet animals, right from an early age children come in contact with a number of different species of bacteria and this strengthens their immune system. Also, to protect ourselves from viral infections like cold, cough etc. it is a good practice to walk regularly. Walking enhances the level of leucocytes in the body which helps in enhancing the capability of the body to fight infections. Immunity also increases with sound and adequate sleep. It is necessary to sleep for 7 to 8 hours in the night, because during sleep our body repairs our immune system and prepares it to fight infections. Sleep also recreates a balance between the body and the mind. Balanced food boosts immunity. What we eat is very important because after digestion, the same food provides nutrition to each and every organ of our body. If the food lacks sufficient nutrition content, then our immunity reduces. Excessive worries and stress reduce our immunity and thereby extend invitation to diseases. Everyday stresses result in excess production of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol which weaken our immune system. Whatever may be the profession, we must learn to complete our tasks with a stress-free mindset. Work carried

The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself. - Mark Caine AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

out with a stress-free mind is always of much better quality than that done with a stressed mind. Enthusiastic, stress-free completion of tasks is beneﬁcial to mind as well as body. If some disease has spread in the surroundings, we must drink boiled or ﬁltered water. All the basic rules of hygiene must be followed. Along with cleanliness of body, cleanliness of teeth must be paid a lot of attention too. After eating, food grains get stuck in teeth and if they are not removed they cause decay of teeth as well as other forms of infections. Hands must be cleaned before and after meals, and after usage of toilets. Children must be specially trained, because they don’t pay attention to these basic facts and so keep falling prey to diseases. Bathrooms, toilets, toilet seats, wash basins and all other items at home that come in contact with our body should be carefully kept clean so that harmful bacteria do not develop on them. Fruits and vegetables should be thoroughly washed and cleaned before consuming because they go through several hands and places before reaching us. Sometimes chemicals are also sprayed to protect them. This makes it necessary that we wash them properly before eating or cooking them.

In order that our infection does not spread to others, we must cover our mouth and nose while coughing or sneezing, use handkerchief and not spit in public places. Fungus, dampness, and cracks help in growth of bacteria and this is why diseases are more common in rainy season as there is more humidity in atmosphere. Food also gets spoiled earlier in rainy season. Cracks in the walls offer perfect places for bacteria to grow in wet season. All such places where bacteria can hide and grow should be cleaned. Cleanliness is very important to stay healthy. However, it is not possible to make our homes completely free from bacteria. This is not desirable either because this ends up reducing our immunity. Microbes actually help in increasing our immunity. Also, all microorganisms are not harmful for us. There are in fact several bacteria that are good for health. For example, bacteria found in curd are good for our body. The virus that is found in waters of Ganga ensures that this water does not get spoiled and remains beneﬁcial for us for a long time. So, in place of being obsessive about extreme cleanliness if simple rules of hygiene are followed, we can maintain good health and develop immunity to diseases.

The gut is the seat of all feeling. Polluting the gut not only cripples your immune system, but also destroys your sense of empathy, the ability to identify with other humans. Bad bacteria in the gut create neurological issues. Autism can be cured by detoxifying the bellies of young children. People who think that feelings come from the heart are wrong. The gut is where you feel the loss of a loved one first. It’s where you feel pain and a heavy bulk of your emotions. It’s the central base of your entire immune system. If your gut is loaded with negative bacteria, it affects your mind. Your heart is the seat of your conscience. If your mind is corrupted, it affects your conscience. The heart is the Sun. The gut is the Moon. The pineal gland is Neptune, and your brain and nervous system (5 senses) are Mercury. What affects the moon or sun affects the entire universe within. So, if you poison the gut, it affects your entire nervous system, your sense of reasoning, and your senses. - Suzy Kassem The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. - Bruce Lee 10

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Science and Spirituality

Matter & Life: Unification of Physics and Vedic Theories The study of consciousness and deeper aspects of life is often regarded as a field pertaining to philosophy, deep psychology, spirituality, and the so-called metaphysical sciences. Interestingly, there is convergence of knowledge of these aspects and some farsighted ideas of the founders of modern science (i.e. science of material existence and perception of Nature). Albert Einstein, the preeminent scientist of all times, had presented the hypothesis of grand unification of universal forces. This reflects his visualization of the subtle existence of higher dimensions that were realized by the Rishis (Vedic sages and scientists of spirituality). This article presents an extract of some of the comparable aspects of this scientific idea and the Vedic scientific theories. The Journey So Far: In the nascent years of modern science, some rational thinkers and over-enthusiastic scientists thought that they would conquer the Nature and its Creator within a century. However, with progressive research in Physico-Chemical sciences, especially in particle physics and unfolding of the subtler forms of matter (from atom to quark, subtler particles and gradually to Higgs Bosons), it has become clear that the secrets of Nature are much deeper than they appear physically. Conceptualization and theories of anti-matter and anti-gravity have further shown the challenges in understanding the Nature. More complex and deep are the domains of animated Nature. With advancement of scientific

research to decipher structure and function of bio-molecules, the self-optimized dynamics of their functional networks, the diversity of neurochemicals, self-regulated neural information processing in the brain, intelligent mechanism of the immune system, etc in the evolved species like humans, it is becoming clearer that the living system exists in an unimaginably subliminal form that could ultimately be perceived, in the physical world (and manifested domains of Nature), only as an energy-form of Consciousness-Force. Research in the atomic and subtler structure of matter has paved the way towards searching the commonality between matter and energy; may be, one day the research will be motivated towards deciphering that between energy and consciousness. Latest research on different components of the ‘atom family’ has shown that the orbital motion of the tiny particles in an atom (or its subtlest division) is governed by an energy that is generated by vibrations in the self-existent energy ﬁeld of the Higgs Boson. The source of this energy-ﬁeld has still not been deciphered by modern science so it is till now regarded as ‘self-existent’ and perhaps for this reason the Higgs Bosons are also popularly referred as ‘God Particles’. The eternal source of this energy and hence of the entire creation is, according to the ancient Indian texts, is called some kind of transcendent ‘sound’. This sonic energy is omnipresent in the sublime cores of Nature and is the fundamental cause of all energies, vibrations, and movements. Eminent scholars of the deeper

Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down. - Charles F. Kettering

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

science of Nature describe it as the sublime sound of O®k³ra, which is the self-educed expression of the evolutionary impulse of Brah® – the omnipresent, eternal Consciousness-Force. Albert Einstein, through his concept of ‘Pure Thought’, was able to see the perfect order that exists in the universe. He therefore accepted the inability of contemporary research in particle physics and other areas of modern sciences in comprehending even a fraction of the orderly creation of the great, unknown, absolute power. This is also reflected in his popular quote — “It is enough for me to contemplate the mystery of conscious life perpetuating itself through all eternity, to reflect upon the marvelous structure of the universe which we can dimly perceive, and to try humbly to comprehend even an infinitesimal part of the intelligence manifested in Nature”. Revered sage Adi Shankaracharya, who pioneered rediscovery of Vedic wisdom of the Upanishads in post-Vedic times, had analyzed sublime aspects of the physical world to deeper depths. For example, in his magnum opus titled “Vivek Chudamani”, he explains:

Aikya® Tayorlakïitayo¡, Na V³cyaya Nigadyatenyonya Vir¿ddha Dharmiño¡ |

Khadyota Bhanyoriv Rajbh—atyayau¡ K¿pamburaïyo¡ Parm³ñumevo¡ ||

Meaning: The divine source of the (existence of the) cosmos and every creature or particle in the universe are subliminally linked together and are similar in the sense of the similarity between ‘the sun and a glowworm’, ‘an ocean and a well’, ‘a king and a laborer’, or ‘a mountain and an atom.’ Grand Unification of Forces: Several decades ago, Einstein had defined the space as the grand unification of gravitational and electromagnetic forces. Later on, two more forces, namely, the ‘Weak Force’ and the ‘Strong Force’ were also considered in the definition of Space as a “Unified Field”. Einstein’s investigations into the ‘Four Dimensional Curved Space’ (fourth dimension being Time), have given pioneering directions to future scientists for deeper elucidation of various aspects of universal subtle forces and their grand source in the eternal Consciousness Force. In

This life of yours which you are living is not merely a piece of this entire existence, but in a certain sense the whole; only this whole is not so constituted that it can be surveyed in one single glance. This, as we know, is what the Brahmins [wise men or priests in the Vedic tradition] express in that sacred, mystic formula which is yet really so simple and so clear; tat tvam asi, this is you. Or, again, in such words as “I am in the east and the west, I am above and below, I am this entire world”. – Schrödinger

Everything you can imagine is real. - Pablo Picasso 12

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

this respect Einstein deserves a place in modern sciences equivalent to the revered positions of the sages like Vishwamitra, Patanjali and Vyas in the spiritual science of vital energy and consciousness force as described in the Vedic treatises. The discovery of anti-matter in physics has given interesting clues for studying the concepts of ‘Anti-World’ and ‘Meta-space’ cited in the Vedas and Upanishads. Noted thinker Robert Ernest Hume has mentioned in “The Thirteen Principal Upanishads”[1] that the main objective of the Upanishads is –– the search for absolute truth, ultimate knowledge, and its enlightened use for the welfare and progress of all creatures. Renowned scholar F. Max Müller in his “Lectures on the Vedanta Philosophy”[2] has expressed similar views. According to him, the citations of the Vedas and Upanishads have inspired and guided the pioneers and independent researchers of “matter and life” in all ages. The ancient Indian texts will continue to further enlighten the scientiﬁc investigations of the modern times as well, if studied thoroughly in the right perspective. The Isha Upanishad begins with the phrase – “P¿rñamada¡ P¿rñamida®”, which implies that the Supreme Cosmic Power – Brah® (the Omnipresent Consciousness Force) is one and absolutely complete. There are many ‘formulae’ cited in the Upanishads, which explain the sublime principles of the physical manifestation of Nature and existence of matter (referred as “This” in the corresponding Vedic hymns) and its eternal relation with the unique universal force, the inﬁnite ‘whole’ (referred as “That”). The uncertainty principle of the Quantum Mechanical approach, the postulations of particle physics, the ‘Pure Thought’ of Einstein and

later findings of theoretical and experimental physicists (including Dr. Yogesh Pati, Dr. Abdus Salam, Dr. Howard George and Dr. Sheldon Glashow) on quarks, leptons, anti-matter and the grand unification of forces, and the latest research on Higgs particles (the Bosons) can all be seen implied in the quotes of the Upanishads — the core knowledge of which conveys that “every material, as well as sublime existence, and every sensory, intellectual, as well as transcending experience is arising out of Brah®”. Interestingly, as pointed out in the scholarly article of Upanand Brahmachari[3], the huge statue of Nataraja (Lord Shiva in dancing posture of tandava) placed in front of CERN the European Center for Research in Particle Physics in Geneva, Switzerland, symbolizes the profound significance of the metaphor of Shiva’s dance for the cosmic dance of subatomic particles (originated from BOSONs), which is observed and analyzed by CERN’s physicists. The author also cites that – “The parallel between Shiva’s dance and the dance of subatomic particles was first discussed by Fritjof Capra in an article titled The Dance of Shiva: The Hindu View of Matter in the Light of Modern Physics, published in Main Currents in Modern Thought in 1972. Shiva’s cosmic dance then became a central metaphor in Capra’s international bestseller The Tao of Physics[4], first published in 1975 and still in print in over 40 editions around the world”. Possible Road Ahead: Researchers engaged in investigating the secrets of matter and life, may view the Vedic knowledge as a science that deals with the subtler facets of what has been discovered by the modern sciences so far. Sir James Jeans[5] has noted that everything in this world happens in a logical and reasonable

If you want to make a permanent change, stop focusing on the size of your problems and start focusing on the size of you! - T. Harv Eker

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

manner like a mathematical principle. In his views, the creator and controller of this limitless absolute system could be none other than the Unique, Inﬁnite, Supernatural Power, named as God. Modern scientists may attempt deciphering the mysterious universe completely by considering the existence of the subliminal forms of subatomic particles and perceivable energies in the inﬁnite currents of the ultimate ‘energy’ of the Omnipresent Consciousness Force, which so far, is left behind for metaphysical research in philosophy. An open minded integrated research in focused areas of physical, biological and cognitive sciences and spirituality would prove to be fruitful towards unfolding of the hidden linkages of matter and life and the super-unifying principle of “Sarva Khalvida® Brah®”. References: [1] Robert Ernest Hume (2010): The Thirteen Principal Upanishads. Forgotten Books. (Reprint of 1st edn. publ. by Oxford Univ. Press, 1921). ISBN-13: 978-1440071232 [2] Friedrich Max Müller (2009): Three Lectures on the Vedanta Philosophy. Biblio Life. (Reprint of 1st edn. publ. by Longmans, Green & Co., 1904). ISBN-13: 978-1116579031. [3] Brahmachari U. Dance of Shiva in CERN. (https://hinduexistence.org/2012/07/14/godparticle-cern-lord-shiva-nataraj/) [4] Capra F. (2010): The Tao of Physics: An Exploration of the Parallels Between Modern Physics and Eastern Mysticism. Penguin Random House. 35th Anniversary Edition. [5] Sir James Jeans. (1950): The Mysterious Universe. Cambridge Univ. Press. (2nd rev. edn.). ISBN-13: 978-0521054171

Six blind men once went to find out what an elephant is. The first blind man touched the legs of the elephant and came to the conclusion that the elephant is like a big pillar or a tree; straight, round, long and strong with thick skin. The second man touched the tail of the elephant and came to the conclusion that an elephant is like a rope with a brush at the end and it can move right and left very easily in air. The third man touched the ear of the elephant and said, “Elephant is a flat animal, like a hand fan” The fourth man who had touched only the trunk of the elephant said “No, the elephant is like a snake or a tree branch, rough on the surface and is hollow inside. The fifth man who had touched its belly said “An elephant is like a big wall, but with curves here and there”. The sixth man who had touched only the tusk said “An elephant is like a pipe or spear and it is very strong”. After they found out they had disagreement, they went to a man who had eyes and had seen the elephant. Each explained his side of the story and asked him who was right among them. The man who had seen the elephant said: “You are all partially correct. Elephant has features that you explained but it is much more than that”. Similarly, different faiths present their own perspective to view the Truth which is Eternal God.

It is never too late to be what you might have been. - George Eliot 14

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

The Six Darïnas of Vedic Knowledge Literally, the meaning of Darïana in Sanskrit (and Hindi) is — vision, or, the ability to see (things clearly, in the right form or perspective). Its English equivalent “Philosophy” also implies the same. Thus the sagacious texts Darïana Ïastras serve as the source of light/ knowledge which eliminates the darkness of ignorance and enlightens the mind. Vedic culture and (Hindu) religion are unique as they emanate from the eternal Darïana of pure knowledge and absolute realisation of the Omnipresent Consciousness-Force and all creation and manifestation of Nature and life-forms. The Vedic sages (—Ìis) were true scientists of Nature and life. Their spiritual acumen presented the nectar of divine knowledge hidden in the Vedas for the beneﬁt of the world in different ways. They guided triple-fold path of karma, bhakti, and jóana for righteous progress on worldly and spiritual fronts and holistic wellbeing with divine illumination of the innerself of humanity. The deliberations of their mystic research, deep thoughts, and unﬂinching endeavours towards elimination of ignorance and sufferings of the world, resulted in the form of six Darïanas (schools of thoughts or systems of philosophy) of the Vedic knowledge. The S³®khya Darïana or the system of S³®khya principles postulated by Maharshi Kapila is regarded as most ancient among the six Darïanas. Rationalism, dualism, and atheism are its core characteristics. Through the study of S³®khya, one can understand the course of evolution of Nature and the beings. The S³®khya Darïana

is also regarded by savants as source of core knowledge of Hindu psychology. The Yoga Sutras formulated by Maharshi Patanjali constituted the Yoga Darïana. It is regarded as a more practical and scientific complement to the dualism theory of S³®khya Darïana. Its principal focus and characteristic is spiritual ascent by (spiritual) practices – ranging from self-discipline to higher level yoga s³dhan³. It provides a complete science of physical, mental, and emotional well-being and a perfect guidance for the journey to the inner-self and divine realms of consciousness. Its universality and eternal utility is evident from the ever-increasing popularity and practices of yoga across the globe in the present times as well. Maharshi Gautama formulated the Ny³ya Darïana. It is revered as the origin of the theory and practices of logic. This Darïana is considered as a prerequisite for all philosophical inquiry. Realism, logic, and analytical philosophy characterise this Darïana. A supplement to the Ny³ya Darïana was presented in the VaiïeÌika Sutras of Maharshi Kanada. The treatise of these sutras (formulae/ research findings and consequent teachings composed in hymns or couplets) founded the VaiïeÌika Darïana. Naturalism and Atomism are distinct features of this Darïana. The Ny³ya and the VaiïeÌika Darïanas give analysis of the world of experience. By the study of Ny³ya and VaiïeÌika, one learns to utilize their intellect to find out fallacies and know about the

If you love what you do and are willing to do what it takes, it’s within your reach. - Steve Wozniak AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

material constitution of the world. They arrange all things of the world into certain kinds or categories or padarthas. They explain how God has made all this material world out of atoms and molecules, and show the way to attain Supreme Knowledge – that of God[1]. Maharishi Jaimini, a disciple of the angelic sage Maharshi Vyasa, formulated the Sutras of the Mºm³ns³ Darïana, which is based on the ritualistic parts of the Vedas. Exegeses, Philology, Ritualistic theism are characteristic of this Darïana. The Ved³nta is an ampliﬁcation and fulﬁlment of the S³®khya and also a complete Darïana for reaching out to ultimate truth, absolute knowledge. Its Sage Badarayana (Maharshi Vyasa – the great Vedic sage who composed the 18 Pur³ñas and also the great epic Mahabharata) composed the Ved³nta-Sutras or Brah®aSutras based on the mystic knowledge part of the Vedas. Ved³nta Darïana expounds the teachings of the UpaniÌadas. Non-dualism (regarding Consciousness Force as the one, eternal, omnipresent, and only reality) is the characteristic of this Darïana. Most scholars regard that Mºm³ns³ Darïana comprises of two parts: P¿rva and Uttara. The ‘P¿rva-Mºm³ns³’ (referred as Mºm³ns³ above) focuses at Karma-K³nda part of the Vedas which deals with rituals and righteous worldly actions. The ‘Uttara- Mºm³ns³’ corresponds to the discussions and sagacious explanation of the jóana (pure knowledge) part of the Vedas. The Uttara-Mºm³ns³ is known as the Ved³ntaDarïana and forms the foundation of Hinduism. The Ved³nta philosophy explains in detail the nature of Brah®2 that the individual soul and all manifested as well as transcendent existence

is, in essence, identical with the Brah®. It provides guidance to remove Avidy³ or the veil of ignorance and to attain absolute knowledge, ultimate freedom (from all sorrows, stress, and sufferings) and experience unalloyed, beatifying bliss by realisation of Brah®. By the practice of Ved³nta, one can reach the pinnacle of spirituality, ultimate realms of divinity and oneness with the Almighty, Omnipresent, Supreme Soul (Sat, Cita, Ânanda 2 Param³tm³). Vedic System of Scholarly Studies: Ancient Indian Scholarship was immensely enriched by thorough research, and contemplative and analytical study of the Vedas, UpaniÌads, and the six Darïanas. Contrary to the modern-time’s popular belief that the disciples simply used to mug-up/cram and repeatedly chant whatever was chanted by their Guru, the method of learning (even in the Age of ‘noscript’) essentially incorporated — (i) analytical observation of the events and activities of Nature around their Âranyakas1 and different creatures in it; and (ii) contemplation on what was taught by the Guru and its explanation according to self-experience and self-interpretations (based on earlier and related studies). Often the style of presentation used to be similar (e.g. poetic – composed in speciﬁc rhythmic pattern, or narrative, etc) as that of the Guru, however the meritorious disciples were free to compose their own treatises in their own style after successfully passing all examinations at the Gurukula. Intra-school as well as inter-school Ï³strartha (conclusive scholarly debates of high quality) used to be an integral component, along with rigorous examination (including practical test of adoption of the teachings in real life) towards judging the success (in adept grasping of what they

In my experience, there is only one motivation, and that is desire. No reasons or principle contain it or stand against it. - Jane Smiley 16

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

were taught and trained in), merit, and original talent of the disciples. The Gurus as well as their disciples also used to participate in Ï³str³rtha in invited competitions and conferences (e.g. the Br³hmaña Sabh³, congregations like Kumbha Melas, etc).

mystic knowledge and absolute science was projected as creations of hallucinated, illusory minds and emotional mythologists. Vedic Culture and Religion too were presented as propagators of superstitions and blind faith, insane customs and occultism.

No Scope for Blind Faith, Myths, Orthodox Maxims and Occultism:

Any sensible person with a thoughtful mind should note that there is no scope for any blind faith, superstition, myth, occultism, or preposterous ‘theories’, or any doctrines in the treatises of sagacious thoughts that originated from deep quest for reality of Nature and Life, and search of absolute knowledge. Moreover the intellectual rigor of the Vedic methods (esp. Ï³str³rtha) of learning and examining (outlined above) make it clear that any Darïana or theory was not accepted sans erudite scholarly discussion and testing in open. Also, everyone was free to challenge an existing or earlier accepted theory by evidentially (in terms of epistemological analysis or evidence in real life) proving his/her point.

Like the other Ârïa Granthas (Ancient scriptures), many of the original treatises on analytic commentaries and essays on the Darïanas too were phased distortions in the post-Mahabharata dark phase of humanity. The invaluable treasure of knowledge and divine culture of India that was a torchbearer of righteous progress and welfare of the entire world[2] was largely destroyed and distorted by the foreign invaders in the later periods. Except for sporadic collections in the personal libraries of some devoted scholars and traditional Vedic families in the interior regions of India, all the original treatises and ancient scholarly works were almost lost in the medieval times. Deliberately misinterpreted versions and misconception were spread by the foreign emperors and scholars and some of their Indian counterparts in order to please the invaders (Mughals, and the Europeans – esp. the British) who ruled over this country for several centuries. Thus the guiding light of human-values and

Even a quick reading of authentic texts/ commentaries of the Darïanas would show that —Ìis and scholarly researchers of their sutras had presented and re-analyzed their thoughts with due consideration of necessary pram³ñas (epistemological argument/evidence/logic) Vedic texts broadly identify six pram³ñas as correct means of accurate knowledge and truths:

A young man came to visit Gorakhnath. He asked- Why are you here? The youth replied – “What I wanted I found it. Now I don’t want to ask anything, nor do I want to say anything.” The people who were present there asked the youth curiously, as to what he found. The youth replied – “By looking at Guru Gorakhnath, I realized that if he can achieve spiritual powers by sadhana (spiritual practices), I can also achieve the same.” I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well. - Diane Ackerman AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

pratyakṣa (perception), anumāna (inference), upamāna (comparison and analogy), arthāpatti (postulation, derivation from circumstances), anupalabdhi (non-perception, negative/cognitive proof) and śabda (word, testimony of past or present reliable experts) Each of these are further categorized in terms of conditionality, completeness, confidence and possibility of error, by the different schools. The schools vary on how many of these six are valid paths of knowledge. For example, the S³®khya school holds that three (perception, inference and testimony) are enough; while the Mīmāṃsā and Ved³nta schools hold that all six are authentic and universally applicable means of knowledge. Epochal Revival: The lost treasure of Vedic Knowledge was brought back to light in the post medieval times by epochal endeavour of Adi Shankarcharya. During the time of Shankaracharya, all the six schools of Vedic philosophy (the Darïanas) flourished. The trends of Vedic scholarship were revived by him to a great extent by establishment of maÚhas (centres of study and dissemination of Vedic knowledge) in different parts of India. The six Darïanas have also been reinvestigated and analysed by erudite scholars of different schools of thoughts since then. However, their commentaries are not so easy to be understood by non-scholarly, ordinary people. Therefore for the benefit of wider class of the society, seer-sage, preeminent saintly scholar of the 20th Century, Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya had translated these invaluable texts of enlightenment in Hindi with adept and lucid explanations in scientific and logical approach. We will present an English summary of the

excerpts of his works for the beneﬁt of the readers of this magazine. We will begin with discussion on important aspects of the S³®khya Darïana in the next issue. Notes: 1. Ârañyaka: Vedic School - Gurukula or Guru’s Asharm, which used to be residential and located in some forest. 2. Brah®: Omnipresent, Eternal ConsciousnessForce. The absolute source, eternal cause, expression and ultimate end of all (the manifested, the subliminal, and the transcendent) existence. Eternal origin and experience of Sat (absolute truth), Cita (absolute knowledge and enlightenment), and Ânanda (ultimate bliss).

References: 1. Das Shubhmay: https://www.thoughtco.com › ... › Religion & Spirituality › Hinduism › Important Texts Aug, 2018. 2. Vedmurti Taponishtha Pandit Shriram Sharma: Samasta Vishwa Ko Bharat Ke Ajasra Anudana. Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya Samagra Vangamaya Vol. 25. Akhand Jyoti Sansthan (1st Ed.) Mathura. 1995. 3. Pandya P. (editor): Contributions of India to Global Cultural Evolution. (English version of selected sections of [2] above). Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar. 2016. 4. Vedmurti Taponishtha Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya and Smt. Bhagavati Devi Sharma (author and editors): Sankhya evam Yoga Darshana (2nd Ed.). Yug Nirman Yojana Vistar Trust, Mathura. 2011.

As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others. - Bill Gates 18

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Regular Walking – A Basis for Healthy Life Walking is very beneficial to attain good health. Our body and mind attain succour by walking. Walking regularly in the morning and evening keeps our body active. The mind can be happy only in a healthy and active body; and we know that a happy mind and a healthy body does not fall prey to diseases easily. There can be no bigger fortune than having a healthy body and clean mind. Health experts highly recommend regular walking to maintain good health for a long time. Morning walk specially is no less than a blessing for physical and mental health. In addition to being a good exercise, it helps increase the level of calcium and Vitamin D in the body. Experts say that to stay healthy we should walk at least 6000 steps/day, and to reduce weight, at least 10000 steps/day. According to an authentic report, regular walking can bring down the expenses on health by 330 dollars a year, which is close to Rs 20,000 a year. In earlier times sufficient walking was a part of everyone’s daily routine, but today even small children do not walk as much as in earlier times. According to statistical data, in 1970s 66 percent of kids used to go to school walking, while today this has shrunk down to only 13 percent. This also is a reason why children tend to fall sick more often now than earlier. It is unfortunate that walking is not so popular these days. People regard walking as undignified and instead prefer to flaunt their affluence by moving around on two wheelers and cars. Some research studies say that walking for 3 to 5 hours a week increases life expectancy of cancer patients

by 50%. Walking for 90 minutes per week has been found to increase life expectancy among prostate cancer patients by up to 50%. The risk of colon cancer is found to be 31% less in women who walk regularly. Walking for one hour and eating 1500 calories in a day can help women control their weight. Studies indicate that people who walk for 6 to 9 miles a week signiﬁcantly reduce their susceptibility to the problems of old age like Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Dementia is a disease of the nervous system in which a person slowly begins to lose memory; and his cognitive abilities tend to deteriorate. Affected persons begin to need more and more support of others even for their daily activities. Daily walking has been found to improve memory among such people as well. Scientists say that regular walking helps in increasing the size of hippocampus inside the brain, whereas inactive lifestyles reduce its size which affects the memory. Walking in the mornings and evenings releases a neuropeptide called endorphin which gives relaxation to the body and cures mental conditions like anxiety and irritation. 30 minutes of walking everyday reduces the susceptibility to heart diseases. It relieves stress and helps control cholesterol and blood pressure. According to Irish scientists walking is a good exercise to reduce the risk of heart diseases, especially in adults. In a study published in American Journal of Geriatrics Society it has been concluded that among men and women who

Our greatest fear should not be of failure... but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter. - Francis Chan AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

are 65 years or older, the risk of heart diseases was lower for those who walked regularly for at least 4 hours every week. As we age, the bones of our body begin to weaken. Habit of walking regularly can help in strengthening the bones. It has been shown that walking helps maintain bone density, as a result of which the risk of osteoporosis, fractures and injuries reduces. Walking is also beneﬁcial to get relief from the aches of bones and muscles. Walking regulates metabolism and keeps the body active. The walking habit, of course, strengthens our muscles as well. Diabetes is the most common disease that is caused due to inactive and stressful lifestyles. Diet control keeps blood sugar under control. In Type-2 diabetes doctors also advise patients to walk at least 3000-7500 steps every day. Regular walking can help control blood sugar levels, which, in turn, helps in reducing the susceptibility to Type-2 diabetes. The habit of morning walks can also help in increasing intelligence. Walking helps in maintaining adequate supply of glucose and oxygen to the brain and this helps in better functioning of brain. It reduces the level of LDL cholesterol which is a major cause for obstruction

in arteries and so walking reduces the risk of heart strokes. So, walking helps in maintaining the efficiency of the blood circulation system and improves the functioning of the neuronal system of the brain. More than a million people die in our country due to cancer every year. Scientists say that inactive lifestyle is one of the main causes for cancer. Walking helps in reducing weight which also reduces the risk of cancer. Even the side effects of chemotherapy have been found to reduce by walking. Walking is beneficial to strengthen our immune system. Walking for minimum 30 minutes a day improves the functioning of B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes (types of white blood cells) and this helps the body fight diseases and regain good health quickly. Thus, the habit of walking, especially during the morning and evening hours is very beneficial to keep the body as well as the mind healthy or to regain health. Pujya Gurudev Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya used to walk regularly. Other great saints like Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekanand, Lokmanya Tilak, Vinoba Bhave etc. also had the same habit. We also must adopt walking as an essential activity in our daily schedule.

None of your knowledge, your reading, and your connections will be of any use here: two legs suffice, and big eyes to see with. Walk alone, across mountains or through forests. You are nobody to the hills or the thick boughs heavy with greenery. You are no longer a role, or a status, not even an individual, but a body, a body that feels sharp stones on the paths, the caress of long grass and the freshness of the wind. When you walk, the world has neither present nor future: nothing but the cycle of mornings and evenings. Always the same thing to do all day: walk. But the walker who marvels while walking (the blue of the rocks in a July evening light, the silvery green of olive leaves at noon and the violet morning hills) has no past, no plans, no experience. He has within him the eternal child. While walking I am but a simple gaze. - Frédéric Gros If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much. - Jim Rohn 20

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

How will the Scarcity End While the Misuse Exists? One can gain wealth and distinction by fair or foul means but making proper use of them is another matter. There are many people who have amassed wealth, but those who have made proper use of that wealth are rare. It is an irony that those who are prosperous are not able to use their wealth for noble causes and those who could use the wealth appropriately are not attaining higher level of self-effort. Alas, if the prosperity and noble intentions could co-exist, how happy and flourishing this world would be! Money not being used properly may be acceptable but when it is wasted in senseless activities, then it is painful to realize that what could have been used for the welfare of the individual and the society has been used for just the opposite purposes, and this could have been avoided. We often see capable people traversing the path of defiance and committing misdeeds; prosperous people themselves using their wealth towards wrong purposes which bring an environment of torture, downfall, and affliction. The majority of the culprits spreading treachery, deception and betrayal are those who are supposed to be intelligent. We see people in power igniting the rage of war and causing hardships to countless people. It would have been better if such people would not be victorious. What can be said about success which creeps in the guise of glory and makes people insane? In that insanity people lose their discrimination and do all kinds of monkey business. Hopeless people cannot do any good for others. For them, leading their own life is tiresome.

Caught in the obscurity of their own problems, they can be of no use to others. They do not have a vision for help and service. But it is gratifying to note that unlike the so-called capable people, they do not create a fire which would later get transformed into a wildfire and engulf vast areas. All the illiterate and uneducated people of the world put together did not misguide humanity as much as the handful of literary people, artists, and religious leaders who were used as puppets by wealthy people. At one time scientists were working to discover the objects of human welfare but now even they have surrendered to the rich and work only to discover what suits their providers. The so-called wealthy people are boasting of buying not only the brains, but even the honesty of the intellectuals. By virtue of their wealth they claim the power to make even gods and goddesses work for them. It can be understood that a scarcity of resources may cause difficulties, but their misuse can cause even more severe repercussions. If you don’t have a knife you can use some other instrument for cutting vegetables; but if a shiny, sharp, and expensive knife is stuck into your stomach, then you will realize that not having a knife was a better option. In the past, before the chain of scientific discoveries had begun, resources were certainly less abundant, but there was so much cooperation and happiness that it seemed almost like a satyug. Sharing was the norm of the day and hence people lived happily with whatever they had without crisis or struggle. How can one feel a scarcity of

To be successful, you must accept all challenges that come your way. You can’t just accept the ones you like. - Mike Gafka AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

resources in such a situation? In fact, the needs of a human are very modest, and can be easily acquired with a few hours of simple effort. Desire that fuels an urge for misuse is the troubling factor. If we can overcome this mental aberration, then there will be no problem earning a livelihood. In fact, one can earn enough to help others. The one and only reason for this increase in immoral practices is the appetite for accumulating wealth and superfluous items of luxury and ornamentation. Fire is not extinguished by giving it more fuel; desire is not satisfied by fulfilling it. The ego swells in the glitter of luxury, so that whatever is earned falls short, and the tendency to grab other’s share by hook or by crook builds up. This leads to amassing a lot of wealth which can never be used properly. In the absence of empathetic approach and the noble virtues, an uncontrolled and purposeless spending remains the only possibility, for which even the wealth of Kuber and power of Indra will not be sufficient. In such a state of mind, where is contentment? Where is peace? Joy and bliss become a mirage in the oasis of life.

Conditions for curing a disease arise only after a proper diagnosis. In the present scenario the problems may appear multifold but the root cause is one — the appetite for accumulation and wasteful spending of wealth. People who adopt this lifestyle will toil constantly but can never get an opportunity to do good to them or to the society, or to ever gain fame and respect from society. A spendthrift eventually becomes a victim of bad habits. If he can meet his personal needs with minimal resources, then what happens to all his extra earnings? In the absence of generosity the money is not used for the welfare of the downtrodden, and thus the only option available is senseless, wasteful expenditure. When the inﬂuential classes of society adopt the lifestyle of narrow selﬁshness, other segments of the society naturally imitate them, and thus it becomes a trend. Lack of ability, lack of effort, and aspiring for enormous extravagance — all these combine to make an ideal environment for building an army of vices to plunder the beauty of the world.

Our entire system, in an economic sense, is based on restriction. Scarcity and inefficiency are the movers of money; the more there is of any resource the less you can charge for it. The more problems there are, the more opportunities there are to make money. This reality is a social disease, for people can actually gain off the misery of others and the destruction of the environment. Efficiency, abundance and sustainability are enemies of our economic structure, for they are inverse to the mechanics required to perpetuate consumption. - Peter Joseph The only way to do great work is to love what you do. – Steve Jobs 22

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Yug Gita – 16

True Identity of a Person of Steadfast Wisdom ‘Yug Gita’ - the interpretation of Srimad Bhagwadgita in the modern context is being presented in this magazine in the light of revolutionary thoughts of Param Pujya Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma, Acharya for the past fifteen issues. In the previous issue, it was explained how one can achieve the highest state of steadfastness of wisdom by relinquishing the worldly attachments. The present issue further elucidates this key lesson of Lord Krishna to his disciple Arjuna. In 67th ïloka of chapter 2, of the Gita, Lord says – Indriy³ñ³® hi carat³® yanmanońuvidhºyate A Tadasya harati prajó³® v³yurn³vam iv³mbhasiAA Meaning: The mind that follows the wandering senses carries away the person’s discrimination as the wind carries away a boat on the waters. The above ïloka conveys a profound thought and an irrefutable one. Lord says that the boat in water, without a sailor, may go anywhere depending on the direction of wind. Lord is comparing the boat with the uncontrolled mind which is influenced by the attachment of senses and starts behaving arbitrarily. A single uncontrolled sense alone is enough to bring about a downfall of even a wise person. The force of lust, for example, is so strong that it can ruin the reputation of even a respectable person; the uncontrolled speech and the sense of taste may land a person in serious trouble. Uncontrolled senses force the mind to follow them. The joint effect of senses and mind becomes so strong that the faculty of reasoning doesn’t work properly. Discretion transforms

into indiscretion and leads to a disaster. On the contrary, if the mind follows intellect and the senses follow the controlled mind, then the body behaves according to the soul’s desire. Saint Vinoba in ‘Sthitaprajna Darshana’ says – ‘Intellect is a deliverer like a boat. But, if get trapped by the mind, the same becomes a destroyer.’ When the reins are in the hands of a person riding the horse and he is able to control it, then there is no doubt about the person reaching the destination. On the contrary, if the horse is holding the reins, there is no hope that the person riding the horse will reach the destination. The same thing has been enunciated by the seer of Kathopanishad. Yogiraj Shrikrishna has explained the same thing giving the example of boat. If the deliverer intellect is carried away by the mind (this is akin to the boat ﬂown by the wind), then its deliverer’s power is destroyed and ultimately it leads to drowning of a person. This ïloka is special in many ways. Saint Gyaneshwar says – this ïloka rings a danger bell. He says that a person might have achieved the steadfast wisdom; even then he should remain alert. He writes – Pr³pte hi puruÌen, indriye l³lilº jarº kavatike A Tarº ³kramil³ jañ du¡kho, s³ns³rike H The essence of this saying in Marathi is - ‘Even if a realized man out of curiosity or carelessness caresses his senses, it should be understood that the attack of sorrows / pains is imminent.’ It simply means that one should not leave the mind free / uncontrolled in any condition. Samarth Ramdas too has said the same thing in this way –

Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. – Napoleon Hill AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

‘Man³ g¿jare t¿ja hen r³pta jh³len - tarº antarº p³hije yatana keleA’ It means – O Mind! You got whatever you wished; you have almost reached the destination. However, don’t be careless; even after realizing the self, keep controlling yourself (Sthitaprajna Darshana: Sri Vinobaji). What a strong support to the author of the Gita, in very simple words! The author of the Gita has cautioned speciﬁcally a knowledgeable person because even a minor slip or negligence may lead to his downfall. If a person, who has achieved steadfast wisdom on the basis of control of senses, starts behaving arbitrarily – ﬂows with strong current of ego, lust or greediness, then there is no way for him to reach the goal of life. The control should get imbibed in the behavior and conduct of a person of steadfast wisdom – this is the expectation of the author of the Gita. In order to establish this point, Lord Shrikrishna says in the next (68th) ïloka Tasm³dyasya mah³b³ho nig—hºt³ni sarvaïa¡ A Indriy³ñºndriy³rthebhyastasya prajó³ pratiÌÚhit³ H Meaning – Therefore, O mighty-armed Arjuna! The one, whose senses are completely restrained from sense-objects, is established in steady knowledge. A very clear direction has been given by the teacher of Arjuna that there can be no relaxation regarding the control of senses. The meaning of Tasm³t is – therefore. This means that whatever has been taught about the subject of relinquishment of attachment for the sthitaprajóa yogi, is being repeated here again. Under the deductive principle of Tarka Shastra (a science of dialectics, logic and reasoning), it is being repeated here that the stability of intellect will

be attained only when the control of senses is mastered. Similar to the statement ‘thus proved’ at the end of a geometrical theorem, the point that was expressed in 58th ïloka ‘Yad³ sa®harate c³ya® k¿rmo´òg³nºva sarvaïa¡’ by comparing it with a tortoise, exactly the same thing has been said by the Lord again. This is the specialty of the Gita. Whenever there is a talk of social service, upright character is considered supreme. Param Pujya Gurudev writes in Akhand Jyoti (Hindi) of December 1988 – ‘Whenever there is shortage of true social workers, the level of growth diminishes in those times. The emotional refinement of the masses and their humble attitude is extremely essential. This work cannot be done by the debauchee, selfish and inferior people, even though they might technically be experts in the said field or holding high positions. Social worker should not only have the superior service-oriented attitude but must also possess an ideal character.’ The author of the Gita is teaching us how to become a true sthitaprajóa social worker by depicting Arjuna as an ideal character. Let us further continue our discussion. Lord says - ‘Why should the routine of sthitaprajóa be different from others; what should be his outlook?’ Lord answers these questions in 69th ïloka as follows: Y³ niï³ sarvabh¿t³n³® tasy³® j³garti sa®yamºA Yasy³® j³grati bh¿t³n³® s³ niï³ païyato mune¡ H Meaning: That which is night to all beings, then the self-controlled man is awake; when all beings are awake, that is night for the introspective sage. In fact, ordinary people, living a life of excitement, anger and disturbance, cannot even

Strive not to be a man of success, but rather to be the man of value. – Albert Einstein 24

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

imagine the bliss and peace of a self-controlled person. The word mune¡ has been used for an introspective person, the one who has risen much above the noisy world of sensual agitations. This ïloka gives a befitting definition of a yogi as a sthitaprajóa. Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa used to say that three kinds of people are awake in the night – Rogi (sick), bhogi (hedonistic) and yogi. Everyone knows why rogi and bhogi are awake in the night. Now we have to know about the yogi. One who remains in the state of sthitaprajóa, is awake even when he is sleeping. One who sleeps meditating on ‘mahanisha – the state of pralaya (holocaust)’ always remains established in Supreme Consciousness. That is Yogi. Pujya Gurudev used to advise that every ‘loksevi’ (social worker) should meditate for some time daily on mahanisha. This meditation is done in the first quarter of the night. Those, who sleep early, may do it in the early morning. This meditation helps in achieving the state of sthitaprajóa quickly. There is a vast difference between sthitaprajóa and a hedonist regarding the view of life. Shri Vinobaji says – ‘As there is no meeting point between two parallel lines, the same is the position of their outlooks on life.’ Meera says - ‘palat bhai more nainan ki’ (that is, my outlook on life has changed). The outlook of the world is opposite; but, ironically, the majority of people consider that to be right. If this state can be changed, then spirituality will get imbibed in true sense. This has been called ‘Zindagi ka shirshasan’ (upside down of outlook on life). This is the state of sthitaprajóa. The words of 69th ïloka should not be taken literally; rather one should consider their subtle meaning. A common man takes food for filling his stomach; the food of sthitaprajóa is yagya.

In the words of Adya Shankaracharya, the latter consumes food as a medicine; he does not indulge in it. Similarly, the common man does go to sleep, but his sleep is tamoguni as his intrinsic tendencies openly work in the dreams and it becomes a cause of agitations. The sleep of sthitaprajóa is sound and dreamless. The behavior of sthitaprajóa is selfless, simple and transparent whereas that of common man is filled with ego and artificiality. In fact, the essence of this ïloka is that the common man is always alert about the results but ignores the duties (sleeps regarding duties). A sthitaprajóa is well aware of his duties but never expects the results (sleeps regarding results). Towards the end of this very important chapter, the next ïloka is still more meaningful. The 70th ïloka says – Âp¿ryam³ñamacalapratiÌÚha® samudram³pa¡ praviïanti yadvat A Tadvatk³m³ ya® praviïanti sarve Sa ï³ntim³pnoti na k³mak³mº H (2/70) Meaning: That sage attains peace into whom all desires of sense enjoyment enter as river waters enter the ocean, which, although filled from all sides, remains unmoved; but not the man who is desirous of sensual pleasures. It is well-known that all the rivers get merged into the ocean. The river waters entering the ocean are turbulent, yet the latter remains calm and stable. In the same way, the carnal pleasures enter the sthitaprajóa, but he is not disturbed by them. Only such a person attains true peace. Is it possible to develop such a personality? Yes, we can see this in the life of Pujya Gurudev. In this context, Gurudev used to narrate an anecdote. It is befitting to cite it here. Arundhati had to go to Rishi Durvasa to serve

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by; and, that has made all the difference. – Robert Frost AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

him food. So, she came to her husband, Rishi Vashishtha and said – ‘The way is ﬂooded with the surging river waters; how can I go?’ Rishi said – ‘Go to river and say – if Rishi Vashishtha is brahmachari (celibate), then give me the way.’ Arudhanti was in a dilemma – ‘We have children. How can my husband be a brahmachari?’ Even then, thinking that the words of Rishi cannot be false, she went ahead; and repeated the same words as suggested by the Rishi near the river. The river gave her the way. She served the food to Rishi Durvasa. She asked him – ‘There is still ﬂood in the river. How can I go back?’ Rishi said – ‘Go and tell the river – if Rishi Durvasa is fasting, then give me the way.’ Arundhati was again in dilemma – ‘He has just now consumed so much food, how can he be said to be fasting?’ Even then she went ahead and as she approached the river, she repeated the words suggested by the Rishi; the river gave her the way. On her return to home, Rishi Vashishtha asked her – ‘Could you please understand the mystery of events today?’ Then he explained – ‘We do not get indulged in sense enjoyment; our inner-selves are pure but the routine of body continues. That is why I talked

of myself to be a brahmachari and Durvasa Rishi himself to be fasting. Durvasa Rishi didn’t take food for satiating the senses. The seers and saints, who are always engaged in divine thoughts, do not get affected by the sensual pleasures. Where there is gratiﬁcation of senses, it creates turbulence in the soul. If the soul remains calm, then such a person, though appearing to enjoy senses, will not be doing so. There are two words in this ïloka - na k³mak³mº - that is, one who runs after the mirage of sensual pleasures, never remains at peace; he always remains tense, stressed and sick. The essence of word k³ma here is - objects of senses giving pleasures. It is a kind of mental disorder which becomes a cause for one’s downfall. Sthitaprajóa too comes in contact with numerous objects of senses but he assimilates them like the ocean does for rivers. [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)]

On the auspicious festival of Shivratri, saint Namdev went to the temple called Aundha Nagnath in Maharashtra to pay obeisance to Lord Shiva. He was so overwhelmed by devotion that he walked straight inside the temple. He belonged to a lower caste; and, when the temple managers saw him they shouted, “Who allowed this untouchable inside?” Namdev was deeply hurt and went to the back side of the temple; and started singing devotional songs in praise of Lord Shiva. Lord was so happy that the temple turned around to face the Lord’s humble devotee and He appeared before Namdev. Even today in this temple, Lord’s associate Nandi is not located in front of Lord but behind him. The managers of the temple realized the greatness of Namdev and opened the doors of the temple for him. I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse. – Florence Nightingale 26

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Peace Pilgrim’s Wisdom – 12

Solving Life’s Problems – 3 On Divine Protection Recently, while I was leading a group of people on an educational and inspirational tour of four of the Hawaiian Islands, a policeman warned us not to sleep on the beach. It seems there had been a murder on that beach. I was very concerned about all the fear being perpetuated on those beautiful islands. I had no fear. One member of the group tried to tell me about the dangers of the beach. I said to her, “All of us are under the protection of my guardian angel.” And we didn’t have the slightest incident on any beach. We were on the beach one night where I think we were the only Anglos. The others were so nice. Several people came up and one said, “A few years back I saw you on television.” It must have been five years before, on my first visit to the islands. They even asked for autographs! So I think we should not be apprehensive. I don’t think that apprehension can do anything except attract. “That which I feared came upon me.” I felt perfectly safe on the beach and I felt my whole crowd was protected, and they were. I have a sense of definite protection. Twice I have felt the need to get out of cars I was riding in, and once I saw why. Now, I didn’t get out of the car when I was coming down over the “grapevine” into Los Angeles with two high school students. They were seeing how fast they could get the old Chevy to go downhill. I was in the back seat and I felt perfectly all right. But one time I was with a man who was drinking whisky, and I offered to drive for him. I showed him my driver’s license, but he wouldn’t let me

drive, so I asked him to let me off at the junction. Then I was picked up in a little truck, and we hadn’t gone even five miles before we saw the other car. It had gone down into an arroyo and sideswiped a cottonwood tree. On the side where I had been, the glass was broken and the roof was bashed in. So at once I saw why I felt the need to get out. The driver wasn’t badly hurt. He was injured slightly but not really hurt. Another time I did not see any result, but I felt the need to get out. This man was driving recklessly. He would cross over the double center line and pass cars when he couldn’t see at all. So I got out. I then got in with a man who was going east at the junction and therefore I never saw what happened to the other car. I don’t know. I hope nothing. So a certain amount of being sensible is good, such as looking up and down a street before you cross, but certainly not the kind of foolish fears many human beings have. You see, if you’re going to be fearful — let’s say, about sleeping on a beach—you must be terrified every time you sleep in your own home. Look how many people are killed in their own homes. Or you must be terrified every time you sleep in a hotel room. Look how many people are killed in hotel rooms. This can lead to ridiculous behavior. I do have a sense of complete protection. If I had felt in any way like I felt in those two cars, I would have taken the whole crowd off the beach. However, I felt absolute protection; I hadn’t the slightest apprehension. I knew we were perfectly safe when we stayed on the beach.

The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. – Amelia Earhart AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

There are many things we do not fully understand. We just know they happen. For instance, I have been kept from some things that could have hurt me. I was walking down a lane which I knew to be a small lane. The trees met overhead. I could not really see where I was going, but I knew this lane through prior experience, and I could see light at the end of the tunnel. Now I was walking very fast when something, that I can only call a force, stopped me. I mean it was powerful enough to stop me. Then I started ahead very gingerly to see what in the world had happened— and there was a barbed wire stretched across the lane. They were repairing the cattle guard at the end of the lane, which I did not know, and had stretched this wire across to keep the cattle from straying. I would have run into the wire if I had not been stopped. We have much more protection than we realize. The most significant thing of this kind happened when I was driving a car. I’ve given up my driver’s license now, but all through my driving days I was a good, stable driver, and the car was always under my control. This time I was driving somebody else’s car over a road that was not finished yet. Coming down an incline, there was a traffic light at the end of the road where you had to turn either one way or the other. Cars were turning both ways and turning up on to the road past me. I naturally put my foot on the brake when I saw the light was red, but I had no brakes! I grabbed for the emergency. I had no emergency. I thought if I could put the car into reverse it would stop, although this would tear it to pieces. I attempted to get it into reverse but it wouldn’t go. Ahead of me I saw a station wagon with two little children looking out of the back window. I had to stop the car! I couldn’t turn to the left—there was a rock wall there — and cars were coming up thick and fast. There was a rock wall to the right with a ditch, and my little finite mind said,

“Take to the ditch and sideswipe the rock wall. It’ll stop the car. It’ll tear it up, but it will stop it.” I was not able to do that. This was the only time in my life when a car was taken out of my control. The car turned to the left, went between two cars, and went up a little dirt road on an incline, which of course stopped the car. I didn’t know the dirt road was there. I couldn’t possibly see it. So you see, I’ve had such amazing things happen to me. You can understand why I feel full of absolute protection. That protection extends even to any group that I am with. A Helpful Meditation I’d like to share this little meditation with you. First, could we agree that God’s protection surrounds us? Know that you are God’s beautiful child, always in God’s hands. Accept God ...accept God’s protection ...there is really no problem to fear. Know that you are not the clay garment. Know that you are not the self-centered nature which governs your life needlessly. Know that you are the God-centered nature. The Kingdom of God within. The Indwelling Christ. Eternal and indestructible. Identify with the real you. Peace...be still...and know...that I am God. Peace...be still...and know...that I am. Peace...be still...and Know. Peace...be still. Peace...be. Peace...Peace...Peace. And now, with the knowledge that we are God’s perfect children, eternal and indestructible, let us go our separate ways in love, but always remain together in spirit. God bless you and peace to you all. [Reproduced with glad consent of the publishers – Friends of Peace Pilgrim]

Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. – W. Clement Stone 28

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Let’s Move towards a Meaningful Republic It is 69 years since our Nation became a fullfledged Republic. After a prolonged freedom struggle and sacrifices, our chains of slavery were broken and we got a priceless freedom. When India was declared independent in the midnight of 14-15th August 1947, the joy of Indian people was at its peak. There was an atmosphere of nation-wide festival, the heads of freedom fighters rose high with pride, and every Indian started dreaming of a new golden era. Unfortunately, after so many years of independence, we find that the sentiments of hope and enthusiasm of yesteryears among the people have been replaced by the feelings of despair and disappointment. Corruption has hollowed the inner core of national character. A common man doesn’t seem to have faith in Government organizations. In general, people are suffering from poverty, unemployment, and disease. Inflation is rising and the sources of earning livelihood are decreasing. Education has become costlier and the students passing out from colleges / universities are not getting jobs. It appears that the hope with which we attained freedom has been lost somewhere. On paper, the growth rate seems to be increasing. Economists and financial experts are encouraged to see the rising GDP (Gross Domestic Product); and it is but natural. All over the world, GDP is considered a measure of growth; then why should we lag behind in patting our backs on the basis of this parameter. But considering the state of common people, a simple question arises in the

mind – is GDP a true index of growth or do we need to consider some more data into account? In fact, GDP of a country is calculated in two ways. One method is to calculate the money spent by the different groups that participate in the economy; and the second one involves calculating the total national income. But the irony is that GDP, calculated either way, does not truly reﬂect the country’s economic strength. Economic development is decided by the factors like poverty, unemployment, literacy, health amenities, agricultural production, and so on. Therefore, we need to measure the growth of a country by considering these factors. If we talk of poverty, then the present index of measuring poverty is based on Tendulkar Committee report submitted in November, 2009. As per this report, the percentage of the population below the poverty line in 2004-05 was 37.2 per cent. The percentage of poor in rural areas was estimated at 41.8 per cent and 25.7 per cent in urban areas. Revising the suggestions made by this committee, the then Planning Commission decided that the poverty line be set at Rs.4,824 per month for a family of ﬁve in urban areas and Rs.3,905 per month in rural areas. Based on this statistics, it can be said that in one decade the poverty has been decreased by 0.74%. But the question is - can any family really manage with such a meagre amount? If not, then what measures have we taken to uplift this poor population of nearly 30 crores? The next question arises on unemployment. The data given by NSSO in 2010 shows the rate of

Life isn’t about getting and having, it’s about giving and being. – Kevin Kruse AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

unemployment to be 20%, but it hardly displays the truth. If we analyze this data minutely, then it will be found that 93% of the so-called employed are working in the unorganized sector; that is, they are working in jobs different from their educational qualifications so that they don’t have to sit idle. The correct rate of employment is measured from the people working in the organized sector because they are holding different posts according to their qualifications. Unfortunately, this number is hardly 3 crores and that too is decreasing continuously. Apart from this, the rate of employment in India is measured every five years whereas the same is measured every month in other countries. This makes it difficult to arrive at the appropriate solutions in time. The third worrisome issue relates to agriculture. At the time when we achieved independence, 50% labor capacity of India was engaged in agriculture, whereas today the same has gone down to 15%. The ‘Harit Kranti’ (Green Revolution) launched by the late Prime Minister, Lal Bahadur Shastri, certainly showed its miraculous results, but the political uncertainty in the decade of 90s crippled the farmers totally. Where the GDP of our country remains around 6.2%, the development in the agricultural sector hardly maintains itself at 2-3%. On one side, the prices of domestic seeds and fertilizers are increasing; and on the other, the sale prices of farm products in the market are very low. It is not that this dual behavior is the problem of Indian farmers only; rather the farmers in the whole world are struggling with this problem. Famous Nobel Laureate and economist, Theodore W. Schultz, writes that this dual behavior towards rural people and farmers is indicative of political thinking which does not hesitate in sacrificing

the interests of farmers in order to provide cheap edibles to the urban population. Countrywide suicide of farmers is the unfortunate outcome of the same policy. Common people think that economic prosperity is not possible through agricultural trade. But this is nothing more than a delusion. The examples of Israel, Germany and Japan are in front of us. In the past 25 years, Israel has increased its economic prosperity ﬁve times by increasing its agricultural production 17 times, despite more than half of its area being a desert land. On the other hand, nature has gifted our country with all the favorable aspects regarding agriculture. If we take the case of industrial development, we get disappointed there also. In India, the rate of industrial growth is only 14% of the total growth rate; whereas this rate is quite high in developed countries. For example, it is 31% in South Korea, 30% in Thailand and 32% in China. About 50 lakhs workforce is employed in the industrial sector in India, whereas this number is quite high in other countries. Then there is a lack of holistic thinking. In the entire world, small and medium size enterprises (SMES) are considered the basis of development, but in India they are a neglected lot. SMES constitute 50% of the total industries in USA, 60% in France and 67% in Spain, but they represent less than 40% in India. Though the literacy rate in India has gone up (about 80% according to recent reports), but the number of literates who can meaningfully contribute to the progress of India is very low. After the implementation of RTE Act, students upto the 8th standard cannot be failed. How can forcibly pushing the unqualiﬁed students to the upper classes improve the quality of education? Then there is lack of curricula related to

I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions. – Stephen Cove 30

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

development of self-sufficiency in students. In our country, medical, engineering and management institutions have mushroomed so much that the students passing out from there are only increasing the rate of unemployment, because the production without the need goes waste. On the basis of international health standards, health services in India seem to be at the bottom. Even Bangla Desh is better than us in this regard. On one side, we are lagging behind in basic facilities and on the other, the demon of population is increasing at an alarming rate. The South Indian states seem to be controlling the increase in their population, but just five states - Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Orissa - alone constitute 40% of the total population. And, unfortunately, these are the states where health services are very poor. Problems are endless. However, if we contemplate on finding the solution to these problems, then naturally the philosophy of Mahatma Gandhi seems to provide the platform. Gandhiji’s economic model is based on ethical and moral considerations and his understanding of the Indian situation. However, it should be

stressed that Gandhi himself believed that the model could be employed on an international scale as well. In order to solve the problems, he talked of self-control. In this regard, let us contemplate on his famous quote, “Nature produces enough to meet the needs of all the people, but not enough to satisfy the greed of any man.” He suggested two measures to fulﬁll everybody’s basic needs, “First, everybody should get sufﬁcient work to enable him to make two ends meet. Second, the means of production of elementary necessities of life should remain under the control of the masses.” This Gandhian model is not a paper model. The success of Grameen Bank, started by Prof. Mohammed Yunus in Bangla Desh illustrates the social utility of Gandhian model of village economy. The concept of ‘Sada Jeevan uchcha vichar, samay daan and anshadaan’ (simple living and high thinking, donation of time and resources for social upliftment) proposed by Pujya Gurudev is also a successful model of a holistic society and is good for individual as well as social prosperity. By imbibing this philosophy alone, we can achieve true independence. On this 69th Republic Day, let us give due consideration to this thought.

Unique example of devotion and sacrifice Guru Teg Bahadur was the ninth guru of Sikhs. Aurangzeb summoned him to Delhi and later executed him in public. He announced that if anybody tried to cremate the body of Guru Teg Bahadur, they will be killed too. When his son, Guru Gobind Singh came to know of his father’s death, he came to Delhi to recover the remains. He was just 9 years old at that time. When he was about to reach Delhi, he met Guru Teg Bahadur’s follower, a poor person who used to lift loads in the bullock cart for his living. The poor person said, “Aurangzeb would execute you too. You stay here; we will bring the body here”. Then he went with his son to Delhi. Long time had passed since execution and the body had started rotting. Foul smell was emanating from it, which forced the guards to move little farther from the body. The father said, “Before we remove the body of the Guru, we need to place another body there, otherwise soldiers will immediately come looking for the remains. You are young and healthy. You will be able to lift the body and go. Hence my death is justified.” Even before the son could say anything, father killed himself. Son removed Guru’s remains and placed his father’s body in that place and covered it with a cloth. He took Guru Teg Bahadur’s remains without any hassle and gave them to Guru Gobind Singh.

You can never cross the ocean until you have the courage to lose sight of the shore. – Christopher Columbus AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Odyssey of the Enlightened - 65

Future Calling – 1 An office of ‘Akhand Jyoti’ was opened in a separate room. A wooden chair and table were kept in it. An old freedom fighter, named Bhudev Sharma, used to keep the accounts as well as take care of the correspondence. The list of subscribers of Akhand Jyoti magazine was maintained in one register. The number of subscribers exceeded one thousand. The accounts were maintained in another register. Bhudev Sharma also had a seat in that room. Normally Shriram would sit on a mat on the ground in a room adjacent to Puja-room. He would keep a chauki (a low rectangular stool) in front of him. On the right side, there would be some books for study. The visitors used to meet him in the same room. He would keep himself busy in writing and study. When the number of visitors started increasing, he fixed the time for meeting people to be after 2 PM. Before that he would be busy in reading-writing or correspondence. If he had to go out for some urgent work, he would do that before 2 PM. He was normally available in his chamber after 2 PM. This chamber later on came to be known as Paramarsh Kaksha (counseling room). By the year 1946, the printing and publication of Akhand Jyoti became a matter of regular routine. In the meantime some special issues were also published. The loan that was taken for this purpose had also been repaid. The activities that were started for distributing literature and making public contacts were giving satisfactory results after some initial hurdles. In the meantime, a sudden controversy arose.

At that time, Shriram was chief of the Mathura branch of Arya Samaj. A few months back, there was an argument over idol-worship in Chauk. The volunteers of Arya Samaj wanted to make Shriram Pradhan (Head) of their branch at Mathura, but they were insisting that he should give up the idol worship of Gayatri. Shriram refused to accept their demand. Then they withdrew their objection and made Shriram ‘Pradhan’ of Arya Samaj. When the popularity of Akhand Jyoti started spreading and the devotees started gathering around Shriram, the same volunteers again raised their objection. In the Sunday – Yagyas, first they started murmuring in subdued tones, but later they talked openly. These discussions reached the ears of Shriram too. He preferred to wait rather than confronting them. Ultimately, one day a team of volunteers of Arya Samaj reached the office of Akhand Jyoti. A team of four-five volunteers of Arya Samaj under the leadership of Dwarka Prasad approached Shriram and without any introduction said – ‘Either you abandon the propagation of Gayatri Puja or vacate the post of Pradhan of Arya Samaj.’ Shriram humbly replied– “I don’t know by what authority you have come here to discuss all this. Had Arya Samaj been your local organization, I would have taken the decision right now; but it is not so. This organization is a familial-spiritual gathering of thousands of people. I will not deviate from any responsibility of the Samaj without making clear my point of view.” “The thoughts of Swami Dayanand are very clear regarding idol-worship. There is no need

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. – Maya Angelou 32

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

of giving any clarification in that regard.’ – Said Dwarka Babu. Shriram replied – “I consider that had I put forth my viewpoint in front of Swami Dayanand, perhaps he would have also modified his stand in this respect.” Dwarka Babu and other volunteers who accompanied him started laughing. In fact, they were trying to make fun of Shriram. One fellow even told – “Are you a scholar and saint superior to Swami Dayanand?” ‘No’, said Shriram – “I am a small child in front of him, but I am sitting on his shoulders. I am telling you most humbly that by virtue of being on his shoulders I am able to see a more distant future than him” Meeting of the Samaj The same volunteer said – “What are you foreseeing?” Instead of replying, Shriram said – “I will elaborate my thoughts in front of the members of Samaj and also let you know my decision.” The team of representatives went back. At one week’s notice, a meeting was called in the Chauk office of Arya Smaj. Probably, the date was 16th March 1946. About sixty volunteers attended the meeting. The agenda of meeting was already known, so the volunteers came prepared. Some people were against Shriram, while others were with him. They were realizing that Shriam was able to reach a wider cross-section of society through idol-worship, but they had no argument in their favor. They were almost forced to keep their mouths shut due to being followers of Swami Dayanand. The beginning of the meeting was uproarious. One of the volunteers who had met Shriram last week said – “This gentleman considers himself to be superior to Swami Dayananad; to be sitting on his shoulders. He should be severely reprimanded. I

am proposing a defamation motion against him.” Some volunteers started hooting. Veersingh, Mantri (secretary) of the Samaj, said – “Let us allow Shriram to put forward his viewpoint. Please keep quiet.” Mantri and other senior volunteers had to strive hard to pacify the agitated members. When a semblance of calm was restored, Veersingh asked – “Shriramji! Is the matter on which the members are agitated, true? Did you talk something indecent about Swami Dayanand?” “If a child sitting on the shoulders of the guardian and due to this, talks of being able to see distant things, is considered indecent; then I am guilty.” – Shriram said in a high-pitched voice – ‘What I said was that had Swami Dayanand listened to my views, perhaps he too would have agreed with me.” After that Shriram narrated the whole story of the last week. Now the members who were noisy started stealing their eyes. Dwarka Babu got up and said – “Please clarify your views regarding idol-worship and let us know your decision about the headship.” Expounded his viewpoint The essence of whatever Shriram said is as follows: “Ninety to ninety ﬁve percent Hindus believe in idol worship. If you denounce their faith, you will be hurting them. You will also be expelling them from the Vedic tradition. No forum can survive by disrespecting its followers. If we remain very rigid against idol-worship, we will not be able to progress. Whosoever wants to believe in idol-worship, let them do it; those who don’t want, let them not.” “Swami Dayanand established a principle. Why should we go against it?” – Asked one volunteer. Shriram said – “We should also think what the reasons for establishing that principle were.

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. – Mark Twain AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Swami Dayanand has been such a saint - great man who has given more importance to logic and discernment than faith-devotion. I personally consider that Swamiji opposed hypocrisy, deceit and fraud in the name of idol worship and in the shadow of temples. His opposition was so strong that people doing business of Puja and temples got enraged. They started indulging in false reasoning. The result was that it left no space for discernment. Our elite society got lost in the dark dungeon.” End of unpleasant controversy Shriram was trying to convey – “For general believing public, idol is a helpful medium. Through this medium, people can imbibe spiritual virtues. If it is removed, the possibility of self-reﬁnement will vanish for 90-95% people. In fact, the expansion of Arya Samaj has been halted because the feelings of normal people do not get nourished by it. This has happened due to the rigid attitude of the Arya Samaj leaders and volunteers.” Shriram was continuously speaking. The members of the Samaj were listening to him attentively. Their opposition to idol-worship seemed to be softening. At the end, Shriram said – “So far as my decision (regarding headship) is concerned, let those friends decide who made me Pradhan. I have written my decision on this paper; but I would like the matter to be put to a vote on whether I should continue or relinquish

my post. The feelings of the friends will be known. I request that this paper, in which I have written my feelings, be opened only after voting.” The voting was done. Out of the sixty members, thirty eight raised their hands in favor of Shriram and twenty two against him. Veersingh declared Shriram the winner. After this declaration, he also advised that as far as possible one should avoid raising disputable points regarding the basic principles of Arya Samaj. Shriram repeated his request to read his paper and make his decision known to the members. Shriram had written in that paper – “I consider myself an humble student and a sadhak of Sanatan Dharma, which has neither beginning nor end. There was possibility of my proﬁting from the clear-sighted and discerning approach to spirituality inherent in Arya Samaj. I thought, I would thus be better able to serve our culture and tradition. During the short duration of my formal association with you, I realize that it is difﬁcult. Therefore, I have decided to tread my separate path. By sticking to the headship, I do not want to create inconvenience to my friends. I request you to kindly relieve me.” This was the declaration of resignation from the post of Pradhan. After that Shriram concluded –“We will remain together in sadhana and samar (freedom struggle). In the programs, where we can work together, all my friends and wellwishers are cordially invited.”

True dedication Sage Vyasa wanted someone to write Mahabharata as he dictated without interrupting him and without stopping until he completed full epic. Lord Ganesha agreed to do it, and started writing it as the sage started dictating. The writing of the epic continued for several days and Lord Ganesha was continuously writing it without stopping. While writing, the stylus or pen used by Ganesha broke in between. In order not to disturb the sage, he broke one of his tusks and continued writing the epic without stopping. This symbolically explains that any amount of sacrifice is not too much to gain knowledge. The best revenge is massive success. – Frank Sinatra 34

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Youth Column

Utilize Your Powers Properly Man is the most powerful and resourceful among the living beings on earth. In the sense of purely physical strength, he might be lesser than elephants, lions, horses or oxen, but in other senses – intellectual, social and spiritual powers - no other living being in this earthly creation can equal man. Besides qualities, man has developed for himself so many other fields like sciences, arts, technology, industry, construction etc. that he has made himself almost unbeatable and invincible. But in spite of having at command such infinite sources of power, we find that most of the persons are unhappy, weak, and helpless in their personal lives. Why is it so? Man, who by virtue of his intellectual prowess can control the pace of the world and can give a new direction to the human civilization is often found crying and complaining when he is faced with small routine problems of life. This naturally creates a doubt in the mind about the possible cause of this irony. Some people go to the extent of wondering whether God has really been impartial. Have some persons been favoured and given more while others left with less? But this is not true. These doubts are wrong because nature has given enough opportunity to all to take benefit of these resources. Everyone has been given latent potency to utilize these powers for the progress of self as well as for social benefit. Resources and circumstances are often found lesser or lacking even in the lives of great personalities when compared with other supposedly ordinary persons. Many great persons have achieved success in life in the midst of extreme circumstances, in

penury and privation. So it would be wrong to say that the Almighty has shown favour to them. The truth is that the root cause of their success has been the right utilisation of the strengths and resources granted to them. These powers are available to us too, but the majority of us are unable to derive any benefit from these on account of various reasons. An important reason is that most of us invest our powers in trying to achieve worthless aims. Wastage of energy on such misadventures begets neither material benefit nor inner fulfilment. Thus the outer and the inner, both dimensions of life remain impoverished. If the resources are limited but are utilized in essential and worthwhile tasks additional resources could be generated. But if these very limited resources are spent on fruitless endeavours not only are the available resources gone, but the result gained is zero too. For example, if the whole capital is invested in business without a proper planning, what would be the result? Will a student pass if he studies one subject and sits in examination for another? Can we run the whole marathon distance without regular practice? There are limits to the powers of our body, mind, skill and talent. We should fix our objectives and exert ourselves accordingly. Misdirected striving gives no result; it merely exhausts our strength, and we are forced to start afresh to regain this strength. One important reason why we are unable to utilise our strengths properly is that we fail to determine a right aim in life. If vapour pressure gradually develops in a utensil, and we do not use it, the pot could burst any

People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily. – Zig Ziglar AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

time. Similarly, we acquire many capabilities over time, and if we fail to give them a right direction, our ability and strength begin to decline. The energy which could have produced meaningful results gets diverted in wasteful pursuits. The nature of water is to flow. If we obstruct this flow, one day this water mass would break the barrier and rush out bringing flood. Similar is the nature of our accumulated energy. To prevent wasteful outflow of this energy and channelize it into fruitful work is called sanyam (self-discipline). That is why this sanyam or self-discipline has been given so much importance in our scriptures. When the river-flow is properly channelized, multiple kinds of beneficial work can be done, such as electricity production, irrigation and the like, otherwise this water can bring devastating floods. So the flow of our inner energy also needs to be properly directed; else, it too begins to produce harmful results. It is not that we are not aware of this simple fact. But unconsciously we begin to commit mistakes and by the time we get wiser, it is too late. These mistakes become part of our habits, and to break out of this mould becomes almost impossible. Hence, wisdom lies in developing a system for proper management of this energy well in time. It is not that only our sensory organs are responsible for this abuse of our strengths. These organs are merely visible from outside;

the root lies in our mind and in our thoughts. Actually the desires to enjoy material things and the lust for indulgence generate in our mind and direct our sensory organs onto this wasteful path. In spite of stomach ache, we jump to eat because our mind is longing for the dishes. In spite of diabetes, the mind craves for sweets. Despite suffering from physical ailments, the mind starts to undertake those activities which could better be avoided. Thus propelled by the desires arising in the mind, we begin to indulge in such actions which lead to decay of our energy through the innumerable pores of our body. It is keeping this vulnerability of the human mind that Param Pujya Gurudev Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya considered indriya-sanyam (self-control of organs) as a very important means for energy conversation. We possess ﬁve sensory organs and ﬁve organs of action, totalling ten, but most of this energy decays through work, taste and touch. So proper utilization of energy and strength at their levels would increase our assets manifold. The energy which is trapped and wasted in the labyrinth of haphazard thinking, emotions and anxieties, if guided in a disciplined and regular manner, embarks on the path of creativity. Thus self-restraint should be considered as the most important method for preservation of energy, and in this New Year we should make these methods gifted by Pujya Gurudev as the central point of our aim in life.

This life is yours. Take the power to choose what you want to do and do it well. Take the power to love what you want in life and love it honestly. Take the power to walk in the forest and be a part of nature. Take the power to control your own life. No one else can do it for you. Take the power to make your life happy. - Susan Polis Schutz The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. – Ralph Waldo Emerso 36

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Why Majority of Women is Suffering from Mental Depression? In the present times, due to an increase in population, there are economic challenges as well as social discrepancies, which have tremendous negative impact on mental health. World Health Organization defines health as “State of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” If we consider this definition as our basis, then women’s physical and mental health is a grave area of concern, in comparison to men’s health in our society. Presently, women are not only suffering from many physical ailments, but also emotional and mental problems. Women who are taking on the dual responsibility of the home and the workplace are becoming weaker physically, emotionally and mentally. A woman often takes care of the health of every member of the family, but usually ignores taking care of herself. Surprisingly, the family members do not give her importance, nor do they pay attention to her health. In this way, there are pervasive double standards in women’s health as compared to men’s health. Additionally, women are often unable to openly discuss their own physical and mental problems. This results in not getting the correct advice and treatment at the right time. The situation of women in rural areas is even worse than those in cities. In the villages, due to lack of awareness, women often get entangled in a charlatan’s web of misinformation. Adding to the problem, there are many cases (both rural and urban) where, by the time these women go to the doctor, the disease gets worsened a great deal.

The biggest reason for this is - lack of information and support from family. Even today, many husbands are very abusive towards their wives. This kind of behavior towards women within the four walls of the home makes all the national level social empowerment efforts useless. Often times, women struggle inwardly with all their physical challenges and problems. Due to this reason, along with physical health, their mental health also starts deteriorating. It is ironic that mental stress and depression are becoming deep rooted in both homemakers and working women, which in turn affects the overall social and family structure. According to the results of a research study, approximately 57% of women are suffering from mental disorders. A report from the World Health Organization (2018), reveals that India is facing a serious mental health crisis, because at present there are approximately 5 crore 60 lakh people who are suffering from depression, while 3 crore 80 lakh people suffer from anxiety disorders and all other diseases related to stress. These ﬁgures of mental disorders in women are highly concerning. In 1982, the National Mental Health program was started in India, with the goal of bringing awareness about mental health. The Mental Health Act was passed in 1987, which called for treatment and care of mentally ill persons; the act was recently updated in 2017 to expand healthcare and services, and protect the rights of the mentally ill. Despite these types of programs and laws, there is shortage of mental health professionals

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. – Henry David Thoreau AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

and facilities in the country. There are more than 45 crore people world-wide suffering from mental disorders, and 5 crore Indians are ﬁghting this terrible mental illness. This is not necessarily a grave concern at the moment, but can take a serious form in the coming years. The rising cases of mental disorders are a cause of great worry not only for India, but also for the world at large. World Health Organization predicts that by 2020, depression will be the second most common disease in women in India, because of the existing inequality between men and women in our society, domestic violence, and rape. Women who have been victims of abuse, rape, or other sexual harassment are at high risk for depression at any age. According to one of the reports from the United Nations two-thirds of the housewives in India have been victims of domestic violence. According to a report of National Family Health Survey – ‘Many women in our country get victimized by their husbands every day, for any excuse’. Research data shows that inhumane and abusive behaviors from loved ones cause the greatest harm to mental health. Not only housewives, but working and selfreliant women, also suffer through these inhumane and acrimonious behaviors that ruin their mental health. It is not true that such kind of abuse is observed only in uneducated women and in lower classes; in reality, working women are more susceptible to mental pressure from their husbands, compared to non-working women. That is the reason why in the metropolitan cities many working women are suffering through depression and mental strains. The pressure of meeting the expectations at the ofﬁce and at home makes them a victim of depression and stress.

Many times, it is seen that rather than treating mental disorders through proper psychiatrists, women get stuck in the clutches of sorcerous and superstitious remedies. As part of such remedies, they are subjected to physical harassment too. Most of the time, these remedies harm the mental and physical health of women and make them even worse. Such headlines can also be found in the newspapers, where women are treated inhumanly, and are portrayed as possessed or crazy, so that their property and homes can be taken away from them. At present, a large percentage of women are employed, i.e., their role is crucial in contributing ﬁnancially towards their families, as well as taking care of their household duties. In such a situation stress and depression in women is impacting not only their home and family, but also the society at large. In fact, the bad impact of this is falling on the new upcoming generation too. Therefore, it is important to think about the mental health of women, otherwise all the effort geared towards women’s empowerment will be unsuccessful. The responsibility for women’s health should be shared by the other family members in the household; otherwise the base of their family will become weak. It is important that there should be proper treatment of women, and that a safe and respectful environment is created for them in both family and society. Apart from this, creating an atmosphere of mutual dialogue, service, cooperation, sympathy, and love can play an important role in grooming and taking care of women’s mental health. This is the only proper solution for this widespread problem of depression in women.

Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart. – Ancient Indian Proverb 38

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Amrit Vani

Remember Death and Respect Life (Translation of excerpts of some discourses given by Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya) Let us begin with collective chanting of Gayatri Mantra: “Om Bh¿r Bhuva¡ Swa¡, Tatsaviturvareñya® Bhargo Devasya Dhºmahi, Dhiyo Yo Na¡ Pracoday³t ||” Sisters and Brothers, You tend to ignore or forget the importance of life, because you don’t remember that this golden opportunity may be snatched away any moment. Death can reach any moment and end the show. This is a blunder, which most people do. If they had remembered the other end of lifespan, their conscience would have remained alert. It would have saved the draining and ruining of the invaluable treasure gifted to them by the Almighty in the form of human-life. You should know that death is a kind of long sleep of the jºva (soul manifested in a life-form). The latter’s waking up after this ‘sleep’ marks the beginning of a new life. Many of you might have read and listened from the sages that death is a great opportunity for the jºva to get a new, fresh life and should therefore be welcomed as happily as a child would greet the offer of having new clothes or toys. But you still have some varieties of illusions of what exactly will happen when the envoy of death will take ‘you’ (the jºva) to heavenly abode. You think the ‘accountant’ in God’s kingdom will check as to how many times you visited a shrine, how many rosaries you rotated (with chanting of God’s name) every day. Whatever be your imagination of the ofﬁce of the death-god and His functioning,

one thing is certain that nowhere in His system there is any ‘meter’ or record book that would register a count of your rosaries or chants and religious customs. As I have told you several times, your rituals of worship and your endeavors of up³san³ (devotional practices) do not matter to Him. These acts, if done with due sincerity and mental and emotional engrossment, would help cleanse your inner self and initiate illumination of your intrinsic personality. Indeed the automatic system of Nature created by Him is such that the balance-sheet of your life will be deﬁnitely reviewed. But what will be seen in it? It’s the accounts of your worthiness that will matter here. Show the Balance-Sheet of Life There is an anecdote in Mahabharata that King Parikshit engaged himself in noble deeds when he learnt that he was going to die in a few days. History has also witnessed drastic change in the attitude of Alexander - The Great as death reached near him. He had realized the futility of his victories in wars and the wealth and power snatched thereby. But you don’t even want to hear about death! Nobody can deny that death is the only certainty in one’s life. You should also accept this fact and recall every night that you are to die one day and have to present the balance sheet of your life before the Supreme Ruler of all creation. God had conferred upon you the crown of becoming a human. He had endowed you with

Believe you can and you’re halfway there. – Theodore Roosevelt AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

most splendid resources in the form of human life. How did you use it? Bought tea, chocolates and kites (spent in fulﬁlling childish desires)? What a pity, you spent in the void or lost all the traveler’s cheques that God had loaned you for the journey of life! Now it’s the termination of the offer, end of the period for which you were granted the loan. By no means you can escape giving the details of every single ‘penny’ bestowed by him – every deed of yours, every single moment of your life will be scrutinized and examined in His system. Embrace Every Day as New Opportunity of Ascent Still there is time. My dear children, you should wake up now and set the account books of your thoughts, aspirations, and deeds as per His ‘terms and conditions’ to avoid the penalties. Make yourself worthy of rewards from Him. Use your precious resources of time, mental and physical faculties and other possessions in constructive, thoughtful, benevolent activities. The simple practices of analyzing your day’s activities in the night and starting the next day with determined efforts of rectifying the mistakes and augmenting the good would give you the necessary training and guidance. No matter who you are and which part of the world you live in, after going back from here, you all must follow what I have taught you today. Make your acts of up³san³-s³dhan³ enlivened by inducing your pr³ña (vital spiritual energy, source of will-power, courage and self-determination), that is, by inculcating these with your devout feelings, enlightened thoughts and unperturbed zeal. Do the pr³ña-pratiÌÚh³ of the deity of your life.

Now there should be no ignorance, no confusion, no looking back. Every night should remind you of death and every morning should be a new life that brings you more strength and brighter light for further illumination and ascent along the beatifying path of s³dhan³. Taking stock of your day’s activities – including those at mental and emotional levels – before sleep and regarding sleep as death of this (one day’s) life, will gradually make you more conscious of your conduct. It will also diminish your excessive attachments and your tensions and worries before sleep. Eventually this practice will eliminate your stress, depression, apprehensions and other mental complications. It will help you see the eternity of the soul and this lifespan as only a transitive phase in its endless journey. In other words, this nighttime (bedtime) pondering over the day’s activities will lead to tatvabodha. Thus, just recalling death every day will give you the knowledge, which most eminent of the spiritual masters alone would be able to earn. In this sense, (the thought of) death is a supreme master, a guide. All your fears and misconceptions about death will disappear if you start a special s³dhan³ (spiritual experiment) of contemplation before going to sleep. This will gradually lead to your spiritual enlightenment and ultimate self-realization. This is why, it is called as a s³dhan³ of tatvabodha. But equally important and complementary to this is the necessity of making best use of the precious life available every-day. For this purpose, I advise you to do the ³tmabodha s³dhan³. Easy Practice S³dhan³

Âtmabodha-Tatvabodha

Soon after getting up in the morning (or at whatever time you may get up!), take a deep

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. – Arthur Ashe 40

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

breath to feel your existence. Think of the new day ahead as the beginning of new life. Ponder over the origin and nature of life and its purpose. Give a thought to your existence as a living being; ponder over the fact that you are a manifestation of the soul. Make a small, practicable resolution for the day ahead which will make you a better person, will help weeding out some of your shortcomings. Leave the bed with a feeling of being filled with new joy and energy. After going to bed in the night (or whatever is your sleeping time!), think as though you are in the last phase of your life. Sleep will end the oneday’s life span you had got since you got up. So it is time to ponder over the good and the bad you did during the day. Do thorough introspection. Try to find out where you could have avoided the mistakes or where you could have done better with respect to the circumstances at that time. Plan for eliminating the evil, the wrong; and enhancing the good, the right, for the next phase of life after sleep. Keep aside all your tensions and worries and sleep well, as if you were no more. (Thought of death allays your ego and the complexities and problems associated with it). These simple exercises (of ³tmabodha and tatvabodha) render great support in alleviating your stresses, your hidden infirmities and rejuvenate you with new strength and hope. Regular practice of these will elevate your enthusiasm, interest and determination in selfimprovement. Gradually all your sincere efforts, including your up³san³-s³dhan³ will become more lively and intense. The three universal modes of spiritual ascent, namely, japa (rhythmic chanting of a mantra with mental and emotional engrossment), dhy³na (meditation) and swara s³dhan³ (deep meditative

breathing) will also gain support through these crucial exercises that motivate self-transcendence and self-expansion. If you could achieve this, nothing more will be required. This path itself will take you to the high realms of divine bliss and ultimate realization. Japa – A universal mode of devotional prayer: Japa means repeated rhythmic chanting of mantras (Hymns) or prayers that were initially realized or uttered by great saints. It is integral to religious practices and devotional support in almost every religion. You can ﬁnd the devout Hindus, Muslims, Christians holding the rosary and doing japa as preached in their scriptures. The Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Jews, Zoroastrians (Parsees), Arya Samajis, etc also practice japa in one form or the other. Thus japa is a universal mode of up³san³. As recommended by our rishis, for spiritual enlightenment, you should sincerely do the japa of the great Gayatri Mantra. Only thing you must remember is that it should not be a mechanical action of moving the tongue and lips. Your pr³ña (life-force, vital spiritual energy) should ﬂow with its rhythm. This will happen if you do the japa with mental and emotional engrossment, and with the spirit of intrinsic joy and unperturbed faith. The other four modes of up³san³-s³dhan³ 2, which I am going to discuss now, will lend the necessary support in your spiritual ascent and thus augment your worthiness for higher-level s³dhan³s. Similar to japa, these methods do not emanate from any particular doctrine and therefore do not belong only to a particular cult, religion, or school of faith. Dhy³na is also universal Your mind should be deeply focused on the thoughts of divinity by way of dhy³na

When one door of happiness closes, another opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened for us. – Helen Keller AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

(meditation). Meditation is indeed a powerful and universally acclaimed method of soothing the mind and enhancing mental concentration. Most people need an object for imagination on which to focus the mind. As part of up³san³, the devotees meditate upon an image of their prime deity – such as manifestations of goddess Durga, Saraswati, gods Shiva, Krishna, etc. ‘Brilliance of natural light’ is regarded as a universal symbol of divine glow and spiritual eminence. This is referred as “Khud³ K³ N¿ra” in Islam, as “Light of God” in Christianity and as “Âtma Jyoti” in Hindu Philosophy. All religions, all schools of philosophy affirm its importance. Meditation on the rising sun and its inspiring glow is recommended with the japa of Gayatri Mantra. Glow of the rising sun is regarded as a universal symbol of Gayatri – the Eternal, Omnipotent Origin and Ultimate Fulfilment of all knowledge, preeminent divine virtues and powers. Those, who think that “Gayatri”, because of being referred by a Sanskrit name, or because of being worshiped in the deity form of divine mother in Vedic Culture, belongs to Hindu Dharma, are ignorant. The Gayatri Mantra is universal; it is not confined to any religion or cult or any specific manifestation of God. It is universal in its essence and so is the meditation upon rising sun. As also taught in the yoga practice of tr³taka, you should

focus upon its soothing glow at the location of the ³gy³ chakra3. Swara Yoga – Soha® Pr³ñ³y³ma Another practice that you should link with the daily up³sana is soha® s³dhan³. As you all know, pr³ñ³y³ma is a wonderful yoga exercise. Soha® s³dhan³ is a special kind of pr³ñ³y³ma in which, along with deep and consistent breathing, you also do an emotional meditation of selﬂessness. It is a part of praty³h³ra — a deeper level s³dhan³ in yoga — that accelerates spiritual progress. As part of this practice, you should concentrate upon the inhalation sound (“so…”) and exhalation sound (“ha®…”) respectively with a feeling that the Omniscient, universal self is entering deep within, and the “I” (egotism, selﬁshness), is being expelled out forever. This being a s³dhan³ of swaras (the breathing currents) is independent of any faith or religion. It can be practiced by anybody at any time. You might have read in spiritual texts that God is sat (eternal, ultimate truth), cit (absolute knowledge) and ³nanda (supreme bliss). You will attain this ultimate realization if you sincerely follow these simple, spiritual practices. || OM SHANTI ||

One evening one old grandpa told his grandson about a battle between two wolves which goes on inside all people - “My son, The battle is between two wolves inside us all - One is evil - it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, false pride, and ego. And the other is good - joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.” The grandson thought for a moment and then asked his grandfather - “Which wolf wins, Grandpa?” “The one you feed.” Grandpa replied. Everything has beauty, but not everyone can see. – Confucius 42

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Pretention of Being Rich by the Poor A Roman philosopher was interested in seeing the greatness of India. After spending some time in India he returned to his country feeling very sad. When his friends enquired about the reason for his sadness, he remarked that “most of the Indians are poor but they pretend to be rich.” The same opinion was expressed by a Japanese delegation who said that “in India there is an environment of richness but many downtrodden people live in its shade.” Why does this paradox exist? Because the follies found in the rich are present in everyone. On the other hand, the virtues which should be seen in progressive people are sadly missing. In such a scenario not only poverty but illiteracy, filth, lethargy, and many other vices are also prevalent. They cannot be eradicated by any external effort. If there is no fertility in the soil, sowing seeds and cultivating even with the greatest care will yield no crop. The true richness of a man lies in his personality. If the personality is full of vitality, then it will have the capacity to influence others and yield ample riches. But how can you expect good returns from cultivation on rocks? Personality cannot be enriched in a casual manner. We have to attract life force from the surroundings for this purpose. In an environment filled with toxins where you cannot even breathe, how long can you expect to survive? A person who remains weak for a long time invariably becomes a victim of many diseases. Contagious diseases do not spare even the healthy people. This is particularly true of prolonged

slavery, superstitions, and evil tendencies. If these are not arrested then the whole community will become hollow. Uninterrupted growth of these tendencies will ruin any community. The poverty of our country is well-known. There is no secrecy about the illiteracy, filth, and evil practices of the land. Then, why does one resort to this pretension of richness? This has to be analyzed carefully. Here we have to examine the dark side of the rich in particular. Despite some exceptions, it is not true that wealth is always associated with undesirable tendencies. Those who can use resources properly can reap the benefits for themselves and for others too. But in general, this is not seen. In our country it is seen that richness breeds lethargy and extravagance. Many bad habits crop up here. The need to work hard is labeled a misfortune. The rich class considers hard work an insult to their status. They depend on others for their personal work. People want to marry their daughters into families where they can rule over others. People engaged in hard work are not respected. Even virtuous people are considered underprivileged if they are found engaged in hard work. Those who need not work are considered rich and prosperous. When the habit of being lethargic and living on easy money gets rooted it cannot be removed easily. The other evil associated with riches is extravagance. This alone gives a false impression of being rich. Fashion, jewelry, luxury, and addictions such as alcoholism have become the symbols of affluence. This extravagance gets

Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions. – Dalai Lama AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

ampliﬁed on the occasions of marriages, when the poorest of the poor also become lavish at all costs. The bride and bride-groom are decorated to look like a princess and prince. Looking at the pomp of marriage, one cannot even guess that these people cannot even make both ends meet in daily life. The extravagance shown by the poor is as though they have got hold of some treasure. On an average, an Indian works for a few hours in a day and spends the rest in wasteful activities. If one can utilize those extra hours for well-planned work, then he can earn the means for a richer life. For example, one who is engaged in agriculture can use his leisure time in cottage industries to make extra money. Those who do not need that extra money can use their time in spreading literacy or in other social work to build clean surroundings. They can work together along with their family and use this as a tool to create civilized atmosphere. There are many social activities like conservation of health, developing means of livelihood, encouraging arts and other talents and spreading literacy that can be taken up. If these activities are taken up with full zeal and enthusiasm, it is not an exaggeration

to hope that future will be resplendent with more prosperous, educated, civilized and talented people. Preventing misuse of time and money is like stopping the leakage from a pot so that it can hold water to the brim. But alas, what can be said about the misfortune which does not allow us to work hard and stop the ugly exhibition of riches? Nothing worthwhile grows under the shadow of these evils. As long as this prevails we can neither get rid of poverty nor illiteracy. There are many opportunities for progress, but how can we achieve anything great when backwardness has become an integral part of our nature? It would be better if we could live in a stimulating, progressive environment where we could imbibe some noble inspirations. If such inspirations are not available around us then we have to look for them elsewhere, or look back into our glorious past, which is full of great personalities who could be our role models. If we want to progress on the path of prosperity we should get rid of these psychological constraints which force us to lead a miserable life clothed in the guise of prosperity.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh was a magnificent leader of Punjab region. His caravan was going somewhere when a stone hit him suddenly and he got badly hurt. The soldiers caught hold of an old woman and brought her in front of Maharaja. The woman pleaded that her son was hungry for last three days. She threw the stone to pick the mangoes from the tree for her child but unfortunately the stone hit the king. After listening to the old woman, king ordered his men to give the woman Rs. 1000 and some food. The people around him were astonished at his decision. They said, “This woman has hit you and you are giving her money and food. Why are you being so generous?” Maharaja Ranjit Singh said, “If a tree can give something in return of getting hit, am I so poor that I would punish her instead of giving something?” You can’t fall if you don’t climb. But there’s no joy in living your whole life on the ground. – Unknown 44

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Simple Techniques of Pranayama to Stay Healthy - 1 Pranayama has two main aims: One is the control of breathing rate and the other is to attract cosmic vital force so that the physical, subtle and causal bodies get energized. Pranayama also helps a lot in psyche control. An otherwise unruly and scattered mind can be focused at one point. It is also important from the point of view of accruing good mental and physical health. When we breathe very fast the storehouse of power that sustains life dries up speedily and thus a long lifespan is not possible. The more the breathing is slow, the more we attain longevity. This becomes clear when the respiration rates of various creatures are compared. The respiration rate or breaths per minute (bpm) and lifespan of various creatures are as follows: Hare - bpm 38 - age 8 years; Pigeon - bpm 37- age 8 years; Dog - bpm 28 - age 13 years; Goat- bpm 24 - age 14 years; Horse - bpm 18 - age 50 years; Man - bpm 14 - age 100 years; Elephant- bpm 11- age 100 years; Snake - bpm 7- age 120 years; Tortoise - bpm 4 - age 150 years. Ordinarily our lungs contract and relax 18 times per minute. In 24 hours the total number is 25920. For a body of sound health, 1200 cc of air should be inhaled. However, people generally inhale less than half of this amount. It makes the body weak just as one eats half a portion of lunch or drinks only half the amount of water. Irregular breathing leads to weakening of lungs; and hence there is a chance of catching diseases like tuberculosis, cough, asthma etc.

In Hatha Yoga, many specific Pranayamas are well known and many miracles after mastering them are seen. A few decades back Sir Edmund Hillary conducted the ‘Ocean to Sky’ expedition. During that time an aged Hatha Yogi of Allahabad tied a silken thread to the 60 horse power machined boat of Hillary and saw to it that the boat did not move even one inch ahead. This was the energy earned through special techniques of Pranayama (normally learnt under direct guidance of adept yogis). However, there are simple Pranayama exercises which can be performed by anyone. Here we shall discuss the easiest technique of Pranayama. If practiced daily it will start showing its benefits, e.g. signs of vitality, vigor and zest, just in few months. Pranakarshan Pranayama: 1. In the early pre-dawn hours after performing daily ablutions sit cross-legged facing the East. Place both hands on the knees. Keep the spine erect and close your eyes. Meditate on the fact that the entire sky is full of Prana (Vital force akin to light and energy). This Prana, shining like Sun, is flowing towards you from all directions. And, within this Prana you are seated contentedly, peacefully and joyfully. 2. From both nostrils start inhaling and meditate on the fact that you are absorbing this vital force within the body. Prana-flow around you is entering your body via the nose. It is now entering your brain, chest, heart, stomach and all other organs.

We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained. – Marie Curie AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

3. After inhaling try to retain this Prana and feel mentally: The Prana I have inhaled is now pervading every pore of my body. Think that your bodily parts are like dry mud and Prana is like water. As the mud soaks water, so does your body soak the Prana. Further your body is also fully imbibing divine consciousness that is conjoined to Prana. 4. Try to stop exhalation as much as you are comfortable with and then slowly exhale this air. At that time think: After absorbing the essence of Prana in every pore of your body, dirty air is being expelled out of your body. All mental taints and distortions are being removed via exhalation of this air and like black smoke it is throwing out all unwholesome imprints of the psyche.

5. After exhaling fully let the air remain outside for some time. This means remain without air for some time and think: ‘Since all the taints of my mind have been exhaled I will shut all doors on them. Now these distortions have run away miles from me.’ Initially perform 5 rounds of this Pranayama. After this, every month increase the number by 1 more round of Pranayama. Continue increasing the number till it takes about 15 minutes/day. Two points should be kept in mind: (1) Practice Pranayama on an empty stomach; and (2) Practice it in a pollution-free environment. In the next issue, we shall take up two more techniques, viz. Lom-Vilom Suryavedhan Pranayama and Naadi Shodhan Pranayama.

Once Ganesha and Kartikeya sons of Lord Shiva and Parvati, get into a fight about who is intelligent and who has proficient vehicle (Mushaka/Mouse of Ganesha or Peacock of Kartikeya). They are unable to solve it, so they go to their parents for help. Lord Shiva and Parvati discuss on how to resolve this issue and seek Narada’s help for a fair assessment. Narada asks both Ganesha and Kartikeya to take a round of Brahmanda (Universe) and whoever completes the trip and comes back first will be awarded as winner. By listening to this Kartikeya takes his vehicle peacock and rushes to take the trip of Brahmanda; whereas Ganesha is a bit sad as he knows his mushaka (mouse) is slow and will not be able to finish the trip before Kartikeya would do. Then he makes his parents sit in the middle together, takes their blessings before starting for the trip. And then after thinking for a while, he sits on his vehicle and asks Mushaka to take a round of his parents. Narada, astonished by Ganesha’s brilliance, declares him the winner. After a long time Kartikeya comes happily completing his trip believing Ganesha wouldn’t have come back so early. He is surprised to see Ganesha is back and has been declared as winner. Kartikeya gets angry and asks how come he was declared winner when he didn’t go for the trip. Then Ganesha answers, “For me my Parents only are the Brahmanda and I had taken the trip around them.” After listening to this, Kartikeya feels ashamed of himself, as well as proud of his small brother and his thinking. Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears. – Les Brown 46

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Trees Communicate in Their Own Way! It may appear strange to know that trees communicate with one another similar to human beings, birds and animals. However, they have their own system of communication. The existence of such a system has been studied extensively by Peter Wohlleben. In his book titled ‘The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate— Discoveries from A Secret World’, he writes - “The most astonishing thing about trees is how social they are. The trees in a forest care for each other, sometimes even going so far as to nourish the stump of a felled tree for centuries after it was cut down by feeding it sugars and other nutrients, and so keeping it alive. Only some stumps are thus nourished. Perhaps they are the parents of the trees that make up the forest of today. A tree’s most important means of staying connected to other trees is a “wood wide web” of soil fungi that connects vegetation in an intimate network that allows the sharing of an enormous amount of information and goods. Scientiﬁc research aimed at understanding the astonishing abilities of this partnership between fungi and plant has only just begun. The reason trees share food and communicate is that they need each other. It takes a forest to create a microclimate suitable for tree growth and sustenance. So it’s not surprising that isolated trees have far shorter lives than those living connected together in forests.” It is also a fact that trees want to interact with us. But unlike human beings, they do not have a voice to do so. Therefore, they make

use of different mediums to communicate. However, the West did not accept Peter’s theory regarding trees and blamed him for ‘Anthropomorphism of trees’ and considered his attempt of looking at vegetation from humane perspective as emotional idiocy. In India, trees have been given the status of gods. In Shrimad Bhagwad Gita (10/26), Lord Krishna says Ashwatthah sarvavrikshaanaam [meaning: Among the trees, I am the Peepal (Ficus religiosa)]. Even Lord Buddha has called himself as the ‘Tree God ‘ in his Jataka stories. According to the basic facts and ﬁndings of Peter Wohlleben - ‘Trees have a very strong sense of communal co-existence. They also have their families and communities.’ This fact is accepted by Pradip Krishna, the environmentalist who concluded authentic research on the forest resources of Delhi, the ﬁndings of which were very popular. To elaborate his point, he illustrated the case of Sal (Shorea robusta) trees. He says that the timber obtained from these trees is extensively used on a commercial scale. These trees are widely found from the foothills of the Himalayas to western Uttar Pradesh and from West Bengal to Odisha and north-eastern Madhya Pradesh. In the second half of the nineteenth century, when the rail tracks were being laid by the British Government in India, there arose a great demand of Sal wood for making railway sleepers. At that time, the Indian Forest

A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new. – Albert Einstein AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

Department tried hard to cultivate these trees beyond their natural belt. But they could not succeed in it. Neither were they able to understand the reason for non-cultivation of these trees outside their native belt. The fact is that Sal trees are community based type of vegetation and this is the reason why they do not grow alone at any place. Indians know from time immemorial that it is impossible to develop a Sal tree alone. So, they are always cultivated in a group in the form of a small forest. If a well-developed Sal tree is taken away from its community and planted somewhere else, then it dies of solitude on not being able to communicate with its community. According to another environmentalist, Tim Flannery – ‘All of us have heard such tales in which trees have eyes, they could speak and they could even walk. No doubt, these are our imaginations, but trees are not even

as inert as we have believed them to be. If we could understand the life system of trees, then for us every forest would turn into a unique wonderland’. After all, the question is - how do trees interact with each other? In this context, Tim Flannery says that trees have the ability to experience odor. In order to substantiate his theory, he gives the example of Africa. In this continent, if a giraffe begins to feed upon a single species of tree every time, then all the trees of that species begin to release a special chemical in the air, which is interpreted as a warning of danger by other trees of that species. But, as the trees could not run away even on sensing danger, they begin to release a toxic substance in response, which eventually makes the giraffe dislike it. We are unaware of the extent to which trees believe in mutual coexistence. Whenever they are cut, they share their pain with their neighbors. If a tree is cut off in a jungle, then

Study Reveals Plants Communicate Through Root Secretions Forestry professor Suzanne Simard at the University of British Columbia first found evidence in 1997 that Douglas fir and paper birch trees transfer carbon between them via mycelia. This led her to theorize – ‘Trees communicate with each other using a mycelia network that connects their roots allowing them to transfer information, in other words: a fungal internet’. Simard then postulated that large trees help out smaller younger ones by using this fungal network. In the 2011 documentary ‘Do Trees Communicate?’, Simard said these trees “are interacting with each other, trying to help each other survive.” Reported by - Loukia Papadopoulos in ‘Interesting Engineering’ (May 07, 2018) I would rather die of passion than of boredom. – Vincent van Gogh 48

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

the surrounding trees collectively try to make every possible effort to nurture the chopped trunk. The concept of ‘Wood Wide Web’ envisaged by Peter Wohlleben is actually a unique system of communication typical of the trees, the medium for which is the fungi and bacteria present in the soil. No matter how different the trees may be in their external appearance, but they maintain a connection with each other through their roots and the network of soil microorganisms. On digging a forest we would ﬁnd a densely developed network of roots and microbes thriving beneath the substratum. This is the network which has been referred to as the ‘Wood Wide Web’ by Peter. According to Peter, forest is the laboratory of biodiversity. A single tree is deaf and dumb in many ways. It could never sustain as long a life as the forest trees because the former has dissociated from other similar members of its community. This proves that trees interact with each other. In ancient India, Sage Charak was famous for interacting with plants/trees. It is said that when he approached the trees and plants they used to reveal their utility to him. On the basis of this conversation, he composed the ‘Charak Samhita’, which is one of the most authentic texts on Ayurveda. Today, we may not be able to converse with the trees, but they interact with each other in various forms and discharge their obligation of constantly contributing their share to our nature.

Let Us Celebrate Vasant Parva with Vigor and Vibrancy Vasant Parva marks the advent of spring – surging forth of vibrant life in nature; which was lying dormant during the chilly, cold and constrictive winter. The whole of nature is filled with exuberant life and laughter. In the cycles of nature’s moods, the joy and warmth of spring follow the bone breaking shivering cold of the winter. Nature expresses this joy in the form of multihued flowers. This year, the period of Vasant will span about 40 days, from Vasant Parva (February 10, 2019) to Holika Parva (March 20, 2019). It is the season of joy, festivity, enthusiasm and youthfulness – an auspicious period for a renewed vigor and vibrancy. Vasant Parva is of special significance to Gayatri Pariwar. This is the holy day of Self-realization (on Vasant Parva of 1926) by our Pujya Guru Satta Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya; and we have been celebrating it as the Foundation Day of the Mission for the past 92 years. On this auspicious day, let us rededicate ourselves to work towards accomplishing our Mission’s aim of ushering in the new Era of Truth, Love and Peace.

If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough. – Oprah Winfrey AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019

A Guide to Sanskrit-English Transliteration

‚ » ƒ ƒæ ÇU. ¿ ÀU Á Ûæ

“AHD Symbol”

Vocalic Sounds a ³ i º u ¿ • e ai o au ® ¡ The Consonants k ka kh kha g ga gh gha òa ca cha ja jha

†æ Å ÆU ÇU É¸U ‡æ Ì Í Î Ï Ù Â È¤ Õ Ö × Ø ÚU Ü ß àæ cæ â ãU ÿæ ˜æ ™æ

óa Úa Úha Ãa Ãha ña ta tha da dha na pa pha ba bha ma ya ra la va ïa Ìa sa ha kÌa tra jóa

Remember no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. – Eleanor Roosevelt 50

AKHAND JYOTI Jan.-Feb. 2019