akhand Jyoti Magazine Nov-Dec 2019 by Akhand Jyoti Swadhyay

VOLUME: 17

ISSUE:6

Nov. - Dec. 2019

Augment Worthiness The divine blessings are considered invaluable, but to acquire them requires worthiness of that level. Clouds rain, but the hills and rocks cannot get its benefit. Only the deep pits get the advantage of filling themselves with rainwater. If the pot is kept upside down in the rains, then even if there is heavy downpour, it will remain empty. It has to be receptive to get filled. If the student/disciple is worthy, then akin to Eklavya becoming a great archer, he can become a master in his field. It is true that there is a need for a competent Guru (teacher/master/guide), but it is also required that the student/disciple be responsible and full of devotion and faith. Had Shivaji not dared to bring the milk of tigress and offer it to Samarth Guru Ramdas, and proved his worthiness, he wouldn’t have been able to get his blessings, and hence could not become Chhatrapati (emperor). Had Chandragupta not surrendered wholeheartedly to his Guru Chanakya, he wouldn’t have been able to become such a mighty king. Had Narendra not requested Mother Kali to bestow on him Gyan (knowledge), Bhakti (devotion), and Vairagya (detachment from worldly desires), he wouldn’t have been able to become a great saint, Swami Vivekananda. Only worthy persons get the blessings of spiritual masters or God. Therefore, one should aim at refining one’s personality and augmenting worthiness. - Pujya Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma, Acharya

Convince yourself every day that you are worthy of a good life. Let go of stress; breathe. Stay positive; all is well. - Germany Kent 3

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

CONTENTS 1.

Amrit Chintan Augment Worthiness..............................................................................................................

From Chief Editor’s Desk Let Us Imbibe Reﬁned Dharma in Our Lives ........................................................................

Our Responsibilities in this Era of Information Explosion ...................................................

The Vedanta School of Indian Philosophy.............................................................................

Science and Spirituality Evolution of Mind: Conscious to Superconscious Levels .....................................................

Craftsmen are Bearers of Creativity, Beauty and Growth ....................................................

Become a Part of the Solution, Not the Problem! .................................................................

Malnutrition - A Cause for Concern ......................................................................................

Yug Gita – 20 Lord is Teaching the Essence of Living a Sacriﬁcial Life .....................................................

10.

Peace Pilgrim’s Wisdom – 20 The Way of Peace - II ............................................................................................................

11.

Pollution-free Air - A Necessity for Human Survival ............................................................

12.

Odyssey of the Enlightened - 68 Auspicious Impressions of Sacred Energy - 3 .......................................................................

13.

Youth Column How to Become an Expert Speaker? .....................................................................................

14.

Amrit Vani Plans and Preparation to Usher in a Bright and Blissful Era .................................................

15.

Effective Measures for Plastic Waste Disposal ..................................................................

16.

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

The real measure of our wealth is how much we’d be worth if we lost all our money. - Benjamin Jowett AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

From Chief Editor’s Desk

Let Us Imbibe Reﬁned Dharma in Our Lives? Then the question arises – what is true religion (Dharma)? The scripture says, ‘Dh³ryate janairiti dharma¡,’ – that is, the one that is worth imbibing in human life is called Dharma. From this point of view, dharma is an art of living following which a person can achieve his goals in a righteous way. It is not superstition; it is not blind faith. But it is a constant effort to reﬁne the self, nurture a harmonious family, and awaken a spirit of uplifting the society.

Param Pujya Gurudev once said – ‘In the medieval period, an effort was made to appease God through worldly means, and in the process, God was made physical. This led to the understanding that God behaves like a human being and that God has the same desires and ambitions that humans possess. A human being demands food, and God requires Prasad. If you want to get some work done through him, you will have to do his buttering. As he is like a human being, you should offer him gifts. For example, offer laddoos to Hanumanji, and your work would be done. Unless you give him something, how can he be happy? This way, God was treated like a human being.’ (Discourse delivered by him sometime in the 1960s)

This easy-looking path, however, is not that simple. Had it been easy, Nachiketa would not have to surrender to the God of death - Yama, Dhruv would not have to do arduous penance, Meera would not have to drink the cup of poison, and Harishchandra would not have to pass through painful tests. The path of Dharma, Gyana (knowledge), righteous wisdom, renunciation, ascetic penance, spirituality, etc. had always been challenging and would remain so forever.

Even today, especially in India, various kinds of elaborate rituals are carried out, and materialistic offerings are given in the temples to appease God. There are hundreds of religious sects with their arcane rules and hidebound dogmas of faith. Religion has become narrow-minded and prejudicial, that is obstructing the growth of human spirit. Considering these aspects, many modern thinkers are contending that religion is the most despicable of social evils, responsible for all the wars and conﬂicts around the world. In fact, terrorism haunting the world today is a direct consequence of religious intolerance and zealotry.

Divine attributes like compassion, sympathetic attitude, equality, purity, cordiality, dutifulness, an inclination of selﬂess service, love and affection, etc. are the real elements of Dharma. Manusmriti has described the signs of Dharma like this: Dh•ti¡ kÌam³ damo’steya® ïaucamindriyanigraha¡ |

Waking up this morning I smile. Twenty four brand new hours await me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion. – Thich Nhat Hanh 5

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

Dhirvidya satyamakrodho, daïaka® dharma lakÌanam || (Meaning: Patience, forgiveness, control of mind, non-stealing, inner and outer purity, control over senses, wisdom, self-knowledge, truth, and equanimity – these are the ten signs of Dharma.) In this regard, the advice of Yama to Nachiketa (as per Kathopanishad) is worth mentioning–

Parhita sarasa dharama nahin bh³i, para pºÃh³ sama nahin agham³i || (Meaning: There is no religion better than helping others, and there is no sin worse than hurting others.) That is why Param Pujya Gurudev established Gayatri Pariwar with the aim of alleviating the sufferings of others and uplifting their spirits to follow the righteous path. In the present circumstances, when selﬁshness has overpowered the psyche of the masses, it would be true Dharma to awaken a sense of empathy in human beings and selﬂess service to humanity. Let us resolve to imbibe the real attributes of Dharma and inspire others to follow this path.

KÌurasya dh³r³ niïit³ duraty³, durgam pathastat kavayo vadanti | (Meaning: The path of Dharma is challenging, like walking on the cutting edge of a knife - so say the wise.) That is why we ﬁnd fewer people walking on this path and more people talking about it. People dream of accruing supernatural powers without nurturing these virtues. Dharma is not pageantry; its deﬁnition is pretty simple. In the words of Goswami Tulasidas (as expressed in the form of a couplet) in Ramcharitmanas, it is:

(Pranav Pandya)

The one great advantage of Bhakti is that it is the easiest and most natural way to reach the great divine end in view; its signiﬁcant disadvantage is that in its lower forms it often degenerates into hideous fanaticism. The fanatical crew in Hinduism, Mohammedanism, or Christianity, has always been almost exclusively recruited from these worshippers [sic] on the lower planes of Bhakti. That singleness of attachment (Nishthâ) to a loved object, without which no genuine love can grow, is very often also the cause of the denunciation of everything else. All the weak and undeveloped minds in every religion or country have only one way of loving their own ideal, i.e., by hating every other ideal. Herein is the explanation of why the same man who is so lovingly attached to his own ideal of God, so devoted to his own ideal of religion, becomes a howling fanatic as soon as he sees or hears anything of any other ideal. - Swami Vivekananda

I always remember that everything is here to teach me how to love. – Spring Washam AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

Our Responsibilities in this Era of Information Explosion Along with Industrial revolution, the printing of books also picked pace. Even during those times, people complained about excessive information. Owing to a survey done in early 20th century, information available through print media was doubling every thirty years until 1930. With the advent of electronic media, information was available at a much higher pace, and by 196070, it doubled every ten years. Then came the computer and the internet.

We are presently going through the phase of web media, which covers nearly all the traditional and erstwhile communication media merged into a single platform. Combined with smartphone technology, it has led to an information revolution that has been profoundly impacting human life. While this has brought in many conveniences to daily lives and helped make things easy, it has also increased the circulation of negative and fake messages that have been misleading and hurting the common man. It is becoming practically impossible to determine the authenticity and utilize the information that is exploding right at our ﬁngertips.

Looking at the possibilities of the information revolution, renowned author and visionary Alvin Tofﬂer had written about information overload in his sensational book – ‘Future Shock,’ which is what we are witnessing today as an information explosion that has swept the minds of the common man. We have reached a point where information is doubling every ten hours, implying that what took thirty years in 1930 is now happening in ten hours.

The information that was a medium for enhancing knowledge and was the basis for cultural progress is becoming the cause for stress, depression, conﬂict, disturbance, and misunderstanding. In this age of information explosion, it is proving to be extremely challenging for the common man to maintain a positive outlook and choose useful information from what is available to him.

Facebook is the most popular among the social media in which three lakh status updates, two and a half lakh photos, and ﬁve lakh comments are posted per minute. Microblogging site Twitter sees one lakh tweets per minute. Five hundred hours of video content gets uploaded on YouTube per minute, and forty-ﬁve lakh viewers are watching them. Two hundred million emails

Historically, we can see that the dissemination of information has been improving with development in technology. When the printing press was invented, publishing gathered momentum which led to the Renaissance Movement or intellectual revolution in the West.

Information is the oil of the 21st century, and analytics is the combustion engine. - Peter Sondergaard 7

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

papers and research journals that are getting published, we will see that the information is truly exploding to the skies. But the fact remains that the lion’s share belongs to social media.

are exchanged per minute. Fifty thousand photos are posted on Instagram per minute. If we look at WhatsApp, more than forty million messages are shared per minute. One can imagine what kind of effect this ﬂood of information can create in a person’s life!

In summary, we are living in the age of information explosion, where we are being presented with a plethora of data. The majority of the information is negative, pessimistic, promotes conflict, misleading, and sensational, which instead of solving problems creates more confusion, causes disappointment and promotes frenzy and passion. This flood of information is steering us away from enjoying the music of life and is leading to thought pollution because of which a person is unable to be in a healthy balanced state for long. In the midst of all this, it is very likely that even a healthy individual is subject to stress and depression, finally leading to loss of mental stability. The number of people suffering worldwide from internet and social media is always on the rise. Digital detox centers

In addition to social media, there is no shortage of traditional media like newspapers, magazines, television, etc. The information getting disseminated through these media also cannot be ignored. Our country has nine hundred and twenty TV channels, out of which two hundred are owned by the government. If we include regional channels, then the number shoots up to two thousand. If we look at radio transmissions, there is FM and internet radio in addition to Akashvani and community radio. To add to all this, thousands of magazines are getting published. If we begin to consider the number of ﬁlms that are getting released, then the statistics go up the roof. To top it up, if we count the number of books, research

When I work with experimental gadgets, like new variations on virtual reality, in a lab environment, I am always reminded of how small changes in the details of a digital design can have profound unforeseen effects on the experiences of the humans who are playing with it. The slightest change in something as seemingly trivial as the use of a button can sometimes completely alter behavior patterns. For instance, Stanford University researcher Jeremy Bailenson has demonstrated that changing the height of one’s avatar in immersive virtual reality transforms self-esteem and social self-perception. Technologies are extensions of ourselves, and, like the avatars in Jeremy’s lab, our identities can be shifted by the quirks of gadgets. It is impossible to work with information technology without also engaging in social engineering. - Jaron Lanier

Every second of every day, our senses bring in way too much data than we can possibly process in our brains. – Peter Diamandis AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

you can do it by creating meaningful information. Before blindly forwarding information, ascertain its authenticity, and only when found right, send it further. Read and understand the message before forwarding in limited circles. Don’t blindly forward all the messages to everyone possible, making it a headache for others.

and even mental health care asylums are being opened to treat such cases. India is also not exempt from this risk. Under this increasing pressure of information, it has become an enormous challenge to identify and choose useful information. The human brain has a limited capacity to process information. Increased knowledge is sure to cause more stress to the brain, and it is but natural that other social abilities are getting affected because of this and leading to chaos and imbalance in life. Man’s ability to focus and concentrate has been very adversely affected, and this has struck a blow to the roots of mental stability and peace. Amid these conditions, it is becoming increasingly impossible to have mental makeup for embarking on any serious creative activities. The human being seems to be gripped in the clutches of the media and is living the life of a phantom.

Do not waste signiﬁcant time reading trivial information on social media. Instead, you can spend quality time on meaningful information and use it to bolster creative activities. Instead of adding content that fosters conﬂict and confusion into a society that is already caught in the web of its problems, let us all assume the role of responsible transmitters of information. We can certainly expect this from all the Pragya Parijans.

The Web provides a convenient and compelling supplement to personal memory, but when we start using the Web as a substitute for personal memory, by bypassing the inner processes of consolidation, we risk emptying our minds of their riches. – Nicholas Carr

With continuous technological advancements, the informational ﬂow is bound to increase steadily. It’s a challenge to the media consumer as to how he can utilize this scenario and derive beneﬁt. Also, there are certain responsibilities that each one of us has because, as a user of social media and mobile, we are not only a consumer of information but also play a role of its broadcaster. If you are active on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, WhatsApp, blogging, and other platforms, you have the role of a citizen reporter. So, it matters a lot what you post on these platforms, what you like, what you share and what you comment on. If you want to subdue the meaningless messages,

(From: The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains)

To all users of technology who are willing to take a chance, make a choice, and try a new way of doing things so that we can nurture and enjoy a happy, healthy planet.- Katherine Murray 9

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

The Vedanta School of Indian Philosophy Among the six schools of Indian philosophy Vedanta (Ved³nta) is honored as absolute. It is like the sun in the sky of pure knowledge. As the name suggests, Vedanta literally means End of the Vedas, i.e., the ultimate essence of the immense knowledge encoded in the Vedas. Around 80% of the mantras (hymns) of the Vedas pertain to instructive knowledge guiding the masses about what should be done and what should not be done, etc, for a happy and healthy coexistence of humans, other beings, and Nature. Out of the remaining 20%, around 16% of the mantras deal with the methods of devotional and spiritual practices (up³san³ and s³dhan³). Only 4% of the Vedic mantras constitute the Upanishads – source of ultimate mystic knowledge. Maharshi Badarayan (Maharshi Vyas, who also scripted the epic “Mahabharata”) compiled the Bramhasutras (that were derived from the Upanishads). These are regarded as the origin of Vedanta Philosophy.

Preeminent sage Adi Shankaracharya (788-820 AD) is revered as the ﬁrst scholar, in the postMahabharata times, who revived the teachings of Vedanta. He wrote the commentaries (Bhashya) of “Bramhasutras” and the ten prime Upanishads; his “Bhagwat Geeta Bhashya”, “Mandyuka Karika Bhashya”, “Vivekchudamani”, etc, also are counted among magnum opus of Vedanta. The study of these treatises is pursued by the scholars/ seekers of Vedanta Philosophy. Bhaskaracharya wrote a Laghu Bhashya on Bramhasutras, emphasizing absolute knowledge and benevolent karmas as source of Moksha (ultimate salvation). Sarvagyatma Muni has scripted explanation of Bramhasutras as a verse, which is popular as “SankshepSharirak”. Swami Advetanand, who was a disciple of Swami Ramanand Tirth has given a detailed explanation of Adi Shankaracharya’s “Bhashyas” in the scripture titled “Brahmavidya Bharan”. Vachaspati Mishra’s “Bhamati” and “Brahmatatva Samiksha” also excellently discuss Shankaracharya’s treatises.

Some scholars refer to the Vedanta Darshana as “Uttar Mimansa” and a related philosophical explanation by Maharshi Jaimini as “Purva Mimansa”. However, as Vedanta represents ultimate knowledge that counters and also complements the limitations of other schools of philosophy, including Purva Mimansa, our discussion is focused here only on Vedanta.

In 13th Century AD, Chitsukhacharya wrote “Tattva Deepika” (also known popularly as “Chit Sukhi”), a study of which is considered as a must for Scholars of Vedanta. Sri Vidyaranya Swami of Sringeri Peetham has written several foundational texts on Vedanta, such as “Jeevanmukti Vivek”, “Vivaran Prameya Sangraha”, “Brihadaranyak

Authentic Texts on Vedanta

No self is of itself alone. It has a long chain of intellectual ancestors. The “I” is chained to ancestry by many factors… This is not mere allegory, but an eternal memory. - Erwin Schrödinger AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

- Brah® Satyam Jagata Mithy³, Jºvo Brah®aiva N³para| (Meaning: Brah®2 alone is the absolute truth, everything else in the entire creation and manifestation of Nature is an illusion, the jºva3 is not different from the Brah®.) The concept of Advaita also declares - Sarva Khalu Ida® Brah®| (Meaning: every entity in existence or in transcendence is Brah®.)

Vartik Saar”, etc. His “Panchadashi” (in ﬁve volumes) is most extensively read by the seekers of Vedanta knowledge. “Vedanta Saar” by Sadanand Muni, “Vichar Sagar” by Sadhu Nishchaldasji, and Pandit Pitambarji, “Vichar Chandrodaya” by Pandit Pitambarji and “Panchdashi” are regarded as introductory texts (Prakriy³ Granths) on Vedanta which must be studied thoroughly under suitable guidance before attempting to read higher-level texts of Vedanta. “Vedanta Saar”, “Atmabhodh”, “Tatvabhodh” give simple and short introductory thoughts; study of these is recommended as essential for the beginners.

The search for Absolute Truth Vedanta regards Brah® as the only and ultimate truth, as Brah® alone is eternal. Everything else is considered here as M³y³ (Illusion). This school of Indian Philosophy defines three levels of existence - (i) Ï³ïvata: that which exists everywhere beyond any constraints of time and remains invariant eternally; Brah® alone is such an ever-existent entity. (ii) Âbh³sa: that which is non-existent but appears to be existent; for example, when one has an illusion of a snake in a rope lying on the floor, that ‘existence’ of snake is only an illusion (³bh³sa). (iii) Vyavah³rikº: that which is non-existent but assumed to be existent only to facilitate worldly transactions and the ‘play’ of the present life; for example - self identity of a person, or that of any being, names and forms of things that appear in this physical world in specific domains of space and present time, etc.

Approaches to Vedanta Vedanta philosophy regards the statements (ïrutis) of the Upanishads as the only and ultimate pram³ña1. Different interpretations of speciﬁc portions of Upanishads by different Rishis and Acharyas are broadly classiﬁed by scholars as the diverse branches of Vedanta Philosophy. These are, namely, Adi Shankaracharya’s Advaita Vedanta; Ramanujacharya’s Vishishtadvaita Vedanta; Nimbakacharya’s Dvaita-Advaita Vedanta; Madhvacharya’s Dvaita Vedanta; Vallabhacharya’s Shudhadvat Vedanta; Acharya Chaitanya’s Achintya Bhed-Abhed Vedanta. Swami Vivekanand’s teachings of Practical Vedanta may also be listed as another approach to grasping the core teachings of Vedanta.

Vedanta regards the appearance and experience (perception) of the world, worldly transactions, social interaction, etc. as mithy³ like a world in a dream. As the world and experiences of a dream disappear in an awakened state, and the illusion of a snake in a rope disappears when there

Principal Thought of Vedanta Thorough analysis of the teachings of different branches of Vedanta shows that at the core of all of these is the key principle of “Advaita Vedanta”

The pure mind is itself Brahman; it, therefore, follows that Brahman is not other than the mind of the sage. - Ramana Maharshi 11

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

the same event or thing differently according to his mental state. These examples indicate that the ‘reality’ of everything, every experience, in this world is only temporary and relative; it, therefore, cannot be regarded as “true”. In other words, all our experiences of ‘reality’ are offshoots of the inﬂuence of avidy³ that keeps us confused and deluded by m³y³.

is light and one is able to see the rope clearly, similarly realization of the eternal truth of Brah® (Brahmgy³na) removes all ignorance, illusions, and attachment with mithy³ experiences and thralldoms of the world. According to Vedanta we remain deluded by m³y³ (illusion) and regard the world and every experience, everything here as real, because of our avidy³ (lack of true knowledge), our ignorance about the Brah®. However, this is like covering of the Sun by clouds; because of this covering or haze, we do not get sunlight, not even a sight of the Sun, but that doesn’t mean that the Sun is not there. Similarly, the shield of ignorance and illusions (in our mind) keeps the knowledge and realization of our true self (the soul, Brah®) hidden from us and we continue to regard our mental impressions, perceptions, and sensory experiences as true. We associate our selfidentity with our present body and name given to it, and we also identify other people by their physical (worldly) existence and names or titles given to them. Existence of various things and their properties are recognized and experienced by us as ‘real’ according to our sensory and mental perceptions; different people may ﬁnd, experience or react to a common event or thing differently; the same person too may experience

Existence of the Soul, God, and Cosmic Creation: Vedanta describes the manifestation of Nature as a consequence of the evolutionary impulse of Brah® which gave rise to two levels of m³y³. With the manifestation of Nature, there also appeared the five basic elements (Panca Tattva4) and three intrinsic traits (Triguña5) of Nature. The fundamental expression of the reflection of Brah® in first level of m³y³ - the Sataguñº M³y³, (i.e., m³y³ imbibed only with satoguña) is GodVishnu and Shiva. In Vedanta, God is realized as Sakriya Brah® - self-created, self-aware, and (creative) expression of Brah®. The fundamental expression of the reflection of Brah® in second level of m³y³ - the Tamoguñº M³y³, is the jºva and the inanimate cosmic creation. The foundational texts of Vedanta present detailed description and lucid explanations of how the mutual combinations

The Vedanta recognizes no sin; it only recognizes error. And the greatest error, says the Vedanta is to say that you are weak, that you are a sinner, a miserable creature, and that you have no power and you cannot do this and that. - Swami Vivekananda Actions are the louder expression of thought. The quality of thought is ordered by the nature of our inner belief and faith. - Swami Chinmayananda AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

and compounding of different proportions of the Panca Tattvas and the Triguñas generated different substances of Nature - including energy and matter in the cosmic creation, physical and functional components of different beings (e.g., the sense organs, mind, intellect, and other faculties of the human species).

of Vedanta revolve around self-realization or uniﬁcation of the jºv³tm³ with its true-self - the Brah®.

Vedanta identiﬁes the soul (³tm³) as Brah® and therefore describes it as Sachchid³nanda (Sat -eternal truth, self-existent, omnipresent, and ever-invariant; Chit - having absolute knowledge, self-aware, and self-illumined; Ânanda - unalloyed, beatifying, absolute blissfulness). Therefore the properties of the soul include the following: (i) Soul is different from the causal, subtle, physical bodies; (ii) Soul is beyond the Panch-koshas (the ﬁve sheaths – physical shell, energy shell, mind shell, knowledge shell, and the self-conscious bliss shell) of a jºva.

2. Brah®: Omnipresent, Consciousness-Force.

Notes: 1. Pram³ña: Proof of epistemological evidence.

authenticity; Eternal,

3. Jºva: An individual-self or a being - the soul expressed in life-form. 4. Panca (Pancha) Tattvas: The five basic elements of manifestation of Nature, which also form the natural medium for its diverse expressions. Namely, p•athvº (solid matter on or inside the earth), jala (water, liquids, and fluids), v³y¿ (air, gaseous states), agni (source of fire and energy) and ³k³ïa (the subliminal etheric expansion). 5. Triguñas: The intrinsic tendencies of sat, raja, and tama. Satoguña implies the embodiment of truth, the source of acquisition of knowledge, pure intelligence, and faculties of awareness, cognition, perception, mental trenchancy and peace, and emotional serenity. Rajoguña is the source of all energies and activities in the macro- and microcosm, the basis of animate manifestation of Nature and expressions of consciousness (e.g. in the generation of thoughts and other mental actions). Tamoguna: source of ignorance, inertia, and inaction; it is predominant in the inanimate Nature.

Jºv³tm³ (jºva ) is the soul in life-form, which is deluded about its true identity; it identifies and experiences itself in terms of the three bodies the Physical body; the Subtle body (the mind, the intellect, the five vital energies, the five faculties of perception, and five sense organs of action); and the Astral body (the unconscious mind and ‘ego’ - the sense of self-identity). 3

Like the other schools of Indian philosophy, Vedanta also aims at the ultimate salvation of individual selves from all sorrows, sufferings, and thralldoms. This school of philosophy leads to ultimate salvation (mokÌa) most effectively, as, the unique concepts and core teachings

The Soul appears to be ﬁnite because of ignorance. When ignorance is destroyed, the Self, which does not admit any multiplicity, truly reveals itself: like the Sun when the clouds pass away. - Adi Shankaracharya

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

Science and Spirituality

Evolution of Mind: Conscious to Superconscious Levels The spectrum of the functions and expressions of the Omnipresent Consciousness-Force (CF) is limitless like its eternity and inﬁnite expanse in the manifested as well the transcendent realms of existence. It is not possible to grasp or analyze it; even describing it in words or elucidating it otherwise also appears beyond our reach.

to be investigated on these subtler levels of consciousness. In fact, so far, the modern approach of the ‘science of mind’ (including psychology and other neurosciences) is mainly focussed on behavioural and intellectual studies. It has not been able to provide comprehensive deﬁnition of the mindencompassing its deeper powers.

Manifested expressions of CF - at sensory levels and in other functions and experiences of the physical body havebeen investigated and understood to a great extent in modern laboratories. However, as discussed in some earlier articles of this series, even at physiological and neurochemical levels, its manifestation in the marvellous functioning and enormous potentials of the brain has still not been deciphered completely by modern scientists. Similar is the case with unrevealing of its yet unknown functions in the mental body (the conscious mind) in terms of memory, intellect (mental perceptions and logical reasoning), thoughts, and emotions.

External powers of the conscious mind are reflected in the naturally awakened intellect; these have played wonders in the progress of the world on many fronts. Eloquence and sagacity of writers, orators, trenchancy of scientific minds, efficiency of business managers, creativity of artistic talents, etc, appear amazing many times. One can’t even imagine, what could be the nature of superior intelligence? If only about 7% of the ‘naturally activated’ mental potentials could conquer the material wealth of Nature and develop such a materialistically advanced world, what would be the powers of the hidden intellect, evolved emotions, and the extrasensory and super-conscious faculties of the mind?

More challenging are the subconscious, unconscious, and extrasensory domains of the mind, which, in the modern times, apart from psychoanalysis of some precognitive powers of dreams, etc., have been mainlya subject matter of research in parapsychology, metaphysics, and the so-called occultstudies. Much remains

Preeminent spiritual masters and sages of the 20th Century like Sri Aurobindo and Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya had analyzed multiple facets and evolved levels of mind from ordinary to superconscious realms. As thoughts generated in mind get translated into actions, they are most

One does not become enlightened by imagining ﬁgures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular. - Carl Jung AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

ponder over a chosen topic of knowledge. It is in such a mind that ﬁrm resolutions, new thoughts, and knowledge are generated. Positivity, peace, blissfulness and love and compassion last for relatively long in the “Higher Mind”. The minds of great thinkers, philosophers, and trend-setting scientists are best examples of this category. However, the “Higher Mind” is still far from wisdom and knowledge of absolute truth. It can’t visualizeor discover higher domains of consciousness and spirituality.

prominent in describing the nature of one’s mind. Sri Aurobindo had scrupulously analyzed and scientiﬁcally explained the characteristics of different levels of mind in terms of the nature of thoughts. According to him,the level of one’s mind is reﬂected in the clarity and depth and positivity of one’s thoughts. There are hardly any active thoughts in a dull (dormant) and dirty (i.e., lying at the lowest level of evolution) mind. Slightly evolved or the so-called ‘Ordinary’ mind is trapped in the mire of unclear, arbitrary and mostly negative thoughts. The agility of such a mind is so prominent that it can’t be in any state of experience for long - be thatsorrow, fear, or even some entertainment or joy. Gradually evolved levels of ‘Ordinary Mind’ are like successive steps in the journey of thoughts from negativity to positivity, from agility to stability, from unclear and haphazard to clear and focused.

As the “Higher Mind” becomes calmer (meditative), its thinking becomes deeper with a broader outlook towards life; it begins to evolve towards a more enlightened and developed state. As the name suggests, it is bright like a clear sunny day; there is no place for the haze of confusion in this mind. The vision of an “Illumined Mind”can also unfold and analyze the real cause behind various activities of Nature. Its imaginative power becomes more realistic. Extraordinary creative talent naturally awakens in such a mind. Deliberations of such a mind also become enchanting like a poem; the literary creations of such a mind can deeply inspire the feelings of readers. In his literary creation “Future Poetry”, he has cited and explained the ‘power’ of several verses of many renowned poets including John Milton, William Wordsworth, Percy Shelley, Rabindranath Tagore, Mahadevi Verma, etc. With further evolution, such a mind becomes more stable and strong. Experience and dissemination of the blissfulness of knowledge is the essence of this more evolved state of an “Illumined Mind”.

Sri Aurobindo has deﬁned the successively more developed levels of the human mind, as -“Higher Mind” (ūrdhva m³nas), “Illumined Mind” (udbh³sit m³nas), “Intuitive Mind” (antarbodhim³nas), “Over Mind” (adhim³nas), and “Super Mind” (atim³nas). “Higher Mind” is superior to the “Ordinary Mind”, the ﬂow of thoughts here is soothing and serene like the silvery glow of the pure water of the Ganges in the Himalayas on a full-moon night. Everything is clear and focused here. Such a mind is able to clearly grasp, understand, and

Consciousness is only possible through change; change is only possible through movement. - Aldous Huxley 15

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Beyond “Illumined Mind” is the “Intuitive Mind”. It is a state of the awakening of spiritual acumen. Great seer-sages are endowed with this power. Such an evolved mind does not have to study or search for knowledge elsewhere. It grasps the light of knowledge from within. The rishis (seer-sages of Vedic Age) had realized absolute knowledge in this state of mind and expressed it in words as the Upanishads. However, even this state of mind does not realize God in its inﬁnite completeness; it explains the ultimate truth in words but does not have its ultimate realization. (That is why the teaching and study on this knowledge often appear only as an intellectual exercise – beyond the reach of even the illumined state of mind.)

Vedic Wisdom on Deeper Roots of Evolution of Mind: The Indian rishis (Vedic sages) were masters of the human mind (including intellect). Their spiritually evolved acumen had a reach in the hidden roots of Nature and the cosmic expansion and sublime depths of the human mind. They had elucidated that the mind in its purest form is a medium for the expression and experience of CF in the inner-self; it is constituted of satoguña of the five basic elements. However, for the purpose of its functions through the brain and sensory faculties in the physical body, this satoguñi medium also gets mixed with rajoguña. If one is not aware and careful to discipline it, the rajoguña pervaded in Nature accelerates extrovert agility of the mind; as a result, it gets strayed away from its core of inner bliss and light of conscience. Further, if one does not care to continually refine and illuminate his mind (in the light of wisdom), the influence of tamoguña prevailing in the material manifestation of the world pulls it in the smog of ignorance.Consequently, itgets trapped in the mire of ego-driven, selfish tendencies and attractions, attachments of sensory pleasures, false pride, andvicious web of negative tendencies, etc. As a result, it suffers infirmities, vices, sorrows, etc. Thus, a wonderful source of evolution also becomes the ‘cause’ of decline and devolution. This appears to be the case with the so-called ‘ordinary’ minds of most people in the present times.

Above the “Intuitive Mind” is the supreme level of evolution of mind, which is called the “Over Mind” or the “Super-Conscious” mind. This is the state of realization of - the eternal unity of God and the soul, the personal and the impersonal self, the Omnipresence of the Self-existing Supreme Consciousness Force (Brah®).

How and Why the Evolution of Mind? A natural quest arises here, as to why is this difference in the levels of minds of people? If it is originated from the eternal source of CF, why the mind declines towards devolution? How to achieve its evolution from ‘ordinary’ to the higher levels and eventually to the superconscious levels? Absolute answers to these queries lie in what the wisdom of our ancient sages had discovered.

The Vedic rishis hadused their body and mind as ‘natural devices’ and conducted spiritual

Sooner or later on this journey, every traveler faces the same question: Are you a human intending to be a god, or a god pretending to be human? - Eric Micha’el Leventhal AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

experiments (of tapa, sw³dhy³ya, yog, s³dhana) towards sublime transmutation of consciousness. With gradual progress in these devout endeavours (spiritual experiments), they had also attained supernormal powers (siddhis), supramental talents, and awakening of the extrasensory nuclei (chakras) of vital spiritual energy (pr³ña). They had also accomplished the ultimate goal of a superconscious mind and had eventually realized the absolute unity of the soul with the Brah® (Omnipresent Eternal CF).

of spiritual evolution but also for the welfare of the masses. Practical Guidance and Support for Ordinary Minds: Maharshi Patanjali had propounded the principles and methods of Ashtang Yog for reduction of tamoguña, refinement of rajoguña, and inculcation and augmentation of satoguñain humankind. In today’s world, only a superficial part of his teachings, popularly known as “Yoga”, is confined to physical fitness and general health. Most of the yoga teachers themselves are not aware of the fact that “Yog” is originally a science of holistic wellbeing and evolution of consciousness.

They had also propounded a comprehensive discipline of knowledge and practices in the science of yoga and spirituality to guide humankind towards the righteous path of evolution (of consciousness). A saintly seer sage of the modern times, Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya had revived this discipline in late 20th century, not only for the seekers of high realms

Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya, a saintly seer-sage of the modern era, had revived the Vedic Philosophy and Science of Yog, Yagya, and Spirituality in scientiﬁc light adopting

Our first President, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, was a great supporter of cultural values and roots. Once his friend asked him, “There is always quarrel in the name of religion in our society, and hence, he should refute the importance of religion.” Rajendra babu replied with an anecdote, “Once a man was digging the road, and when he was asked about the reason, he replied sadly that there are too many accidents on this road every day. Therefore he wants to destroy this road forever” Rajendra babu asked his friend what he thinks about this man, who wants to destroy the road due to accidents. His friend replied, ‘That’s not the right solution. The right way would be to teach people discipline of walking or driving on the road, and traffic rules should be applied strictly as well.’ Rajendra Babu said this is what his answer on religion is. Religion is created for human beings to walk on a righteous path. The rules of following the religion are reflected in our behavior and discipline. Any mistake or disobeying the rules can cause an accident. Therefore the fault is not in our religion, but in the way, we follow it.

Thinking is learning all over again how to see, directing one’s consciousness, making of every image a privileged place. - Albert Camus 17

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a practical approach suitable for today’s world. He had attained supreme evolution of consciousness through devout spiritual endeavours of Gayatri S³dhan³, and also inspiredand guided millionsof disciples to follow the path of s³dhan³ for their mental (intellectual), emotional, and spiritual reﬁnement and righteous development.He pioneered the revival of scientiﬁc spirituality for raising the level of pr³ña (vital spiritual energy) and disseminated this knowledge through practical training.

Notes: 1. Triguñas: Already explained in the article titled ‘The Vedanta school of Indian Philosophy’ in this issue. 2. Tapa: Ascetic self-restraint

disciplines of and penance.

3. Sw³dhy³ya: Self-study and selftraining in the light of sagacious thoughts/teachings and inspiring deeds of elevated souls/great personalities. 4. AÌt³nga Yog: Yoga, as propounded by Maharshi Patanjali, consists of AÌÚ³nga (8 components or steps), viz., - Yama (nonviolence, truthfulness, honesty, chastity, and non-possessiveness); Niyama (internal and external cleanliness, contention, tapa, sw³dhy³ya, and iïwara prañidh³na – complete surrender to God/spiritual focus of yoga); Âsana (speciﬁc types of steady bodypostures); Pr³ñ³y³ma (energizing through deep and meditative breathing); Praty³hara (detaching the mind from sensory impulses and focusing it introvert); Dh³rañ³ (mental concentration), Dhy³na (mental stillness; deep meditation), Sam³dhi (transcendental oneness with God/supreme spiritual light).

His spiritual acumen realized that nurturing the root of thoughts and emotions is essential for consistent growth and illumined ascent in the eternal flow of life; he, therefore, mobilized “Thought Revolution” along with his missions of “Emotional Refinement”, and “Personal, Familial and Social Development”. Millions of people have benefited from his enlightening discourses and great writings (consisting of over 3200 books on almost all topics concerning human life). The personality refinement and spiritual s³dhan³ courses conducted at the fraternity of Gayatri Pariwar at Shantikunj, Haridwar (www.awgp.org), and its other centers provide necessary practical guidance and training to the aspirants.

5. S³dhana: Devout endeavor aimed at inner reﬁnement, and

In Acharya Sharma’s views, a human being is not an evolved animal, but a strayed god. His mission of evolution of consciousness aims at - the awakening of the divinity indwelling in the inner self of humankind and erection of an ambiance of heavenly bliss and light on the earth.

spiritual self-analysis, awakening.

6. Gayatri Pariwar: A large family like sociospiritual organization founded by Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya.

As natural selection works solely by and for the good of each being, all corporeal and mental endowments will tend to progress toward perfection. - Charles Darwin AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

Craftsmen are the Bearers of Creativity, Beauty, and Growth The first phase of human social and economic development occurred during the Vedic era. Discovering fire and harnessing it made a fundamental difference to human life. This was indeed the first revolutionary step towards the civilization of the human race, though today, we cannot really relate to the importance of this discovery. The fire occurred naturally in the jungles, but like a demon used to devour everything that it touched. But by learning the controlled use of fire, it became possible to convert this adverse enemy into a favorable friend, and this was a revolutionary discovery.

Craftsmen are bearers of creativity, beauty, and growth. It is not possible to imagine human civilization, culture, and growth without acknowledging the contributions made by technically competent, traditional craftsmen. They have played signiﬁcant roles as ironsmiths, goldsmiths, architects, sculptors, handicraftsmen, etc. in beautifying mother earth from time immemorial to the present age with their excellent skills. Bereft of all desires, like spiritual seekers, traditional artisans have put in enormous efforts with their tools to simplify and beautify human life. All the beautiful man-made objects that we ﬁnd in the world around us have been created by the tireless efforts and hard work of traditionally skilled artisans.

The creation of useful objects and appliances for all human beings was the second step in development. Traditional artisans created devices for the great kings as well as tools for

At one time I thought the most important thing was talent. I now believe that - the young man or the young woman must possess or teach himself, train himself, in inﬁnite patience, which is to try and to try and to try until it comes right. He must train himself in ruthless intolerance. That is, to throw away anything that is false no matter how much he might love that page or that paragraph. The most important thing is insight, that is ... curiosity to wonder, to mull, and to muse why it is that man does what he does. And if you have that, then I don’t think the talent makes much difference, whether you’ve got that or not. - William Faulkner He who works with his hands is a laborer. He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman. He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist. - Francis of Assisi 19

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the humble farmers. They created pots of mud, copper, bronze, gold, and silver for yagya, pavilions for conducting yagya, weaponry, and chariots for kings; ploughs, coulters, and spades for farmers and workers; and other several types of equipment for tasks like beating, grinding, cutting, etc. What is called industry today was once called the art of craftsmanship. Creation of objects ranging from ﬂying machines, palaces and forts, to fans, thermometer, barometer, and compass, to gunpowder, canons, and guns, and all the items of luxury were possible only due to this craftsmanship.

says – “Vishwam sarvkarm kriyamanasya sah vishwakarma samyak” – The One whose task is to create this entire world is Vishwakarma. From time immemorial, the descendants of Lord Vishwakarma, the creator of the universe, have been busy in creating human settlements across the globe. There is no doubt that traditional artisans alone are responsible for adding new dimensions to human civilization. The craftsmanship that had prevailed in India was of an extremely advanced level. In fact, Indian artisans created a very high quality of artifacts. The contributions made by them using their evolved technical skills became the foundational basis of rule and the state. In all the development that has happened in the world, the vital role played by workers and artisans cannot be denied. When Britishers became the rulers, they conspired and brought in industrialization and thereby robbed the traditional craftsmen of their inherited profession and rendered them weak and helpless. India was a slave nation, and the fortune of every Indian was determined by British government. Realizing the injustice and oppression inﬂicted upon them, artisans actively participated in the freedom movements. Times changed, freedom was won, but sadly, not much changed for the traditional artisans. They were denied sufﬁcient participation in the development schemes made after independence. They were left isolated to fend for themselves.

Stories of untiring hard work put in by traditional artisans under extremely adverse circumstances have become those classic chapters in history that can never be erased. Enormous passage of time also has not been able to destroy their work. Vedic literature has described in abundance the creations and constructs of these craftsmen. A look at the fascinating and advanced creations by them in the long past era mesmerizes us even today. It makes us wonder how such marvelous objects were created by them when there were no machines. It makes us bow down to their skills. Lord Vishwakarma has been regarded as the foremost proponent of technical knowledge and craftsmanship. Vedas and Puranas have sung paeans of praise for his creations. He also is one of the seers of Vedas. “yo vishwa jagatam kotsah sah vishwakarma” – one who creates this non-living and living world, and all its birds and animals is Vishwakarma. Maharshi Dayanand

Even after several decades, there is not much change in their state. They continue to suffer. They have not earned freedom because economically

Without craftsmanship, inspiration is a mere reed shaken in the wind. – Johannes Brahms AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

they are not self-dependent and are still in the grip of dire poverty. Democracy means a government of the people, by the people and for the people. Every race, caste, and creed must get an equal opportunity to progress in democracy. But unfortunately, narrow-minded and lowly politics have tied their feet and left them to compete in the race of development. Traditional artisans have fallen way behind politically, economically and socially.

have occupied their area of work entirely. The supply of timber wood from forests has been nearly stopped, and raw material for creating wooden artifacts has become very expensive. As a result, carpenters now are under severe ﬁnancial stress, and it has become difﬁcult for them to make both ends meet. On one side, a big lobby advocates for large subsidy and tax reliefs for large industries, while on the other hand, traditional artisans are in a state of crisis as they face severe shortage of supply of raw material.

Our seers coined the phrase ‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam’; it is synonymous with globalization. But the unjust form of globalization that is prevalent today has cast a negative impact on traditional artisans. Small objects that our artisans create very deftly are also now getting abundantly imported from foreign countries.

This dichotomy is highly disturbing. Traditional craftsmen lack essential education and orientation to progress. Right from the beginning, these people have laid the foundation and made signiﬁcant contributions towards the growth of Indian economy. To help them overcome their crisis we must patronize cottage industries and regularly purchase their products. Economic stability for them is possible only when they are professionally reinstated and given opportunities for holistic development. This would pave way for the holistic development of the entire nation, and we must pay attention in this direction.

The whole world is turning into a global market, and as a result, production challenges are adversely impacting the lives of artisans directly. An evident example is the shutting down of small metal smelting and reﬁning industries of ironsmiths, goldsmiths, and brass smiths. Large foreign and native companies

We don’t value craftsmanship anymore! All we value is ruthless efﬁciency, and I say we deny our own humanity that way! Without an appreciation for grace and beauty, there’s no pleasure in creating things and no joy in having them! Our lives are made drearier, rather than richer! How can a person take pride in his work when skill and care are considered luxuries! We’re not machines! We have a human need for craftsmanship! - Bill Watterson Art, whatever form it takes, requires hard work, craftsmanship, and creativity. - F. Sionil Jose 21

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Become a Part of the Solution, Not the Problem! Today, we are living in an age that is full of problems. All of us seek solutions to these problems and want improvement in our society and the scenario. But in this quest, we begin to have hope and expectations from others. We are more conscious of our rights than our obligations. We want to relax happily after shifting the entire burden of responsibilities on our parents, guardians, elders, government, administration, social leadership, and mentors. When society and people do not function according to our aspirations, we begin to blame them. Without sparing anyone, we even start to blame the Almighty and also change our object of devotion.

towards their families. When, in due course, their children turn to be insolent and useless, and the desired results are not obtained, they take no time in blaming the school and the teachers. In this way begins the conflict in which more emphasis is given to the rights rather than the duties. In the blind race of selfishness, we are even suffocating the Nature, in whose lap we have been nurtured and brought up. Water resources are drying up, and rivers are being polluted. River Ganga is still polluted even after spending millions of bucks. The water of the Yamuna River is no better than that of a dirty drain. We readily take a dip in these rivers and consume their water while presuming that it would destroy our sins and sorrows. But when we encounter the issue of increasing filth, toxic substances, plastic, and garbage in these rivers, we become a part of the indifferent crowd and continue polluting them

The state of ignorance is such that many of us do not even care for our family, which is the link that connects us to the society. Often, people fail to impart noble tendencies to their children and to fulﬁll even their essential minimal responsibilities

The human body resonates at the same frequency as Mother Earth. So instead of only focusing on trying to save the earth, which operates in congruence to our vibrations, I think it is more important to be one with each other. If you really want to remedy the earth, we have to mend mankind. And to unite mankind, we heal the Earth. That is the only way. Mother Earth will exist with or without us. Yet if she is sick, it is because mankind is sick and separated. And if our vibrations are bad, she reacts to it, as do all living creatures. - Suzy Kassem After every storm the sun will smile; for every problem there is a solution, and the soul’s indefeasible duty is to be of good cheer. - William R. Alger AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

accumulate more resources with the minimum possible effort has turned corruption into an accepted social norm, which is eating up the roots of our social and national life. On the one hand is Japan, where a public apology is sought, even if a train gets delayed by a few seconds. On the other hand is our country, in which the state of negligence is such that there is no sentiment of responsibility even on the occurrence of massive train accidents.

with these hazardous substances. What is this sort of devotion or adoration, in which there is not even a little sensitivity towards those who are committed to our welfare and amelioration? Today it has become a trend to merely observe the rituals and try to plunder the entire spiritual merit (Punya) from the culture which has been meticulously carved by our ancestors through their tenacity and sacriﬁces and nurtured by their sheer hard work. In this scenario, it would be nothing more than foolishness to aspire for a better life and liberation after death only by observing religious rituals. How could the true conception of religion be realized which could infuse vital force into public life, until and unless the essence of spirituality is incorporated into it?

The intellectuals also have crucial contribution in maintaining the dynamism of democracy along with the administrative community. Their radiant leadership is signiﬁcant in shaping society. The virtues of self-abstinence, simplicity, nobility, honesty, altruism, sacriﬁce, and renunciation are life-giving to society. They inspire the mass consciousness to follow them just like an engine. Such credible and trust-worthy leadership had a crucial contribution during the phase of our independence movement, which has subsided substantially in recent years. The society has always given its support whenever it got such a leadership.

All the faiths give the message of truth, love, nonviolence, justice, fraternity, and peace, then why is there so much hatred, violence, assassinations, fear, suspicion, and terror in the name of religion? Culture is the basis of social life. So, how can we contemplate the development of peace, prosperity, and happiness in the society by refraining from it?

Perhaps, we got political freedom at the time of independence, but the dream of complete independence is yet to be realized. It is not possible to fulﬁll the objective of social transformation without the freedom of intellectual, ethical and cultural aspects. The task of estimating a person on the high criterion of life based on our glorious cultural and spiritual values is still not achieved. There is still a need to infuse noble tendencies and virtues into the institution of family, and

The absence of a feeling of responsibility towards society is a great crisis. Perhaps, we have not been able to accomplish the task of cultural development, which considers our obligations as the foremost aspect of religion. Almost all the religious scriptures have elucidated the concept of following one’s duties, but it seems to be absent in our public life. The avarice to

Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds. - Norman Vincent Peale 23

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there is still left the realization of the presumption of a sophisticated and cultured society.

In spite of all its commercial pressures and limitations, the media can still be a medium of constructive communication. The readers and viewers are not interested in the false news and programs; neither does the audience cherish such programs that do not appear to be appropriate to them. On the contrary, various motivational and constructive ﬁlms and creative television programs are quite popular among the masses. The readers are reading spiritual columns, and viewers are referring to inspirational and spiritual videos. If this had not been the case, then the devotional channels would not even have started, neither would have constructive programs earned such wide appreciation in the web media.

The role of education cannot be neglected in this task. It is inappropriate to limit the part of teachers only to teaching facts and skills, which is creating troops of directionless degreeholders. The mentor actually has to embrace the profound gravity of the Guru and it has to play the responsible role of an Acharya, who could teach the lessons of life through his own conduct and could impart such knowledge, which could help the students in becoming selfreliant and give them the valiance and prudence which could help them in facing the challenges of future life. Similarly, philosophy and literature work are the messengers of development and play a sensitive role. The mediums, like music, dance, and movies, are expected to deliver healthy messages along with entertainment. They could not be given the arbitrary freedom of polluting the young minds and pushing the entire society into decline.

Probably, the time has come when the media should begin to give more and more space to positive news and thoughts. This would not only fulfill its commercial requirements but will also achieve the great objective of the positive transformation of society. Further, if every section of the society understands its responsibilities and fulfills it with utmost honesty and commitment, then there is no reason that the desired changes cannot take place in the nation. Therefore, it can be concluded that in these ardent moments of crisis of trust, instead of discussing the widespread difficulties, we should be a part of the solution, not the problem. This is the demand of the time, the primary obligation of the era, fulfilling of which would lead to the welfare of every being.

The role of media as the fourth pillar of democracy is also essential in this context. All of the abovementioned aspects reach to society through media and either purify or distort the thoughts and feelings of the masses. Today we ﬁnd that media is propagating negativity, illusions, sensational crimes, violence, vulgarity, etc. However, the media could be a source of new energy and inspiration for the society by sharing correct and positive information, motivational examples and stories of success.

A person who sees a problem is a human being, a person who ﬁnds a solution is visionary, and the person who goes out and does something about it is an entrepreneur. - Naveen Jain AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

Malnutrition - A Cause for Concern Today, a large proportion of our population is affected by malnutrition, in which the biggest share is of children and women. This is the primary reason for their diseases and untimely demise. Hunger is the underlying cause of most of the disorders in children and women. Anemia and goiter in women and diseases like rickets, night blindness and even complete loss of vision occur in children due to improper nutrition.

Fight Hunger Foundation and ACF India have jointly launched a campaign in India titled ‘Generation nutrition program’. The report of ACF states that in the entire South Asia malnutrition is not as big a problem in any other country as it is in India. According to the report, 28% of the Scheduled Tribes, 21% of Scheduled Castes, 20% of Other Backward Classes, and 21% of the village community are forced to suffer the hazards of under-nourishment.

Malnutrition is the state in which the required balanced diet is not provided to the body for an extended period. This decreases the immunity, due to which the body quickly falls prey to diseases. According to the United Nations’, over one million children below the age of ﬁve die every year in India due to malnutrition. Along with reporting the death toll of children due to the non-availability of food, it also highlights the wastage of food in our country.

In the present time, malnutrition has become a cause of concern, even for the international community. This issue is so big that the World Bank has compared it to the epidemic, ‘Black Death,’ which led to the destruction of large proportion of European population. Generally, malnutrition is considered a medical issue, and most of us think that it is a subject of medicine. But it is a consequence of numerous socio-political issues. Our country does not suffer from a scarcity of food grains. The record stock of food grains is increasing year by year rapidly. But, a large proportion of food is being wasted simultaneously. The cereals produced in a year could not be stored properly due to the absence of proper storage facilities; neither does it reach the public easily. Most of the stored food either gets rotten and spoiled or is destroyed by the pests. Moreover, rotten food grains are sold out to

The position of India in South Asia regarding the incidents of malnutrition is one of the weakest even today. The surveys conducted in the states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have found that in the most poverty-stricken regions of the country, children are dying with hunger even today. The report also states that if proper attention could be paid to this issue and corrective measures are taken, these deaths can be stopped.

If you can’t feed a hundred people, then feed just one. - Mother Teresa 25

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alcohol manufacturing companies at throwaway prices. They are seldom used for satisfying the hunger of the masses.

the average daily intake of nutrients by an Indian rural person has reduced by 500 calories of grains, 15 grams of protein, 5-milligram iron, 250 mg calcium, and about 500 mg vitamin A as compared to the year 1975- 1979. This is the same India where about 70% of the population dwells in villages. If the amount of food items has decreased over time and people are suffering from malnutrition, then this can be a grave danger for our country.

Excessive hoarding of food grains leads to their scarcity in the market, and this increases food inflation, and thus, people could not buy them easily. The greatest ill-effect of inflation are borne by the people of lower and middle economic groups. Everyone experiences hunger, but the poor are helpless and often are not able to quench it easily. Do those who live in temporary houses, dwell in the roadside shelters and the children, elderly and others begging on the street get proper nutrition in their food? Definitely not. Such people are somehow able to have their meals and sustain their life.

The main meal of small children is milk. But due to the ever-increasing cost of milk, children are not getting it in the requisite quantities. According to the statistics, children below three years of age, on average, get only 80 ml of milk per day, while their requirement is 300 ml. Eradication of malnutrition is a gigantic task, but if the people of the country contribute to this cause it would no longer be a difﬁcult task. The most important requirement in this context is of the peasants because the war against poverty, hunger and malnutrition could not be won until and unless proper attention is given to agriculture.

What is the rate of malnutrition in our country? In order to get an estimate of this number one can analyze the data of the ratio of the height to the weight of the children. Today, over 21% of the children in our country are undernourished. In the entire world there are only three countriesDjibouti, Sri Lanka, and South Sudan, where over 20% of the children are malnourished. When 21% children of any country are suffering from malnutrition, then on what basis can a great economic future be predicted for it? This is a subject to ponder upon.

According to a recent study conducted in America, it has been revealed that the investment made in agriculture proves to be ﬁve times more effective in eradicating poverty than that which is invested in cities on building infrastructure. If we really want to put an end to hunger and malnutrition in our country by the year 2022, then we have to increase the investment in agriculture and encourage farming, while also making proper arrangements for taking the ﬁeldproduce to the people.

This issue is even more severe because, according to the report of National Nutrition Surveillance Bureau, the present standard of food in rural India is much lower than that which existed about forty years back. According to the report, today,

Overcoming poverty is not a task of charity; it is an act of justice. - Nelson Mandela AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

Yug Gita – 21

Lord is Teaching the Essence of Living a Sacriﬁcial Life In the previous episode, Lord Shri Krishna explained that we should perform actions with the spirit of ‘Paraspara® bh³vayanta¡’ (that is, helping one another to rise and grow). Let us again try to comprehend the core of the eleventh shloka of chapter 3 of the Gita.

for the global good. This is a universal truth. In fact, it is the Supreme Lord, present in all the beings, who enjoys the fruits of all the actions, yagya, tapa, etc. (Bhokt³ra® yajóataps³® sarvabh¿tamaheïvaram) and the same Lord is established in daily yagya. Knowingunderstanding this Lord is true Vedic knowledge. Lord Shri Krishna is explaining the essence of yagya to Arjuna to impart this very knowledge. Again and again, he is trying to explain that the core of satisfaction in life and actions is yagya, and that of contentment is consuming only yajóaavaïiÌta (leftover after yagya). The one who goes against this principle, and works only to achieve selﬁsh ends, and enjoys the fruits of actions is a sinner.

Dev³n bh³vayat³nena te dev³ bh³vayantu va¡ Ð Paraspara® bh³vayanta¡ ïreya¡ param av³psyatha H 11/3H (Meaning: With this (yagya), you nourish the gods, and may the gods nourish you; thus nourishing one another, you will attain supreme good.) These words have been caused to be said by Lord Brahma like an order. Whenever the human community has worked selﬂessly, or for the common good, the natural forces too have cooperated fully. That is, if the actions are performed with the spirit of yagya, then a miraculous change is observed in the external environment also. The latter automatically transforms accordingly.

Symbolically, Lord is explaining that the offerings given in the yagya to the gods present in the three lokas (Bhu¡ loka – Earth, Bhuva¡ loka – Heaven, and Sva¡ loka – Entire space), ultimately reach the Supreme Lord. Similarly, there are three lokas within a human being – the physical body - Bhu¡ loka, pr³na (vitality) - Bhuva¡ loka, and mind - Sva¡ loka. In this way, we not only purify the surrounding environment but also energize and control our mind-body system by conducting yagya. If our actions are noble and we are performing them with the spirit of yagya, then our inner-selves will be reﬁned, and we will enjoy

It is the external natural forces that are surrounding us in the form of divine powers. On getting pleased, they bless us. They cooperate and protect the community that works unitedly

Find a purpose to serve, not a lifestyle to live. - Criss Jami 27

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a stress-free and blissful life. Lord is advising Arjuna to take up the arms against Kauravas because this is the action ﬁlled with the spirit of yagya. Param Pujya Gurudev, too, gave the reins of ‘Thought Revolution’ in our hands and said – this is ‘Yugdharma’ (the religion of the present times). Pujyawar stressed more on the need for living a sacriﬁcial life than performing external ritualistic yagya. He said – ‘Keep the spirit of Ida® na mam while performing an action.’ All our activities related to ‘Yug Nirman Yojana’ have been termed by Pujyawar as ‘Yugyagya – Gyanyagya’ (Ref – page 46 of Pragya Abhiyan Nov-Dec. 1982).

those sinners eat only sin.’ (Shlokas 12 and 13 of Chapter 3) If someone tries to pocket the beneﬁts obtained by the collective efforts of many people (Tairdatt³n aprad³yaibhyo yo bhuòkte), then according to Lord, he should be called a thief (stena eva sa¡) (second line of 12/3). Wealth earned by collective efforts should be distributed equally among the participants. This is the spiritual socialism of Lord Shri Krishna. Possibly this eighth Avatar, right from his childhood, revolted against the policy of Kansa that all the milk-butter should go to the ruler. He presented an example that no one has the right to exploit society. The one who grabs the collective gains should undoubtedly be called a thief, fallen, ignoble. This is the opinion of the Lord.

In the next two shlokas, Lord says – ‘The gods, nourished by the Yagya, will give you the desired objects. So, he who enjoys the objects given by the gods without offering (in return) to them, is certainly a thief. The righteous, who eat of the remnants of the Yagya are freed from all sins, but those who cook food (only) for their consumption,

The society in the ‘Era of Truth’ as envisaged by Param Pujya Gurudev, too, would endorse this fact. He wrote several times – ‘There would

While the battle of Kurushetra was at its peak, Arjuna and Karna were fighting each other. Arjuna would shoot his arrows, and the impact of these arrows would be so much that Karna’s chariot would go back by 25–30 feet. Karna was no less. When he shot arrows, Arjuna’s chariot would also shake and go back by 3–4 feet. Krishna would applaud Karna every time his arrow hit Arjuna’s chariot. But not once did He praise Arjuna’s skills. At the end of the day, Arjuna asked Krishna: “Oh Lord, I have shot so many arrows at Karna’s chariot, it was being displaced like a feather in the wind, but not once did you appreciate me. Rather, you would appreciate his skill despite his arrows just displacing my chariot a little”. Krishna smiled and replied, “Oh, Arjuna, remember, your chariot is protected by Hanuman at the top of your flag, Me as your charioteer in the front and by Sheshnag at its wheels, yet the whole chariot would still sway and displace whenever the valiant Karna hit us with his arrows. But Karna’s chariot is not protected by any such force, he is on his own, yet he fights valiantly”. Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals. - Martin Luther King Jr.

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

not be any rich or poor in a society that lives a sacriﬁcial life. Everyone would have the right to use natural resources wisely. The world would get liberated from the policy of forcible exploitation when the exploiting community/nation gets punished by natural disasters.’ In November 1988 issue of Akhand Jyoti (Hindi) magazine, in which he announced ‘Yugsandhi Mahapurshcharan,’ he wrote, ‘The entire governance in the New Era of Truth would be based on unity and equality. ….The ideal of ‘Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam’ would be implemented in the form of socialism, collectivism, organization-uniﬁcation, etc.’ (pages 52-53)

samagri offered in the yagya ﬁre gets vaporized, and the vapors are shared by all. Ghee (clariﬁed butter) dropped in Praneeta Patra (in Yagya) is given to all the Yajaks for rubbing on their bodies. All yajaks apply bhasma on their forehead, throat, right shoulder, and heart. Whatever Prasad (kheer, sweets, etc.) is left out after yagya, is distributed to all. Thus the spirit of this ritualistic yagya is ‘Sarvatobhaven samarpan.’ This is not limited to rituals alone. Lord says, ‘This spirit should get imbibed in our breath.’ Unless we understand this philosophy, we will not be able to comprehend the essence of ‘mucyante sarvakilbiÌai¡,’ which talks of liberating the Yajak of all his sins.

In the modern parlance of consumerism, how befitting is the ideal of Shri Krishna and the concept of the golden age of Param Pujya Gurudev? It is the consequence of disobedience of the message of Yogeshwar Krishna that today the world is facing the flood of natural disasters. In the blind race of so-called progress and modern civilization, people have to face challenges of all kinds. The drama of tussle being enacted between different countries is the result of non-compliance with Nature’s policy of yagya (give and take, care and share). The process of western consumerism and globalization starts with the exploitation of natural resources and reaches human hearts. It increases the number of people in the society who deny the due share of eligible persons and use it themselves. This ruthless tendency flourishes in society, the shape of which can be seen with wide-open eyes in today’s world.

When Lord Krishna says that saints consume only the remnants of yagya (YajóaïiÌÚ³ïina¡ santo), he means to say that in any industrious community people working cooperatively and selflessly distribute the produce (the outcome of their work) among themselves. Such selfless people continuously work towards getting rid of their social debt, and hence they are saved from the sin of social theft. This way, they also get rid of the passions of sensual pleasures and achieve the ultimate goal of soul-realization. This is the best art of living according to Hindu socialism. This is also an ideal Indian Culture. Hinduism professes that Earth is our Mother and we are Her sons/daughters (M³t³ bh¿mi¡ putro´ha® p•thivy³¡). Under such a situation, we will all benefit from a collective endeavor. As we have discussed earlier, the Lord considers selfless people engaged in social welfare to be righteous, and those who cook food for themselves only (ye

It is said that the remnants of yagya are distributed equally among the participants. The havan

When you go in search of honey, you must expect to be stung by bees. - Joseph Joubert 29

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pacanty³tma k³rañ³t) to be sinners. The greedy people knit the web of their business for achieving selﬁsh ends; they don’t bother for others. They are not affected by the problems of society. They are always inclined towards evil tendencies; therefore, in return, they get unrest and agitation of mind. Param Pujya Gurudev has rightly called them Narpashu (humans with animal tendencies). He has advised us to become Devmanav (a divine being) from Narmanav (a human being). How? Then the formula is the same – Deploy your resources and skills in social welfare/service and learn to live like a perfect artist.

Ann³dbhavanti bh¿t³ni parjayny³dannasambhava¡ Ð Yajó³dbhavati parjanyo yajóa¡ karmasamudbhava¡ H (14/3) Karma brahmodbhava® viddhi brahm³kÌarsamudbhavam Ð Tasm³tsarvagata® brahma nitya® yajóe pratiÌÚhitam H (15/3) Meaning – All creatures come into being from food, and food is produced from rains; rains occur from yagya, and yagya is born of selﬂess action. One should understand that such actions originate from Vedic scriptures, and Vedic scriptures originate from the Supreme Lord. Therefore, the all-pervading (Brahma) eternally rests in yagya.

In this chapter, the Lord has given a touching explanation of ‘Yagyakarma’ to his disciple, Hindu Prince Arjuna. The incarnated Guru, in the Vedantic language, called the fire of yagya to be Brahmagni – the power to take the yajak towards Brahma. This is the fire of self-knowledge, the crest of yagya-fire of self–surrender; the remnant of this yagya is divinity or the ‘Somras’ (nectar) providing the bliss of immortality. It is a divine task; it is Havya, where every action is devoted to the reconstruction of society and its welfare. Consuming the residue of this kind of yagya leads to self-realization and, ultimately, Godrealization. How beautiful is the explanation of Lord Krishna to Arjuna? He says that yagya is the only principle of world; without yagya nothing could be gained in this world or the other world. This knowledge is being imparted to Arjuna for a specific purpose. Lord is teaching him the core of the art of living in the form of a sacrificial life. With this aim, Lord is conveying the central point in the following two shlokas –

Lord Shri Krishana, like an expert teacher, is establishing new dimensions for step by step teaching of his disciple Arjuna. In order that Arjuna learns selfless – God-dedicated karma and after imbibing implements this ideal in the field, Lord has considered it essential to explain the eternal cycle of karma, giving the example of yagya. This is the right policy to orient a youth, with a scientific mindset, like Arjuna. The anna (food) that is mentioned in shloka 14/3, by the Lord refers to all the material objects that are consumed or used by the senses. These objects are needed to augment the vital energy of people. Now, these materials are produced by the parjanya. The meaning of parjanya is not the usual rains; it is the shower of vitality. Such rains occur when the environment is favorable. So when does this parjanya rain? Shri Krishna says these are caused by yagya. This yagya, too, is not the usual ritual with the utterings of swaha. It

The happiness of love is in action; its test is what one is willing to do for others. - Lew Wallace AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

refers to the collective effort done with a selﬂess motive for the welfare of the society.

Vivekananda, Sri Aurobindo, Param Pujya Gurudev, etc. kept working till their last breath. These are the legends to be emulated.

What is the essence of Lord’s saying – ‘Yajó³dbhavati parjanya¡’? This means that a favorable environment is formed for raining parjanya when cooperative, selﬂess actions are performed for global welfare (yajóa¡ karmasamudbhava¡). When the parjanya rains, the anna (food) contains prana (vitality), and the people consuming that anna possess prana (energy) in large amounts. This is the cycle of Nature. This has been called yagya by Lord Krishna.

The voice of Lord that has appeared regarding yagya is educating about the culture of yagya; it is the central point of Indian dharma – spirituality. He is conveying that a human being should not remain confined to physical requirements. The ritual is merely the vehicle of emotions. Yagya is not a ritual; it is a cycle of continuous selfless activity. Where does this selfless action bear? Lord says in the fifteenth shloka that such actions originate from Vedic scriptures, and Vedic scriptures originate from the Supreme Lord. Concluding thus Lord says that the all-pervading (Brahma) eternally rests in yagya; that is, God is always present in the collective endeavor done for global welfare (Tasm³tsarvagata® brahma nitya® yajóe pratiÌÚhitam). We should realize this truth.

When we assume yagya to be a ritual, we cannot understand the hidden meaning of Nature’s yagya in the form of the ecological cycle. The crux of yagya is selfless action. Every great man has to do it. Param Pujya Gurudev used to write six hours daily. With this lifelong endeavor, he wrote 3200 books that weigh five times his weight. What was the need to write so many books? Every great man has to engage in selfless work to give an example to others.

Param Pujya Gurudev said – ‘Thought revolution is the urgent need of our times. It is the master key that can open the doors of the golden future for humanity (page 48, November 1988 issue of Hindi Akhand Jyoti). This thought revolution will be possible by the development of talents, spreading virtuous thoughts, and the genesis of superconsciousness that will be generated by the collective arduous penance (page 51, December 1988 issue of Akhand Jyoti).’ A 12-year long (1988-2000) Yug-Sandhi Mahapurashcharan was performed collectively for this purpose. This is an excellent example of a selﬂess collective endeavor for global welfare. [To be continued]

There was one Swamiji named Hari Maharaj in Ramakrishna mission. Later he was renamed as Swami Turyananda. Once, he was giving a discourse in Benaras. One foreigner in the audience asked – ‘Define spirituality in one line.’ He replied – ‘Engage in regular selfless activity, be an example to be emulated.’ If we can understand this definition of spirituality, then while doing our work, we will realize what it is to be ‘aaptakam’ (the one whose all the desires have been fulfilled). Great men like Aadya Shankaracharya, Swami

Follow your passion, be prepared to work hard and sacriﬁce, and, above all, don’t let anyone limit your dreams. - Donovan Bailey 31

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

Peace Pilgrim’s Wisdom – 21

The Way of Peace – II There is no greater block to world peace, or inner peace, than fear. It has led us to manufacture implements of mass destruction. What we fear we tend to develop an unreasonable hatred for -so we come to hate and fear. This not only injures us psychologically and aggravates world tensions, but through such negative concentration, we tend to attract the things which we fear. If we fear nothing and radiate love, we can expect good things to come. How much this world needs the message and the example of love and faith!

good wherever we find it. You can only expect to change one nation-your own. After your nation has changed itself, the example may inspire other nations to change themselves. If any influential country had the great spiritual strength to lay down its arms and appear with clean hands before the world, the world would be changed. I see no evidence that any influential nation has such great spiritual strength and courage. Therefore disarmament will be a slow process, motivated by the wish to survive.

Peace and freedom! These things shall be! How soon these things shall be - whether now or whether after great destruction and new beginnings and eons of time - is up to us!

The darkness that we see in our world today is due to the disintegration of things out of harmony with God’s laws. The basic conflict is not between nations, it is between two opposing beliefs. The first is that evil can be overcome by more evil, that the end justifies the means. This belief is very prevalent in our world today. It is the war way. It is the official position of every major nation.

Much research and experimentation need to be done on peaceful ways of resolving conﬂicts. We can work as groups, or as an individual right where we are, undertaking speciﬁc peace projects, commending and strengthening the

It’s important that what thoughts you are feeding into your mind because your thoughts create your beliefs and experiences. You have positive thoughts, and you have negative ones too. Nurture your mind with positive thoughts: kindness, empathy, compassion, peace, love, joy, humility, generosity, etc. The more you feed your mind with positive thoughts, the more you can attract great things into your life. - Roy T. Bennett Nobody can bring you peace but yourself. - Ralph Waldo Emerson AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

Then there is the way that was taught two thousand years ago - of overcoming evil with good, which is my way, the way God taught. Never lose faith: God’s way is bound to prevail in the end.

I don’t believe the nations would or should give up other rights. People have the most control over their affairs at a grass-roots level. Anything that can be fairly and efﬁciently handled at a grassroots level should be thus handled, and only delegated to a higher authority when necessary.

In order for the world to become peaceful, people must become more peaceful. Among mature people war would not be a problem - it would be impossible. In their immaturity people want, at the same time, peace and the things which make war. However, people can mature just as children grow up.Yes, our institutions and our leaders reﬂect our immaturity, but as we mature we will elect better leaders and set up better institutions. It always comes back to the thing so many of us wish to avoid: working to improve ourselves.

The United Nations would have as its job maintaining a peaceful situation in the world. As long as we remain immature the UN would have a police force to deal with individual offenders against the peace of the world-by removing them, I would hope, for their rehabilitation. Also it should have an unarmed peace force to deal with war prevention. While our nation can deal with problems like inadequate food supply, the UN would have to deal with issues like a country striving for freedom-and freedom is now the desire of all human hearts.

The sanctuary of peace dwells within. Seek it out and all things will be added to you. We’re coming closer and closer to the time when enough of us will have found inner peace to affect our institutions for the better. And as soon as this happens the institutions will in turn, through example, affect for the better those who are still immature.

I once said to a woman who believed in war and Christian values: “On the one hand you talk about Christian values, on the other hand, you say, ‘Isn’t force the only deterrent they respect?’ This has been our trouble down through the ages-we have given only lip service to Christian values, and lived by the jungle law of tooth and claw. We have quoted ‘Be not overcome of evil, overcome evil with good’ and then attempted to overcome evil with more evil, thereby multiplying the evil. We worship God but have no faith in the working of God’s laws of love. The world awaits the living of the law of love, which will reach the divine within all human beings and transform them.”

Peace will probably come to the world in the same way as it has come to our land. Out of the chaos of civil war, Indian wars and the duels of hundreds of years ago has come order. Mechanisms have been set up to avoid physical violence, while psychological violence still endures.The smaller units, the states, have given up to the larger unit, the United States, the right to make war. Yes, I think the time will come when the smaller units, the nations, will give up to the larger unit, the United Nations, one single right: the right to make war.

The pastor of a large Canadian church, who had recently returned from a visit to the Orient, told

Peace is liberty in tranquility. - Marcus Tullius Cicero 33

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Now, when the Germans occupied France, the French would often kill the German soldier who was patrolling and then the Germans would wipe out the whole block in retaliation. When the Germans marched into Denmark, the Danish people began a program of non-cooperation. You know, they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach-many Danish people actually used that way. They would say to the German soldier who was patrolling,

me that the Buddhists are sending two thousand missionaries to convert the Christians to the way of non-violence! During World War II, an American Sunday School teacher who was in the Paciﬁc had captured a Japanese soldier. In marching the soldier to camp, the American discovered that his prisoner spoke English. “You know what,” said the Japanese soldier. “I was once a Christian.” The American deliberated a moment and then said, “Why did you give up Christianity?” A look of surprise came upon the Japanese soldier, and he answered with a puzzled expression, “How can I be a soldier and still be a Christian?” What people do not realize is that nonviolence can be applied in all situations, including World War II. I met four of the Danish people who used the way of nonviolence and love in World War II, and it was a wonderful story.

“As a representative of the Nazi Government, you have no right to be here anymore than we would have the right to be in your land, but you are also a young man far from home. Maybe you’re homesick, and if you as a fellow human being would like to take off your gun belt and come in and share our evening meal with us, you are welcome.” It usually didn’t take more than one try. After that the German soldier would get

There once lived a king who announced to prize the artist who would paint the best painting depicting peace. Many great painters sent their best art pieces. One of the pictures was of a calm lake perfectly mirroring peacefully towering snow-capped mountains. Over that was a clear blue sky with ﬂuffy clouds. The picture was perfect. Most of the people who viewed the entries of various artists thought that it was the best among all. But when the king announced the winner, everyone was shocked. The picture which won the prize had a mountain too, but it was rugged and bare. The sky looked very angry; there was lightning. This did not look peaceful at all. It looked like the artist has mistakenly submitted his painting depicting storm rather than peace. But if anyone looked closely at the painting, he could see a tiny bush growing in the cracks in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. Amid the rush of stormy weather, the bird sat on her nest with peace. Peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise or trouble. Peace means to be in the midst of all the chaos and still be calm in the heart.

Peace brings with it so many positive emotions that it is worth aiming for in all circumstances. - Estella Eliot AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

to thinking, “Gee, these are nice people. What are we doing here?” The Danes also used nonviolent ways to protect the Jewish people in Denmark.

befriended by the English people, and eventually got to the United States. Now obviously this represents the most amazing victory of the spirit under the most difﬁcult circumstances you could possibly imagine. It also illustrates something else. Who or what was that woman’s enemy? Was it the English who destroyed her home and killed her parents, or the Germans who killed her husband, or the Americans who injured her and killed her two small children? The answer is amazingly obvious: it was war that was her real enemy. It was the false belief that violence will accomplish something, that evil can be overcome by more evil. That was her real enemy, and it’s the real enemy of all mankind.

I met a Jewish woman who had been married and living with her parents in Germany under Hitler at the time of World War II. She was married when she was sixteen. Her ﬁrst child was born when she was seventeen and the second when she was eighteen. She was nineteen when three things happened to her. The ﬁrst: her home was destroyed and her parents killed by an English bomb. I guess they thought they were liberating her. The second thing that happened: her husband was taken away by the Nazis, and she assumed he was dead because she never heard from him again. The third thing that happened: she was injured and her two small children were killed by an American bomb. When I saw her she still carried the effects of the injury. Again, we were ‘liberating’ her.

Just as a human soul that faces great difﬁculties also faces great opportunities for spiritual growth, so a human society that faces destruction also faces the opportunity to enter a period of renaissance. I think that, barring an accident, the wish to survive will keep us from a nuclear war. And I think both sides will change. We will move toward more economic and social democracy, and they will move toward more political and individual democracy. The ideal society has yet to be built-one which balances nicely collective well-being and individual well-being.

In her injured condition she wandered round and round with the refugees. Sometimes extenuating circumstances make you take a spiritual leap. She began thinking, ‘They have injured and even destroyed our bodies, but they have injured their own souls, and that is worse.’ She was able to feel compassion and pray for all connected with the situation, the killed and the killer. She was able to maintain such a good attitude that she was befriended by German people, who at the risk of their lives, got her to England where she was

[To be continued]

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

Before you call yourself a Christian, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu or any other theology, learn to be human ﬁrst. - Shannon L. Alder 35

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

Pollution-free Air - A Necessity for Human Survival Fresh and pollution-free air, to breathe, is a necessity for every human being on this earth. However, as per the recent reports, entire environment is hugely polluted all over the world. Now, the question is how to get fresh and pollution-free air for our survival. Human beings can survive without food for some time, but without pure air, life would be in danger.

our body receives a sufﬁcient quantity of oxygen through blood circulation. It is considered that we receive 95% energy in our physical system by oxygen and only 10% by food and water. Oxygen level below 90% in the physical body is known as hypoxia, means a low oxygen level, which results in various kinds of diseases. Cancer is one major disease caused by hypoxia.

The air we inhale contains, by volume, 78.08% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen and small amounts of argon, carbon dioxide, neon, helium, and hydrogen [according to “Earth Fact Sheet” nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov]. Our physical body works well only in the situation when every organ of

Plants are the best source of oxygen in our environment. Tiny ocean plants – called phytoplankton, that live near the water’s surface and drift with the currents, are the major contributors. Like all plants, they photosynthesize – that is, they use sunlight and carbon dioxide

Why should I care if your children die from dirty water; polluted air; CFCs in the environment; plastic in everything that they ingest and breath; radiation from microwave towers, communication networks and mobile phones; radiation from nuclear fallout and artiﬁcial microbes bred for speciﬁc uses? You don’t? Otherwise, if you did care, you would actually get off your seats and do something. But you don’t. You just sit back and let everything happen because you believe that you can’t make a difference, but the truth is; everyone can make a difference if there is enough of us. It’s time to put greed aside and start living with the knowledge that you can make a difference. - Anthony T. Hincks You wouldn’t think you could kill an ocean, would you? But we’ll do it one day. That’s how negligent we are. - Ian Rankin AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

creates red blood cells. Psychiatrists recommend morning walk to get rid of problems like anxiety and depression. Doctors recommend morning walk for asthma and TB patients or any other type of lung-related issues. Those who face the problem of sleeplessness, morning walk is considered the best remedy.

to make food. A byproduct of photosynthesis is oxygen. It is believed that phytoplankton contribute between 50 to 85 percent of the oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere. Indian plants/trees like Peepal (Ficus Religiosa), Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum), Neem (Azadirachta Indica), and Banyan tree (Ficus Benghalensis) provide more oxygen than other terrestrial plants.

The amount of total oxygen required for one person to breathe for one full year is considered to be equivalent to the amount of oxygen released by ﬁve big size trees. However, ratio of plants, trees, and human beings has been disturbed in today’s world due to cutting of trees from the forests and urban areas, resulting in polluted air and diseased society.

The human body needs a certain level of oxygen for its functioning. Low oxygen levels in the physical system result in difﬁculty in breathing. Besides many vital organs, like liver, brain, and kidney stop functioning correctly due to the lack of sufﬁcient amount of oxygen and results in various kinds of physical ailments.

Oxygen is a precious gift from nature to human beings. To increase the quantity of precious oxygen, it is essential to keep the earth green. Air is hugely polluted in the cities due to limited number of plants in the environment. The number of concrete houses is more than the number of plants in urban areas. Even the forests are being converted into cities these days due to increasing population. Further, there is no replacement for trees, which are destroyed. We must understand the importance of plants and trees in our lives. We must keep a balance of plants, trees and concrete buildings in our surroundings, where we live.

Oxygen is not required just for the functioning of different organs but also their growth. Therefore right diet is essential to achieve higher level of oxygen in the blood circulation. For example sprouted food contains lots of ﬁber. Similarly, raisin, dates, carrot, ginger and green vegetables include lots of antioxidants. Fruits full of vitamins and herbs with high level of iron help in absorbing more and more oxygen in our blood. Another great source of oxygen is water, and hence drinking a sufﬁcient quantity of water is vital to acquire more oxygen in the blood. Morning walk and deep breathing are other sources of increasing the oxygen level in the physical body, improve blood circulation, and energize entire mind-body system. Bones and muscles become strong with regular walking. Fresh air received during morning walk also

For our healthy body and mind, our environment must be clean. As we have discussed above, plants and trees play very important role in harmonizing our mind-body system. Therefore, if we save plants, they will save our lives.

The health effects of air pollution imperil human lives. This fact is welldocumented. - Eddie Bernice Johnson 37

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

Odyssey of the Enlightened – 68

Auspicious Impressions of Sacred Energy – 3 Swami Akhandanand knew young Shriram as a devout sadhaka of Gayatri who was a great tapaswi as well. He was also aware that the latter was the editor of a unique magazine of scientiﬁc spirituality named “Akhand Jyoti.” Swamiji was himself associated with a magazine of Hindu Philosophy and Culture named “Kalyan” that was published by Gita Press, Gorakhpur. He had been here to look after the expansion of his ashram in Vrindavan. He used to give discourse on Bhagvat Katha, in spite of taking sannyasa. Some fundamentalists were against him, as ‘traditionally,’ so they argued, a Sannyasi should not narrate the Bhagvat Katha. Some of them still used to address him by his original, i.e., pre-sannyasa name that was “Shantanu Bihari Dwivedi”.

In Katara Keshavdev: The other day, Swami Akhandanand Saraswati was telling Shriram – ‘Mathura’s ancient name is “Madhura” or Madhuvan. Our Puranas (scriptures of Hindu mythology) also cite a great deal about it; for example ‘Punyam Madhuvan Yatra Sannidhvam Nityada Hare’; meaning: the supreme pious Hari – Lord Vishnu/Lord Krishna (His grace) pervades everywhere in Madhuvan. This old city and its palaces were located mainly in Katara Keshavdev, a village near present town of Mathura. Lord Krishna was born here, so the grand temple as mark of this divine event should also be established here.’ Shriram had earlier met Swamiji at the time of some religious discourse in that region. Swamiji was an eminent scholar of Vedant and Bhaktimarg and an expert orator of Bhagvat Katha. He was an honored Acharya of Hinduism those days. He also was among the leaders who had proposed the construction of Krishna Janmabhumi Temple in 1950. He was actively pursuing the progress of this work.

When Shriram asked him about the suitable site, then he said – ‘It would be better if you consult some great saint for this. I don’t feel conﬁdent to suggest anything at this moment.’ But he did offer a collaborative and supportive hand to Shriram’s efforts. His simplicity and modesty touched some chord in Shriram’s heart. While they were talking, someone suddenly entered his room calling “Dwivediji”…, “Dwivediji”….. He appeared an old associate of Swamiji. He informed something in Swamiji’s ears. Okay! Swamiji said and sent him with some other

When Swamiji’s information on the temple’s site paused a bit, Shriram told him about the purpose of his visit. “We would like to develop a Centre for Gayatri Sadhana in Mathura. Kindly guide us in ﬁnding a suitable place for it”.

Believe in your inﬁnite potential. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself. - Roy T. Bennett AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

instructions. Then he turned towards Shriram and said – “I don’t understand why some people in our society, who are part of religious activities, do not like others taking up a similar task. You want to spread the light of righteous thinking by propagating Gayatri Upasana. Why should people have any problem with that? But I know, people have been opposing you. Many of the Hindu priests and swamis themselves are also against my efforts of constructing Lord Krishna’s temple”.

Swamiji wanted to know about Shriram’s guru. They both discussed for nearly half-an-hour about the purpose and plans of the tasks that his guru had assigned to Shriram. Then Swamiji himself said that you must do these farsighted projects independently. He further advised “Shri Ramkrishna Dasji who owns this land for Krishna Janma Bhumi temple is reaching here day after tomorrow. He may be able to help you in locating the kind of land you have in mind”. Shri Ramkrishna Dasji owned the land where Krishna Janma Bhumi temple stands at present. His ancestor King Parnimal had purchased it from the East India Company in 1815. How the ancient temple marking Lord Krishna’s birthplace here, was destroyed by invaders in the 17th Century, is a separate issue (It is out-of-context here). The land had remained disputed thereafter. When, as part of British colonization, the East India Company took charge of Mathura, this land in Katara Keshavdev also became part of its estate. Except the Idgaah region the company auctioned all other pieces of land here. King Parnimal of Benaras purchased it. He wanted to see a majestic temple standing at the site of the original temple. However, his dream could not be materialized for nearly 150 years. His descendants had to face a long battle in the court before ﬁnally getting the rights of the land.

With this, he hinted that the two (he and Shriram) should support each other. He also proposed that Shriram should join hands with his temple project and continue expanding the knowledge of Gayatri through this platform. Swamiji offered some land on the same premises where Shriram could pursue his activities making use of his literary brilliance and potentials of tapa. There was nothing wrong with the proposal. In a way, considering the opposition Shriram was facing from the religious bodies there, the proposed arrangement was attractive as it would have made things easier for him. But somehow he felt that the in-depth research on Gayatri Mahavidya could not be carried out independently under such collaboration. He appreciated Swamiji’s offer but turned it down politely, saying – ‘I am with you for the grand initiative you have taken for construction of temple at Lord Krishna’s birthplace. However, following my divine Guru’s instructions, I will focus my work only on Gayatri Mahavidya.’

Swami Akhandanandji was keen on helping Shriram. He was quite hopeful that Ramkrishna Dasji would give the land for Gayatri Sadhana center without any hassle. He was very

The possession of knowledge does not kill the sense of wonder and mystery. There is always more mystery. - Anais Nin 39

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

the center (ashram) there as the temple will be developed like a tirtha, so there is going to be a cheerful ambience of religious fete every day in and around the temple. Someone else suggested that we must make full payment for that piece of land; it should not be accepted as a gift or with special discounts. Someone favored different area. Three days passed this way! No place could be ﬁnalized from among the ten-twelve sites seen so far. The night before the day of arrival of Mr. Ramkrishna Das passed in contemplation on various options.

impressed by Shriram’s sagacious views that Bhagvat is a representative of Eternal (Sanatan) philosophy of Hinduism. And that the twelve Skandhas (Chapters) of this holy treatise are expansions of the sublime knowledge enfolded in speciﬁc syllables and sonic vibrations of the Gayatri Mantra. Laboratory, Not Merely a Building! Swami Akhandanandji had also praised Shriram’s determination to make the knowledge and practice of Gayatri Upasana reach in every house. Although, like most Brahmins and masters of Vedic texts those days, he regarded that Gayatri Mantra should not be chanted by anyone except the dwijas. But he also was able to see that this conviction was not relevant in today’s society. His mind did see the rationality in Shriram’s views that all sincere seekers of spirituality should be allowed to do Gayatri Upasana and Yagya. But his convictions and lifelong habit somehow prevented him from openly supporting Shriram’s venture of allowing every aspirant to chant the holy Gayatri Mantra. But he did not discourage the young, radiant sadhaka and agreed that everybody had a right to seek Almighty God as per the depth and intensity of one’s faith and devotion.

Usually, Shriram would sleep at 8 pm and get up at 1 am – hours before dawn of the day. But that night even his minimal sleep quota remained unfilled. His mind was engaged in thinking about the ashram. Arguments and counter-arguments on pros and cons of available sites kept it occupied till late night. Without sleeping or taking proper rest for a moment, he got up at 1 am as usual and set for upasana after bathing. Soon he went into deep meditation. The rising sun, the focus of concentration in the forehead, suddenly appeared thousand times brighter and grand. Like a gigantic fireball its flames (radiations) seemed to spread beyond the limits of space. All smog of confusion and (mental) obscurity vanished in no time.

Shriram’s search for suitable land was on. Those days, discussions at home as well revolved around this issue. Everybody had his/her views for or against the land on the premises of ongoing construction of Krishna Janmabhumi Temple. Someone thought it would be good to have

His inner-consciousness reached the high realm of supreme light within. The existence of the agile mind had immersed in a deep trance. By the time he came out of this trance, it was already the peak of forenoon. The sun had risen in the sky. Shriram felt exceptionally energetic despite a sleepless

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. - Pierre Teilhard de Chardin AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

other religious and devotional activities. However, the center I have been guided to develop will be located in some forest region outside the Mathura city. I would proceed further as and when I receive more details.”

night before. All the mental struggle of thoughts concerning the Ashram site had disappeared. His mind was feeling enthused and empowered with supreme conﬁdence. His angelic guide within had assured him that the right place would be found at the right time; there is no hurry; he should simply continue with his efforts smoothly. Shriram also got a sublime vision of how the site would look like.

Swamiji’s listened to Shriram seriously and expressed his best wishes. Then the two discussed many topics of religion and culture. They both shared the concern about the misconceptions pervading in the present times about spirituality and sadhana-upasana. They talked about the need to bring true knowledge in light via suitable literature, development of gurukuls, training of dedicated propagators who would disseminate it among the masses, etc.

Around 10:30 am the same morning, Shriram went to Swami Akhandanand’s place. Swamiji welcomed him with cheers and said – “Oh, I was waiting for you! There is good news for all of us. When I spoke to Shri Ramkrishna Das regarding your objective and plans, he immediately agreed to give you desired piece of land in Katara Keshavdev. Dasji has also left it entirely up to you and me how we implement this new project. So now your center will be near the temple premises!”

Swamiji thought that traditional practices should be preserved with minimal modiﬁcations as per changing times. Shriram warned that drastic changes are stored in the pocket of time, which may shake up the cultural values upside down. There is a risk of complete blockage of the light of the conscience among mankind, and that means extinction of humanity itself. So there is an utmost need to protect people from this selfdisaster. This, he considered can be achieved by bridging the gap between the ancient (spiritual culture) and the modern (material based science). Their discussion continued for more than two hours. They had to close it because of other scheduled tasks. They planned to meet again for charting out collaborative efforts in this regard and then Shriram returned to Ghiya Mandi.

With a pause of a few moments, Shriram thanked Swamiji for his kind help and encouragement. Then he humbly conveyed, in view of the angelic message received during meditation early morning, “The center has to be a kind of aranyaka. The inspiration I received till now suggests that the proposed center be outside the town and near the banks of river Yamuna. So I think I will not be able to construct it here. No doubt! This temple-site where Lord Krishna was born and its surroundings are worthy of worship, and I sincerely respect your idea and advice. Your ashram here may also preach the philosophy of Vedmata Gayatri along with

[To be continued]

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, concerned citizens can change world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Mead 41

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

Youth Column

How to Become an Expert Speaker? Everyone desires to be an expert speaker, the one who can create an impact on the audience from the stage and leave a lasting impression of one’s personality on the listeners. But very few can achieve this end. Many ﬁnd the task of public speaking tough. The primary reason for this is the fear of facing the audience. This fear could be due to many reasons, but with adequate practice all these can be handled one by one. So, here are a few tips that can help overcome the fear of audience and develop excellent oratory skills.

otherwise the outcome won’t be satisfying. The research also focuses on collating references, quotes, anecdotes and examples etc. related to the topic which make the talk engrossing for others. The other advantage of this research is that it infuses conﬁdence in the speaker that he has sufﬁcient material now which would be useful for the audiences or which they do not know enough yet. 3. Know the audience well - It is useful to know what is the level, way of thinking, the needs, and the problems of the audience. If this is understood, the quality of talk can get matched up with their standard. Otherwise, a talk given without knowing the mental level of listeners could turn out to be a futile exercise and may not yield any positive outcome.

1. Grasp on the subject – This is the most crucial aspect. Deciding on the subject of the talk is the ﬁrst point. If there is a deep understanding of the chosen topic, the task of speaking becomes easier. Jumping on to stage and speaking without a good knowledge of the matter is unwise. This would display one’s immaturity and may even lead to earning ridicule of audience. The need for a good hold on the subject should not be taken lightly.

4. Practice regularly – Practice plays a vital role. Unless a regular order of practice is established, a person would avoid speaking in public. After one or two failed attempts the person gives up trying as well. It is only the strong will power which has the capability to convert each challenge of oration into a great opportunity. The fear of public speaking is actually self-created; it is often due to laziness or negligence, or attempts to evade occasions of public speaking. The only way out is to

2. Make an outline of the talk - Clarity is needed about the overall plan of the talk and of ideas that need to be conveyed which are related to the subject and which can be stitched together. These often take time to collate and organize; but this is a very important step. An elaborate and deep study of the topic is necessary, for

You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart. – John Ford AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

face each such occasion and not evade it, and make the best use of the opportunity. Stage fear can be overcome with courage; this is the only way to gradually improve one’s capability of speaking in public.

self-conﬁdence. However, even if one has fear and anxiety in mind before or during the talk, it is possible to slowly train and improve body language by facing audience with selfdetermination. Theatrical acting with selfconﬁdence helps in this. When behavior gets ready, the thoughts and emotions also begin to follow. Effective oration requires good communication skills as well which also can be gained by continuous practice.

5. Train yourself - There are many ways to train yourself, like, while standing in front of a mirror, or on the roof, or in the ﬁeld, or near the bank of a river. It is also possible to practice lying down in bed or sitting on a chair with closed eyes or in a meditative state. Whatever method you chose for practicing, always assume that the audience is in front of you. Such a visualization would impart conﬁdence that you can face the audience. Similarly, it is possible to practice the talk in the form of discussion about the various points of the talk with friends or in a group.

7. Be aware of your thoughts during presentation - It is important to be aware about your own thoughts and feelings during oration, which ensures a steady improvement in the art of delivery. Watching own expressions, style and inner state during oration is an important process to learn more about yourself, and is an attempt to overcome fear with awareness. Being aware helps in knowing where the mistakes happen and which aspect requires improvement, and what new dimensions need to be added to oratory skills. This can also be aided by recording own voice or video. Using these, style of delivery, speed of speech, intonation, and quality can be assessed, and body language and expressions can be reviewed. Then it would be possible to make necessary corrections and the oratory skills can be further reﬁned.

6. Deliver a final speech - The actual oration from the podium or stage is the final step, effectiveness of which is determined by the efforts put in the preparation and practice. Take a deep breath before starting and then begin the oration with confidence. Keep projecting ideas, thoughts and knowledge with complete awareness. Body language, facial expressions etc. have their own importance, which get determined by the speaker’s grasp of the topic, connection with audience and

It’s much easier to be convincing if you care about your topic. Figure out what’s important to you about your message and speak from the heart. - Nicholas Boothman There are three things to aim at in public speaking: ﬁrst, to get into your subject, then to get your subject into yourself, and lastly, to get your subject into the heart of your audience. – Alexander Gregg 43

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Amrit Vani

Plans and Preparation to Usher in a Bright and Blissful Era (Translation of a discourse given by Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya on the topic “Yug Nirm³ña Yojan³ Aur Usake Bh³vº K³ryakrama”) might fall sick or suffer in several ways, but not the wild ones. Then why is it that a human being, despite being endowed with so many potentials and the splendid faculty of intelligence, often becomes unhappy, desperate, anxious, annoyed, jealous, frantic, etc. suffers in several ways, and keeps complaining about something or the other? The root cause of these complications lies in his emotional core, which inﬂuences his mental state, and hence his attitude, thoughts, and behavior in a signiﬁcant way.

Let us begin with a collective chant of the Gayatri Mantra: “Om Bh¿r Bhuva¡ Swa¡, Tatsaviturvareñya® Bhargo Devasya Dhºmahi, Dhiyo Yona¡ Pracoday³t ||” Sisters and Brothers, Our Yug Nirman Yojana (mission to lay the foundation of a new era of peace, progress, and bliss) has begun with the noble aim of reﬁnement and evolution of thoughts, sentiments, and emotional development of the masses. Of the many wonderful faculties bestowed upon human beings, the faculty of emotions - the source of sensitivity, love, and unalloyed joy - is supreme. More than the circumstances, environment of life, or any resources, it is this faculty which is responsible for one’s happiness or tensions and sorrows in general. Evolution and righteous use of the power of emotions can also solve most of the problems faced by the world today. How?

It is ironical that in spite of making amazing progress and advancement in producing and possessing enormous tools of comforts and pleasures, today’s society is starving for happiness and peace of mind! Surprisingly this complexity and problem appear to be more prominent in the urban community than the rural or the less privileged sections. Is it that they remain ‘contented’ with whatever they get to fulﬁll their hunger, whereas the more ‘privileged’ ones strive for further progress? Well, but why in the endeavor of higher progress they have to embrace negativity, lose the peace and natural joy of their minds? Look at our ancestral history of Vedic Age! How our rishis enjoyed unalloyed bliss and peace in utterly austere and ascetic life! Moreover, in spite of having no material resources

Nature has provided substantial means and resources for the ‘naturally healthy and joyful’ survival of all creatures. Have you ever heard of wild animals being dissatisﬁed or frustrated with their lives or being concerned, worried, and sad about anything? The domestic or captured animals or the animals harassed by mankind

Closing my eyes and listening close, Biding goodbye to old meadows, Let the new stories begin, Causing a new spark, Smile to each blissful morning, As the sun shines to burn the shadows of the past! - Somya Kedia AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

and facilities, they were far more advanced than us in terms of physical and intellectual potentials, progress and knowledge.

and so on, their growth and consequent effects would continue to trouble the patient till the real cause – infection, or impurity of blood – is cured. Similarly our emotional complexity, our mental contamination, our wrong attitude would continue to create one problem or the other for us and also our family, friends, and others with whom we interact. At a larger dimension, similar is the case of adversities and problems faced by the world today. Emotional impurities like selﬁshness, untoward passions, greed, cravings, excessive ambitions, arrogance, envy, hatred, anger, cruelty, animosity, etc, of individuals have given rise to numerous problems, disorders, disparities, anomalies, disturbances, complexities, adversities, and challenges at personal, social, national and global levels.

On the contrary, think of the life of the giant, mighty, intrepid, brilliant, and talented kings like Ravana! Ravana was supposed to have conquered many parts of the world and grabbed gigantic treasures and facilities; what is more, his kingdom was made up of gold! Still he remained dissatisfied and unhappy in his life and generated adversities for others too wherever he went. You may also find similar examples today. What is wrong with such people? Mainly, they lack humane sentiments, they might have accomplished advancement on worldly, extrovert fronts of life, but their inner selves have remained crude and might have even accumulated the filth of vices and negative impressions of unethical thoughts and deeds.

The ancient history of India is that of holistic development, prosperity, and divine peace and happiness. This land was reputed as the land of gods. But there weren’t technological tools, facilities, comforts there; no one there would have even dreamt of the superb materialistically advanced development, transportation, and

Impurity of blood is, at times, manifested in the appearance of acne. If one pimple is removed by minor surgery, by applying medicinal gel, or by some other treatment, another will crop-up,

While you desire lasting change with positive results, it will take a commitment from you to transform your dreams into a reality. Be aware that there can be tough moments when you’re ready to throw in the towel. Frustrating times when you may want to quit. When it gets rough, or you hit a roadblock, you must forge ahead and keep going. Despite blood, sweat, and tears, do not give up on yourself. You are worth the ﬁght for a brighter future! - Dana Arcuri Things change, so I have to change too. - Adam Scythe 45

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Thought-Revolution (Vich³ra Kr³nti), and dissemination of scientiﬁc spirituality (Vaigy³nika Âdhy³tmawad) and adept art of living a worthy and progressive life (Sanjºvanº Vidy³) are our major initiatives as part of Yug Nirman Yojna. It is a global socio-spiritual movement aimed to give positive and righteous direction to people’s thoughts, to enlighten their mind, to awaken their divine sentiments, and thus reverse the wrong, declining trends of the present, and transform adversities into opportunities for the courageous rise. The problems and challenges before the world are many and appear intractable. But they all could be checked and resolved if their rootcause is removed.

communication facilities that are seen today. In spite of this, ancient India was so progressive and prosperous! People were so happy; life was so majestic here that ancient India was glorified as swarg³dapi garºyasº (superior to the heavens)! This was because people lived for high ideals; their hearts (emotional core) were full of selfless love, compassion, and mutual respect. Sacrificing self-interest and bearing discomfort and pains for the service of others, for the good of the society, was common. Social harmony and mutual cooperation, coupled with adoption of simple living and high thinking led to all-round prosperity in ancient Indian society. Disciplined life and hard-work and pleasant attitude blessed them with superb physical and mental health.

Most of the problems of today are self-created, and consequent adversities and threats are invited by mankind. The origin of these lies in people’s own thoughts, attitudes, aspirations, and mental malice and emotional weakness. For example, if one is lured by glamour, lavish life-style, or pompous status, etc, his needs would never be satisfied, and so would be his thirst for more money. If income/production is less and the population and its expenditures and demands are more, the economy of a family, a country is bound to be trapped in debt. Artificial lifestyle, addictions, and luxuries, and the culture of inflated consumerism and commercialization have not only weakened our health but also disrupted the eco-system and the environment.

And, what is the state of our society, our lives today? We have chosen to forget our great cultural heritage and ignore the ideals of human life, and have let ourselves deluded, allured, and driven by the glitter of name, fame, glamour, and passions of instinctive pleasures. In the rat-race of worldly gains, outer progress, and false-pride and mindless ambitions, we have lost the nectar of soothing peace and emotions indwelling in our inner self. Driven by artiﬁciality, our sentiments of love and compassion, our feelings of joy and calmness, too, have become artiﬁcial and adulterated. Before it is too late, we must rectify this mistake, remove this impurity, and protect, nurture and rejuvenate the natural spirit of humane emotions. Yug Nirman Yojna has emerged to motivate and help more and more people in this endeavor, irrespective of their creed, caste, religion, and faith.

To a large extent, cravings of the consumers for instinctive pleasures, lavish comforts, and

Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. - George Bernard Shaw AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

excessive possession, and passions of the industrialists, business people, and traders for making huge proﬁts and expanding their hold on market-power, are responsible for corruption at a grand scale. Self-obsession, greed, and mentality of immediate gains, success without merit, etc., spread this evil on other fronts of personal and public life. As we all know, an arrogant, short-tempered, narrow-minded, self-obsessed, revengeful fellow generates foes and spoils the harmony of ambience wherever he goes. In a more expanded form, this emotional malice and mentality of individuals and its cascading effects are directly or indirectly responsible for disharmony and conﬂicts at social, national and even international levels. Therefore, apart from contributing to, and cooperating with, multifaceted approaches to save the future of the earth and humanity, our mission’s primary focus is - treatment of the root.

blind faith, and emotional exploitation in the name of religion are to be stopped, if they are to be awakened, taught the truth of religiousness, and shown the light of prudence and reasoning, this can be most effectively done only through the medium of religion. As they are mostly illiterate, innocent, and deluded, we have chosen to disseminate good thoughts, cultivate scientific temperament, guide and motivate them through religious platform for their uplift, welfare, and intellectual and emotional development. Sociocultural and grass-roots educative development activities, and self-reliance and personality refinement training programs also are integral part of Yug Nirman Yojna. The power of religious organizations is no less than any government in the social context. Religious organizations should, therefore, come forward to help social reformation and uplift. In India there are about five to six million hermits, sanyasis, saints, priests, or religious personalities who have been surviving on alms or devotional offerings. They are spread almost across the entire country. There are nearly seven

Religious teachings and sentiments have deep impact on the emotions and thoughts of those who have faith. More than 80% of the Indian masses fall into this category. If their superstitions,

The seeds of the future must awaken in the present. Yet one can only act according to one’s own vision of the future. If our perception of the future is short, fearful, and narrow, our motives and actions will necessarily have a similar substance. An accurate view of the long periods to come gives the pilgrim a real sense of direction. Calm observation of human life shows that selﬁsh people are not inherently bad. They are myopes; they should face their ophthalmological problem so that it can be cured and their suffering reduced. An understanding of eternal Duration, as taught in “The Secret Doctrine”, constitutes a major source of peace, inner and outer. A vast horizon, in time and space, is of the essence along the theosophical path. Right vision leads to right action. - Sri Aurobindo There are two main predictions for the future; it’s either appealing or appalling. An appealing future is created by people who identify their real values in life and believe in what they can do. - Israelmore Ayivor 47

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hundred thousand villages here. So if about eight of these ‘religious masters’ adopt one village each and work for the awareness and welfare of its people then the goal of all-round progress would be achieved in a short time. They may begin with teaching basic hygiene, literacy and inspiring story-telling, and discourses; they may generate social harmony, and motivate people for collective efforts to resolve the problems speciﬁc to their village, help them make adept use of the existing grants, if any, and seek support of nongovernmental organizations, in the nearby region. Most importantly, they should inspire people’s devotional sentiments in righteous direction to help spread goodwill and courage, dutifulness, and spirit of collective progress.

of His creation – the world. I am happy to see that our Yug Nirman Yojna has succeeded in generating mass awareness in this regard and has also motivated many to voluntarily join this noble mission. Many of the grand shrines in our country are so afﬂuent that even if a fraction of their monthly income is used for social reformation, and skilldevelopment projects and farsighted self-reliant progress, it would signiﬁcantly strengthen the economy of our villages. Some fraction of the charity received by religious trusts should be used to develop and support educational institutes that would produce dedicated talents who would disseminate the message of humanity, and divine Indian culture and wisdom that has the potential not only to help revert the declining trends and allay the adversities, but also to guide holistic wellbeing and progress to usher in the era of unalloyed love, absolute enlightenment, and lasting bliss. In spite of its meager resources, Yug Nirman Yojna has taken pioneering and trendsetting steps in this direction.

In many parts of Indian society, people confuse devotion or religiousness with some traditional rituals, idol worshiping, and offerings made in a shrine. Such blind faith and practices should be uprooted. People must understand and also make others learn that true worship, devotion, or service of God is offered through compassion, altruistic service of the needy, and sincere efforts for the welfare of all, for the beautiﬁcation (betterment)

|| Om Shanti||

Illuminate Every Home Those desirous of enlightened transformation at personal, familial, and social level must read and contemplate upon Yug Sahitya and follow it in practice. This literature, written in very lucid and self-explanatory style is focused on resolving the problems of today and guiding the path to collective enlightenment. Good books, volumes, or words containing the pure knowledge, elevated thoughts, and works of saints, sages, and altruistic reformers carry the strength of their life-force and thus have the potential to transform ordinary mortal beings into great personalities. [Note - Yug Sahitya written by Pujya Gurudev, Pandit Shriram Sharma, Acharya can be accessed at - http://literature.awgp.org/english/book] Positive thinking is powerful thinking. If you want happiness, fulﬁllment, success and inner peace, start thinking you have the power to achieve those things. Focus on the bright side of life and expect positive results. - Germany Kent

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

Effective Measures for Plastic Waste Disposal (in Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Noida, and Visakhapatnam) have purchased this technology so far, and are in the process of selling plastic tiles to the public soon.

In India, the plastic industry is worth Rs. 1,10,000 crores. Every year 1.3 crore tons of plastic is used in the country. Out of this, 90 lakh tons of plastic is disposed of as waste. Most plastic items (bags, etc.) are made for one-time use. Due to this reason, the quantity of waste is increasing at alarming rates. It is a challenging task to manage it effectively.

According to the director of National Physical Laboratory, the machine which is prepared for reuse of plastic waste costs about Rs. 18 lakhs. It takes a maximum of Rs. 1 crore to set up a tile-making system, using this machine. For the purpose of the experiment, plastic tiles were used on the pavement outside the laboratory. These are much cheaper and stronger than stoneware tiles.

Microplastic is dissolving in our environment, and its traces can be found in air, rivers, food, water, etc. This non-visible microplastic can become a threat to our body as it gets mixed in food because of its packaging. The chemicals used to make plastics also get in our food, which can cause damage to our lungs, nervous system, and reproductive system.

The second example is making of roads using plastic waste. In Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, economical, durable, and beautiful roads prepared from plastic waste, are attracting attention from everyone. This has also provided an alternative to coal tar for many industries. This system of disposal of plastic waste is going to be implemented in the whole country. Hundreds of cities have shown keen interest in it. This model of making roads from plastic waste is so superior that it can provide reliable management of plastic waste, and at the same time provide enough income for the people.

Burning plastic is also not a viable solution. On the contrary, it is more dangerous because when you burn plastic, it releases gases that are not only harmful to the environment but also detrimental to our body. That is why better alternatives are being discovered to dispose of this plastic waste. For example, National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi, has developed a technology to manufacture tiles from environmentally hazardous plastic waste. These tiles are stronger and cheaper than stone tiles. Four companies

Till now, about 3,222 kilometers of urban and rural roads have been prepared from the polythene

The activist is not the man who says the river is dirty. The activist is the man who cleans up the river. - Ross Perot 49

AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019

and plastic waste of Bhopal. For this purpose, 10 to 12 metric tons of plastic waste is collected from the city every day by the entire team of garbage collectors. The Municipal Corporation has provided 2,000 cycle rickshaws to collect garbage from house to house. This has provided livelihood for the people who collect garbage. In this way, the collected plastic is sent to the disposal plant, where it is reﬁned by scientiﬁc methods. Then it is used as fuel in cement plants, as well as in making membrane chips for road construction.

The roads made from coal tar are costly because one kilo of coal tar costs is about Rs. 46, while the price of one kilo of plastic is Rs. 5, and it takes several kilos of coal tar to build a road. The roads made from plastic lasts 9 to 10 years, while the ones from coal tar last 2 to 3 years. In this way, the cost of plastic roads is meager. Coal tar cannot be used in making roads in the areas with black soil, which is why concrete roads are built. If plastic membranes are used in its base, then the age of the streets considerably increases by many years.

In the process of plastic waste disposal, it is burned at a temperature of 1,400 degrees. At this temperature, the quantity of toxic gases released from plastic waste is negligible. One can get the same amount of heat by burning 1 kg of plastic as by burning 5 kg of coal. The demand for plastic waste is continuously increasing since it is cheaper than coal, and it is better utilized too.

In this way, construction of tiles and roads made of plastic waste is a perfect option for its disposal. This option will not only dispose of the continuously increasing plastic waste in the country, but it will also be useful to the people without adverse effects.

Any attempt to solve the ecological crisis within a bourgeois framework must be dismissed as chimerical. Capitalism is inherently anti-ecological. Competition and accumulation constitute its very law of life, a law … summarised in the phrase, ‘production for the sake of production.’ Anything, however hallowed or rare, ‘has its price’ and is fair game for the marketplace. In a society of this kind, nature is necessarily treated as a mere resource to be plundered and exploited. The destruction of the natural world, for being the result of mere hubristic blunders, follows inevitably from the very logic of capitalist production. - Murray Bookchin Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty. - Albert Einstein AKHAND JYOTI Nov.-Dec. 2019