Amrit Vani

Amrit Vani

Pragy³yog-S³dhan³Pragy³yog-S³dhan³

- Invocation of Divine Light - II

(Translation of a discourse by Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya on “Pragy³yog Kº S³dhan³” - continued from the previous issue)

Friends, Up³san³ is like first experiment towards spiritual development. Most of you may need a ‘form’ of deity, a focus of your faith, for this experiment. In Gayatri Up³san³, as part of Pragy³yoga -S³dhan³, an idol or picture of Goddess Gayatri is used for this purpose.

Devap¿jana :

You worship the idol or picture of the Goddess using water, rice grain, flowers, dºpaka[1], and incense-sticks; and also offer some sweet or sugar as naivaidya. The Goddess is formless, omnipresent. Obviously, your offerings are of no use to Her. The idol or picture that you worship is only a symbol and so are the rituals and offerings of worship. These symbols indicate and remind the qualities that you should cultivate to become the true worshiper of divinity.

Water flows naturally and embraces everything on its way; so should be your heart (emotional core) — compassionate, and free of the bonds of ego and prejudice. Offering of rice grains symbolizes that some part of your possession, your worldly resources must be donated for the welfare of His creation (i.e. for altruistic activities). Lighting of lamp implies illumination of your life and also of your surroundings. Burning of incense-sticks generates soothing fragrance that spreads in all directions; it teaches that your deeds and conduct should also spread soothing (good) effects in the ambience of all fronts of your life. Naivaidya consists of some sweet eatables; no salt or spice is used in it. Similar should be your voice and overall behavior; it should be decent, polite, and sweet — devoid of bitterness, rudeness, anger/irritation and negativity. Fresh flower represents beauty of Nature; offering it to the deity symbolizes that your life should be beautiful (full of good qualities and noble deeds) and should be dedicated to divine aims.

Recall that it’s the feeling and teaching behind a sacrament that is important not the action or procedure of its rituals. Your worship without grasping and adopting these teachings would be nothing more than ostentation and wastage of time.

Japa and Dhy³na : After the rituals of purification and worship as part of Gayatri Up³san³, you are supposed

“God is Truth. There is no incompatibility between science and religion. Both are seeking the same truth. Science shows that God exists.” - Sir Derek Barton, Winner of Nobel Prize in Chemistry Akhand Jyoti November - December 2014 44

to do japa [2] and dhy³na (meditation). Japa of what? And how many times? You should do japa of Gayatri Mantra, as Gayatri is the Goddess of Pragy³ (absolute, pure, divine wisdom). The count should be at least three m³l³s [3]. If you can concentrate and do more japa, you must. But, minimum three m³l³s is essential as part of initiating Pragy³s³dhan³. Why three? While chanting the first m³l³, your prayer-filled feelings should be devoted to your self-refinement (at physical, mental and emotional levels), second one for purification of your jiv³tm³ [4], and the third one for refinement of the subtle environment (of the world). The purpose of the third m³l³ is an altruistic service, part of our “ Pragy³ Abhiy³na ”— mission of global dissemination of the light/knowledge of Pragy³. Thus your japa will also contribute to the success of this noble cause. Your chanting of the mantra should be such that even a person sitting beside you would not be able to hear it. (This is essential for deeper mental concentration and consistency in the pace of japa; also it would prevent disturbing others around you). You need not necessarily use the rosary to count the number of chants. You may count it on fingers if that suits you more.

Dhy³na (meditation) is essential with japa. The focus of Gayatri Mantra is Savit³ [5]. So you should meditate upon rising sun. This is a universal symbol of enlightenment. Almost all religions render reverential recognition to sunlight as a symbol of God/divinity. Initially you may not be able to focus on the rising sun in your mind or imagine its reflection on the forehead (in the center of the eyebrows). An easy and effective way of mediation with mental as well emotional engrossment would be the following. While doing the japa you imagine yourself as a small child, an infant sitting in ‘natural dress’ in front of the rising Sun. The soothing bright rays/glow of the rising Sun are entering your (physical) body, mind and the inner self. Absorption of this light is strengthening your body and energizing you to do hard work for good aims, it is awakening and inspiring your mind (and intellect) with positive thoughts and light of knowledge; this light is reaching deep into the inner-emotional core and purifying your intrinsic nature, illuminating your sensitivity and inner-self.

Dy³na along with the japa is an integral part of the process of up³san³. Remember that while the japa initiates the process of refinement, mediation helps link your consciousness with the divine thoughts and feelings; it invokes the grace of God in the form of purification and awakening of your being. (The deeper the depth of your mental engrossment and feelings, the faster would be the effect.)

Upon completion of the japa (of minimum 108×3 times) and dhy³na, you do the sury³rghyad³na (word meaning: offering arghya to the Sungod). As a ritual it is simply offering water (that was kept in the kalash – round pot, on the worship altar, in front of the idol of the deity). If you have done japa in the morning then it is offered while facing the East, in the evening you would face the West. This symbolizes sacrificing (your ego and selfishness). As the water offered to the sun will evaporate and spread, similarly your sacrifice should be

“The significance and joy in my science comes in those occasional moments of discovering something new and saying to myself, ‘So that’s how God did it.’ My goal is to understand a little corner of God’s plan.” – Quantum chemist Henry F. Schaefer –III 45 Akhand Jyoti November - December 2014

aimed at making use of your talents, your worldly resources for the welfare of more and more people, the society…, the world.

Tapa:

There is one more and most important (and difficult) component of s³dhan³ without which it will not be possible for you to achieve the mental and emotional engrossment and physical labor required for up³san³ and other disciplines and practices of pragy³yoga. Tapa (self-restraint, penance, ascetic discipline) lays the foundation of self-refinement and is therefore crucial for s³dhan³. Word-meaning of ‘tapa’ is — intense heating for desired purification and strengthening. Bricks get strong and are used in constructing stout buildings after high-temperature heating in special furnace. It is the process of intense heating, melting by which the yellow metal (gold) gains its precious glow, and wrought iron is turned into useful steal, etc. Water too gets converted into ‘powerful’ steam only after boiling. Similarly, tapa (self-refinement by sanya® -self-restraint, penance and disciplines) of the sense-organs and mind is necessary for gaining and maintaining the purity and ability for S³dhan³.

Self-restraint of the sense-organs is vital in attainment of purity. It is the most challenging part of s³dhan³ in general. It is difficult but not impossible if you are a sincere seeker, a true aspirant of purity. It can’t be forced upon your mind and body; rather, it should be encouraged with willpower and prudent thinking. Control over the tongue both in eating and speaking is most important. Once this is done, restraining the passions and desires of other sense-organs is not so difficult. This coupled with purity of food, and cleanliness of your body and that of your house (ambience where you live) would serve the purpose of tapa to a great extent.

You may begin your tapa by observing fast (vrata) for at least one day in a week; as such, Thursday or Sunday is recommended for aspirants of Pragy³yog-s³dhan³, however, you may choose any other day of the week if you have some difficulty with these days. You should be regular and disciplined in observing weekly fast on the chosen day. You need not starve or weaken your body by fasting. As the main purpose of fasting is to control over the greed (for taste) of the tongue, the easiest way to do this is to eat healthy but austere and asw³da (tasteless) — cooked but non-fried meal, without salt and sugar. This ‘ asw³davrata’ will also restrain your over-eating, help reduce excessive salt and sugar in the body and thus lend support to your physical health as well.

Another component of restraining the tongue is — control over the v³ñº (voice, spoken words, and speech), over the substance and manner of what you speak/converse. The faculty of speech is a precious gift of the Almighty. You must use it prudently. Many people hardly pay attention to it. They talk whatever and whenever they like, without caring about whether what they are talking about is misguiding, disturbing, boring, or even hurting someone. The level of language, choice of words, topic of conversation, nothing matters to them. They often keep ruining their

“All that diversity of natural things which we find suited to different times and places could arise from nothing but the ideas and will of a Being, necessarily existing.”– Sir Isaac Newton 46 Akhand Jyoti November - December 2014

energy in haphazard blah, blah…. You should avoid it.

You must think before you speak. In order to learn to control your tongue (speech), you must observe silence. It may not be practical to keep quiet for the entire day in your normal routine. So you may practice it for about two hours at a stretch every day. Choose a time-slot of two hours in your busy schedule. It should be during the daytime when you generally talk casually with friends or family. (You may inform them about your silence period so that they would not mind your ‘no-response’ and would not disturb you). Best is to read, write or contemplate on good, enlightening thoughts, do some other constructive work during this period of silence.

You must always remember that without the tapa of the tongue by fasting and observing silence, and restraining the greed and purifying and controlling its speech, your mantra-japa won’t be proper. Your songs (even if full of melody), talks and guidance cannot impress or inspire anyone unless your tongue is controlled, and your voice and words are refined and energized by the heat (power) of tapa.

Brahmacharya:

Observance of Brahmacharya (physical as well as mental celibacy/chastity) is essential for s³dhan³. Carnal (sexual) relationship with anyone other than the husband/wife should be completely avoided. Even among husband and wife the relation should be healthy and controlled. You may begin training yourself in this discipline by retraining carnal contact with the spouse on the days you are fasting. In fact the roots of sensual excitation and sexual desires lie in the mind. Erotic (erogenous) imaginations, memories and thoughts should therefore be restrained with firm determination. Immediate positive and constructive diversion of the mind in moments of such impulses or thoughts is most effective, natural and easy way to observe chastity of mind. You must recall the severe loss of physical and mental strength sensual imaginations and carnal excitations cause. You should also start remembering god Hanuman, or recall the lives/works of Bhishm Pitamah, Bhagvan Mahavir, Swami Vivekanand, Swami Dayanand Saraswati, Adi Shankarcharya and other divine/great personalities who were staunch Brahmarcharis, and thus could attain immense superhuman powers and live glorious lives.

“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight. And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings. You may not know where you’re going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.” - C. JoyBell C.

“For many years I have believed that God is the great designer behind all nature… All my studies in science since then have confirmed my faith.” - Sir Ghillean T. Prance 47 Akhand Jyoti November - December 2014

You should note that self-restraint over the greed and agility of the tongue and the genitals (and erogenous passions) is the key to sanya® of other sense-organs as well.

Sanya® of Time, Money and Thoughts: Disciplined use and management of worldly resources and time is also an important component of tapa. I have already told you that whatever resources (including monetary) you own should be earned by honest means and sincere efforts. Expenditures should be well-planned and scrutinized; every rupee you spent should be accounted for. Then most of your financial problems and scarcities will be resolved. I can tell you this confidently, as I have experienced it myself; 1950-1970 my family of five was able to live a simple but a normal and happy life (and also manage hospitality for the guests/visitors) with only Rs. 200 per month; I was also able to save for monthly printing and distribution of “Akhand Jyoti”.

Those who are prosperous or earn high income should also scrutinize and control their spending. Rich and luxurious people are more vulnerable to addictions. Simple-living will save them from the risk of addictions, help them discipline their life-style, thus sustain normal health; they will also be able to save their resources for good causes of social elevation.

Efficient management of time is the key to success on all fronts of life. You must chalk out a daily time-table of major activities and stick to it. Acharya Vinoba Bhave was a saintly social reformer and also a scholar of thirteen languages. He used to get up very early in the morning; there were fixed time-slots for reading, writing, meeting, and discussing with the visitors, social activities, etc; he used to sleep at 6 pm. So particular was he about his time-table that he used to sleep at 6 pm even in summer when the sun sets around 7 pm in India. Look at the lives and works of great pioneers and achievers in any part of the world, they were/are ‘ahead of time’ because of prudent and disciplined use of time. You should also schedule your day’s activities and check out the possibilities and habits of wasting time (in laziness, unnecessary chatting with friends, watching television, roaming around aimlessly, etc)

The famous French poet, Voltaire, struggled all his life. He was in jail for many years, but every moment of his life and every line of his poetry reflected his tremendous energy, enthusiasm and liveliness. One day, a fellow revolutionary asked him, “From where do you get so much energy?” Voltaire replied, “From God”. On hearing this reply, the revolutionary asked, “Do you believe in God?” With a lot of self-confidence, Voltaire answered, “What does belief have to do with it? Use your lifetime to discover God through spiritual experimentation. The more you focus on these efforts, the more your life will be filled with energy, enthusiasm and joy.”

“To say that a man is made up of certain chemical elements is a satisfactory description only for those who intend to use him as a fertilizer.” - Hermann Joseph Muller 48 Akhand Jyoti November - December 2014

Mostly importantly, you must note that Vich³ra–Sanya® (discipline, refinement and positive orientation of thoughts) is a must for glorious success in life. It is the life-line of tapa and progress in s³dhn³. Thoughts usually flow continuously without any pause. Most often they are haphazard and unnecessary. You have to be vigilant of what you are thinking. In one way or the other, savants of all the ages preach that one should be watchful of one’s thoughts. The moment you become alert and pay attention on the ongoing thought, the haphazard thought would pacify. You then start mental argument to dissect what that thought was and why it occurred, etc. To begin with you may practice this on the day you are fasting and then gradually expand its frequency/duration. Regular practice of this simple method will gradually check the abrupt wandering of your thought-process. Remember that haphazard, negative or untoward thoughts and emotions cannot (and should not) be suppressed, they should be diverted in opposite and constructive positive direction. Pr³ñ³y³ma (breathing yoga), Swadhy³ya–Satsang [6] provide excellent support and inspiration for success on this and other facets of tapa.

So, prepare yourself by tapa, and sincerely adopt the teachings/inspirations of devap¿jana. This, together with daily practice of ³tma-bodha, tatva-bodha (introspection and self-analysis) and japa of Gayatri Mantra with meditation (on rising sun) will help you progress in the pragy³yogas³dhan³for divine enlightenment and soul-evolution. You are welcome here for further guidance and practical training, as and when you need it. || Om Shanti||

Notes:

1. Dºpaka: A lamp in which cotton thread is burnt in ghee. 2. Japa: Silent or mental chanting in a

3.

4.

5.

6. rhythmic (consistent) manner with emotional engrossment. M³l³: Rosary of 108 beads; so japa-count of one m³l³ means 108 times japa. Jiv³tm³: Soul expressed in life-form, the individual self. Savita (Savit³): The sublime source of ‘light’; it is symbolized by rising Sun. Sw³dhy³ya: Self-study of sagacious thoughts/good books; Satsang: Being in company of enlightened/good people.

References & Additional Reading:

[1] Pandya S. N. and Shambhudass: “Super Science of Gayatri”. Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar.

[2] Pandya P. (ed.): “ G³yatri S³dhan³: How and Why?” Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar.

[3] “Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya Vangmaya” Vol. nos. 9-14. Yug Nirman Yojna, Mathura.

“The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.” - M. Scott Peck

“When truth is evident, it is impossible for parties and factions to rise. There never has been a dispute as to whether there is daylight at noon.” - Francois Voltaire 49 Akhand Jyoti November - December 2014

National Seminar on Ancient and Spiritual Sciences at DSVV – A Report

A National Seminar on Ancient and Spiritual Sciences was organized by the Center for Scientific Spirituality Studies, from 25 th to 26 th October, 2014 at Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar. More than hundred researchers from all over India presented papers in the seminar. In the inaugural ceremony, Revered Dr. Pranav Pandya, Chancellor of DSVV, explained the concept of scientific spirituality and the significance of the seminar. The chief guest of the function, the architect of India’s first supercomputer – PARAM 8000, Padmasri Dr. Vijaya Pandurang Bhatkar highlighted the need for synthesizing science and spirituality. He suggested that the subject ‘Scientific Spirituality’ should be taught in every school and college.

The participants of this seminar were benefitted by the talks of several eminent speakers. Dr. Mahavir, Vice Chancellor of Sanskrit University spoke on ‘Science in ancient Sanskrit literature’, Professor H.C. Verma of IIT, Kanpur talked about ‘Surgery in Ancient India’, Dr. Rama Jayasundar of AIIMS, New Delhi elaborated on ‘Quantum Physics and Ayurveda’, Dr Ramkalapa Tiwari, Director of IUCCA, Pune, talked about ‘Spiritual Psychology’ and the Trustee of World Peace Organization, New Delhi, Professor Dr. Subhash Chandra expressed his thoughts on the need for spirituality in 21 st century and its importance in leadership. Vice Chancellor of DSVV, Sri Sharad Pardhi, spoke about ‘Holistic Approach for Development’. Dr. Shambhavi Misra, HOD of Center for Scientific Spirituality Studies presented a detailed report of the seminar and urged the participants to follow the precepts of scientific spirituality as propagated by Param Poojya Gurudev, Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya.

Various aspects covered in the seminar were: Our universe and life on planets: Vedic and modern view; Spirituality in management; Spiritual psychology; Spiritual education to cultivate divine qualities in life; Scientific basis of rituals and festivals; Links between modern physics and ancient Indian philosophy; Ancient health sciences, spiritual therapies and healing techniques; Scientific basis of ancient linguistics; Scientific temper of ancient astronomy and astrology; Environmental pollution and the impact of yagya to control pollution; Role of vegetarianism in ecological balance and health conversation, Ancient history and development of basic and mathematical sciences; Information sciences in ancient India; Role of information technology in studying spiritual sciences; Spiritual tourism; Spiritual communication; Spiritual journalism, etc. Full proceedings of the seminar may be read at www.dsvv.ac.in. (See the glimpses of the seminar on inner cover page 51.)

“There is for me powerful evidence that there is something going on behind it all. . . It seems as though somebody has fine-tuned nature’s numbers to make the Universe. . . The impression of design is overwhelming.” – Physicist Paul Davies 50 Akhand Jyoti November - December 2014