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Annual Subscription In India: Rs. 50/-
Editorial Many of us often wonder whether there is a secret technique that can assure us of a happy, peaceful and contented life. A few of us are seeking to find the key to living a spiritually fulfilling life. How many of us realise that the answer to both quests is the same? In the words of Rev. Dada J.P. Vaswani, the mantra is: vairagya, abhyasa and qabool; i.e. detachment, cultivation of good practices and the spirit of acceptance. For Dada, spirituality is not abstract thinking or occult practices: as he puts it, spirituality is as simple as this: to let all our thoughts and words and deeds become an offering to the Lord; to remember God – not once a day, not occasionally, not when you have a little free time – but to live and move in His Presence, to become aware that you are not alone, He is with you! We are fortunate that in India, the homeland of atmavidya or the science of the spirit, God comes close to us through our prayers, daily practices and festivals. September will bring Sri Krishna and Ganesh into our homes. Let us make our hearts their permanent abodes!
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(A Monthly Journal for Self-improvement, Self-knowledge, Self-realisation) Subscription Rates: Annual Subscription In India: r 50/Outside India: Airmail: $20 or £15 Snail Mail: $10 or £7.50 TO SUBSCRIBE KINDLY VISIT: www.dadavaswanisbooks.org Subscriptions may also be sent either by Money Orders or Bank Drafts payable to East and West Series, Pune. Kindly note that the cheques At Par will only be accepted. The Manager, East and West Series, 10, Sadhu Vaswani Path, Pune - 411 001, (India) Email: eastandwestseries@sadhuvaswani.org
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Number 697 CONTENTS ARTICLES Why Should We Love?................................................................. 5 How To Face Life.......................................................................... 7 Radha’s Tears............................................................................... 11 Sri Krishna And The New Age................................................. 12 For Your Bookshelf..................................................................... 14 Managing Your Child — Joyful Parenting............................... 18 Have A Powerful Motivation..................................................... 22 They Loved Krishna Dearly….................................................. 26 Has Life Been Unkind To You?................................................. 28 The Butterfly Effect.................................................................... 30 FEATURES Stories That Stir.......................................................................... 15 Laugh Your Way To Health........................................................ 20 Children’s Corner........................................................................ 24 Thoughts And Aspirations ........................................................ 32 Recipes For The Month............................................................. 33 Simple Rules Of Health.............................................................. 35 What’s Happening In East And West....................................... 37 Current Affairs............................................................................ 47 Book Reviews............................................................................... 48 The Nuri Granth......................................................................... 50 Cover: Sri Krishna Sanskar Channel Satsang Channel Bhakti Sagar Channel Soham Channel
REV. DADA J. P. VASWANI’S TALKS Monday to Friday at 6: 15 a.m. (Hindi), Saturday at 6: 15 a. m. (Sindhi) and on Sunday at 7: 45 a.m. (English), Monday to Saturday at 7: 30 pm, Monday to Saturday 6: 40 am, Monday to Saturday 11: 30 am.
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any years ago, I spent a few quiet days in Hyderabad (Sind). One day, my seclusion was beautifully disturbed by a group of young men. Most of them were College students. We met under the shade of tall trees in a beautiful spot with hallowed associations. For there had sat, over fifty years ago, a great Sindhi, Sadhu Hiranand, discoursing to the young on some of the fundamentals of life. Young men are sharp shooters: and the College students discharged arrows of piercing questions in quick succession. The questions showed minds eager to
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understand of the deeper values of life. A new hope was awakened in my heart as I sat in the midst of the group, trying to meet the challenge of their questioning minds. Here is a brief summary in the form of questions and answers. I give it in the hope that its essential message may reach a wider circle of young men in the country. Q. Why this Universe? A. This universe has come into being in order that lovecentres may be multiplied. The purpose of evolution, as I interpret it, is the increase of values: and the highest values are Wisdom, Sacrifice and Love.
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Q. Why should we love? Why not hate? A. Love is constructive, and creative. Love binds and builds: hate may hold together for sometime but will, soon or late, separate, split up, destroy. Love is the principle of attraction, association, regeneration: hate is the principle of repulsion, dissociation, disintegration. Q. Where is the proof of God? A. I know of no logical proof. God, the World-Heart, is greater than the mind. God may not be proven. But we may study witnesses to Him. There is the witness of Nature. Look, how things appear in order, in series and in forms of beauty. There is the witness of History. Look, how from time to time appear Great Ones to know whom is to feel nearer to the DivineHuman. There is the witness of the Heart. Look within and see how in aspirations and longings of the Heart is glimpsed the beauty and radiance of the Holy One. Q. Define Love. A. Love defined is Love denied. For Love is the Infinite, the Illimitable. God is Love. And this Love is an Ocean. Out of it come waves which are built into forms
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of beauty. Out of Love go forth waves on which rise, from time to time, the seers and prophets, the sages and heroes, to bless Humanity. Love may not be defined: love is revealed: and we all may reveal it, in some measure, in daily life. Q. What is the highest mission of life? A. Not self-love but love of the Self, the Atman (the Spirit). Love of parents or friends or neighbours or fellow-countrymen is a blessed thing, but its beauty is not seen until it is radiant with the love of the Spirit. You will love India profoundly and serve Her purely when you will know that She, the Mother of Heroes and Sages, is not the poor weak thing so many take Her to be, but is a manifestation of God in History. And not in India alone but in all nations and all races is revealed the Spirit of History. Work for the true freedom of India and Humanity as children of the Kingdom of Heaven and you will never fail.
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HOW TO
FACE LIFE J. P. VASWANI
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he way to live a victorious life, a triumphant life is to walk with God today, and trust Him for the morrow. Let God guide your footsteps. Let God lead you on the path of life. There is a story of three friends, one of whom was a poor man, another was a blind man and the third was a young man. All the three had spiritual inclinations and, every evening, they would meet together in a garden and discuss some matter of spiritual interest. One New Year's Day, they took up this topic for discussion: How may we live in the New Year? How may we face life in the New Year? The poor man said, the best way to face life was to face it with hope. He said, everyday, as I wake up in the morning, even before I leave my bed, I look through the
window at the heavens above: and I remind myself that that is where I truly belong. My true homeland is the heaven-world, the world of riches and unending abundance. This poverty is but a passing phenomenon. It will soon pass away. I shall reach the heaven-world and abide there at the Lotus Feet of the Lord, whom I deeply love. This thought, the poor man said, gives me great comfort and strength to face the problems and perplexities of life in the right spirit. Of Alexander the Great, we are told, that one day in a mood of generosity, he started handing out gifts. To one he gave a fortune, to another he gave a title, to a third he gave a province, to a fourth he gave a position of high honour. A friend said to him: “If you do this, you will have given away everything. You will have nothing
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left for yourself.” “Oh yes I have,” replied Alexander. “I have kept what is greatest of all. I have kept all my hopes to myself.” The beginning of the end of life is when we live in memory, and not in hopes, when our memories are an escape from the prison of life, and we have nothing to hope for; all stimulus to further living is lost. The poor man said that the best way to face life is to face it with hope. The blind man said that the best way to face life is to face it with trust, with faith in God. Everyday, he said, as I leave my house, I keep on tapping the earth with my cane, until I arrive at a crossing. It is a busy thoroughfare. I have to cross over to the other side of the road, I pause there for a while in the faith, in the trust that some gentle, loving, kindly hand will take hold of mine and lead me to the other side. This has happened to me everyday. There has not been a single day when this has not happened to me. The best way to face life is to face it with trust. And whom can we trust more than God? He is All-Love and He is All-Wisdom. He is too loving to punish and too wise to make a mistake. We are not safe until we have handed ourselves over to God. There are two ways in which we can handle a difficult situation. One is, we
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can worry ourselves to death. The other is, we can trust. There was a man undergoing an operation. Though he had received a sedative injection, he was agitated. A kind nurse said to him: “Are you feeling a little nervous?” “More than a little nervous,” he answered. Clasping his hand, the nurse said to him: “But you don't need to be nervous, because very soon we are going to make you better than you were for years.” The patient gave a feeble smile. The nurse added: “You know there are two ways to approach an operation. You can worry yourself to death or you can trust us. Our surgical team is the best. You have nothing to fear.” Then she winked, pressed his hand and whispered conspiratorially: “Especially since I'll be by your side in the operation theatre to make sure they do everything right.” When the patient heard those words, he felt relaxed. Everything went well. The operation was successful. The patient was completely cured. And he learnt the lesson of his life that we can approach a situation in two ways. We can either worry ourselves to death or we can trust. If only we could trust in God as fervently as we worry, then we would never
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have to worry at all. The best way to face life is to face it with trust. It was only some days ago, that I read a few words. They were inscribed on a tablet. The words have clung to my memory. The words were: “There is no situation, there is no problem which God and I cannot handle together.” So let us surrender all our problems to the Lord. Let the Lord take care of all our affairs. If we do so, we will find miracles happen in our daily life. There is a little song we used to sing when we were little children My God and I will walk the plank, together, My God and I will jump into the sea! My God and I will face all kinds of weather, My God and I will live triumphantly! Every one of us would wish to live a victorious life, a triumphant life. The way to live a victorious life, a triumphant life is to walk with God today, and trust Him for the morrow. Let God guide your footsteps. Let God lead you on the path of life. You have seen a little child walking with his father. With one hand he holds on to the hand of the father, and with the other, he keeps on doing many things. Let us do likewise! With one hand, let us hold on to the
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Hand of God. And with the other, let us do our daily work. And we shall never fail. Everyday brings with itself joys and sorrows, failures and successes. It is difficult to predict individual fortunes. We do not know what lies one step ahead of us. Therefore, let us step into every new day with the faith, the trust that the Lord will provide where He guides. He will always take care of His child ! The poor man said that the best way to face life was to face it with hope. The blind man said that the best way to face life was to face it with trust. And the young man, what did he say? He said that the best way to face life was to face it with love! It was Browning who wrote: “He looked at her, she looked at him. And suddenly life awoke!” When love is born, a thrill passes through your entire being. When love is born, life is renewed. When love is born, every winter becomes a spring. When love is born, you feel you are on the top of the world. There is a beautiful story told us concerning two lovers. They loved each other immensely. It was a New Year's Day, and they wished to pass on presents to one another. They were poor: they did not have money with which to purchase presents. They decided, without telling each other, to
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part with their most precious possession and get some money out of it, and buy some present for the one they loved. The girl’s most precious possession was her long golden hair. She went to a hair-dresser and had her hair cut off. She sold her hair and bought a lovely watch chain for her lover’s watch. He, meanwhile, sold his watch and bought two beautiful combs for the hair of his beloved. When they met each other, when they come to give presents to each other, they found that the hair was gone, the watch was gone! Their eyes were touched with tears. Then they laughed and said, we still have the most precious of all possessions, and that is our selfsacrificing love for each other.
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The best way to face life is to face it with love. And as we grow in years, we realise, more and more, that the one to be loved, the beloved of every heart, is the Lord Himself. Let us give Him the love of our hearts. So let us step into every new day with a simple prayer, such as the one which I repeat in my heart again and again: I love you God! I want to love you more and more. I want to love you more than anything in the world. I want to love you to distraction, to intoxication. Grant me pure love and devotion for Thy Lotus Feet, and so bless me that this world-bewitching maya may not lead me astray!” The way to face life is to face it with hope and faith and love.
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LAUGH YOUR WAY TO HEALTH Sales Manager: Have you any previous sales experience? Applicant: Yes, Sir. I sold my house, my car, the piano and almost all my wife’s jewellery. *** Student: Do you think anyone can tell the future with a card? Friend: My mother can. She took one look at my report card and told me exactly what would happen when my father got home. *** Guy: Doctor, Doctor! Help me. I keep thinking I’m getting smaller! Doctor: Well, you’ll just have to be a little patient. *** Tristan Bernard, the French playwright, always wore a yachting cap when he stayed in Monte Carlo. “I bought this yachting cap with my winnings at roulette,” he said. “With my losses, I could’ve bought a yacht.” *** A miserly gentleman who could not swim, and whose boy had fallen into the river, shouted out that he would give ten rupees to whoever brought the boy out alive. A youth plunged in and,
after a struggle, dragged the unconscious lad on the bank, just as the doctor arrived. While the doctor was resuscitating the boy, the father gave his rescuer five rupees. “You promised ten rupees for bringing the boy out alive,” protested an onlooker. “Yes, I did,” replied the miser. “But he’s half dead.” *** Divorce judge: “You haven’t taken proper care of this little woman, and I’m going to give her $1000 a month alimony.” Husband: “That’s mighty nice of you, your Honor. And I’ll give her a few dollars myself from time to time” *** “Look at you!” shouted the sergeant indignantly, as he glanced over a bunch of new unsavoury looking recruits. “Your ties are crooked. Your hair ain’t combed. Your shoes ain’t polished. Your trousers ain’t pressed.. Suppose some country suddenly declared war!” *** A door-to-door vacuum cleaner salesman goes to the first house in his new territory. He knocks, a real hard on the door, and a tough looking lady opens the door, and before she
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has a chance to say anything, he runs inside and dumps dirty mud all over the carpet. He says, “Lady, if this vacuum cleaner don’t do wonders cleaning up that mud, I’ll eat every chunk of it.” She turns to him with a smirk and says, “You want ketchup on that?” The Salesman says, “Why do you ask that?” She says, “We have just moved in and we haven’t got the electricity turned on yet in the house.” *** When his teenage son asked to borrow $20, the lad’s father replied, “Son, don’t you realise there are more important things in life than money?” “Sure I do,” the youth replied, “but you’ve got to have money to take them to the movies.” *** “I’m so embarrassed at how we live,” a woman complained to her husband. “My father pays our rent, my aunt buys our clothing, my mother sends us food money, and my brother pays our bills. I’m sorry we can’t do better than that.” “You should be sorry,” the husband replied. “You’ve got two uncles who don’t send us a dime.” *** Man to Librarian: “Where’s the self-help section?” Librarian: “Now, Sir if I told
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you that, I’d be defeating the purpose.” *** I asked a divorced friend if she planned to marry again. She replied: “I have a dog that growls and sleeps all day, a parrot that swears and a cat that stays out all night. What do I need a husband for?” *** One day a man goes to a pet shop to buy a parrot. The assistant takes the man to the parrot section and asks the man to choose one. The man asks, ‘’How much is the yellow one?’’ The assistant says, “r2000.’’ The man is shocked and asks the assistant why it’s so expensive. The assistant explains, ‘’This parrot is a very special one. He knows typewriting and can type really fast.’’ “What about the green one?’’ the man asks. The assistant says, “He costs r5000 because he knows typewriting and can answer incoming telephone calls and takes notes.’’ ‘’What about the red one?’’ the man asks. The assistant says, “That one’s r10,000.’’ The man says, “What does he do?’’ The assistant says, “I don’t know, but the other two call him boss.’’