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సద్గురు బాబాజీ వారి పశ్చిమ బెంగాల్, ఒడిస్సా, ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్ మరియు తమిళనాడు రాష్ట్రాల మానవ కళ్యాణ యాత్ర

“ఏకత్వ” భావనతోనే మానవుడు- మానవునికి చేరువవుతాడు

-శ్రీరాం ప్రజాపతి ద్వారా

సద్గురు బాబా హరదేవ్ సింగ్ జీ మహారాజ్ సెప్టెంబర్ 21- 30తేదీల మధ్య పశ్చిమ బెంగాల్, ఒడిస్సా, ఆంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్ మరియు తమిళనాడు రాష్ట్రాలలో మానవ కళ్యాణ యాత్ర సందర్భంగా బంగ్లా, ఒడియా, తెలుగు మరియు తమిళం మాట్లాడే భక్తులకు దర్శనాన్ని ప్రసాదించి తరిoపచేసారు.  ఈ యాత్రలో పశ్చిమ బెంగాల్ యొక్క రాజధాని అయిన కొలకత్తా, ఓడిస్సా యొక్క రాజధాని భువనేశ్వర్, తమిళనాడు రాజధాని చెన్నై లో ప్రేమ మరియు శాంతి గురించిన  సందేశాన్ని ఇచ్చారు. ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ లో  విశాఖపట్నం మరియు కాకినాడలోనూ బాబాజీ దివ్యసందేశం ప్రతిధ్వనించింది.

కోలకత్తా 21 సెప్టెంబర్ : సద్గురు బాబా హరదేవ్ సింగ్ జీ మహారాజ్ వారు చెప్పినదెమనగా ‘ఏకత్వ భావాన్ని ఆత్మానుసందానం చేసుకున్నప్పుడే మానవుడు తోటి మానవునికి చేరువవగలడు. కేవలం నినాదాలతో- మనమంతా ఒక్కటే అని పిలుపునివ్వటంతో దీన్ని సాధించలేము. “ఒక ప్రభువుతో యోగమై, ఆ ఒక్కడినీ తెలుసుకుని, ఒకడిని పూజించి, ఒక్కటవటాన్ని సాకారం చేయాలి.’ వీరు పశ్చిమ బెంగాల్ రాజధానిలోని ఈడెన్ గార్డెన్ క్రికెట్ స్టేడియం సమీపంలో  ఉన్న ‘నేతాజీ ఇండోర్ స్టేడియం’ లో భవ్యమైన మరియు విశాలరూపంలో సత్సoగ సమారోహంలో శ్రద్ధావంతులైన భక్తుల విశాల జన సమూహాన్ని ఉద్దేశించి ప్రసంగించారు..

సద్గురు దేవులైన హరదేవ్ సింగ్ జీ వారు ఇలా పలికారు,’అవతార పురుషులు, సంతులు మరియు భక్తులతో భారత దేశం ఆది కాలం నుండే విశ్వానికి శాంతి మరియు సద్భావన యొక్క సందేశాన్ని ఇస్తూ ఉంది. జాతి, ధర్మ, బాష, సంస్కృతి, వేషధారణ, దేశ మరియు ప్రాంతాల ఆధారంగా ఎన్నో రకాల దూరాలు సృష్టిoపబడుతున్నాయి. దీని కారణంగా మానవుడు పరస్పరం సద్భావనను అన్వయిoచుకొనక దాని స్థానములో సంకీర్ణతలతో జీవిస్తున్నాడు. జీవితాన్ని అలంకరించుకొని సంస్కరించుకొనదలచిన ఎడల దివ్యగుణాలను జీవితంలో ఆవిష్కరిo చుకోవాలి.’

వారు ఇలా తెలిపారు, ‘దివ్య  జ్ఞానం యొక్క ప్రకాశంలో మమేకమవటం, అనగా ప్రేమ, సోదరత్వ భావనతో జీవించాలి.  దివ్య గుణాలను స్వంతం చేసుకొనినచో ఇతరులను పడగొట్టి కాక దయ, కరుణ, సహనశీలత, ప్రేమ, నమ్రత, నా వారు ఆనే భావనలే ప్రకాశిస్తాయి. ఇదే ఈ జ్ఞాన జ్యోతి యొక్క పరిణామం.  దివ్య గుణాలు మాత్రమే జీవితానికి శోభను ఇస్తాయి. అవే మానవతా రూపాన్ని ప్రసాదిస్తాయి మరియు వీరు విశ్వానికి వరంగా పరిణమిస్తారు..

ఎవరైతే దివ్య గుణాలతో జీవన ప్రయాణం సాగిస్తారో వారే శ్రేష్టమైన మానవులు. ఏ విధంగానైతే పుష్పాలు మన దృష్టి నుండి దూరం అయినప్పటికీ వాటి పరిమళం స్థిరంగా ఉంటుంది..  జీవితంలోని సుగంధం ఎల్లవేళలా ఉండే విధంగా వీరు జీవిస్తారు. మానవుని జీవితం కూడా సుగంధ భరితమై ఉంటూ తద్వారా సమాజాన్ని సైతం ప్రభావితం చేసేదిగా ఉండాలి.

వారు తెలిపినట్లుగా ప్రతి క్షణం అమూల్యమైనది. ఈ విలువైన సమయాన్ని ప్రాపంచిక విషయాలలో వ్యర్ధం చేయకూడదు.  ఇది ఆత్మను ప్రకాశింప చేసుకునే  సమయం. ఆజ్ఞానమనే గాఢ నిద్ర నుండి మేలుకో మరియు సత్యంతో యోగం అవమని మనకు అవగాహనను కలిగిస్తున్నారు. బెంగాలీ బాషలోని భజనలలో కూడా  చెప్పబడింది. ఏమనగా మనం మన అడుగులను దేనివలన అయితే మనం ఈ భూమి పైకి రావటం శుభ ప్రదం చేస్తుందో ఆ దిశగా వేయాలి. వాస్తవానికి అజ్ఞానంలో ఉండటం వలనే మానవుడు భ్రమలు మరియు బంధనాలకు లోనవుతున్నాడు.

సత్సంగ సమారోహంలో పశ్చిమ బెంగాల్ రవాణా మరియు క్రీడల మంత్రి శ్రీ మదన్ మోహన్ మిత్ర దివ్య- దంపతులకు రాష్ట్ర సర్కారు మరియు కొలకత్తా వాసుల తరపున ఆహ్వానం పలికారు. వారు ఇలా తెలిపారు,’మీ మిషన్ భారత దేశానికే కాదు ప్రపంచమంతటికీ అవసరం.’ సంత్ నిరoకారీ మండలి యొక్క ఉప ప్రధాని శ్రే దేవ్ రాజ్ బజాజ్ జి  తో పాటు అనేక వక్తలు బెంగాలీ, హిందీ, పంజాబీ మరియు ఆంగ్ల బాషలో వారి భావాలను వ్యక్త పరిచారు.

ఇన్డోర్ స్టేడియం లోనే మరుసటి రోజు అనగా సెప్టెంబర్ 22న కూడా భవ్య సత్సంగా సమారోహం ఏర్పాటు చేయబడినది.  దీనిలో బెంగాలీ మాట్లాడే భక్తులు భక్తి యొక్క రంగులో మమేకమై సద్గురువు పట్ల కృతజ్ఞత భావాన్ని వ్యక్తపరచా రు. భక్త జనులకు ఆశీర్వాదాన్ని ప్రసాదిస్తూ సద్గురు దేవులు ఇలా పలికారు, ‘భక్తుల జీవితం ఉత్తమమైనది. ఇట్టి జీవితాన్ని సంసారంలో ఉంటూ జీవించటం అవసరం. కాని మన వ్యవహారం మరియు ఆచరణ వలన మనకు  విశేష గుర్తింపు లభిస్తుంది. అవతార వాణి లో కూడా చెప్పినట్లుగా, “ కమలము నీటిలో ఉండినట్లుగా సాధులు సంసారంలో వుంటారు.. వీరు పరివారము, సమాజము మరియు  దేశము పట్ల తమ బాధ్యతలను సక్రమంగా నిర్వర్తిస్తారు.భక్తుల గుణాలు ఎల్లవేళలా భక్తుల వంటిదై ఉంటుంది.  వీరు తమ గుణాలను ప్రతికూల పరిస్థితులలో కూడా త్యజించరు.’ ఈ సందర్భంలో బాబాజీ ఈ కవితను వినిపించారు:

“ ఫూలోం సే ధిరా రహతా హై చారోం తరఫ్ సే ఫూల్ ,

కాంటోo సే ధిరా రహతా హై చారోం తరఫ్ సే ఫూల్,

ఫిర్ భీ ఖిలా రహతా హై క్యా ఖుష్ మిజాజ్ హై I ”

పువ్వుకు చుట్టుప్రక్కలా ముళ్ళు ఉంటాయి. అయిననూ అది పరిమళాన్నే వెదజల్లుతుంది. ముళ్ళు ఉన్నప్పటికీ తన కోమలత్వాన్ని మరియు సుగంధాన్ని కోల్పోదు. భక్తుని  జీవితం కూడా ఈ విధంగానే ఉంటుంది. వారు ఏ పరిస్థితిలోనైనా తమ గమ్యం వైపు ముందడుగు వేస్తూ ఉంటారు.  ఈ విషయం కూడా చెప్పబడింది- ‘పరిస్థితి ఎలా ఉన్నా, ఒకే రకమైన మనో స్థితిని కలిగి ఉండాలి.’ భక్తుల మనోస్థితి ఎల్ల వేళలా సమంగా ఉంటుంది. వారికది సహజ స్వభావంగా ఉంటుంది. ఎప్పుడైతే వారు సహజ నిరంకారున్ని ఆధారంగా చేసుకొని జీవిస్తారో అప్పుడే మనస్సుకు ఈ సహజత్వం ప్రాప్తిస్తుంది.

భక్తులు తమ మనస్సులో ప్రపంచ విషయాలను కాక ఈ నిరాకార ప్రభుకే స్థానం కల్పిస్తారు.   వారి మనస్సు ప్రేమతో నిండి ఉంటుంది. ఎవరి మనస్సులోనైతే ప్రభువు నివాస ముంటాడో వారు ప్రేమతోనే నిండి ఉంటారు. ప్రేమ భావంలో ఉంటూ  జీవిత ప్రయాణాన్ని సాగిస్తారు.

సమారోహంలో అనేక వక్తలు తమ భావాలను వ్యక్తపరచారు.  గీతకారుడు అజయ్ బేజోడ్ తన రచన ద్వారా ప్రపంచంలో సుఖం మరియు శాంతిని కోరి ప్రార్ధించారు. అంతిమంగా పశ్చిమ బెంగాల్ యొక్క జోనల్ ఇంచార్జీ శ్రీ అర్జున్ సింగ్ దివ్య-దంపతులకు తమ కృతజ్ఞతలను తెలిపారు.

దీనికి క్రితం రోజు అనగా ఆదివారం సెప్టెంబర్ 21 ఉదయం సద్గురు బాబాజీ మరియు పూజ్య మాతాజీ  రాజధాని ఎక్స్ ప్రెస్ లో  కొలకత్తా విచ్చేసినప్పుడు జోనల్ ఇంచార్జీ శ్రీ అర్జున్ సింగ్ మరియు పెద్ద సంఖ్యలో హాజరైన భక్త జనులు వారికి హార్షిక స్వాగతం పలికారు.  బేక్ బాగాన్ లో ఉన్న సత్సంగ్ భవనం చేరిన పిదప బంగాలీ సంస్కృతిని అనుసరించి శంఖ ధ్వనులతో అభివందన చేసారు.

కోలకత్తా సెప్టెంబర్ 23: పిక్నిక్ గార్డెన్ లో ఏర్పాటు చేసిన సత్సంగ సమారోహంలో సద్గురు బాబాజీ ఇలా తెలిపారు,’ భక్తుడు ఎల్లవేళలా భక్తితో కూడిన జీవనం జీవించాలని ప్రయత్నిస్తాడు. ఎవరైతే స్వయంగా ప్రకాశంలో ఉంటారో, మానవ జీవనం సార్ధకం అవ్వాలని తలుస్తారో వారే సమాజానికి కూడా అట్టి ప్రేరణను ఇస్తారు. సంసారంలో వ్యాపించి వున్నా  వైరం, ఈర్ష, ద్వేషం వంటి దుర్భావాలను దూరం చేయడము నేడు అత్యంత ఆవశ్యకం. కేవలం భక్తుడు మాత్రమే ప్రపంచానికి ప్రేమ, నమ్రత, సహనశీలత, విశాలత మరియు శాంతి సాధ్భావనల మార్గాన్ని చూపించేవాడు. ఈ దివ్యగుణాలను మనం ఆవిష్కరిo చుకొని జీవితాన్ని సుoదరమయం చేసుకోవచ్చు.

భక్తుడు ప్రపంచానికి, సమాజానికి స్పూర్తిని ఇచ్చేవాడు. అజ్ఞానమనే అంధకారంలో తచ్చాడుతున్న మానవులకు సత్యం-జ్ఞానం యొక్క బోధను కలిగించి దివ్య ప్రకాశంలోకి ప్రవేశపెడతారు.  ఈ కార్యమే యుగయుగాలుగా చేయబడుతుంది. స్వామి వివేకానంద మరియు చైతన్య మహాప్రభు వంటి మహాత్ములు మానవ జాతిని సత్యంతో యోగమై జీవితాన్ని సుందరంగా చేసుకోమని ప్రోత్సహించారు.

ఈ రోజు కూడా ఈ సందేశామే ఇవ్వబడుతుంది. “సమయం ఉన్నప్పుడే సత్యం యొక్క అనుభూతిని పొంది, మానవ జీవితం యొక్క పరమ లక్ష్యాన్ని పొందాలి. ఎందుకనగా ఈ అవకాశాన్ని జార విడిచిన ఎడల మళ్ళీ లభించేది కాదు. జనన మరణ చక్రంలో నుండి ముక్తిని పొందటానికి గల ఏకైక మార్గం-‘బ్రహ్మ ప్రాప్తి, భ్రమ సమాప్తి ’ ”

సద్గురు బాబాజీ 24 సెప్టెంబర్ న కోలకత్తా నుండి ఒడిస్సా రాజధాని అయిన భువనేశ్వర్కు ప్రయాణమయ్యారు.  దారిలో పశ్చిమ బెంగాల్ లోని ఖరగపూర్ లోని క్రొత్త సత్సంగ్ భవనాన్ని ప్రారంభోత్సవం చేసారు.  శ్రద్ధాలు భక్తులకు ఆశీర్వాదాన్ని ఇస్తూ, ‘భక్తుడు నిరంతరం నిరాకారున్ని ఆధారం చేసుకొని జీవన ప్రయాణాన్ని సాగిస్తాడు.  భక్తి సాగరంలో మమేకమై ఉండాలని సదా ప్రార్ధిస్తాడు. దీని పిదప ఒడిస్సా లోని భద్రక్ లోని సత్సంగ్ భవనంలో ఒరియా మాట్లాడే భక్తులను ఆశీర్వదించారు.  ఇచ్చటి  అమాయకపు గ్రామీణ భక్తులు ఎంతో ఉత్సాహంగా సత్సంగంలో, పాల్గొన్నారు. భువనేశ్వర్ చేరుకునే సరికి చాలా పోద్దుపౌయిoది. అక్కడ దివ్య దంపతులకు ఘనమైన స్వాగతం లభించింది.

కట్టక్- 25 సెప్టెంబర్: మహానది తీరంలో వెలిసిన కట్టక్ ఒక పురాతన నగరం. ఇది భారతీయ సంస్కృతిక వైవిధ్యాన్ని తన ఒడిలో నింపుకుంది. ఇక్కడికి సుమారు 75 కిలోమీటర్ల దూరంలో ‘పూరీ’ నగరం ఉంది. దీనికి సమీపంలోనే కోణార్క్ సూర్య దేవాలయం ఉంది.  దీనిని చూడటానికి ప్రపంచ వ్యాప్తంగా సందర్శకులు ఇక్కడికి వాస్తారు.  ఇక్కడ జవాహర్ లాల్ ఇన్డోర్ స్టేడియం లో అందమైన సత్సంగ సమారోహము ఏర్పాటు చేయబడింది.  దీనిలో దూర దూర    గ్రామాల నుండి కూడా భక్తులు ఉత్సాహంగా పాల్గొన్నారు. ఇంచుమించు 4 సంవత్సరాల తరువాత సద్గురువారి రాకతో ఒడియా బాషా భక్త జనుల హృదయాలు పులకరించి పోయాయి.

సద్గురు బాబాజీ భక్తులతో ఒడియా బాషలో ‘ప్రేమ సహిత్ కహాంతు ......ధన నిరంకార్’ అని పలికిన వెంటనే స్టేడియం మొత్తం “సద్గురు బాబా హరదేవ్ సింగ్ జీ మహారాజ్ కీ జై ” అనే జయ ఘోషతో మారుమ్రోగింది.  సభను ఉద్దేశించి బాబాజీ ఇలా పలికారు, ‘భక్త జనులు ఎవరైతే తమ భక్తిని  ధృడపరుస్తారో వారే పరోపకారంలో కూడా ముందుంటారు. నేడు దేశంలోనే కాకుండా ప్రపంచ వ్యాప్తంగా మానవ సహోద్రత్వం యొక్క ఆవశ్యకత ఉంది ఎందుకనంగా మానవుడే సాటి మానవుని పట్ల నీచంగా వ్యవహరిస్తున్నాడు. మతం పేరుతొ అన్నిటికంటే ఎక్కువగా హింస మారణకాండ జరగటం చూస్తున్నాము. ఎన్నో కారణాలను చూపి మానవుడు తాను స్వయంగా తన చుట్టూ అడ్డుగోడలను నిర్మించుకొo టున్నాడు. దీని వలన వాతావరణం విద్వేషభరితంగా, విషతుల్యంగా మారటం చూస్తున్నాము.

భక్తులు మాత్రమే సహనశీలత్వo  మరియు విశాల దృక్పదాన్ని కలిగి ఉండి పరస్పరమైన ప్ర్రేమ, సద్భావన గల వాతావరణాన్ని నెలకొల్పటంలో క్రియాశీల పాత్ర వహిస్తున్నారు.  ప్రతి మానవుడు ఇలా సద్భావన ప్రదర్శిస్తే దేశం కూడా ఉన్నత శిఖరాల వైపు పురోగమిస్తుంది మరియు ప్రపంచంలోని మానవ జాతి వికాసం చెందుతుంది. వర్తమానంలో కలిసి మెలిసి ఉండవలసిన ఆవశ్యకత ఎంతో ఉంది. శాంతి పూర్వక మరియు పరోపకార భావనతో జీవించాలి.

‘భిన్నత్వంలో ఏకత్వం’ అనే భావాన్ని పెంపొందించుటకు గల ఆవశ్యకతను తెలుపుతూ బాబాజీ ఇలా పలికారు, ‘పుష్పాలతో నిండిన పూతోటలో ఎన్నో పూలు ఉంటాయి. విభిన్న రకాల పుష్పాలు కలిసి ఉండి శోభను పెంచుతాయి మరియు తమ తమ సుగంధాన్నివెదజల్లుతాయి. ఈ విధంగానే మానవులు కూడా విభిన్న జాతి, ధర్మo, బాష, సంస్కృతిని ఆధారం చేసుకొని జీవిస్తున్నారు. ఆధారాలు వేరైనప్పటికి ‘ఏకత్వ’ భావన ధృడపడవలసి ఉంది. ఏ బాష వారైనా ప్రపంచాన్ని సుoదరమయం చేయటానికి ప్రేమ సుగంధాన్నే వెదజల్లాలి.’

సద్గురు బాబాజీ భారతీయ శాస్త్రవేత్తలు  ’మంగళ్ మిషన్’ తో పొందిన సాఫల్యాన్ని ఉద్ఘాటిస్తూ, “ప్రధాన మంత్రి దేశవాసులకు శుబాకాంక్షలు తెలిపారు. ఎందుకనగా ఈ దేశం యొక్క ప్రగతి మరియు వికాసానికి ఇది తోడ్పడుతుంది. శాస్త్రవేత్తలు మనస్సులో ఉత్తమ భావాలు జన్మించటం వలన ఈ మిషన్ జయప్రదమైనది. కొందరు శాస్త్రవేత్తలు విపరీత ఆలోచన సరళిని కలిగి ఉంటారు. కావున ఏ వైజ్ఞానికులైతే దేశాన్ని ప్రగతికై ఆవిష్కరణలు చేస్తారో, వారే మానవ జాతి మనుగడకు ప్రతికూలమైన వినాశాపరిచే అపాయకరమైన ఆయుధాలను కూడా తయారు చేస్తున్నారు. వీటిని ఉపయోగించి క్షణంలో ప్రపంచాన్ని అంతమొందించవచ్చు. భావమేమనగా మన ఆలోచనలు మరియు మనస్సులో స్వచ్చత ఉన్నట్లయితే సానుకూల దిశగా  అడుగులుపడతాయి. మన మనస్సులో విపరీత భావాలు ఉన్నట్లయితే మనం వినాశానికి కారణభూతులం అవుతాం. మనలో మంచి భావనలు ఉన్నట్లయితే మేలే జరుగుతుంది. అందుచేతనే చెప్పబడుతుంది, “మనస్సులో సదా శుభ తలoపులనే కలిగి ఉండాలి. మన ఆలోచనలు పావనంగా, పవిత్రంగా అందరి శ్రేయస్సు కోరేవిగా ఉండాలి. మన ఆలోచనలు సుందరంగా ఉన్నప్పుడే మన అడుగులు ప్రగతి పధం వైపు పడతాయి.”

మానవుని జీవితం, ఆలోచనలు ఉత్తమంగా ఉండాలి. ఎవరైతే సద్భావాలతో నిండి ఉంటారో వారే భూమికి వరంగా పరిగణింప బడతారు. జీవిత విధానాన్ని ఉజ్వల పరచటానికి సంతుల ఆలోచనా విధానాన్ని అవలంబించి భక్తి సాగరంలో మనస్సును లయం చేయాలి.  ప్రేమ, నమ్రత, సహన శీలత్వాల మార్గంలో నడుస్తూ ప్రపంచానికి కూడా ఈ ప్రేరణనే ఇవ్వాలి.

బాబాజీ ఒడియా బాషలో పాటలోని ఈ వాక్యాలను పాడుతూ,’హాయ్ రే కే  మంతర్ కోలా ...’ వాస్తవంగా అనన్య భక్తే మంత్రం. దీని వలనే జ్ఞానం పట్ల ధృడత్వం మరియు ఆలోచనలో శుద్దత్వం వస్తుoది.  మన మనస్సులో సదా శుద్ధ భావాలే కలగాలని మరియు జీవితం సుందరంగా మారేలా దాతారుడు కృప చూపాలి.

సత్సంగ సమారోహంలో ఒడియ మాట్లాడే భక్తులు ఎన్నో గీతాలు మరియు ప్రవచనాల ద్వారా తమ భావాన్ని వ్యక్తపరిచారు. కటక్ యొక్క సంయోజకులైన శ్రీ కైలాష్ చంద్ర మరియు జోనల్ ఇంచార్జీ జగదీశ్ లాల్ గుగనాని దివ్య దంపతులకు కృతజ్ఞత వ్యక్తం చేస్తూ ఈ విధంగా పలికారు, ‘ మీ రాకతో ఉత్సాహం పెంపొందుతుoది. మా ప్రార్ధన ఏమనగా ఒడిశా పై  మీ దివ్య ఛాయా ఎల్లవేళలా ఉండాలి.’

భువనేశ్వర్ నుండి సద్గురు బాబాజీ 26 సెప్టెంబర్ న  ఆంద్ర ప్రదేశ్ లోని విశాఖ పట్నం వైపు పయనమయారు. దారిలో ఒడిషా లోని చిల్కా మరియు బర్హంపూర్ లోని భక్తులకు దర్శనం ఇచ్చారు.  దీని పిదప అంధ్ర ప్రదేశ్ లోని శ్రీకాకుళం జిల్లా లోని ఇచ్చాపురం తాలూకా లోని బిరలాంగి గ్రామంలో తెలుగు బాషా భక్తుల మధ్యకు విచ్చేసి వారిని ఆశీర్వదిoచి ఇది శ్రద్ధ్దా భావము అనితెలిపినప్పుడు వారంతా పులకరిoచిపోయారు. మీరు నిరాకారుడే మీ తోడూ-నీడ అని తెలుసుకొని ఆయన భక్తిలో మమేకమై ఉన్నారు. దీని వలనే జీవితం సౌందర్యం సంతరించుకుంటుంది. అదే రోజు బాగా చీకటి పడిన తరువాత సద్గురువు విశాఖపట్నం వచ్చారు. బాబాజీ సుమారు మూడు సంవత్సరాల తరువాత విశాఖపట్నం విచ్చేశారు. వారికి  పిల్లలు మరియు మహిళలు సాంస్కృతిక కార్యక్రమాలతో స్వాగతం పలికారు.

విశాఖపట్నo 27 సెప్టెంబర్: సద్గురు బాబా హరదేవ్ సింగ్ జీ మహారాజ్ ఇక్కడి ఆళ్వార్ దాస్ స్టేడియం లో శ్రద్ధావంతులైన భక్థులకు ఆశీర్వాదం  ఇస్తూ ఇలా పలికారు, ‘సంతులు, మహాత్ములు ఆదికాలం నుండి మానవాళిని జాగ్రుత పరుస్తున్నారు.  భక్త జనులు నేడు కూడా ఈ సందేశాన్నే ఇస్తున్నారు. సంతుల శుభ ప్రదమైన వచనాలను తమ జీవితానికి అన్వయించుకుంటే జీవితంలో ఆధ్యాత్మిక చైతన్యం వస్తుంది. ఈ నగరంలో భారత దేశంలోని 4 వ పెద్ద నౌక రేవు కలదు.  ఇది పశ్చిమ భారత నౌకా దళానికి కేంద్రం. ఇక్కడ నౌకలను తయారు చేసే కార్మాగారం ఉంది.

బాబాజీ ఇలా చెప్పారు, ‘దక్షిణ భారత దేశానికి చెందిన పోతన్న, వేమన మరియు ఇతర సంతులు కూడా ఈ సందేశాన్నే ఇస్తూ వచ్చారు- “ సమయం ఉన్నప్పుడే సత్యాన్ని పొందండి.” బాషలు వేరైనప్పటికీ సందేశం మాత్రం సార్వభౌమ మైనదే. వర్తమానానికి విలువ ఇవ్వమనే ప్రేరణను ప్రతి యుగంలో మరియు ప్రతి సమయంలో ఇవ్వబడుతుంది. స్వామి  వివేకానంద కూడా ఈ విషయాన్నే తెలిపారు, “” లేవండి, మేల్కొనండి, పొందoడి, జాగృతి చెందండి.” దేనివలనైతే ఆత్మ బంధ విముక్తి చెందుతుందో(తరిస్తుందో), జీవితం సంస్కరింప బడుతుoదో, దాని వైపు జాగృతి చెందండి. దీని అవసరం అన్ని బాషల వారికీ ఉంది.’

గాఢ నిద్ర నుండి మేల్కొనాలి మరియు గమ్యాన్ని చేరాలి. స్వప్నంలో కాదు యధార్ధంలో స్థిరం అవ్వాలి. మీ గమ్యమైన ప్రభువు మీ సమీపంలోనే ఉన్నాడు. అందుచేతనే దీనిని పొందమని చెప్పబడింది. కానీ దౌర్భాగ్య మేమిటంటే అజ్ఞానం వలన మానవుడు తిరుగాడుచూ ఉన్నాడు. జ్ఞాన ప్రకాశం పొందినచో ఈ ప్రయాణం సమాప్తమవుతుoది. నిరాకారుడు, సాకారుడు ఒక్కటే. ఈ సందర్భంలో ఇలా పలికారు, ‘శివుడు జీవుడు ఏకం కనరయ్యా ...’ పరమాత్మ ఒక్కడే. పరమ సత్యమైన పరమాత్మ ఒక్కటే అయి ఉన్నాడు.

ప్రాపంచిక అవసరాల పట్ల మానవుడు ఎంతో జాగురూకతను ప్రదర్శిస్తున్నాడు. కాని సత్యం వైపు నిద్రిస్తున్నాడు. ప్రాపంచిక వస్తువుల కోసం ఏ విధంగానైతే మానవుడు ఆరాటపడతాడో, జీవితంలో ఏదైతే మన లక్ష్యాన్ని నిర్దారిస్తుoదో  దానిని పొందటానికి ఎంతగా శ్రమిస్తాడో, అదే విధంగా సత్యాన్ని పొందటానికి కూడా జాగృతి కలిగి ఉండాలి. అప్పుడే ఇహ పర లోకాలలో సాఫల్యం పొందుతాడు.

బాబాజీ ప్ర్రేమ అనే గంగను ప్రవహింపమని నొక్కి చెబుతూ, ‘ప్రభు ప్రేమి వహీ కహలాతా హై జో బందోం సే ప్ర్రేం కర్తా హై ’ తోటి మానవుడిని ప్రేమించే వాడే భగవంతుని భక్తుడని పిలువబడతాడు. ప్రేమించటం మరచిన మానవుడు ద్వేషంతో జీవిస్తున్నాడు.  ఈ సందర్భంలో ఇలా చెప్పారు, “” ఇన్సానోం కీ మౌత్ హో జాతీ హై యహ హాదసా నహీ హై, బల్కి బడా హాదసా యహ హై కి ఇన్సాన్ ప్రేమ కర్నా భూల్ గయా హై. మానవుడు మృతి చెందటం విషాద సంఘటన కాదు. అత్యంత విషాధకర సంఘటన ఏమనగా మానవుడు ప్రేమించటం మరచాడు.”  అందుకే ప్రపంచంలో ప్రేమను  వెదజల్లడం అవసరం.

సత్సంగ సమారోహంలో తెలుగు మాట్లాడే భక్తులు తమ భావాలను వ్యక్తపరచారు. విశాఖపట్నం యొక్క సంయోజకులు శ్రీ గోపి మీరపురీ తరపున శ్రీ ప్రేమ మీరపురీ దివ్య దంపతుల పట్ల కృతజ్ఞత భావాన్ని  వ్యక్తం చేసారు.  దీనికి ముందుగా ఆంధ్రప్రదేశ్ మరియు తెలంగాణ యొక్క జోనల్ ఇంచార్జీ సోదరి మోహిని అహుజా వారి ఆధ్వర్యంలో స్థానిక భక్త జనులు స్వాగతం పలికారు.

విశాఖపట్నం నుండి తూర్పు గోదావరి  జిల్లా లోని కాకినాడ వైపు వెళ్లే  సమయంలో సద్గురుదేవులు మార్గంలో కశింకోట, ఉమ్మవరం, తూర్పు  గోదావరి జిల్లా పిఠాపురంలో కూడా భక్తులకు దర్శనం ఇచ్చి తరింప చేసారు.

కాకినాడ  28 సెప్టెంబర్: ఇక్కడ డా. అంబేద్కర్ భవనంలో ప్రప్రధమంగా ఏర్పాటు చేయబడిన సత్సంగ సమారోహంలో సద్గురు బాబాజీ ప్రభు ప్రేమికులైన భక్త జనుల్ని సంబోధిస్తూ ఇలా పలికారు, “జీవితంలో సౌందర్యం తీసుకు రావటానికి దివ్య గుణాలను ఆవిష్కరిoచుకోవాలి. కేవలం భక్త జనులు మాత్రమే స్వయంగా సద్ వ్యవహారం చేస్తూ ఇతరులకు కూడా ప్ర్రేరణను కలిగిస్తారు.  వాస్తవానికి వీరే దేశానికి మరియు సమాజానికీ స్పూర్తిని ఇచ్చే వారుగా ఉంటారు.”

సద్గురు బాబాజీ చెప్పినట్లుగా జీవితం బాహ్య అందము లేదా మేడల వలన సౌందర్యాన్ని సంతరిoచుకోదు.  ఎప్పుడైతే మానవీయ గుణాలను జీవితానికి ఆధారంగా చేస్తామో అప్పుడే జీవితం సౌందర్యంగా ఉంటుంది.  ఈ గుణాలే జీవితాన్ని అలంకరిస్తాయి. జీవితం యొక్క సౌందర్యం భావ సౌందర్యం పై ఆధార పడి ఉంటుంది. ఎవరైతే సద్గుణాలతో నిండి ఉంటారో వారే భగవంతుని దృష్టిలో అందమైన వారు.  ఎవరైతే జీవితంలో సంతుల సాంగత్యం చేస్తారో వారే ఉన్నత శిఖరాలను అధిరోహిస్తారు.

ఈ జ్ఞాన ధార నిరంతరం ప్రవహిస్తూనే ఉంది.  సంత్ మహాత్ములు ప్రపంచాన్ని ప్రకాశవంతం చేస్తారు.  ఉత్తమ శిక్షణను ఇస్తారు. ఈ రోజు కూడా అట్టి శిక్షణే ఇవ్వబడుతుంది. నిర్మల జలంతో మనస్సు నిండి ఉండనట్లయితే మన దగ్గరకు వచ్చే వారు కూడా  శీతలత్వాన్ని పొందలేరు.  అంతేకాకుండా మనస్సు దుఃఖించి దూరమయిపోతారు.

సంతుల సాంగత్యం మహాత్వపూర్వమైనదిగా భావిస్తారు. వారి సాంగత్యం వలన మన జీవితంలో ఒక ఆధ్యాత్మిక చైతన్యం వస్తుంది. సంతుల సాంగత్యం మనచే భవసాగరాన్ని దాటిస్తుoది.

కాకినాడ యొక్క ముఖి అయిన శ్రీ రామకృష్ణ గారు దివ్య దంపతుల పట్ల తన కృతజ్ఞతను ప్రకటించారు. ఆరంభంలో ఆంద్ర ప్రదేశ్ యొక్క పారంపరిక సంస్కృతికి అనుగుణంగా స్వాగతం పలికారు.

తాడేపల్లిగూడెం నుండి 29సెప్టెంబర్ న చెన్నైకు ప్రయాణమయ్యారు. ముందుగా తాడేపల్లిగూడెం లోని సంత్ నిరంకారీ సత్సంగ్ భవనంలో భక్తులు దివ్య దంపతులకు ప్రేమ పూర్వక స్వాగతం పలికారు. “సత్య సందేశాన్ని ప్రతి మానవుని వరకు తీసుకు వెళ్లే ప్రయత్స్నం చేయబడుచున్నది. భక్తుడు సదా భక్తి మార్గంలో నడవాలని, హృదయంలో ప్రేమ భావన కలిగి ఉండాలని, మనస్సు వినమ్రత భావంతో నిండి ఉండాలని ప్రార్దిస్తాడు. భక్తుడు అందరినీ తన వారిగా గుర్తిస్తాడు కనుకనే అందరినీ తన వారుగా పరిగణిస్తాడు. ‘వసుదైవ కుటుంబకం’ అనే భావానకి సాకార రూపం ప్రసాదిస్తూ భూమిపై నివసించే ప్రతి వ్యక్తిని ఒకే పరివారంలోని సభ్యుడిగా తలుస్తాడు.”

ఇక్కడ సద్గురు బాబాజీకి పూలను చల్లి ఆహ్వానం పలికారు. ఈ సందర్భంలో బాబాజీ చెప్పినది ఏమనగా, ‘సుందరమైన పుష్పాలు జల్లారు. అవి ఎంతో కోమలత్వాన్ని కలిగి ఉన్నాయి. భక్తుల నడవడిక కూడా ఇంతే కోమలంగా ఉంటుంది. వారు తాము వెళ్లే దారిలో పూలనే పరుస్తారు.’

చెన్నై- 30 సెప్టెంబర్ : తమిళనాడు రాజధాని చెన్నైలో దివ్య- దంపతులకు తమిళ సంస్కృతికి అనుగుణంగా స్వాగతం పలికారు.  ఇక్కడ వళ్ళువర్ కోట్టం నుంగంబాక్కంలో విశాలమైన సభా ప్రాంగణంలో ఏర్పాటైన సత్సంగ సమారోహంలో బాబాజీకి వేదాంత మహర్షి సంస్థానం-చెన్నైకి చెందిన శ్రీ అలగర్ రామానుజం మరియు ఇతర విశిష్ట మరియు ప్రముఖ నాగరికులు స్వాగతo పలికారు.

సద్గురు దేవులు ఇలా తెలిపారు, ‘భక్తులు భక్తి భావనలే మానవుని అస్తిత్వాన్ని ధృడపరిచేవి. మానవత్వమే నిజ ధర్మం. ఎప్పుడైతే మనం మానవునిలా ప్రవర్తిస్తామో అప్పుడే ధర్మాచరణ చేసిన వారమౌతాము. అవతార పురుషులు మరియు సంతుల సందేశం ఏదో ఒక ప్రత్యేక సముదాయం, జాతి, ధర్మాన్ని పాటించే వారికే కాకుండా సమస్త విశ్వానికి సంభందించినది. అందరిలోనూ ఒక ప్రభువే ఉన్నాడని గుర్తించి ఏకత్వ భావనతో నిండి ఉంటారు.’

ఏకత్వ భావనకు సాకార రూపం ఇవ్వటానికి ‘ఒక్కడిని తెలుసుకో; ఒక్కడిని పూజించు; ఒక్కడివైపో ’ ను ఆత్మలో ధృడపరచాలి. ఎప్పుడైతే మనం ఏకాన్ని ఏకంగా గుర్తిస్తామో అప్పుడు ఆ ఏకత్వానికి పూర్తిగా సమర్పితులం అవుతాము. మూలాన్ని తెలుసుకుంటారు మరియు ఏకత్వ సూత్రంలో మమేకమై ఉంటారు.  అజ్ఞానంలో ఉండటం వలన బంధనాలకు లోబడి ఉంటారు.  కాని ఎప్పుడైతే ఏకంతో యోగం అవుతారో ఈ బేధ దృష్టి నశించి పోతుంది.

21వ శతాబ్దం లో ప్రవేశించినప్పటికీ మానవుడు ఇంకా అడ్డుగోడలకే పరిమితమయ్యాడు. సంకీర్ణత ప్రభలింది. ఈ సందర్భంలో ఠాకూర్ రవీంద్రనాథ్ టాగోర్ ఈ  విధంగా తెలిపారు, ‘మైనే అపనీ ఈర్ద్-గిర్ద్ ఇతనీ ఊoచీ దీవారేం ఖడీ కర్ లీ హై జిస్మై మై స్వయం ఖోకర్ రహ్ గయా హూ. ’ భావం- మానవుడు అనేక ఆధారాలపై అడ్డుగోడలను నిర్మించాడు. దీని వలన అతని మనుగడే ప్రశ్నార్ధకంగా మారింది.

బాబాజీ ఇలా పలికారు,’సంసారంలో మానవుని రూపంలో అనేకులు చరిస్తున్నారు కానీ వారిలో అసలైన మానవులు బహు కొందరే. ఏదైనా అవటానికి ముందు మనం మానవునిగా ఉండాలి. విశ్వ వ్యాప్తంగా శాంతి మరియు సద్భావన నెలకొల్పాలి.  ఏకత్వ భావంలో అందరూ సహ జీవనం చేయాలి.  ప్రతి వ్యక్తి ప్రేమ పూర్వకంగా వ్యవహరించాలి. కల్పిత అభిమానాన్ని వీడి మానవునిగా తనను పరిచయం చేసుకోవాలి.

ప్రేమ, కరుణ,దయ భావనలను కలిగి ఉండి  సన్మార్గంలో నడవాలి. ఎందుకంటే ఇదే అన్నిటికంటే శ్రేష్ఠ మార్గం.ఇదే ప్రేమ క్షేత్రం. ప్రేమతోనే జీవిత యాత్రను చేయాలి.  ఎవరూ మనకు అపరిచితులు లేక పరాయి వారు కారు. ప్రేమతోనే స్వర్గాన్ని స్థాపించాలి.’ చివరిగా తమిళనాడుయొక్క జోనల్ ఇంచార్జీ శ్రీ శ్యాం సుందర్ కేస్వాణి తమ కృతజ్ఞతను తెలిపారు.

సమారోహ స్థలంలో ‘కార్నివల్ ఆఫ్ వన్నెస్ ’ పేరుతో ప్రదర్శన ఏర్పాటు చేసారు.  దీనిలో విభిన్న మోడల్ లను ప్రదర్శించారు.  యువత యొక్క ఈ ప్రయత్నం ఆదర్శప్రాయంగా  ఉంది. సద్గురు బాబాజీ మరియు పూజ్య మాతాజీ ఈ ప్రదర్శనను తిలకించారు మరియు యువతకు తమ ఆశీర్వాదాన్ని ప్రసాదించారు.                   

In pursuit of peace

Peace is above everything else. Peace and love are eternal. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Humankind cannot survive without love and peace. Love that conquers hate, peace that rises triumphant over war, and justice that proves more powerful than greed are the paths to bliss .          To be peaceful, we will have to take care of your physical well-being .  To be peaceful, we must invest in silence. The cluttered mind needs quite moments. Be wholly still and alone, in a state of non-doing.        To be peaceful, we must celebrate work. When the sanctity of work is held supreme above everything else ,then, everything will flow into our life as natural byproducts. We should put our heart and soul into the work on hand. Work must be the primary form of worship.           True happiness is based on peace. It is impossible to build one's own happiness on the unhappiness of others.     To be peaceful, be slow to judge and quick to forgive. Express gratitude, but do not expect gratitude. Receive gracefully and give wholeheartedly. What you expect from others, first expect from yourself. Be dependable and not dependent. Be expressive with your love. Be demonstrative with your happiness. Rejoice the unpredictability of life.         Trust. If your trust is betrayed, trust again. Celebrate all the good news. Don't get carried away by all the bad news - that world is not that bad. Bring some selflessness into your life. Serve in some capacity, some cause, expecting nothing in return. . Bring balance into your life. Have faith on that ‘One Connect’ that's beyond your judgment.          “Until man extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace.”   -― Albert Schweitzer         Get all the small things of your life right, and the big reward from life will be your peace. With peace, you will find silence. In silence, you will find infinite God. And, through God, you will find everything else.       Mahatma Gandhi asks us to make the following resolution each day: - I shall not fear anyone on Earth.  - I shall fear only God.  - I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.  - I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.  - I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.”         Even if things don't unfold the way you expected, don't be disheartened or give up. One who continues to advance will win in the end. Saints advise -“ Don't Gain The World & Lose Your Soul, Wisdom Is Better Than Silver     or  Gold.” True wisdom lies in seeking peace.                                  .......... Prejudice and Self- Judgement –    hamper our  Spiritual Progress Happiness has been the goal of human beings without understanding what happiness really means. Most human beings believe that their happiness is tied to external objects. “If I get a new dress I will be happy,” “If I get a job I will be happy,” and so on and so forth. Happiness is not the real goal of human life. Because today’s happiness brings us sorrow tomorrow. Today’s sorrow brings us happiness tomorrow. The goal of human life is evolution – evolution through this life into a higher life, always. That is law, progress. If you are in school you go up level by level, level by level; you graduate; you go to college. You move up as your knowledge improves, your understanding improves, until you finally evolve out of the educational life, but we need to continue to educate ourselves in a very real sense through the experiences that we garner in life. Education is then understood to be a continuous process, ending only with our transition into the next life. So we must all strive towards an understanding, true understanding, of what evolution means. We can evolve only when we use this life as a rightful gift granted to us by our past evolution, where we have evolved up to the stage where we deserve a human life for our further evolution. This human life is not to be wasted in futile efforts like pleasure-seeking, happiness pursuit, even health pursuit. Babaji gives advice against prejudice, which means prejudging, which we have no right to do. No human being has a right to judge another human being. Even in the English language it is said, “Judge not that ye be not judged.” There is this great warning to us: If you judge, you will be judged. Of course we understand the common meaning that if I judge you, you will judge me or God will judge me . God does not judge. When I judge myself, I have condemned myself to my own judgement. This is what makes us feel guilty in a higher sense, sinful, which brings us desperation, sorrow, the futility of what we think to be a wasted life. All this is a result of our own self-judgement. Babaji says human life is a frail thing. It is full of opportunities, which are missed, which are misused – two things. We miss opportunities, we misuse opportunities, thereby ruining the possibility of our evolution, condemning ourselves in a sense to go back to the same class until we do pass out of it, which we call rebirth, reincarnation. Babaji goes on to say, “I am not moralising.”  Is it a sign of humility? Is it a sign of divinity? The Divine does not judge. You have been given an opportunity. In the way you handle it, you judge yourself. When you are passed you have passed yourself. A gardener does not want one rose in his garden. He wants every bush to flower – flowers all over the place. So Master says in his message: I wish to see you all developing in this life in such a way that this human life is fruitful, fulfills its purpose, shows that you have used it well . It is unfortunate that we remain  wasteful, neglectful human beings instead of seizing every opportunity. There is no opportunity which is against us. An opportunity is, by a spiritual definition, something which will promote our evolution, even if you think it is against you. Even failure is an opportunity, because as they say in the English language, “Failure is the stepping-stone to success,” provided we use failure properly , to resolve that I shall do better; that therefore I shall shut my eyes and ears to the temptations of life, to the temptations of friendship, to the temptations of events which we think make us happy. The life of spirituality is a life of loneliness, because as we evolve, you find fewer and fewer companions on the way. We  need companions on our spiritual way whose presence we can feel always, whether they are there or not. True affection, true love dispels  loneliness. We want eternal companions. So look for them in your spiritual life. Our only friend , companion and guide  is the True Master, because under all circumstances he is working towards our evolution – under all circumstances. He does not judge. He is our Eternal Companion. Even if we progress one step it fills him with joy . The kangaroo carries its baby in its pouch. Here we are literally in every sense, carried by him along the spiritual path . And yet we rebel and fall, rebel and fall, rebel and fall, and then justify by saying, "After all it is a very difficult way."  It is difficult only if you have to walk. You are not made to walk. Our prejudices say, "No, no, no, I don't want any help, because I prefer to do it myself." And then nothing is happening. So gurus may come and go; India remains what it has remained – more and more spiritually handicapped. Remember that ‘it all depends on you ’ When people point to this person or that person and say, “I don’t want another like him.” It shows very poor judgement of human life. If I am a human being and I have the possibility of evolving out of this life, so has the other person. He may be a criminal, he may be a leper, he may be anything. When Jesus Christ kissed the lepers, did it show prejudice? He was great precisely because he did not differentiate. No good man, no bad man – human being. As a human being he is my brother, under all circumstances; whatever be his history, past and present. If we do not understand this and stand by it and live by it, we are condemning ourselves to a blighted future, not because God judges us but because we have committed ourselves to that punishment – self-inflicted punishment, by our thoughts, by our words, by our actions.  “Love Him who loves all.”  Everyone says “I love God,” The real question is , “Does He love you?” It is not enough my loving. I must be loved. And I cannot be loved unless I love continuously, effortlessly, endlessly, which means I don’t love persons, peoples, events – I love. And that love goes around the universe and comes back to me and I feel loved. So everybody must remember this, from the lowest to the highest. Even spiritual giants must remember this, because if he slips a little, he slips. When you are at a height of hundred feet and you hold on to something, if you just let go of it, you fall. Isn’t it? The beautiful game , Snakes and Ladders, shows the biggest danger is at ninety-nine. The biggest danger is not in the beginning of life; it is in the end of life. Therefore Babaji  said that in a spiritual pursuit, in a spiritual way, there can be no satisfaction, because if you are satisfied and sit back, your progress is stopped. So never be satisfied inside with your spiritual voyage, which must under all circumstances be pushed by longing for more and more. Not avarice for more and more, longing for more and more. Like an engine is pushed by steam pressure, or like your car is moving by your foot on the accelerator, there must be an accelerator in my heart, which is the pressure of love which carries me forward. The pressure of prejudices, hatred – these are my foot on the brake, and my car stops. When immersed in spiritual living we don’t skip over the events. We  have eyes like those of a child, innocent, looking at everything every time with a new understanding, with a new vision, adoring the Creator who is able to play so many scenarios with His sunsets and with His sunrises, each different from the other. It is a very good truism to say that no two leaves are alike among all the billions of leaves in this world. Similarly, no two humans are alike. So how can you judge? If they are all alike, you can judge. When there is no alikeness, you lack knowledge to judge, you lack understanding to judge. Every baby is different, every finger is different. Every human life is a unique human life, if you but seek to probe and understand what makes it unique – not to show differences, but to show the uniqueness of each and every human life. If you are not able to do this you must pray that you are bestowed this understanding, and then only you will pass through life seeing the uniqueness of everything, the beauty of everything, the transparency of everything. And then you will stop judging yourself because you yourself are unique in every way. And therefore, there is no common law for all. There is no one judgement for all of them. Each one has his own unique judgement of himself or herself. Prejudice is ultimately prejudging your own self, which you use to judge others, which is but a reflection of what you are, projected on others. The sameness of things are betraying us. When we think everything is same or similar, we are leading ourselves into betraying ourselves. With love we can see how everything is different – even amoebas under the microscopes, even planets, even stars. There are no two stars which are alike. So the sameness betrays us into a lack of understanding, the lack of ability to understand, and shows in us a lack of desire to understand. That again is prejudice. If you obey, you don’t need anything else. Obedience means surrendering everything, to the higher power. It is  letting  it  act through me, and it is always a step in the right direction leading to my evolution.                                       ......

Perceiving the Essence of the Master’s Words

Satguru can change the inner condition, the spiritual condition, but the external, the behaviour part, the character,  is the devotee's duty: to convert and change. Otherwise the inside and outside will not match, and," thus, "progress will not continue, may even stop."

The value-spectrum has not changed; people don't want to change. They still hold on to their prejudices. They still hold on to so many things they should have given up long ago. How many of you are free of prejudices? How many of us still go by our caste, by our community, by our provincial  attributes? And opinions we formed about people fifty years ago, we still carry. So how are such people going to progress?

Just try to imagine what your guru must be feeling when he sees the same problems, same prejudices, same quarrels, same lies. It is very saddening. Saints – they have given so much to our development, our progress. Are we even conscious of what we are receiving from the True master?" Are we conscious of the efforts, the sacrifices that are made by them, and are continuing to make day after day . Can we evaluate the sacrifices that are made by your spiritual guides and teachers? Can we evaluate?

When we speak in a language which is no-language, in a voice that is not heard but perceived in the heart – then we are quite on the way to spiritual life leading to spiritual transformation, to the highest extents that are open to human beings. And our heart, if it is open more and more progressively like a lotus bud under the effects of the sun's rays, it is blessed more and more by what it receives, without the brain or our intelligence having to understand it. Thus we become more and more sensitive.

In the physical world, most of our experiences are known to us only by their bad effects. Good food doesn't do anything to us except to have a feeling of contentment perhaps. But bad food affects us immediately. Good news doesn't matter; bad news – we are affected by it deeply.

The heart has an affair It has only one union and that is with its Maker. The rest are all here [in the mind] – paltry, unsatisfactory, very often destructive – physically, mentally and emotionally. The modern human being has not protected his heart from the assaults from the outer world – assaults which often damage the heart physically, emotionally and mentally.

We have to protect our heart from both the ravages of the physical world and from the world of the senses, much more. And today we have to insulate ourselves from what we now know to be lies given to us by religion. Babaji  has always said, in spirituality we don't destroy religion, we transcend religion. We don't cease to have an affair with the heart, but it is now turned towards a true lover. Who is your lover? My lover is the Divine.

The Supreme Lord does not let me down; whether I am man or woman, we have this affair with the same person. It does not concern the sexes, it does not concern the senses, it does not concern our pocket – it is. And because the values of the heart, when they become apparent and are nurtured and are nourished to their full extent, they become eternal.  There is no such thing as ‘relationships' in the plural. There is only one relationship and that is with him [Master] and through him with the Divine.

This transmission from heart to heart has no language, but it is the link connecting two hearts, one of which has made it to the ultimate level of spiritual emancipation, and the other of which is anticipating or working towards such a spiritual emancipation.

In satsang there is an ocean of bliss, infinite bliss. Words and message and its  meaning goes to our heart, not to our head. We must not forget the purpose for which we come together. "When we come together like this, it fosters the union of hearts, independent of our nationalities, of our prejudices, of our language differences.", we have no differences of religion, nationality, sex, or anything else; here nothing divides us, because we stay united with our hearts.

We are one, not because we say so but because we know that we are. We all inside have the same essence, which is pure existence and pure love. If this pure existence is characterized by any quality, it is qualities-less quality, power-less power, and force-less force.

 Love – it has no quality, it has no quantity. Therefore, it is limitless. Can you love more and more and yet continue to love? Can you start with loving one, then the many that becomes a family; then the many that is your own culture and your people; then the many that is this whole world with all its people. Yes, the loving heart does not distinguish between any of these things.

Men - those interested in religion,  politics, power-mongers after money, and  out of  selfishness and greed  have caused dismemberment of a human society which should be one. They  have cheated us and destroyed our unity and brought about the multiplicity which spirituality is now seeking to correct, to reunite us into a brotherhood of human beings. Whether this will be achieved depends on all of us.

Holy congregations remind us of what great personalities descended on Earth – for our sake. They didn't have to come here to enjoy the wonderful things of this world, which in any case they never enjoyed. They were too poor, they were too unhealthy to enjoy even good sleep or a morsel of food. Nature makes sure that its chosen ones, its messengers, are born in poverty, do not enjoy good health, are generally condemned by the rest of the world, and pass on leaving only their message behind them.

Little less health than good health – something wrong with you, which makes you think of God. Babaji said we are blessed to be unhealthy, because in that state we are always thinking of God, of Nature; whereas when you are in exuberant health, you are thinking of anything but God. Little less money than you need – you don't waste things on foolish things. You will think twenty times before you spend anything . Criticism is good for you. And permanent criticism – it keeps you thinking of yourself: "Am I doing something wrong? Am I saying something wrong?" Introspection.

We speak of introspection – Look into yourself. We should be in the divine state where we are linked with our Maker; where there is an exchange of love without exchanging of anything else; where there is feeling and no thinking, so that eventually our life is governed by feeling and not by emotion.

Most of us, we mistake emotion for love. Emotion is smoke, love is the fire which, if it burns properly, there should no smoke. So the more inefficient the fuel, the more smoke. The more emotion in your life, the less love. This is a formula which is as sacred, perfect– immutable, indestructible, eternal. Our lives must slowly become lives of feeling. You don't think of the poor. You feel for the poor. You feel for the whole of humanity.

So these are the things we must slowly develop into. It's not an intellectual process. We cannot say, "I have learnt." The statement is - "I have become."

I feel. I feel for everybody. I feel for my family, for my society and for everything in the world. I cannot shut the newspaper and say, when natural disasters strike in a far off land we should not say “ What does it matter to us?" Well, if a thorn pricks me in my foot and I don't attend to it, I can die. Don't think that trouble somewhere will leave you unharmed, or good things somewhere will not affect you in a positive way.

This heart must be filled with the goodness of life, which is only love. Love is the only goodness in life which does not corrupt you or which does not corrupt the person to whom this love goes, without your thinking about it, without your directing it at him or her. It goes, because it has to go in all directions. And like a sweet is a sweet to everybody, and salt is salt to everybody, this love pervades. When you become love, you become like the sun. The sun does not say, "I am the sun."

Babaji in one of his recent messages, says that the development of the people in the Mission is important because not only will it affect the people of this world, but it will have its effect on other worlds, too.

We are this small nucleus of human beings who are earnestly trying to get out of this mess, this stinking pool of humanity, and to evolve out of it ,are we ?

Don't exempt yourself – any one of you. Don't exempt yourself from the need to examine yourself sincerely, and to evaluate yourself, and at least now to start throwing off all those dirty things that you know you have. It is not as if you don't; you know. And let us hope by Master's grace that we will see a better group emerging out of this, and more and more qualifying. And in years to come we can say, not one and two or three, but, by His Grace, most of them, if not all of them.

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                           Life’s Problem

Hold it for a few minutes in your head  and they seem OK

Think of them for a long time and they begin to ache.

Hold it even longer and they begin to paralyze you .

      You will not be able to do anything .

It is important how you handle the challenges and problems in life .You must surely  think of them  . But even more important is to ‘put them down’ at the end of the day before retiring to bed . That way you are not stressed  up . Otherwise it adversely affects your health . The number of young people getting admitted to I.C.U in hospitals is rapidly on the increase.  When you ‘put your problem down’ you wake up every day fresh and strong and can handle  any issue  or challenge that comes your way.

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                                  Guru Kabir Das

·       That a droplet is contained inside the ocean is common knowledge. But very rare are those who can behold the ocean (universes) to be contained within the droplet (body)." (Kabir)

“I fly as a bird,

my wings the Word,

Saith Kabir I’m free,

my Satguru liberates me.

My consciousness awoke

Only the Word did resound,

And then beyond the Pind and And-Anand,

my true home I found.”

“This world is perishable and so also is all that pertains to it. A wise man is he, who, having closely examined the nature of existence here, has realized that it is all transitory and illusory, and consecrated his human form by devoting himself to Bhajan and Simran (listening to inner sounds and repetition of the Holy Name of the Supreme Being) and who, taking the fullest advantage of the various faculties which the Supreme Father has graciously endowed him with, has translated the invaluable jewel within him, which is Surat (spirit) or the essence of his being, to its original abode.”

"Living in this world for a short period is good, but instead of wasting one's life doing meaningless things, it is advisable to dedicate it to remembering God. What is the use of living for millions of years if one did not dedicate his time to self-introspection and remembering God, i.e. such life is a total waste; who will keep an account of it?"

"My real happiness lies in the supreme 'Self.' And the rest in this world is nothing but distress. With one's mind, voice and deeds, one should remember Raam with a pious heart. Kabir Saheb says: 'The essence of life is in remembering God only.'

"The mind is very unsteady. It is not the type that would remember God just like that. It will remember God only when it is poked with the goad of true Knowledge [Gnosis, direct experience]. Kabir Saheb says: '...and then know for sure that this mind will not deviate and will engage itself in remembering God.'"

"Concentrate your mind and remember the Supreme Being without saying anything. Close the outside doors, i.e. quieten your sensory organs and detach yourself from everything. Open the inside doors of your heart, i.e. open yourself internally and concentrate on meditating on God and remembering him."

"Remembering God is the simplest and easiest path which has already been shown by the Satguru. With the help of this device I remember God with each and every breath of mine, and I am sure this will enable me to see him one day, i.e. uttering the name of God continuously. Simply remembering God all the time is the easiest process (Sahaj) of leading a spiritual life which leads the devotee to his goal."

"Devotion through remembering God brings every happiness to life and removes every distress of mind. Kabir Saheb says: 'Remember God! It has a wonderfully powerful attraction. By continuously remembering God, a time comes when the devoted servant (devotee) and the master (God) become one, i.e. he attains self-realization."

"Utter the name of Raam (God) continuously. Kabir says, 'Only devotees can understand the Mystery of the fact that there is nothing as compared to remembering God.'"

"It is a bliss remembering God even for a moment. But only those, who practice it, know it. Remembering God is so easy that one does not have to spend a single penny on it. In fact one does not have to make any extra efforts to have the best results."

"0 Supreme Being! I have become like You by remembering You all the time. There are no more self-conceit, attachments and desires of the world in me. I sacrifice myself on the true Knowledge of Your name, remembering which enables me to see You all around. There is nothing that exists other than You."

"0 the Eternal Raam of the temple of my heart! I lost 'my' existence in remembering You continuously. I have become one with You. I exist not without You now. My mind does not wander about any more. I and You are one now, Raam."

What  is God and how can He be realized?

From times immemorial, seekers of truth have been trying to find answer to the question – What is God and how can He be realized? Many a life time of penance, chanting mantras, prayers and deep intellectual knowledge have not led people to understand the divine concept of God.  To illustrate this there is  a parable from our ancient epic relating to Ashtavakar, a God-realized rishi and his disciple,

King Janak. Ashtavakar was the son of a rishi, Uddalka. Ashtavakar means 'eight twists in the body'. When Ashtavakar was still in the mother's womb, he heard his father giving a wrong explanation for a spiritual problem. Speaking from the womb, he tried to correct his father, who became furious and cursed his son. Thus, he was born with a deformed body and got his name Ashtavakar.

King Janak was a great seeker of truth. He met many scholars and spiritualists but they could not satisfy him with their lengthy and intellectual explanations. He believed that a God realized person should be able to explain the divine concept of God in a few words. After  elaborate consultations, he proclaimed that if he did not get an answer to the divine concept of God in as brief a time-span as he put his foot into the stirrup of the saddle for climbing his horse, he would presume that God did not exist and he would turn an atheist. Messages were sent across the country for an assembly of learned scholars, who had mastery in Vedas, Shastras, Puranas, Smritis etc. A date and time was fixed. Sixty thousand  scholars assembled on the due date in the court of Janak.

A golden throne was reserved for the person, who would enlighten King Janak. The craving of King Janak for spirituality was conveyed to Ashtavakar through telepathy while he was in deep meditation in the nearby forest. He immediately perceived that this was the crucial moment to convey the divine concept to the King for spreading the divine message to the masses and saving mankind, or else, Janak turning an atheist, would lead to chaos in humanity through ego and its five vices of lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride. He immediately headed for the king's court to attend the congregation of spiritualists. As Ashtavakar entered the court of Janak, everybody looking at his deformed body, began laughing. While he moved towards the golden throne, there was a big commotion in the court, as a deformed man was about to occupy the golden throne reserved for the person, who was to enlighten King Janak. After the congregation calmed down, Ashtavakar roared like a lion with the divine force and enquired of Janak, “Why have you gathered cobblers in this spiritual congregation?” Janak was astonished but in all humility and with folded hands, replied;  “Sir, they are all learned people, who have studied Vedas, Purana, Shastras and Smritis. How are they cobblers?” Ashtavakar said, “They are no better than cobblers since they have only seen my deformed body but have failed to perceive the divine within me.” He added, “Only a cobbler analyzes the quality of skin. Those, who identify people merely by the skin are virtually cobblers”. Hearing this everyone in the court was stunned and felt ashamed of himself. Appreciating the deep humility and craving of Janak for divine Wisdom,

Ashtavakar enquired, “What do you want?”

“O, my Lord! I seek divine wisdom to understand God and merge with him”, replied Janak. Ashtavakar understood the king's curiosity and announced,

“To understand God, you will have to shed your ego. For this you will have to submit your mind, body and entire wealth to me. Only then you shall perceive the wisdom, which I will convey to you, through God residing in my body. However, to remove your doubt, as per your wish, I accept your condition to give you this wisdom as you put your foot in the stirrup to climb the horse” To quench his immense quest for the Divine, Janak unhesitatingly and promptly submitted his mind, body and entire wealth at the service of Ashtavakar, who took Janak to his horse. As he started to put his foot in the stirrup, Ashtavakar said, “Who will receive the divine wisdom?” “I, of course, I will”, Janak replied. “Where is your 'I', when your mind, body and wealth have already been given to me,” retorted

Ashtavakar then added, “ 'I' means the ego, which is responsible for possession of mind, body and wealth.”

As Janak put his foot into the stirrup, Ashtavakar said, “King Janak, since you have also submitted your 'I' to me, now your body is full of divine bliss, and your father, the Almighty God desires you to be in tune with Him. Now you are nothing but the Divine itself.”

Janak instantly became a divine soul with his face glowing as brightly as the sun. He became one with the Lord and ruled his kingdom with divine wisdom. King Janak is held in high esteem in the spiritual world for attaining divine wisdom while performing worldly duties.

“Janak is a great disciple, who attained divine wisdom while performing his worldly duties”.

Thus, the divine wisdom cannot be attained through intellect but through the elimination of ego.          God  = ' Man  -  Ego.'
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                         UNITY OF HUMANITY

                       The  ‘Fountain of oneness’ 

Nirankari mission  under the spiritual leadership of Baba Hardev Singh has been propagating ‘oneness’ with a view to forge Human unity .

Swami Vivekananda preached that “It is the revelation of the ‘supreme secret that will enable  one to understand  the meaning and essence of ‘oneness’ of humans.”

 Nirankari Babaji has been revealing this secret to mankind by bestowing  Brahma Gyan  ( God Knowledge ) without any discrimination of religion , culture and  nationality. 

In   Nirankari Babaji’s words , “When God knowledge reveals the existence of the  ‘One ’in the divinity of this world  , the narrow perceptions get removed and the walls of ‘otherness’ collapse and the feeling of ‘oneness ‘gets strengthened .”

God knowledge not only  connects one to God  but also helps in attaining  self realization .Many  of us are ignorant of the fact  that diversity is inherent  in every human .  But our inherent virtues lie dormant. But once  one’s True self  gets awakened  , these virtues  come to the fore , distrust and disharmony  is dispelled  and the credo of ‘Vasudhaiwa kutumbakam ‘ ( world is a family ) is understood in letter and spirit . 

Our slogan is, “ Know one , Believe One  and Be one ”.

The  broad and minute designing of the Nirankari Sarovar Complex has been done so uniquely by Nirankari Babaji –a unique architectural creation of light and sound, based on ultra-modern technology. Fountain of Oneness – dedicated to Humanity .

It depicts the need to translate Babaji’s teachings into action leading a  meaningful life based on Truth and enjoy shared happiness with unity of humanity .

The  ‘Fountain of oneness’  glorifies Nirankari   sarovar  complex . Encircling the central walkway , are larger than life human formations  holding hands  in a dance like posture , manifesting  the idea of love  ,humility and universal one . Inside  is a globe  of 6.5 metres  height .

It is further surrounded by huge petals made of special stainless steel integrated with timed – shows of light and sound effects . There are elegant benches positioned at the human formations where you can sit , contemplate and blissfully view the entire installation ,called The  ‘Fountain of oneness’. The form and appearance of this Fountain symbolically bespeaks the mainstream of spirituality and   the message of the Mission .

All the seven colors of the rainbow are   distinctly   visible and yet , at the same time  , these are  so blended with each other  that one cannot be separated from the other .

Satguru Babaji says that the source of Universe is God and He is the Fountain Head .We should also become a part of this Fountain and contribute in spreading love and tolerance. Violence is playing havoc all around the spirit of Oneness  and cooperation is weakened . Despite the slogan , “ Unity in Diversity ” , the humans are getting divided on the basis of caste , language , religion, culture etc. The holy personages have always endeavored to link man with God for bringing man closer to man .This is a heart’s desire that all should undertake journey of life in a spirit of oneness to make earth a paradise  to live in .    
     Bhagat Namdev

 Namdev was a prominent religious lyricist from Maharashtra in the Hindu tradition and was one of the earliest writers in Marathi language. Bhagat Namdev (1270-1350) was born on 29 October, 1270 to a low-caste tailor Damasheti Relekar and Gonabai, in Satara district of Maharashtra. Damasheti was a worshiper of Shiva

and never missed a daily visit to the temple of Keshiraj (Shiva) located outside the village. From childhood, Namdev was like Prehlad. At the age of two, when he began to talk, the first correct word he uttered was 'Vitthla'. Namdev was sent to school, when he was five. In school, he sang devotional songs with his classmates in praise of God. Since Namdev did not make much progress in school, he was put into the family trade to assist his father. But Namdev spent most of his time in temples.

One day when Bhagat Namdev's father was absent, he took the daily offering of the family to the temple. Namdev milked the brown cow and taking the golden cup, Namdev filled it with the ambrosial milk and placed it before the Lor. Please drink this milk,

O my Sovereign Lord God! Drink this milk and my mind will be happy. Otherwise, my father will be angry with me. He thought that the God would freely partake of the offering, on which he had lavished so much care. The stone idol would not oblige him. Namdev started crying and threw himself at the feet of the idol. It is said that in due course, hearing the passionate supplication of the Bhagat, god relented and accepted his offerings The Lord looked upon Namdev and smiled. This one devotee abides within my heart. The Lord drank the milk and the devotee returned home. Thus Namdev received the blessed vision of the Lord.

He was married even before he was eleven to Rajabai, . The couple had four sons and a daughter. His marriage was not a happy one, as his wife was worldly-minded. Under the influence of Saint Jnanadeva (Gyaneshwar), senior to him by five years, Namdev started following his preaching and took the path of  Bhakti. In the company of Jnanadeva and other saints, he roamed about the country and later came to Punjab . Namdev, thus, gave up trade and devoted himself exclusively to the worship of God very early in life. Namdev took Visoba Khechar, one of the disciples of Jnanadeva, as his guru. Visoba used to teach him about Lord Vithoba. The discussions between the two present an interesting account of religion and spirituality. To meet Visoba, Namdev visited village Avandhya one afternoon. Before meeting him, he took shelter in a temple to take some rest. There he saw a man sleeping with his feet on the deity itself.  Namdev was shocked and woke up the man. He rebuked him for this sacrilege. He was further stunned when he realized that the man was none other than Visoba himself. When Namdev chided him, he replied, “O Namdev, is there a single spot on this earth, which is not permeated by God?”

Visoba went on to advise Namdev, “If you want to be absolutely happy, fill this world with Bhajan and the sacred Naam of the Lord. The Lord is the world itself. Give up all ambitions and desires. Let them take care of themselves. Be content only with the name of Vitthala. You need not undergo any hardship or penance in order to go to Heaven. Vaikuntha will come to you. Do not be anxious of this life. Life is nothing but illusion, a mirage. One has to spend a short span of time here. It is like the potter's wheel, which goes on rotating even after the potter stops. Make the best of it by keeping the name of Vitthala in your mind and on your lips by recognizing Him everywhere and in everyone.” After initiation by Visoba, Namdev became more philosophical. His temple was no longer the small narrow space on the banks of   Chandrabhaga, but the whole world. His God was no longer Vithoba or Vitthala, but the omnipotent infinite Being. Namdev's family settled down at Pandharpur in Sholapur district of Maharashtra, where the prominent temple of Hindu God Vitthala is located. He gathered around himself a group of devotees.

His Abhangas (devotional lyrics) and Shabads (hymns) share the common characteristic of lauding the One Supreme God distinct from his earlier verse which carries traces of idolatry and Sarguna Bhakti. In the course of his spiritual quest, Namdev had, from being a worshiper of the Divine in the concrete form, became a devotee of the attribute-less Nirguna (Absolute). Most of the spiritual message of Bhagat Namdev, just like the Gurus, emphasizes the importance of living the life of a householder (Grehasth Jeevan) and that through marriage and having a family, one could attain enlightenment. He emphasized that the truest form of devotional meditation is to enter matrimony and jointly seek the holy experience. While performing the worldly duties, remain tuned to the Almighty all the time:

“ With your hands and feet, remain engaged in worldly affairs, but let your consciousness remain absorbed with the

Immaculate Lord.”

God's Naam was always on his lips. The legend has it that in Gurdaspur, where Namdev, as already stated, spent the last days of his life at village Ghuman, he was asked by the King to show miracles. When he refused as it meant interfering in God's way, the Bhagat was thrown before a drunken elephant to be crushed to death. But God saved him

(The Sultan said, "Listen Namdev, let me see the actions of your Lord." He arrested Namdev and said, "Let me see your beloved Lord. Bring this dead cow back to life. Otherwise, I shall cut off your head here and now." Namdev answered, "O King, how can this happen? No one can bring the dead back to life. I cannot do anything by my own actions. Whatever the Lord does, that alone happens." The arrogant king was enraged at this reply.

He incited an elephant to attack. Namdev's mother began to cry and said, "Why don't you abandon your Lord Ram and worship his Lord Allah?" Namdev answered, "I am not your son and you are not my mother. Even if my body dies, I will still sing the glorious praises of the Lord." The elephant attacked him with his trunk, but Namdev was saved by the Lord. The king said, "The Qazis and the Mullahs bow down to me, but this Hindu has trampled my honor." The people pleaded with the King, "Hear our prayer, O King. Here, take Namdev's weight in gold and release him." The King replied, "If I take the gold, then I will be consigned to hell by forsaking my faith and gathering worldly wealth." With his feet in chains, Namdev kept the beat with his hands, singing the praises of the Lord, “Even if the Ganges and the Yamuna rivers flow backwards, I will still continue singing the praises of the Lord." Seven hours passed and even then the Lord of the three worlds had not come. Playing on the instrument of the feathered wings, the Lord of the Universe came, mounted on the eagle Garuda. He cherished His devotee .

 The Lord said to him, "If you wish, I shall turn the earth sideways. If you wish, I shall turn it upside down. If you wish, I shall bring the dead cow back to life. Everyone will see and be convinced." Namdev prayed and milked the cow. He brought the calf to the cow and milked her. When the pitcher was filled with milk, Namdev took it and placed it before the King. The King went into his palace and his heart was troubled. Through the Qazis and the Mullahs, the King offered his prayer, "Forgive me please, O Hindu; I am just a humble cow before you." Namdev said, "Listen O King! Have I done this miracle? The purpose of this miracle is that you should walk on the path of truth and humility." Namdev became famous everywhere for this. The Hindus all went together to Namdev. If the cow had not been revived, people would have lost faith in Namdev. The fame of Namdev spread throughout the world. The humble devotees were saved and carried across with him. All sorts of troubles and pains afflicted the slanderer. There is no difference between Namdev and the Lord.

Though he was born a century earlier than Kabir, the religious and social views of Kabir are very much similar to those of Namdev. He says: Everything is God; there is nothing but God; consider the world and God to be one; the foam and the water are not different.

The world being a play of Maya, Namdev's goal is to have union with God through devotion and singing His praises. He says:

“ I perform worship, sing God's praises and meditate on Him round the clock.”

At the same time, he suggests good conduct and purity of life. He says:

“ If everything is determined by Karma, then who created Karma, when there were no holy books?”

Namdev's approach is akin to that of the Gurus, but people misunderstood him as well as his hymns. Jnanadeva a disciple of Vishoba Khechar hearing of the fame of Namdev, went to Pandharpur and they became friends. Jnanadeva proposed that they should make pilgrimages to holy places together. Namdev said that he did not like to leave Pandharpur. But gradually Jnanadeva convinced him and they went to various temples like Rameshwar, Kalpadhara and Dhara. There is a story that at one of these places Namdev started singing in loud voice. This attracted a large crowd and the Brahmins could not gain entry into the temple without touching the low caste person. Brahmins insisted that Namdev should sit at the backside of the temple. It is said that while Namdev was singing at the back of the temple, the doorof the temple rotated towards him:

“ In a cheerful and sportive mood, I came to Your temple, but while I was worshiping the  Brahmins forced me away. A lowly caste is mine, O my Lord! The King of the Yadavas, why was I born a calico-printer? Taking my blanket, I went back and sat behind the temple. As I uttered the praises of the Lord, the temple turned towards his devotee.”

 Bhagat Namdev once met an old friend, who questioned him on his spiritual progress. The Bhagat spoke freely himself and described his mission to Vadval. His friend wondered that a man, from whose hands his god had taken food, could put himself under a human guru inferior beyond all comparison to the much worshiped and much beloved Vitthal . Bhagat Namdev replied that the gods made of stone never speak. How can they heal worldly sorrows? People suppose that idols of stone are God, but He is a real divinity and altogether different. If gods of stone can fulfill man's desires why should he suffer sorrow and affliction? They, who worship gods of stone, are absolute idiots. They, who preach and believe that gods of stone hold converse with saints, have perverted intellects. They, who call such gods great beings and style, their priests saints are really degraded creatures unworthy of credence. Let not their words enter your ears. How can men be saved who cause gods to be carved out of stone, and reverently regard them during the years of their mortal lives? Have you never reflected on this? You have no gods except water and stones. Go visit all the places of pilgrimage small and great and see for yourself. I have learned in Vadval that God is everywhere contained, Khechar conferred the favor on me of showing me God in my own heart.'

“ The Creator of all is One. He is realized by the True Guru's Grace. God makes even stones float. So why shouldn't Your humble slave also float across, meditating Your Naam (virtues), O Lord? You saved Ganaka, the whore and the ugly hunch-back Kubia; You helped the hunter and Ajamal swim across as well. The man-slayer, who shot Krishna in the foot - even he was liberated. I am a sacrifice to those, who meditate on the Lord's Name. You saved Bidur, the son of the slave-girl and Sudama; You restored Ugrasain to his throne. Those, without meditation, without penance, without a good family lineage and without good deeds, Namdev's Lord and Master saved them all.”

Namdev became famous because of his beautiful devotional hymns and commanded huge respect, despite his low origin. He was recognized as a prolific poet of high standard hymns, which people sang at various gatherings. His massive following was because of his Abhangas, hymns written in Marathi language. The emphasis in his hymns is that God is everywhere; “Khecher conferred the favor on me by showing my God in my heart.”

Namdev is regarded to have had a significant influence on the 17th century religious poet Tukaram of Maharashtra. Namdev's devotional compositions, Abhangas, have been collected in the documents called Namdev's Gatha. His work titled Teerthavalee contains his compositions concerning his travels in company of Sant Gyaneshwar (1275-1296), the great Maharashtrian saint, poet, philosopher and Yogi of the Nath tradition. Namdev was not an author of any big treatise; but he left behind him a large number of Abhangas or short poems, full with the nectar of Bhakti and love towards God. These are exceedingly sweet. Most of these are lost, but there are extant about 4000 Abhangas, which to this day are a great source of inspiration to the reader. Some of these Abhangas find a place of honor in Guru Granth Sahib. The essence of Namdev's message is: “Always recite the Naam of the Lord and constantly remember him. Hear His glory. Meditate on the Lord in your heart. Serve the Lord with your hands. Place your head at His lotus feet. Perform Kirtan. You will forget your hunger and thirst. The Lord will be near you. You will attain eternal bliss.” No account of Namdev would be complete without a mention of Janabai. As mentioned earlier, she was a maid-servant in the house-hold of Namdev. She herself forgot sometimes that she had an existence apart from being the maid-servant of Namdev. In several devotional poems, she describes herself as 'Nam's maid-servant' or 'Namdev's Jani'. She was one of the closest followers of Namdev. She had no ambition other than to serve Namdev and sing the praises of Lord Vithoba. In one of her poems, she says: “Let me undergo as many births in this world as You please, but grant that my desires are fulfilled. They are that I see Pandharpur and serve Namdev in every birth….”

This is the ambition of Namdev's maid. It sums up the philosophy of Janabai and how she attained her desired goal. So intense was her devotion to Vithoba that it is said that the Lord himself used to lighten her house-hold duties, which, with the passage of time, she found herself unable to perform. By her service and devotion to God, she completely succeeded in effacing herself and she got completely merged in Him. A great soul - Janabai! And a greater master - Namdev!

Namdev loved the Lord; the people called him a fabric dyer. The Lord turned His back on the high-class Kashatriyas and Brahmins and showed His face to Namdev.

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                               DHRUVA

The tale of a child, who became a symbol of justice, equality and rights

Dhruva was the son of King Uttanapada. At a very young age, Dhruva demonstrated such unwavering commitment to Lord Vishnu that he was blessed by Vishnu to occupy the position of the steadfast Pole Star.

Dhruva, according to Hindu scriptures, was an ardent young devotee of Vishnu. A prince blessed to eternal existence and glory as the Pole Star by Lord Vishnu. The story of Dhruva is often narrated to children as an example for perseverance, devotion, steadfastness and fearlessness.

 The original sources of this story are Vishnu Purana and Bhagavat Purana (Canto 4). The Rig Veda Grihya-Sutra, Mahabharata, Surya Siddhanta, etc., also mention Dhruva. Panini mentions Dhruva as 'a fixed point from which departure takes place'.

The story of Dhruva taken from the Bhagavat Purana inspires the humans in general and children in particular. It is said that Dhruva' s father, King Uttanapada, was a great but weak-minded impulsive King. He had two wives, Suniti, the daughter of a nature-loving tribal lord Dharma and Suruchi, the daughter of a rich King. Queen Suruchi, the younger  queen, did not like her stepson, Dhruva and wanted her own son, Uttama, to succeed   the King .Uttanapada was fond of Queen Suruchi, as she was extremely beautiful. He did not want to displease her, though Dhruva was older and was the rightful heir to the throne. When Dhruva was but a child, the two princes playfully raced towards their father's lap . But , the headstrong

Suruchi chided Dhruva and insulted him for trying to woo the father by sitting in his lap. He did not deserve it because 'he was not born to her'. She further mocked at his plight, asking him to redeem himself by seeking Vishnu's blessings. It is said that Suniti consoled the distraught child,

by asking him to take Suruchi's words seriously and to observe penance in meditation of the Lord. "Tell me my mother, what do I need to do to attain my right?" Dhruva protested. Suniti replied with great gravity, "My child, it is not easy. You have to withdraw yourself deep into the forests. With a mind that is unwavering, you must perform strict penance to reach your goal." Dhruva set out on a lonely voyage to the forest to meditate on Lord Vishnu.

 He was determined that he would not return to the kingdom until the Lord had answered his prayers. The legend has it that on his way to the jungle, he met the eternal sage,

Narada. Narada was concerned that Dhruva was too young to be alone in the jungle. He tried to dissuade Dhruva, warning him that he would be gobbled up by wild animals if he stayed. But Dhruva was steadfast in his resolve. The sage tested the boy to see if he was serious. He said to Dhruva, "You know it is dark and dangerous in the jungle, won't you get scared of the wild animals?" Dhruva replied, "I don't care if it is dark and dangerous, I'm going to meditate on God's Naam." Narad tested him again, "But you're the son of a king and used to being fed the finest food, will you be able to live on berries and roots in the jungle?" Dhruva was determined and replied, "I'm going to meditate on God's Naam (virtues) even if there's no food." The saint was truly impressed by Dhruva’s determination and whispered the secret Naam of God into Dhruva's ear. Satisfied that Dhruva had the mental strength; Narada taught Dhruva the art of meditation.

Despite all the terrible obstacles and with his mind focused only on his goal, Dhruva performed a severe penance. In the end, so great and powerful was his penance that the Almighty appeared before him. “O Lord, bless me so that I may realize my rights; grant me the strength to be just;

allow me the power to be righteous”, prayed  Dhruva. His single-minded devotion, determination and the nobility of his purpose impressed the Lord.

He blessed Dhruva, “You and all the children of the kingdom will realize their rights and live a life of righteousness. Words and deeds of all children will be respected and they will be loved and cared for. After you merge with the divine light, you will become a great star in the night sky and shine as a guiding light for the whole world.

You will be a model for all, who seek their rights. You will be remembered and respected, loved and cherished. May your name and nobility remain as long as the sun and the moon shine”.

As the legend goes, Dhruva meditated on the divine Naam with complete love and devotion and decided that he would stay put in the same position until the Lord appeared. Lord Vishnu was pleased with his penance and insisted the child asks for a Vardana (boon - grant of a wish).

Dhruva replied that as he did not know how to sing the praise of the Lord, therefore grant him the Vardana of the knowledge of Stuti (hymn in praise of the Lord.) Having spent a lot of time in   the Lord's remembrance, Dhruva even forgot the objective of his penance and only asked for a life in memory of the Lord. Pleased by his devotion, penance and by his Stuti, Lord Vishnu granted his wish and further decreed that the lad would attain Dhruvapada - the state where he would become a celestial body,

which would not even be touched by the Maha Parlaya (the final cataclysm). Dhruva returned to the jungle, where he continued to meditate. He followed the Divine Teachings with faith, love and dedication. Later, when he actually became self-realized, he turned  completely satisfied within and forgot all about his father's kingdom. Dhruva said, "My dear Lord! I was searching for some pebbles, but instead I have found valuable Jewel. I no longer care for my father's kingdom. Now I am fully satisfied." His feelings of insult and honor (duality or Doojaa Bhaav) vanished and he attained Transcendental Bliss. Thus, Dhruva, first became a devotee with the motive of getting a better kingdom than that of his father, and then as he progressed in devotion, he became selfless and contented. In the meantime, King Uttanapada repented the injustice done to Dhruva. He was heartbroken at the thought of little Dhruva being devoured by wild beasts. Narada, however, consoled him, telling him that Dhruva's resolve was  firm and that he would receive Lord Vishnu's blessings. Narada was sure that Lord Vishnu would protect the boy from all the dangers. When Dhruva finally returned safely home after receiving Lord Vishnu's blessings, King Uttanapada went personally to receive him. Queen Suniti was overjoyed at her son's safe return. Dhruva was crowned the King at the tender age of six and Uttanapada retired to Skanda Ashram, seeking realization of the divine. Dhruva ruled wisely for decades in a fair and just manner. Thereafter, he left his mortal coils and became the Pole Star as sanctified by the Lord. It is believed that Dhruva was thus transported to the highest point of heaven, where he sits on his Divine Father's lap, after having been denied the lap of his worldly father. Since those ancient times, the star of Dhruva,

the Pole Star, shining bright in the night sky, has been revered as a symbol of hope, rights, equality and justice. Indirectly, the harsh words of Dhruva's stepmother turned out to be benediction for him; for, because of the influence of his stepmother's words, he became a Gurmukh (Spiritual Being). To achieve the desired results of attaining his father's kingdom, Dhruva's mother motivated him to engage himself in the Bhakti (worship) of the One Divine Being and nobody else.

Determined to execute devotion, Dhruva left the palace. The story of Dhruva is a lesson for all of us. It teaches us to be patient and determined. We might, at one point or another of our life, encounter situations that are unfair. Instead of focusing on our misfortunes, we should turn to our Divine Father, who will give us what we deserve and turn us into a bright star. Like Dhruva, we do not have to wait until we are old to attain spirituality. Sincere, steadfast, meditation on the Divine virtues always helps a man resolve his problems. All those, who read or listen to the story of Dhruva, will achieve devotion and their sorrows will be diminished.

The deeds of the child-saint exhort us to meditate on the Divine Naam (virtues) the same way as did Dhruva as also Prahlad, to achieve salvation in this very life .

                          ---

Guru Nanak at Sultanpur

Sultanpur Lodhi is a small town in Jalandhar district of Punjab, where Guru Nanak went to manage the Modikhana (store-house or departmental store).He stayed with his sister Nanaki. His routine was to get up at the ambrosial hour, bathe in the river Kali Bein, meditate till dawn, go to the Modikhana, the accounts of which he managed well.

Once the work was over, he held Satsang and Kirtan  with  like minded  persons in the forest nearby till late night. Mardana also joined him here. Nanak was about thirty then. He would often ponder over the sad plight of his country, the land of five rivers, which the foreign invaders raided and laid waste many times. They had converted half the population to their faith which left the people disunited. He loved God, the creator of all humanity and wished people to live like brothers and in communication with God. One day, early in the morning, Guru Nanak  went to bathe in Kali Bein.

His companion waited and waited for him with his clothes but Nanak did not come out. After searching for him along the river and not finding him, people thought that Nanak must have drowned. But his sister Nanaki did not believe it. It is said that for three days Nanak was in God's presence where God said to him, "Drink this cup of my Naam. Go into the world and spread my Naam. I am with you".

He returned after three days and made his decision to give up the Modikhana work. He went to the forest and did not speak. His face was radiant and dazzling.

Mardana took his Rabab and joined him there. Next day, Guru Nanak spoke to the people around him and uttered: "There is no Hindu, and no Mussalman." The news spread, the Hindus kept quiet, but the Kazi was very annoyed and complained to the Nawab, who told the Kazi to take it easy and added that it was time for Namaz

(prayer), we will take him along to say the Namaz with us in the mosque. So they all went together. While the Kazi and the Nawab joined the Namaz, Guruji stood still and observed. After the Namaz was over, the Kazi complained to the Nawab that Guru Nanak had not said his prayers with them.

The Guru replied that the Kazi himself had not attended the Namaz, because his mare had given birth to a calf and as it was alone, the Kazi was worried all the time that the new-born mare may fall into the well. Turning towards the Nawab, the Guru told him that even he was busy buying horses in Kabul and had not prayed at all. They both felt very small and humble. They realized the truth of the Guru's words and bowed at his feet. The Nawab was a changed person now. The Nawab requested Guru Nanak not to go, but he was determined to leave the job and return. Whatever amount was due to him, was given but Guru Nanak distributed it among the

poor and the needy. When his father-in-law came to persuade him not to go, he replied, "God, whose children we all are, has ordained me to spread His Naam and message of love in this burning world."       

Guru Nanak tried to pacify his parents as also Nanaki, his sister, who understood Nanak's aim better than anyone. He told her that whenever, she could not bear the separation from him, she should pray to God and he would come home. He consoled and blessed Mata Sulakhani, his wife also.

This assured others also of meeting him at times. All the devotees - Hindus as well as Muslims - came to see him off and fell on his feet to seek his blessings.  The Nawab also came and offered his obeisance. Nanak gave him his blessings. When the Guru left Sultanpur, Mardana accompanied him.

      అమృతపుత్రులారా ! ఆలకించండి

      నీడను వీడి నిజాన్ని చూడండి

“ సత్యమేవ  జయతే నానృతం సత్యేన

   పన్ధా వితతో దేవయానః !  ”

‘ సత్యమే జయిస్తుంది అసత్యం కాదు , ఆధ్యాత్మిక మార్గం సత్యం చేతనే ఏర్పడి      ఉంది. ’

నీడను నిజమని నమ్మి దాని వెనుక మనం పరిగేడుతున్నాం . తప్పు దారిలో చేసే ప్రయానమే మన నిరాశాలకో, కష్టాలకూ కారణం. శరీరం , మనస్సు ,ఆత్మ ఇత్యాది విభాగాలచే రూపొందిన వాడు మనిషి .  దీనిలో శరీరమూ , మనస్సూ నశించేవి ( నీడ ) . ఆత్మ నశి౦చనిది ( నిజం ).   నీడతో మనం తాదాత్మ్యం వదలిపెట్టి , నిజంతో తాదాత్మ్యం  చెందాలి.  అంటే అనుభూతిలో గ్రహించాలి.

భగవంతుణ్ణి పొందటం ఎలా   ? నిజమైన సాధనామయ జీవితంలో పాల్గొని , మనస్సుని పావనం చేసుకొని  , భగవదభిముఖంగా భగవంతుడనే మహోన్నతమైన శక్తితో మనం సంబంధం కల్పి౦చుకోవాలి. ఉత్తమమైన ఆధ్యాత్మిక  జీవితాన్ని జీవించాలి .

 భగవంతున్ని సాక్షాత్కరించుకొని . ఆయనను ప్రత్యక్షం చేసుకోవటం వలన మాత్రమే మానవుడు మృత్యువుకు అతీతుడౌతాడు. ఈ జనన వలయం నుండి తప్పించుకోవడానికి మరో మార్గం లేదు . సద్గురు ద్వారా పొందిన జ్ఞానం ఆత్మను ఆవరించి ఉన్న అజ్ఞానమనే ఆరోపాన్ని తొలగించివేస్తుంది.

చరమ సత్యమైన  భగవంతున్ని  ప్రతి వ్యక్తీ ,  ప్రతి ప్రాణీ  పొందటమే జీవిత లక్ష్యం.  ఈ లోకం అందిస్తున్న అనుభవాలను గుణపాఠంగా గ్రహించి ఈ లోకంలో జీవిస్తూనే ఈ లక్ష్యాన్ని సాధించాలి. అంధకారం నుండి వెలుతురులోకి తీసుకువెళ్ళి లోకంలో జీవించటం ఎలా అనే విద్యను సద్గురు నేర్పుతారు.

ప్రాపంచికతలో ముంచెత్తే విషయాలూ , ఉన్నత జీవితానికి  ప్రేరేపించే విషయాలూ రెండూ మనిషిముందుకు వస్తున్నాయి  . విజ్ఞుడు  రెండవ దానినే ఎంపిక చేసుకొంటాడని కఠోపనిషత్తు ( 1.2.3 ) వచిస్తో౦ది. ఉన్నతమైన జీవితం గడపాలంటే శరీరాన్ని , ఇంద్రియాలను తదనుగుణంగా మలచుకోవాలి.

“ దేనిని తెలుసుకొంటే సమస్తమూ తెలుసుకొన్నట్లవుతుంది ?

మనిషి తన తెలివినంతా ఉపయోగి౦చి ఒక అంశం కూడా అర్ధంచేసుకోలేని    ఈ లోకాన్ని సృష్టి౦చిన భగవంతుడు ఒకరు ఉన్నారు. ఆయనను తెలుసుకోగల జ్ఞానమే ఉన్నత జ్ఞానం.  అది సర్వ జ్ఞానాలకూ మౌలికమైనది.

ఒక గదిలో కుర్చీ, బల్ల , పుస్తకాలు అంటూ పలు రకాలైన వస్తువులు  ఉన్నాయి . వీటిని చూడగోరితే వెలుగు అవసరం. కనుక  అన్ని వస్తువులకు ఆధారభూతమైన  ది వెలుగే అవుతు౦ది.. వెలుగు లేకుంటే గదిలోని దేనినీ చూడలేం.

ఆ విధ౦గానే ఆధ్యాత్మిక జ్ఞానం సకల జ్ఞానాలకూ ఆధారభూతమై ఉన్నది.  ఆత్మ గురించిన జ్ఞానం ఆధ్యాత్మిక జ్ఞానం . శరీరం కాక మనలో ఆత్మ అనేది ఒకటి ఉంది. నిజానికి  మనం మనశ్శరీరాలు కాదు , ఈ రెంటినీ ఉపకరణాలుగా, ఉపాదులుగా గ్రహించి , వీటికి ఆధారంగా ఉన్న ఆత్మ మన నిజ స్వరూపం  . ఈ సత్యాన్ని అనుభవపూర్వకంగా సద్గురు ద్వారా తెలుసుకోవటమే జీవిత లక్ష్యం .

ఆత్మ అన్నది ఒకటి ఉన్నందువలనే మనం చూడగలుగుతున్నాం , వినగలుగుతున్నాం , అనుభవి౦చగలుగుతున్నాం . “ ఆత్మ ఉన్నందువల్లనే  వినలేని వాటిని వినగలం ; ఆలోచించలేనివాటిని ఆలోచి౦చగలం ; అర్ధంచేసుకొలేని వాటిని అర్ధంచేసుకోగలం.” – ఛాందోగ్యోపనిషత్తు.( 6. 1. 3)

ఆధ్యాత్మిక జ్ఞానం గురువు ను౦డి  శిష్యునికి పారంపర్యంగా అందచేయబడుతుంది.

“ ఏకత్వ. స్థితిని కనుగొనడమే విజ్ఞానం.  మరణంతో నిండిన ఈ జగత్తులో మరణానికి అతీతంగా నిలబడే ఏకైక తత్వాన్ని కనుగొన్నప్పుడు,

సంపూర్ణ ఏకత్వ స్థితిని పొందినప్పుడు జ్ఞానాన్వేషణ పరిసమాప్తం అవుతుంది.   భగవంతుణ్ణి చేరుకోవడం  మాత్రమే ఉన్నతమైన , శ్ర్రేష్టమైన స్థితి. అవినాశియైన భగవంతున్ని ఏ జ్ఞానంచే చేరుకొంటామో అది అత్యున్నతమైన  జ్ఞానం.  

సద్గురువుని ఆశ్రయి౦చి దివ్యనేత్రాలను పొందిన జాగృత చైతన్యులు చూడ సాధ్యంకాని  ఆ భగవంతున్ని సర్వత్రా చూడగలరు.

సాలె పురుగు ఏ విధంగా తనలోను౦డి సాలెగూడు దారాలను వేలికితీస్తుందో , తిరిగి తనలోనికే తీసుకోవటమూ చేస్తుందో , ఏ విధంగా భూమి లోను౦డి చెట్టు చేమలు ఉద్భవిస్తున్నవో , సజీవుడైన మనిషి నుండి ఏ విధంగా వెంట్రుకలు పెరుగుతున్నాయో ఆ విధంగానే అవినాశియైన భగవంతుని నుండి ఈ జగత్తు ఉద్భవిస్తుంది.

భూమ్మీద సజ్జనుడిగా జీవించటం మాత్ర౦ మనిషి లక్ష్యం కాబోదు. ఎందుకంటే ఆ జీవితం ఎలాంటిదైనా దానికి అంతం అంటూ ఒకటి ఉంటుంది. మరణాన్నిఎవరూ ఆపలేరు . అందువల్ల ఇంతకు ముందే మరణంలేని  అమృతమయ జీవితాన్ని పో౦దాలి.

సుఖభోగాలు దృడం  కాని తెప్పులు : సుఖాలు  అన్నీ అనిత్యాలు . అవి మనిషి ఇంద్రియ శక్తులను వృధాచేస్తున్నాయి. జీవితం స్వల్ప కాలికమైనది అంటూ హెచ్చరిస్తుంది కఠోపనిషత్తు.

క్షణభంగురమైన ఈ జీవితంలో శారీరక భోగాలు సర్వస్వమనుకొని వాటిని పో౦దడానికై కర్మలు చేస్తూ జీవితాన్ని వృధా చేసుకోరాదు.

వీటిని శ్రేష్టమైనవిగా ఎంచి ఆనందించే మూడులు పదే పదే వార్ధక్యానికీ .  మృత్యువుకే లోనవుతున్నారు. ఇలాంటి కర్మలు దృడం కాని తెప్పలు. సంసార సాగరాన్ని దాటటానికి ఇవి పనికిరావు. ఈ కర్మలు మళ్ళీ మళ్ళీ ఇంద్రియ సుఖాలను వాంచిచేటట్లు చేసీవి.  ఈ ఇంద్రియ సుఖాలు మళ్ళీ మళ్ళీ మనలను సంసార సాగరంలో ముంచేత్తేవి ; సంసార సాగరాన్ని దాటి౦చేవి కావు.

ప్రాపంచికత మధ్యలో జీవించే మూర్ఖులు తమను తెలివిగలవవారమనీ , పండితులమనీ ఎంచి గుడ్డివానిచే దారి చూపబడే గుడ్డివారి వలె వీరు పదే పదే జనన మరణ సుడిగుండంలో చిక్కుకొని ఉంటారు.

పరిపక్వత చెందని వారు ప్రాపంచికతలో అనేక విధాలుగా మునిగి ఉంటారు. తాము లక్ష్యాన్ని సాధించినట్లుగా భావించే వారు నిజాన్ని తెలుసుకోలేరు. వారు అనురక్తితో కర్మలుచేసే వారు. ఈ పరమ మూర్ఖులు  యాగాలు , సత్కర్మలే సమస్తం అని భావిస్తారు. స్వర్గ లోకాలలో పుణ్యఫలాన్ని అనుభవించిన తరువాత ఈ భూమిపై మానవులుగా  లేక ఇంకా హీనమైన  జన్మలు పొందుతారు.

యాగాల , సత్కర్మల ద్వారా మంచి జీవితాన్ని గడపాలనుకోవటం తప్పు లేదు. కాని కీడులేని మేలంటూ ఏదీ లేదు.  “కించిత్తు చెడు కలవని మంచి పని ఏదీ లేదు. నిప్పు చుట్టూ పొగ ఉన్నట్లు ప్రతి పనిలో కొంత చెడు ఉండే తీరుతుంది.. ”. అన్నారు స్వామి వివేకానంద.  మేలు కోరితే కీడునూ , సుఖం కావాలంతే దుఃఖాన్నీ , సంతోషం కావాలంటే శోకాన్నీ స్వీకరించే తీరాలి.

మహాత్ములు “కర్మలచే భగవంతుని పొందలేము . వైరాగ్యం చేత మాత్రమే  అది సాధ్యం” అని గ్రహిస్తారు.  కనుకనే మహనీయులు  సద్గురువును ఆశ్రయి౦చి సుఖదుఃఖాలకు అతీతంగా జీవిస్తారు.

శ్ర్రేష్టమైన  జీవితానికి ఐదు ముఖ్య సోపానాలు .

అవి గురువును ఆశ్రయించటం ,  సత్ప్రవర్తన ; విచారణ , వైరాగ్యం , స్పష్టమైన  లక్ష్యం.

గురువును ఆశ్రయించటం :  “ ఆధ్యాత్మిక పురోగతిని పుస్తకాలనుంచి దాదాపు ఈమీ పొందలేము. తరచి చూస్తే మన బుద్ది వికాసానికి అది కొద్దిగా ఉపయోగపడేదే తప్ప ఆత్మ వికాసానికి కాదు  . మనకు అవసరమైన ప్రేరణ పుస్తకాలు అందివ్వలేవు.   ఆత్మ పురోగతికైన ఆ ప్రేరణ ఇంకొకరి నుంచే రావాలి . “ ఎవరి నుంచి ఈ ప్రేరణ వస్తుందో ఆయనే గురువు ” అంటున్నారు వివేకానంద.

గురువు భగవదనుభూతి పొందినవారు . భగవంతునిలో నెలకొన్నవారు ఆయనను సేవించడం మూలంగా , “నమస్కరించి , ప్రశ్నలు అడిగి , శుశ్రూషలు చేసి  ” ( గీత 4.34 ) వాటిని పొందాలని గీత వచిస్తోంది.

సత్ప్రవర్తన:  ఆధ్యాత్మికతకు పునాది సత్ప్రవర్తన. సత్ప్రవర్తన ద్వారానే క్రమబద్ధమైన జీవితమని శాస్త్ర గ్రంధాల సారం.

విచారణ : విచారణ ద్వారా లౌకిక సుఖాలకై  చేసే కర్మలు , క్రియలు వ్యర్ధమని గ్రహించి త్యజిస్తారు.  ఎందుకంటే  అవి మనలను భగవన్మార్గంలో నడిపి౦చకుండా

ఇంకా ఇంకా బంధాలకు లోను చేస్తాయి.

వైరాగ్యం : అనివార్యమైన కర్మలను అనాసక్తితో చేయటమే వైరాగ్యం.

స్పష్టమైన లక్ష్యం :  “ భగవంతునితో యోగమవ్వాలి . ఏ పనిచేసినప్పటికీ అది భగవంతుని కోసమే ”   అనే లక్ష్యం సదా మనస్సులో స్పష్టంగా ఉండాలి .

మనం దైవానుభూతులం -: “ విధి అంటూ ఏదీ లేదు . మన జీవితం మన ప్రారబ్ధ కర్మల , మన కర్మల పర్యవసానమే . మనమే మన కర్మలను రూపొందించుకొంటున్నామంటే , వాటిని నశింపచేసుకోవడమూ మనకు సాధ్యము.

“ గొంగళిపురుగు తన దేహం నుండి స్రవించే పదార్ధంతో తన చుట్టూ తానే గూడు కట్టుకొని, దాన్లో తానే బందీ అవుతుంది . అక్కడే ఉంటూ అది రోదించవచ్చు , ఆక్రోశించవచ్చు  . కాని దాని సహాయానికి ఎవరూ రారు . చివరకు అదే స్వప్రయత్నంతో అందమైన సీతాకోక చిలుకలా బయటకు వస్తు౦ది.. ప్రాపంచిక బంధాలకు సంబంధించి మన పరిస్తితీ ఇదే.  యుగ యుగాలుగా మనమూ జనన మరణ చక్రంలో తిరిగివస్తున్నాం . ఇప్పుడు దుఃఖం అనుభవిస్తున్నాం; మనం బందీగా ఉండటం గురించి విలపిస్తున్నాం. దీని వలన ఏ ప్రయోజనం లేదు  ఈ బంధాలను  చేధించడంలో మనం అకుంటిత  ప్రయత్నం చేయాలి.

“అన్ని బంధాలకు ముఖ్య కారణం అజ్ఞానం . మనిషి స్వభావరీత్యా దుష్టుడు  కాదు  . అతడు స్వభావరీత్యా పునీతుడు.  పూర్తిగా పావనమైన వాడు  . ప్రతి మనిషి దైవాంశసంభూతుడు. ఈ స్వభావం అజ్ఞానం వలన మరుగుపరచబడింది.  ఈ అజ్ఞానమే మనలను బంధితులుగా చేసివేసింది. అన్ని దుఖాలకూ అజ్ఞానమే కారణం. అన్ని దుశ్చర్యలకూ అజ్ఞానమే కారణం. జ్ఞానం లోకాన్ని మంచిదిగా చేస్తుంది . జ్ఞానం అన్ని దుఃఖాలనూ  తొలగిస్తుంది . జ్ఞానం మనలను స్వతంత్రులుగా తీర్చిదిద్దుతుంది.

స్వస్వరూపానికి సంబంధించిన జ్ఞానమే నిజమైన జ్ఞానం . మనం భగవంతుని నుంచి ఉద్భవించినవారం.  పాలతో తయారు చేసిన భక్ష్యాలన్ని౦ట్లో  పాల గుణం ఉన్నట్లుగా భగవంతుని నుండి ఉద్భవించిన మనలోనూ దైవత్వం ఉంటుంది .  మనం సర్వశక్తిమంతుడైన భగవంతుని బిడ్డలం  .మనం దేనినైనా సాధించగలం . మనం మాత్రమే కాదు , జీవరాసులు మాత్రమే కాదు ; భగవంతుని నుండి ఉద్భవించిన ఈ సృష్టిలోని ప్రతి ఒక్కటీ – వృక్షాలూ ,చెట్లు , భూమి ,ఆకాశం , సముద్రాలు, పర్వతాలు – సమస్తం దైవత్వం సంతరించుకొంటాయి.

భగవంతున్ని తెలుసుకొన్నవాడే అంటే అనుభూతిలో ఆయనను గ్రహించిన వాడు బంధాలనుండి విడివడుతున్నాడు . “ మరణానంతరం కాదు , సజీవుడై ఉన్నప్పుడే అతడు ముక్తుడవుతాడు

” అంటున్నారు శ్రీ శంకరులు.

ఆత్మ కళ్ళతోనో , వాక్కుతోనో , ఇతర ఇంద్రియాలతోనో  తెలుసుకో బడదు. తపస్సు వల్లనో , కర్మల చేతనో లభించదు .  పావనత , పరిశుద్ధతలను సంతరించుకొన్న మనస్సును పొందటానికి ఆత్మను అనుభూతం చేసుకొన్న మహనీయులను స్తుతించటమే మార్గం. జ్ఞానానికి ఆలవాలమై వెలిసే సూక్ష్మబుద్ధితో పావనత , పరిశుద్ధతను సంతరించుకున్న మనస్సుచే దానిని ధ్యానించే వ్యక్తి నిరవయమైన ఆత్మను చూడగలుగుతాడు. భగవన్మార్గంలో నడిచే వ్యక్తి శరీరాన్ని అతిగా కష్టపెట్టకు౦డా , ఫలితాన్ని కోరకుండా , స్మరణలో సుస్థిరంగా ఉంటూ , ప్రగాఢ శ్రద్ధతో ఉండాలని గీత తెలుపుతోంది.

ఇంద్రియాలు ఎంతో శక్తిమంతమైనవి .  మనల్ని అవి బలవంతంగా విషయ వాసనల వైపు అంటే కోరికల వైపు మళ్ళిస్తాయి.  సర్వే౦ద్రియాలను విషయ వాసనల నుంచి దూరంగా ఉంచి భగవంతుడి పట్ల  మనస్సును లగ్నం చేసుకొంటే  మోక్షప్రాప్తి కలుగుతుందని గీతలో గోవిందుడు తెలియజెబుతాడు. 

ఇంద్రియ నిగ్రహంతోపాటు ఆత్మ చింతన ఈ రెండూ మోక్షానికి అవసరం.  విషయ వాంఛలను౦చి మనస్సును దైవం వైపు మళ్ళి౦చాలి .

“ భోగలాలస  లేని నిర్మలమైన మనసే మోక్షమని వసిష్ట గీత బోధిస్తుంది.

ఆత్మతో సమానంగా చిత్తం కూడా నిర్మలమై భాసిల్లే స్థితినే మోక్షమంటారని పతంజలి  యోగశాస్త్రం వెల్లడిస్తోంది.

భగవంతున్ని తెలుసుకోవాలంటే పరిమితమైన ఈ ఇంద్రియాలూ , మనస్సూ  చాలవు. వాటి కంటే ఉత్కృష్టమైనవి కావాలి. ఆ ఉత్కృష్టమైనది  ‘ దివ్య నేత్ర’ మని గీత ( 11.8) వచిస్తో౦ది . దివ్యనేత్రం అంటే  మన చైతన్య స్థితిలో మార్పు . దివ్య నేత్రం ద్వారా ఇంద్రియాల సహాయం లేకుండా , మనస్సు సహాయం లేకుండా ఆత్మను( అణువుల్లో కల్లా అణువైనది  , సూక్క్ష్మాతి సూక్ష్మమైనది  )  తెలుసుకోవచ్చును. మనస్సు నిశ్చలమైనదిగా  ఉండాలి.  మనస్సును సదా భగవత్ చింతనతో నింపివేయాలి. మనం లక్ష్యమయంగా అయిపోవాలి . మన దైవస్థితిని పొందాలి. స్మరణే ధనుస్సు ; ఆత్మ బాణం ; భగవంతుడే లక్ష్యం.  దీనికి సద్గురువే వారధి. సద్గురు చరణాలను చేరిన వారిలో  మానసిక గందరగోళాలు తొలగిపోతాయి  ; సందేహాలు సమసిపోతాయి మరియు ప్రారబ్ధకర్మలు నశించిపోతాయి.

వాస్తవంగా ప్రారభ్ద కర్మలను అనుభవించే తీరాలి . వాటి నుండి తప్పించుకోలేము.  గురు కృప దాని ఉధృతిని నియంత్రిస్తుంది. ఒకనికి ప్రారభ్ద కర్మ ప్రకారం కాలు కోల్పోవాలని ఉంటే అతని కాలులో ఒక ముల్లయినా గుచ్చుకుంటుంది.

ప్రేమ , కరుణ , ఆనందం వంటి వాటిని ఎవరూ చూడలేరు. అనుభవి౦చటమే సాధ్యం. అదే విధంగా ఆత్మానుభూతిని కూడా అనుభవించగలమే తప్ప చూడలేము.

భగవత్ దర్శనమంటే సర్వత్రా  భగవంతుణ్ణి  దర్శించటం. భగవంతున్ని చక్కగ్గా తెలుసుకోవడం , కొయ్యలో అగ్ని వుందన్న ఎరుక , నమ్మకమే జ్ఞానం . ఆ అగ్నితో అన్నం వండుకోవటం  , తినటం , తద్వారా బలం పొందటం విజ్ఞానం. భగవంతుడు ఉన్నాడని భావనలో గ్రహించటం జ్ఞానం. ఆయనతో మాట్లాడడం , ఆయనతో కలిసి ఆనందం పొందడం విజ్ఞానం.  భగవంతుడే జీవరాసులగానూ , జగత్తుగానూ అయి ఉండదాన్ని దర్శించడం విజ్ఞానం.

ఆత్మతో తనను తాదాత్మ్యం చేసుకొంటే మాత్రమే మనిషి దుఃఖాల నుండి విడివడగలడు.  

సకల జీవరాసులకు ఆధారంగా భాసిస్తున్నది ఆత్మయే అన్న విషయం గ్రహించిన వ్యక్తి  ఆత్మలో తృప్తిపడే వాడుగా , ఆత్మలో ఆనందించే వాడుగా ఉంటూ సమస్త కర్మలను నిర్వర్తిస్తాడు.  ఆత్మ జ్ఞానులలో శ్రేష్టుడు అతడే !

తెర ఉంది ; చలనచిత్రం దాని మీద కదులుతుంది.  రైలు పట్టాలపై రైలు పరిగెడుతుంది. ఒకటి కదలకుండా సాక్షిగా నిలబడి ఉంటుంది . మరొకటి దాని మీద పని నెరపుతుంది.  లోక పనితీరు ఈ విధంగానే జరుగుతుంది. భగవంతుడు సాక్షిమాతృడుగా ఉంటున్నాడు ; ప్రకృతి , అంటే ప్రాణ శక్తి ఆయన సన్నిధానంలో కార్య నిర్వహణ నేరపుతు౦ది. ఆత్మసాక్షి మాత్రంగా   మనలో  నెలకొని ఉంది. జీవుడు పనిచేస్తున్నాడు . సుఖ దుఃఖాలు అన్నింటికీ అతడే కారణం.

జ్ఞానం పరిపూర్నమైనదై ఉండాలి. “ఆత్మ సత్యం, తక్కినదేదీ సత్యం కాదు . నేను ఆత్మను ఆశ్రయించి యున్నాను . వేరే దేన్లోనూ నాకు ఆసక్తి లేదు ” అనే జ్ఞానం .  ప్రగాఢ౦గా  ఉండాలి . ఆత్మ దర్శనమన్నది ఏదో మరణానంతరం లభించబోయే  అనుభవం కాదు. జీవించి ఉన్నప్పుడే లభించే అనుభవం అది.  అయితే జీవుడు తనను ఆత్మగా  గ్రహించినప్పుడు ప్రకృతి సంఘటనలు వేటితోనూ సంబంధం లేకుండా విడిగా ఉండటానికీ , సాక్షిమాత్రుడుగా ఉండటానికీ అతడికి సాధ్యమవుతుంది. ఆత్మలో ఆనందం అనుభవిస్తున్నాడు.

సత్యం అన్నది , నిజమైన జీవితమన్న విశాల దృక్పధంతో చూస్తున్నారు శంకరులు. “ సత్యాన్ని స్వీకరించాలి , సత్యం కాని వాటిని విడిచిపెట్టాలి ” అంటున్నారు ఆయన.  ఆత్మను పొందటానికి “ సానుకూలమైనవాటిని స్వీకరించాలి. సానుకూలం కాని వాటిని త్యజించాలి ”. 

మనస్సుకు , ఇంద్రియాలకు శిక్షణ గరపడం , “ భాహ్య లోకాన్ని విడిచి అంతర్లోకాన్ని ఆశ్రయించమని మనస్సును, ఇంద్రియాలను తాదాత్మ్యం చేయడం అత్యున్నత తపస్సు ” అంటోంది మహాభారతం.

మనోవ్యాకులత కలిగిన తదనంతరం భగవత్సాక్షాత్కారం ప్రాప్తిస్తుంది.  అత్యున్నత సత్యాన్ని గ్రహించాలి , భగవత్సాక్షాత్కారాన్ని పొ౦దాలి  అని వ్యాకులత చెందినప్పుడే  మార్గం తెలుసుకుంటుంది . సత్యం తెలుస్తుంది.

ఏ విధంగా నదులు తమ పేర్లను ఆకృతులను కోల్పోయి సముద్రంలో కలిసిపోతాయో , సత్యాన్ని (భగవంతున్ని ) గ్రహించిన వ్యక్తి అదే విధంగా పరమాత్మలో లీనమవుతాడు.  సర్వోత్కృష్ట  పరతత్వాన్ని గ్రహించిన వాడు ఆ పరతత్వంగా అయిపోతాడు.

                       ..............................................              

Achieving eternal happiness:

        Soul seeks the super soul :

The Path to The Highest pleasure :

The process of liberation is  the search for Absolute Truth. The purpose of human life is to free the human soul from  bondage to the body and thus from the suffering caused by the repetition of birth and death.  

Bhakthi yoga , the yoga for the soul  yields highest pleasure. It is the yoga of pure love and devotion. In the self realized state, one realizes the Supreme  Brahman and becomes fully joyful.  He never laments nor desires to have anything.  He is equally disposed to every living entity. He simply engages in devotional service and always remains in this liberated condition.

Physical yoga stretches our body muscles and we feel good for some time . With the yoga of the soul , we stretch our soul muscles and fell good forever. To reach the highest goal , we have to know the path. And we can know that only from the knower of the path.

The instructions received from  the spiritual master must be followed  and executed immediately. One should no deviate from or surpass the instructions of the satguru. Devotional service  ( service to Satguru with total surrender ) will free us from the desire for fruitive activity. One should surrender to the Satguru  and in this way render devotional service to God . This indicates that the Guru and  God are one and the same . 

In fact , Satguru does not manufacture something new . His teachings are similar to the preaching of the great masters of the past. Actually , there can not be something new in the science of Absolute Truth.  Every thing is established.  Millions of years ago , the Sun rose on the eastern horizon and still it rises in the East.  Similarly , the Vedic knowledge is eternally established . It cannot be changed  under any circumstances. What was true millions of years ago is true now . And to know the Truth, one has to approach his Satguru. ( a bonafide spiritual master ).

Man thinks, “ I am  my body and every thing  in relationship with my body is mine Man’s attachment to his body and consequently to his family is the strongest illusion.  Caught in this illusion , man forgets  his relationship with God .We need to give up the idea of being the predominator and learn how to be  predominated  by the Supreme Lord. Thus , we are  able to give up  our false identification with  our gross and subtle bodies and being situated in our true state( our original constitutional position). The constitutional position  of our living entity is to be an eternal servant of God. As soon as we place ourselves in our true state , we are liberated. But if we artificially want to be predominator , then immediately God’s illusory energy ( maya) is there  to entrap you. We become forgetful to our own interest , and try to be happy in  the material world. In this way , one is no better than a foolish animal.

To be an unalloyed devotee, one must be freed from all material desires and untouched by fruitive activity. The influence ofmaya is so strong that even a person advanced in knowledge actually forgets that he is God’s eternal servant. Due to ignorance, one is thus bound by the chains of material laws.

The difference between working for self- interest and working for Super self- interest is the difference between lust and love.

When one desires his personal sense gratification ,that is lust and when one wants to satisfy the senses of God that is love. The contrast between lust and love is shown in Bhagavad Gita. In the beginning  of the Bhagavad Gita , Arjuna was thinking , “How can I possibly kill my brother , my nephews , my master , my teacher  , my grandfather ? I can not do it . I refuse to fight ”.This reveals Arjuna’s self – interest . But at the end of Bhagavad Gita, when Arjuna agreed to satisfy God by fighting  , he was acting  for Super self interest . Arjuna had gone from lust to love. 

For the materialistic person there are two kinds of self interest.  One is concentrated ( aimed at self preservation )and the other is extended ( includes family ,society, nation ).  Only when that extended self – interest reaches up to God is it perfect, Then it is genuine self –interest or Super self –interest. 

Unfortunately , today people have no idea that serving the Supreme Lord , is their ultimate self – interest .  Real philanthropy is serving God, which  serves our ultimate self – interest. When one serves God , every one’s interest is  served because God is at the root of every thing.  Only in the human form of life can we understand our real self-interest.

One who is sufficiently intelligent should use the human form of body from the very beginning of life  to practice the activities of devotional service, giving up all other engagements. The human body is most rarely achieved, and although temporarily  like other bodies , it is meaningful because in human life one can perform devotional service. An animal can not understand  his real self interest but a human being can . And by acting accordingly , we can lead a successful life. That is the special advantage of the human form of life  .  We should not waste it .

In this human form of life ,  if we do not come to the understanding that  without God consciousness our life is wasted. We are simply taking poison .

On account of false prestige , false knowledge and false education people think they are independent of God  , that they can do what ever they like . Only a fool would accept the lowest class of happiness as the aim of life. So , do not be foolish. Be intelligent and understand that your real self interest lies in worshipping God.

One’s real self –interest lies in returning back home to God head. By acting on the platform of fruitive activity, one wanders through out the universe in different species and forms.  Unless man comes in contact with  a devotee of the God , a Satguru ,  he does not become attached to the service of the Lord. After struggling for existence for many births, one may take shelter at the lotus feet of the Satguru. When this happens , one actually becomes wise and surrenders unto Him . That is the only way to stop the repetition of birth and death.

In the state of bondage , whatever you do for your so- called material progress is ultimately defeated.  People are busily engaged through out the day and night , thinking they are making material progress . But it is  jot progress. It is regression . this they do not know as they never inquire into the spiritual values of life. They do  know that , the soul , or the self , is eternal.

To dissipate this ignorance , one has to approach  the Satguru who knows the real goal of human life and how to attain it.

The Satguru shows by personal example , how inquisitiveness into the ultimate causes of suffering can lead one to proper knowledge.

The Vedas declare –“If you want proper knowledge of the Absolute Truth, you must approach a bonafide guru. ”

Lord Krishna states in the Bhagavad Gita, “ Just try to learn the Truth by approaching spiritual  master . Inquire from him submissively and render service unto Him . The self-realized souls can impart knowledge unto you because they have seen the Truth”

You must be ready to serve the Guru. The more service you render to the Satguru , the more the Truth is revealed .

“Only unto those great souls  who have unflinching devotion to the Lord and to the spiritual master is transcendental knowledge revealed”.

Devotional service involves two major aspects :

1. Always working for Him .

2. Always hearing and chanting words concerning Him .

By the practice of devotional service , one feels the transcendental pleasure of serving the Lord , experiences His presence , and feels detachment from every thing else.

Then one comes to understand ‘Aham Brahmasmi ’  ie I am not this body , I am not this mind  , I am not this intelligence . I am  pure soul  , part and parcel of God , the Supreme Brahman.

When we have full faith in the revealed scriptures , the Vedic literature and perform our prescribed duties .always thinking of the Supreme Personality of Godhead , we then  , very naturally , give up all illusory entanglements of material bondage.

One should perform  activities only for the benefit of the soul. Any other activity should be given up.  One becomes desire less .  Thus, we get elevated in spiritual consciousness  and knowledge and will be able to give up false ego.   We will be successful and become liberated.

When one is fully equipped with Jnana and Vijnana he is perfect. Jnana means that one understands the Supreme God .This knowledge of the Supreme Lord is very confidential .   Vijnana refers to such activities ( sewa , simran  , satsang ) that liberate one from the ignorance of material existence.

“As a blazing fire turns firewood to ashes, O Arjuna    !  so does the fire of knowledge burn to ashes all  reactions to material activities”,  says Lord Krishna.

 This material world is a place of misery where life is temporary.  Although we try to improve our material condition in so many way s, it is ultimately impossible to do so .  this is because the three fold miseries are present  every where. These are 1. miseries pertaining to the body  and mind . 2.  Miseries caused by other living entities. 3. Miseries  brought on by the forces of nature. All these miseries are caused by the material body whose root is the false ego. This false ego can be given up  if we surrender totally to the Satguru. This is the beginning of real religion  we receive from the Satguru , “ By the mercy of both  the Satguru and the Lord Almighty  , the fortunate soul  receives within his heart the seed of the creeper of devotion.

One must render devotional service first to the Satguru and then to God. We can not jump over the Satguru and go to God directly without the Satguru. That is not possible .  First of all Guru – then God. And if one actually follows  instructions  given by the Guru and the scriptures  , then one’s strong desire to enjoy this material world will be slackened  and one’s liberation from  material miseries is assured. If we give up the instructions of the scriptures and act according to our whims and fancies , then there is no question  of perfection.

When by associating with the saints and engaging  in devotional service , one is gradually freed from  the material conception due to knowledge , practice and detachment. The knot of attachment in the heart is slackened. Thus one gets freed from  conditioned life and becomes eligible to return home , back to Godhead. Liberation means no more material life.  Everyman is sinful , more or less ,  there is no doubt about it .  However , this is not a disqualification.  If we are prepared to give them up now  , then immediately we are liberated. Liberation is not very difficult . We can obtain it in a minute , provided we want to take it .

Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita states, “ Abandon all varieties of religion and just surrender unto me. I shall deliver you from all sinful reactions . Do not fear .”

“ Always think of me  and be ready to serve Me. That’s all ”

“ Just surrender to Me and you will be happy.”

If we are free from the reactions of sinful life , we are liberated.  It  means we are liberated  if we take shelter  at the lotus feet of Satguru and do not act in such a way  that we again  fall down into sin.

On account of ignorance man does not understand that the material body is foreign to us and that we are entrapped within it and victimized by it. This is our real problem. Ignorance is very strong when one is in the mode of passion  or ignorance. In the mode of goodness there is  illumination.  This means one has acquired brahmanical qualifications .  In that state , one can understand , “ I am not this body. I am different from it ”.

Real civilization means elevation. Every one  should gradually  move towards the  mode of goodness , not dragged down to the mode of ignorance.

The aim of human life is  to become liberated from  the material body . And the civilization that elevates people to that platform is a real human civilization. Otherwise it is not civilization but animal life.

Unless one develops love for God , one will not be liberated from the material body . Real love means one sees the beloved as every thing . In this material world the closest thing we find  to real love is a mother’s love for her child. The mother loves her child so intensely that she is always anxious to take care of the child and her whole attention is on the child. When such love is concentrated on God , it is the highest perfection of life. We are then convinced that “ God is  my life ”. Pure love for God is eternally established in the hearts of the living entities. It is not some thing to be gained from another source. When the heart is purified by hearing by hearing and chanting God’s name , this love naturally  awakens. Just as we are all eternal as living entities , so our devotion to God is eternal. Now it is simply covered by ignorance. When we forget God , that is ignorance. And as soon as we take God as the  our life and soul , there is wisdom . Ignorance is darkness .Knowledge is light .

The Vedic injunction is ‘ tamasi maa jyotir gama ’ : “ Do not keep your self in the darkness of ignorance; come to the light of God consciousness.

Just as in the Sun there is no question of darkness , in the spiritual world  there is also no question of darkness or ignorance. Every one and every thing  there – is in the state of pure goodness.

Herein the material world there are three modes – goodness, passion and ignorance. None of these modes is pure . Each is mixed with the others. And because there is a mixture , we see so many varieties of human beings .But we have to come to the platform of our goodness. The best process for this is hearing about Krishna from authorized sources. As soon as we fully develop our love for God, there is no longer a chance for our being entrapped in a material body.  The reason being that as long as  the mind is impure , consciousness is unclear , and as long as one is absorbed in fruitive activity , he has to accept a material body.

Generally people think that one should act very piously in order to be relieved from misery , but this is not a fact. Even though one engages in pious activity and speculation , he is nonetheless defeated. His only aim should be emancipation from the clutches of Maya and all material activities.  One should understand his spiritual position.

Unless one understands the self and its activities , one has  to be considered in material bondage. As long as one is interested in karma  and jnana , he continues enduring the miseries of material life – birth , old age ,  disease and death. As far as jnanis are concerned, unless they are promoted to the highest understanding , they must return to the material world.  The point is to know God as every thing through the grace of Satguru. Surrender unto Him  .

The real devotee is untouched by  any tinge of Karma or jnana . his only purpose in life is to serve the Lord.  Therefore his mind is always engaged in thoughts of God , and he is free from bondage to a material body . The material body is a great impediment to the soul .

He does not know that due to his past misdeeds he has already received a body which , although temporary , is the cause of his misery. It is not befitting an intelligent man to involve himself again in the activities of sense gratification, by which he perpetually gets material bodies one after another.

Due to the varieties of desires , one soul is born as a human being , another as a pig, another as a tree, another as a fish. unfortunately, all of these bodies are sources of misery. Anyone who has a material body must suffer. Even the millionaire must suffer.

So , if we want to stop these varieties of material bodies, then we must give up all our nonsensical material desires. We already have a body that is a source of misery.  Every one has the experience of suffering and tribulations .  Therefore we should try to stop getting  these material bodies.  And to do this we must practice devotional service  to God . Otherwise we will continue on the path of birth and death.

We should know that we are the soul without birth or death.  In fact , as God is free of all conditioned , we too , as parts of the super soul  are also free. Just as a gold particle has all the qualities of mass of gold  in the gold mine , so we have all of God’s qualities in minute degree.

Unless one inquires into the Absolute Truth and learns how to make a complete solution to the problems of life ( why am I subjected to  the sufferings of  this material world such as birth and death ? ) life is no better than an animal’s. Animals cannot understand why they are suffering .  In this way , as we advance in God consciousness , we can save ourselves from  the galaxy  of illusions known as this material world , in which there is simply suffering  after suffering after suffering.

Man should realize that on account of his past misdeeds he has already received a body, which although temporary ,is the cause of his misery. Therefore it is not befitting an intelligent man to involve himself again in the activities of sense gratification by which he perpetually  gets material bodies one after another.

The living entity  is not really connected with this material world. But due to  his tendency to enjoy the material senses ,he is put into the material condition . One should perfect his life by associating with devotees . He should not become further implicated in the material body.

Everyone gets a certain type of body according to his sins and his specific desires for sense gratification. This is the reason for so many varieties of life. Of all the living entities who have accepted material bodies in this world , one who has been awarded this human form should not work hard day and night simply form sense gratification , which is available even for dogs and for hogs that eat stool. In this valuable human form one must act differently from animals . When devoid of God Consciousness , living beings suffer in the cycle of birth and death perpetually.

There are so many things that attract us . Each sense has its own object of enjoyment  .The eye wants to see beautiful forms. The tongue wants to enjoy very tasty food . The ears are attracted to nice music. The nostrils are attracted to sweet fragrances. And the skin wants to touch soft things .  All these are enjoyable things and people are attracted to all of them .

We are  all hankering after happiness. Why are we struggling so hard in the material existence ?  For happiness.

Why are we after  sense gratification?  For happiness.

Why do we want to possess so many things ?  For happiness.

Why do we want to eat so many things ?  For happiness.

 Why do you want to become beautiful ?   For happiness.

In every endeavor happiness is our ultimate goal . But the happiness we are now deriving from material sources is temporary.  So , if we want eternal ,continuous  happiness , we have to purify our existential condition . The realized souls also enjoy sense gratification. But how? By serving the sense gratification of the Supreme Para Brahma . Material sense gratification is a perverted reflection of spiritual sense gratification.  When we use our senses for His sense gratification ,  by serving Him , we are in the transcendental position . And when we use   our senses for our own sense gratification , that is material .

So , we have to choose which door you will enter- one door leads to liberation from the entanglement of repeated birth and death and places us on the path back home, back to God head , and the other door, the door of sense gratification., leads to darkness. The more we indulge in sense gratification  or associate with those  who indulge in sense gratification , the deeper we go down into hellish life. 

Human life is meant for austerity and penance to get out of material clutches . Tapasya means voluntarily agreeing to mould  your life according to the rules and regulations given by the scriptures , the Satguru and the saintly persons.   When one is situated in God consciousness , devotional service , his happiness is guaranteed eternally .   One should engage in devotional service. By such activities one’s heart is purified. Then he immediately becomes eligible to return home, back to Godhead. He attains eternal  , blissful life , which is transcendental to material happiness and which continues forever.

The human body is like a junction .  One may take either the path of liberation or the path leading to a hellish condition. On the path of liberation , one associates with mahatmas. To remain unattached to the modes of material nature , one should avoid associating with those who are  materialistic. A great soul is one who has taken shelter of God’s spiritual energy. God has two energies .The material energy and the spiritual energy. From the presence of these energies we can understand that God exists  , just as we can understand  from the presence of sunlight that the Sun has risen in the sky.

If one wants to be liberated from the entanglement of material life – from the miseries of birth , death , old age and disease and so many other sufferings – one has to serve such a great saintly person and execute actions under his directions.

When one wants to merge into the Lord’s existence , one should render service to the mahatmas. The mahatmas are equipoised They do not see any difference between one living entity and another . The humble sages , by virtue of true knowledge ,see with equal vision a learned Brahmin , a cow , an elephant , a dog and an outcaste.

Another  quality of the mahatma is that he is always very peaceful   and fully engaged in devotional service.  Because he knows himself to be pure spirit , an eternal servant of God , he can not be disturbed by any material condition .

He is free of anger. He is a well wisher for  every one and works for the benefit for everyone . He sees that people are suffering  without God consciousness, without understanding their relationship with God, and so he tries to teach them . Therefore he has to be tolerant .When he tries to teach  the people about God Consciousness there will be so many insults , so many inconveniences. He has to tolerate them without becoming disturbed. Lord Jesus Christ perfectly showed this quality of tolerance and mercy.  So we have to find such a person , associate with Him and serve Him in full surrender. We try to learn the Truth by approaching spiritual master. We should inquire from him submissively and render service unto Him . The self-realized souls can impart  knowledge unto you because they have seen the Truth .

Those who are interested in reviving God consciousness and increasing  their love for God do not like to do anything not related to God. They are not interested in mingling with people who are busy maintaining their bodies, eating , sleeping , mating and defending. They are not attached to their homes , although they may be householders . Nor are they attached to wives, children , friends or wealth .At the same time , they are not indifferent to the execution of their duties .

One who is interested in advancing spiritually has the only desire to cultivate connection  with God . Officially he fulfills his family obligations , but his primary interest is God consciousness. He cultivates detachment .He does not  think of sacrificing every thing for his wife , children and home . he knows that he cannot improve their destiny.  Every one has received body with a destiny  that he cannot change. 

The wise person should try for advancement in God consciousness , not for material advancement . Our material position is already fixed . No one strives for distress but distress comes automatically according to destiny. Similarly if we have happiness in our destiny, it will come automatically.  So , do not be misled by material distress or happiness. They are already fixed . Simply try to advance in God consciousness and achieve unending transcendental happiness. This is the true purpose of human life.                                          _____

DOCTRINE OF THE SOUL

“ He , who , dwells in all things ,

  Yet is other than  all things  …

  Whom other things do not know ..

  Whose body all things are ..

  Who controls all things from within ..

  He is your SOUL , the INNER CONTROLLER , the IMMORTAL .”

  Krishna in Bhagavad Gita ;        

 “ This entity , this self , is unborn !

             It cannot die.

                         It is a witness to all times

                                 It has been coming from time immemorial

                                                 When the body is dying , it cannot !”

This Self - weapons cannot pierce ; nor fire can  burn , water

cannot wet nor air can dry up – changeless , all pervading ,

unmoving , immovable , eternal is the soul of man. Each soul is

the manifestation of the all pervading  One. The sum total of the energy remains the same  whatever form it may take.

 All religions emphasize the basic unity of  the universe . Our aim is to become aware of the unity and mutual  inter-relation of all things , to transcend the notion of an isolated individual self and to identify  our true selves. This leads to Enlightenment . The Cosmos is one inseparable reality … forever in motion , alive , organic  … spiritual and material at the same time.

           

 We in fact live in two worlds – One the  external and the other internal. Man’s  attempt to find answers for his deep problems of life  and the truths of the Universe from the external world has always remained futile .We need to make a paradigm shift from  matter to mind.

 “Let us find an ultimate unity in things “  is the theme of the Upanishads.

What is that knowing which we know every thing else ? Knowledge is nothing but finding unity in the midst of diversity. Arundhati  Nyaya applies here. To show a man the fine star Arundhati- one takes the big and brilliant star nearest to it , upon which he is asked to fix his eyes first , and then it becomes easy to direct his sight to Arundhati. Similarly by reading Upanishads you will comprehend it .Nearly every chapter begins with  Upasana ( Meditation ).

 God is first taught as the Creator , its preserver and unto whom everything goes at last. He is the one to be worshipped , the ruler , the guide of nature , external and internal , yet appearing as if He were outside of nature and external. One step further we find the same teacher  teaching that  this God is not outside the nature ; but immanent in nature. And at last both ideas are discarded and whatever is REAL is He; there is no difference.

That Thou Art – that immanent one is at last declared to be the same that is in the human soul. Truth bold Truth has to be taught in bold language and let us be the preachers of this Truth.

 Man is a combination of body ,Mind and Soul. The body is the instrument for action. The mind is concerned with knowing The changeless , permanent reality is Atma – which is the divine aspect of man. Thus doing , knowing and being are the three manifestations  of the human personality. The harmonization and unification of body , mind and soul – help man to raise himself  from the human to the divine level.

 From the lowest worm  that crawls under our feet to the noblest and greatest saints – all have this infinite power and infinite purity . The difference is only in the degree of its manifestation. Every living being has a reservoir of infinite power ,  purity and bliss. Only our bodies are hindering us from  experiencing  what we are to the fullest.. Our power is already ours .Our salvation is already within us. The idea is there already We must have to be AWARE of it and BELIEVE in that.- believe that in everybody even in the lowest man there is the same possibility as is in the Buddha. This is the Doctrine of  the Atma.

 BY what  can and how can the knower be known ? The eyes see every thing – Can they see themselves ? They can not . Vedas proclaim that this knowledge is lower than the thing itself. It is always a limitation. Its knowledge is limited by your mind.. How can you know Him ?  You can see him in all – from the lowest animals to  the highest of Gods. They are all mirrors to reflect Himself in . The watch word is –“ Go beyond your senses”.

 Our soul is the witness. For instance if there is a cricket match who enjoys it ?Those who take part in it or those who are looking on – the outsiders ? The more you are the witness of anything in life  - the more you  enjoy it. And this is Ananda ( Bliss) .Therefore infinite Bliss can be  only when you become a witness of this universe – then only you are free This is Moksha or Liberation. It is the witness alone that can work without any desire .- without any idea of blame or praise .The witness alone enjoys.

 Maya ( Illusion ) is the combination of Space – Time – Causation ( Desha – Kala – Nimitta  ) which can be further reduced into  Name – Form ( Nama-Rupa ) Suppose there is a wave in the ocean  .The wave is distinct from  the ocean only in name and form .The same amount of water remains even when the wave subsides. So , this Maya is what makes  the difference between God , You and Me – between all animals and man , between God and Man. It is this Maya which causes Soul to be caught in millions of beings – which are distinguishable only through name and form.

 If you give up the name and form , you are what you really are There is a gradation in our  Thought process or knowledge: The first is that each thing is individual and separate from every other. The next step is to find that there is a relation and correlation between all things . and the third is that there is only one thing which is seen as many. the first idea of God with the ignorant is that God is some where outside the universe. The conception of man is extremely human. He does just what a man does. On a bigger and higher scale – we see how that idea of God is unreasonable and insufficient. Next is the idea of a power we see manifested every where. The notion of a personal God who is the reservoir of all the good qualities only. God lives in every thing as peace and purity . Where ever there is Bliss there is a portion of the Divine. In the light of God – a man may give a poor man a hundred rupees and another may forge His name.- but the light will be the same for both.. Third stage is that God is neither outside nature nor inside nature. But God – Nature _Soul – Universe are all convertible terms . You never see two things .You were earlier deluded .

 Do not talk of God when you see matter. You see the effect and the effect alone and the cause you cannot see. One that is  present  always as consciousness , the bliss absolute , beyond all qualities , ever- free , limitless as the sky , immeasurable , without parts ., the absolute , incomparable ., the perfect  .Such a Brahman  shines in the heart of  the Jnani ( enlightened soul) in Samadhi ( Divine Absorption ) . This Brahman – the Reality is unknown and unknowable because you are He already . He is the reality in every thing . The same God whom the ignorant man saw outside nature ; the same whom the little knowing man saw as inter penetrating the Universe and the same whom the Jnani  realized as his own self as the whole universe itself are all One and the same being . The difference was caused  as the same entity was seen from different stand points , seen through different glasses of  Maya ., perceived by different minds.

 However , one view must lead to another . This universe is self – creating , self-dissolving , self-manifesting  One Infinite Existence – the  Brahman . But what we do not see is reality because out of that invisible power the visible comes into existence. The changeless in the changing physical world is called God and the changeless in the changing human body is called the Soul. The one who experiences it is known as 'Nirankari'.

                                                                                                                     ----   

                                       UNITY OF HUMANITY

Nirankari mission  under the spiritual leadership of Baba Hardev Singh has been propagating ‘oneness’ with a view to forge Human unity .

Swami Vivekananda preached that it is the revelation of the ‘supreme secret ’ that will enable  one to understand  the meaning and essence of ‘oneness’ of humans. and Nirankari Babaji has been revealing this secret to mankind by bestowing  Brahma gyan  ( God Knowledge ) without any discrimination of religion , culture and  nationality. 

In   Nirankari Babaji’s words , when God knowledge reveals the existence of the  ‘One ’in the divinity of this world  , the narrow perceptions get removed and the walls of ‘otherness’ collapse and the feeling of ‘oneness ‘gets strengthened .

God knowledge not just  connects one to God  but also helps in attaining  self realization . Many  of us are ignorant of the fact  that diversity is inherent  in every human .  But our inherent virtues lie dormant. But once  one’s True self  gets awakened  , these virtues  come to the fore , distrust and disharmony  is dispelled  and the credo of ‘Vasudhaiwa kutumbakam ‘ ( world is a family ) is understood in letter and spirit . 

Our slogan is “ Know One , Believe One  and Be One ‘.

We need to translate Babaji’s teachings into action leading a  meaningful life based on Truth and enjoy shared happiness with unity of humanity .

The  ‘Fountain of oneness’  glorifies Nirankari   sarovar  complex .

Encircling the central walkway , are larger than life human formations  holding hands  in a dance like posture , manifesting  the idea of love  , humility and universal one . Inside  is a globe  of 6.5 metres  height .

It is further surrounded by huge petals made of special stainless steel integrated with timed – shows of light and sound effects . There are elegant benches positioned at the human formations where you can sit , contemplate and blissfully view the entire installation ,called The  ‘Fountain of oneness’.

The form and appearance of  this Fountain symbolically bespeaks the mainstream of spirituality and  the message of the Mission .

All the seven colours of the rainbow are  distinctly  visible and yet , at the same time  , these are  so blended with each other  that one cannot be separated from the other .

The  broad and minute designing of the Nirankari Sarovar Complex has been done so uniquely by Nirankari Babaji – a unique architectural creation of light and sound, based on ultra-modern technology. Fountain of Oneness – dedicated to Humanity .

Satguru Babaji said that the source of Universe is God and He is the Fountain head . We should also become a part of this Fountain and contribute in spreading love and tolerance. Violence is playing havoc all around the spirit of Oneness  and cooperation is weakened . Despite the slogan , “ Unity in Diversity “ , the humans are getting divided on the basis of caste , language , religion, culture etc. The holy personages have always endeavored to link man with God for bringing man closer to man .This is a heart’s desire that all should undertake journey of life in a spirit of oneness to make earth a heavenly place to live in .

                                                                               ---------

                    Guru purnima

The day of full moon, Purnima, in the month of Ashadh is traditionally celebrated as Guru Purnima by Hindus. Also known as Vyas Purnima, the day is celebrated in remembrance and veneration to sage Ved Vyas. He is the Adi (original) Guru of the Hindu Dharma, who classified the Vedas, wrote the eighteen Puranas and the Mahabharat. On this day, the Guru is offered Pujan (worship)by the disciples

The Need of a Guru
The Sanskrit root “Gu” means darkness or ignorance. “Ru” denotes the remover of that darkness. Therefore one who removes darkness of our ignorance is a Guru. Only he who removes our ultimate darkness, known as Maya, and who inspires and guides us on to the path of God-realization is the true Guru

Guru mandatory in God-realization.

Bhaja Govindam, Bhaja Govindam

Bhaja Govindam, Muda mathe

Samprapthe Sannihithe kale

Nahi Nahi rakshathi Dhukhrum Karane!

A spiritual aspirant, no matter how brilliant, can never attain such knowledge by his own endeavor.
 One cannot attain knowledge of Atma and Paramatma by performing penance, sacrifices, renunciation, Vedic study or worshipping deities of water, fire or the sun. But when one surrenders oneself at the feet of a God-realized Guru , then one can surely attain this knowledge.”

Guru Govind donu khade, kisko laagu paay,
Balihari Gurudevaki jinhe Govind diyo bataay.

The Guru and Govind -God, are present before me, to whom shall I bow down first? Glory to the Guru since he showed me Govind.

   Glory of the Guru

Gurubrahma Guruvishnu Gururdevo Maheshwaraha |
Guruhu sakshaat Parambrahman tasmai Shrigurave namaha ||

In the Guru Stotram, we chant that the Guru is Brahma, Vishnu and  Maheshwara.

The Guru is like Brahma because he creates devotion and a desire

for spiritual knowledge in our minds.

The Guru makes our desire for Liberation firm, intensifies it, nourishes it and protects it. So, he is verily Lord Vishnu.

 Thirdly, in the role of Lord Siva, he  destroys the accumulated garbage in our minds – likes, dislikes, greed, anger and many such impurities that we do not know how to get rid of.

On this sacred Guru Purnima Day, we pray to the entire Guru-parampara to give us the devotion and determination to reach the supreme Truth. 

Gur Dhobi Sikh Kapda, Saboo Sirjan Har
Surti Sila Pur Dhoiye, Nikse Jyoti Apaar

Translation
Guru is the wash man, Sikh is the cloth , God the soap
Wash the mind thoroughly clean, Out Comes The Glow of Truth

How to know God

To gain knowledge, one has to approach the teacher (Guru). To study a particular subject or to learn a particular art, we engage an instructor who is proficient in that sphere. One cannot get sweets from a cloth merchant. Like Hindi teacher teaches Hindi, English teacher English a driving instructor driving and so on and so forth. Likewise, the teacher who reveals truth (Sat), spiritual knowledge, is known as Satguru, the True Master.

All admit that God cannot be realised without the blessings of the True Master (Satguru). As Lord Krishna says:-

"Ask him who knows me, bow to him in respect,
He will unveil to you my real face".
                                    (Bhagwad Gita)

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek and ye shall find; know, and it shall be opened unto you."
"For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." Bible

For sublimation of soul, the knowledge of God is a must and for attaining knowledge of God (Brahm Gyan) the need for the True Master (Satguru) is imperative.

The Guru is like a river with waters clean and clear. When you meet him all dirt and dross is washed away. The True Guru gives us a perfect bath, turning brutes and demons into angels and saints. The Guru considers himself as the servant of the whole mankind. He has the same attributes as God and is perfectly in tune with Divinity. Guru is God-like and there is no difference between Him and the Supreme Soul (God) Saint Kabir says:

" Those people are intuitively blind who consider the Guru as different from God".

. Every human being should seek Brahm Gyan from the True Master to accomplish the aim of life and to enjoy peace, bliss and comforting solace.

God can be Seen

"Ye worship ye know not what;
We know what we worship".

"Glorifying God without seeing the Almighty amounts to crying for the moon; glorifying God without seeing Him is just as setting the Thames on fire." (144) "One who knows and then sings the glory of the Formless God transcends the cycle of countless births and deaths and attains salvation for ever."(145) "God who is shapeless, colourless, formless and dimensionless; Avtar says, God cannot be seen without the True Master."(79)

The relation between the Guru and the disciple is extremely sacred, everlasting and spiritual. There is no worldly relationship to which it can be compared. The disciple's devotion to Guru is equal only to his devotion to God. The devotee does not become a slave by obeying the Guru. He becomes the King of Kings, Atma-Samrat. There is no other way to subdue the ego, and annihilate it in total, except obedience to the Guru, service of the Guru and humility. Therefore, Guru Bhakti and Guru Seva are indispensable for Self-realisation

The relationship between the teacher and the taught is exactly like the relationship of the gardener and the flowers on the bush. The gardener does not create the flowers from the soil and the manure; the flowers must themselves come from the bush. The  gardener can only tend its roots, water it, protect it, see that it has the correct amount of sunlight and shade-all these externals, "nursing," he can provide. But no mere gardener can guarantee the blossom; it can come only from the bush itself.

Similarly, the teacher's job is to nurture the student.The student must be nourished with the right thoughts.. But the blossoming—the real fragrance and beauty of the personality—must come from within.

 "How does one choose a guru?" It is not question of the disciple selecting the guru. No. He gravitates toward a guru, and he will find exactly the guru he needs for his mental development
So choose whatever guru comes to you. But may you understand that the only guru is He, the Lord, who expresses in many forms.

How are we to know a Guru:
The sun requires no torch to make him visible. we need not light a candle in order to see him.
When the sun rises, we instinctively become aware of the fact, and when a teacher of men comes to help us, the soul will instinctively know that Truth
The Glory Of Guru : the Guru slowly and steadily raises the moral tempo and ethical goodness in the neophyte who finds himself well-established in his inner purity which would otherwise have taken him painfully long years to develop. Adi Shankaracharya  known as the Jagadguru or the Master of the universe in spiritual knowledge..declares that as a result of Guru upasana, the disciple becomes capable of liberating himself from his limitations.
Attributes OF A GURU
"He, who is well-versed in the scriptures, sinless, unaffiliated by desires, a full knower of the Supreme, who has retired into the Supreme, who is well-established in the supreme Consciousness, who is as calm as the fire that has burnt up its fuel, who is a boundless ocean of mercy that needs no cause for its expression and who is an intimate friend of those who have surrendered unto him."
The role of the master

The Master acts as a guide to the aspirant in much the same way as an accomplished mountaineer is a guide to the inexperienced climber. He knows the terrain of the journey first-hand and is able to lead us safely, surely and expeditiously to the goal. There is only one objective behind the Master’s relationship with us, and that is our spiritual welfare. Empty thyself and I shall fill thee  - 

Guru is the only friend. The Guru is the Master of your destiny. the Guru, is the bridge from here to the hereafter; from this human life into the eternal spiritual existence; from this mundane world to the Brighter world.

Types of masters

In India we recognise three types of masters. One is like the hen which lays an egg and must sit on it to hatch it out. That is, physical contact between the master and the disciple is necessary, without which they cannot interact on each other. The second type of master is like the fish which lays its eggs in the stream and goes round and round them, keeping away marauders. That is, there is visual contact. So without at least visual contact, such masters cannot interact with their disciples. The third and highest is supposed to be like the tortoise which goes on the bank, lays its eggs in a shallow pool, covers it up with sand, goes back into the river and mentally looks after it — by transmission or whatever you may call it. So we recognise basically three types of masters, the hen, the fish and the tortoise types.

Doctor of the soul:

 If the doctor is the doctor of our body, a capable guru is the doctor of the soul. Here is a beautiful example of a prisoner in a jail. The wardens are also in the prison. But one is free, one is bound. And at one moment the warden puts you in the prison and locks you up. When the order comes to release you, he himself comes and opens the door and lets you out. So God is the one, always, you see, but if I, by my actions, have, what shall I say, deserved to be imprisoned — I imprison myself. Kabir,says that God locked Himself into the human heart and gave the key to the guru and said, “When I am fit to be released, come and open this lock.” So when Masters come to us, it is the Almighty Himself who comes to us. It is in a form which we can recognise, in a form which we can learn to love, from which we can receive our teachings.

It is not enough to have a Master. It is vitally necessary to internalise His presence within us, to seat him upon the throne in our hearts from where He can guide the course of our existence to its destination. A guru may be capable of loving you like a mother. He must be capable of disciplining you like a father, must be capable of instructing you in spirituality, looking for your progress, guiding you to the destination.

Like a watchman, the True Master awakens those, who having forgotten God, slumber in ignorance. If they doze off again and forget God, they are themselves to blame for their doom.

The water in a tank is warm on the surface but cool underneath. A thirsty person pushes the surface-water aside and drinks the cool water. Similarly, pushing the creation aside, the True Master   reveals the Creator, enabling the thirsty soul to satiate its age-long thirst for re-union with God.

The True Master is God-incarnate. Not his body but his knowledge is God, omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent. As such, one should pray to him for the fulfillment of one’s wishes, wherever one may be.

A wayfarer feels bewildered and helpless without the knowledge of the route and destination. A hint from the guide, however, dispels his delusion. Similarly, a hint from the True master dispels the spiritual delusion and bewilderment of a God-seeker.

A True Master is the master of the world. He does not need anything. However, he accepts even the smallest offering, because he is like the soil which yields fruit of the seed sown therein

One, who has pleased the True master, crosses the whirlpool of the world and attains his true abode, even at his home.

Just as even the best medicine cannot

 be effective without observing the precautions

Like wise no task can be accomplished

Without practical action.

The dust of the sacred feet of the saints

Cannot be attained if there is no respect in the mind.

Divine knowledge can  never stay  in the heart

Unless one has faith in the True Master.

Divine knowledge can  never be attained

Without the True Master and the mind cannot

be controlled Without God Knowledge.

                     ------

                   BE THE CAPTAIN OF YOUR SHIP

 Life , at every moment , demands decisions and actions  from us. If we grieve over the past and  worry about the future we are not able to deal effectively  with  the present before us. Therefore, the only true choice given to us  is how to deal with the present moment.  . The  most important thing to learn is the art of right thinking . Knowing how to think is more important than knowing what to think.   We should also have  a vision of life in its totality. And in the light of that vision , all problems can be resolved easily.  Whatever challenges we meet in our life  , be it illness , emotional trauma  or financial hardship , our response  varies  according to our inner maturity and our vision of life.

                                          

 Many of us die at twenty and are buried at eighty.

 “THE TRAGEDY OF LIFE IS NOT DEATH , BUT WHAT WE LET DIE INSIDE US WHILE WE LIVE   ”.      Norman Cousins

   108  LIFE LESSONS : to lead  a meaningful ,purposeful and wholesome life.

We have to decide to live our life  by choice rather than by chance, by design rather than by  default. It  is not enough to know what to do – we must ACT on that knowledge in order to have the lives we want.

1.   Discover your calling : : When you were born, you cried while the world rejoiced  Live your life in such a way that when you die the world cries while you rejoice. How many lives will you touch while you have the privilege to walk this planet ?We are all here for some unique purpose, some noble objective that will allow us to manifest our highest human potential while we , at the same time , add value to the lives around us. Mahatma Gandhi noted , “Be the change you wish to see most in your world. And once you do that your life will change.”

2.   Every day be kind to a stranger . It is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on this planet.

3.   Maintain your perspective .Is there a wiser and more enlightened way  of looking at the seemingly negative situation.  The shortest way to do many things is to do one thing at a time. Planting  the seeds of positive  expectancy in your mind is the best way to reap a positive harvest in future. Words are the most powerful forces in the world .Positive words of love  , hope and encouragement can lift a person to new heights and they attract more people towards you. You in addition to being technically sound must be an expert at handling people. A total commitment is paramount  to reaching the ultimate in performance. In your planning for tomorrow do not neglect today. It is too valuable and there are exactly the same number of hours in the day today as there will be tomorrow.

4.   Practice tough love .The golden thread of a highly successful and meaningful life is self-discipline. Discipline allows you to do all those things you know in your heart you should do but never feel like doing.

5.   Keep a journal It is one of the best personal growth initiative. You will develop self awareness and make fewer mistakes.

6.   Develop an honesty philosophy .As mother Teresa said , “There should be less talk.” A preaching point is not a meeting point. What do we do then ? Take a broom and clean someone’s house .

7.   Honor your past. You become what you think about all day .Use your life lessons to fuel your future growth.

8.   Start your day well. The first thirty minutes after you wake up are called “The Platinum 30” since they are truly the most  valuable moments of your day  and have a profound influence  on the quality of every moment that follows .Think only the purest  of thoughts and take only the finest of  actions , you will notice that your days will consistently unfold in the most marvelous ways.

9.   Learn to say no gracefully. You say yes to every request on your time when the priorities  of your life are unclear .The solution is to be clear about your life’s highest objectives and then learn to say no with grace We need t put all our energy in the direction of our task. That is the secret of mastery  Effective people concentrate on their “areas of excellence”. Learning to say to non-essentials will give you more time to devout to the things that have the power to truly improve  the way you live and help you leave the legacy you know in your heart you are destined to leave.

10.       Take a weekly Sabbatical. Reserved  for some of the life’s most important , yet commonly neglected pursuits, including spending time with the  family and hours in deep reflection and self-renewal.

11.       Talk to yourself . If it is the inner peace and calm you seek ,the phrase (mantra) might be ‘”I am so grateful that I am a serene and tranquil person “.If it is more confidence that you want ,  your mantra could be, “ I am delighted that I am full of confidence and boundless courage”. If it is material prosperity you are after, your saying might be, “I am so grateful that money and opportunity is flowing into my life” .Try to say your personal phrase at least two hundred times a day for at least four weeks. The result will be profound. You will find peace , prosperity and purpose your life requires. As Hazrat Inayat Khan said, ”The words that enlighten the soul are more precious than  jewels.”.

12.       Schedule worry breaks. Too  many people are spending their best years of their lives stuck in a state of constant worry. Most of the things we worry about never happen. The Sanskrit character for funeral pyre is  strikingly similar to the Sanskrit character for worry. “One burns the dead while the other burns the living “We need to schedule fixed times to worry, say thirty minutes every  evening During this worry  session you will wallow in your problems  and brood over your difficulties. But after the period ends, you must train yourself  to leave your troubles behind and do something more productive. .If at other times of the day you feel the need to worry jot down what you want  to  worry about in a notebook which you can then bring to your next worry break. This simple but powerful technique will help us gradually reduce the amount of time we spend worrying and eventually serve to eliminate this habit for ever.

13.       Model a child  Children have  the wisdom to focus on the best part of the bread and leave the rest. We , the so called grown-ups , spend too much time focusing on  the “crust of life” rather than on all the good things that flow in and out of our days.

14.       Remember, Genius is 99% inspiration. We are here to enrich the world. We need to be passionate about  what we are doing in our lives and dedicated to make the best out of life.

15.       Care for the temple. Our body is our temple. Those who do not make time for exercise must eventually make time for illness.

16.       Learn to be silent – on a regular basis. Thoreau said ,“It is not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is what are you so busy about ?”Experiencing solitude , for even a few minutes a day, will keep us centered on our highest life priorities and help us to avoid the neglect that pervades the lives of so many of us. And saying that you do not have enough time to be silent  on a regular basis is a lot like saying you are too busy driving to stop for gas – eventually it WILL catch up with you.

17.       Think about your ideal neighborhood. Make a list of all the people you wish lived next door to you.

18.       Get up early. Winning  the “Battle of the bed” and putting “mind over the mattress” by rising early will provide you with at least  one quiet hour for yourself  during the most crucial part of the day., the beginning. Life change takes time, effort and patience.  But the results you will receive will make the initial stress you experience more than worth it.

19.       See your troubles as blessings. Vow  to turn your wounds into wisdom.

20.       Laugh more. According to a study , the average four year-old laughs three hundred times a day while the average adult laughs about fifteen times a day. William  James, the Father of Modern  psychology,  observed, ”We don’t laugh because we are happy .We are happy because we laugh.”

21.       Spend a day without your watch.. We ,then, become a true human BEING  rather than merely a human DOING.

22.       Take more risks. In the words of Sophocles, ”Fortune is not on the side of the faint-hearted.” To live your life to the fullest , start taking more risks and doing the things you fear. Sure, there is a greater chance you will stub your toes when you take the road less travelled,  but that is the only way you can get anywhere.

23.       Live a life. No one reaches the end without facing some form of adversity So rather than fight it, why not accept it as a way of life? Why not detach ourselves from the outcomes and simply experience every circumstance that enters out life to the fullest  Feel the pain and savor the happiness. There  are no real failures in life, only results. There are no true tragedies, only lessons. And there really are no problems, only opportunities waiting to be recognized as solutions by the person of wisdom.

24.       Learn from a good movie. Movies bring out the dreamer in us. We need to view our living as a gift and we must make the best of it , every day of our lives. A good movie can restore our perspective , reconnect us to the things we value most and keep us enthusiastic about  all the things in our life .And  as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm .”One man  has enthusiasm for 30 minutes, another for 30 hours but it is the man who has enthusiasm for 30 years makes a success of his life.

25.       Bless your money .Al Koran , in his “The Secret of Wealth” writes the following ,”When you send your money out remember always to bless it.. Ask it to bless everybody that it touches, and command it to go out and feed the hungry and clothe the naked, and command it to come back to you a million fold. When you pay for your groceries, silently bless all those who have helped bring this food to you ; the farmers who have grown it , the delivery people who have carried it and the store clerks who have stocked it. If you are writing a cheque  for your children’s education, give a silent appreciation to all the teachers who are spending their days shaping the minds of your kids and to all the others who make their work possible. “The hand that gives is the hand that gathers”

26.       Focus on the worthy. Learn some ways to improve your leadership effectiveness so that we can spend more time on things that really matter. .Most of us spend the finest years of our youth climbing imaginary ladder of  success.. We need to eliminate the multitude of distractions in our life and concentrate on only the fundamental s, those few activities that really have the power to make a difference in the way we work and live. A person who tries to do everything ultimately achieves nothing. Time is our most precious commodity and yet most of us live our lives as if we have all the time in the world. The real secret of getting control of our life is to restore a sense of focus in our days. The real secret of getting things done is knowing what things need to be left  undone. Once we start spending the hours of then day only on those high-leverage activities and priorities that will advance our life’s mission and legacy, everything will change. The sage Confucius put it this way –“The person who chases two rabbits catches neither” .The Roman philosopher Marcus Aurelius said “Let your occupations be few if you would lead a tranquil life” .Management guru Peter Drucker wrote, “There  is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all”.

27.       Write thank-you notes. Renew this lost art .Few acts have the power to build and cement relationships like a heartfelt letter of thanks. It shows that you care and you are considerate and humane.

28.       Always carry a book with you. It is a smart time management strategy. “So long as you live, keep learning how to live “.noted the Roman philosopher Seneca. All it takes is one idea from the right book to reshape your character or to transform your  relationships or to revolutionize your life. How high you will rise in your life will be determined not by how hard you work but by how well you think. The person you will be five years from now will come down to two primary influences- the people you associate with and the books you read. When you expose your mind to the thoughts of m the  greatest people who have walked this planet before you, your game improves, the depth of your thinking expands and you rise to a whole new level of wisdom. Deep reading allows you to connect with the world’s most creative , intelligent and  inspiring people.

29.       Create a love account.. Mother Teresa once said, “There are no great acts. There are only small acts done with great love” .Create a love account. Each day, make a few deposits in this very special reserve by doing something small to add joy to the life of someone around you. It is that little things  that are big things. As Emerson said so eloquently,-Without the rich heart, wealth is an ugly beggar. Or as Tolstoy wrote, -“The means to gain happiness is to throw out for oneself  like a spider in all directions an adhesive web of love , and to catch in all that comes”.

30.       Get behind people’s eyeballs. One of the deepest of all the human hungers is the need to be understood, cherished and honoured. When you start “getting behind the eyeball” of the  person who is speaking  and try to  see the world from his perspective , you will connect with him deeply and build high-trust relationships that last. We have two ears and one mouth for a reason: to listen twice as much as we speak. Be a better listener .since you are doing all the learning. Resist the temptation to interrupt.

31.       List your problems. “A problem well stated is a problem half solved”. Said Charles Kettering. The mind is a strange creature. The things  you want it to remember  it forgets, but all those things you want it to forget, it remembers. People are still mad about what someone did to them fifteen years age or still annoyed at what a rude sales clerk said to them last month. List all your worries on a piece of paper. If you do so, they will  no longer be able to fester in your mind. And drain your valuable energy. Tackle them in an orderly, well-planned sequence. Winston Churchill  once said,:  “It helps to write down half a dozen things which are worrying me .Two of them , say disappear : about two nothing can be done ,so it’s no use worrying ; and two perhaps can be settled.”

32.       Practice the Action habit.. “Wisdom is knowing what to do next , skill is knowing how to do it , and virtue is doing it “.observed David Starr Jordan. Most of us know what we need to don in order to live happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives. The real problem is that we don’t do what we know. .Knowledge is only POTENTIAL power. It transforms itself into actual power  the moment you decisively act on it. A man of strong character consistently does what he OUGHT to  be doing  rather  than what he FEELS like doing. And since action is a habit , the more positive actions you take , the more you will feel like taking. Dreaming is great. But thinking big thoughts alone will not build a business, pay your bills or make you into the person you know in your heart you can be. Thomas Caryle said, “The end of man is an action and not a thought, though it were the noblest.” The smallest of actions is always better than the boldest of intentions. No matter what your past is , it is never too late to change  .

33.       See your children as gifts. If you don’t act on life ,life has a habit of acting on you. The greatest gift you can give to your children is the gift of your time.

34.       Enjoy the path, not just the reward.. The real value of setting and achieving goals lies not in the rewards you receive BUT IN THE PERSON YOU BECOME as a result of reaching your goals. Ralph Waldo Emerson  observed, “The reward for a thing well done is to have done it ”.You will have grown as a person. in  the process. It has improved the person you are. You have built self  -discipline, discovered new things about your abilities and manifested more of your human potential. These are rewards in and of themselves.

35.       Remember that awareness precedes change. The first step to eliminating a bad habit is to become aware of it., paying attention to it. Reflect  on your weaknesses and vow to transform them into strengths that will add richness and energy to the way you live.

36.       Read “Tuesdays with Morrie” The book is about a man who, after leaving university and building a career, rediscovers his favourite  professor, Morrie , in the final months of the older man’s life. He learns from him how to avoid a life of regret , the value of family, the importance of forgiveness and the meaning of death “ Once you learn how to die , you learn how to live ”.The importance of counting your blessings daily and having the wisdom to honour  life’s simplest pleasures no matter how busy your life becomes.

37.       Master your time. Time is life’s great leveler. Do not procrastinate. Commit yourself to managing your time more effectively. Develop a keen sense of awareness about how important your time really is. Do not let people waste this most precious of commodities and invest it only on those activities that truly count. I f we waste time , time wastes us. If we use it well ,we reap abundant rewards.

38.       Keep your cool. “Anyone can become angry – that’s easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree , at the right time , for the right purpose , and in the right way _ that’s not easy.” Taught Aristotle. It is easy to lose our cool at the slightest irritation. It becomes our second nature. Personal relationships start crumbling, business partnerships begin to fall apart and your credibility decreases as you become known as a “loose cannon” .Keeping your cool in a moment of crisis can save you years of pain and anguish. Hurtful words unleashed in a single  minute of anger have led to  many broken  friendship. Words are like arrows. Once released, they are impossible to retrieve. So choose yours with care. An excellent way to control your temper is simply to count to 100 before you respond to someone who has irritated you .Use the strategy of “Three Gate Test “ The ancient sages would only speak if the words they were about to utter passed three gates. At the first gate, they asked themselves ,Are these words truthful ? If so, the words could then pass on to the second gate. At the second gate , the sages asked, Are these words necessary ?If so , they would then pass on to the third gate, where they would ask, Are these words kind ?If so , then only would they leave their lips and be sent out into the world.

“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be  and help them become what they are capable of being “ said the German poet Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe. These are wise words to live by.

39.       Recruit a Board of Directors. Seek the wise counsel of  many of history’s  greatest thinkers.. This technique has truly worked wonders for many , improved their creative thinking ability and kept  them peaceful during turbulent times.

40.       Cure your monkey mind .Albert Camus wrote , Real generosity towards the future consists in giving all to what is present.” Yet, on most days our minds are  in ten different places at any on e time. rather than enjoying the walk to work , we wonder what the boss will say to us when we  get to the office or what we will have  for lunch or how our children will do at school today. By developing present moment awareness and an abundance of mental focus, you  will not only feel much calmer in your life  you will also unlock the fullest of your mind’s potential. When too many distractions compete for your attention, the power of your mind is dissipated in all those different directions  rather than concentrated  on one point like  the rays of a laser beam. One of the best ways to cure our monkey mind is through a technique called “Focussed Reading”. This simple act will increase our awareness of how poorly you concentrate and awareness is h the first step  to change.

41.       Look for the higher meaning of your work. Few things energise  the human spirit more than the desire to make a difference in the lives of others. Mahatma Gandhi knew this. Nelson Mandela knew this. And Mother Teresa knew this.

42.       Get good at asking :  He who asks may be a fool for a few minutes .He who does not is a fool for a life time.” Goes the wise Chinese proverb.. The more you ask the more you get. Buddhist sages observed, “Every  arrow that hits the bull’s eye is the result of one hundred misses”. You ay ask  for a free scoop at your local ice cream shop or for a complimentary upgrade on your next airline flight. You might be surprised at the abundance that will flow into your life when you just ask sincerely for the things you want. Remember , the person who asks for what he wants at least has the chance of getting what he wants. The person who does not ask has no chance. Somerset Maugham, “It’s funny thing about life. If you refuse to accept anything but the best, you  very often get it ”.

43.       Build a library of Heroic books. You must be selective in the books you read.. Thoreau called those books Heroic books  that contain “the noblest recorded thoughts of man. Connecting with such works for even a few minutes a day will keep you centered on what life is really about and will ultimately affect your character.

44.       Develop your talents. Norman Cousins once noted  that “The tragedy of life is not death., but what we let die  inside of us while we live. In a similar vein Ashley Montague wrote that ,”The  deepest personal defeat suffered  by human beings is constituted  by the difference between what one was capable of becoming and what one has in fact become.” There is a difference between simply existing and truly living. There is a distinction between simply surviving and really thriving. There is an abundance of potential and ability just waiting to be awakened within us if we will only allow it to see the light of  day. Thousands of years ago , it was believed that everyone  who walked the earth was a god. But human kind abused its limitless powers so the supreme God decided to hide the godhead, the source of all of this potential , so that no one could find it. The question then became , where could such a thing be hidden ?The first adviser suggested it could be placed deep in the ground to which the supreme god replied,  “No; eventually some one will dig deep enough and find it .” The second adviser then offered, “What if we place the godhead at the bottom of the deepest ocean ?” to which the supreme god responded, “No eventually someone will dive deep enough  and find it.”  The third adviser then chimed in., “Well, why don’t we put it  on top of the highest mountains?” which prompted the supreme god to reply, “No, I am certain that  eventually someone will scale the highest of peaks and find it “.After reflecting for some time, the supreme god found the solution. “I will put  this source of  all human power  , potential and purpose inside the hearts of every man, woman and child  on the planet, for they will never think to look there.”                                          Too many people spend more time focusing on their weaknesses rather than developing their strengths. By concentrating on what they don’t have ,they neglect the talents they do have. The greatest people knew themselves. They made time to reflect on their core abilities._ those special qualities that made them unique.- and spent the rest of their lives  refining and expanding them. We are all endowed with the capacity  for genius. Perhaps we have just not taken the time to discover what our personal gifts are and then hone them to the level where we are considered  brilliant.            Are we using the best within us to the fullest capacity ?If not , we are not only doing to ourselves  a disservice  , we are doing the world which could benefit from our unique talents, a disservice. Ruskin puts it this way, “The weakest among us has a gift , however seemingly trivial , which is peculiar to him and which worthily used will be a gift also to his race”.                                                                                                                                                           

45.       Connect with Nature.    Spend much time in pure nature eg: forests , meadows , rivers , mountains etc. Our priorities become clearer, our obligations seem less pressing and our mind grows still. Communing with nature is also an excellent way to unlock our creativity and generate new ideas. Newton formulated the Law of Gravity while relaxing under an apple tree. Natural surroundings serve to  stifle the endless chatter that fills our minds so that our true brilliance can be liberated. Give silent thanks that you have the privilege  of enjoying these special gifts of Nature. As Mahatma Gandhi observed, “When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon , my soul expands in worship of the creator.”.

46.       Use your commute time.. Many people listen to audio cassettes in their cars. In doing so , they  transform their driving time  into learning time. And make their automobiles moving universities. Turning your car into a “college on wheels “ will be  one of the best investments you will ever make. Listening to educational audio cassettes will make your  commute fun and keep you inspired., focuses and alert to the endless opportunities around you.

47.       Go on a News fast. . Become more selective  in the news you expose your mind to. Be more deliberate in the way you read your newspaper and  in the way you watch your television. Before you start reading the morning paper  , have a purpose in mind. Use it as an information tool to serve you and make you wiser rather than as an excuse to help you pass time. We can wean ourselves from the “news addiction “ by following a seven-day news fast. Vow not to read even one negative story in the newspaper or watch even one negative news report on television  for the next week. We will notice two things. First, we will not really miss out on much information. As we can catch up from the conversations around us. Secondly, we  will feel much more peaceful and serene. Third , we have more time to do the things that will truly improve the quality of our life.

48.       Get serious about setting goals. In this age we live in , there are simply far too many things to do at any given time. There are too many distractions that compete  for our attention. Goals clarify our desires and help us to focus on only those activities  that will lead us to what we want. It provides us with a framework for smarter  choices. Writing down our goals clarifies our intentions. Saul Bellow once observed, “A clear plan relieves you  of the torment of choice.” .Glenn Bland wrote, “Goals and plans take the worry  out of living..” If we set goals , the actions we take will be based on our life’s mission rather than on our day-to-day moods.         Goal-setting really works as  it keeps us alert to opportunities. Clearly defined goals commit us to a course of action. They give us the inspiration to act on priorities and make things happen in our life rather than waiting for opportunities to land in our lap.(which rarely happens).Selecting goals that motivate and engage us  is one of the best ways to boost the level of our personal commitment to life and to increase the energy we bring to our days. So set big goals. You are only as rich ,whether materially or spiritually, as your dreams. David Ogilvy put it ,”Don’t bunt. Aim out of the ballpark. Aim for the company of immortals.

49.       Remember the Rule of 21.It takes about 21 days to develop a  new habit. New habits are  much like a new pair of shoes., for the first few days  they will feel uncomfortable. But if you break them in for about three weeks, they will fit like a second skin.       As human beings , we are  genetically programmed to resist change  and maintain a state of equilibrium. This condition is known as Homostatis. We have such difficulty adopting new habits and overcoming the gravitational forces that prevent us from moving  to higher levels of living.    But just as a rocket uses more fuel  during the first few minutes after lift-off than it does over the days that follow when it will cover more than half a million miles, once you get past those first 21 days you will find that staying on course  with a new habit will be far easier than  you imagined. The quality of you life will be determined in large measure by the nature of your habits. John Dryden observed, “We first make our habits and then our habits make us “  while Virginia woolf wrote, “ the skeleton of habit alone upholds the human frame.” So ensure that your habits move you forward rather than hold you back. In the timeless words of  Publilius  Syrus. “Powerful indeed is the empire of habit .”

50.       Practice Forgiveness. Forgiving someone who has wronged you is actually a selfish act rather than a selfless one. Letting  go of the hostility and hatred that you may have allowed  to bottle up inside you is actually something you do for yourself rather than for the benefit of the other person. When you bear a grudge against some one, it is almost as if you carry that person  on your back with you. He drains you of your energy, enthusiasm and peace of mind. But the moment you forgive him , you get him off your back and you can move on with the rest of your life.   Mark Twain wrote that ,”Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that crushed it “. Forgiveness is a great act of spirit and personal courage. It is also one of the best ways to elevate the quality of your life. Every minute  we devote to thinking about someone who has wronged you is a minute you have stolen from a much worthier pursuit. Attracting those people who will help you.

51.       Drink fresh fruit juice.. The  foods we consume  affect our moods as well as the clarity of our thinking. The ancient Indian sages ate only light food. They knew that  anything more  would disturb the perfectly peaceful minds they had worked so hard to cultivate and disrupt their meditations on the true meaning of life.     If you owned an expensive Formula One race car, you would not think of fuelling it with anything less than premium-grade gas. Anything else would reduce its performance. Similarly , we should not put anything less than the best food inti our body, which is an even more valuable performing vehicle .Eating the wrong foods in large quantities will reduce our energy level ,affect our health and prevent our mind from serving us to  its fullest capacity. Realizing that or every greasy lunch you have , you will suffer a corresponding reduction in the level of motivation and effectiveness is the first step to developing  more disciplined eating habits.

52.       Create a pure environment. Your thoughts form your world. What you focus on in your life grows .,  what you think about expands and what you dwell on determines your destiny. Life is a self- fuelling  prophecy.- it gives you just about what you expect from it. As Helen Keller said –“No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars , or sailed to an un chartered land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit.” Given this principle, the first step to becoming a happier , more serene person is to manage your thoughts and purify your thinking. One of the best ways to begin this inner work is to improve the quality of your personal environment.   Our surroundings shape our moods, out thoughts and our dreams. A first class environment  is an investment , not an expense. Your thoughts are shaped by the people you associate with , by the books you read , by the words you speak and by your daily physical surroundings. Negative people will eventually make you negative and cynical. When we watch violent TV shows and mindless videos at home , our mind will grow restless and noisy. The place we work in  should be bright , colourful and inspiring. As it improves the way we think ,l feel and act.

53.       Walk in the woods. Leonardo da Vinci said , “Through the window of the eye , the soul regards the world’s beauty “.When we leave the oasis of nature ,we are more alert , more energized and more alive. Nature has immense restorative power.

54.       Get a coach. We need to find a mentor to coach us. Success in business and in life is a “connect the dots “ process. All we need to do is to find out the habits ,disciplines and strategies that others have used to obtain their results and connect the dots by duplicating their actions. Once we follow he steps they have taken , in the order they have taken them in , we are bound to get the same results. A personal coach can illuminate our path, encourage us  when times get tough and shave years off our learning curve.   They show us the fundamentals of effective living and guide us in the right direction when ever we reach cross roads. They create positive changes and lasting results in our lives.

55.       Take a mini-vacation. A mini-vacation begins with closing the door of you office , holding all calls and relaxing in your chair. Close your eyes and begin taking deep breaths. Only a few minutes of mental escape to your favourite vacation spot will rejuvenate you , keeps you ready for the rest of the day ahead.   Our minds are extremely potent devices. The subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between an image than we envision and one that is real. So this little technique actually fools it into thinking we are taking this quick break from our daily routines and invokes many of the wonderful benefits of a real vacation.

56.       Become a volunteer. The ancient Persian proverb  goes , “I wept because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet “.It is so easy to magnify our problems and lose sight of the main blessings we all have to be so very grateful for.  “Seeing what others don’t have keeps me awake to all the good things I do have. It prevents me from taking things for granted. Even more importantly, helps me make a difference in the lives of people who really need me .”.  Albert Schweitzer rightly said , “The only ones who will be happy are those who had sought and found how o serve “.Anne MORROW Lindberg wrote .’” One can never pay in gratitude ; one can only pay in kind somewhere else in life.” Volunteering affords you  the chance to help others and pay back the debt owned to those who have helped you.

57.       Find your six Degrees of Separation.  Finding the right six people to connect  you to the person you need to know.  Create a Hero List , that is a list of  great men and women I would like most to meet before I die. Since the Law of Attraction says that we attract into our life that which we focus on ,the list is the tool to help us connect to the people we  most. Admire. The Six Degrees of Separation Principle  helps us find the  right  sequence of individuals who lead us to the persons who we wanted to meet.

58.       Listen to music daily. In those moments, we feel fully alive , full of energy and truly happy. Music has the power to lift our mood , put a smile back on our face and add immeasurably to our quality of life.   Get serious about listening to music  that inspires you.. Listening to  even a few minutes of music everyday is a simple yet exceptionally powerful way to manage our moods and remain at our best.

59.       Write a Legacy statement. Wise people say that the first fifty years of life are dedicated to building one’s legitimacy while the last fifty are devoted to building one’s legacy. How true. So many of us spend the first half of our lives striving for achievement and struggling to gain respect. Once we have this legitimacy , whether it comes in the form of prestige or material possessions ,we soon realize that something is missing. We  then spend  the remaining years of our lives trying to do what we should have done from the beginning _ create a legacy.   To quote a  Sanskrit poem “Spring has past , summer has gone and winter is here .And the song that I meant to sing remains unsung. I have spent my years stringing and unstringing my instrument “. These words were written by a man whose heart was filled with regret over  a life half lived. Sadly , that time never comes.   The time to start building our legacy is today, not ten years from today when you “have more time “  because  we know that time will never arrive. Reflect on what it is you want to create in your life and , more importantly , what gift you wish to leave the world when you are no longer here. Greatness comes from beginning something that does not end with you. While the former defines your vision of what you want to create while you live , the latter expresses what you aim to leave when you die. There is a distinction between the two. If you think about it , it will help you avoid feeling regret ,sadness and disappointment about what could have been  when you reach the end of your life.

60.       Find three great friends. Studies show that those  with a wide circle of friends and family live longer , laugh more and worry less. But friendship like all other good things in life ,takes time , energy and commitment. Actually , there is nothing in the world more valuable than friendship. Of all of Nature’s gifts, it is the most beautiful and the most pleasing.    It is a true statement that the person with three great friends is a rich person indeed. To build deeper friendships, you must be willing to move out of your comfort zone, break the ice with the people you might not know very well and show sincere warmth  If you plant a seed of friendship , you are bound to receive a rich harvest of great friends. Have the courage to walk over to someone you would like to know better and introduce yourself. Every human being has  a deep need for affection and most people will be delighted you took the initiative. And if they do not respond to you ,rather than viewing it as a rejection ,see it as their loss and politely move on to the next person who can benefit  from all you have to offer.

61.       Read “The Artist’s Way”. Every single one of us have an almost limitless well spring of creativity deep within us. And we all need to use this creativity on a daily basis to get the most of life .Unlocking your creative spirit will fuel your upward path of self discovery and make every single one of your days far more fulfilling.

62.       Learn to meditate. The French mathematician Blaise Pascal wrote .”All man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone .” Pascal was right. Most of our miseries do stem from the fact that we have lost sight of the importance  of being silent , for even a short period ,every day of our lives.   Without the ability to concentrate , a full and complete life is not possible .If you lack the mental focus to stay with one activity for any length of time, you will never be able to achieve your goals , build your dreams or enjoy  life’s process. Without a disciplined mind , trivial thoughts and worries will nag at you and you will never have the capacity to immerse yourself  in more meaningful pursuits. Without deep concentration, your mind will be your master rather than your servant.    Meditation is an age-old technique that was developed by some of the world’s wisest people to gain full control of the mind and , in doing so , to manifest its enormous potential for worthy pursuits. Meditation is a method to train your mind to function the way it was designed to function. And here is the key benefit : the peace and tranquility you will feel after twenty minutes of  daily meditation will infuse  every remaining minute of your day. You will be more patient in your relationships , more serene at the office and more happy when you are alone. Meditation will make you a far better parent ,life partner , business person and friend.. You cannot afford not to discover the power of this five-thousand-year-old mind training discipline.

63.       Have a living funeral. Live each day as if it were the last. Time slips through our hands like grains of sand and the time to live life greatly is not tomorrow but today. One’s sense of mortality is a great source of wisdom. Plato on his great life work THE DIALOGUES after much reflection replied in only two words  :” Practice dying “ Death ought to be right there before the eyes of those who are young just as much as before the eyes of those who are very old.” Having a living funeral will reconnect you to the fact that time is a priceless commodity and the best time to live a richer , wiser and more fulfilling life is now.

64.       Stop complaining and start living. If you are not as fulfilled or as happy or as prosperous or as peaceful as you know you could be , stop blaming your parents or the economy or your boss and take full responsibility for your circumstances This will be the first step to a completely new way of looking at your life. and the starting point of a better way to live. As George Bernard Shaw said, “The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want , and if they can’t find them , make them.    Stop complaining and start living .Poet Rudyard Kipling said, “If you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run , yours is the earth and everything that’s in it.”

65.       Increase your value. The monetary reward you receive is determined not by how long you work but by how much value you add. That is why a brain surgeon is paid so much more than a McDonald’s employee . The brain surgeon has accumulated far more specialized knowledge and specific know-how than the McDonald’s employee. There are far fewer  people who can do what a brain surgeon  does .The brain surgeon is perceived as far more valuable to the market place. So, he is paid over ten times more than the person who flips burgers. Money simply becomes a symbol for  how much value each person has added to the world at large.   When you add value to your work , you start becoming a more valuable person. Acquire skills no one else has. Read books no one else is reading. Think thoughts no one else is thinking. To get more from life , you need to be more in life.

66.       Be a better parent. The way you raise your children is the way you raise your future generations. Being a parent is a great joy .It is also a privilege that involves tremendous responsibility. Willingness to do anything for them is not enough .We need to develop the skills of excellent parents. We cannot just hope and pray that we will be lucky enough that they become thoughtful .,caring and wise adults. Keep trying to refine your ideas. The miraculous years of your kids’ childhood will never come again. and if you do not devout the time and effort to becoming the best parent you know you can be, one day you will deeply regret the lost opportunity.

67.       Be unorthodox. Rousseau wrote , “Take the course opposite to custom, you will almost always do well “ Think Different “. “If you follow the crowd , the place you will most likely end up is the exit. ”To lead a richer , more rewarding life , it is essential that  you run your own race. Stop bending to the demands of social pressure at the expense of your uniqueness. Enlightened and effective people do not care about what other people thought of them .Rather than  letting public opinion dictate their actions, they had the courage to let their hearts drive them. And in taking the load less traveled, they found success beyond their wildest dreams.   Christopher Morley, who said , “ Read every day something no one else is thinking. It is bad for the mind to be always part of unanimity. Emerson rightly said , “ It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion . It is easy in solitude to live after our own  , but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. “   Do not just do things just because everyone else does them. Do the things that are right for you. Being different for all the right reasons is a wise way to live.

68.       Carry a goal card. The card simply lists their top life goals along with clear deadlines for achieving them. The discipline of reconnecting to your highest priorities , whether they are personal , professional  or spiritual , is a smart one.  Montaigne  said , “The great and glorious masterpiece of men is to live to the point “. Yet most of us live our lives like one long air raid drill, filling our days with activities that seem important in the moment but that count for little in the overall scheme of our lives. The person who tries to do everything ultimately accomplishes nothing. Having a goal card and coming back to it three or four times a day will keep your mind centered on the things that truly count. It will foster the self-control you need to concentrate only on activities that advance your goals, give you the discipline to say no to all the rest and ,in doing so , restore focus to your days. I promise you that  if you spend your life focusing on only the worthiest pursuits , it is certain to end in complete joy.

69.       Be more than your moods. We are not our thoughts. Instead, we are the thinkers of our thoughts. We are the creators of our thoughts that flow through our minds and we can change our thoughts if we choose to do so.    Pay attention to the quality of your thoughts. This awareness is the first step to changing them. Train your mind to focus only on positive ,inspiring and enlightening thoughts. And in doing so , We see the outer circumstances of our life change.     Just as you are not your thoughts , you are not your moods. You are the creator of the moods you experience , moods that you can change in a single instant. If you choose to do so , you can feel peace in a moment of stress , joy in a time of sadness and energy during a time of fatigue.

70.       Savour  the simple stuff.  No one gets to take his possessions with him when he dies. At the end of the day , the only thing we can take with us are our memories of all those great life experiences that add meaning to our lives. Let us thus spend our days doing things that will leave us happy   memories than collecting possessions. We  discover that  our best memories come from life’s simplest things. Dale Carnegie wrote : “One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. Have the wisdom to savor the simple things. The wonderful memories they bring will add more value to your life than any of the material toys we spend so much life energy  pursuing. As Emma Goldman noted , “ I’d rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.

71.       Stop condemning. Like the vice of complaining , it is easy to fall into the habit of condemning others., even those we love most. We criticize the way someone eats or the manner in which she speaks .We focus on  the most minute details and find fault with the smallest of issues. But remember . What we focus on grows. And if we keep focusing on a small weakness in someone., it will continue to grow in our minds until we perceive it to be a big problem in that person.   Would you really want to live in a world where everyone looked , acted and thought exactly as you do? It would be a pretty boring place. To live a happier , more peaceful life , begin to see that the richness of our society comes from its diversity. What makes  relationships, communities and countries great are not the things that we have in common but the differences that make us unique. Rather than looking for things to criticize in those around you , why not begin  to respect the differences ?    Often , we perceive in others the weaknesses we most need to address within ourselves.  Stop blaming and condemning. Accept complete responsibility  for the way things are and resolve to work on changing yourself before  seeking to change others. As Erica Jong said ,”Take your life into your own hands and what happens ? A terrible thing : no one to blame “.

72.       See your day as your life.. The days come and go like muffled and veiled figures sent from distant friendly party , but they say nothing , and if we do not use the gifts they bring , they carry them as silently away.” Observed Emerson. As you live your days , so will you live your life. It is easy to get caught up in the trap of thinking that this day does not mater much given all the days that lie ahead of you. But a great life is nothing more than a series of great , well lived lives strung together  like a beautiful necklace of pearls. Every day counts and contributes to the quality of  the end result. The past   is gone the future is but  a figment, so this day is really all you can own. Invest it wisely.    Your life is not a dress rehearsal  Lost opportunities rarely come again. Today , vow to increase your passion for living and multiply the commitment you will bring to each of the days that will follow this one. Many people think that it takes months and years to change your life. It is not  so. You change your life  the second you make a decision from the depths of your heart to be a better , more dedicated human being. What takes  the months and years are the efforts you must apply to maintain that decision.. And the best life change decision you will ever make is the one to live every moment  of your day  to the fullest. As golf legend Ben Hogan said , “As you walk down the fairway of life , you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round ”.                                                                                                                                                                             

73.       Create a mastermind alliance. Napoleon Hill advises us to form “master mind ” group if we aim to improve the quality of our lives and get what  we want. Coordination of knowledge and effort , in a spirit of harmony , between two or more people , for the attainment of a definite purpose.” Hill  holds “NO two minds , ever come together in a spirit of harmony without , thereby , creating a third , invisible , intangible force which may be likened to a third mind . “This not only develops a personal support network and some great friendships , they tap into specialized knowledge and accumulated wisdom  they ordinarily would not have had an access to.  The alliance is all about mutual benefit. We need to give as much as we expect to receive. Approach your prospective members and arrange to start meeting once a week. Discuss the challenges you are facing and ask for the group’s input. Discuss the success principles and life lessons that have proved effective time and again. In order to lead a life with greater  balance, fulfillment and inner peace. Many hands , many hearts  and many minds generally contribute to anyone’s notable achievement.

74.       Create a Daily Code of Conduct.. Make this vow : “Over the next twenty four hours I vow to appreciate this day , as it is all I really have, and use every minute wisely and fully . So much can be done in the next twenty four hours to advance my life’s agenda and complete my legacy. I will , through out this day , remember that  this day could be my last and that no great person ever died with their music still within them “.

75.       Imagine a richer reality.  Albert Camus once wrote, “In the midst of winter , I found there was within me an invincible summer .” We all have  within us the courage and capacity to handle even the greatest curves life may throw our way.      To improve our life , we must first improve our thinking. Or as the old saying goes , “We see the world , not as it is  but as we are “.   Our greatest human endowment is  the ability to reframe and reinterpret a difficult circumstance in a more enlightened and empowering way. Dogs cannot do this . Cats cannot do this. Monkeys cannot do this. This gift belongs ONLY to us  and is part of what makes us human. Blaming our circumstances for the way we feel is nothing more than excusing ourselves. In handling any problem , we must have the courage to assume a measure of responsibility for whatever situation  we are in and then realize that we also have the capacity to use the setback to our advantage. Life’s greatest setbacks always reveal life’s biggest blessings.

76.       Become the CEO of your life.  “If it’s going to be , it’s up to me .” is a wonderful mantra. Too many are leaving the quality of their futures to chance rather than to choice. A kid when he sees that a glass is about to fall off the counter , rather than rushing to save it from falling , would cover his ears with his hands so that he cannot hear it smash.    We adults should keep our eyes and ears open to the realities of life. If we don’t act on life and take action to make things happen , it will act on us  and give us results we might not want. This is one of the natural laws that has governed humanity for thousands of years. To become more proactive during the weeks ahead, begin to see yourself as the Chief Executive Officer of your destiny. the   CEO of your life. All effective CEO’s realize that “if it’s going to be , it’s up to me “. And act as the catalyst of their own dreams. Similarly , if we want something done ,rather than waiting for  luck to look your way ,take steps  to get it done. If there is someone you know who could help you solve a problem do not hesitate to approach him. Remember , you can make excuses or you can make progress, but  you cannot do both.     Seeing yourself as the CEO of your life can create a fundamental shift in the way you perceive your world. Instead of sailing through life as a passenger , you become the captain of the ship., leading things in the direction you choose to move in  rather than reacting to the whim of the changing tides. As you take greater control of your life ,..William James inspiring words , “Human kind’s common instinct  for reality has always held the world to be essentially a theatre  for heroism “.

77.       Be Humble.. “The tree that has the most fruit is the tree that bends to the ground”. People who know the best ,who have achieved the most who have lived the most are also the people closest to the ground. In a word , they are humble.   Practicing humility shows that you respect others and reminds us that there is so much for us yet to learn. It sends a signal to those around you  that you are open to receiving  the gifts of  their knowledge and listening to what they have to say.. A humble person speaks softly and radiates a warmth and decency that speaks volumes about the person he is . Muhammad Ali is a shining example to prove that the more you are as a person , the less you need to prove yourself to others.

78.       Don’t finish every book you start. Not every book deserves to be read in its entirety. As Francis Bacon said , “Some books are to be tasted , others to be swallowed , some few to be chewed and digested . It means that some books are to be read only in parts , others to be read but not curiously and some few books to be read wholly , and with diligence and attention .”   If you find that after reading  the first three chapters of a book ,you have not gained any worthwhile  information or that the book has failed to  keep your attention, do yourself a favor , put the book away and make better use of your time.

79.       Don’t be so hard on yourself.  To err is human. Once and for all stop  being so hard on yourself. As long as you don’t keep making the same errors and have the good judgement  to let your past serve you, you will be on the right track .Accept them and move on.  As Mark Twain wrote ,:”We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it.—and stop there. ;lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. It will never sit down on a hot stove lid again—but also it will not sit  down on a cold one any more. It is a liberating feeling to realize that   we all make mistakes and that they are essential to our growth and progress.   An excellent way to rise to a higher level of enlightenment and personal wisdom is  to make a list of  the ten big mistakes  you have made in your life on the left hand side of a page within your journal. Then on the right hand side ,write down  the corresponding lessons you have learned  from ach mistake  and the benefits that actually flowed into your life as a result of those so called  failures. You will soon see that  your life would not be as rich and colourful without the mistakes of your past. So be gentler to yourself and see life for what  it really is  ; a path of self discovery , personal growth and lifelong learning.

80.       Make a Vow of Silence. Spend much time … every day … in silence. The Buddhist monks have a  favourite strategy to build willpower – to create enormous amounts of inner strength and resolve. It is the vow of silence. Staying quiet for even short periods  of time builds willpower and self-control because you exert force on your will by not giving in to the impulse to talk.   Discipline involves saying exactly what needs to be said and preserving your precious mental energy by not talking more than you have to. Measured , precise speech is also a sign of clear thought and of  a serene mind. .Keep a vow of silence for one hour a day over the next seven. Don’t speak at all during this silent time. Or if you must , speak only in direct response to a question and offer a clear , crisp answer .Within  a matter of days , you will feel a sense of mastery and strength growing within you.

81.       Don’t pick up the phone every time it rings. The telephone is there for your convenience , not for the convenience of your caller. Yet , as soon as we hear the phone ring , we run to pick it up as if our lives depended on the call being answered at once.

82.       Remember that recreation must involve re-creation. You actually feel more fatigued after watching too much TV than you felt when you first sat down . Recreation is tremendously important to a balanced life. But recreation must serve  to re-create you. Real recreation will fill you with  a renewed sense of optimism and energy. By rekindling your inner fire. , a pursuit that soothes your soul.

83.       Choose worthy opponents. Olympic athletes suffer from  what psychologists call POD( Post-Olympic Depression ) In this state of depression it seems they having achieved the pinnacle of success , there is nothing higher target for them to aim for and so life loses its meaning. A similar phenomenon was experienced by Apollo astronauts who walked on the moon. After achieving this  , they grew dejected at the realization that few things in life could match the excitement of traveling into space.   To maintain a healthy level of optimism and passion for life , you must keep on setting  higher and higher goals. On attaining one goal ,whether it is a career goal or a personal one , it is essential that you quickly set the next one. This is “Choosing worthy opponents”. . The worthiest opponents compel us to reach deep within ourselves and do even better than we have previously.    In the same way , selecting a steady stream of compelling goals will liberate  the fullest of our talents. Remember , diamonds are created through steady pressure. In order   to truly manifest  our human potential  and leave a legacy that lasts , we must keep raising the  bar and holding ourselves to a higher standard. And because of that attitude of constant improvement , life does send greater blessings their way.

84.       Sleep less. Thomas Edison’s life story reveal his multitude talents. Part –visionary , part gambler and part genius , he was a brilliant inventor who made the best use of his time on the planet. A master of positive thinking ,when someone asked him why during his last years when he was almost totally deaf , he did not invent a hearing aid. , he replied :”How much have you heard in the  last twenty-four hours that you couldn’t do without .. He then added with a smile : “ A man who has to shout can never tell a lie .”This special man had a rare  ability – to thrive on only a few hours of sleep. He said, “ Sleep is like a drug  .Take too much at a time and it makes you dopey .You lose time , vitality and opportunities .”  Most of us sleep far more than we  need to.  Actually , it is not the quantity of sllep that is important  .What really  counts is the QUALITY  and richness of your sleep. . We often use sleep as an escape from reality during difficult times. But how did you feel when you finally woke up ? Groggy , uninspired and tired. Understand that fatigue is often a mental condition that stems from doing  things you do not like to do  Remember Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s  wise words.    The heights by great men reached and kept  were not attained by sudden flight. But they , while their companions slept ., were toiling upward in the  night.

85.       Have a family meal time.  With   those you love most  .We need to consistently work  at building a richer , more meaningful family life.

86.       Become an imposter.  If you smile and laugh and stand upright with your head held high , you will soon find that you feel much better , even though you may  not have been in a great mood to begin with.   You may start to “ fake it till you make it “.In other words you can pretend to be the kind of person you wish to be. By consistently acting as a highly enthusiastic person might or as  a truly confident person would , you will eventually take on these personal attributes.  The power of  the “ act like that which you most wish to become “ technique. Is immense. This ‘acting as if “ technique is a highly  effective way to modify your behaviour and transform yourself into a person you plan to be.

87.       Take a public speaking course.  We generally avoid any opportunity to speak in front of people  for fear of failure. This fear of public speaking affects our confidence levels and prevents us from doing many of the things we know in our heart we could do. People fear speaking in front of an audience even more than death itself. Talking to a large group of persons draws us out of the circle of security  that we tend to live in and forces us to confront an entirely foreign experience. Two things can dramatically reduce our fear of public speaking  - preparation and practice. We can soon manage our fear and eventually master it.

88.       Stop thinking tiny thoughts. The British statesman Benjamin Disraeli once said , “ Nurture your mind with great thoughts , for you will never  go any higher  than you think “ His words are profound. And his point of wisdom is clear .It is not what you are that  is holding you  back in life.  It is what you think you are not  what  is going on in your inner world that is preventing you from having all that you want. And the moment you fully understand this insight and set about ridding your mind of all its limiting thoughts , you will see almost immediate improvements in your personal circumstances. The term amblyopia is used for a medical condition when a tiny patch appears over a healthy eye. Covering the eye  stunts its development  and causes blindness. When this patch is removed ,  the person completely loses sight of that once good eye. Many of us suffer from  our own form of amblyopia. We go through life with blinders over our eyes , afraid to dream bigger dreams and do things we fear. The result is always the same : We eventually lose our vision and spend the rest of our days within a very limited zone of movement.   Too many people lead small lives. Too many of  us die at twenty and are buried at eighty .Remember nothing  can stop  a person who refuses to be stopped. Most people don’t really fail. They   simply give up trying. Most of the limitations that hold us back from our dreams are self- imposed. So , shed the shackles of “tiny thinking “  and have the bravery to dream big for a change. Accept that failure is not an option for you. As Seneca  observed , “ It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare ; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult .”

89.       Don’t worry about things you can’t change. In THE SERENITY PRAYER  Reinhold Niebuhr stated , “ God , give us the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed , courage to change  the things which should be changed  and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other .”    We should note that  on an average 54% of our worries relate  to things that would likely never happen. ; 26% were about past actions that could not be changed  ; 8 % related to opinions of people whose opinions really do not matter ; 4% concerned personal health issues that can be resolved and only 6% concerned real issues  worthy of attention. By identifying and  then letting go of the worries we could do nothing about or that were a complete waste of energy , we can eliminate 94% of the problems that plague us.

90.       Learn how to Walk. A walk should never have a specific purpose. Be fully aware of the fact that you are walking. Train yourself   to pay complete attention  to the sights , sounds And smells . Study the shape of  the leaves of the trees. Become a keen observer .We see many things which  we missed earlier .We develop a deep appreciation for god’s creation.  Observe the beauty of the clouds and the fragrance of flowers..

91.       Rewrite your life story.  One of the most wonderful thing about time is  the fact that you cannot waste it in advance No matter how much time you have squandered away in the past , the next hour that comes your way  will be perfect , unspoiled and ready for you to make the best use of it. No matter what has happened to you in the past ,your future is spotless. If you so choose , tomorrow can be the day that you start getting up earlier , reading more , exercising .eating well and worrying less. This very minute you can decide the way you would like it to unfold. Remember , it is never too late  to become the person you have always wanted to be.

92.       Plant a tree. According to the ancient Eastern thinking ,”To live a fruitful life , you must do three things : have a son , write a book and plant a tree. “By doing so , you will have three legacies that will live on long after you die..”

93.       Find your place of peace.  Every one needs a sanctuary or a “place of peace “ where they can go to be quiet and still  This special place will serve as  your oasis in a world of stress. Even a wooden favourite park can serve as our place of peace. Carving out a little time for  yourself  is not a selfish  act L..F.Phelan once said , “ Youth is not a time of life  , it is a state of mind .”Years wrinkle the skin , but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles  the soul . . You are as old as your doubt , your ,fear and your despair .The way to keep young is to keep your faith young .Keep your self confidence young. Keep your hope young .”

94.       Take more pictures. A picture is truly worth  a thousand words. Photographs capture and record life’s greatest memories so that we can re-live them as the years go by .

95.       Be an adventurer. Teachers are climbing mountains. Entrepreneurs are hot-aired balloons. Grandmothers are completing marathons . and home makers are taking up karate. “Man must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind him  to the fact that each moment of his life is a miracle and a mystery.”

96.       Decompress Before you go home. We need to spend a few minutes sitting alone in your car while parked in the driveway  or go for a quick walk around the block or listen to a favourite piece of classical music before  you open the door and greet your family. Be creative about your personal decompression time and treat it as a chance to renew and recharge so you are the person your family wants you to be when you greet them.

97.       Respect your instincts. It is easy not to listen to what the Quakers call the “still ,small voice within “  that inner guide that is your personal source of wisdom. To find fulfillment and abundance you seek , you must listen to those hunches and feelings that come to you when you most need them .   we need to give far greater respect to our instincts and to the natural reservoir of intuition that slumbers within each one of us. As the Indian philosopher Patanjali eloquently wrote : When you are inspired by some great purpose ., some extraordinary project , all of our thoughts break their bonds.  Your mind transcends limitations .Your consciousness expands in every direction , and you find yourself in a new , great and wonderful world . Dormant forces . ,faculties and talents become alive , and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be .

98.       Collect quotes that inspire you. As a great quote contains a wealth of information in a single line.

99.       Love your work.  One of the timeless secrets to a long , happy life is to love your work. The golden thread running through the lives of history’s most satisfied people is that they all loved what they did for a living. When psychologist Vera John- Steiner  interviewed one hundred creative people  , she found that they all had one thing in common : an intense passion for their work . Spending your days doing work  that you find rewarding , intellectually challenging  and fun will do more than all the spa vacations in the world to keep your spirits high and  your heart engaged. Thomas Edison , a man who recorded 1093 patents in his life time , ranging from the phonograph , the  incandescent light bulb and the microphone to the movies , had this to say about his brilliant career at the end of his life , “ I never did a day’s work in my life : it was all fun “.  When you love your job , you discover you will never have to work another day in your life. Your work will be play and the hours will slip away as quickly as they came.  As novelist James Michener wrote ‘ “The master  in the art of living makes little distinctions between his work and play , his labor and his leisure , his mind and his body , his information and his recreation , his life and his religion. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does , leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing . To him , he is always doing both .

100. Selflessly serve. Albert Scheitzer said , “ There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the common good id the greatest creed “ And the ancient Chinese believed that “ a little fragrance always clings to the hand that gives you roses .”  All great leaders , humanitarian and thinkers have abandoned selfish lives and , in doing so , found all the happiness , abundance and satisfaction  they desired .They have all understood that all important truth of humanity :- you cannot pursue success , success ensues . It flows as the unintended but inevitable by-product of a life spent serving people  and adding value to the world. Mahatma Gandhi understood the service ethic better than most. In one memorable story from his life ,he was traveling across India by train .  As he left the car he had been riding in , one3 of his shoes fell to a place on the tracks well beyond his reach .rather than worrying about getting it back , he did something that startled his traveling companions  : he  removed his other shoe and threw it where the first one rested. When asked why he did this , Gandhi smiled and  replied :”now the poor soul who finds the first one will have a pair that he can wear.”      

101. Live fully so that you can die happily   Many people don’t discover what  life is all about until just before they die .When we are young , we  are busy chasing life’s big pleasures that we miss out the little ones , like  dancing barefoot in a park on a rainy day with our kids or planting a rose garden or watching the sun come up. We live in the world where we have taller buildings but shorter tempers , more possessions but less happiness  , fuller minds but emptier lives.   Do not wait until you are on your deathbed to realize the meaning of life and the precious role you have to play within it. All too often , people attempt to live their lives backwards.; they spend their days striving to get the things that will make them happy rather than having the wisdom to  realize  that happiness is not a place you reach but a state you create. Happiness and a life of deep fulfillment come when you commit yourself , from the very core of your soul, to spending your highest human talents on a purpose that makes the difference in others’ lives.; to live for something more than yourself. Stated simply , the purpose of life is a life of purpose.

101Love ever , hurt never.    Non- injury is the ultimate dharma. Osho held that “Animals are our brothers and sisters “ The following tale appears in the opening scene of the movie –“Little Buddha”  Once upon a time in a village in ancient India , there was a little goat  and a priest. The priest wanted to sacrifice the goat to the gods. He raised his arm to cut the goat’s throat, when suddenly the goat began to laugh. The priest topped amazed and asked the goat ,’Why do you laugh ?Don’t you know that I am about to cut your throat ? Oh Yes ! said the goat .After 499 times of dying and being reborn as a goat ,I will be reborn as a human being  “ . Then the little goat began to cry  .The priest said , “Why are you now crying ?and the little goat replied ,”For you , poor priest , 500 lives ago I too was a high priest and sacrificed goats to the gods “. The priest dropped to his knees saying , “ Forgive me , I beg you .From now on I will be the guardian and protector of every goat in the land.”

102Live and let live   Man needs to  develop kinship with all forms of life..   “thou shallt  not kill “ said Vera Stanley Alder.  Man should learn to live in harmony with all other species  on earth. They have equal right  as we do . Man need to realize that if they perish he too will .So he should not tamper with the intricate balance of Nature.

103Let humanity be your religion  Mahavira said , “ Humanity calls for compassion and service to all living beings. Have friendliness towards all and animosity for none.

 105   Be a vegetarian . Brahmarshi Patriji rightly said , “ If we have not yet become vegetarians , we have not even sighted the portals of the Kingdom of God “ Studies reveal that human digestive system is  designed to ingest vegetarian diet. His teeth , stomach and intestines etc seem to prove  that Nature has meant man to be a vegetarian. Satvic food taken in moderate quantities is the best of all rules of conduct and the most conducive to development of satvic or pure qualities of mind. It helps to balance body , mind and soul.  For health reasons ,  fir scientific reasons , for economic reasons , for spiritual reasons  we should be vegetarians .

 106   Entertain pure thoughts ,words and actions. Linda Godman states , “What we eat is what we are “.

 107   Enter the world of spiritual science.  Only in the human body , both soul enlightenment and God manifestation I are possible.  In the regeneration and divinization  . Killing animals   and flesh eating is against the will of God as it  stops the development of  consciousness , both at the Divine and the soul level. of man , the first step is to eliminate the beastly nature. Ahimsa develops universal love ,  There is one religion – the religion of love  , of peace. Ahimsa is a great spiritual force. All virtues  revolve round ahimsa.  Hate melts in the  presence of love. Hate dissolves in the presence of Ahimsa. There is no power greater than  Ahimsa or non- violence. It develops will power ,  makes you fearless. Learn to live as masters  and never as disciples . Be a source of inspiration for others.

 108   Let your vices die before you.     “ As a man thinketh , so is he .”.Every good deed we do increases our spiritual vibration whereas an evil deed decreases it. Thus when we do an ill turn to  another we put ourselves at least  one step down on the ladder of evolution. Thus it is very essential to adhere to the old Buddhist  formula which exhorts one to return  good for evil and to fear no man  and to fear no man’s deed – for in return for evil and giving good at all times we progress upwards and never downwards.”

Much of the material presented above is drawn  from Robin Sharma’s best seller “WHO WILL CRY WHEN YOU DIE “   The book  has words of wisdom which I feel need to be circulated to many who  desire to lead a fuller life but have little time to spare for desirable literature.  So , I took the time to  present before  you the gist of  his work in brief.

Wishing you many more hours of happy reading .

Also, Wishing you a great life filled with wisdom , happiness and fulfillment .

                                                                               

                                                                                           

A   PRECIOUS GIFT

-  CONSCIENCE  BASED CHARACTER

It is universally acknowledged that when wealth is lost  , nothing is lost , when health is lost some thing is lost; when character is lost every thing is lost .

On death

Babaji’s insight into death:

You are not to live here for ever. Someday you will have to depart from this world. If you prepare yourself to face death you have to realize what death is, what exists after death and what happens to the soul when it makes its exit from this body. Man need not fear death since it is a process of promotion to a better life

One should always remember that death is coming. Before working on good or evil deeds one should also remember that death is not far off. Contemplating death drives away the desire for sensual pleasure and evil thoughts and stops acts of injustice. Attachment to wealth and relations will then diminish. Earthly matters remain even after departure from this world. Only spiritual wealth remains as an asset to the individual. Those who have puffed with pride on account of their accomplishments will submit to the God of death meekly when that hour comes. Drunk with pride, some persons ill-treat their brethren. They will be left in the deserted crematory ground with the beasts and birds joyously waiting to feast upon their flesh. Thinking of this will drive evil thoughts from the mind.

Gurubachan Singh ji Maharaj made a memorable statement during postillations at a congregation  in 1980 :

          “ Death of the body is not such a great loss as the death of conscience ”

Death of conscience is a virus that spreads to head and heart . It brings with it  greed and graft, which destroys all human values , displaces truth with falsehood , right with wrong and innocence with crime . Being infectious  , it acquires the dimension of an epidemic. Although the virus may not cause physical death , yet it causes the death of all that is good and virtuous.

The LATIN ADAGE – Man unto man is a wolf  is very true  

From the North pole to the South Pole  the whole human society seems  like a seething cauldron .

Wrong connections::

Feeling the pulse of the ailing and erring humanity ,he stressed  that since man is an amalgam of the physical body and the divine soul ; for a harmonious and blissful life , the soul needs to be united with God as much as the body needs the requisite material elements for its sustenance .

Unfortunately , considering materialism as the be – all and end – all  of life , man has connected his soul to the unending material  desires and his body to the religious rites and rituals . These wrong connections create short circuiting , leading to panic and chaos . Babaji, therefore ,  gave a clarion call to man to surrender to and always  be in union with the omnipresent , omnipotent and omniscient God.

God is always at work for the good of the humanity . In prosperity, He tests our gratitude. In adversity our steadfastness and at all times our trust and obedience to Him .

Extraordinarily Ordinary : He always inspired his followers to be polite , positive and practical.

“ It is nice to be important  but it is more important to be nice . ”

O master !  let thy word be dear to me like life.  May I not be swayed by praises , but be a servant  of  thy servants . 

Humility is  the very essence of devotion and  if one does not imbibe it  , one cannot  be a true devotee .  Any man with any form of pride in him is bound to face humiliation sooner or later . Describing prayer as the key to a blissful life , Babaji always exhorted his devotees to pray for the universal well being .

OF GOOD AND BAD DEEDS :

Good deeds in  themselves do not lead to God realization though God realization certainly inspires good thoughts and deeds. His message is to clothe the naked feed the hungry , help the needy , and bring about a millennium of happiness.  Citing the example of Abu Bin Adam ,Babaji always stated that the hands that serve are better than  the lips that pray only .

Deeds , good or bad , are like  seeds sown  in a field . The seeds that remain ‘covered ‘ with earth , grow up and flourish well with the passage of time  .So , men should do good deeds silently and secretly .  These would certainly grow up   like the well covered seeds and bear fruit .On the other hand , if some bad deed has been done  , it should be exposed immediately  , so that  it may not grow up to our disadvantage.

Baba Gurubachan Singh ji maharaj explained that there  is , in fact , no definite demarcation  where the poverty ends and richness starts. He remarked that how so low you may find yourself to be , there is always another who is still lower than  you . Richness of a person can be  measured  not by his possessions, but by his fewer and limited needs . The so called rich are none but the spiritually poor with money .  

STRESS ON CHARACTER  :

All our behaviour and daily life is based on the misconception that the invisible God does not exist .

True religion stood for relationship between man and God in particular and between man and man in general .  While imparting  God – knowledge  to a seeker  , 5 universally acceptable  tenets are explained   which serve as a compass in the course of life and give a spiritual turn to his character. We believe that all our assets, mental and material , belong to the divinity and we , as trustees only , are ordained to use them for the common good of the whole human race .This spells a living above the narrow prejudices of caste , religion , race  etc thereby he becomes tolerant and respectful to others’ mode of dress , diet and culture .  This enables him to lead a purposeful , self reliant life and maintain harmony in the society. His practical life thus echos the refrain :  TRUTH IS HIGH; BUT HIGHER STILL  IS TRUTHFUL LIVING .

Thus preaching spirituality and humanism as a remedy for all human maladies . he wages a relentless war against social evils  and fostered human brotherhood .  

When God dwells  in the mind it is protected from the evil ways . With men of such character , destiny touches their feet.

THE TOWERING TRUE MASTER

He is indeed a multi- splendour personality . Satguru overlooks the flaws of every one .  Babaji emphasizes that one should not waste precious moments of life  by concentrating on other’s faults , instead we should overlook  these and make an honest effort to accept others as part of our own family .

Lord Krishna might have  destroyed the ‘wicked’ folk .But  Baba Guru Bachan Singh never destroyed  even ‘wicked’. He destroyed their ’wickedness’ and thus reformed the ‘wicked’. The Baba also amply fulfills the Wordsworthian vision of Skylark:

        Type of wise , who soar but never roam

        True to the kindred point of heaven and home.

With one eye , he gazed at the heaven , with the other , he gazed profoundly at his deviant devotees and used to administer even soft but suitable stinkers to them , That is why , such astute disciples were afraid to face  him and were put back on the rails .

LOVE AND RESPECT FOR EACH OTHER : It is misfortune  for those who do not realize God, but more unfortunate are those who ignore the Divine Knowledge received by them and go askew.

Deviation of the devotee from the divine path has always been a matter of concern. A devotee leaving the Mission pained him just as the departure of a member of a the family from the world .

When we worship the true master (satguru)  God is pleased that his Messenger has been accepted and honoured ; and when we worship God , after realizing Him , the True master is pleased to find that we have understood the knowledge of God . When we heartily love each other , both the satguru  ( True master) and God feel happy to see their Mission spreading love fulfilled . The absence of love between man and man is causing degeneration in the human  society . There should be mutual love and affection between  man and man to foster harmony and to earn blessings of both God and His messenger , the True Master.

For this purpose , regular congregations  is indispensable , otherwise one is  liable to go astray and get caught in the cob web of worldly affairs laced with misery.  Those who live up to his teachings enjoy peace , bliss and happiness. They get ignited with the spirit of tolerance , understanding and self sacrifice. It is our sacred duty, firstly to save anyone going astray  and more important secondly to bring back” The Lost Sheep “in the Mission’s fold  by making earnest  and sincere efforts. When some one goes away from the Mission and indulges in unsavoury acts , Satguru Babaji shows concern :  “ The whole world knows ,you are my men  ;   if any one goes astray it  makes me feel small.

Baba was a “Universal therapist “  . All types of ailing persons , suffering physically , emotionally , mentally and spiritually  found ready relief at  his hands.

Babaji was a transformer of human attitudes , ethos , character and personality . He devoted his life to transform the society by his intuitive vision ,values and superb style of living  a practical life.

Merged in divinity himself , Babaji relentlessly worked to establish communication if not communion  of his devotees with the divinity . This was indeed the master mission of his life.. He was the reservoir of total and true consciousness. He would always subordinate  the small self ( of flesh , blood and matter ) to the sublime and real self. He believed that God was the greatest purifier and elixir.

Babaji followed what he preached and spent his life in sheer humility. Once when he was to speak at the congregation , he asked someone for advice . That person suggested  him to speak  as if he was wiser, Babaji replied tat he always considered the listeners wiser.

What we need is righteous living , a perfect blend of materialism and spiritualism  . It can only be achieved if you follow  the prescription given by  Satguru. Like a navigator who works out the direction of the aircraft or ship , we need the guidance of Satguru who steers the ship of our life and put it on the right path to reach  the final  destination. ( attain salvation )

There is no sin as great as living  in ignorance and there is no sin greater than letting others live in ignorance.

                                              ----------------------------

                                              FROM  ME  TO    THEE

"Self-refinement is the best service of the society"

The deepest secret is that life is not a process of discovery, but a process of creation. You are not discovering yourself, but creating yourself anew. Seek therefore, not to find out Who You Are, but seek to determine Who You Want to Be.

         The central theme behind the development of Indian culture as shaped by the revered rishis was – “Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam”, treating the entire world as our own family – reflecting universality . It is time that we awaken, change our attitude and expand our sensitivities to the changing times by transforming our thoughts. Thought provoking – life transforming messages of saints is the means and  has been the basis of their mission initiated for transformation of era. Founded on sound spiritual, philosophical and scientific foundation the principle aim of   their preaching is    to set the basis for ultimate evolution of the conscious faculties of humanity. For global welfare and righteous progress of the entire world – of all beings and everything existing on this earth. The emphasis is on  serene love, altruism, sharing of responsibilities and caring for all beings…..

Laws of science of spirituality state that in course of its progressive evolution, the Soul of a being inhabits bodies of successively higher, more evolved species of biological kingdom and birth as a human being is the culmination of this evolution.

Vices like lust, anger, greed, infatuation and cravings for sensory pleasure keep man always entangled in the cobweb of misery. On account of the ever-changing nature of material world, one can never have lasting peace and happiness on this plane. Throughout life man keeps on lamenting for loss, craving for more and more of what he considers pleasant and getting frustrated on denial of his wishes. The attachment to the pleasant and repulsion from the unpleasant are two root causes of retrogression, which drag the being to births in sub-human species of animal Kingdom and  sets the clock of progressive evolution backwards.

Spirituality, aims  at  finding the ultimate truth.  Spirituality deals with enlightening one's thoughts, emotions and intrinsic tendencies. It is the most evolved and comprehensive science of psychological, sociological  moral development , and ultimate progress. It brightens the intellect together with inculcation of sensitivity towards fellow beings and towards the grace of nature. There is no place of superstitions, fantasy of escapism in a truly spiritual life .

The Sanskrit word for "spirituality" is "adhyatmam", which means, "centered and established in the atma ". Lord Krishna says in Srimad Bhagvad Gita(2/55): " A person who voluntarily gives up all his desires, lusts and ambitions and whose individual soul remains poised in the omnipresent Spirit is called sthitapragya (a person of steadfast wisdom)". Here the meaning of soul is one’s own real self, which is eternal, pure and indestructible. The essence of spirituality is atmagyana- to realize that our true self is the spark of the Cosmic Self-Spirit. To remain unshakably poised in this awareness means spiritual living. It is the ultimate aim of human life . Scriptures and philosophical treatises explain this truth by giving the example of an empty pot and the ether. An empty pot has nothing in it. The ether is also limitless empty space. Therefore the empty space within the pot can be considered as limited ether. If the pot is broken, the space contained in it merges back into the limitless space. Reality becomes apparent when the pot is broken. Similarly all apparently separate entities are mere bubbles over the limitless ocean of Being.

We do not experience this truth because of our false sense of ego. In the example discussed, the pot represents our ego and the ether the universal Being. When the separative illusory ego vanishes, the individual soul unites with God- the universal Being. This realization has been referred to in the Bhagvad Gita (13/11), "The universe has no existence apart from the one Cosmic Conscious Reality". A shift in the perception reveals that we are all the same consciousness, manifesting in different bodies, the way leaves are part of the same tree. Conventional knowledge tells us that we are separate; higher wisdom informs us that we are One.

Spirituality recognizes that the means of attainment of this truth lies within in the form of immortal soul, which is the Conscious Self. In other words spirituality is the science of consciousness, involving mind, body and spirit relationship. A subject of divine faith and devotion, initially, it leads to realization of ultimate unity of all beings.
                Scientific Spirituality :

Spirituality has a definite answers to many basic questions pertaining to human life, such as the mystery of life and death.
The universe comes out of the union of two fundamental forces: matter (jada, or ’that which gives shape’) and consciousness (chetan). These are also respectively known as prakrati (the manifested form) and purusha (the invisible enlivening spirit). Both have their own merits when considered in isolation; however, it is the union and co-operation of these two entities that works wonders. The human body is a very good example of this fact. Our body is made up of five basic elements -the panca tatvas.

The body is an integrated form of various organs, muscles, nerves, arteries, veins etc., and can be used to accomplish any desired work but is non-functional without consciousness. The consciousness part of man (termed "the soul") thinks, decides and directs organs towards a particular task. The separation of consciousness from matter results in death. A dead body is useless since it is not functional. In the absence of consciousness, it rapidly decays and its constituting elements eventually dissolve into their cosmic states.

In essence, it is the association of matter and consciousness that gives rise to functionality. Matter alone, otherwise, is unorganized and of very little use even though it is present in abundance in the universe. For example, water is plentiful in oceans but is too salty. The atmosphere is full of gases, electro-magnetic rays, X-rays etc. but these components are not useful on their own. It is the human intervention, or alternatively the intervention of developed consciousness, that organizes matter so as to make it useful. For example, man has developed methods to process water to make it fit for human consumption. Fire and electricity were present in the universe since times immemorial, but man's intelligence organized these entities in a utilizable form.

Thus, although the components of Nature are powerful in their own right, their usefulness has depended on the inventive skills of human consciousness. 
Result obtained while following spiritual path

-Self-dependence;
-Fundamental cause of our external circumstances is rooted in our mind.

-Experience the dignity, importance and capacity of the soul 's authority;
-Responsibility of our  rise or fall depend on our-self;

-Always remember that we come alone into this world, and we shall go alone.

-The path of excellence is such that mostly one must not rely on other people to show  direction and provide guidance.

- Human  mind is  full of narrow selfishness, thinking and activities are in the downward direction. A person believing their advice and following it is likely to be trapped in the net of attachment.

Spirituality : The Key to the Resolution of the Problems of Our Age

The modern human society is engulfed by challenging problems such as pollution, environmental imbalances, unethical practices, religious intolerance, terrorism, etc. on the social and global fronts and stress, fear, job uncertainty, etc. on the personal front. Even birds, animals and other living species have suffered due to selfish human activities; deforestation and the dumping of the industrial waste into rivers for instance have had detrimental effects on the food chain and the habitat conditions of several species, generating fear of extinction of some of them. The idea that changes need to be made in order to solve problems is widely accepted across the globe. It is also recognized that it is our duty to ensure a bright and better future for the coming generations. How can these requirements be met? What approach should we take?

In fact, most of the time, problems are created due to the errors, wickedness or immoral behavior of people. Peace therefore remains only a pleasant illusory dream. For a permanent cure of any disease, the root cause has to be diagnosed and then targeted. The universal governing power of a human being is "consciousness."
Thoughts play an indispensable role in fulfilling desires. Thoughts possess the power to mould the personality and give it a direction towards progress or failure. A person is what he thinks. Thoughts are extremely powerful. They inspire a person to take decisions regarding what is to be done and what is not to be done. This decision-making capability lies with the brain. Motivations are generated in the brain. The organs of the body simply obey them like faithful servants. Therefore, it is the brain that is responsible for good or bad deeds...

Only those who have developed a calm and clear-sighted intellect and are leading a life of self-discipline understand its true meaning.

" What is spiritual life?"  What spirituality is all about? :

Most of our conflicts and difficulties come from trying to deal with the spiritual and practical aspects of our life separately instead of realizing them as part of one whole. If our practical life is centered on our own interests, cluttered up by possessions, distracted by ambitions, passions, wants and worries, beset by a sense of our own rights and importance or anxieties for our own future, or longings for our own success, we need not expect that our spiritual life will be a contrast to all this.
In order to achieve an orderly, well-organized, balanced and fulfilling human life, we need to pay due attention and give proper importance to the necessities of its interwoven physical, intellectual, mental and spiritual realms in the individual and social domains. A human being consists of a marvelous amalgam of matter and consciousness force.
The physical or the gross body is made up of the basic elements and their evolved reactions and results, so its healthy sustenance and vigorous functioning largely depend upon the balanced concentrations and activities of these vital constituents.
The subtle or the conscious body, mind and the inner self, which also lies at the base of the living existence of the physical body, receives the transmitting energy from enlightened thinking and virtuous sentiments. The vedic philosophy emphasizes the harmonious growth of both -the gross and the subtle realms. This comprehensive and integral approach lays the foundation of personal, familial, social and global development in an ideal way. Discrepancies, imbalances or disorder in any sphere of life causes different kinds of complications and difficulties of varied nature, which directly or indirectly hinder, retard and even reverse the graph of healthy soul growth and ascent.
A thorough understanding of human life becomes feasible by a comprehensive study of the interrelationship between the human mind, Nature and the Omnipresent Consciousness. We should have a  living conviction that God is ALL. All takes place with Him, He alone matters, He alone is.

Science reveals the mysteries of Nature in the manifested world, while spirituality unfolds the secrets and objectives of its subtle existence. the former deals with answering "What and How?" and the latter with "Why and What for?"

Mutual cooperation and integration of the two is most desired for their relevance and necessity in human life.

Modern science has exhaustively excavated, extracted and exploited the natural resources and gained enormous mastery in the physical world. However, for want of the guiding light of spirituality, it couldn't really make a positively constructive, viable and righteous use of its mammoth wealth of knowledge of the principles underlying the physical phenomena.

When extrovert hunt for prosperity in terms of materialistic resources and comforts and their possession became the sole objective of life, why would one bother to understand the importance and utility of noble thinking, virtuous character, and altruistic sentiments? The generous attitude of benevolence, selfless cooperation and adoption of ethical conduct emanate from and expand with the support of spiritually evolved emotions. If one is not even aware of the importance of emotions and intrinsic tendencies in human life, why would he care for their refinement?

The mad rush of self-obsession, rat-race for possessions, power and blind progress driven by the ego and selfishness seen everywhere within and around us today reflect the bankruptcy of the human heart (emotional core) and sheer disregard of the inner self. This is the major cause of the ever- increasing agonies, fears and problems the world is facing despite the dazzling scientific advancement, technological development and enormous materialistic strength and wealth today. The grains of scientific research will serve the real purpose and will be beneficial in the true sense only enhances the dignity of humanity and works for attaining the ultimate aim of human life. Revered thinkers and philosophers from different parts of the world have been expressing these views. Leo Tolstoy  writes at one place that the childhood of modern science has begun with the quest for "what and how?"; the stage of its maturity will be reached when it also begins answering "why and for what purpose?".

Science also remains narrow and incomplete without incorporating spirituality, which is the base of enlightened evolution of the mental and emotional domains. Science without spirituality has no bonds of values and so there is an obvious danger of its becoming amoral and apathetic. This is what we are witnessing today. Science has undoubtedly made grand constructive contributions to the external development of human civilization, but it has unscrupulously invented dreaded products of mass destruction and global devastation. Its unchallenged might and reckless advancement appear to threaten the very existence of life on earth. Science and technology can generate means of progress but not the means of peaceful co-existence and happiness; neither can these nurture moral values and inner strength. Science and technology may produce material wealth and prosperity but not the nectar of soothing emotions, spring of love and compassion or light of courage, wisdom and sagacity. Unless science is integrated with spirituality to fill-in this gap and both the complementary powers are encouraged to flourish within mutual cooperation, the present trends of progress would be inexorably hurtling towards the suicidal edge of global extinction.
Once a dacoit came to listen to a scholar- preacher's sermon. The scholar was very eloquent about the virtues of forgiveness and non-violence. The sermon ended. The preacher took the offerings and walked towards his village. There was forest in-between. The dacoit bounced upon the preacher and asked for all the money he was carrying.
The preacher was a brave person and had a bamboo stick in his hands with which he threatened to hit the dacoit. The dacoit got scared and politely asked him that only a short while ago he was preaching about the virtues of forgiveness and non-violence which he himself was not practicing. The scholar said that the sermon was for law abiding gentle people but for criminals like the dacoit the stick serves the sermon. Looking at the resolutely strong-willed scholar the dacoit took to his heels.

Who am I? 

It is true that a being, independent of the body, lives through a body. At the moment of death, when life departs from the body, there is no change in the apparent physiology of the body. Nevertheless, the dead body immediately starts to decay and to putrefy emitting foul smell. Devoid of life (life in its essence is an integral part of the Soul till it attains salvation), the body acquires an abhorable state. It proves that although the being enlivens the body, it has an existence of its own, independent of the body. In parlance of spirituality, this separate entity is called ATMA (Soul). This Soul is our true identity. Your right answer to the question 'Who am I?' is 'I am That Atma'.

Say the Upanishads:
'The Soul cannot be perceived by sermons, or through intellectuality, or by too much listening to discourses on spirituality.'

Essence of Self-realization

Through the magic curtain of Maya (ignorance) we have forgotten our relation with the ultimate Supreme Source. The moment we awaken to our immortal identity as sparks (Souls) of the Supreme Light (Universal Transcendent Spirit) we are freed from the shackles of fear - death, decay and suffering. With this realization, the entire perspective of 'I' undergoes a metamorphosis. The seeker then reflects: When I am part of that Eternal Being, how can 'I' -the Eternal Self take birth or die?

Not being 'life' in a body why should I feel the necessity of food and water for my existence at a particular place? I am also not the mind stuff, which weaves personal, and material relationships making me unhappy on loss of what I am attached to and happy when I get what I like. Not being the egocentric 'doer', the question of bondage to material world or deliverance from it does not arise.

Ultimate aim of life

The soul derives immediate pleasure in righteous deeds (satkarma) performed as per the instructions of Satguru. . Interests of the gross body lie in a contrary direction; the external senses and the mind long for worldly enjoyments to the maximum possible extent. By adopting this course of action, man spends his whole life trying to satisfy the insatiable appetites of the mortal body and, in the process, goes on sinning and accumulating demerits. The senses do get entertained this way, but the soul has to suffer both here and in the hereafter. When interests of the soul are catered to, the body is put to discomfort. It has to endure the rigours of austerity, sacrifice, continence, sense-control altruistic service, charitableness etc.

The nature of the Soul

The Soul,  is an individualized manifestation of the omnipresent Supreme Being, having attributes of Truth-Consciousness-Bliss (Sat-Chit-Anand). This 'I' (the Soul) is a drop of THAT absolute, indestructible, immutable, ocean of consciousness, which we call God.

Hurdles in Sadhana

Many persons aspire for spiritual progress but do not achieve the desired progress because of their halfhearted, lop-sided process of Sadhana. The goal of Sadhana is to violently shake man out of his body-conscious state of slumber, so that he becomes fully awakened to the reality of his true identity as an Immortal Soul. The holistic therapy for any disease involves treatment of the root cause of the malady. Mere palliatives do not serve the purpose. The same principle holds true in case of spiritual Sadhana. No doubt, the conventional rituals of Sadhana like continence, philanthropy, fasting, Jap, Anushthans, Yagya, etc. are beneficial as initial steps. Nevertheless, they do not constitute the totality of Sadhana. These rituals do enhance purity of mind, positive traits and nobility, but these alone do not lead to Enlightenment, which reveals the illusory and transient nature of the phenomenal world and our free identity as immortal Souls - sparks of the Divine.

          Communion with God

The simple and natural method of communion with God is in knowing one's true immortal Self, appreciating dignity of human life, finding out the specific role of human species in the creation of God, and thereafter start functioning without any ego-centered motive as the Manager of His estate; whatever part of it has been entrusted to your care. There can be no more Soul- Satisfying art of living than this.

KNOWLEDGE    IS      DIVINE

·       The Highest Thought is always that thought which contains joy.

·       The Clearest Words are those words which contain truth.

·       The Grandest Feeling is that feeling which you call love.

§  It does not matter how long one lives . but what really matters is how well one lives.

·       If human beings born in the image of God do not realize God in one birth ,they lose out and suffer.

·       The art of living is –

      giving love to all ;

             feeling  the love of God

             seeing his presence in every one .

·       Unless we are attuned to God and our actions get dedicated to the source of creation , our life’s mission remains unaccomplished.

·       Devoid of ‘knowledge of Truth ‘ man cannot attain self realization.

·       It is important to know the truth . And more important is to live the Truth . The stress is on honest living based on honest actions.

·       Due to ignorance man is unable to understand the real purpose of life . Majority of us are Manmukh. Even if we take to spirituality it is limited to fulfilling material desires. We crave for material world and for us God is only a means to worldly ends.

·       God awareness makes one realize that soul is the source of all bliss and not body and worldly things .

·       Man’s attachment with body and material world is the root cause of his distress and sufferings .

·       God knowledge gained with the blessings of True master is a stepping stone to lead a purposeful life.

·       When we make God the foundation of our life , we may lead a life of eternal bliss.  Life truly becomes a celebration.  The Bible says – Cast our cares on the Lord.

·       When we connect with God we pray. Through prayer  our situation may not change but we can be changed .Our outlook can change,  Thus spirituality brings physical and mental stability to our lives.

·       God realization is the real aim of human life . Time allowed is life span , What shall it avail a man if he gains the world but loses his own soul .

·       For realization of all pervading God , there is only one method and that is through the grace of contemporary True master. Trust His messenger and you will be one with Truth .

·       Decidedly it is the prerogative and the jurisdiction of  the Satguru alone to reveal  God to the seeker . No amount of individual effort or worship can help reveal God to any man.  All great religions in their pristine pronouncements emphasized the spiritual rather than ritual aspects of living.

·       How to identify the True master ? The sun rays are in themselves the singular concrete proof of the sun rise . Similarly the pointed knowledge of all pervading God is the only identification of the Satguru.

·       People approach the Satguru begging for only worldly things instead of divine knowledge. Many are ignorant of even what to seek . Knock and it shall be opened  unto you .

·       Satguru , the embodiment of Formless God ,is the first citizen of the universe and symbol of Humanism . Taking Him as an ordinary person or showing disrespect to Him is the greatest sin

·       There is no sin as great as  living in ignorance ( of self ) and there is no sin greater ( for the enlightened ) than letting others live in ignorance . realization of God carries in itself the sacred responsibility of sharing the Truth with others.

                                  ***

A true Master is not the one with the most students,
but one who creates the most Masters.

A true leader is not the one with the most followers,
but the one who creates the most leaders.

A true king is not the one with the most subjects,
but one who leads the most to royalty.

A true teacher is not the one with the most knowledge,
but one who causes the most others to have knowledge.

And a true God is not One with the most servants,
but One who serves the most, thereby making Gods of all others.

For this is both the goal and the glory of God. that his subjects shall be no more, and that all shall know God not as the unattainable, but as the unavoidable.

                                                     ****

  

                      God Is Your Supply

 ” All things whatsoever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”                 

                                                        – Holy Bible

When we make God the foundation of our life , we may lead a life of eternal bliss.  Life truly becomes a celebration. 

The Bible says – ‘ Cast your cares on the Lord.’

Powerful words out of the Bible. Always remember, especially when you maybe experiencing a desperate situation, to pray to God and believe that your prayer is answered. Whatever you ask for in your prayer, if you believe that God is answering it and will supply you with what you need, your situation will be taken care of. God is never late and divinely protects you.

No vision can grasp Him,
But His grasp is over all vision;
He is above all comprehension,
Yet is acquainted with all things.

If you think that you know well the truth of Brahman, know that you know little. What you think to be Brahman in your self, or what you think to be Brahman in the gods--that is not Brahman. What is indeed the truth of Brahman you must therefore learn.

I cannot say that I know Brahman fully. Nor can I say that I know Him not. He among us knows Him best who understands the spirit of the words, "Nor do I know that I know Him not."

He truly knows Brahman who knows Him as beyond knowledge; he who thinks that he knows, knows not. The ignorant think that Brahman is known, but the wise know Him to be beyond knowledge.

All praise and glory is due the Lord, whose worth cannot be described even by the greatest rhetoricians of all times... None can fully understand or explain His Being however hard he may try. Reason and sagacity cannot visualize Him. Intelligence, understanding, and attainment cannot attain the depths of knowledge to study and scrutinize the Godhead. Human faculties of conception, perception and learning, and attributes of volition, intuition and apprehension cannot catch sight of His Person or fathom the extent of His might and glory. His attributes cannot be fixed, limited or defined. There do not exist words in any language to specify or define His qualities, peculiarities, characteristics or singularities.

God is formless. If you think He is big, He is infinite, and if you think He is small, He is infinitesimal.

The eye cannot see it; the mind cannot grasp it.
The deathless Self has neither caste nor race,
Neither eyes nor ears nor hands nor feet.
Sages say this Self is infinite in the great
And in the small, everlasting and changeless,
The source of life.

In the beginning was God,
Today is God
Tomorrow will be God.
Who can make an image of God?
He has no body.
He is as a word which comes out of your mouth.
That word! It is no more,
It is past, and still it lives!
So is God.

All voices get reflected there in the Supreme Soul (Paramatma). There is no reason; the intellect fails to grasp him. He is one and alone, bodiless and the Knower. He is neither long nor short, nor a circle nor a triangle, nor a quadrilateral nor a sphere. He is neither black nor blue nor red nor yellow nor white. He is neither a pleasant smell nor an unpleasant smell. He is neither pungent nor bitter nor astringent nor sour nor sweet. He is neither hard nor soft, neither heavy nor light, neither cold nor hot, neither rough nor smooth. He is bodiless. He is not subject to birth. He is free from attachment. He is neither female nor male nor neuter. He is immaculate knowledge and intuition. There exists no simile to comprehend him. He is formless existence. He is what baffles all terminology. There is no word to comprehend him. He is neither sound nor form nor odor nor taste nor touch. Only so much I say.

The Timeless One, Beyond Birth, Self Existent, yet by Guru’s grace  His presence is clearly visible . Realization of God comes through Guru's grace. God is thus depicted in three distinct aspects, viz. God in Himself, God in relation to creation, and God in relation to man. God by himself is the one Ultimate, Transcendent Reality, Nirguna (without attributes), Timeless, Boundless, Formless, Ever-existent, Immutable, Ineffable, All-by Himself and even Unknowable in His entirety.

When it pleases God, He becomes sarguna and manifests Himself in creation.

That Eternal Purush assumes  a body of Satguru for nurturing everyone.

Knowledge of the ultimate Reality is not a matter for reason; it comes by revelation of the ultimate reality through grace and by mystical experience. He is not accessible through intellect, or through mere scholarship or cleverness at argument; He is met, when He pleases, through devotion.

God is not identical with the universe. The latter exists and is contained in Him . God is immanent in the created world, but is not limited by it. He is the Creator, Sustainer and the Destroyer.

What is the Creator's purpose in creating the universe? It is not for man to inquire or judge the purpose of His Creator. The created cannot have a measure of the Creator; what He wills, The Creation is His pleasure and play .

Transcendence and Immanence are two aspects of the same Supreme Reality. He is Transcendent and Immanent at the same time. The Creation is His lila or cosmic play. He enjoys it, pervades it, yet Himself remains unattached- Unattached and Unentangled in the midst of all. "Amidst all, yet outside of all, free from love and hate.  Creation is His manifestation, but, being conditioned by space and time, it provides only a partial and imperfect glimpse of the Timeless and Boundless Supreme Being.

The created world, though real, is not eternal. Whenever God desires, it merges back into His Timeless and Formless Self.

Millions are the mines of life; millions the spheres;

Millions are the regions above; millions the regions below;

Millions are the species taking birth.

By diverse means does He spread Himself.

Again and again did He expand Himself thus,

But He ever remains the One nirankar.

Countless creatures of various kinds

Come out of Him and are absorbed back.

None can know the limit of His Being;

He, the Lord,  is all in all Himself.

Man, although an infinitesimal part of God's creation, yet stands apart from it in so far as it is the only species blessed with reflection, moral sense and potentiality for understanding matters metaphysical. Human birth is both a special privilege for the soul and a rare chance for the realization of union with God. Man is lord of earth .

 "Of all the eight million and four hundred thousand species, God conferred superiority on man" . Satguru also reminds that "now that you (the soul) have got a human body, this is your turn to unite with God". "Listen, listen to my advice, O my mind! only good deed shall endure, and there may not be another chance"  So, realization of God and a reunion of atma (soul) with paramatma (Supreme Soul, God) are the ultimate goals of human life. The achievement ultimately rests on God's grace, but man has to strive in order to deserve His grace. As a first step, he should have faith in and craving for the Lord. He should believe that God is near him, rather within his self, and not far away. He is to seek Him in his self.

"Recognize yourself, O mind! You are the light manifest. Rejoice in Guru's instruction that God is always with (in) you. If you recognize your Self, you shall know the Lord and shall get the knowledge of life and death" . The knowledge of the infinitesimal nature of his self when compared to the immenseness of God and His creation would instill humility in man and would rid him of his ego (a sense of I, my and mine) which is "the greatest malady man suffers from"  and the arch-enemy of  path to God-Realization . Having surrendered his ego and having an intense desire to reach his goal (the realization of Reality), the seeker under Guru's instruction becomes a  person looking guru ward. He meditates upon  the Divine Word, while yet leading life as a householder, earning through honest labor, sharing his victuals with the needy, and performing self-abnegating deeds of service. Sikhism condemns ritualism. Worship of God consists of reciting  holy texts and meditation on naam, solitary or in sangat or congregation, kirtan or singing of scriptural hymns in praise of God, and ardas or prayer in supplication.

• Only God is worthy of worship and meditation at all times
• He is the Creator, Sustainer but also the Destroyer
• God is Compassionate and Kind
• With His Grace, He comes to dwell within the mind and body

• He is merciful and wise

• He is the ultimate Protector of all beings

• Only with His Will can pain, poverty, disease and hardships be removed from one's life.

• God is everywhere

The Highest Thought is always that thought which contains joy…….The Clearest Words are those words which contain truth. ….The Grandest Feeling is that feeling which you call love.

Listen to your feelings. Listen to your Highest Thoughts. Listen to your experience. Whenever any one of these differ from what you’ve been told by your teachers, or read in your books, forget the words. Words are the least reliable purveyor of Truth.

God does not reveal Godself to Godself from or through outward observation, but through inward experience. And when inward experience has revealed Godself, outward observation is not necessary. And if outward observation is necessary, inward experience is not possible.

Who can fully know infinite God? And what need is there of knowing the infinite? Having attained this rare human birth, my supreme need is to develop love for God.

It took Arjuna 18 chapters of the Gita to get rid of his attachment to the world, it took jnani Uddhava 11th skanda to get rid of his bindings to the world but the gopis understood the wisdom that God alone is real in two shlokas. In Kurukshetra during a solar eclipse, Krishna consoled the gopis, 'I am the beginning and end of all created beings and exist both within and without them, just as the elements ether, water, earth, air and fire are the beginning and end of all material objects and exist both within and without them. In this way all created things reside within the basic elements of creation, while the spirit souls pervade the creation, remaining in their own true identity. You should see both of these - the material creation and the self - as manifest within Me, the imperi-shable Supreme Truth' . The gopis immediately found the self-luminous Atman because of their absorption in Him. Devotional love appears easy in the beginning but requires God's Grace. A bhakta has no pride, he is like cooked rice.

The correct prayer is never a prayer of supplication, but a prayer of gratitude….
Then the prayer is a prayer of thanksgiving. It is not a request at all, but a statement of gratitude of what is so.

                                 Amazing  quotes

Enjoy each quote. But also read, and re-read  till the intent gets into your mind and heart.

1) Life is far beyond meaning, Life is beyond meaning and that’s why it is so beautiful
2) When you wanting to know some thing is so Intense that you are willing to die for it, then knowing is not far away.
3) If you are rooted in reality there will be no fear.
4) Intelligence is like a flashlight. If you flash it, it’ll just show you what’s in front. Knowledge is like a projector; if you switch it on, it projects its own story. Now, if you came with a flashlight and you flash it on these paintings here, you will see the paintings just the way they are. If you came with the projector, which also has light in it, and you turned it on; you don’t see the paintings. You will see something else, maybe Jackie Chan fighting. That’s the difference between knowledge and intelligence.
5) Religions of the world are not about one man’s belief against another, but an opportunity for all humans to each to their common ultimate source.
6) The fear is simply because you are not living with life, You are living in your mind.
7) Whatever is your highest, you just contemplate upon that. Your inner and outer purity will happen naturally.
8) Being with a Master is never comfortable, because He will break all your limitations, all your ideologies.
9) Man needs  entertainment simply to hide his madness. If he was perfectly sane, he would not need entertainment. He could  just sit  and watch this bamboo grow. He does not really need entertainment
10) Till something becomes a reality in our life, if we talk about it, it amounts to lying. The whole world is lying to themselves and to everybody about God.
11) People have come to the conclusion that body means pain. And yet, just the right food, practices and a little change in attitude, and this body becomes a miracle.
12) Once the stillness comes into your life, then the mind also becomes absolutely still. When your mind becomes still, your intelligence explodes.
13) You can be deeply involved with everything, but still not be identified with it any more.
14) When your happiness is dependant upon what is happening outside of you, constantly you live as a slave to the external situation.
15) If you are truly a seeker of Truth, Truth can not hide from you. It is in the Lap of truth that you have happened. Most people who claim to be seekers are only seeking security, solace, or the fulfillment of their desires.
16) The moment you make a conclusion, as to what should be at the other end, you are no more a seeker you are a vested interest.
17) Do not try to live by morals, ethics, slogans. These are all very poor substitutes for awareness. Be conscious and aware, you will see life the way it is.
18) You’re just an imitation of what is around you, it’s just that you don’t imitate one person; you take bits and pieces of hundred people and make yourself.
19) Being with a Master is never comfortable, because He will break all your limitations, all your ideologies.
20) If you can joyfully accept the consequence, do what you want; if it is that you will cry when the consequence comes, better be conscious about what you do.
21) Just Desire the Highest in Life. All Your Passions, direct them to the Highest. Even if you get Angry, direct it only towards Shiva. Even with your Passion, that’s the way to do it. Every bit of energy that you have, you expend it by making it into desire, passion, fear, anger, and many other things. May be these emotions are not in your hands for now, but channeling them in one direction is in your hands.
22) May be when you are angry then you cannot be loving, you cant suddenly turn your anger into love, but the anger itself can be directed.
23) A humanity which has done nothing for its inner well being – how can it create external well being? How do you expect it to work?
24) Whenever you are happy, the real source of happiness is within you. It bubbles up. It is just that you are looking for an external stimulus to make you happy.
25) A genuine seeker, a person who develops an urge within, will always find his Guru. He may find it in a man, in a woman, or he may find it even in a rock. He will definitely find it somewhere, there is no doubt about it.
26) If a man is intelligent everything that happens is an opportunity; if a man is stupid everything that happens is a disaster.
27) The guru is someone who continuously punctures your ego, yet is your friend.
28) If you really want better situations to live in for yourself and everybody, you must stop playing petty politics within yourself and around yourself.
29) Only when you truly start seeking what is beyond the physical body, the spiritual processes open up for you.
30) Positive thinking is about trying to escape reality. It’s about wanting to look at one side of life, and missing out on another. You may ignore the other, but the other will not ignore you. Right now, you can choose to ignore a black cloud in the sky, but it’s not going to ignore you.
31) When any being calls or really yearns, the existence answers. If the thirst within you is strong enough, God always answers.
32) Higher dimensions of Awareness means Higher dimensions of energy.
33) When you just look at the long term span of this creation, you are just a tiny happening. But you think too much of yourself, that is the biggest problem.
34) If you want to know the joy of activity, first and foremost thing is that you must know how to give yourself to activity with total abandon.
35) The world is trying to do so many things. We’re trying to go to the moon, to Mars, but, fundamentally, I feel the most important thing is human consciousness, the quality of life here. How happy we are here simply depends on how we are within ourselves.
36) Fundamentally, the only thing you can give is yourself.
37) Blissfulness is not a rare visitor in your life, blissfulness is your constant companion, because that is the nature of your being.
38) Spirituality is about acting out of your inner humanity, if you go deeper, you’ll be acting out of inner divinity.
39) As many colors of the rainbow are an outcome of one pure light, many religions of the world are an expression of the same divine source.
40) The word ‘guru’ means dispeller of darkness.
41) What you know as the highest, you just seek that. It doesn’t matter whether it is going to happen or not going to happen, simply living with the vision itself is very elevating, is itself very liberating, is itself a very joyous process for any person.
42) Every human being is a unique human being.
43) When your Sadhana (Spiritual Practice) is based on hope and fear, you won’t attain to anything.
44) Do your Sadhana (Spiritual Practice) joyfully, not with the hope of making it or the fear of not making it. Just do it joyfully.
45) You are not using your intelligence to reach the peak of your consciousness, to become peaceful and loving. You are using your  intelligence to drive yourself crazy.
46) You know everything about the world, but you do not know anything about yourself. This is a ridiculous way to live.
47) Spiritual process does not mean looking up, or looking down, or looking around. It is about looking inward.
48) When it is no more about you, you can live your life and do your life in total abandon; because there is nothing to gain nothing to lose.
49) You being too involved with your mind and emotion means you are too enamored with your own creation, you have no time for the creation of the creator.
50) Because you do not know how to keep your systems in balance, because you can’t handle  reality, you succumb to positive thinking. You want to skip the negative and just think positive. What you pursue will not be the strongest point in you. What you try to avoid becomes the basis of your consciousness. Positive thinking can have some psychological relevance, but no existential relevance whatsoever.
51) If you look at the organization, capability and the certainty with which a simple ant is conducting its life, you will see you are quite stupid.
52) Wanting to be special is a sickness, it is taking a huge toll on life. In trying to be special, people are doing all kinds of ridiculous things.
53) The greatest crime that you can do to humanity is to teach your children that suffering is a part of their life. You have taken away the possibility of them being joyous human beings.
54) In relinquishing the limited, the unlimited becomes yours, But the price is, what is YOU does not exist anymore.
55) When who you are and what you are is not decided by any external forces, then you are in dignity.
56) If you are not half hearted, if you are a full blooded involvement with everything that you are doing you will see every simple thing is a miracle.
57) When you become meditative, you will see, your intellectual capabilities will increase many times more than what it is right now. Not because meditation makes you intelligent, but because meditation clears up the mess, the muck that’s gathered on the glass of the flashlight. As your meditation deepens, it just clears up the muck more and more and the flashlight becomes more and more powerful. It shows you things more and more clearly.
58) Whether we are talking about Kundalini or simple plain energy as in the English language, it’s basically about raising ourselves to a higher level of energy. What you call ‘life’ itself is energy. So, if you want to function on a higher plane of life, you need a higher level, a higher quality of energy.
59) The contradiction within a human being is simply because he is trying to mentally figure out things that he has not experienced.
60) Only when people begin to thing beyond their own wellbeing, something beautiful is possible in the society.
61) Exploration is what is needed – not ideology. Ideology means you have made your summary of life. If life can be summed up, it is not worth living.
62) If you are aware that you are a nobody and you act out your role, this is enlightenment.
63) Only when you are truly happy, you can be concerned about somebody. When you are unhappy you are only concerned about yourself.
64) Once you know how to be aware, once the necessary awareness – to be away from your own body, to be away from your own mind – has come to you, don’t even bother about your karmas. Just see how to deepen this awareness.
65) We know how to go to the moon, but the tragedy is that we still do not know how to live on planet earth.
66) By fixing the outside, life can become comfortable and convenient. But human beings will not know well being unless they fix their interiority.
67) Once you have a thinking mind, a questioning mind, or a doubting mind, you should not talk about devotion. It just leads to enormous deception.
68) Confidence can do things for you but confidence without clarity is a big disaster on the planet.
69) The sign of intelligence is that you are constantly wondering. Idiots are always dead sure about every damn thing they are doing in their life.
70) Every human being is capable of living absolutely blissfully within himself. They have denied themselves this because they never looked at themselves.
71) What you can do and what you cannot do outside is always a question of capability. But when it comes to the inside it is just a question of willingness.
72) If you can bring love into your breath, into your step, into every act that you do, not towards anybody or anything; if you can just bring the longing to merge with everything around you, then creation will lead you on to the creator.
73) The past experience of life is ruling you from within. Unless you break this karmic grip there is no such thing as freedom in thought and action.
74) Essence of spirituality is that we are constantly aware of the oneness of who we are, at the same time we celebrate the uniqueness of the individual.
75) If you are not seeing life the way it is, you can only live by accident. You are a potential calamity and fear and anxiety is very natural.
76) Anything that does not enhance the possibility of life is of no consequence to the creation, or to the creator.
77) If you really pay attention to life, life will blossom within you. If you do not pay attention, you are somewhere else, then life could go wrong.
78) If you know that you are stupid, you wont attach too much importance to your thought. You will start looking at life and your intelligence will flower.
79) You claim that you love somebody, but if they do not fulfill your needs, you   wont love them. I do not call this love, I call this mutual benefit scheme.
80) Everybody is making Choices; even their compulsions are their choices. Choices made in unawareness are compulsions. Let us say you get angry right now. It is your choice, actually, to be angry. Somewhere, you believe that’s the way to handle the situation, but the choice is made in such unawareness that is is a compulsion; it’s happening compulsively on a different level. So you are living by choice, but choices are made with out awareness – unconscious choices.
81) If you cultivate your body, mind, emotion and energy in the right direction, mediation will happen. It is not something that you do, it is a quality.
82) Everyday, twice a day if you are reminded that you will also die, then naturally you will move towards knowing higher dimensions of perception.
83) If your experience of life transcends the limitations of the physical, only then we can say you are spiritual.
84) Only if one makes himself available to higher and higher possibilies, then Grace can descend and do something that you yourself could never do.
85) If you have any intention of knowing or touching the ultimate in this life, then giving yourself in parts is no good.
86) A devotee has no other goal except to dissolve into his object of devotion. But you have your own personal agenda and still you call yourself a devotee.
87) Everybody has their own understanding, ideas, opinions of the world. They know these are not worth anything, yet they are not willing to keep it down.
88) Your desires and passions are just like this. If you try and fight with them, if you chop them, they will spill blood, and with every drop, a hundred or a thousand will come up. There is no point fighting them. Just educate your passions, educate your desires to flow in the right direction, that is all. You can never fight them. Fighting them will be futile, it will be a waste of life.
89) With every single action, consciously or unconsciously, people are trying to be happy. So one way, in this level of living, in this dimension of existence, happiness is the goal of everything that man is doing. But if you look at life, we have done so much in this world for our happiness. But all we have ended up with is creating more and more comfort and convenience-but not happiness.
90) Without working on human consciousness, trying to change social or national or global realities means there is no serious intention.
91) When we say everything is maya or illusion, maya does not mean it does not exist, maya simply means that you are not seeing it the way it is.
92) If  YOU are not there, enlightenment is instantaneous. If YOU are there, you have to walk till you wear out.
93)In reality there is only Now. If you know how to handle this moment you know how to handle the whole eternity.

     94)   When God gives us problems, it is to humble us and not to tumble us.

     95) Pain is a gift from the divine to look into what is happening more deeply.

     96) You should be the master of the mind rather than mind being your master. You should use the mind rather than let the mind use you.

     97) Mind creates misery by its desires, expectations, anger and jealousy stimulated by unnecessary comparisons.

     98) When one is alert, one can transform poison into medicine.

     99) A noisy and pushy mind leads one to a state of unhappiness.

   100) In a seed, there is an infinite capacity to grow. Infinity exists in a finite seed. A seed planted becomes a tree. From a tree again there is a fruit, from a fruit there is a seed, from a seed a tree, so in a finite seed there is the infinite capacity to grow.

   101) Worry is a form of identification. It is useless. Unfortunately many of us think it is right to worry about someone we love. This is madness in motion. Give up this voluntary form of suffering.

   102) Learn to be a witness to your thoughts and feelings. In the witnessing consciousness, there is no identification with anything. Identification leads to misery.

   103)  Can you dwell a little more on the inner world, the mind? Generally, we are present physically in a place while being psychologically elsewhere. Outer seeing makes you see physically where you are. Inner seeing makes you see psychologically where you are.

    104) There is no greater force than awareness. When one increases awareness, even a poison can turn into a medicine and with no awareness a medicine can become a poison.

   105) There are differences in a relationship. Do not give too much of importance to them. Give importance to your love and commitment, to your commonality, like you enjoy the joy rides in an amusement park, even though it appears scary. It gives you jitters but still you enjoy. Enjoy your relationship.

   106) Negative emotions poison life. Like avoiding poisonous food, avoid negative emotions. Like how you are very alert when you see a poisonous snake, be very aware and alert of negative emotions. Let them come, don’t identify with them. Don’t participate in them.

  107) If you go on comparing, life becomes miserable. If somebody is better than you, learn from them; enjoy others’ success. No one can have all the good qualities. Someone will always be better than you at some level. Do not whip yourself with this comparison.

108) The Gita encourages us to be calm and serene irrespective of the situations that we face in life. Only such an individual is closer to enlightenment who remains calm. The greatest discipline is in keeping our minds calm in spite of external turbulent situations. This is the core teaching of the Gita.

  109) A  Master was asked about the secret of his being always happy. The  Master replied, ‘When I wake up in the morning, I ask myself whether I want to be in - heaven or hell? Then I decide to be in heaven. The moment I decide to be in heaven, I create heaven in every moment of my life.’

 110) The choice in our life is either we come from commitment or complaint. We have to decide that. Invariably we find people who are powerful are those who operate from commitment. And those who are powerless, always operate from complaint. One’s state of being will be powerful if one operates from commitment.

 111) Another dimension one needs to add is to operate from selflessness. When we do something that is selfless, we find unknown forces mysteriously strengthen our hands. Pathanjali, a great Yogi says, ‘Do something good … be in the path of goodness, and… you will find forces that mysteriously help you.’

 112) Understand that you are the creator of your suffering. This understanding will help you dissolve suffering. An unhappy person in heaven will convert even heaven into hell; a happy person can convert hell into heaven.” So, change is not required anywhere except within oneself.

113)  There are two types of sufferings :- • Legitimate; • Illegitimate;  Legitimate suffering is sorrow that is proportionate to the situation. For example your son dies in an accident. This sorrow is valid. But if you continue worrying for more than one or two years, then there is a psychological aspect to it.  To handle legitimate sufferings, one should understand that such suffering is the result of your past deeds…Illegitimate suffering is suffering that is not proportionate to the situation. For example, somebody calls you a fool. You brood over it for days on end. It is this suffering that one can end through right thinking.

114)  When your suffering is due to Karma, your past deeds, you have to understand that you are only repaying your debt.

115) Surrender is a leap from the ordinary to the sacred; from the logical to the cosmic. Surrender is like opening the third eye.

116) Surrender is in the realization that God gives me what I need more than what I want. Surrender is trust. Surrender is being open to life.

117) Mostly, tensions emerge from the way your mind languages your experience. For example, a student runs several miles and enjoys running but when it is made a punishment, running creates tension. Where does the tension come from? It is through the interpretations in one’s mind.

118) Observe a surfer…. the stronger the waves, the more does he enjoy it. He decides that he is going to enjoy the waves while surfing. When waves are strong, he is totally present in the moment. There are no interfering thoughts in him. In such space something in him makes him very alive to the life around him.

 119) Learn to be in the present. Be aware of the present in total. There is joy being in the present. Do not get lost either in the past or future.

 120) Learn to live from the ‘higher self’ and not from the ‘lower self.’ The ‘higher self’ encourages you, as it is filled with positiveness. The ‘lower self’ is an interfering self. It discourages you. It acts more like an obstacle.

 121) Can my house be like that of a rich man? Or can my house be better than that of my neighbor? You are always lost in comparison. But life is simple. Ambitions make it complex. Only if you stop the greedy game of going ahead of others, can you be happy.

 122)  A meditative attitude is very different. Meditation awakens your awareness. Once your awareness is of high order, you realise the foolishness of comparison. You would not allow others’ success to define your failure. You would see the beauty of ‘what is’ and not get lost in ‘what should be.’

 123) You would see the uniqueness of yourself. Everyone is unique. Everyone is incomparable. You would learn the art of seeing beauty even in imperfection. You would participate in the miracle of life than being busy in judging life. You would listen to the music of life. You would listen to the mantra of life or the song of life. Your listening would be with your heart. Without this inner and outer, music will not be heard. With this, your perception awakens to newer heights.

 124) Commitment is the language of the wise; complaint is the language of the fools. Commitment is a responsibility and also includes accountability. In life, one should be responsible as well as accountable. Generally one takes responsibility without accountability; this weakens one’s being.

 125)  We have both - an actor and a thinker in us. Every time we lie, the thinker warns us that we are lying and the actor asks us to shut up and continue telling lies. In such a state, there is a split in our being — between the actor and the thinker. It is like riding a chariot with two horses, with the horses going in two different directions. Commitment creates integrity. In this state, it is easier to bring forth the excellence in our lives.

 126)  Excellence happens when there is love to grow and contribute.

 127)  Creativity occurs primarily through the power of intention. Intention is like sowing a seed in existence. Allow it to germinate. Allow the forces of nature to nurture life.

 128)  Commitment also involves dropping illusions. We do not see the world as it is. We see the world projected through our verbose minds.

 129)  When you are unhappy, there is a pay-off, People give you sympathy. When you are happy, you have to pay a price…. people feel jealous of you.

 130) Men use anger as a racket to protect their inner wound. Anger in such a case becomes a defense mechanism.

 131) Desire to seek attention is a type of mental sickness. One’s psychological immune system becomes weak. Hence, one is prone to the path of wrong, like when one’s body’s immune system is weak; one is prone to an infection.

 132) Become aware. Each time you are miserable, it is your choice. This is your game. You have some hidden agenda. If you see the foolishness of the hidden agenda, then you will drop it. It is like being tempted to eat excess sweets, but the moment you know it is harmful; you will not be tempted to eat them.

 133) Buddha, Krishna and Jesus can still be communicated to, if only you are more meditative. Their ‘presence’ is never destroyed. Lord Krishna in the Gita says, ‘They are fools who consider me to be only the body.’ All great masters can be connected to, if you are more meditative. You need not be frustrated if you can’t meet your master. Be in silence. Ask your question in that space of silence and you get an answer not from the mind but from the beyond. You have to experience this. This is not a matter of logic; it is a matter of experience

134)  Do we have likes and dislikes or do likes and dislikes have us? As unconscious beings, likes and dislikes control our lives. Conscious beings are masters of likes and dislikes. When likes and dislikes are under your control, they will serve you and in such a state, you are not messed up. Likes and dislikes are not the problem. However, do they control your life, or are you controlling them, is the real question.