˙ ¬Íáʸ◊Œ— ¬ÍáʸÁ◊Œ¢ ¬ÍáÊʸà¬Íáʸ◊ÈŒëÿÖ ¬ÍáʸSÿ ¬Íáʸ◊ÊŒÊÿ ¬Íáʸ◊flÊflÁ‡ÊcÿÃH

A MONTHLY FOR THE PROPAGATION OF SPIRITUALIDEAS AND LOVE FOR GOD

Subhå¶itam

©U¬∑§Ê⁄U— ¬⁄UÊ œ◊¸— ¬⁄UÊÕZ ◊◊¸ ŸÒ¬ÈáÊ◊˜–¬ÊòÊ ŒÊŸ¢ ¬⁄U— ∑§Ê◊— ¬⁄UÊ ◊ÊˇÊÊ ÁflÃÎcáÊÃÊH

The Supreme Dharma is helping others, the SupremeArtha is the skill to understand secret manoeuvrings, theSupreme Kåma is to donate for a deserving cause and theSupreme Mok¶a is true desirelessness.

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Vol. 61 July 2016 No. 10

C O N T E N T S1. Subhå¶itam ..... 32. Difference between Meaning and Secret

óBrahmalina Sri Jayadayal Goyandka ..... 53. Road to Bliss

óNityalilalina Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar ..... 94. The Secret of Charity

óBrahmalina Swami Ramsukhdas ..... 125. Great Vision of Human Equality

óSwami Ranganathananda ..... 156. Respect of Women ..... 177. Respect Yourself and Everybody will Respect You

óSwami Rama Tirtha ..... 198. Greatest Obstacle is Worldly Attachment ..... 239. Benefits of JapaóSwami Sivananda ..... 24

10. Every Living Being is Part of BrahmaóAnandamurti ..... 2811. Extremely Blessed You AreóSwami Chidananda ..... 3012. Read and Digest ..... 3513. The Magic of SeychellesóProf. Sudesh Gogia ..... 3614. True Study ..... 3815. What should I Pray For ..... 3916. Såvitr∂ís Rendezvous with Yama ..... 4017. Nåråyaƒa Atharva‹iropani¶adóK. Subramanian ..... 4218. Pain, Its Cause and CureóT. R. Subramania Iyer ..... 4519. Sanåtana, A Worthy Son ..... 4820. Ideal of Love and Forgiveness

óSri Paramahansa Yogananda ..... 5121. A Glimpse of Educational System in Ancient India

óDr. M. S. Manhas ..... 56

ILLUSTRATIONS1. Lord ›iva before Rådhå-K涃a

2. ›ri Caitanya Mahåprabhu (Cover)

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EditoróKeshoram Aggarwal Co-EditoróDr. Prem P. LakkarPrinted and Published by Jagdish Prasad Jalan for Gobind Bhawan Karyalaya,

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Difference between Meaning and Secret(Continued from June, page 10)

óBrahmalina Sri Jayadayal Goyandka

BråhmaƒaóHe whose heart is extremely pure, externalconduct is free from agitation, pure and just, and whosevery sight, speech and touch bring purity to others, is calledë‡ÊÈÁøí (pure).

WifeóAre you, internally and externally, as pure asthe verse indicates? Do your sight, speech and touch makeman pure? Does your mind suffer from no modification?Is your external conduct free from agitation, and righteousand pure? If so, why did your mind entertain anger andfeel agitated, and why did you exhibit pride in yourutterance before the king?

Bråhmaƒaó(Submissively) You are correct; I lack thisqualification.

WifeóHow did you explain the word ëŒˇÊí (clever)?BråhmaƒaóGaining the great object for which this

existence as a human being has been obtained, in otherwords, the success in God-realization, constitutes ëclevernessí.He who attains success in this is called ëŒˇÊí (clever).

WifeóHave you attained the object for which youhave come to the world? Have you gained the SupremeState? If not, the criticism of the king was quite proper.

BråhmaƒaóHere also you are correct. This qualification,too, is absent in me.

WifeóWhat is the meaning of the word ë©UŒÊ‚ËŸí?BråhmaƒaóHe, who, while acting as a deponent, an

assessor or arbitrator, shows no partiality out of considerationsof relationship and friendliness or under the influence of

6 Kalyana-Kalpataru

attraction, hatred, greed, infatuation and fear, and whoever,under every circumstance, remains perfectly impartial, iscalled ë©UŒÊ‚ËŸí (impartial).

WifeóAre you, then, free from partiality? Did you notsupport your own point of view, as against that of the king?Did you deeply consider the remark made by the king thatyou did not understand the secret of the verse? If not, whydo you say that the criticism of the king was improper?

Bråhmaƒaó(Meekly and artlessly owning his deficiencywith a pure heart.) What you say is absolutely correct. Youhave truly opened my eyes today. This qualification ofëimpartialityí is greatly wanting in me. In a controversy,though realizing the weakness of my arguments, I do notyield, but go on obstinately upholding my standpoint.

WifeóNow, how do you explain the word ëªÃ√ÿÕí?BråhmaƒaóWhen faced with even the greatest of

sorrow or cause of misery, one who does not feel distressed,in other words, whose mind never gets obsessed with dejection,misery or grief, is called ëªÃ√ÿÕí (risen above distractions).

WifeóDo you never feel any pain in your mind? Ifso, why did you feel perturbed and distressed over thekingís criticism and my support of it?

BråhmaƒaóWhat you say is true. I totally lack thisquality. When anything happens contrary to the inclinationof my mind, I feel not only pain, but modifications likefear, excitement, jealousy, grief, etc., make their appearancein my mind in an aggravated form.

WifeóWe come to the next word. How do youinterpret the term ë‚flʸ⁄Uê÷¬Á⁄UàÿʪËí?

BråhmaƒaóOne who depends on Prårabdha alone.renouncing all external and internal acts, who does nothingfor the satisfaction of his self-interest, and remains contentedwith whatever he gets unasked, and has no sense of

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doership in regard to acts taking place according to theforce of Prårabdhaósuch a renouncer of both external andinternal acts is called ë‚flʸ⁄Uê÷¬Á⁄UàÿʪËí (renouncer of doershipin all undertakings).

WifeóThe explanation you have given is very nice,but please tell me whether you have actually renouncedall external and internal acts. Does not your mind everdwell on any worldly thought? If not, why should you beobsessed with so much pride? Externally, you are engagedin every form of activity.

BråhmaƒaóTrue, this mark is totally absent in me.I have now understood all my defects. Till now I explainedthe verses of the G∂tå only according to their word-meaning. I had no acquaintance with their secret. Please,therefore, give me your consent. I shall renounce all acts,both externally and internally, and turn a Sa≈nyås∂ in thetrue sense of the term. Saying this, the Bråhmaƒa renouncedeverything, and started to leave his home.

Thereupon, the Bråhmaƒaís wife supplicated, ìO myLord, I also want to follow you.î

BråhmaƒaóNo, I have no mind to carry any trouble withme. Moreover, how can I allow a woman to come with me?

WifeóLord! Please do not look upon me as a trouble.I shall not hinder your spiritual practices. I did not sendyou to the king for the sake of wealth. I used this onlyas a means, but my real object was that you realized theprimary object of life. Our king is a saint, a liberated soul,who possesses true wisdom. Endowed as you are withknowledge of Dharma, and qualifications like virtue,renunciation, contentment and learning etc., you mightthrough contact with the king succeed in realizing God withthis motive in mind I sent you to the king. Now, if youkindly give me permission, I want to be a partner with

Difference between Meaning and Secret

8 Kalyana-Kalpataru

you in your spiritual practices.Bråhmaƒaó(Full of gratitude) Now, I understand

everything. Truly, your presence will be no obstacle in mypath. You are, indeed, my best friend, who has done thetruest service to me. He only, who helps one in therealization of God, is a friend in the true sense of the term.Then, follow me; in my retirement also, you will help mein realizing God.

Thereafter, both of them renouncing everything walkedout of their home.

The spy deputed by the king faithfully reported to hismaster all that he had heard and seen at the Bråhmaƒaíscottage. Hearing this, the king also, who even before this,had transferred his authority over the kingdom and treasury,etc., to his son, left the kingdom and took to a hermitíslife. On the highway, he saw the Bråhmaƒa couple comingtowards him. With very great delight, he exclaimed,ìRevered PaƒŒitaj∂! Now, I see you have understood thesecret of that verse of the G∂tå.î

Meekly, the Bråhmaƒa repliedóìNo, I have not yetunderstood it, but in order to understand the verse. I havetaken to this path.î

The king also joined the couple, and the three, selectinga solitary and sacred place, began to lead their life ofretirement. The king and the Bråhmaƒaís wife were bothsaints and liberated souls, who possessed the knowledgeof Truth. Through association with them, the Bråhmaƒaalso now succeeded in realizing God.

(This story has been told in illustration of the interpretationof the verse based on ëNivættií or cessation of activities.The interpretation based on ìPravættií or continuance ofactivities in the world, is different from this.)

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Road to BlissóNityalilalina Sri Hanumanprasad Poddar

Remember : just as a fire does not get extinguishedby adding fuel to and pouring ghee on it, on the otherhand, it blazes all the more, so the soulís craving forenjoyment does not cease through self-indulgence; on theother hand, it grows stronger. The mind is never sated withluxuries. It never feels contented with possessions. It isnever gratified or composed even if one comes to haveeverything existing all over the worldósons and relations,wealth and power, authority and position, honour and fameof the entire world.

Remember : so long as there is unrest in the mind, youcannot attain happiness, much less enjoy bliss. Just as thelight of a lamp remains unsteady in a disturbed atmosphere,so that one cannot see even things near at hand, so adisturbed and restless mind is unable to perceive God, theSupreme, Reality, who is so proximate to us, and Hisintegrally blissful character; and runs about in quest of itthroughout the outside world. Therefore, try to divest yourmind of all cravings.

Remember : hankering is overcome by contentmentalone. Contentment is not synonymous with sloth or lackof industry or despondency born of frustration. Supposeyou eagerly longed for an object and strained every nerveto attain it, but could not. Now if you cease from furtherstriving and reconcile yourself to your lot, this sprit offorced resignation does not fall under the category ofcontentment. So long as the longing is there, your contentment

10 Kalyana-Kalpataru

has no meaning. Contentment, truly speaking, is a royalroad to the enjoyment of happiness and bliss, access towhich is had by reposing faith in the benign dispensationof God or by establishing oneself in the eternally blissfulcharacter of the self.

Remember : discontent is only another name forimpatience to attain an object which has not yet beenattained and for not taking delight in a thing which is everwith us. The Self is ever present with us; it is devoid ofattachment and free and consists of Supreme Bliss.Contentment denotes a feeling of gratification with the Self.Reveal in your real Self and do not hanker after anyexternal object. Here lies the way to happiness.

Remember : whatever in this world stands, allotted toyou according to the destiny, responsible for your presentbirth, will be attained by you without being sought for;and that which is not destined to be yours, will not beattained in spite of all wailing and piteous cry and withall your efforts. Enjoyment will be had by you accordingto your meritorious deeds performed in previous lives. Infact, you have to reap only that which has been sown byyou.

Remember : for the realization of Supreme Bliss it isnecessary to give up all oneís desires. He, however, whostrives to attain desirelessness, should first abstain fromreviling or harming others, appropriating otherís wealth,adultery, hypocrisy, immoral conduct, enmity, theft, hoardingmoney and other worldly possessions and coveting whatis not his. The more you give up vicious desires, the morethey will be replaced by noble ones; then you will haveto resign these latter too to the Lord.

Remember : your happiness will grow in the sameproportion as you curtail your desires. Do not hanker after

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that which has not been attained by you and utilizewhatever you have in your possession in the interest ofthe world rather than in your own. This will enable youto conquer your desires. Strongly persuade yourself thatthere is no happiness in any living being or object of theworld. Thus you will be easily able to give up all desires.

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Road to Bliss

God has given you a sharp sword of discriminationby which you can cut away all limitations and freeyourself within. In my mind I am free from everything.I am not bothered by anything. That is true happiness.By that kind of mental strength, one can always feelthat he is above everything that happens.

When troubles come or when people say, ìYou areno good,î just affirm, ìI am all right.î You donot haveto say it aloud, but you do have to be able to affirminwardlyófrom a calm, unruffled consciousness thatGodís image is within youóthat everything is all rightwith you. By doing that regardless of what circumstancestry to vex you, you ascend from the limitations ofattachment to the things and conditions of this earth.

óParamahansa Yogananda

If a person instead of realizing God, gets entangledin the world, it is not human, it is beastly. Thisbeastliness, is to be renounced. So, a striver shouldbehold the imperishable Lord, in all the perishablebeings. If he beholds the perishable and not the imperishable,he commits suicide.

óSwami Ramsukhdas

The Secret of Charity óBrahmalina Swami Ramsukhdas

There is a story of a moneylender who was alwaysdevoted to performing Yaj¤as etc. So liberally did he givedonations that even he was not left with anything to supporthimself. Then his wife said, ìIn the neighbouring villageslives a rich man who buys merits. So go to him and bringsome money by selling some of your merits so that wemight pull on any how. Reluctantly he agreed to go thereon account of the repeated requests of his wife. His wifebaked four Chapatis and gave them to him to be eatenon the way. He set out and approached the city wherethe rich man lived. There was a tank at the place. Thereafterattending the call of nature and bathing himself, when hesat down to eat, a bitch came up there. She had litteredin the forest. She and her young ones had nothing to eatfor the last three days. On account of heavy rains she couldnot go to the city leaving her young ones behind. Seeingthe hungry bitch he offered one of the Chapatis to her.She ate up the Chapatis . Then he gave her another Chapatiwhich too was eaten by her. Thus he gave all the fourChapatis to the bitch one by one. The bitch appeased herhunger by eating the four Chapatis. Thus having forgonehis food he approached the rich man. Approaching himhe told his intention of selling his merits. The rich mansaid that he should come in the afternoon.

Now the wife of the rich man was inordinately devotedto her husband. He asked his wife, ìA man has come upwho wants to sell his merits. So tell me which of his merits

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is the best one worth being purchased.î The wife saidóìOnly that merit is worth being purchased which he hasearned this day by feeding the hungry bitch with the fourChapatis while he was sitting on the bank of the tank forthat is the best of all the merits earned by him during hislife.î Saying ëAlrightí the rich man came out.

The man came to the rich man on the appointed timeand saidóìWhich of my merits would you like topurchase?î The rich man saidóìI want to go in for thesame Yaj¤a that you have earned today. I havenít performedany Yaj¤a today. Certainly I didnít have money. How thencould I have performed Yaj¤a said the man. At this therich man saidóìI want to purchase the same merit thatyou have earned by offering the four Chapatis to the bitchwhile sitting on the bank of the tank today.î The manaskedóìHow could you know about it when there wasno one around?î The rich man saidóìMy wife is exclusivelydevoted to me and it was she, who told me all about it.îThen the man saidóìVery well, you may take the desiredmerit. But tell me what price you are going to pay forit.î The rich man saidóìI shall give you pearls anddiamonds equal in weight to the Chapatis.î The manconsented to it and as agreed upon by him and makingfour Chapatis roughly equal in weight to his Chapatis, putthem on one of the scales and put pearls and diamondsetc., on the other but in spite of putting a number of them,the scale containing the Chapatis did not rise from theground. At this the rich man saidóìBring to me more bagscontaining jewelsî. When the man noticed this miraculouseffect of his merit, he told the rich man that he would notsell out this merit. Just then the rich man saidóëAs youplease.í

Thereafter the man left that place and gathering some

The Secret of Charity

14 Kalyana-Kalpataru

pebbles and pieces of glass at the bank of the same tankwhere he had fed the bitch with Chapatis and tying themup in a piece of cloth returned home. On reaching homehe handed over the small bundle to his wife saying thatthey would open the bundle after taking meal. Saying sohe went out. The wife however, desired to see its contents.When she opened the bundle, she found in it diamonds,emeralds and rubies etc., shining brightly. She was muchpleased. After sometime the businessman came home. SheaskedóFrom where did you get so many diamonds andemeralds? The businessman saidóìWhy are you jesting?îThe wife saidóìSurely I am not jesting. I have openedthe bundle and seen with my own eyes. It is full ofinnumerable precious diamonds and emeralds.î Themoneylender saidóìFetch it here and let me see it. Shebrought the bundle, opened it and put it before him. Hewas astonished to look at them. He considered it to bethe effect of that meritorious deed. Then he narrated indetail what had happened during his travel.

What is intended to convey to the readers is that thedonation given to a distressed person who is in direnecessity of it, multiplies innumerable times. By the graceof God even, pebbles and pieces of stones turn intodiamonds and emeralds.

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We are always divine. Whether we know it or not,we are never separate from pure spirit. But it is ourmisfortune that we do not know it.

óSwami Lokeswarananda

Great Vision of Human EqualityóSwami Ranganathananda

We may be ignorant, illiterate, but what does it matter?We are men and women. We have the same Self in allof us in its fullness. Åtman is not one-fourth in me andthree-fourths or one-and-a half in you. Not at all. The sametruth is there. Similarly, citizenship value is integral in eachperson; there is no one-and-a half or two citizenship. So,what beautiful ideas are there in India to practise! If it istrue, I must live it. That must be the tremendous resolveof every young person in India. Living a truthful life, andnot a showy lifeóthat is what many psychiatrists andpsychoanalysts are complaining about the modern world.We tell our children, ëadjust to the worldí. What is themeaning? A psychologist says it means, ëadjust a false selfto a false worldí. That is all what we have said so far.Why not say, ëadjust a true self to a true worldí? We havenot been taught that. Our parents will tell us to adjust toa wretched society full of inequality, full of injustice. Arethere no people courageous enough to blast all these things?That should be the attitude today. Unless we have thatrevolutionary thinking, we would not be able to improvethe situation.

Here are verses that contain that inspiration. By thinkingdeeply on it, we become a force for good. A better humanrelationship can be established in society. That will be agreat day for India. What a change will come when allour educated people understand this truth and live it! Thatwill be the biggest revolution that you can bring about not

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only in India but also in all parts of the world. But in India,we need this very much, because, in spite of this teaching,we have been most oppressed by inequality. Today, wehave an opportunity to change it and create a very healthysociety. We can bring about healthy inter-human relation.The G∂tå gives you this kind of wisdom in the midst ofits teaching on spiritual life which has tremendousconsequences for our society. For a healthy society thisis a great blessing. This book is not an ordinary book ofinstructions, of doís and do nots. People ask for a codeof conductóMedical code of conduct, Police Inspector-General code of conduct, etc. What is the use of a codeof conduct? Very few follow the code of conduct. It isnot the code of conduct that we need. What is needed,is the thinking power, the creative mind that asks ëhowto make this life better and betterí. It is not a mere changeof behaviour, but a change of attitude at the back of thatbehaviour; that is what is needed.

In fact, the whole world is moving in that directionóto realize the equality between human beings, to see theone in many and feel our kinship with all. This vision isconsidered to be the highest according to Vedånta.

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On the basis of past evils, to consider oneself evilin present, is grave injustice with oneís ownself. Thedetermination not to do evil at any cost in present isimportant.

óSwami Sharanananda

Respect of Women

S∂tå has been pronounced as ëhusband revered.í Agastyahad told Råma that in forest, you should do only thosedeeds that leads to S∂tåís pleasure. Husband and wife onlyjointly could perform scripture ordained Yaj¤a etc. Husbandalone could not perform any religious ceremony withoutwife. In absence of S∂tå, Råma has to perform A‹wamedhaYaj¤a by keeping gold idol of his wife. Holy text ofscriptures reveals that wife is part and parcel soul of thehusband. Then what is to be amazed if Vasi¶¢ha asks forcoronation of S∂tå, being the soul of Råma? Not to killthe ladies, is also in indicative of respecting them. At theinstigation of Vi‹wåmitra, Råma killed TåŒakå only toprotect the Yaj¤a. When Lankaís presiding demon La∆kin∂obstructed Hanumån, then Hanumån punched her from hisleft hand and did not show much anger only because ofdemon was a lady. Råvaƒa also did not kill S∂tå even afterbeing insulted repeatedly. Although widowhood was thegreatest misfortune, even then ladies were never disrespected.After alleged death of Råma, wailing S∂tå, saysómy griefis not that much for Råma, Lak¶maƒa, my mother or evenfor myself, but I am in so much grief for my devoutlyaustere widow mother-in-laws. When Sµurpaƒakhå becamewidow, Råvaƒa consoled her much and toldóìI will keepyou happy with gift, respects and offerings, you go andstay under protection of Khara in DaƒŒakåraƒya.î Råvaƒakidnapped S∂tå just to take revenge of insult meted out tohis sister.

Etiquette to give high respect to ladies was strictly

18 Kalyana-Kalpataru

followed by contemporary society. While boarding in anyvehicle, ladies were given priority. At the time of crossingthe River Ganges, Lak¶maƒa boarded S∂tå first in the boatand then he himself boarded. In chariot ladies werebeseated in the front. Subjects were offering respects toHer Majesty by prostration with high respect. Hanumånalso paid his respects to S∂tå is A‹oka Vå¢ikå by salutationwith folded hands. Wife of elder brother was treated asmother and younger brother used to bid Praƒåma to herroutinely. Mothers were called with different names suchasóëAmbaí, ëDevií or ëÅryeí. ëDevií, ëBhadreí, ëKalyåƒiíor ëManasvinií were the supernatural affectionate namesgiven by husband to his wife. ëBåleí, ëBh∂ruí or ëPriyeíwere symbolic of soft mind of husband towards wife. Alustful husband calling his wife as ëCårusmiteí, ëVilåsini,ëMadirek¶aƒeí or ëLalaneí are also seen in plenty. Evenlooking at other lady was considered uncivilized. Seeinginebriated Tårå, wife of the king of monkeys, saintlyLak¶maƒa downed his face, totally indifferent standingbefore her. One himself should control the anger beforea lady. Saintly persons never do awful deeds towardsladies.

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You should seek God now, donít wait incarnastionsto find Him. He can be known in this lifeóhow? Andthe more quickly you know Him, the better off you willbe. You are foolish if you donít seek Him, because thereis no other way that you will be satisfied. Having Him,you shall have everything.

Respect Yourself and Everybodywill Respect You

óSwami Rama Tirtha

The great cause of suffering in the world is that ìWedo not look within, we do not form our own opinions,we take matters too much on trust, we rely on outside forcesto do our thinking.î

What other people say we take for granted, and wedo not look within; we do not rely on our own stamina.In addition to belief in Mohammad, Buddha or K涃a, wehave created all sorts of fetishes before which we bow.Any child can criticize our conduct and that is sufficientto throw us off our balance, and cause us suffering. Wecare too much for the criticisms and opinions of others,we spend too much time in currying favour with others.This idea of looking at ourselves through the eyes of othersand not looking at our true Self, not seeing ourselves butthrough the eyes of others around us, is the cause of oursuffering. The habit of looking at ourselves through theeyes of others is called vanity, self-aggrandizement. Wewant to appear so good in the eyes of others, this is theevil of society, the bane of all religion.

There was a man in India who was half crazy, andjust as in the month of April, you make April-fools inAmerica, in the month of March in India people play allsorts of jokes with their friends. The merry-making youngmen of the village thought it high time to have some funwith this man. So they made him drink some wine, andmade him tipsy, and then sent to him his most intimate

20 Kalyana-Kalpataru

and most trusted friend and companion. When this trustedfriend came up to this man, the friend began to cry, toweep and wail and shed crocodile tears. He said, ìO, Ihave just come from your house and found your wifewidowed, I found your wife a widow.î And the crazyfellow also began to cry and shed tears, he began also tobewail the widowhood of his own wife. Finally otherscame and said, ìWhy do you weep?î The crazy man said,ìO, I weep because my wife is a widow.î They said tohim, ìHow can that be? You say your wife is a widow.You are not dead, how can your wife become widowunless you, her husband, die? You are not dead. You arebewailing the widowhood of your own wife, that is self-contradictory.î The crazy fellow said, ìO, go away, youdonít know, you donít understand, this my most trustedfriend told me, he had just come from my house, and saidthat my wife was widowed. He was an eyewitness to thatfact, he saw her widowed.î They said, ìLook here, whata terrible absurdity this is!î (Laughter) Now we laugh atthis man because he bewailed the widowhood of his wifeand would not be persuaded that his wife was not widowedbecause he was alive; but remember this terrible absurdityis being perpetrated by all sects and religions of this world,and by all the vain, proud and fashionable people of theworld. They donít look with their own eyes, they donítthink with their own intellects. Here is your own Åtman,your true Self, the Light of lights, Pure, Immutable, theHeaven of heavens within you. Your real Self, your ownÅtman is ever alive, ever present, never dead, and yet youcry and weep and shed tears and say, ìO, when willhappiness come to me,î and you invoke the gods to comeand help you out of your difficulty. There you prostrateyourselves, adopt sneaking habits, look down upon yourselves.

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Because such a writer, such a divine or saint called himselfa sinner, becuase he calls you worms, therefore you mustdo that, your salvation lies in thinking yourselves dead. Thisis the way people look at matters, but it wonít do. Beginto realize your own life, begin to feel your own Åtman,bid adieu to this tipsy state which makes you bewail yourown death. Stand on your feet whether you are great orsmall, whether you are placed very high or very low, carenot a straw for that. Realize your Divinity, your God-head.Look at anything in the face, shrink not. Look not atyourself with the eyes of others but with your own Self.Your own Self will always tell you that you are the greatestSelf in all the world.

Similarly people say Vedånta, Buddhism etc., tells themto think so, but Råma tells you, Heaven from within tellsyou never to think yourself dilapidated decrepit or worsted.Realize the Divinity within.

The mountain and the squirrelHad a quarrel;And the former called the latter ëLittle Prig.íBun replied:ëYou are doubtless very big;But all sorts of things and weatherMust be taken in together.To make up a yearAnd a sphere.And I think it no disgraceTo occupy my place.If I am not as large as you,You are not so small as I,And not half so spry,Iíll not deny you makeA very pretty squirrel track.í

Respect Yourself and Everybody will Respect You

22 Kalyana-Kalpataru

Talents differ; allís well and wisely put.If I cannot carry forests on my back,Neither can you crack a nut.Thus your body may be like that of a little squirrel

and another body beside you may be as big as a mountain,but donít think you are small; be as wise as the smallsquirrel. Remember that even if your body is very little,you have a function to discharge in this world, which thebig body cannot perform. Then why look down yourself?Be cheerful and happy.

A gentleman came to Råma and said that his superiorofficer ill-treated him all the time. Råma told him that thesuperior officer looked down upon him because he lookeddown upon himself. If we respect our own selves, everybodymust respect us. If a value of one cent is put upon thislittle book, nobody will pay two cents for it, but if a valueof 25 cents is placed upon this little book, everybody iswilling to pay that amount for it.

Similarly set upon yourself a small value, and nobodywill take you at a high value. Set upon yourself the highestvalue, respect yourself, feel your Divinity, your God-head,and everybody must take you in the same way. They say,faith will save you; but faith in external principles will notsave you; faith in your own Divinity will save you. Believe,have living faith in your own Divinity, respect yourself,and everybody will respect you.

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Greatest Obstacle is WorldlyAttachment

◊Ÿ, ÃÊ‚ÊÒ¥ Á∑§ÃË ∑§„UË ‚◊ȤÊÊß–Ÿ¢Œ-Ÿ°ŒŸ§∑§ ø⁄UŸ-∑§◊‹ ÷Á¡, ÃÁ¡ ¬Êπ°«U-øÃÈ⁄UÊßH‚Èπ-‚¢¬ÁÃ, ŒÊ⁄UÊ-‚ÈÃ, „Uÿ-ªÿ, ¿ÍU≈ÒU ‚’ ‚◊ÈŒÊß–¿UŸ÷¢ªÈ⁄U ÿ„U ‚’Ò SÿÊ◊ Á’ŸÈ, •¢Ã ŸÊÁ„¢U ‚°ª ¡ÊßH¡Ÿ◊Ã-◊⁄Uà ’„ÈUà ¡Èª ’ËÃ, •¡„Í°U ‹Ê¡ Ÿ •Êß–‚Í⁄UŒÊ‚, ÷ªfl¢Ã-÷¡Ÿ Á’ŸÈ , ¡Ò„UÒ ¡Ÿ◊ ª°flÊßH

(Sµura Vinaya-Patrikå 117)O my heart! How many times you have been asked

to understand.To abandon hypocrisy and cleverness and insteaddedicate completely in the prayer of lotus feet of ›r∂

Nandanandana.All worldly pleasure and wealth, wife and son, elephantand horses and menfolk of this world will be of no help as they will remain here only.All are momentary. Except ›yåmasundara none will

come along at the last journey.In the species of birth and death so many ages gone

away, but (you) did not get ashamed?Sµuradåsaj∂ saysóThis way You will depart leaving this

birth (also) without worship and prayer to God.❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

Benefits of JapaóSwami Sivananda

Japa checks the force of the thought-current movingtowards objects. It forces the mind to move towards God,towards the attainment of eternal bliss. It eventually helpsto have Dar‹ana of God. The Mantra Caitanya is hiddenin every Mantra. Whenever the Sådhaka, or spiritualaspirant shows lack of vigour in his Sådhanå, the Mantra-›akti or power of the Mantra reinforces the Sådhanå-›aktiof the Sådhaka. Constant and prolonged repetition for somemonths cuts new grooves in the mind and the brain.

During Japa all the divine qualities steadily flow intoyour mind from the Lord, just as oil flows from one vesselto another vessel. Japa transforms the nature of the mind.It fills the mind with Sattva.

Japa changes the mental substance from passion topurity, from Rajas to Sattva. It calms and strengthens themind. It makes the mind introspective. It checks the out-going tendencies of the mind. It eradicates all kinds of evilthoughts and inclinations. It induces determination andausterity. Eventually it leads to the direct Dar‹ana of God,the I¶¢a Devatå or tutelary Deity or to God-realisation.

The mind is purified by constant Japa and worship.It is filled with good and pure thoughts. Repetition ofMantra and worship strengthen the good Sa≈skåras. ìAsa man thinks, so he becomes.î This is the psychologicallaw. The mind of a man who trains himself in thinkinggood, holy thoughts, develops a tendency to think of goodthoughts. His character is moulded and transformed by

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continued good thoughts. When the mind thinks of theimage of the Lord during Japa and worship, the mentalsubstance actually assumes the form of the image. Theimpression of the object is left in the mind. This is calledSa≈skåra. When the act is repeated very often, theSa≈skåras gain strength by repetition and a tendency orhabit is formed in the mind. He who entertains thoughtsof Divinity, becomes transformed actually into the Divinityitself by constant thinking and meditation His Bhåva ordisposition is purified and divinised. The meditator and themeditated, the worshipper and the worshipped, the thinkerand the thought, become one and the same. This isSamådhi. This is the fruit of worship or Upåsanå or doingJapa.

Silent repetition of Godís Name, Hari O≈ or ›r∂ Råmais a tremendous tonic and potent specific for all diseases.It should never be stopped even for a day under anycircumstances. It is like food. It is a spiritual food for thehungry soul. Lord Jesus says, ìYou can hardly live onbread alone; but you can live on the name of God alone.îYou can drink and live on the nectar that flows duringJapa and meditation. Even simple mechanical repetition ofa Mantra has got very great effect. It purifies the mind.It serves as a gatekeeper. It gives intimations to youwhenever some worldly thoughts enter the mind. At onceyou can drive off those thoughts and do Smaraƒa of theMantra. Even during mechanical repetition, a portion ofthe mind is there at work with it.

If you utter the word ëexcretaí or ëurineí when yourfriend is taking his meals, he may at once vomit his food.If you think of Garama PakauŒåí, ëhot PakauŒåí, yourtongue will get salivation. There is a ›akti in every word.When such is the case with ordinary words, how much

Benefits of Japa

26 Kalyana-Kalpataru

more power or ›akti should there be in the name of GodñHari, Råma, ›iva or K涃a? Repetition or thinking of HisName produces a tremendous influence on the mind. Ittransforms the mental substance, ëCittaí, overhauls thevicious old Sa≈skåras in the mind, transmutes the Åsur∂or diabolical nature and brings the devotee face to facewith God. There is no doubt about this. O sceptics andscientific atheists! Wake up! Open your eyes. Chant Hisname always. Sing. Do K∂rtana.

It is only ëNåma-Smaraƒaí that is free from difficultiesand troubles. It is easy, comfort-giving and simple. It istherefore said to be the ëheadí, the ëKingí of all Sådhanås(means to God-realization).

When you repeat his name, you must evince from thebottom of your heart Ananya Bhakti (unflinching devotionto God without love for any other object). You must driveoff all other worldly thoughts from your mind. Fill the mindwith thoughts of God and God alone. You must struggle.You must exert hard. Remain absorbed in Him. You musthave Avyabhicårin∂ Bhakti.

To love Lord K涃a for 3 months, Råma for another3 months, ›akti for 6 months, Hanumån for some time,Lord ›iva for some time, is not good. This is Vyabhicårin∂Bhakti. If you love K涃a, love Him alone till the end.Just as you see wood alone at the back of chair, table,bench, stick, almirah, cup-board, etc., see the Antaråtmå,Avyakta (hidden) K涃a alone in a flower, tree, fruits,tumbler, and all objects. This is Ananya Bhakti. This isParå Bhakti.

Just as you remember all the qualities of your son whenyou think of his name, e.g., Vi‹vanåthan, you shouldremember the qualities of God as Omnipotence, Omniscience.etc., when you think of His name.

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When you repeat the Mantra, have Såttvika Bhåva orSuddha Bhåva (right mental Attitude, Såttvika feeling). TheBhåva comes slowly when the purification-process goes on.Even mere mechanical repetition has very great effect. Thevibration in the mind set up by the repetition purifies theCitta (mind-stuff), brings Citta-›uddhi.

A beginner should have a Japa-Målå or rosary. Lateron he can take recourse to Månasika Japa (mentalrepetition). If a man repeats the Mantra for 6 hours dalily,his heart will be purified quickly. He can feel the purity.You must have great faith in your Guru-Mantra. You mustkeep it a secret, also.

The shorter the Mantra you use, the greater will beyour power of concentration. Of all Mantras Råma-Nåmais the best. It is easy to repeat also.

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Benefits of Japa

Feeling the presence of God in a special degree inthe poor and the miserable, the afflicted and the diseased,serve them, mix with them with feelings of great regardand love, make them your own, try to alleviate theirsuffering to the best of your ability and induce themthrough sympathetic behaviour to engage in devotionalpractices.

óHanumanprasad Poddar

Every Living Being is Part of BrahmaóAnandamurti

What is the best way to become stronger and morefocussed? Not everyone is superhuman but that need notstop us from trying to rise above our normal potential. Bydeveloping superhuman powers we can awaken the elementof eternal humanity in us, Brahma or Universal consciousness.To attain this power, meanness must be shunned, becausethis is Sådhanå for the Infinite.

Feelings of differentiation are a great impediment. Sostop thinking of people as being this or thatóhe is aMuslim, another a Hindu, yet another a Brahminófor allsuch identification comes from mean thoughts. When everyliving being is a manifestation of Brahma, how can youknow yourself, without shedding these differentiating feelings?No one is high and no one is low. Of course, accordingto oneís virtues and vices one is happy, miserable, richor poor; one is a fool and another is erudite, but all arefundamentally human beings. Therefore, it is better not todifferentiate between people.

There is a story in the Mahåbhårata. Both Yudhi¶¢hiraand Duryodhana had invited Lord K涃a to their respectivehouses for dinner. While on his way there, K涃a enteredthe house of Vidura. Vidura was not home. Viduraís wifebecome nervous on the sudden appearance of K涃a. Shedid not know how to receive him properly. Moreover, therewas no food in the house except for bananas. Therefore,after washing his feet she seated him and began to feedhim the bananas.

When Sage Vidura returned home, he saw K涃a sittingand his wife fully absorbed in her hospitality, was feeding

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him the peel of the bananas. K涃a was eating so happily,that it seemed as if he had never tasted a more delicious food.Vidura was greatly troubled at the folly of his wife and asked:ì What are you doing? You are feeding banana skins toK涃a instead of banana fruit!î Viduraís wife was takenaback and started apologising. Vidura also implored.ìOLord! Thou hast taken a good many banana skins; do kindlyoblige this poor woman by taking a few bananas. ìBut K涃asaid, ìVidura! My stomach is full now. These banana skinshad such an exquisite flavour that there could be no superiorfood. So, long as your wife, forgetting all differences, wasfeeding me, ëIí was not there, but now that the differencebetween the banana and its skin has intervened, ëIí is there.î

›a∆karåcårya was an erudite scholar. No doubt he wasa great advaitist, yet there was a lack of full harmony betweenhis principles and practices. Once after having a dip in theGa∆gå at Kashi, he was walking towards the road and hesaw an ëuntouchable walking with a number of dogs. Forfear that his body might be touched, he tried to bypass them.He even asked the man to stay away from his path. To whichthe ëuntouchableí said: ìO Lord! Is this the result of yourprinciple that there is only Brahma and nothing else? Youare known as a Brahmaj¤ån∂. Yet you differentiate betweenyou and me.î

The Supreme Brahma resides within the feeling ëI amísituated amidst the concealed intuition of the mind. Ourexistence is in Him. Due to Him the perception of the worldis possible. Having created our ego and scattered innumerabletoys around us. He has hidden himself among them. Whenwe come to see Him in all things created by Him, ourego gets lost. The feeling of unit ëií shall be merged inthe Universal ëIí.

CourtesyóTimes of India❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

Every Living Being is Part of Brahma

Extremely Blessed You AreóSwami Chidananda

You are the most fortunate human individuals on earthin that in this present incarnation you have been broughtinto the life spiritual. You have been drawn towards theEternal, and you have been endowed with aspiration, aspirit of enquiry, and discrimination between the real andthe unreal, between the eternal and the non-eternal, betweenthe permanent and the evanescent. You have been endowedwith discrimination and dispassionópriceless blessingsbeyond compare.

You are most fortunate, extremely blessed in that youhave been brought into this way of life, directing your entirelife towards the Supreme, and have been provided withall facilities for your evolution, all conveniences. You alsohave inconveniences, obstacles, difficulties and problems sothat you may know how to deal with and overcome them.Due to them you may evolve spiritually, round off yourangularities, arouse into wakefulness your inner resources.

So, you are fortunate to have all facilities, all conveniencesand also all inconveniences which are blessings in disguiseóseeming problems but means for evolving further andfurther. They are necessary ingredients for arousing fromwithin you your inner resources: endurance, commonsense, innate wisdom to turn stumbling blocks intostepping stones, innate wisdom to look at things from adifferent angle. Thus, in every way you have been providedwith everything required to move towards divine perfectionówhich is your destiny.

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Therefore, great has been grace, greater still has beenthe blessings, and greatest of all has been your determinationto stick it out in spite of all apparent adamantine obstructionsand obstacles: ìThis is all part of Godís divine plan forme. I accept it in toto and deal with it with wisdom,understanding. patience and perseverance as did the realseekers of yore in times bygone, those who reaped thebenefit, the golden harvest of such perseverance.

ìI have total trust in the Divine. When He has calledme into this life, He will never abandon me. There is ameaning and purpose behind everything that He is nowmaking me undergo. Deep within me, I know that in allthese things, He is by my side. Divine never abandons.Believing in Him, no one is lost. Placing oneís hands inHis hands, one is sure of being guided to the destination.When He has called me to this life, He means me to liveit to the ultimate end. I have set my hands to the ploughand there is no turning back. I shall persist, persevere, untilI reap the golden harvest.î

Such indeed is the stuff of those who achieve, thosewhose lofty, inspired examples of what a seeker shouldbe fill the Upani¶ads. Therefore, I ask each one of youto persist, persevere, look not back. Forge ahead! Live inthe Divine. Be aware only of the Divine. Think only ofthe Divine.

Set your mind, intellect, heart, your entire being, upon thatone and only Reality of which you are an inseparable part,with which you are essentially one. Have your being fixedupon the glorious destiny that is yours as a birthright, thatis nothing short of Divine-consciousness which is beyondall limited states of awareness, beyond time and space,name and form, and beyond this little, petty, false, deceptive

Extremely Blessed You Are

32 Kalyana-Kalpataru

human identity.This human identity is the greatest of all obstacles. It

is the last to be overcome, and, truth to tell, the one andonly obstacle. All other obstacles are offshoots of this one,great obstacleóthe ìIî. ìThen shall I be free, when ëIíshall cease to be. I am my problem. I am the shackles thatbind me, the chains that hold me bound. I am Sa≈såra,I am Prapa¤ca, I am Måyå. I am my bondage.

ìBut for me, I am ever free. I am never bound. I ameternally pure, awakened and divinely perfect. I haveneither birth nor death nor old age nor disease. That isme. But ëIí stands in the way of realising the me that Iam in reality. ëMano buddhi aha∆kåra cittåni nåha≈,cidånanda rµupa¨ ‹ivoí ham ‹ivoí hamí ( I am neither mindnor intellect, nor the ego-sense, nor even the mind-stuff.I am of the form of pure consciousness and bliss. VerilyI am all auspiciousness and bliss). All that I think I am,all that I am bound up with, that I am not.î

May the Divine continue to shower grace upon youas it has been showering upon you since birth into thispresent physical body. Unknown to you, the Divine hasbeen shaping you gradually for this noble, sublime lifethrough various means from infancy to childhood toadolescence to adulthood. He has been working, directing,moulding, putting opportunities in your way, bringingobstacles, giving bitter experiences so that you may realizewhat life is, and bringing noble experience so that you areconfirmed in your faith in the goodness of God, in thegoodness of human nature.

As a mother does for a helpless infant. He has broughtyou all that is needful, preparing you for this gloriousrenunciation, preparing you for this glorious Nivætti Mårga,

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the path that leads beyond time into eternity, the path thatleads to the Eternal Reality.

If you look back you will understand many events thatyou did not understand. God does more miracles throughpainful and unpleasant experiences, than he does throughsunshine and picnics, through pleasant experiences. Whenwe understand, we are filled with gratitude, and we wonderwhy we did not understand. You only have to look at thepresent world and you will know what you have beenliberated from. Therefore, we are filled with a deep emotionof humble acknowledgment of His perennial grace, arecognition of His ever-present grace and blessings in ourlife.

For verily I tell all of you here that the Divine haslifted you up from unrealities into the Reality. Verily I assureyou that He has lifted you up from darkness into light. Andthis is ìTri-vara-satyaí, thrice true. In truth and in fact, Hehas lifted us up from spiritual death into that flowing stream,that great upward movement unto immortality and everlastinglife in the eternal Divine-consciousness that we call Brahmaor That or Allah or Nirvåƒa or the Kingdom of Heavenóa state of perfection. He has lifted you up from unrealitiesunto The great Reality, from darkness unto light and fromdeath unto everlasting life in that state of awareness thatwe call by all these various terms.

Rejoice, be humble, be grateful, and stop not till theGoal is reached. Do not move in any other direction. Donot lose any opportunity. Do not allow a single momentto pass by without keeping up with this ascent of the spiritunto its own, unto its native state, unto its eternal naturalcondition of Saccidånanda-consciousness, which is theonly real thing, that abides forever, that exists always.

Extremely Blessed You Are

34 Kalyana-Kalpataru

Live in the awareness that God is here and now. Heabides within you, and you ever abide in Him. This is theonly truth. All others are figments. They are fancies andfantasies. The only truth is the here and now God and thefact that He abides in you and you abide in Him. Livein this truth! Glory be to each and everyone of you! Glorybe to God who has thus graced you!

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You know these are days of steam and electricity.Religion ought to pack up and depart. O Christians, OHindus, O Mohammedans, if you really want that themisery of the world should be eradicated, if you wantthat the sufferings of mankind should be removed, youought to attend to this, you ought to establish thematrimonial relation on fair terms, you ought to instil intothe heart of every lady and gentleman that it is a dutyto prove the Christ to his wife or to her husband, It isincumbent on us to do that; it is our bounden duty toprove the Christ. And how can that be done? That canbe done if the wife does not want to make a slave ofthe husband and the husband ëdoes not want to makethe wife dependent on him. Free all of yourself, and youwill be free. That is the Law. ìAction and reaction areequal and opposite.î Make her dependent upon you,make her your slave and you will be a slave too. Oh!this is a most terrible speech. Truth is always disagreeable,terrible. Christ taught that Truth, and he was persecutedand crucified. Socrates came and he was given hemlock.Truth is never taken cheerfully by the people. It seemsto be a terrible statement, but so it is. Just mark.

óSwami Rama Tirtha

Read and Digest

Religion tussels are caused only by those who do notpractise their own religion in life.

* * *Take the position of a giver and you are the personification

of happiness.* * *

All property, all possessions are bondage.* * *

Desire is a disease; it keeps you in a state of suspense.* * *

Do not represent your happiness in receiving but ingiving, giving always brings happiness.

* * *Let love, humility and service be the motto of your life.

* * *Your ownself is the self of all, and in reality it is the

self of God. Feel it, be conscious of it and realise it.* * *

The man who does away with his limited selfishnessis God Himself.

* * *Prosperity and victory are bound with truth and virtue.

* * *It is truth alone that triumphs, and not untruth.

* * *Self-control is the key to spiritual progress.

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The Magic of SeychellesóProf. Sudesh Gogia

Thereís something magic about this small corner of theuniverse known as ëSeychellesí. To look at this mysteriousisland is a strong sensation to the sensory organs. The eyesperceive everything as beautiful.

The ear listen to the sounds whether itís that of thewaves or the songs of birds or the tunes of the local musicare simply wonderful. Creole food brings delight to thepalate, the smell and fragrance enter the nostril is assoothing as everything else is pleasant to the touch!

The magic of Seychelles is that all the sensations feltare indeed different shades of the same thing. Itís simplythe vibration of the place! Thisís what makes Seychelles sucha unique spot in the universe, a place where the ëSensationof lifeí is unsurpassingly great is the fact that the vibrationsare felt as love and the scenic beauty of a celebration ofthe vibration of the place. ìI love Seychellesî is simply theacknowledgement what I perceive its vibrations of the world!The people right from the airport are viewed as among themost hospitable, friendliest and courteous. Theyíre thepeople who are living in harmony, peace and solidarity.

Most Seychellois have developed entrepreneurial skillsand in the spirit of ëleve debrouyeí are developing cottageindustries or setting up ventures else where to improve theirliving standards.Seychelles is a beautiful friendly islandó

It has magnetic attraction. Swimming in the sea, whichis warm not cold, is simply exotic and exciting. Seychelles

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has beautiful flora and fauna full of greenery. No dust nopollution. The pathways are engulfed with trees and flowerson both sides. To drive along the highways is like romancingwith nature. We find sea and mountains both enchanting,exquisite and glorifying the beauty of this island.

For honeymooners itís a paradise on earth. Everbodyloves the environment of Seychelles which is full offragrance, dust-free and pollution free. In India, we havedifferent seasons so thereíre times when the leaves of thetrees change colour but here, everything is green. We lovethe colour of the sea, itís blue-green! The rejuvenate andenergizing oneís cells, Seychelles is the best!

The food is easily digested here. The taste of local fruitsis superb. The milk, cheese, yoghurt, butter and vegetablesare so fresh.

Seychelles is peaceful, friendly and have mysteriousattraction. The air is fresh. No traffic jams. No parkingproblems. Itís a human paradise. Before coming here, Icould not visualize this amazing and wonderful island, likeSeychelles. The mysterious island surrounded by sea hasbeckoned us for magical evenings out-an adventure we willnever forget! An early invigorating morning setting sun castits orange glow over the vast expanse of rippling sand inthe beaches. It looks like a shimmering mirage.

We had in the past visited many hill-stations but nocomparison with Seychelles.

The local people are friendly and helpful. Day by daywe are discovering the beauty of the island and its pristinebeaches.

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The Magic of Seychelles

True StudyOne learned Bråhmaƒa went to a saintly king. He was

much revered. Bråhmaƒa toldóìO king! If you so wishthen I let you listen ›r∂madbhågavata.î

The king looked at him and toldóìYou study›r∂madbhågavata for some more days and then come.î

Bråhmaƒa took it very badly and departed. But he didnot abandon study of ›r∂madbhågavata. He memorized theentire scripture and then again went to the king. But againhe got the same replyóëYou study ›r∂madbhagavata forsome more days.í

Once, twice, thriceóthe king went on replying heretoforeto Bråhmaƒa whenever he visited him. Lastly he wasdisappointed. While reciting ›r∂madbhågavata, all of suddenhe took notice of verses depicting dispassion. His heartvoicedóìChi¨! I am going to a very insignificant kingunder influence of greed, whereas the visible vision ofinfinite compassionate, Lord ›r∂ K涃a is before me in theform of ›r∂madbhågavata and I am not taking refuge inHim.î From then onwards Bråhmaƒa engrossed himself inthe study of ›r∂madbhågavata.

Considerable time elapsed and Bråhmaƒa did not turnup then the king sent his emissary to call him but now thecompletely dispassionate Bråhmaƒa how could think ofgoing to him? At the last, the king himself went to the hutof Bråhmaƒa He toldóìO Bråhmaƒa! I beg you pardon.Now you have studied ›r∂madbhågavata in its proper spirit.If one does not attain attachment and devotion of God, thenit is meaningless to simply read Bhågavata. You pleaserecite, now I will listen it from your mouth, sitting here beforeyour feet.

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What should I Pray For

After many wanderings, O God,I have come to Thine asylum.Nånakaís prayer, O God, is ëLetMe apply myself to Thy serviceí:I a beggar, beg a gift of Thee O God:Mercifully grant me Thy Name.I crave for the dust of the saintís feet:Fulfil my desire, O Supreme Being.Let me ever love Thy lotus feet,And continually perform Thy service.Thou art mine only shelter, mine only support:Nånaka craveth Thine excellent name.

óTranslated by R. R. Khanna❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

Såvitr∂ís Rendezvous with Yama

As per the Vana Parva of the Mahåbhårata, A‹vapatithe king of Madra and his queen Målav∂ being childlesswish for a son for their lineage to continue. They undertakean ascetic life and offer oblations to Sun-god Savitæ. Pleasedwith their devotion, God Savitæ appears before them andgrants a boon that they will have a daughter. They areoverjoyed at the prospect of having a child, and name thedaughter Såvitr∂ in honour of the god. Needless to say,she imbibes the traits of asceticism and devotion as shewas born out of them. When she reaches the age ofmarriage, her father is worried as none come forward toseek her hand realising their inability to match her purityand beauty. Hence her father tells her to find a husbandon her own. She travels across and beyond her kingdomfor this purpose and finally chooses Satyavån, the son ofa blind king named Dyumatsena, who after losing everythingincluding his kingdom and eyesight lives in exile as aforest-dweller.

When Såvitr∂ discloses her decision, Sage Nårada warnsA‹vapati about her bad choice. He reveals that thoughSatyavån is peerless and perfect in everyway, he is destinedto die in a year. A‹vapatiís repeated pleas to Såvitr∂ toreconsider her decision, fall on deaf ears as she is adamanton her choice. He finally acquiesces and conducts themarriage of Såvitr∂ and Satyavån with great pomp. Soonafter her marriage, she too takes to the ascetic way of life,dons the attire befitting a hermitís wife, and lives in perfectobedience and respect to elders. As the destined day of

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Satyavånís death approaches, Såvitr∂ takes a three-day vowof fasting and vigil. Though her father-in-law advises heragainst such harsh austerities, she convinces him and seekshis permission to accompany her husband to the forest onthe third day. Dyumatsena accedes to her request as shehad not asked for anything during the entire yearís stayat the hermitage.

On the day of Satyavånís predicted death, he suddenlybecomes weak while cutting wood and places his head onSåvitr∂ís lap. Yama himself comes to claim the soul ofSatyavån. She follows him as he carries Satyavånís soulaway. His effort to convince her to return goes in vain.With her wit and wisdom, she wins over Yama. She firstspeaks about Dharma then the benefits of having acquaintancewith the wise and the disciplined and praises Yama forhis just rule and hails him as Dharmaråja. Impressed, heoffers to grant her two boons except the life of Satyavån.She first asks for the restoration of both kingdom andeyesight for her father-in-law. She then asks a hundred sonsfor her father. Having granted the boons, Yama proceedsto his kingdom but is surprised to find Såvitr∂ still trailinghim. Taking pity on her, he offers to grant her a third boon.But this time he forgets to add the clause, ìexceptSatyavånís life.î Såvitr∂ wisely asks for a hundred sons forherself and Satyavån. Yama is in a dilemma as this wouldindirectly mean restoring Satyavånís life. However, pleasedwith Såvitr∂ís purity, perseverance and wisdom, he revivesSatyavån and blesses her with eternal happiness.

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Såvitr∂ís Rendezvous with Yama

Nåråyaƒa Atharva‹iropani¶adóK. Subramanian

This Upani¶ad is also called Nåråyaƒa Upani¶ad andbelongs to K涃a Yajurveda. It details about Nåråyaƒa Whois Vi¶ƒu, the Supreme Lord and Creator of the Universe.It also explains the spiritual significance of the Mantra ëO≈namo nåråyaƒåya.

ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊÊÕfl¸Á‡Ê⁄UʬÁŸ·Ã˜˙ ‚„U ŸÊflflÃÈ– ‚„U ŸÊÒ ÷ÈŸÄÃÈ– ‚„U flËÿZ ∑§⁄UflÊfl„ÒU– áÁSfl

ŸÊflœËÃ◊SÃÈ– ◊Ê ÁflÁm·Êfl„ÒUH ˙ ‡ÊÊÁã×! ‡ÊÊÁã×!! ‡ÊÊÁã×!!!Om. May God protect both of us. May we both enjoy

the results. May we work together with great energy. Mayour study be vigorous and effective? May we not showcontempt for each other. O≈ ›ånti¨! ›ånti¨!! ›ånti¨!!!

˙ •Õ ¬ÈL§·Ê „U flÒ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊÊ˘∑§Ê◊ÿà ¬˝¡Ê— ‚ΡÿÁÖ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊÊà¬˝ÊáÊÊ¡Êÿà ◊Ÿ— ‚fl¸Áãº˝ÿÊÁáÊ ø– π¢ flÊÿÈÖÿʸÁÃ⁄Uʬ— ¬ÎÁÕflË Áfl‡flSÿ œÊÁ⁄UáÊË–ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊʵrÊÔÊ ¡ÊÿÖ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊʺ̋Ⱥ̋Ê ¡ÊÿÖ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊÊÁŒãº̋Ê ¡ÊÿÖ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊÊà¬̋¡Ê¬Á׬˝¡ÊÿÖ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊÊŒ˜mÊŒ‡ÊÊÁŒàÿÊ L§º˝Ê fl‚fl— ‚flʸÁáÊ ¿UãŒÊ¢Á‚– ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊÊŒfl‚◊Èà¬lãÖ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊÊà¬˝fløãÖ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ ¬˝‹ËÿãÖ ∞ÃŒÎÇflŒÁ‡Ê⁄UÊ˘œËÃH 1H

O≈ Nåråyaƒa desired to create human beings.As a result Pråƒa rose from Him. Manas and all otherIndriyas, sky, air, agni, water and the earth that can carry allthe created beings (Pa¤ca Bhµutas) took their forms. FromNåråyaƒa, Brahmå was born. From Nåråyaƒa, Rµudra wasborn. From Nåråyaƒa Indra was born. From NåråyaƒaPrajåpatis (Rulers or kings) were born. From Nåråyaƒa, the12 Ådityas (Suns), 11 Rudras, 8 Vasus and all the Chandaswere born. All these function because of Nåråyaƒa and allthese end in Nåråyaƒa. This also is continued in §Rgveda.

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•Õ ÁŸàÿÊ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ—– ’˝rÊÊÔ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ—– Á‡Êfl‡ø ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ—– ‡Ê∑˝§‡øŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ—– ∑§Ê‹‡ø ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ—– ÁŒ‡Ê‡ø ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ—– ÁflÁŒ‡Ê‡ø ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ—– ™§äflZø ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ—– •œ‡ø ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ—– •ãÃ’¸Á„U‡ø ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ—– ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ ∞flŒ¢ ‚flZÿŒ˜÷Íâ ÿìÊ ÷√ÿ◊˜– ÁŸc∑§‹VÔUÊ ÁŸ⁄UTŸÊ ÁŸÌfl∑§À¬Ê ÁŸ⁄UÊÅÿÊ× ‡ÊÈhÊ Œfl∞∑§Ê ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊÊ Ÿ ÁmÃËÿÊ˘ÁSà ∑§Á‡øØ– ÿ ∞fl¢ flŒ ‚ ÁflcáÊÈ⁄Ufl ÷flÁÖ ÿ∞Ãàÿ¡Èfl¸Œ Á‡Ê⁄UÊ˘œËÖ

Nåråyaƒa is perennial. Nåråyaƒa is Brahmå. Nåråyaƒais ›iva. Nåråyaƒa is Indra and Kåla. All Diks areNåråyaƒa. All sides are Nåråyaƒa. Inside and outside isNåråyaƒa. Nåråyaƒa is past, present and future. Nåråyaƒais the only God Who is pure, stainless, odourless, endlessand undescribable. Nåråyaƒa is second to none. He, whoknows this becomes himself Nåråyaƒa. The YajurvedaUpani¶ads say thusó

•ÊÁ◊àÿª̋ √ÿÊ„U⁄UÖ Ÿ◊ ßÁà ¬‡øÊØ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊÊÿàÿȬÁ⁄UCÔUÊØ– •ÊÁ◊àÿ∑§ÊˇÊ⁄U◊˜–Ÿ◊ ßÁà m •ˇÊ⁄U– ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊÊÿÁà ¬ÜøÊˇÊ⁄UÊÁáÊ– ∞ÃmÒ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊSÿÊc≈UÊˇÊ⁄¢U ¬Œ◊˜–ÿÊ „U flÒ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊSÿÊCÔUÊˇÊ⁄¢U ¬Œ◊äÿÁÖ •Ÿ¬’˝Èfl— ‚fl¸◊ÊÿÈ⁄UÁÖ ÁflãŒÃ, ¬˝Ê¡Ê¬àÿ¢⁄UÊÿS¬Ê·¢ ªÊÒ¬àÿ¢ ÃÃÊ˘◊ÎÃàfl◊‡ŸÈà ÃÃÊ˘◊ÎÃàfl◊‡ŸÈà ßÁÖ ∞ÃØ‚Ê◊flŒÁ‡Ê⁄UÊ˘œËÃH 3H

Chant ëO≈í first and then chant ëNåmaí. After this chantëNåråyaƒaí. There is one letter in O≈. There are two lettersin Nåma. There are five letters in ìNåråyaƒaî. The 8 letteredMantra ëO≈ namo nåråyaƒåyaí is thus formed. He whochants these 8 letters, attains long life without any sufferings.He attains Mukti after becoming the lord of the people andblessed with lots of wealth, lots of cows and other formsof wealth. The Såmaveda Upani¶ads say thusó

¬˝àÿªÊŸãŒ¢ ’˝rÊÔ¬ÈL§·¢ ¬˝áÊflSflM§¬◊˜– •∑§Ê⁄U ©U∑§Ê⁄UÊ ◊∑§Ê⁄U ßÁÖ ÃÊ •Ÿ∑§œÊ‚◊÷flàÌÌÊÁ◊ÁÖ ÿ ◊ÈÄàflÊ ◊Èëÿà ÿÊªË ¡ã◊‚¢‚Ê⁄U’¢œŸÊØ– ˙ Ÿ◊ÊŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊÊÿÁà ◊ãòÊʬʂ∑§Ê flÒ∑ȧá∆U÷ÈflŸ¢ ªÁ◊cÿÁÖ ÃÁŒŒ¢ ¬Èá«U⁄UË∑¢§ ÁflôÊÊŸÉÊŸ¢ÃS◊ÊàÃÁ«UŒÊ÷◊ÊòÊ◊˜– ’˝rÊÔáÿÊ Œfl∑§Ë¬ÈòÊÊ ’˝rÊÔãÿÊ ◊œÈ‚ÍŒŸ— ’˝rÊÔáÿ— ¬Èá«U⁄UË∑§ÊˇÊÊ’˝rÊÔÔáÿ— ÁflcáÊÈ⁄UëÿÈà ßÁÖ ‚fl¸÷ÍÃSÕ◊∑¢§ flÒ ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ¢ ∑§Ê⁄UáÊ¢¬ÈL§·◊∑§Ê⁄UáÊ¢ ¬⁄¢U’˝rÊÊÔ◊˜– ∞ÃŒÕfl¸Á‡Ê⁄UÊ˘œËÖ

Nåråyaƒa Atharva‹iropani¶ad

44 Kalyana-Kalpataru

That ever-happy Brahma Puru¶a (Åtmå) is of the formof Praƒava (O≈) which is made of joining “• ©U ◊”. ThatPraƒava growing in several ways becomes ˙ and that Yog∂who meditates on it, attains Mukti. That Yog∂ who meditateson ìO≈ namo nåråyaƒåyaî reaches Vaikuƒ¢ha.

That Vaikuƒ¢ha is nothing but the Hædaya Kamalawhich is full of eternal wisdom, from which a streak oflight similar to lightning emanates. The son of Devak∂ isBrahma. The Madhusµudana is Brahma. The lotus-eyed oneis Brahma and also Lord Vi¶ƒu Who is Acyuta. The Puru¶awhich is the reason for existence of all beings is surelyNåråyaƒa. He is also the causeless ìO≈î which is ParaBrahma. The Atharva Upani¶ads say thusó

¬˝ÊÃ⁄UœËÿÊŸÊ ⁄UÊÁòÊ∑Χ⠬ʬ¢ ŸÊ‡ÊÿÁÖ ‚Êÿ◊œËÿÊŸÊ ÁŒfl‚∑Χ⠬ʬ¢ŸÊ‡ÊÿÁÖ Ãà‚Êÿ¢ ¬̋ÊÃ⁄UœËÿÊŸ— ¬Ê¬Ê̆ ¬Ê¬Ê ÷flÁÖ ◊äÿ¢ÁŒŸ◊ÊÁŒàÿÊÁ÷◊ÈπÊ̆ œËÿÊŸ—¬Üø◊„UʬÊÃ∑§Ê¬¬ÊÃ∑§Êà¬˝◊ÈëÿÖ ‚fl¸flŒ¬Ê⁄UÊÿáÊ ¬Èáÿ¢ ‹÷Ö ŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ‚ÊÿÈÖÿ◊flÊåŸÊÁà üÊË◊ãŸÊ⁄UÊÿáÊ‚ÊÿÈÖÿ◊flÊåŸÊÁà ÿ ∞fl¢ flŒ– ßàÿȬÁŸ·Ã˜–

He who chants this in the morning, destroys the sincommitted at night. He who chants this in the evening,destroys the sins committed during daytime. He who chantsthis at noon facing the Sun-god, gets rid of the 5 greatsins as well as subsidiary sins. He also gets the holy effectof chanting all the Vedas. He becomes one with LordNåråyaƒa at the end. This is the knowledge of the Veda.

Thus, ends the Nåråyaƒa Atharva‹iropani¶ad.❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

Pain, Its Cause and CureóT. R. Subramania Iyer

‚flʸÁáÊ ÷ÍÃÊÁŸ ‚Èπ ⁄U◊Áãà ‚flʸÁáÊ ŒÈ—πSÿ ÷·ʢ òÊ‚ãÖAll beings revel in pleasure; all shrink greatly from

painî (Mahåbhårata). But in spite of any amount of effort,there is none who can say that unalloyed pleasure has beenhis lot in life. Kings as well as mendicants undergomiseries; none is immune from them. What, then, is theorigin of pain and what its remedy? The Våsudevamanana(the meditations of Våsudeva), a standard work on theVedånta throws much light on this intricate problem.

Pain cannot be natural to man. If it were so, there wouldbe no possibility of our ever freeing ourselves from it. For,any attempt to get rid of what is natural to oneself is todestroy oneís own individuality. Hence, it follows, that painis not natural but only accidental to the Åtmåë•πá«U◊ÊŸãŒ◊M§¬◊jÈUÃ◊˜” ìIt (the Åtmå) is undivided, blissful,formless and wonderful.î

How then is misery caused, if bliss is the very natureof the Åtmå? It is only through embodiment. So long asthe Self is in the body, there is misery (Here, ëbodyí mustbe understood to mean not only the gross but also the subtlevehicles). It will be universally admitted that there is nosuch thing as unmixed happiness in the world. But thereverend author of the Våsudevamananam goes a stepfurther and says that no happiness at all is enjoyed byanybody. It is only pain which appears, through delusion,as happiness. For example, a cooly who has got accustomedto carry heavy loads, is seen to sing and laugh as he trudgesalong with his burden.

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If misery is the result of embodiment, what is thedifference between a spiritually wise person and one whois not? The difference lies in the mental attitude of the two.Having known that pain is due to embodiment and thatthe Åtmå is of the nature of Sat-Cit-Ånanda (Absoluteexistence, knowledge and bliss), the knower of Truth isfree from all miseries. He does not identify himself withthe body and knows no distinctions of class, nationality,etc. Although, through the connection with the body, hemay seem to suffer, he remains unaffected, knowing theimpermanent and illusory nature of the world.

The state of dreamless sleep is the nearest approachin our experience to the disembodied condition when wefeel no misery. Hence, it must be known that embodimentis the cause of pain.

What is the cause of this embodiment? It is Karma,the result of past actions, good, bad and mixed, giving riseto the manifold differences in birth. The human body isthe result of mixed Karmas.

Now Karmas are performed by the three organs, mind,speech and body, impelled by various motives, good andbad. Lust, hatred, anger, arrogance, envy, etc., lead to evilactions and must be subdued. Faith in the sacred scripturesand devotion to God lead to good actions and must becultivated. Thus the mind must be cleared of all evil andmade pure. For ìbondage or emancipation arises to men inthis world only through their mind and nothing else.î

The motives and desires arise through attachment(Abhimåna), which is caused by the non-discriminationbetween the real and the unreal (Aviveka). This want ofdiscrimination is the result of Aj¤åna or ignorance of thetrue nature of the Self. Thus ignorance is the ultimate causeof Pain.

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Ignorance is removed only through understanding.Renouncing all other undertakings, one must devote himselfentirely to the enquiry into the nature of the Åtmå, throughthe three methods of ›ravaƒa (learning, literally hearing),Manana (reflection of the mind) and Nididhyåsana (continued)meditation). ìWhoever pursues this line of enquiry, isreleased even in this life from all bonds of mundaneexistence and becomes emancipated in an embodied stateand (afterwards) in a disembodied one. Thus do all theVedåntas proclaim with one unanimous voice.î

❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

Pain, Its Cause and Cure

Oh Lord! Let noble thoughts come to us from allsides. Let our thoughts, words and deeds be mellowedwith the milk of human kindness. Kindly empower usso we may nourish good qualities (Satguƒas) likeócontrol over our minds (›ama), control over our organsof action and senses (Dama), compassion (Dayå),forbearance (K¶hamå), serenity (Sånti), etc. Let not ourminds ever wander on to the faults of others.

óH. H. Sri Sitarama Yeteendrulu

Good activities and right behaviour are the direct wayto happiness. The pathway of desires and sensorygratifications are a confounding maze of troubles. Pursuitof material goals as the be-all and end-all of life takesman farther and farther from true soul happiness; hecarries a self-created portable hades of misery withinhimself wherever he goes. Pursuit of divine activitiesleads straight way to the recover of manís lost blessedness.

Sanåtana, A Worthy Son

Sanåtana was born in Orissa. There were four membersin the familyóSanåtana, his loving parents and only oneyear old brother. Though they did not possess abundantwealth, yet they were simple, gentle, kind and loving. Theparents, putting their sons on their laps, talked about Godand His glories. They were contented and so their life washappy and peaceful and their pious life was proceedingtowards the Divinity.

In Orissa once there was a terrible famine continuouslyfor two years. The region, in which Sanåtana lived, couldnot escape that calamity. There was so much scarcity offood, water and grass that men, animals and birds beganto die of starvation. There were cases of broad day lightrobberies.

At that time Sanåtana was only eleven years old andhis younger brother was four years old. His father wentout of the house before the sunrose and gained hardly oneor two handfuls of corn by the sunset. That corn couldnot at all satisfy their appetite. Having seen the sad andstarved appearance of his loving wife and sons, he lostpatience and was totally broken. But there was no wayout. Their condition became so miserable that they hadnothing to eat. All the household articles had been sold.Sanåtanaís father had no means of livelihood. He once saidto his wife that he wanted to go out somewhere else. Sheknew that their pitiable condition was forcing him to bedetached from the family-ties. She did not agree to hisproposal. But one night he silently left home and neverreturned.

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At that time Sanåtana was only eleven years old. Hehad become almost diseased and shattered (broken). Withoutfood, his body was reduced to a skeleton. His mother wasconfined to bed. The boy was intelligent and devoted tohis mother. He went to beg from door to door to savehis mother and brother. Having covered a distance of threeor four miles daily, he could get some green grass, edibleroot or a little food. He offered these eatables to his lovingmother and younger brother. If anything remained, he ateit, otherwise remained hungry.

His body became very feeble, he fainted and then againhe regained consciousness. He thought of his loving motherand innocent brother. He made efforts to get up and againfell down. He could not afford any food to his mother andbrother for three days. He took the walking stick of hisfather and with the support of the stick he started to begfood. Fainting, stumbling and then again rising up, hemoved ahead.

Sanåtana, having seen a woman cooking rice, veryhumbly made an earnest request, ìMother, please a littlerice to me also!î The woman looked at the boy. Seeinghim pitiable, destitute and poor, she trembled and took pityupon him. She gave him some rice on a leaf. He startedwith that rice. He fell down and got up several times. Butbecause of his devotion for his mother and love for hisbrother, with the help of the walking-stick, without caringfor his life, he was moving as fast as he could.

It is said that a hungry mother disowns her own sonand a hungry female-snake devours its own off-spring.Sanåtana was also hungry but instead of thinking of hisown self, he was running towards his mother and brother,so that he could offer that rice to them.

Having seen Sanåtana coming, his younger brother

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rushed forward to him to get some food. Sanåtana gavea little rice to him and it invigorated him a little. He caughtSanåtanaís hand to get a bit more. But Sanåtana went aheadtowards his mother. The small brother cried out. Themother heard the cry and while taking a turn she said,ìWhat is the matter?î Sanåtana said, ìMother, there is alittle rice.î He put it before his mother.

She saw the weak and tired body of Sanåtana and shealso perceived his courage and efforts to protect her lifeas well as the life of his brother. So, her sunken eyes weremoistened. She, hesitatingly, overwhelmed with joyfulemotion, said, ìMay God bless you, dear son! Thoseparents are fortunate indeed who have such worthy sonsas you.î

❑❑ ❑❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑

ìO Giver of bliss, grant us wisdom.î Wisdom forwhat? Wisdom to cast out of us all that is not good,all that is undivine, all that is unspiritual. Wisdom toremove from ourselves, from within us, all that standsin the way of wisdom and bliss. ì›∂ghra såre durguƒonkodµura hamase k∂jiye. L∂jiye hamako saraƒa me hamasadåcår∂ banen. Brahmacår∂ dharmarak¶akasatyavratadhår∂ banenóGrant us the wisdom to surrenderourselves to Thee, surrender the ego to Thee, and to walkthe path of good conduct, to become established in thepath of righteousness and spirituality, that supreme idealway of life that leads to Brahmaj¤åna. Let us defendthat wisdom, carefully protect that wisdom for we knowthat, that is the guarantee of peace and joy. May we havethe wisdom and ability to adhere to truthfulness, adhereto Satyavrata.î

óSwami Chidananda

Ideal of Love and ForgivenessóSri Paramahansa Yogananda

Those, who under the influence of passion, thinkantagonistically toward others, forget that all human beingsare made in the image of God and are brothers. Hatredand anger becloud the divine image in vengeful persons,and delusion makes them lose the consciousness of theirinner divinity. Why give hate for hate and thus imitate thevileness of ignorance? One must cultivate the consciousnessof justice and love by knowing how to separate the God-image in the soul of a person from the evil in his egoexpression. Just as the subtle vibratory ether is present indark places and in the sunlight also, so one learns torecognize God in those who love him and also in thosewho hate him. To see God equally in friend and enemy,is a testimony to oneís spiritual realization.

One who extends his love to friends and enemiesalike, ultimately beholds the presence of the one loveeverywhereóin flowers, animals, and especially in thesouls of Godís human children. In order to see thisomnipresence of God, the devotee must behold Him notonly through the open portal of friendship, but must tearaway the dark screen of hate and behold His erstwhilehidden presence even in the heart of enemies.

It is not necessary to mix with oneís enemies. It is oftenbetter to love them from a distance, unless by acts of kindlyassociation oneís love can affect a change in those persons.If one does happen to come in contact with enemies, heshould remember that it is his spiritual duty to do so inlove, because God is in them trying to straighten out the

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crookedness in their hearts.If one talks love as a matter of diplomacy to win over

an enemy, but harbours enmity in his heart, that insinceritywill not work for very long. The human heart is intuitive;it is not easy to deceive its intuitive perception. The heartmust absolutely give up all manner of hatred because illwill, no matter how expertly controlled outwardly, travelsthrough the ether into the heart of the person on whichit is focused. Thinking love while talking, love will surelymollify and change oneís enemies, even if they do notimmediately recognize or admit it. Love is a divine cleanserand a lastingly effective way of winning oneís enemies.Hatred may temporarily suppress and put down an enemy,but he will still remain an enemy. The poison of hateincreases by hatred and can be counteracted and neutralizedonly by the chemical of love.

Inimical persons burn themselves with hatred and anger,consuming their inner peace. One who returns their enmitylikewise burns up his own inner equanimity, his peacewhich offers to his entire life absolute protection from thedevastation wrought by human miseries. So to hate anyoneis against oneís own interest.

Without any expression or feeling of malice or sarcasm,a wronged person should just say within himself: ìI forgiveyou.î It is such a healing, elevating experience. That mentalexpression of love also travels through the ether into heartof a wrongdoer. It is one of the most effective ways tochange an enemy. To hate an enemy, is to make himstronger, whereas his enmity is weakened by kindness untilhe may finally realize his fault.

Thus, Jesus says: ìBless them that curse youîóthat is,wish good for those who wish evil for you. If, as oftenas anyone wishes evil, on a person, that person responds

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by wishing good in return, the assailant cannot long retainhis evil attitude against that well-wisher. It is ordinary tothink that by retaliation hateful curses can be stopped; buteven if the enemy is weak and outwardly cowed down,his hatred will grow all the more, just waiting for the nextopportunity to ignite it. A curse for a curse cannot stopan enemyís hatred, but to love and bless a malicious scorner,is to place before him a good example that may serve tochange his attitude.

Action speaks louder than words. Thus Jesus says, ìDogood to them that hate you.î Not only should one mentallylove a detractor, but actually do good to him. With no traceof a ìholier-than-thouî attitude, sincere gestures of goodwillare reminders of the relation of divine brotherhood that isthe unifying principle among all human beings.

God is ever merciful, solely because He considers allsouls as His children, placing no conditional demands onthem in return. So should Godís children try to act divinelytoward one another without ulterior motives. That is whatJesus urged: ìHelp all, and you will feel the pleasure ofheartening others; help all, because God is your Father andeveryone is your kin. Love and help even your enemiesin that spirit of divine brotherhood. And your wisdom shallbe great, for Godís divine love shall grow within you; andby that you shall know you are not delimited mortals, butthe children of the Highest.î

Even if one can in no way approach those who hatehim in order to do good to them in some tangibleexpression, it is always possible to follow Jesusí counselto ìpray for them that despitefully use you, and persecuteyou.î Pray to the omnipresent God that He bless them withfreedom from their hatred. If one cannot take away thehatred from his enemies by example and loving-kindness,

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God can do so, for His omnipresence is in their heart andmind. By praying for oneís antagonists, one not only useshis own loving attitude but reinforces that with Godíspower to heal the error-stricken. If prayer is sincere andstrong, God will be moved to help change an enemy ifthe intervention of His grace is the best course for allconcerned.

If oneís prayer to change his enemyís attitude is notfulfilled, then the supplicant must know that God wantshim to pass the test of unconditional love, even in the throesof persecution from his enemyís lies, hateful talk, and evilactions. In His own time God can and will remedy allinharmonious conditions. One should continue to pray toGod that oneís enemies may be forgiven and spared fromsuffering the otherwise inevitable results arising from theirevil actions. That is the divine way to pray. God recognizesthe spiritual nobility in trying to rescue brothers fallen intothe pit of malicious behaviour, and rewards with divinewisdom and love those souls who respond to them withChristlike understanding and actions.

Anyone who wants to know God, must learn to love,as He does, His virtuous and sinful children alike. TheHeavenly Father knocks with His love at the heart-doorsof the vicious as well as the virtuous. The virtuous man,with his ears of wisdom, hears Godís summons and openseagerly the doors of devotion that God might enter; viciouspersons, their consciousness raucous with error, are insensibleto the Divine Visitation. Godís infinite love, undeterred,keeps knocking just the same until that wondrous momentin the soulís evolution when at last the closed mental doorswill open. Ordinarily, with time, a person forgets anyonewho has turned indifferent or hostile to him; but God, withìunhurrying chase, and unperturbed pace.î never stops

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pursuing His estranged children who forget Him.Those who love their enemies are surely loved by the

Heavenly Father and become like Him, for God ìmakethHis sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendethrain on the just and on the unjust.î Bhagavån K涃asimilarly said: ìHe is a supreme Yog∂ (one united to God)who regards with equal mindedness.....friends, enemies....thevirtuous and the ungodly.î

As God loves all of His children, regardless of merit,so also ìthat ye may be the children of your Father whichis in heaven,î the true children of God open their heartsto all their human brethren. Though Godís light of mercyshines equally on the good and the evil, and the rain ofHis helpful powers is showered on the just and the unjustalike, this is not to be understood that the good and badare able to reflect in equal measure Godís infinite grace.Charcoal cannot reflect the same amount of sunlight thatthe diamond does. Similarly, dark mentalities do not reflectGod as do virtuous mentalities. But God does not depriveHis unjust child because of his evil ways, but rather givesto His naughty child the same measure of love andopportunity so that he may have a chance to recover hisforgotten divine image. The naughty child needs access tothe light of God since he lives in self-created darkness.God is worried and anxious for His wicked child, but theevil son cannot utilize his Fatherís spiritual gifts unless hechanges his forward ways. The prodigal son has to redeemhimself by penitently making his way back to God; thegood son who walks in Godís light is already there.

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Ideal of Love and Forgiveness

A Glimpse of EducationalSystem in Ancient India

óDr. M. S. Manhas

Much has been written on the education of a studentin ancient India. Some scholars have criticized this systemprimarily on three counts: (a). The system places undueemphasis on the cramming of book material withoutassimilating it. (b). It stifles the thinking capability ofstudents and makes them misfits in the modern highlycompetitive society. (c). It places great stress on spiritualityand neglects science and technology oriented studies thatare more germane to the fast changing society. It is notthe purpose of this article to refute such misinformedcriticism, suffice it to say that this system gave birth toan enduring civilization that was rich in accomplishmentsin all walks of life and was a shining example that wasadmired by rest of the world. In spite of the severe jerksand jolts, that it received for a long span of over a thousandyears due to internal dissensions and external onslaughts,it survived because of the nobility of its ideals and resilienceof its moral fabric. Under much less provocations manyancient civilizations have completely disappeared.

To uproot the surviving Indian culture after its virtualdevastation by the Muslim invaders, Lord McCauley madethe following statement in the British Parliament on February2, 1835: ìSuch wealth I have seen in this country, suchhigh moral values, people of such caliber, that I do notthink that we would ever conquer this country unless webreak the very backbone of this nation, which is her

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spiritual and cultural heritage. We shall replace her ancientsystem and her culture, native self res