Email Excerpts of a Guru

Published by

Vedanta Ashram, Indore

From the emails ofSSSSSwwwwwami Aami Aami Aami Aami Atmtmtmtmtmananananananananananddddda Sa Sa Sa Sa Sarararararaaaaassssswwwwwatiatiatiatiati

Email Excerptsof a Guru

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Vedanta AshramE/2948-50, Sudama NagarIndore - 452 009. India

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Web : www.vmission.org.inEmail : [email protected]

Published by :Vedanta Ashram, Indore

This book is humbly dedicatedat the feet of Param Poojya Gurudev

SrSrSrSrSri Si Si Si Si Swwwwwami Cami Cami Cami Cami Chinmhinmhinmhinmhinmaaaaayyyyyanananananananananandddddaji,aji,aji,aji,aji,whose life was dedicated,

till his last breath,to spread the unifying & redeeming

message of Vedanta -to one & all.

Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya,

nor by rituals, nor by learning, is lib-

eration possible. Only by the realization

of one’s identity with Brahman is lib-

eration possible, not by any other

means.

- Vivekachoodamani

1. Arise! Awake! - 7

2. The Objective of Religion - 7

3. Implications of belief in God - 8

4. God loves to Love - 8

5. Spirituality and Relationships - 9

6. Mistakes are not deliberate - 9

7. Happy all along - 10

8. Don’t be afraid to fall - 10

9. Going and Reaching - 11

10. Lessons from Life and Death - 11

11. Prayers and Meditation - 12

12. Experience of a Prayer - 12

13. Understanding invokes Prayers - 13

14. Prayers and Asking - 14

15. Meaning of Om - 15

16. Mantras - 16

17. Is it possible never to hurt anyone ? - 16

18. Lessons from Failures - 17

19. Hindu Temples - 18

20. Getting Disappointments - 18

21. Secularism - 19

22. Leadership Training - 20

23. Is Sex a taboo? - 21

24. What does Brahmacharya mean ? - 22

Contents

Email Excerpts of a Guru

25. Sex and Love - 23

26. Why sensual pleasures give joy ? - 24

27. Love and Arranged Marriages - 26

28. Arranged Marriage - 26

29. Points to Consider for Marriage - 27

30. Conversions create conflicts - 29

31. To Ignore is not to be non-partisan - 30

32. Negation of Ego - 30

33. Two Aspects of Anger - 31

34. Understanding Anger - 32

35. Role of Rituals - 34

36. Power and Dynamics of Faith - 35

37. Role of God - 36

38. The root of all problems - 36

39. What is Dhyana ? - 37

40. Handling Distractions in Dhyana - 37

41. Holistic Meditation - 39

42. Mind is our friend - 40

43. The choice is yours - 41

44. Are the Idols God ? - 41

45. Why do we believe in God ? - 42

46. God and Situations - 43

47. God’s wish or Prabhu Iccha - 44

48. The Jiva or Ego - 45

49. What is Ahankara ? - 46

50. When is ego a problem ? - 47

51. What is Maya ? - 48

52. Fragmentation and Self Knowledge - 49

53. Can I be of some service to you ? - 49

54. Where to find the ego ? - 50

55. Meeting of Physics and Metaphysics - 50

56. The Three Gunas - 51

57. Objective and Subjective Minds - 52

58. Handling uncooperative Mind - 53

59. Unquiet mind and retreats - 54

60. Be considerate to your mind - 55

61. Stilling the Mind and After - 56

62. Is Mind our Enemy ? - 56

63. Role of Quietening the Thoughts - 57

64. The Truth of Thoughts - 58

65. Quietitude and Understanding - 58

66. Losing Temper is wrong - 59

67. Handling negative responses - 60

68. Transcending Thoughts - 61

69. Understanding Desires - 62

70. Is Atma-gyana easy or difficult ? - 63

71. Test of Knowledge - 63

72. ‘I’ - the most used and abused word - 64

73. ‘I’ is like a Queen-Bee - 64

74. Three Steps to Self-Realization - 65

75. Ego is Nishachar - 66

76. Rooting out of the Ego - 66

77. Experience and Knowledge - 67

78. Means and End - 69

79. Bondage and Liberation - 70

80. Samsari, Sadhaka and Siddha - 71

81. Expand yourself - 73

82. Changing impression about yourself - 73

83. Importance of Guru - 74

84. Necessity of a Guru - 74

85. A Living Guru is required - 75

86. Invoking Guru in someone no more - 76

87. Is purity of thoughts enough ? - 77

88. An ideal student - 78

89. What to do till you meet a Guru ? - 79

90. The Logic of Karma-Yoga - 81

91. The Essence of Karma-Yoga - 83

92. Enjoy the Journey - 84

93. Swadharma - 85

94. Caste System - 86

95. The Four Varnas - 87

96. The Role of Four Varnas - 89

97. Predictions dont make sense - 91

98. Is everything pre-destined ? - 91

99. Predictions deny joy of suspense - 92

100. Destiny and Freedom - 93

101. Who creates destiny ? - 94

102. Sushupti and Samadhi - 95

103. Why people go to secluded places ? - 95

104. Samadhi and Knowledge - 96

7Email Excerpts of a Guru

Arise ! Awake !

The dawn of light is far more beautiful than theeerie silence of darkness. God is the truth of life, so keepat it and you shall find the answers of life soon.

The Objective of Religion

Religion is basically a package for holisticdevelopment of human personality revealing & facilitatingthe art of holistic living and culminating into enlightenment.It takes into consideration the body, mind, intellect andalso that dimension which transcends all this. It helps bringout the best in a person by basing our lives on the eternaltruths of life, and tuning ourselves with the cosmic harmony.It thus helps create a truly complete, integrated and dynamicpersonality. All this calls for deep understanding of oneselfand life, in an atmosphere of complete freedom, withoutany insecurity, fears or impositions. One cannot ignorephilosophy to fulfill the objectives of religion. Philosophy iscomparable to science, while religion is like technology,helping us to translate the tenets in our day to day life.


Implications of belief in God

Belief in God not only indicates our belief in theinherent goodness of all, but also in the existence of thepower of righteousness, in harmony, in the magnanimity,the love for all, in the existence of infinite, and last but notthe least the divinity, oneness and infinitude of our Selftoo. The world will indeed be a great place to live in ifsuch awareness is spread all over.

God loves to Love

God pervades all, so love for God has to embraceeveryone. Love for God thus implies our 'ability to love'everyone, irrespective of the kind of relationship & recipro-cation. It implies that love has become your very nature.What fragrance is to a flower, love is to such a person. Soserve all without bringing in your likes & dislikes. It is im-material whether the other person loves you or not, butcan you think & feel about the well-being of others, andserve all in this spirit, enjoying the very expression of yourfeelings. That is what God is doing, he loves to love, andthat is why we all love him. May God be your role model.


Spirituality and Relationships

Spiritual studies should never strain existingrelationships. Any wisdom which is said to lift a person tohigher planes should only help make our lives all the moremature & better. I would be happy if with any new foundwisdom your relationships with your near & dear onesbecome such that they too start becoming positivelyinquisitive about your knowledge & wisdom.

Mistakes are not deliberate

No mistakes are ever deliberate; they are aproduct of ignorance and conditionings. This being thecase, all that one can do is to try to retain a high degreeof awareness in one’s mind. Having identified the causeone should do what ever is necessary to eliminate thevery root of it.

It is extremely necessary to identify one’s realproblem properly; thereafter sincerity of purpose is natural.Till then not only you will have to be patient, but our teacherstoo remain patient with us, because they know clearlywhat all and one has to go through.


Happy all along

I am indeed happy that your mental disposition isbeing reflected and translated in your behavior so soon.This speaks of the purity of your mind and sincerity ofpurpose, but I see it more as an emotional upsurge borneout of the joy of getting something or someone you wantedrather than the effect of some positive values and conviction.I say this because on the one hand you say that you are‘so happy third day in a row’ and on the other hand yousay that ‘I believe that in His immense love to me, Hegives me exactly the right situation every time.’ If the latterstatement was really your heartfelt conviction, then therewas no question of suddenly being happy now. It is thesame God who has brought this situation who had earliernot yet brought it. True belief in God helps us to be happyall along.

Dont be afraid to fall

Whenever you tend to fall, you will get my helpinghand to rise again, it may or may not be in the form of thisswami, but I will not be far behind. Don’t be afraid to fall.It is only those who try to tread shall fall, and they aloneshall reach. Occasional falling is however good for generalhealth too, it makes us strong.


Going and Reaching

Doing something in an intense and loving way isa joy by itself. Enjoy the journey, then the joys of attainingthe goal will be all the more sweeter.

Lessons from Life and Death

Thanks for letting me also know the details whichyour father went through before his end. I can understandthat the gravity of losing such a near and dear one dawnsslowly. It was indeed a big incident in the lives of you all.Such phases indeed make us sit up and try to understandthis strange and beautiful experience called life. The birth,the growth, the joys, the variegated experiences, successes,failures, pains, diseases, and finally gliding into theinevitable oblivion - the death. Each one of them is anextremely heart-moving facet of life, all part of a package.The reason why God makes us go through such experiencesis that, may we all always realize and remember theseconvenient and inconvenient facts of life as transitory, andthereafter plan, relate and live. May we all live anenlightened life wherein we go from here with a satisfiedheart and the head held high, and may there be peoplewho will truly miss us, even cry for us. That alone is thereal bottom line. Nothing else really matters.


Prayers and Meditation

Prayers and Meditation are different. In ‘Prayers’we bring to our mind the ever-flowing love & blessings ofGod, and also his great qualities. We become inspiredand emotionally overwhelmed by them. We may evenpresent our desires and feelings at the feet of our master.While ‘Meditation’ is the beginning of a process ofunderstanding about this divinity, and having known him,‘revel’ in that ‘being’ as our very Self. Prayers are belief-based and facilitate purity of mind, while meditation isassimilation of knowledge and is thus a door to awakening.Make the best of both. A prayerful mind alone is an idealtake off ground for the flights of meditation.

Experience of a Prayer

God represents all that we love, respect and cherish,therefore thinking about him brings about the same feelingas we get when we think about all our beloved onestogether. Prayers also helps inculcate in us all those qualitieswhich God represents, because we become what we think.


Understanding invokes Prayers

You should neither put efforts to make right prayersnor wait for it to come by itself. You should just be convincedthat what is implied by prayers is something worth doing.Don’t wait for anything. Just do it, enjoying its very doing.Don’t look forward to anything. Don’t look at it as a meansfor an end, but just something which is a joy by itself.

One need not always be so calculative, so as tothink that expression of gratitude towards God will bringso and so benefits, and lift me to such a height etc. Theoverwhelming experience of genuine gratitude melts thevery recipient. When you see all what is being showeredon you, then you just thank the giver from the core of yourheart. If this very act has its own benefits too, then alsosuch a person is hardly bothered. The result if any alwayscomes unasked. All worthwhile things come unasked.


Prayers and Asking

Prayers may or may not involve any asking. Whenyou sincerely realise that there is someone who is alreadyshowering everything you have then there is indeed nothingto ask at all, prayer then becomes just a moment to expressour overwhelming gratitude. A thanks giving.

But there is nothing wrong to ask for somethingfrom someone who loves you so much, who is your own.Not to ask any thing at all from your own beloved may attimes be an ego-prompted decision. So one should notbe too adamant in such things. One should certainly askGod for proper company, knowledge, health, well beingof our beloved ones, strength and wisdom to do yourduties, fulfill your aspirations, and also well being of theentire world. May all be happy, and such other things.

The intensity of any emotion is responsible for itsquick or late results. So do your prayers to the extent ofself-forgetfulness. Doing prayers in such a way not onlyfills the mind with overwhelming love, but this brings aboutvarious other positive qualities in our mind. This by itself isa great experience, and also helps us remain involvedand awake, thus effacing the problems of uninvolveddisturbed meditations. They help eliminate the problemsof gliding into dullness & stupor too. So prayers have avery important role to play - even for a meditator.


Meaning of OM

OM is a highly meaningful mantra. It is a word,and thus has a definite meaning - which is specific toBrahman, the timeless and transcendental truth of the world.It is one of the best pointers to know the truth of Brahman.Mandukya Upanishad provides these details. It is shortand easy to use, and when you pronounce it, then withthe utterance of the alphabet ‘O’ you open your mouth,and with the alphabet ‘M’ you close your mouth. It thusrepresents the whole spectrum of our existence beginningfrom opening up (starting our existence), to the closingdown of this entire manifestation. There is also a thirdalphabet ‘U’ in between these two (birth and death) whichsymbolizes sustenance. OM thus encompasses the wholespectrum of our existence, sustenance and dissolution. Italso points out that which is untouched by such changestoo.

However to begin with you need not go into allthis but simply take it as a great name of God. It is necessaryto truly believe in the existence of God, and establishemotional affinity with him. For beginners it is a greatmantra for japa, meditation or even singing etc. Name ofGod is an important platform to take a leap to greaterheights. Name remaining same it keeps on revealingdifferent things to people of different levels. So developdeep emotional affinity with at least one name of God.Chant it, sing it, write it as many times you can.


Mantras

Regarding mantra. One can take ‘any namewhatsoever’ which strongly suggests to us the existence &presence of God. If the part ‘Hare Krishna’ has been foundto be helpful to you then it is enough. The real strength ofmantra or any other such thing is in your faith and not inanything extraneous. Without faith no mantra is effectiveand with necessary faith any name revealed in the scriptureswill do. Rosaries (Mala) do have some role in thebeginning, but one can as well do without them. Be veryclear about the means and end. The majority gets toomuch bothered about means and ignores the end.

Is it possible never to hurt anyone?

No, it is not always possible never to hurt anyone,for the simple reason that happiness or sorrow is notsomething which is given to us by someone else, but is asubjective response of our understanding, values andperceptions to a particular situation. That which is in ourhands is simply that we should never ‘consciously’ givesorrow to anyone, we should rather try to always retainsensitivity that even unconsciously we never hurt anyone.This should be our ‘genuine feeling’ and effort. This aloneis our role. If however, in spite of our best intentions andefforts someone is still suffering then it is clear that thefellow is not suffering because of you but because of hisor her own negative values and baseless perceptions.


Lessons from Failures

Even when we have a clear goal and patientlyworked hard for it, without any success, then instead ofdejection, one should rather try to see as to what hasgone wrong where. Why have the notion that ‘what I didwas the ultimate, and it cannot be improved upon further’.If there is humility that ‘I still have a lot to learn’, then insteadof dejection, the failure will bring about drive for deeperunderstanding. There is obviously something wrongsomewhere, and the fact that signs of dejection are surfacingshows that you are not aware of your shortcomings, butrather entertain an inflated & obviously baseless opinionabout yourself, and also excessive attachment for someachievement. Such a mind which is not objective enoughto see the real factors which are responsible for such stateof affairs, but most often justs jumps to some baselessconclusions of his or her own incapacities, unfairness ofGod, play of destiny etc., in fact deserves to fail.

Learn to enjoy challenges, learn to do somethingnew. For such people the so called failures bring aboutsome worthwhile challenge, otherwise it is a drab & dulllife of the insecure ones, who are just bothered to buildone more wall of security around them.


Getting Disappointments

People who are getting disappointments pretty oftenare those who have either kept a goal which is beyondtheir existing capacities, or have resorted to wrong means.If both end & means are proper, then the only thing missingis absence of some positive values & emotions of mind.

Hindu Temples

In Hindu Temples the basic idea is to receive stimuliassociated with God through all our five sense organs,namely ears, skin, eyes, tongue and nose. So we have a‘form’ of Lord, the ‘smell’ of incense sticks, the ‘sound’ ofbells & mantras, the ‘taste’ of prasadam and finally the‘touch’ of blessings by the priest. All of these make us ‘feel’the presence of God in totality, which is the basic purpose.It is well known that when more senses are involved in anexperience, greater is the effect of that experience.


Secularism

Regarding Secularism, I fully agree that greaterunderstanding is called for. I however differ that this doesnot pose any danger to people of other faith. With thepresent definition of secularism the extent of damage isunimaginable. A heritage of thousands of years is on theverge of collapse, not by positive opposition but byignoring. It has become the resort of thoughtless, valuelessand irreligious people.

A person professing secularism has to know thetruths of life so deeply that he can have magnanimity whichembraces all and is personally not motivated by variousfactors which are seen to condition thousands of peopleof different faiths; such a person has to necessarily drawhis strength, joy and inspiration from something which isjust beyond the perceptual world. The others who alsoprofess about secularism are those who have nothing todo with religion, they are too engrossed to fulfill their self-centered desires; they see no positive and practical roleof religion. For them it is a necessary evil, a product ofweak and superstitious minds. They can never even imaginethe dynamics of metaphysical dimensions on humanpsyche. Philosophy for them is a pastime of someimpractical people who do not contribute anything‘worthwhile’ to the society. Absence of right knowledgecreates conditions which make them to exploit religion tofurther their selfish ends. Can we imagine secularism alongwith ignoring religious education and heritage? Does thisreally imply that we respect all, sincerely? We have been


Leadership Training

The ideal will be to select and train a group ofcountrymen for the job of leadership, and give them thebest possible education right from the beginning. Theyshould truly be the best, who not only understand politics,management, economics, sociology, cosmology, cultureetc., but also philosophy and the effect of metaphysicalfactors in the creation of the human psyche. With suchenlightened leadership around we can expect truesecularism; we can have good philosophical discussions,providing a free atmosphere to all to raise theirunderstanding to great heights, and of course drawing aline clearly and firmly to discourage people to further theirirreligious ends in the name of religion.

educating millions to ignore religion and that’s what wesee around - a nation which competes for the position ofthe most corrupt nation in the world; thoughtless living,dirty places, immoral relationships, bidding price for sonsand a list of such shameful things. Very rarely you see thata person knows what he or she is doing, majority justfollow like sheep. Secularism in the hands of irreligiouspeople brings about greater catastrophe. You have to livewith liars, who just put up a front. Such people just let thereligion rot; when they do speak they speak what theignorant ones are doing in the name of religion. Suchpeople eliminate the very respect for religion as such. Theyare doing more harm than the ignorant faithful followers.


Is Sex a taboo?

You are right in saying that the prevalent under-standing about sex in some of our countrymen neitherreflects the vision of basic Hindu scriptures, nor is it ahealthy & balanced outlook. Sex is a fact of life, it is amedium of expressing love, and also an instrument ofprocreation. None of this is in any way bad or wrong,but is rather divine.

For Hindu's, sex was neither a taboo nor an obses-sion. It was taken in a normal way. It is those who firstbrand it a sin, alone make it an instrument with which aperson expresses their revolt or suppressions.

You should feel no guilt at all to express your lovephysically to someone whom you love dearly. However,never make yourself a commodity that uses sex lightly.Maintain its purity. Give all that you have for someonewhom you really love, to the extent that you would likeyour child also to be a reflection of the person.

While we should understand the place of sex, weshould also be conscious of its limitation. It gives momen-tary pleasure, and is thus not the means for real lastingjoy. This obviously brings the question of the means toattain everlasting fulfillment. It is here that our scripturesprompt us to go into the truth of our Self and life, andreveal that Anand is not something objective or extrane-ous, but is a subjective state in which anyone can awakeif he or she takes resort to the right understanding of Life


and Self. So the ultimate goal was always seen as theknowledge of the transcendental truth. Sex becomes anobsession for those who know no other means of gettingjoy.

What does Brahmacharya mean?

The word Brahmacharya means ‘Brahmani charatiiti Brahmachari’, one who revels in Brahman is aBrahmachari. So the primary meaning is ‘to revel in God’,and the secondary meaning is ‘not to revel in sensualpleasures (as the real source of joy)’.

Now, why does the fellow revel in Brahman? Be-cause of his or her ‘understanding’ that the subjective es-sence in all of us, is infinite joy, the timeless divinity, God.God is an embodiment of joy, so he alone can really‘quench’ my thirst for real fulfillment. Sex too has a definiteand a very important role to play, but a person shouldenter the portals of any sensual enjoyment like a masterand not a slave. His body, senses & mind should be healthy& enlightened, and he should be in full control. The phaseof Brahmacharya takes care of all this.


Sex and Love

Sex is not love; it is something which should alwaysbe with love. So make sex something divine by first takingyour own time to invoke real love between the partners.

Understand that the real joy, even in a sensualexperience, is only when both the partners really love eachother nicely. Take your own time to let this love comeabout, and then physical relationship will be somethingpure and a satisfying act. As a grahasthi we never adviseanyone to stop physical relationships, but let it not be ‘the’important thing. Let it just come when you feel that proximitytowards someone on the basis of mutual values, love &perceptions of life. The proximity may lead you to evencreate someone like your beloved. Having physicalrelationships without any love is prostitution, and this willnever let the person taste the real meaning of love or joy.


Why Sensual pleasures give joy?

Really speaking no objects gives joy, and at thesame time all the objects can appear to give joy. All objectsplay an interesting role to ‘unveil’ a subjective state whichis called by various names like joy, fulfillment etc.

First we desire an object, and as every desire impliesa want, so there is a disturbance of dissatisfaction withinus, we then obviously turn our attention towards the ‘object’of our desire. Then starts the process of acquiring our‘object’ of desire, and finally after all the hard work wemay acquire the ‘object’. Now the desire becomesredundant, and there is a quiet mind, reveling in its own‘being’, which happens to be pure bliss. That is why andhow we experience joy in sensual pleasures. However ifsuch a person in his or her ignorance associates this joywith the extraneous object, and the moment he or shewants to hold on to it, then crops up yet another desire,starting the same cycle again.

If someone knows these subjective truths then thenatural repercussion of this ‘understanding’ is that the fellowwill not look at the objects outside with thirsty Bhogi eyes.He will rather look and value the objects as per their worldlyrole & necessity, and such a person not only makes thebest of his or her worldly pleasures but never grieves too.


Love and Arranged Marriages

Both love and arranged marriages have their ownrisks. In love marriage even though there is a great joy tostart your life with someone you know and love, butbecause of the fascination in love other aspects in life areeither not realized or are ignored. In arranged marriagetoo, while the parents or anyone else organizing this union,use their wisdom to see that they provide an ideal partner,but the boy and girl are uncomfortably placed.

Personally I am of the opinion that mutual love,understanding and compatibility should be the basis ofthis relationship, but one should not overlook other qualitiesand factors which ensure a great life-long relationshipthrough ups and downs of life. Blessings of parents orother wise and matured people too are very important,because they just care for your well-being. Please rememberthat marriage is not merely the getting together of twopeople but of two families. Everyone should be generallyhappy with this new member of the family. I say generallybecause everyone will never be happy with everything.

Religion basically is a compendium of knowledgeand practices to help bring out the best in you, not onlyhere but also hereafter. It is a holistic package taking careof our all round welfare. Religion can never be againstreal love, it rather helps invoke real love in us. So if youreally love someone then know this to be a religious actand go ahead. All divinity expresses with love around.Weak people cannot love and therefore various things


Arranged Marriage

Well! the concept of swayamvara was certainlythere, but there were other kinds too. We hear about ninekinds of marriages. One of them was arranged marriagetoo, where the spirit was that we take the benefit of thewisdom of our parents too.

However, the present day systems of arrangedmarriages reflect more of insecurity and the absence ofwisdom to know a person properly and holistically. Asmarriage is a life-long relationship, so people naturallybecome very insecure, and thus the ignorant ones have tohelplessly depend on what the stars supposedly foretelletc. This is a sorry state of affairs, and we pray that Hindu'srediscover their values and vision, so as to live a daring,thoughtful, dynamic, loving and holistic life.

have to be told to them. However, remember there isdifference between love and infatuation. In love you retainthe capacity to be sensitive to all concerned, includingyour parents, time-tested values, cultural compatibility etc.,while in the latter you will be bothered only about yourself.


Points to Consider for Marriage

As marriage is a life long and intimate relationship,facilitating the continuity of your family, and having legalsanction & bindings, so various things need to beconsidered before getting into this life-long relationship.

1. One of the most important components is presence ofgreat mutual love and respect between both.

2. A common language in which one can express onesmost intimate feelings and ideas is a must.

3. Both should share common values, vision and goals oflife.

4. Food habits etc should also be preferably common.Both should be able to go along with each others habitsand tastes.

5. As far as possible go into the health of both the people,so that both enjoy the life to the utmost, and the familylineage too doesn’t get affected. Assure that your progenyis healthy without any genetic disorders.

6. As marriage is not merely getting together of two peoplebut of two families, so it will be good if both should beable to get along with each others families. It should bepreferred that both get necessary blessings of each othersparents & other elderly people. Just because you want toget related to A, then it should not result in breaking yourrelationship with B. It is a must that one should have the


ability to respect all relationships and people. A personwho easily breaks one relationship just because someemotional upsurge has taken place cannot be really reliedupon to continue this relationship for long. The momentsuch a fellow gets some inconvenience then he or she issusceptible for a breakup.

6. There should preferably be some cultural compatibility.You should be able to enjoy the social and religiousfunctions together. Do not plan to live in isolation, becausethat is exactly what you are trying to eliminate through thisnew relationship too.

7. Some awareness of the basics of life shall go a longway to make the relationship healthy and beautiful. Oneshould not have a superficial understanding of the world.There is a lot more to life than what is perceptible to eyes,so one should humbly take the benefit of the wisdom ofspiritual masters so as to live a complete and holistic life.

8. I have not discussed anything about dependence onthings like astrology, and this conscious silence about itreveals my attitude and perception towards it.


Conversions create Conflicts

If we are really bothered about the betterment ofany person, then what is important is not changing hisexisting faith (which is just on the basis of associating Godwith a par ticular form etc) , but removing themisunderstandings of God etc., and somehow strengthenhis or her existing faith (Ref. Chapter 7 of Gita).

The process of spiritual unfoldment calls for a verystrong faith in the existence of God, and not merely hangon to some form or a savior. You can very well associateGod with any symbol that should not really make anydifference. If a person standing in darkness has been fromyears associating God with a particular form, is nowsomehow convinced to change the symbol, then do wereally help the person, or create a conflict? The joke is thatthis so called ‘conviction’ is brought about on the basis oflollipops of better jobs, better health care etc.

It is extremely necessary to go into the ‘dynamics offaith’ before undertaking the mission of manifesting Godlinessin different people of the world. If anyone either weakens ortakes away the basic faith of any person then we do not helphim but make him weak. If there is only one God, then whyconvert to worship just another form? Why not simplystrengthen the faith of the people in whatever they believe,and rather work to correct the wrong understanding? Whythis intolerance to others forms? Do forms of God matter orthe God himself, who transcends all forms, for the simplereason that all forms are transient?


To Ignore is not to be non-partisan

A non-believer ignoring all moral and other valuesis not a non-partisan person, but is a negatively conditionedand ignorant one. Standing apart from all religious andspiritual thoughts amounts to resorting to a philosophy oflife which has been so firmly been rejected. Ignoring suchvalues is a license to disaster, it is the undoing of all thecultural built-up, it is closing the ways and means to trueand lasting well-being of one and all.

Negation of Ego

Non-experience of the experiencer is not itsnegation. This ‘ego’ fellow shall continue to exist as longas his existence is a matter of our belief, sometime manifestand sometimes unmanifest. Negation of ego impliesrealization of the fact that ‘I am not a limited being’, thatthe ego has only a relative existence.


Two Aspects of Anger

There are two aspects of anger. One manifest andthe other unmanifest. The first one is what we see externallyin an angry person, raised voice, bulging red eyes,shivering body, excessive breathing etc. The second aspectis more subjective - the vacillations of the mind, absenceof right thinking, and grief in mind, with all the side-effectsof this mind on your body. This latter one is somethingwhich one should overcome and conquer. The former one,if it can be brought about without its subjective contents,will be something which is not really anger in the strictsense of the term, but does appear to be so from theothers point of view. While this too is definitely painful toothers, and has various negative consequences, yet thereis no denying the fact that at times wielding a weapon isdefinitely necessary.

There are people who are not available to listen tothings told lovingly. So change your tone, raise your voice,and if this doesn’t do the trick then use strong words. It islike acting being angry. There is one anger which comeshelplessly and there is another which is deliberately broughtabout. As long as you are in command it doesn’t matter ifyou raise your voice or even act tough. The ideal andpreferred prescription is to definitely find ways of handlinga situation with a cool and thoughtful mind, but yes,responses are situation-specific, so they will have to changeat times. Do wield a weapon if you have to, but first learnto wield a weapon.


Understanding Anger

People who are violent, subversive and destructiveare prey to some subjective happenings. They in fact donot know that but keep on helplessly flowing in thatdirection. The first and foremost loss is their own. A personwith anger first makes his own life hell, and then becomesa nuisance to others too. But in spite of that, he keepsdoing that. The fellow just doesn’t know where the shoebites. Ignorance of these matters has disastrousconsequences.

Let us take anger as an example and try tounderstand its cause and effects. Basically anger comesabout when you think that what you know alone is theright way, and the other person does not know. There isdomination over others and you want the things to happenjust your way alone. There is great hurry and alsointolerance. If you watch closely there is a process ofisolation going on in such minds. The fellow keeps limitingand isolating himself, all because of the inflated opinionabout him or her self. This imagined, isolating and inflatedopinion about oneself is the basis of ego and all its productlike anger. This egocentric existence is basically insecure,limited, intolerant and always seeking and never satisfied.The more this isolating egocentricity weaves its cocoonaround itself, the more he or she feel suffocated, and thisalone spills out in various ways.

Such desperate people are in fact trying to findways to come out of their own shells. They just don’t know


the real problem. Once this ego is brought about thepossibility of love simply vanishes. Ego and love cannotco-exist. Ego lives for itself, while in love you care so muchfor the other that at times you don’t even remember yourself.Ego manifests from insecurity & limitation, while love isseen only in people who have fragrance of contentmentwithin themselves.

Ego like any other delusion is a product of mis-apprehension of the truth of your self, and therefore thesolution lies in directly perceiving the truth of yourself.However this journey is possible only when right companyis got; exposure of right thoughts is there. Something shouldhappen which should make the person re-think. Even sometragedies may eventually prove to be a blessing, if theyget a person to think. With great humility if someone startssearching for the truth about himself then various thingsare revealed about ourselves, which we never could evenimagine, and in the process, our mis-apprehensions ofegocentric existence drops. Then alone love really gets achance to manifest. Till then it is a constant tug of war, aMahabharat.


Role of Rituals

Rituals do have a role in the scheme of things, butthey have their limitations too. They are not to be done forall times to come. They are a great help to help us learn toact positively. They should be continued till a person learnsto work with full conviction at his or her command, anddevelops the following capacities too.

1. To work intensely by using of all faculties.2. To work with freedom, and not as per conditionings.3. To work with enthusiasm, confidence, and love; whereinevery work reveals the faith that you are basically fine andhave a caring & sensitive heart.

Having cultivated such a mind, one should dedicateoneself for the knowledge of the truth of life. Later, such aperson may or may not do these rituals. It is all his freedom.They are however seen as scripturally sanctioned meansto express what I feel about God, my teacher or such agreat heritage.


Power and Dynamics of Faith

The power & dynamics of faith is yet to be fullyunderstood by a modern man. Once you really believe insomething then it does happen. So also when youassociate godliness etc with anyone and thoroughly believewhat you believe, then godliness does start manifesting.Ignorant ones will associate these effects with anythingthat appears logical to them as per their understanding.The doorway to the world of inexplicable incidents is notthe existence of some divinity somewhere, but your ownfaith. This should be properly understood, because thenalone your various sadhanas will progress properly.

A great devotee of X experiences strange inexplicableincidents which a devotee of Y too experiences. The lessonto be learned here is that it is the ‘purity and intensity of faith’which really matters, and not any person. The incidents inyour life are only the tip of the proverbial iceberg revealingwhat faith can do. He who is instrumental to invoke this faithis no doubt respectable, but one should certainly know thetruth, so that appropriate attention can be put to further thisbasic ‘cause’. The proof of knowing the right ‘cause’ is thatthereafter you too can see more fireworks - the ‘effects’. So ifyou really want to be blessed all the more then the focusshould be your faith. Increase your ‘faith and devotion’ untoHIM - in what ever form you see him and you will be blessed.Others too will be equally blessed if they too have that samedegree of faith and devotion unto that which they happen tosee and revere.


Role of God

The Law of Karma doesn't believe in a God whodoes everything out of his whims and fancy. It sees Godas someone who provides us the work field, capacity towork, a perfect and non-corruptible system wherein thekarma-phala (situations) will definitely and only go to thedoer. HE is completely free from all likes and dislikes andthus doesn't give any good or bad situation to anyone outof his whims and fancies. He is the highly compassionateand omniscient facilitator in our work field, who neverinterferes, but always keeps the system going. He gives usopportunities, and then leaves it to our discretion to makewhatever use we deem fit.

The root of all problems

Potentially all human beings are good, but theego-prompted insecurities and fears alone bring in allproblems. Ego is the root of all problems.


What is Dhyana?

Dhyana is what is most often referred to by theword meditation. It implies turning our 'entire attention'(both mind and intellect) on something. As all our prob-lems are because of ignorance and solutions to all prob-lems are because of knowledge, therefore a sadhanawhich helps us to turn our entire attention on something isof paramount importance and help. There is great differ-ence between concentration and meditation. In concen-tration we simply turn our attention to something, but inmeditation we first turn our attention and also try to under-stand it in its entirety. Thus in meditation, feelings & under-standing all focused on one thing simultaneously. It is thusa very dynamic process. Real dhyana has to be on the'truth' of our self, therefore it culminates in a 'subjectiveawakening' bringing about total fulfillment and peace.

Handling Distractions in Dhyana

Distractions are inevitable in dhyana till one dis-covers 'love' with his dheya (the object of dhyana). If youreally love to do something then a sound here and thereor any such distraction is not even registered by our minds.So the problem of distractions is basically one of not yetdiscovering the necessary intensity of love with the goal


of dhyana. Having this as the objective, one should pur-sue better and deeper understanding of the 'goal' of medi-tation, apart from practicing various sadhanas to facilitatequietitude, deeper insight and the subsequent awaken-ing.

The following tips should prove helpful in handling distrac-tions :

1. Choose the right place and time for dhyana. The placewhich has the least or no extraneous distractions is ofcourse the ideal.

2. Maintain good health and posture.

3. Maintain a positive and cheerful disposition throughout the day. Luckily it is the same mind with which wemeditate and also do our day to day activities.

4. Have good and inspiring company or friends.

5. Attend lectures or discourses which give you deeperinsight about your goal of meditation. If that is not avail-able good books can also be a great help.

6. Before you start the practice of dhyana, bring into yourmind thoughts which invoke gratitude, love and reverencetowards God. Such emotions have a far-reaching effectto insulate us against most of the distractions.

7. Doing few pranayama’s before the meditation sessioncould also prove very helpful. Specially extending thekumbhaka part a bit.


Holistic Meditation

The 'Holistic Meditation' is a special meditationdesigned by us to root out the sense of isolated and lim-ited existence. Fragmentation alone is the root cause ofall problems. Holistic Meditation has the following steps:

1. After you get up from your sleep and have freshenedup, sit down comfortably in some quiet and healthy place.

2. Sit down comfortably and alertly in any asana in whichyou can sit without moving for about 15 minutes. You cansit down with legs folded on the ground (preferable), oreven in a chair. However keep your back absolutelystraight, and don't take any back-rest.

3. Deep breathe three times. Inhale to your full lung ca-pacity, retain for some time, then exhale all the air outcompletely. Breathe with your nose, keeping the mouthshut. Remain with empty lungs for a moment, and thenagain inhale.

4. While inhalation 'feel' as though all the good qualitiesyou cherish are going inside you, and while exhalation'feel' that all the negativities are going out from your body.

5. Visualize that you are standing near some beach orseeing the vast infinite skies. Feel blessed to have got theopportunity to experience this beautiful world and nature.Thank God from the core of your heart. Without usingany words just let your heart get overwhelmed with grati-tude to whoever has blessed you with life & all this beauty.Then, see and feel that you are part of this whole. Youare


one with all. See and feel that everything is very inti-mately interconnected. One timeless divinity alone hasmanifested as this multifarious world. You are one withthis divinity. You are That infinite & all-pervasive divinity.Be in this state for sometime. Enjoy this being ness andexpansion.

6. Then slowly become conscious of your body again.Feel you have donned this robe again to play whateverdrama and role which has been provided to you on thestage of life.

7. Pray to God that 'May you always retain the total holis-tic vision at all times', and 'May all be happy and pros-perous'. Resolve never to live a small, isolated and frag-mented life. Slowly move your fingers, legs and bodyposture. Then get up to live a dynamic and inspired day.

Mind is our friend

Don’t fear the mind; it is basically your friend. Whatwe aspire is just the ability to enquire and live as per ourconvictions, thereafter let the fellow play.


Are the idols God?

Well! Just as the picture of your beloved is notyour beloved, so also the forms of God are not God intrue sense. They represent God, and for all practical pur-poses, we need to treat these forms as God himself. Onething is definite, all forms of God reveal, remind andaffirm to us the ‘existence’ of God. They help us to ob-jectify the unobjectifiable, and thus help us to expressour feelings towards that supreme intelligence, powerand the embodiment of love.

The choice is yours

There is order in the creation. Happiness and sor-row, love and hate – all are part of this order. We are freeto love and serve or hate and murder. The laws of theworld will never stop us from choosing any option. It is weourselves who have to weigh the various options whichGod through his fantastic creation has given us. Thosewho choose the option of hatred and violence will soonget that alone in return, and those who exude positivefeelings and emotions beget that in return. These are theeternal facts of life.


Why do we believe in God?

Every creation has to have a creator; every effectmust have a cause. To accept the existence of an effectwithout a cause is a very unscientific outlook. Upanishadsreveal God as that first cause from whom this entire cos-mos has come about. As he is the very cause of all forms,so he necessarily transcends all forms, meaning that he isnot an object of our senses. Yet he is definitely there. Justbecause we don’t ‘see’ a cause with our eyes doesn’tmean that it does not exist. Moreover, seeing is not merelyby our eyes, it is also by our understanding. Seeing Godbasically requires that you open your third eye, the eye ofknowledge.

Now let us go a bit further. Every creator needs tohave knowledge of his creation. So we can logically inferthat the creator of this world is that conscious being whichhas the knowledge of this entire world, for the simplereason that he is the cause of all this. Such a creator alsoneeds the ‘power’ to create, so thus comes the logicalnecessity of the being omnipotent too. All forms are lim-ited in time & space, and he who transcends forms shouldnecessarily be free from all limitations of time & space. Sothus we logically believe in the existence of a supremeintelligence, which is omniscient, omnipotent, all-perva-sive and limitless. If we really believe in the existence ofsuch a power then you cannot but relate yourself to it. Allreligious practices are basically a process to establish &strengthen this unique relationship.


God and Situations

Please don’t expect God to directly interfere inthe life of anyone, but see the invincible laws of nature,and through them 'see' the creator who has created allthis. The presence of all this creation itself reveals theexistence of the creator of all this. The very harmony andorder shows the presence of God all around. The factthat with right knowledge goodness can be invoked inany person shows the all-pervasiveness of God. He isinherent in all, but has to be invoked. This invocation ofthe inherent goodness in all of us is the essence of allreligious practices. Once you come to know what Godmeans then I can assure you it will be a different life. Youshall be in total harmony with the world, and there willbe no problems whatsoever.

The stage is his, but the script is ours. We don’tlook beyond for the state of affairs which man has cre-ated or can create with the powers and faculties whichGod has so kindly bestowed unto us. All that which is aproduct of ignorance has to be effaced by right knowl-edge and wisdom. Work if you can for the well being ofall, and God will be present right there in you. So whilewe pray and work for the well being of all, yet we thankvarious people who provide an opportunity to us to serveand live as per our convictions, and serve all in a moreconcerted way. The fight between good and evil is con-stantly on. God has given us all the options. Let’s choosethe best, the so called Path of Sreyas or Dharma.


God’s Wish or Prabhu Iccha

Any situation which comes without or in spite ofour efforts is prabhu iccha, and whether we like it or notwe have to accept it and carve our way through thatsituation alone. The word ‘prabhu iccha’ implies that wedon’t waste our energy in fretting or fuming but rather infinding our way out with a positive and pleasant mind. Itis acceptance of a fact, convenient or inconvenient. Thereis lot to learn but that learning will be possible only whenwe are mentally available, prabhu iccha not only facili-tates that availability, but also introspection.

If in spite of our efforts something has gone wrongthen the inconvenient situation by its very inconvenienceindicates to us that we needed greater attention or aware-ness. So why not use our energy to learn and grow. Ifhowever we feel that we did our best and there was noth-ing which we could do further then also accept the situa-tion. We never claim that it is our efforts alone whichbring a situation, there is something more, lets call it thekarma or again prabhu iccha. Thus the word prabhu icchaindicates an attitude with which we receive a situationvery holistically. This attitude helps us to live in present,while being truthful to our motivations and responsibilities.


The Jiva or Ego

Jiva is ‘I’ the individual. He is basically the life orconsciousness, as conditioned by our various faculties likemind & body. The sense of individuality is basically athought in our mind, and thus is not seen when the mind isasleep or unconscious. This limited me, not only representsa conditioned and limited consciousness, but alsoincorporates our perceptions and conditionings about ourself irrespective of whether they are valid or imaginary.

There is lot more to your existence than this limitedmanifestation, like there is lot more to electricity than anyof its specific manifestations like the light of a bulb. Takingyourself as ego can never bring any real fulfillment becauseit is an incomplete and thus a fallacious perception aboutyourself. Moreover, it alone is the breeding ground for allpains and problems, because it is basically limited andinsecure. As long as we don’t take this jiva to be the be-alland end-all of our existence, so long this ego is not aproblem, but rather has various advantages and blessings.No role is a problem as long as the actor knows that he ismuch more than what the role reveals.


What is Ahankar?

Ahankar means 'Aham karta', a thought that 'I ama doer'. Doer ship is a great quality of the mind, and byitself is more of a blessing rather than a curse, but when aperson does not know that aspect of his existence whichtranscends this, then the net result is that he or she limitshis existence only to this much, and this is the root of allproblems. Such a fellow has limited and fragmented no-tion about him or her self.

Karta is the 'subject' with a sense of doer ship &enjoyer ship, and as such the fellow sees himself to bedifferent from all the various 'objects', so he limits andfragments himself. It also has the entire burden on itself ofevery action. This state of limitation and fragmentation isan imaginary state of an ignorant mind.

Progressive effacement of this ahankar does notpre-suppose the existence of Brahma-Gyana. In factBrahma-Gyana dawns in a mind which has been freedfrom this delusory presumption. It is just like that Sun rise ina sky where the darkness has already been removed.Once the sun-like Gyana dawns, thereafter this error oftaking yourself to be the doer never recurs. Facts of your-self become so very clear, that there is no place for anyerroneous presumptions thereafter.


When is ego a problem?

The Oxford Dictionary defines ego as ‘a consciousthinking subject, it is that part of the mind which reacts toreality and has a sense of individuality, and also a senseof self-esteem.’ The sanskrit parallel of ego is ‘jiva-bhava’.In Vedanta the word ‘jiva’ is described as that consciousentity which has a definite sense of individuality and identity- it is a sum total of our notions about ourselves, imposedon the ever-existing and self-effulgent substratum.

That I am a conscious thinking subject is no problem,it is in fact one the greatest blessings. That I can respondto a situation is no problem again. If I have a sense of self-esteem then also it should be no problems, and capacityto wield a role-like individuality too appears to be more ofa privilege. The only problem is that we take ourselvs tobe this alone, and this doesn’t seem to be natural andacceptable to us. Moksha implies freedom from allimaginary sense of limitations.


What is Maya?

Maya is that power which presents something evenwhen it is not there, like a magician presenting somethingwhich is not there. Think of Maya as that which continuouslychanges. Know the entire expanse of the beautiful naturewe see around as Maya. It is beautiful but it is alsochanging every moment. It is ephemeral.

A ‘form’ is Maya; it is there yet has no independentexistence apart from its basic material. The power to create‘forms’ is Maya too. Take away the mud from the pot andyou don’t have anything left whatsoever. So also take awaythe very conscious existence from a being and you don’thave anything left. This conscious existence is Brahmanand the ephemeral forms are Maya. Scientists tell us thatall matter is merely energy. They have definite reasons tosay so, yet how strange that this one formless energy ispresenting itself in such variegated forms. This is what wecall Maya, the incomprehensible and beautiful power ofGod.


Fragmentation and Self-Knowledge

A fragmented personality always has two entitiestalking to each other constantly. The mind and the intellect,the ‘what is’ and ‘what should be’, the jiva and Ishwara.TheMundakopanishad says that it is like two birds on a branch.One always hungry and eating various things, while theother sits contended, and watches on. This is the eternalstory of life. This however changes completely with theproper knowledge of Self.

Don’t think that we will always have to live with thissecond ‘I’, As Jiva (ego) is just a product of ignorance; ithas to be completely eliminated with the help of rightknowledge - of the Self. It is something which has to befully eliminated from its roots, and not something whichhas to be made asleep.

Can I be of some service to you?

Yes, you can be of some service to me. I wantsome thing from you, but I wonder whether you can giveit me. I want whatever traces you have of your ego. Giveit to me lock, stock and barrel. Can you? If you can, thennever raise such topics again, and if you can’t, then alsodon’t ask such things again, because you don’t have thecapacity to give what is asked for.


Where to find the ego?

Well! you’ll find this non-entity called ego behindall those thoughts and emotions which not only bringsuffering to you but also to all those around you, you’ll findit trying to peep through all thoughtless reactions. Thatguy will be around when you get too excited or depressedin any situation. Its presence will be felt when in spite ofbeing wrong you will not be able to accept your fault. Itwill be this fellow alone because of which you will bemore bothered about ‘your happiness’ and ‘your securities’rather than thinking about the joys of all those around you.It will be this very entity which will not allow you to meltaway in love and gratitude, it will bring about consciousnessof an individuality which would rather retain its identityand stand apart, and then try to find answers to its problemof limitation and isolation. To begin with start with thesepointers.

Meeting of Physics and Metaphysics

Even the modern day physics is turning tometaphysical dimensions to unravel the secrets of life. Withgreat humility and intensity keep probing the unseen andalso the seen dimensions of your Self, here alone lies thebiggest secret and treasure of life.


The Three Gunas

The great Maya Shakti with which this entirecreation has been created, comprises of three Gunas.Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. As the cause always flows inthe effect so we can see the play of these guna’s ineverything around, including our minds. Depending onvarious factors there is a constant movement in theseguna’s. So we see various moods of the mind, and alongwith these moods follow some inevitable effects.

Whenever there is predominance of Sattva gunain our minds, then we will see greater intelligence,quietitude, balance, love etc. Rajoguna brings activity,extroverted ness, flush of desires, egocentricity etc., whileTamoguna brings dullness, absence of enthusiasm etc. Allthese guna’s have some role to play, but a predominanceof Sattva guna should be the aim, it stands for the best inyou. All sadhanas aim for its predominance.


Objective and Subjective Minds

The terms ‘Objective and Subjective Minds’ indicatethe two aspects of the process of all our experiences.One, we receive a stimuli in the form of some situation,two, we respond to it. That aspect of our mind whichdeals with receiving the stimuli is called the objective mind,while that aspect which has the ‘freedom of response’ istermed as the subjective mind. The first is like a receptionistwhile the other is like the decision-making boss.

Many a times we see that the responding facultyhas become so dull or conditioned that there are no newor creative responses. It is just the same mechanicalresponses year after year. These conditionings are termedas vasanas. So as long as these conditionings remain theperson is not really free. He is going round and round acircle whose circumference was drawn years back. It islike a wheel which has got stuck somewhere.

On the other hand a pure and unconditioned mindis one which is sensitive to what comes. It weighs the prosand cons and then responds as per his or her understandingand convictions. Such an integrated & awakened mind isan ideal instrument for making the best of each and everymoment of our lives, increase one’s efficiency manifold,and manifest the latent potentials including the divineintuitive faculty. It is with such a mind alone that we canknow the truth of anything, including our Self.


Handling an uncooperative Mind

There indeed are times when our mind is just notwhat it normally is. Such times require some extra patience.Take it easy, because we know that in spite of such moods,sooner or later, the mind does naturally revert back to itsnormal self. During such times go out somewhere. Do thething you like most. A short stint of some loving service toothers also helps to subdue the flared-up rajo-guna. At thesame time inside your mind retain your objectivity andkeep an eye on what is going on in your mind.

Another thing which helps a lot is some goodcompany, where you can get some new ideas, thoughtsand inspiration. It is a place where you can unload too. Ifthe company of some saints is not directly possible, thengo over to some friend’s place who are really sincere,wise and loving. Initiate some good discussions or if thereare some problems then just unload yourself. Finally,sincerely believe that it is just a passing phase and soonenough you will be your good old self once again.


Unquiet mind and retreats

What is basically an unquiet mind? An unquietmind implies a mind which is either unsure, unsatisfied ormay be indecisive. It is because of these shortcomingsthat it keeps on building up pressures, and then looksforward to weekends to take his mind away from his prob-lems and duties which he is not able to handle with acool and intelligent mind. They look forward to a retreatwhere they can blow their top off or just simply relax. Thisis not the objective of retreats as per recommendations ofGita. Gita first wants us to be strong and intelligent enoughto take the bull by its horn, in our work-fields. Live life insuch a way that you are not tired. You enjoy your chal-lenges, responsibilities and your expressions, and there isno need for any ‘blowing the top’ in some retreats.

The test of taking the challenges in this spirit is notmerely the increase in the your profits, but in your ability toremain unperturbed even in the midst of greatest chal-lenges. Equanimity doesn’t have any meaning without anychallenges around. It is this quality which is again andagain revealed in the Gita.


Be considerate to your mind

After years of watering when the sprouting hasjust begun the gardener suddenly wants to have differentflowers. Well, you are the gardener, and it is your discretionto have which ever flowers you want in your garden, butbe patient and understanding. Old trees, sprouts andflowers reveal your earlier choice, and not someone else’swish working for or against you. You require patience togive as much time to the new seeds to sprout as the oldseeds took, and also understanding to take intoconsideration the time, place and conditions for each kindof seed to be sowed.

Having gained momentum if the driver now wantsto go in the reverse direction then he does need to havethe necessary patience, otherwise what will happen isjust an accident. You are the driver; you can take anydecision, but please be considerate to your own mind. Ithas to first slow down, get a feel of the new plans andthen change gears.


Stilling the Mind and After

The capacity to quieten the mind is indeed great,but not enough. What more is required is understandingthe ‘basic presumptions’ operating for such an effort.

The first presumption is that ‘today you are not thatwhich you seek, and when you will one day attain andthen revel in that state for long, then shortly you will ‘be’that.’ Second evident presumption is that in order to ‘realizethe divinity within you have to quieten all your thoughts.’Please go into these things thoroughly and try to see theirvalidity.

Also go into this that ‘what is it which gets dissolvedin a quiet mind, and what is it which gets crystallized later,so as to deny us that experience of ‘dissolved expanse’later on’. Stilling the mind does have its limited role, butthe crux lies in ‘understanding’ the basic presumptionsoperating in bringing about any movement or even thelack of it.

Is Mind our enemy?

Basically mind is not our enemy; it goes only to thatplace where you wished it earlier to go. We draw a circlewith our aspirations and the mind faithfully goes aroundwhile faithfully remaining in its limits too.


Role of Quietening the Thoughts

Quitening of the thoughts does have an importantrole to play. What has to be also realized is the fact thattruth is not something which lies hidden behind the thoughts.It is something which is all over, even as the very materialcause of the thoughts. It is all pervasive and non-dual, soit has to be evident even when the thoughts are there. Theproblem is just ignorance of such a thing.

Do quieten the thoughts and see what is there whenall thoughts are quiet, but later confirm your realization byseeing ‘that’ even when the thoughts exist. Quietening ofthe thoughts is part of the package which aims at realizationof that which encompasses and embraces everything -even your limited existence. Nothing can thereafter standapart. The quietening of the thoughts helps because insuch a mind we as though brush aside all the distractionswhich we ourself first create in our minds. All projections,aspirations, likes and dislikes are kept aside, so it doesbring about a condition to realize that which exists in spiteof the thoughts, but as mentioned above please do validateyour wisdom by seeing that alone even when the thoughtsare there.

‘That’ which gets dissolved in a quiet mind, and‘that’ which again gets crystallized later, so as to deny usthe consistency of the experience of ‘dissolved expanse’later, is just our ‘sense of individuality’. Please try to see thetruth of this fact.


The Truth of Thoughts

Thoughts, whether positive or negative, can onlyaffect that person who gives reality to them. The truth isthat they are transitory, and you the witness is permanent.‘See’ this fact and stop being buffeted by them. The idealstate is not that you don’t have negative or positive thoughtsbut have realized the above truth. If the reflection in themirror is realized as impermanent then what does it matterif the reflection is beautiful or distorted?

Quietitude and Understanding

Intense introspection and unconditioned objectiveenquiry regarding the fundamentals alone is the doorwayto the realization of the truth of Self. You are doing fine.Always prefer intense and positive use of thoughts to theirquititude. Quietitude of mind has its own role to play too,but is always secondary to right understanding.


Losing Temper is wrong

The fact that you are aware of the negative con-sequences of losing temper, and want to get out of thisweakness is a positive thing. Yes, there are times whenthe other person is wrong and you are right, but losingtemper turns the table, and you too are thereafter wrong.So if a person has to be really right then it is a must that heshould remain considerate, loving and also intelligentenough to handle the situation. We don’t have to justhandle a situation outside but our minds too. Ultimatelysee that not only you but everyone is more happier too.Never forget this component, because really speakingthis is the goal for which everyone ultimately works. Whenthe end is clear rest is all easy.


Handling negative responses

Whenever the problem is ‘unsatisfactory responseto a situation’, then the way out is to work for a moredeliberate response. The first thing which I would like youto work on is to learn to respond 'without words'. Neveruse words immediately or mechanically. Use them as atreasure. You will be surprised to know that how much wecan communicate without using words. A glance, a looketc is enough to reveal our state of mind or point of view.As far as possible make it a habit to express your dissatis-faction with just looks and not words. Use words verythoughtfully and often sparingly and that also 'only after abreak and pause' - just like a good investment.


Transcending Thoughts

A person, who has realized the ephemerality ofthoughts, will not really be bothered even if the perceptionof thoughts is there. So the thrust has to be to know thetruth of thoughts rather than quietening the thoughts. As faras experiencing the state of thoughtlessness is concerned,you any way experience it several times daily. The referenceto our deep-sleep experience is for this purpose alone. Yetif that is not sufficient, you may even consciously keepaside all your thoughts and ‘see’ what remains when thethoughts are quiet. The proof of really having seen thatwhich is the very substratum of thoughts, is to later ‘see’that and that alone as the very essence of one and all,including your thoughts. Thoughts also will be seen as‘that self-effulgent blissful existence’, which you had ‘directlyrealized’ after quietening all your thoughts, just as all potsare seen as nothing but that mud alone, which alone waswhen the pot was not there.

Such men of knowledge revel in the non-dual inspite of the perception of this apparent duality. You seeone in spite of the perception of many. That’s the beautyof the knowledge of Vedanta. That is what Lord Krishnasays ‘Verily, everything whatsoever is Vasudeva alone’.


Understanding Desires

Yes, expectations are desires. While ultimately theyhave to be no more, but initially we need to have somedesires. In fact desires have an important role to play.Desires need to be understood. Desires reveal a want,and thus provide us motivation to do something. They giveus direction and energy to work. More intense the desire,greater will be the drive and motivation, and it is the intense& concerted work alone which brings results. There arecertain desires which are a blessing too, so desires per seshould not be endeavored to be effaced. Even if someonewants to stop their manifestation, then also he or she willnot be able to do it, because desire is an ‘effect’ of some‘cause’. One needs to go deep into understanding desires.

While the capacity to desire is fine, yet the necessityto desire something for yourself need not be there. Desirefor helping and serving others is a blessing, it has aninherent divinity; but desire for self-fulfillment etc is painful.Such a desire is born out of insufficiency and the desirejust strengthens and affirms it. The cause of all self-centereddesires is ignorance and the subsequent delusoryunderstanding about the truth of oneself. All desires areborn out of this baseless presumption that ‘I am limited’,and ‘something yonder will bring fulfillment’. When becauseof right knowledge these baseless presumptions drop, sodo all self-centered desires. Yes, desires get dropped, andare not really dropped. There is no effort to efface aneffect, when the cause itself is no more.


Is Atma-gyana easy or difficult?

It is easy yet it is difficult. It is easy because allwhat we have to do is to realize your true nature, and it isdifficult because we are highly conditioned about our self,and moreover our existing perceptions make our mind lookoutside. We try to objectify the subject. Self can be known,but not as an object. The process of knowing the Self isalso not like the process of knowing the objects of theworld. This part alone makes this knowledge somethingdifferent. Those who do not understand this, for them thisknowledge is difficult. Two things make this difficultknowledge easy. One, a pure sattwic mind, and two,access to a right teacher.

Test of Knowledge

The test of our direct realization is existence of acontended mind, motivations of merely the ‘well being ofall’, not letting any situation - positive or negative, disturbsyour equanimity. You can see directly that this entire ‘fieldof experience’ - the whole world, along with theexperiencer, has come from you, is sustained by you andwill go back in you. If you directly know all this then certainlyyou know the truth. If not, then with all your sincerity andhumility keep going deep into the factors which obstructsuch realization.


‘I’ - the most used and abused word

Yes, it is a fact that very few know them self fullyand properly, and almost all human problems can be tracedto the non-apprehension and the subsequent mis-apprehension of the truth of our self. Realizing the truth ofoneself is indeed one the greatest challenges of life. Theword ‘I’ is not only the most often used word, but alsomost-abused word. We keep on coming across so manymirrors in life which prompt us to introspect not only ourexpectations, perceptions and values, but about our veryessence. The great sages of yore also point that Self-knowledge should be considered as the ultimate goal ofhuman life. It is the door to redemption from all subjectivemalaise. Self-realization is God-realization.

‘I’ is like a Queen-Bee

The first and foremost thing which one shouldremember is that ‘the various fulfillment’s and successesare for me and not vice-versa’. I am important & not they.Even if they do not come then also that which is reallyimportant is not lost. I am still there, and that is great. This‘I’ is like a queen bee for which all bees are working sohard to get the sweetest thing they can find. That beloved,for whom all this was initiated, is still around.


Three Steps to Self-Realization

There are three steps to awakening and abidingin your real Self. They are Sravana, Manana andNididhyasana. In Sravana we directly ‘see’ the meaningof the words of the scriptures ‘through the expositions ofour teacher’. This has to be repeated many times till wesee the meaning very clearly.

In Manana we handle all our doubts,misapprehensions etc by ourself, and awake to the samestate within, of which a glimpse is got when it was revealedduring the exposition by the teacher. The tips and directionseven for this have to be got from our teacher.

By Niddidhyasana, the habitual errors get resolvedto such an extent that we do not have any necessity ofremoving any subjective veils, the ‘same’ experience isalways there. We just remain intensely aware of this newlydiscovered identity in and through all our worldly activitiestoo. Some time we meditate intensely on that and at othertimes the awareness just lingers on.


Ego is a Nishachar

Ego is a ‘Nishachar’, it is born in darkness, andalso lives, thrives and operates in darkness alone. It isRajneesh - the king of the night. Bring in the light and thedarkness is not there, and along with it also go all theproducts of darkness.

Rooting out of the Ego

Effacement of ego by proper understanding aloneensures its rooting out. Bringing about the state of egolessness by any other means is a temporary state, and thusensures its re-surfacing and continuity.


Experience and Knowledge

Even though taking oneself to be this limitedindividual starts with the experience of our body-mind-intellect complex, but the thought that ‘I am the limitedfellow - the jiva’ doesn’t depend upon the constantawareness of our body etc. This implies that even whenwe are not conscious of our mind etc. this identity can &does exist, in a manifest or an unmanifest condition. Duringthe moments of joys or the deep sleep the experience etc‘I am a limited guy’ is not experienced, yet we never saysushupti is same as samadhi.

Mere experience of a state which is free from alllimitations is not what Vedanta is professing. What isrequired is drawing the right lessons from the wholespectrum of experiences which we are getting even withoutany efforts on our part. The experience of sushupti isavailable to one & all, but what lessons have we learntfrom it, is the million dollar question.

Yoga shastra (all kinds of Yogas included) helps usget sattvic experiences, while Vedanta shastra teaches usto get right lessons from the whole range of experienceswe are getting every moment. Vedanta declares againand again that ‘by knowledge alone you liberate yourself,and not by any particular experience.’ A student of medicinehaving completed his degree course, is in the beginningintensely conscious of his having become a doctor. ‘I amnow a doctor’ is his ‘experience’, in which he continuously& joyously revels. Later after some time even though he


may not be consciously retaining that thought that ‘I am adoctor’, yet the initial effort of consciously and continuouslyreveling in that thought now culminates into a ‘knowledge’that ‘I am a doctor’, and this ‘knowledge’ operates on allhis thoughts, plans and relationships - unconsciously. Nowit is immaterial whether the fellow is conscious of it or not,the knowledge will continue to operate.

It may be easy to handle experiences, or at timeseven shove the experiencer on one side, but the real thingis to handle the deeply ingrained ‘knowledge’ that I am alimited experiencer. Can we root out those mis-apprehensions which have trickled down deep into ourpsyche? That alone is the challenge in front of all Vedanticscriptures & teachers. Real freedom is freedom from thosebaseless presumptions and misapprehensions of the truthof ourselves and realization of the truths as revealed bythe Upanishads - the pramana granths.


Means and End

There is indeed lots of ignorance about the endand means (the Sadhana & Sadhya). The only problem ofa human being is that of ignorance of the fundamentaltruth of life and himself, and thus the solution is only andonly knowledge. Just as darkness goes only by light, soalso ignorance goes only by knowledge, and nothing else- whatsoever.

Self-knowledge is the means to eliminate the veil ofignorance on your true Self. Further, please understandthat knowledge of anything is brought about only by properenquiry of that thing and nothing else, so there are nodifferent ‘ways’ or ‘paths’ here. It is just and simple -unconditioned & deep enquiry into your self, which includesgoing into your existing presumptions etc too. All othersadhanas too have a role to play, but only to help bringabout the right state of mind with which proper enquiry isto be conducted. So basically there is no choice regarding‘paths’. Paths are there only for handling our specificconditionings which become impediments for an in-depthand objective enquiry.


Bondage and Liberation

Efforts to become something imply the existence ofan unconscious presumption that ‘Whatever I am today isnot the ultimate; it is not really something which I want &aspire to be’. There is another presumption too, that is, bythis process of ‘becoming’, the ‘lack’ within will beeliminated. This presumption is baseless, something totallycontrary to what the awakened ones reveals. They declarethat the Self is one, non-dual, infinite & transcendentaldivinity. Whatever you ‘become’ is always short lived,never permanent. If we look back then we realize that tillthis day we have become so many things, attained somany goals, fulfilled so many desires. Sometimes the feelingwas that ‘I am on top of the world’, but still the lingeringfeeling of attaining something more remains. So the verythought that you want to ‘attain’ fulfillment by yet someother process of ‘becoming’ is a product of ignorance.

So the ignorance of facts of life and the truth of ourSelf, and the subsequent taking of some other thing as afact is Bondage, and to ‘see’ the facts as they are andthus be free from that intrinsic lack is Liberation.


Samsari, Sadhaka and Siddha

The difference between a samsari (worldly man),a sadhaka (spiritual aspirant), and a siddha (Jivanmukta)basically pertains to their perceptions about their real iden-tities and essence. However, irrespective of their individualperceptions the fact remains that the basic essence of allof these is one and the same - one infinite, immutable,blissful divinity.

'Jivanmukta' is one who knows the above truth veryclearly & intimately, a 'spiritual aspirant' is one who knowsthat he does not know, and thus is putting in sincere ef-forts to know, and the so called 'worldly man' is one whoeven though does not know his real truth but still thinksthat he knows, and therefore there is no effort whatsoeverin this direction of self-enquiry. While a Jivanmukta is ef-fortlessly at peace with himself and lives for others - verylovingly and dynamically, the spiritual aspirant is busy,working for various 'subjective' discoveries about himself.The worldly type is a deluded one, he or she is veryextrovert, always very busy - even to pause to think as towho is he, what does he really and ultimately want orwhere exactly is he going. He has hundreds of worldly orrather 'objective' priorities and aspirations, which he inhis misplaced wisdom considers as the gateway to realfulfillment.

All the above types of people (which are basicallythree stages which everyone has to go through & attain)


are found at all times and places, but obviously the per-centage vary. The majority is always of those who do notknow, yet arrogantly think that they know - they are theextrovert types and are always on the run. Next comethose who are relatively in lesser number - who know thatthey do not know. They are the quieter introvert types andvery humbly try to know that which the truth is. The mostrare are those who very clearly know 'that' which is thevery substratum of all knowledge and ignorance - as theirvery self. They are an embodiment of God himself andare indeed a blessing for the world.


Expand yourself

By expanding your self I mean that apart fromtaking your own ambitions and desires into consider-ation, try to live & care for others too. Self-centricity bringsall the conflicts and confusions which you had mentionedin your earlier mail. Have you ever seen the wish of yourmother etc as your own wish? Have you ever gone out tothe forests or a garden and fed the birds or the animals?Have you ever helped someone by whatever charity youcan afford? Do your goals of life include the well-being ofother people of our world, or do you just plan for your-self?

Changing impression about yourself

By changing the impression about yourself, I meanto stop perceiving yourself in isolation. Stop taking your-self as a small individual, but as a part of this beautifuland orderly creation, and also a potent part of God him-self. The same laws apply to you as they apply to anyoneelse. You too work within the same parameters as anyoneelse. You too have your nose in the same tub as others -for breathing. Remember we are all interconnected, invarious ways. This connectivity exists even at the level ofmind and soul, but we have to see it. Isolated, fragmentedlife is a guarantee for all conflicts.


Necessity of a Guru

Just as a lamp can be lit only with a lightened lamp,so also self-knowledge can take place only with the helpof a Sat-guru. It is indeed the extremely blessed ones whofind company and association of men with true wisdomand love to help us awaken from this realm of ignorance.Knowledge takes place in an atmosphere of love andegoless ness, which is a natural basis in our relationshipwith our Sat-guru. Those who say that there is no necessityof a Guru in life do not apparently know what is the real‘means of knowledge’ (pramana) for Self-knowledge. Theycan never imagine the joys of relationship with a trulyenlightened soul.

Importance of a Guru

Proper learning of any knowledge whatsoever re-quires direct initiation and direction from a good teacher.Better the teacher quicker and better is the understanding.We have learnt to even read or write because of someteacher. As the topic of our understanding becomes sub-tler, the necessity of a teacher becomes greater. Try tounderstand classical music or some such thing without ateacher and you will yourself realize the necessity of aliving and loving teacher. Meeting the right person at theright time makes all the difference in life. If self-study wasthe ideal way to know then schools and other institutionsof learning would have become redundant. Moreover,every person would have to start from the discovery of thewheel itself.


A Living Guru is required

It is obvious that as the subject matter of self-knowledge is our very Self, the whole inquiry has to beconducted in and by our own mind. The truth too will berevealed as our very Self. These things are never a pointof doubt or contention. This is also a fact that the Guru inhis true essence resides in all of us, but this by itself hasnever been of any help to us, we continue to suffer in spiteof that ‘guru’ within us.

What is required is not the essence of a Guru, buta Guru in flesh and blood with whom we can discuss, talkand find a way out of the mess in which we have broughtourselves to. Truth is right there in front of you - revealed inall its glory, it is just that there is ignorance about it. Havingidentified the problem, why should there be any hesitationin taking help from someone who has already undertakenthis journey. It is indeed funny to see what all excuses theego thinks about, what all logic it discovers, just to avoidthe possibility of its surrendering at the feet of someonewho is nothing but an embodiment of true knowledgeand love.


Invoking Guru in someone no more

No, it does not help invoking Guru in some saintwho is no more around. Guru should be living and alsoaccessible. You should be able to discuss things and findsolutions to your problems and questions. You can takesome general guidance and inspiration from earlier saintsbut they can never be an alternate for a living Guru. Whatis called for is not general inspiration and understandingbut specific guidance.

Company and association of right people is ofgreatest importance. If you don’t find the right people, youwill discuss from those who are still in dark and that neverhelps, it only complicates the matters. That ‘you should beyour own light’, ‘Guru is already within you’, ‘That youneed not look out for a guru’, and all that in my view iswrong. They are just words of no practical help.


Is purity of thoughts enough ?

Purity of thoughts and emotions are indeednecessary, but by itself that is never enough. As long asthoughts exist so long the thinker too exists. Taking ourselvesas a thinker etc is synonymous to taking oneself to belimited.

To transcend the thinker you need to get light fromwhere it exists. The light is never got someone who ishimself a product of darkness. In fact the awakening iswhen this fellow is no more. Yes, ego is like the proverbialsnake which by its very existence veils the rope. Ego hasto commit a kind of hara-kiri, wherein the ego is no moreyet the eyes are not closed. As long as this limited guy isthere so long the doors remain shut.

Truth is indeed beyond imagination. It reveals whenthere is no imagination, but not merely when there is noimagination. Even though progress to a large extent doestake place by your sincere efforts, but as you yourself realizethis has its own limits. From finite to infinite is not a journeyin time, which takes place slowly. It is an awakening. Asudden leap. However great a number you add to yourexisting denomination it will always be short of infinity. Sothat’s not the way.


An ideal student

The only thing which we look in a student is thesincerity of purpose for ‘bringing about right understandingabout life’ and ‘necessary faith in the teacher’. We don’tbother much about prescribing daily routine. Decide whatis best under your circumstances. See what is best to retainyour positive mindset. Having good physical health and agood state of mind, along with the above two attitudes iswhat is really required. Performing all our duties with aloving mind, enjoying every work we do and not beingbothered too much about what we get in return, is a veryhelpful attitude to bring about all positive qualities. A mindwhich is awake and also at peace through out the day,will have a nice sleep, get up fresh, will be quiet to thinkdeeply about the secrets of life. That is all that is required.Do keep some time to study some good texts, and sometime should also be kept apart for some prayers andmeditation.


What to do till you meet a Guru?

1. Be very clear about the role and importance ofassociation with the right, knowledgeable people. Havegreat value for this. Try your best under your existingcircumstances to get such company. Value for such peoplehas its own effect. If you cannot find anyone who canhelp you provide some light, sincerely pray to God forsuch a company. Believe me, prayers have great power.

2. Try to identify your problem to the best possible extentand present your question as clearly and as specificallypossible to all those who are available. As long ascommunication is taking place language becomessecondary.

3. Listen to all as objectively as possible, as you havebeen doing at present, but reserve the right to decide byyourself. Self-knowledge is not something which defieslogic. But let the criteria be to discover your Self as theultimate. This is not a matter of blind belief, but somethingpending discovery. Just as a patient has an intrinsic faithin his health, so also have a deep intrinsic faith in yourown divinity. Believe sincerely you are basically all right,that this fact can be understood even by you, and finallycome what you may will one day know it. If others can doit why cant I?

4. Give more importance to ‘understanding things’ ratherthan to get some momentary ‘experience’. Try your best tostudy Upanishads and such Vedantic texts. They are oneof the greatest heritages of all mankind. They objectively


analyze and discuss the fundamental things of life. Theyare not to provide some do’s and don’ts but to help usdiscover the truth.

5. Pray to God to provide you with more and moreopportunities to know more about the secrets of life andyourself. The fact that today I am discussing somethingwith you is itself the will of God. Who else can make suchthings to happen except God?

6. It is right that you alone have to work and find yourway but in today’s world many new vistas in the field ofcommunication have been opened which could never havebeen imagined earlier. So guidance will be availableeven at your door steps, if you sincerely want it, not onlyregarding this thing but in fact for any thing. That’s theway of God and his world.

7. Feel free to write to me and I will try my best to help youfind your way. It would be my pleasure. But never blindlyfollow or accept what I or for that matter anyone says.Think deeply on what is said and if you feel convincedthen alone follow, otherwise write back again. Let a gooddiscussion take place in an atmosphere of mutual loveand respect.


The Logic of Karma-Yoga

I rate 'Karma Yoga' as the best and finest way tonot only purify ones mind but simultaneously achieve greaterefficiency and productivity in our day to day life. This hasthe potential to literally bring about a revolution in ourlives. It is a must which everyone irrespective of ones reli-gion or faith should follow. It reveals something universal.It won’t be an exaggeration if I say that the door to eter-nity will never open without practicing and assimilatingthe 'Art of Action' as revealed in Karma Yoga. SriSankaracharya calls Karma Yoga as the Yoga which fa-cilitates abidance in ones Self (Gyana Nishtha). KarmaYoga incorporates the best of positive emotions (Bhakti),positive perceptions (Gyana) and dynamic living (Karma),and you have a role model like Sri Krishna who had sucha bubbling, loving, creative and dynamic personality. Henot only preached but lived Karma Yoga - effortlessly.

The essence of Karma Yoga is to live a life wherewe do not begin with the premise that 'I am a limitedguy', but with a deep-rooted faith of ones intrinsic fullness.Such a person doesn’t look at the world with thirsty eyesthat 'I want this or that', but looks at the world as it is,without bringing in the 'I want' factor. We have the free-dom to look at the world with 'me' as its center, or wehave the freedom to see the world as it is. While theformer perception is the greatest conditioning and distor-tion, the latter helps us see the truth of the world or of us.The elimination of the self-centricity is facilitated by variousthings : -


1. You see the ways and systems of the world soclearly that you prefer and afford to start enjoying eachand every moment and action thoroughly, rather than post-pone your joys for getting some fruits of action which onlycome in the future.

2. You believe in God to such an extent that youstop worrying about yourself.

3. You see this fact clearly that fragmentation aloneis the cause of all miseries. Expanding ones shores toinclude 'others' also in 'mine'. This is extremely importantto fulfill our dearest and deepest dreams.

4. You see the world as a realm of change, andtherefore do not consider the worldly goals as your real orultimate goal.

5. You see your 'sense of individuality' as a mereproduct of your mind rather than something which has anindifferent and substantial objective existence. The 'senseof individuality' thus doesnt reveal my 'truth'. If everythingin the world has come from one reality then even my'truth' has to be something infinite, which is what the Vedastoo reveal.


The Essence of Karma Yoga

Having discovered a logic for not living just foryourself, you should discover a goal which can becomean ideal media to help you serve others. This is the es-sence of Karma Yoga. Living lovingly for the well-being ofall. This Art of Karma has two basic components :

A. How we receive a situation, andB. How we respond to a situation.

Anyone who is truly selfless receives every situationwith full equanimity. As there is nothing personal at stakes,nothing can disturb this person. This equanimity becomeshis hallmark, and this alone is the most evident test of the'purity' of our mind too. If any situation whatsoever candisturb us then we are yet to 'see' the ephemerality of theworld, we are yet to really believe in God, we are yet todiscover a logic of living beyond our 'sense of individual-ity'. Such a person is condemned to live a life of miseriesfor life after life. No sadhana can help us out, till we stopgetting worried about anything outside.

Secondly, the Karma Yogi responds to a situationwith deep love for all. It is his love for others which promptshim to act. This is what love is all about. Karma Yogi is anembodiment of true love, and where love is, there alonejoy and happiness is. The right 'way' of receiving a situa-tion is called in our scriptures as 'Prasad Buddhi', whilethe right 'way' of responding to a situation is indicated bythe word 'Ishwar-arpan Buddhi'. These two constitute theessence of Karma Yoga.


Enjoy the Journey

Enjoy the journey, rather than miss out the beautifullandscapes around in the anxiety to reach some place.Those who enjoy the journey enjoy constantly, and theyalone really enjoy the goal too.

Love for the goal should definitely be there, and soalso the enthusiasm to reach it, but one needs to strike abalance in one’s priorities. Goals give direction and drive,but this should never be at the cost of devaluing the present.Remember, your cherished goals too shall come as somepresent moment. So learn the art of making the best ofyour present moments. The joys of those who are justbothered about some goal beyond the horizon, areobviously momentary and short-lived, not only becausetheir joy is dependent on just one thing, but also becausethey have not learnt this art of making the best of thatwhich is in the present.


Swadharma

The word swadharma refers both to the intrinsicnature our mind (from its ‘inclination’ point of view) andalso of the Self.

At the level of mind it refers to the deep rootedimpressions in the mind due to our past karmas. This helpsdiscern the ‘varna’ of every individual. Varna literally meanscolor, and is commonly translated as the ‘caste’ of everyindividual. If the field of our work is decided as per theseintrinsic inclinations then the output is seen to be best, andalso it is easiest to purify our mind and facilitate our spiritualunfoldment too. Purification of our mind is our ability tolive as per our swadharma in a ‘sattvic’ way. Swadharmaalso refers to the nature of Self, which is Sat-chit-anand.Once the mind is ready then with the help of Vedanta oneshould do enquiry and realize ones real nature and abidein it.

The first task of every sadhaka is to discern hisswadharma at the level of mind and live life as per that -in a sattvic way. This is a very delicate task. Initially allimpressions appear to be so deep rooted that they appearto be our swadharma, so hasten slowly.


Caste System

Caste system is not anything evil. I t is apsychologically perfect system for the division of labor ofthe people, which every Hindu should be rather proud of.The problem today is the way in which this is understoodand practiced. Discernment of caste was basically on thebasis of intrinsic inclinations of a person. Depending onthe basic inclination of a person the Gurukula’s initiatedthem in that field, and it was due to this reason that wehad great specialists in every field.

Children were chosen and trained right fromchildhood, not like the education system of today, whereeducation is just information-feeding and cant evenguarantee a job. Possibility of misuse of any system isinherent in every system, and appropriate ways to safeguardit are thus worked out. The negativities of caste system cannot be removed by branding the system per se as evil, butby bringing to fore-front the exact truth of it. If caste systemis evil just because it is wrongly practiced then democracyis still more evil - because the people who are supposedto run it are making a mockery of it. Please remember thatno religion in the world realized or professed the necessityof psychological compatibility of a person and his workfield. Just because some people did not care to go into allthis and therefore denigrated or abused this system it doesnot mean the system is evil. Unfortunately the neo-literatestoo just keep repeating the wrong understanding of thisperfect system.


The Four Varnas

While it is always good to be aware of your deeprooted impressions, yet the word swadharma implies the‘broad overall thrust of the total deep-rooted and naturalimpressions’. Four categories have been enumerated bythe scriptures

1. Those desirous of pursuing greater understandingof life. Such people feel satisfied even in simple yetrespectful living. They live more in present, are sensitive totheir duties and responsibilities. They are relatively moreintelligent, creative, considerate, fearless and also loving.They are called ‘Brahmins’, most suited to realize Brahman.

2. The second kind is called the Kshatriyas. Theytoo have high and noble ideals but have greater inclinationto change the world, rather than themselves. They dochange the world as per their convictions. They have strongpersonalities, and their presence brings awe and hope inthe minds of people. They are not really ego-centric, intheir heart of hearts they want the well being of people.They respect knowledge and also men of knowledge, butdo not feel disposed to pursue it by themselves. They wantsome pomp and show, grandeur and comfort too.

3. The third kind is the business types, called theVaishyas. The thrust of their inclination is money andpersonal profit. They weigh everything, whether it isknowledge, social work, pleasures or even relationships,in these terms alone. They are more self-centered, butthe


most resourceful of the lot, and thus command a status.They are extremely calculative and consider changingcolors as their cleverness. They are never too reliable. Theyare more fascinated by means rather than the end, of whichthey are not very clear either.

4. People, who are not motivated by any of theabove thrusts, are called Shudras. They need to getdirection for everything. They are the dull types. Theirheaven is where they can get the best to eat, enjoy andsleep without having to work for it. They work best underpressure.

These are called the four ‘varnas’. The thrust of onesactivity should be as per these broad inclinations, thenalone the best comes out. Even though these varnas canbe changed, but that is not really necessary. Purity of mindcan still be brought about, if some positive values areinculcated and there is execution of their works in a relativelymore sattvic way.


The Role of Four Varnas

Basically the Sanatan Dharma expounds that themain goal of life of every person is to get enlightened,realize the Self as the ultimate, transcendental truth calledBrahman. (Ayam Atma Brahma) To take oneself as beinglimited by time and space is an indication and also proofof ignorance in that person about his or her true nature.The realization of Self as the non-dual, eternal reality ofthe universe is what we call Moksha. Even though webelieve that this is our main goal and every human isbasically capable of attaining it, but like in any knowledgesome prerequisites are required before the knowledge candawn. The potential for this realization is inherent in all,but this potential has to be manifested very patiently. Amind ready for the inner awakening is called a sattvic orpure mind.

The process of manifestation of this potential is avery specialized affair. It is very specific too. We do notprofess a single path and duties to one and all. We believethat every person has a specific frame of mind and adefinite inclination for some activity. This is termed as‘Swadharma’ or ‘Varna’ of that person. This has to beidentified with the help of our gurus.

As a general rule we believe that children of parentshaving an X kind of inclination are most likely to have thatX kind of inclination too. So commonly categorization ismade on the basis of lineage. But this is not a hard andfast rule, but is only the best available initial categorization


system. These natural inclinations of minds are what wecall as the Varna and they are broadly of four kinds.

The Brahmanas (the simple, clean mindedintelligential who are inclined to know more & more of thesecrets of life, do research etc.), Kshatriyas (the inspiring,dynamic, fearless and selfless workers which forms theleader class), Vaishyas (the dynamic business class whichis motivated best by the possibility of self-interest & profit)and the Shudras (those who do not have any of the aboveinclinations and therefore are the dull ones). This is whatothers generally call as the caste-system.

We believe that duties, work-field, responsibilitiesetc. of a person should always be assigned or chosen onthe basis of his or her inner coloring or fragrance. Thenalone the best can come out. Then alone the mind can beloving, dynamic, creative, selfless or in short sattvic. Werespect such kind of activity because dynamic, loving &selfless work helps to bring out our best not only in thefield of our work but also manifests our potential for theinner realization. So it is extremely essential to identifyones varna, be true to it and live accordingly. Thus thevarna system indicates our field of action, while the ashramsindicate the stages of life.


Predictions dont make sense

Any predictions whether of Nostradamus or anyoneelse, just don’t make any sense. The only lesson anyonedraws from these thing is that if everything is destined inlife then ‘we do not have freedom whatsoever’. This isrefuted by our Vedas, logic and even by our experiences.It is the ‘Law of Karma’ which alone satisfactorily explainsthings in the world and not astrology.

If even for a moment we accept that everything isdestined, then mind you God will become the greatestand biggest sadist of the world. How can the creator evercreate the suffering masses, the inequality and all thesethings? No religion can ever dream of even imaginingsuch a God. So we do not accept that everything is pre-destined.

Is everything pre-destined?

While there is definitely something called destiny,yet everything is not pre-destined. To say every thing ispre-destined will be to deny all that the scriptures havebeen trying to tell. It would be the greatest dis-service tothe ageless vedic wisdom, if every thing is imagined tobe pre-destined, and the basic objective of religious mas-ters is equated with predicting future. It amounts to notonly denying the scriptures but even your very freedom.


Predictions deny joy of suspense

Predictions take away the very joy of suspense whichGod has so lovingly bestowed to us. It is only those peoplewho are desperately bothered about getting some situa-tion outside, who do not know how real fulfillment or evena situation is brought about, who do not know their truth,and base their lives on imaginary perceptions are lackingwithin, who do not know what is the role and place ofaction, and have not tasted the joys of a creative & lovingaction - that destiny becomes some thing very important.

A person may be deluded on many counts, yet ifthe fellow enjoys the ‘joy of suspense’, then also he willnot go for predictions, however valid it may be. Thosewho want to know their future are one’s with weak minds,and are missing something great in life. They do not knowhow to live. They know not what is the vision, messageand purport of scriptures. In spite of all achievements theyshall remain a weak and wanting being.

People who are desperate to know about their fu-ture are like a person sitting to watch a movie, and be-cause the fellow can’t bear the suspense has asked some-one about the possible turn of events. While the predic-tions may or may not come true, but the important thing tosee is his state of mind. He sits through the movie with aconditioned mind, completely devoid of the joys of sus-pense. They know not the ways of enjoying a movie.


Destiny and Freedom

There are two aspects of a karma. One, a situa-tion comes, and two, we respond to it. Every situation isa product of the sum total of all our past karma's, bothof this life and of the earlier ones. This aspect is destinedto come. We are however free in how we respond tothese situations. We can respond mechanically, casu-ally, dynamically, intelligently, or creatively in a completelynew way. We are free in all this, and in fact this alone isour real freedom, and is of greatest consequence.

This conscious exercising of our freedom of re-sponse alone is basically our ‘karma', this alone createsall papa or punya. In this alone is our real challenge &creativity. In fact this alone is the real joy of karma. Ifsomeone exercises and enjoys this aspect properly thenhe or she is the most blessed person. One, the joy ofsuch person who enjoys the very act of doing somethingis never snatched away by any situation whatsoever. Two,even if the person is not too bothered about the fruits ofaction then also such a person alone gets right fruits too,for the simple reason that his actions have been per-formed well, and finally, such people acquire all the quali-ties required to awaken to the transcendental dimensionof their own Self. They are called the Karma-yogis. Suchpeople are never bothered about their future; they enjoyevery moment of their lives, and are true believers anddevotees of God. What they do is their offering at thefeet of God, and what comes to them in the form ofsituations, is the gift of God to them - his prasad.


Who creates destiny?

Two possibilities crop up in our mind. Either thisdestiny factor has been created by God or by the karma'sof man. If God has created destiny then he alone will beresponsible for all the pain, injustice and mess we seearound. He will have to be seen as the greatest sadist wecan ever imagine. Moreover, if he alone runs the showthen why should he come and give discourses to humanswho are just his puppets, and have no freedom whatso-ever. Scriptures like Vedas and Gita who talk about karma'swill become redundant. To say that God alone decideseverything is to rob the life of all its drive, challenge andcreativity. If we however say, that it our past karma's whichconstitutes our destiny and that alone decides everythingin this life, then it also implies that if I am the one who hascreated these karma's in my earlier life, then I can verywell create some papa-punya in this life too. And if thatbe so then I can very well change or create my so calleddestiny. This alone is the truth. There is no truth in sayingthat everything is pre-destined.


Sushupti and Samadhi

There is a great difference between the states of‘sushupti’ and the state of ‘samadhi’. In the former, thedeep-sleep state, you glide in because of your exhaustion& tiredness, while in the latter you go in because of yourheightened awareness and understanding. Experience ofthoughtlessness being same, the lessons we learn, theknowledge we derive makes the real difference. It is theabsence and existence of knowledge which really matters& not the commonness of thoughtlessness.

Why people go to secluded places?

There can be two reasons why some people go tosecluded places. If they are sadhakas then they may be ina process of manana or are working to bring aboutcomplete abidance in truth, and if they are siddhas, thenthey just like it and do it. They are totally free, they can dowhat they like, its not for achieving any thing.


Samadhi and Knowledge

Real happiness is not dependent on thoughtlessnessbut on right knowledge. The ability to glide into samadhiis just a proof that your understanding is right, later on youhave the freedom to either remain with thoughts or glideinto thoughtlessness (samadhi), it will not really matter.

We suggest to our students that they at least gointo samadhi once, later it will be their discretion. Thenature of discrimination which is revealed in all AdvaitaVedanta scriptures is ‘Atma alone is, rest is all Mithya’. Ifyou have really ‘seen’ this fact then you will be able to puteverything aside. Our inability to detach ourselves fromthe awareness of some thing or some person, even for ashort time, only shows the importance being given to thosethings. The importance goes to the extent of our inabilityto bring to our mind the awareness of ‘that’ about which Iseem to be convinced that it alone is the truth. Regardingtruth we should feel absolute importance, rest has onlyrelative importance. As going into samadhi is theculmination of right knowledge, so one should not reallybother too much about samadhi but only aim to get rightunderstanding of life. Samadhi is like a prasad of rightknowledge.

Om Tat Sat

Vedanta Ashram

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