Akhand Jyoti magazine Mar 2020 by Akhand Jyoti Swadhyay

VOLUME: 18

ISSUE:2

March-April 2020

The Challenge of Lamp to Darkness

he darkness has its own power. When its favorable time, night, comes, then it appears that it has engulfed the entire world in its fold. Its influence is worth observing. The eyes remain intact, all other things are also in their places, but the irony is that one cannot see anything. The objects kept near oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feet may become the cause of oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stumbling down. The darkness is always frightening. One may consider a rope lying on the ground as a snake and a bush as a ghost. Thanks to sleep, which pushes us into the state of oblivion; otherwise, if we keep awake, the period of the night may appear like climbing a mountain. Considering the severity of darkness, we have to praise the lamp, which, when lighted, changes the situation drastically. Even its dim light makes us aware of the nearby things and circumstances. Half the problem is solved regarding the position of nearby objects. The lamp may be small, its value may be less, but being the progeny of Light, it challenges the darkness that has spread all around. It transforms the atmosphere of despair into hope and enthusiasm. This is the virtue of leadership. - Param Pujya Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.- Martin Luther King, Jr.

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CONTENTS 1.

Amrit The Challenge of Lamp to Darkness .....................................................................................

From Chief Editor’s Desk A Novel University imparting Values along with Education .................................................

Online Shopping – There is Need to Understand its Pros and Cons ....................................

Ïikh³ Prevents the Out-Flow of Sublime Energy ..................................................................

Science and Spirituality Scientific Roots of the Divine Impact of Mantra S³dhan³ ...................................................

An Effective Solution to Water Crisis ...................................................................................

The Zest for Life Keeps a Person Young ..............................................................................

Insomnia: A Looming Global Crisis .....................................................................................

Yug Gita - 23 How can One Attain Ultimate Goal without Doing Prescribed Work? .................................

10.

Peace Pilgrim’s Wisdom - 23 Transforming Our Society .....................................................................................................

11.

Youth Column How to Develop Self-Leadership?.........................................................................................

13.

Odyssey of the Enlightened - 72 Gayatri on the Banks of Yamuna - 1 ......................................................................................

12.

Amrit Vani

Let the Spirit of Spring Permeate and Uplift Your Life - 2 ...........................................

14:

Holi: The Festival of Colors ..............................................................................................

15.

Youths are Ever Ready to Work for the Betterment of Society .................................

16.

Shantikunj News ......................................................

(Inner Cover Pages & Back Cover Page)

Look at how a single candle can both defy and define the darkness. - Anne Frank AKHAND JYOTI

MARCH-APRIL 2020

From Chief Editor’s Desk

A Novel University imparting Values along with Education

owadays educational institutions, especially the centers of higher learning, have become a subject of concern. One can easily guess the objectives of such centers by looking at the advertisements for admission given by them. Whenever the USP of a college, institute, or university is talked about, the matter ends at the package of students getting after completing the specific programs. The main topic of discussion remains how many lakhs or crores of packages the pass-outs get and which multinational company employed them. One should get the best employment after education; there should be no objection by anyone in this regard. This is the primary aim of education. However, when a job alone becomes the sole aim of education – it shows the wretched state of educational thinking. The real aim of education is the holistic growth of a learner. Education would be considered meaningful when it helps in the intellectual development of the students and their spiritual and emotional upliftment, sows the seeds of virtuous impressions, and builds their character. Along with economic

self-reliance, a sense of responsibility towards society should also get awakened in them. The learning would be fruitful only when the faith in the values of life, love for the nation and culture, and the spirit of harmonious living with others are awakened within the learners. If we look at our educational institutions, the scenario appears to be disappointing. Some institutions are limited to awarding only the degrees. Their marketing strategy is such that they attract the students by showing big dreams and collect hefty fees. The guardians and their wards, searching for the shortcuts to achieve their ends, fall prey to such tactics. Even in top-ranking institutions, the environment is not favorable for the holistic growth of youths. Such institutions, limited only to the development of professional skills, cannot be considered ideal. But the youths don’t have other options. Unfortunately, due to the lack of values, these very professional intellectuals create problems for society and the nation. Instead of finding solutions to national issues, they utilize their skills in creating more problems. Even they are found to indulge in anti-national activities. This shows a severe defect in the system of education they received. The undue entrance of politics is also polluting the atmosphere of the educational institutions. There is frequent violence within the campuses. Very often, students gherao the vice-chancellor or other officers and prevent them from leaving their offices until their demands are met. Indeed, in such an atmosphere of violence and anarchy, study, teaching, and research get disturbed. It is true that the students should

I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious. – Albert Einstein AKHAND JYOTI

MARCH-APRIL 2020

develop an understanding of healthy politics, but the educational institutions cannot be made addas of political violence and anarchy. Under the present circumstances, there is a need for educational institutions, where along with the development of intellectual and technical skills, the art of living is also taught, where the excellent moral conduct of Acharyas (teachers/professors) molds the minds of students so that they can grow as responsible professionals as well as good citizens. As far as possible, the syllabi should be linked with the professional world so that there are ample opportunities for jobs to the graduating students. Needless to say, there should be world-class facilities for research and innovation. Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, a center for higher learning, is trying to develop in the abovementioned direction. Based on the vision and philosophy of Yugrishi (Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya), this institution is offering courses that are linked to the professional world. The syllabi of

different programs are a synthesis of ancient knowledge and modern currents of science. A unique program of Gyandeeksha is conducted right at the beginning of each semester when the newly admitted students are oriented to follow the discipline of the university. At the end of each program, a student is required to undertake a social internship so that he/she can share some of his/her knowledge to the society. With prayer-filled wishes for the holistic growth of our students,

(Pranav Pandya)

I've noticed a fascinating phenomenon in my thirty years of teaching: schools and schooling are increasingly irrelevant to the great enterprises of the planet. No one believes anymore that scientists are trained in science classes or politicians in civics classes or poets in English classes. The truth is that schools don't really teach anything except how to obey orders. This is a great mystery to me because thousands of humane, caring people work in schools as teachers and aides and administrators, but the abstract logic of the institution overwhelms their individual contributions. Although teachers do care and do work very, very hard, the institution is psychopathic - it has no conscience. It rings a bell and the young man in the middle of writing a poem must close his notebook and move to a different cell where he must memorize that humans and monkeys derive from a common ancestor. - John Taylor Gatto

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Aristotle AKHAND JYOTI

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Online Shopping: There is Need to Understand its Pros and Cons

nline shopping is gradually gaining popularity in our country. It is not that there were no attractive deals during festivals before online shopping came into fore. There have been discounts during festive seasons since time immemorial, be it Diwali or end of the year. We fondly remember the huge discounts offered. The fundamental difference today is that the market is just a click away. All we have to do is pick our smartphones and access the host of e-commerce websites like Amazon, Snapdeal, Flipkart, etc. The market was never this close!

Thanks to the internet, there is no need to step out and go to a market. We just have to pick up our mobile and click away. We might not even realize which of these markets can blow our minds away. These e-commerce sites are always geared to exploit any occasion that comes their way. Be it social media or emails, you can expect advertisements of some kind or the other in all of them. They could be products that are not really relevant to your present needs, but you nevertheless are exposed to those advertisements.

The mobile phone revolution has had a significant influence on online shopping gaining momentum. The moment smartphone is in hands, tons of applications or apps of online stores make their way into your life. Using these apps is made so simple and easy that even a less educated person can use them to buy things. While companies like Amazon are telling people about the advantages of online shopping and also educating them about the basics of how to do online shopping; there are others like Flipkart that are explaining small-town business people on the benefits of taking their products to global consumers. Because of these e-commerce companies, aptitude for online shopping has increased quite a lot among people. At first look, this appears to be optimal in terms of both money and time, but once we begin to scrutinize these habits, we will realize that it has gradually turned into a form of weakness or even illness. The advertisements (in brief, ads) for sale that are shown daily give the impression that products are being sold at massive discounts. The ads are so compelling that we are made to think that if we let go of this opportunity, we will not be able to get them at such low prices. But the truth behind this is totally different. We can get almost all the products at those reduced prices much later too. Also, the discount being shown on the products is not real. In most of the cases, whatever amount is shown after discount is indeed its actual price. So, if we are rejoicing that we bought something at a substantial discount, the truth might be that we bought it at exactly its regular price.

The best way to find out what we really need is to get rid of what we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t. Quests to faraway places or shopping sprees are no longer necessary. - Marie Kondo

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The research and studies done on this topic show that the habit of online shopping is increasing because people today are experiencing loneliness and depression. Such people tend to do online shopping to fight their loneliness. Whether it is the discounts that lure people to online shopping or an effort to cheer themselves while fighting against loneliness, most of them end up buying things that they really donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need. One other important reason for the growing popularity of online shopping is the comfort of online payment methods. Paying online can be done quite quickly by merely providing a few details. There is neither the need to withdraw cash nor carry it. The money gets deducted from your bank account and directly gets deposited into the account of the e-commerce company. The ease of this process is one of the primary reasons for online shopping. Whatever money you pay online towards buying goods and services through online stores, it just seems like a number. But if the same amount was taken out from your pocket, counted and paid, you realize the real value of that money and the amount being spent gets registered in the brain. It is a psychological fact that if we count money with our hands and pay it, we are better at comprehending the worth of that payment. For example, if you have to pay Rupees 50000/- and buy a mobile, and if it comes from your pocket, you can see it, you can feel it and experience the entire transaction better than when you do it by a couple of clicks during online payment. Another important reason that is making online shopping lucrative is the ability to pay in installments. When we

donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to worry about how much money we have in our bank account, then why will we sincerely care about how essential is the product we are buying? However, the realization will soon dawn on us when the EMIs start getting deducted and when the stuff that we purchased is lying unused at home. Further, in online shopping, we cannot physically inspect or try on the items being considered for purchase. We might temporarily resolve not to buy anything until something is required, but rarely do people manage to stick to their resolve. E-commerce companies have made shopping too easy for everyone. What is to be developed is the necessary restraint to buy only things that are required. The pace at which online shopping is crossing the boundaries of big cities and reaching smaller towns and getting accessible to middle class and lower middle class, it is imperative that in addition to the advantages, people should also be educated about what they should be cautious about so that spending their hard-earned savings will result in happiness and not regret.

Nothing haunts us like the things we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t buy. - Anonymous

Consumers have not been told effectively enough that they have huge power and that purchasing and shopping involve a moral choice. - Anita Roddick

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Ïikh³ Prevents the Outflow of Sublime Energy

ikh³ (hair knot, tied at the center of the upper head; also called topknot) is given prime importance in the Indian Culture. It symbolizes the presence of discerning intellect, farsightedness and the deity of knowledge upon our head. It is like a ‘flag’ of dignified values and virtues of humanity that constitute the core of the Indian Culture hoisted at the suture (the central junction of all major nerves) on the top of our head. It reminds us of the religious principles of morality, righteousness, responsibility, and dutiful awareness. It is so precious for the true followers of Vedic teachings that in the medieval times of slavery under foreign invaders, in response to the tyrant attempts of conversion (of their religion), they preferred letting their heads cut instead of their ïikh³. Like several other symbols, disciplines, and values of the Indian Culture, the significance of ïikh³ was also discovered and propounded by the rishis (Indian sages of Vedic Age) who were accomplished yogis, and preeminent scientists of manifested as well as transcendent realms of Nature and life. The findings of some western researchers in modern times

re-establish these facts in several respects. In particular, as cited below, the scientific importance of ïïikh³ reaffirmed by them is indeed remarkable. In the views of renowned German scholar of Indology and translator of the Vedas, Prof. Friedrich Max Müller[1], ïikh³ enables efficient reception and flow of (vital) powers in the human brain. In his noted book[2] “Dharma Vigyan” Swami Dayanand Saraswati has mentioned about Dr. Victor E. Cromer’s comments, as — ïikh³ sharpens the power of knowledge-acquisition and energetic functioning of several vital components of the body. Swamiji has also quoted Dr. Cromer’s as — “[…] ever since I have discovered this science, I have myself started keeping a ïikh³ [….]”. Dr. Wilhelm Heymann, a German indologist and linguist (English), had stayed in India to study Indian Culture. Based on his study, he acknowledged his respect for the Hindu Philosophy; with regard to the tradition of keeping the topknot, he remarked – ‘ïikh³ is helpful in positive intellectual development.’ He also expressed his desire to tie such a hair knot on his head as well. Some eminent Indian scholars and experts of the deep science of yoga describe the SuÌumn³ N³Ãº as the core, the central channel for the flow of sublime vital spiritual energy that begins from the m¿l³dh³ra chakra2 and ends in the brain; its inlets (for receiving extrasensory energy-currents) called the “brahmrandhra,” subliminally exist right beneath the location of ïikh³. This point is the core of discerning intelligence, wisdom. It is believed that as the heat of the body is thrown out (via perspiration) from the skin-pores,

If I were asked under what sky the human mind has most fully developed some of its choicest gifts, has most deeply pondered on the greatest problems of life, and has found solutions, I should point to India. - Max Mueller

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similarly, the extrasensory energy (which also accounts for the radiance of inner strength and mental trenchancy) flowing in the SuÌumn³ N³Ãº, also moves outward through the skin-pores and the hair above the brahmrandhra. This out-flow of extrasensory energy is prevented by making a knot of hair at the top of the head. This is unique importance of ïikh³. These views of the Indian scholars and yoga-experts are also supported by many western philosophers and scientists. For example, Dr. W. E. Clark, American Indologist, and Professor at Harvard had found that similar to the Indians, the Chinese also keep uncut hair (and tie them at the bottom) in the central part of the head; often, this portion covers almost half of the area of the skull-surface. His research concluded that maintaining Sikh³ is not a religious or cultural practice of the Hindus, but rather, it is an amazing scientific way, discovered by the rishis to protect the SuÌumn³ N³Ãº. Modern science has found that the Sun is the vital source of sustenance of life on the earth; the heat and light received from it is essential for vitality and (bio)energy in all living beings. It is also a scientifically proven fact that black colored substances attract and retain heat most effectively than other colors. So the energy and light received from the Sun are most likely to be preserved by a bunch of hair in the ïikh³. Thus ïikh³ is indeed a powerful source of retaining vital energy and alacrity. Ancient Indian texts regard that ïikh³ helps in the generation and protection of the sublime pr³ña3 and mental radiance (trenchancy) essential to keeping the power of acquisition and generation of knowledge alive and active; it also helps to nurture of the wisdom-attribute by s³dhan³ (spiritual endeavor). S³dhan³ of the divine radiance of Sun God with meditative chants of the Gayatri Mantra is recommended in Vedic Culture to activate, illuminate, and orient the

intellect in righteous direction. Our rishis had propounded the discipline of maintaining ïikh³ for all the aspirants of holistic well-being and intellectual and spiritual evolution, as it is indeed a powerful means to support the awakening, attainment, elevation, and growth of pr³ña3 and wisdom by the spiritual endeavor of Gayatri S³dhan³. When a devout s³dhaka meditates deeply, or sincerely practices japa4, tapa5, sw³dhy³ya6, etc. (as part of Gayatri S³dhana, or other spiritual endeavors) following the disciplines guided by the Vedic Scriptures of yogas³dhan³, a sublime element of divinity is activated in the crown chakra; as per its natural tendency, it rapidly rises/ radiates with the force of the devotee’s pr³ña to unite with its origin in the sublime roots in the transcendental core of the Sun God. If not naturally prevented, it would exit outward through the brahmrandhra. Unless the devotee is an adept s³dhaka of the advanced spiritual level, this subtle element will not rise with adequate force, and instead of reaching its destination, it will get spread arbitrarily in outer space. Ïikh³ (a bunch of hair tied above the brahmrandhra) naturally prevents the exit and loss of this nectar-element. This is why the Vedic Scriptures guide tying of the ïikh³ as an essential discipline of all

An examination of Indian Vedic doctrines shows that it is in tune with the most advanced scientific and philosophical thought of the West. - Sir John Woodroffe AKHAND JYOTI

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s³dhan³s and devotional and spiritual practices (e.g., see the following): Sn³ne D³ne Jape Home, Sandhy³y³® Devat³rcane | Ïikh³granthi Sad³ Kury³dityenmanu Rabrivºt ||

by scientific explanations during the Vedic Sacraments— especially the thread-ceremony (yagyopavita samsak³ra, when the ïikh³ is tied for the first time with initiation of Gayatri S³dhan³), and through its unique mission of dissemination of the knowledge and practical applications of scientific spirituality in a rational way, and feasible in the present times.

Indeed, as also affirmed by many researchers of the modern times, ïikh³ works as a powerful antenna to attract the positive energy from the sublime cores of divinity; this sublime energy enters in the s³dhaka through the brahmrandhra. It also works as a powerful shield to hinder the reverse flow. It thus marvelously serves the dual purpose of strengthening, elevation, and augmentation of pr³ña, and at the same time, preventing the drainage of this precious source of holistic wellbeing, mental brilliance, and spiritual evolution.

Notes:

It is unfortunate to see that many people, especially the youths in India itself, are not aware of the importance of maintaining ïikh³. Because of their ignorance and extrovert outlook focused on physical appearance and westernized lifestyle, they even laugh and criticize it as a mindless tradition. “All World Gayatri Pariwar,” a sociospiritual organization with global outreach, has significantly attempted removing the smog of ignorance and spreading cultural awareness

6. Sw³dhy³ya: Self-study and self-training in the light of sagacious thoughts/teachings and inspiring deeds of great personalities, and saints.

1. Gokhur: The cloven hoof (toe) of a cow. 2. M¿l³dh³ra Chakra: One of the six extrasensory energy nuclei (referred as ÏaÚ Chakras in Yoga-Science) subliminally located in the channel of pr³ña along the endocrine column. This chakra (as experienced by accomplished yogis) subtly exists around the adrenal gland. 3. Pr³ña: Vital spiritual energy, source of life-force. 4. Japa: Repeated, rhythmic chanting (of a mantra) with mental and emotional engrossment. 5. Tapa (Tapa-S³dhan³): Introspection, penance and ascetic practices of self-restraint and self-discipline.

References: 1. Max Müller F. India: What Can it Teach Us? [A collection of lectures by Prof. Max Muller delivered in the Cambridge University; originally published (by Longmans, Green) in 1883]. Reprint Edition by Rupa Publishers. (2002) ISBN: 978-8171679201 2. Swami Dayanand Saraswati. Dharma Vigyan. Publ. Yogashram, Sanatan Dharma College, Kanpur. (1931)

The master sensitive spot on the head is Adhipati Marma, where there is a nexus of all the nerves. Shikha protects this spot. – Rishi Susruta AKHAND JYOTI

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Science and Spirituality

Scientific Roots of the Divine Impact of Mantra S³dhan³ That sound can be recorded (e.g., by tape-recorders), amplified (e.g., by microphones, loudspeakers), propagated (e.g., by radio-waves and satellite signals), recognized (e.g., by the radar), measured and analyzed (e.g., by voice-printers) – in physical terms, proves its existence in matter. Several examples of the destructive and creative effects of sound on the matter can also be found in day-to-day life. But these all pertain only to the physical (physically manifested) properties of Ïabda1. The science of mantra is more comprehensive, as it deals with making adept use (by suitable s³dhan³s) of the physical as well as sublime powers of Ïabda. Impact of the ‘physical’ sound — i.e., sonic vibrations/ waves in the physically perceivable domains of Nature, has been extensively studied in the modern laboratories. With advanced scientific research and technological developments, a wider range of vibrations/energy-waves with frequencies beyond infra- and ultrasound are being explored. In view of this, it seems that in the future, it would be possible to study higher-level impact of mantras vis-à-vis that of the yet unperceived frequencies of ‘physical’ sound. The radar-devices send radio waves (electromagnetic waves), far away in the space, and receive the echoed signal back in few microseconds. As many of us know, the radio waves travel in vacuum at a speed of approx. 299,775 km/s. Whenever their collision takes place with any object on their way, these waves are reflected (to the radar-sensor which is ‘tuned’ to receive them) at equally fast speed. The vibrations of these reflected signals contain the ‘information’

about the position, size and some other properties of the object. (This is how ‘radio waves’ often helps in the recognition – through the radar, of an enemy’s aircraft.) The human body could also be regarded as a ‘radar-device’ with respect to the ‘sonic’ effects of the mantras. The extrasensory inner components (like the ÌaÚ chakras or the granthis, etc., referred to in the science of yoga) of this biological radar send supernormal radio signals in the ‘etheric whole’ via the vibrations of mantra-japa2 in specific rhythms. This wonderful radar receives back the quintessential signals of Ïabda as an ‘echo’ from the cosmic nucleus (devat³3) of the mantra. The sublime power of Ïabda – linked with spiritual enlightenment and hence with the awakened power of the mind, inner-self, and the soul of the s³dhaka, enables the impact of mantras on the ‘radar’ of the s³dhaka’s physical, subtle and astral bodies. Thus, it empowers the s³dhaka with psychic potentials, supramental talents, and divine inspirations upon successful completion

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched - they must be felt with the heart. - Helen Keller AKHAND JYOTI

MARCH-APRIL 2020

of a higher-level mantra-s³dhan³. Scope of Interdisciplinary Research: The realization, to some extent, of the subtle power of sound, has been revived in the modern era by the scientific works on ultrasound and infra-sound. Sound-based imaging got a boost during 1912-14 with underwater acoustics, echo-recording of objects lying in the deep sea. Pioneering work was carried out during this time in France by Paul Langevin, and in Britain by A. B. Wood and associates[1]. There has been significant progress in the applications of ultrasound in the twentieth century. In 1940, the American acoustical

physicist Floyd Firestone devised the first ultrasonic echo imaging device, the Supersonic Reflectoscope, to detect internal flaws in metal castings. Ultrasonic energy was first applied to the human body for medical purposes by Dr. George Ludwig at the Naval Medical Research Institute, Bethesda, Maryland[2-3]. Drs. Edler, Hertz and Hughes, etc. had successfully used this form of sound for applications in the field of medicine during 1942–1950. Today, medical technology is making tremendous use of advanced ultrasonic devices for noninvasive diagnostic purposes, relieving pain in soft-tissues, and for delicate surgical operations. The effects of the mantra are based on sublime levels of sound far beyond the ultra- or infra- frequency-ranges of sounds. The body components like the tongue and the palate are supporting tools for augmenting the frequency of sound of the syllables of mantra. The extrasensory energy-centers of the body (the yogic chakras, including those in the brain)

Even assuming that a mantra's shabdic ["sacred sound"] quality is an important component of its effectiveness, that quality can come into play only when the mantra is uttered by one properly instructed in the art of yogic visualization; for mantras have not only sound, but also form and color. The form or the archetypal image or symbol with which it is associated must be evoked at the moment of utterance, since that image is the repository of all the psychic, emotional and spiritual energy drawn from all the adepts who have ever concentrated upon that particular image or symbol since it first came into being. ….The lamas teach that the mantra appropriate to each of the divine forms contemplated embodies the psychic energy of that 'being'. In other words, the yogically visualized image of the deity or the mantric syllable that symbolizes it is a center for the powerful through-associations built around it by countless yogins during past centuries and by the adept himself in his meditations; however, it also constitutes a particular embodiment of the energies streaming from the Source and it is to this aspect that the shabdic quality of the appropriate mantra probably pertains. - John Blofeld (From: Mantras: Sacred Words of Power)

We know what we are, but know not what we may be. - William Shakespeare AKHAND JYOTI

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are activated by deep meditation during mantra-japa. Their energy, coupled with the bio-electricity and the strength of consciousness (of the s³dhaka), amplifies the frequency of the sound waves of the mantra far beyond the limits of ultrasonic and supersonic vibrations. Scientific investigations on mantra vidy³ (mystic knowledge and deep-science of mantras) would be necessary because only a handful of genuine ‘experts’ of this latent field of knowledge could be available today. Many ‘so-called’ religious and spiritual ‘masters’ have been making a mockery of this great science by false propaganda and superstitious proclamations since the medieval era of moral, cultural, and social decline. This has created a negative image of the Vedic sciences among intellectuals in general. Now is the time to rediscover/ reinvestigate the ancient knowledge in a scientific light. Aspirants of research on mantras should note that –– the real effect of mantra-japa occurs through the subliminal powers of sound that cannot be measured using the instruments developed so far. Experiments on mantra-japa demand sincere pursuit of certain disciplines and perfection in the patterns of enunciation with stability and depth of meditation. The effect of a mantra is mostly spiritual. Research in the science of mantras, therefore, cannot be independent of the science of deeper psychology and spirituality. Laboratory experiments on ultrasonic effects have shown that the vibrations at a high frequency (of the order of fifty million per second) can produce so much energy that would convert the surrounding material into vapors and ashes almost instantaneously; then what about the power of the vibrations that are generated at a faster frequencies using bioelectricity, vital energy, and sublime force of the otherwise unused (dormant) energy of human-consciousness? Why

wouldn’t they induce suprasonic impulses in the etheric whole and create cosmic effects? For a systematic and detailed analysis of the above aspects of mantra-vidy³, a comprehensive study of the scriptures on yoga s³dhan³s would be inevitable. The ‘visualization’ (realization) of the seventy-two thousands n³Ãºs, mysterious bundles of nerves and muscles (uptyik³s) and the extrasensory knots (granthis) and extrasensory energy pools (chakras) along the spinal column and the brah®randhra in the brain – by specific s³dhan³s of Ïabda Yoga and N³da Yoga, would be a promising method for thorough experimental investigations in this regard. Power of Spiritually Refined Voice: The subtle power of Ïabda, induced in the v³k4, is referred to in the ancient Indian texts as the supreme creative power of God. For example, see the following quote: Praj³patirv³ Idameka Âdhºtasya V³geva Stam³sºt V³ga, Dvitºy³ Sa Ekïate M³meva V³ca Vis•aj³ | Iya® V³ Ida Sarva® VibhavavtyeÌyatºti|| – T³ñdya Br³. (20 |14 | 2)

Believe you can and you’re halfway there. - Theodore Roosevelt AKHAND JYOTI

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Meaning: Praj³pati – the Creator of the Universe, was alone; only the eternal force of v³k (evolutionary vibration of the Omnipresent, Eternal Consciousness Force) was pervaded everywhere. He wished to make the manifestation of v³k. Everything was then created by the v³k. Research on v³k is beyond the reach of the (material based) modern science. Nevertheless, the extraordinary impact of the words of people of great character, whose physical appearance, voice, vocal and writing skills might be very ordinary (like any average or unnoticeable person), is authentic evidence of the power of refined (by truthfulness and other virtues of great characters) voice. The immense power of the words of Mahatma Gandhi is a globally renowned exemplar of this fact; it needs no proof in any laboratory. Acharya Vinoba Bhave, an ardent disciple of Mahatma Gandhi and the founder of the Sarvodaya Mission, used to regard the process of speaking as a mode of worshiping the v³ñº(voice). He had accordingly restrained and refined this faculty so well, that every word uttered by him was like a ‘japa.’ This is why his short but inspiring speech used to have magical effects on the audiences. It was this power of his refined v³ñº (spoken, mental, and inner

voice), that had made his Bh¿d³na (donation of farming land for the poor and needy) project a real success. A quote in Shatpath Brahmana mentions that the words or speech which can eliminate the evils from the minds of all people and which can inspire the human society towards the righteous path – are true mantras of Saraswatº (– the deity of pure knowledge and intelligence). Thus, as far as the psychological impacts are concerned, any kind of speech or conversation, which is originated by altruist sentiments and intrinsic urge towards the real welfare of all, can be effective like a mantra. The “Kalpa” methods of Ayurvedic treatments of any disease begin after performing N³Ãº Ïodhana, which consists of five basic steps– vamana, virechana, snehana, swedana, and nasya – pertaining to the complete cleansing and purification of the body system. The R³ja Yoga, HaÚha Yoga and the Tantra Yoga also have five basic disciplines (Yamas and Niyamas) and training steps each. The practices of learning the associated yoga cannot begin without the completion of these training steps. Similarly, the experiments on a mantra s³dhana demand deeper refinement and understanding, and endeavors for mental and emotional conjunction with the five components – namely, the Rishi, Chhanda, Devat³, Bºja and Tatva – of the mantra as described in its viniyoga (structural classification)[5]. Ultrasonic devices are often used for identifying electrical leakage or short-circuit in complex networks. The sonic patterns of the mantras, when realized inside the body, can similarly help the s³dhaka know his internal defects and infirmities and also invent the incredible web of the extrasensory nuclei of consciousness inside the body. With consistent progress in mantra-s³dhan³, divinity indwelling in the individual self can

Nothing is impossible; the word itself says ‘I’m possible’! - Audrey Hepburn AKHAND JYOTI

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be expressed and experienced by absolute self-realization. This eventually results in divine transmutation of the s³dhaka’s inner self. Notes: 1. Ïabda: Eternal, the cosmic element of sound(generated by the evolutionary impulse of Brah®); absolute self-existent source of all expressed — including audible and inaudible sounds; and the spoken, written or mentally generated words, and unexpressed, sublime sounds/sonic vibrations in the etheric expanse. 2. Japa (of a Mantra): Silent or mental chanting in a rhythmic (consistent) manner with emotional engrossment. 3. Devat³ of a Mantra: Specific spiritual and sonic energyfield of Ïabda (in the cosmic expanse) associated with the vibrations generated by adept japa of the mantra. This is called a devata (devat³) in the case of Vedic Mantras. This cosmic spiritual energy domain is also a dense source of divine thoughts and inspirations. The devat³ of a Vedic Mantra also refers to the divine force of a god-form that inspired (a rishi for) the creation of that mantra. 4. V³k: Pure, truthful and spiritually sublimated voice (speech and mental voice) of an accomplished s³dhaka (yogi) of mantra-s³dhan³.

References: 1. Wood A.B. Report from the Board of Invention and Research to the Royal Naval Scientific Service. J. Royal Naval Sci. Service Vol. 20 (4), pp. 185-284. (1914) 2. Ludwig, G.D. and Struthers, F.W. Considerations underlying the use of Ultrasound to detect Gallstones and Foreign Bodies in Tissue. Naval Medical Research Institute Reports, Project #004 001, Report No. 4, June (1949) 3. Ludwig, G.D. The Velocity of Sound through Tissues and the Acoustic Impedance of Tissues. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. Vol. 22, pp. 862866. (1950) 4. Edler I., Hertz C. H. The Use of Ultrasonic Reflectoscope for the Continuous Recording of the Movements of Heart Walls. Clinical Physiol. & Functional Imaging. Vol.24 (3), pp. 118–36. (2004) 5. Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya: Ïabda Brah® - N³da Brah®. “Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya Samagra Vangmaya” Vol. 19.Akhand Jyoti Sansthan, Mathura. (1995)

When you let go of control and commit yourself to happiness, it is so easy to offer compassion and forgiveness. This propels you from the past, into the present. - Shannon L. Alder

Keep your face always toward the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you. - Walt Whitman AKHAND JYOTI

MARCH-APRIL 2020

An Effective Solution to Water Crisis

any villages and cities in our country are struggling with the problem of water scarcity. As soon as the rainy season ends, the groundwater level falls rapidly in most areas of the country, and then the people face the problems of water shortage. Most of the hand pumps in our country have dried up, but the surprising fact is that these same hand pumps with a new innovative technique can give millions of liters of water. This project was successfully carried out in the four villages of Karahal, a tribal development block in Madhya Pradesh.

In 2016, this experiment was done in the villages of Dablee, Ajanoi, Jharer, and Banar in Karahal block. Gandhi Seva Ashram of Sheopur, which works towards development in tribal areas, started this experiment in collaboration with GIZ of Germany and AFPRO, a research institute in Hyderabad. Earlier, the German organization had successfully used the injection method in the dry areas of Gujarat and Rajasthan. These villages from

Karahal block were selected for this project because most of the hand pumps there had dried out. In these villages, numerous borewells were drilled blindly without proper planning. In less than two acres of land, there were more than half a dozen borewells. The result was that the groundwater level of these villages had fallen significantly. Today in these four villages, the rainwater is filtered and sent into the ground. As a result, the groundwater level in these areas has increased, and clean water can now be obtained from 11 hand pumps and two wells. This process of enriching groundwater is called the injection method. In this method, a 10-feet deep hole is dug all around the hand pump. Then 1200-1500 holes with a diameter of one to one-half inches are made in the casing pipes of the hand pump. Through such pipes, water goes into the ground. A filter plant is also built in the hole to clean the water before it reaches the pipes. In this filter plant, materials like boulders, gravel, sand, and coal are deposited layer by layer. After being filtered through these layers, the rainwater reaches the pipes with holes in the hand pump. An additional wire screen filter is placed on the holes of the pipes. In this way, a beneficial rainwater harvesting system is prepared. Converting a dried hand pump into a recharged unit of water takes around rupees 45,000/-, but the biggest advantage is that a non-functional hand pump can now supply three and a half to four lakh liters of water in a year to the village. According to figures from Government records, one ordinary

Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago. - Warren Buffett AKHAND JYOTI

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hand pump can draw three lakh and sixty thousand liters of water every year. Through this method, a non-functional old hand pump is giving as much water. Thus, the groundwater level of the land is rising and the hand pumps, which draw water from the ground, are useful in giving the gift of waterabundance to the people. A unique initiative to increase groundwater prosperity and quench the thirst of the earth is taking place in the Jamoli block of Uttarakhand. The water conservation work being done in Luthiyag, Dhan Kurali, Ejara, Maharkoti, Koti, Dhyano, Tyokhar, Makhet, Nausari, Palakurani, Mehergaon, Thala, and Fatyund Gramsabha of this block is an excellent example for any areas that are struggling with a water crisis. Through the collective efforts of the women in Luthiyag, a pond was constructed with a capacity to hold 11 lakh liters of rainwater. They achieved this by donating their labor to dig the lake. Three years ago, this village was dying for a few drops of water, but today not only is there enough water in every house, but the villagers have been able to produce vegetables and thereby strengthen the economic condition of their families. In 2014, 205 families were living in the Gram Sabha of Luthiyag. Their problem was that there was only one natural water reservoir left in the village, and except for four months of the rainy season, it remained dry. In such a situation, the villagers had to collect the necessary water from 2.53 kilometers away, so 101 families migrated away. Seeing this in 2014, the villagers formed the Raj Rajeshwari Gram Krishak Samiti and pledged to raise water for every family in the village. On the occasion of World Environment Day on June 5, 2014, 108 women, along with other villagers, started the work of constructing a lake in the forest, 1.5

In this century wars will not be fought over oil, as in the past, but over water. The situation is becoming desperate. The world's water is strained by population growth. There is no more fresh water on earth than two thousand years ago when the population was three percent of its current size. Even without the inevitable droughts, it will get worse as demand and pollution increase. Some countries will simply run out of water, sparking a global refugee crisis. Tens of millions of people will flood across international borders. It means the collapse of fisheries, environmental destruction, conflict, lower living standards. - Clive Cussler

All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination. - Earl Nightingale

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kilometers above the drinking water source. After a month of hard work, a 40 meter long and 18-meter wide lake was complete. Gradually the rainwater started accumulating in this lake, and in 2015, with the collection of about 5 lakh liters of water in it, the drinking water source started recharging the village. Not only this, water sources began erupting at the nearby places adjacent to the lake.

liters of water respectively, from which all the houses are getting enough water.

In 2016, the amount of water in the lake increased to 7 lakh liters, and currently, it holds 11 lakh liters of water. After this, the villagers, with the help of Reliance Foundation, built two water storage tanks near the lake that hold 22 thousand and 50 thousand

Along with quenching the thirst of the villages, this highlights a unique initiative of women’s empowerment, giving a perfect example for all areas that are facing the problem of water scarcity. Groundwater conservation through the injection method is also a modern technique, by which people can increase the level of groundwater in their areas.

Similar to the village of Luthiyag, to remove the water scarcity in the other 12 villages of Jakholi block, the women did ‘shramdaan’ (voluntary contribution involving physical effort) and started constructing the lake at a distance of 1-1.5 kilometers from the village. As a result, all of these villages no longer face the problem of water shortage. People are also now organically producing plenty of vegetables, which is benefiting all of the families.

Joseph Pandel was a great Philosopher of his era from England. He was a very respected person in England and very famous for his knowledge and saintly qualities. However, he was the son of a cobbler. Joseph Pandel felt proud of continuing his father’s profession and felt happy and satisfied. However, he worked only to earn enough for his daily expenses, and after work, he loved to spend time in reading knowledgeable books. His thirst for knowledge was fulfilled by books most of the time. He believed in not wasting public money, and therefore he preferred to repair old shoes to be used for some more time, rather than making new shoes and throwing old pairs. He never kept a permanent shop at one location. Whenever he was informed about a good library and great scholars in any location, he preferred to take his little shop to that location, to get a chance to meet great scholars and to read good books during his leisure time. He has written many books to enlighten other’s lives, and his writings and philosophy are compared with India’s great Saint Raidas.

When the well is dry, they know the worth of water. - Benjamin Franklin AKHAND JYOTI

MARCH-APRIL 2020

The Zest for Life Keeps a Person Young

t is not possible to reverse the age, but the zest for life can keep a person young all the time. For this purpose, the mind should be engaged in positive thinking. Since the mind and body are interrelated, activities of mind influence the body and vice versa. As the body grows older, if the mind also thinks that it is getting older, then the person would undoubtedly age faster. However, the mind can remain young. With the passage of time, the mind possesses a wealth of experience; it is more active and is full of good ideas. The energy of the mind thus has the ability to rejuvenate the body that is getting older. When we consider an implement or a weapon to be useless and stop using it, that weapon gradually loses its ability; and rusts with time and eventually stops working completely. On the contrary, when we use a particular instrument continuously over the years, it can prove to be more useful and valuable than a newer tool. It will have the ability to accomplish all our tasks. This is exactly how our life works. If we always keep our body active, think positively, engage in creative jobs, then this very activity makes us valuable to society and keeps us young at heart. In society today, there is an increasing percentage of people who are keen on looking ‘Fit and Fine.’ There is an inherent desire in each one of us to win the battle against time and look young. So, it is no wonder that the fitness industry is growing at a rate of 19% per annum. Not just health, people of all ages are very watchful of their body image because it is an indicator of their age. If we can successfully mask the

age of the body, then nobody will call us old. We can see many older people who look so fit that it is almost impossible to guess their actual age. However, this ‘Fitness Revolution’ applies only to a limited populace living in metros and cities. There is a significant population in our country who consider old age as the fag end of life where everything meaningful comes to a standstill and that they merely have to carry the burden of the body while living a life dependent on others. They also think that they should focus their mind only on worship, rituals, or anything religious. A psychology professor, Elissa Epel, from the University of California, is doing research on correlating lifestyle and age. According to her, if a person wants a better life, then one should incorporate certain changes in one’s lifestyle that help in fitness. Life is all about adapting to changes that keep coming in our way, and staying fit helps us in handling those changes. According to psychologists – ‘If you

Zest is the secret of all beauty. There is no beauty that is attractive without zest. - Christian Dior AKHAND JYOTI

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love yourself and apply the principle of ‘Live and let live’ in your life, then you will neither be worried about your responsibilities nor the increasing age because your entire focus will be on your lifestyle.’ The harsh reality of today is that the families are shrinking, and the sad feature of such families is that each member lives in his own world. And even in this, the world of the elderly is very different. We often see a large number of older people at home or seated in parks all alone. The primary reason why they are lonely is that they are old, weak, and probably sick and hence are not capable of doing any work. Psychologists say that if the mind believes that it is old and cannot do anything, then the person definitely becomes accordingly. We can often read the sadness on the face of the elderly. It speaks volumes about how retiring from work has cast them out of the race of life. What do we do after retirement? Planning for this commences right from the age of 30 years itself nowadays. Indeed, retirement does not change the abilities and capabilities of a person. This is why in other countries, retired personnel are hired again based on their experience and expertise. This trend is

slowly being seen in few places in India too, but its pace is not very encouraging because retirement is perceived to be linked with a person’s ability here. It is worth mentioning that a Japanese cosmetics company Pola Inc. actively hired senior citizens into their workforce. Women aged 70 - 100 years work in this company. The company believes that the employees perform better and provide better services to the clients owing to their experience. The happiness beaming across the face, the sparkle in the eyes are what make a person young, and when a positive attitude reigns in mind, there is no shortage of enthusiasm. That is why, let us not worry about age, we just have to ensure that we do not lose the smile on our face and passion of the mind. If someone reminisces and thinks that his life was better when he was younger and old age is not good, then such thoughts are bound to create disappointment about present life. Each and every phase of life has its pros and cons, which is why no stage is neither good nor bad. In fact, we can make it good or bad based on our perspective and mindset. If the face radiates happiness, the inner being exudes enthusiasm towards life, and a smile adorns the lips, then even an old face can look beautiful and young. On the other hand, if there are passiveness, despair, and disappointment, even the face of a young person will begin to look ugly. Beauty should grow with age because zest for life is what really keeps us young.

If you have zest and enthusiasm you attract zest and enthusiasm. Life does give back in kind. - Norman Vincent Peale

What hunger is in relation to food, zest is in relation to life. – Bertrand Russell AKHAND JYOTI

MARCH-APRIL 2020

Insomnia

A Looming Global Crisis

t is quite surprising that the understanding of the common public and scientific community on the subject of sleep, which is such a prime and fundamental requirement of life, has been quite limited till very recent years. Only in the past 2 to 3 decades, intense studies have been done on the subject, the results of which are truly amazing and remarkable. There are four natural needs of the human body. They are â&#x20AC;&#x201C; quench thirst, satisfy hunger, reproduce, and sleep. Scientists and spiritualists both concur that these, indeed, are the basic needs of the human body. What happens to people when these needs are not fulfilled? This has been a subject matter of interest for both common people as well as great scholars, and much has been thought, read, written, and spoken about this.

capability to learn, memorize, and make the right decisions. Without sleep, the efficiency of these can reduce by as much as 90%. During sleep, just as our brain revitalizes all its workings, all other systems of the body, like its immune system, metabolic system, etc. also totally refresh themselves. If sleep is sufficient, all organs of the body from the heart to the skin continue to perform their functions well. Otherwise, overall health deteriorates significantly.

It is strange that while humans spend about one-fourth of their lives sleeping, understanding to date about sleep is quite less. All the species of the animal world that have been discovered to date on the earth spend a vital part of their daily routine in sleeping. Scientists are convinced that in living beings, the phenomenon of sleeping started as soon as life appeared on the earth. In other words, sleep can be called as one of the first steps in the sequence of evolution of life.

Everyone would have personally experienced how important sleep is for our daily activities. If we are low on rest even for a night, workings of both our body and our mind get significantly disturbed. So, can a person die without sleep? Some of the recent researches answer this question in the affirmative. There is no doubt now that lesser the sleep, the lower will be the life span.

Research studies in recent times have found that for good physical health, it is essential to have a full sleep. There is no organ in the body and no process in the brain that does not get a good rest during sleep and which does not get rejuvenated with sleep. While we are sleeping, our brain refreshes its

As the human life has become busier with time, as the timings and habits of eating have got disturbed, as a physical exercise has reduced and lifestyles have got distorted, and as the causes of

Insomnia is a vertiginous lucidity that can convert paradise itself into a place of torture. - Emil Cioran AKHAND JYOTI

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depression and stress have increased, the disease of insomnia has turned into an epidemic right before our eyes. World Health Organization has been forced to acknowledge that insomnia is a present-day epidemic. Medical tests have revealed that people, who in their 30s and 40s begin to suffer from insomnia for various reasons, gradually stop responding completely to all types of sleeping pills. If a person cannot get sleep despite medication for about a year, then functioning of all the organs of his body begin to get severely affected and he can die in a year or two. In the present times, unfortunately, almost two-thirds of the population of the world seem to be suffering from insomnia. WHO has recommended that 8 hours of sleep is necessary to ensure the proper functioning of the body, but many people are unable to catch these many hours of sleep. If a person sleeps for 6 to 7 hours only, then the immunity of his body begins to reduce significantly, and the susceptibility to diseases, from minor infections to cancer, increases 2 to 4 times. Insufficient sleep is also one of the prime factors for Alzheimerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disease which causes loss of memory.

If sleep remains regularly disturbed even for a day every week, the sugar level in the blood begins to increase. And if this goes on for a few months, then it would become difficult to prevent diabetes. Continuous lack of sleep reduces blood flow through arteries, which may lead to health issues from heart attack to paralytic stroke. Blood tests of people who do not get regular sleep have revealed that lack of sleep increases in our body the hormones that make us feel hungry and inhibit hormones that signal to the brain that the stomach is full. As a result, such people crave to eat more even after their stomach is full. So, less sleep is a prime cause of obesity. Lack of sleep is also a major cause of road accidents. Compared to accidents caused by drunk driving, the number of accidents that occur due to lack of proper sleep is much higher. In America alone, at least a person dies every hour in accidents that are caused due to a lack of adequate sleep. Despite knowing so many problems that are caused by a lack of proper sleep, human beings do several things that reduce sleeping hours. From drinking coffee to listening to loud music, from spending excessive hours on mobile to using bright lights, we have created many inventions which have a direct and proven negative impact on our sleep. From the time artificial lights have been invented, the causes of loss of sleep have blown up. When there were no artificial lights, human sleeping hours were regulated by the biological clock of the body. As the sun would go down and dusk set in, the suprachiasmatic nucleus, which is part of the brain that controls the hormone which induces sleep, namely, melatonin released by the pineal gland, would get a signal that night is approaching, and it is time to prepare for sleep. Our eyes can only sense electromagnetic waves with the wavelength in the range of 380 nanometers to 700 nanometers. Smaller wavelength waves fall in the

Insomnia is a gross feeder. It will nourish itself on any kind of thinking, including thinking about not thinking. - Clifton Fadiman AKHAND JYOTI

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ultraviolet spectrum and longer wavelength waves fall in the infrared spectrum. Beyond dusk, the waves in the visible spectrum gently fade out giving a signal to the brain to prepare for sleep. From the time usage of artificial light came into practice, this biological clock has got disrupted. When light from lanterns and lamps was used, the problem was not so significant because these light sources are not so bright that their light could adversely affect the secretion of melatonin. But the luminescence of LED lights of today can stop this secretion by 4 to 5 hours, and the brain cannot clearly decide whether it is day or night. Due to the brightness of artificial light, brain believes it is still day and keeps working just as it would during the day. People these days, watch TV or are on phones, laptops, IPads etc., all of which have LED screens, till late at night. The ill effect of this practice is that gradually their bodies begin to refuse to fall asleep at the hours of sleep. Almost all the human population does not sleep till 11 or 12 in the night these days which has led to a significant reduction in sleeping hours. Whatever may be the reasons, the results are apparent and threatening. The entire human population seems to be suffering from insomnia today. Youth in the age of 18-20 are also found to be affected by it. This sleeplessness not only affects the physical and mental health of individuals but also affects the progress of the whole society. Scientific studies indicate that if our sleep gets disturbed for even two nights a week, our productivity can come down by 25%. If the productivity of the entire population gets lowered by 25%, would that not be a major global crisis? The prevalent conditions of today seem to tell this unfortunate story. In the pressure of our day to day activities, we are side-

lining the importance of sufficient sleep. If we are doing this, we must remember that this a direct invitation to all kinds of diseases, depression, and even untimely death. Rest is a fundamental need. Watching TV and reading messages on the phone till late in the night cannot be more important than our lives. So, in addition to using technological gadgets wisely, adopting a healthy lifestyle, eating good food, and carrying out physical activities, it is equally necessary to take sufficient rest and sleep well. Nature makes a fetus sleep for nine months before birth and gives a clear message that we must get enough sleep in the night. If there is sound sleep, there is life.

If you have insomnia, it's important to know you're not alone; there are millions of people also struggling with their sleep. Talk about what you're going through with others, including your doctor, and continue trying new things to help manage your insomnia. - Christina Applegate

If you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep. - Dale Carnegie AKHAND JYOTI

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Yug Gita – 23

How can One Attain Ultimate Goal without Doing Prescribed Work?

ogiraj Sri Aurobindo says – ‘There are very few ïlokas in the Gita which are more significant than the seven ïlokas from 20th to 26th of the 3rd chapter.’ He also says that the word ‘lokasangrah’ should not be misinterpreted as social service or social welfare. This is a process of educating the people by an exemplar of devotion. The Gita has been written keeping in mind the highest level of emotions and spiritual experiences, and hence, the meaning of words chosen to describe certain aspects of life is not ordinary. But it should be considered extraordinary. The essence of lokasangrah has been explained very clearly in the following ïloka – Yadyad³carati ïreÌÚhastattadevetaro jana¡ Ð Sa yatpram³ña® kurute lokastadanuvartate H (21/3) Meaning: Whatsoever a great man does, other men also do that; whatever ideal he sets up, the world follows it. Arjuna is in a dilemma – ‘How society is affected by my personal actions?’

He gets the answer from Lord Krishna in ïloka (21/3) that he comes in the category of distinguished persons, and his conduct may become the cause of rise or fall of society. None of his actions is personal; instead, all his actions are for educating the people. Most people look at others for deciding their lifestyles, and hence, a prominent person should behave with caution. It is easy to become a hero or icon, but when some ugly aspects of life are exposed, then the entire society, which used respect him earnestly, starts reproaching him. The severe crisis of the present era is the shortage of saintly/ prudent persons who can serve as lighthouses of ethicalmoral conduct. There are plenty of leaders, but creative people are rare. The widespread moral decline that is seen today is the result of this crisis. The public is unable to see any guiding system. The entire process of Yug Nirman Mission and the whole endeavor of the Gayatri Pariwar is meant for awakening the same guiding souls, which used to serve as Purohits, lead the society and educate people by their conduct. It can be easily understood in today’s circumstances. With the aim that the human race should not get destroyed due to its moral decline, the Gita has been advising from the time immemorial that the process of production of great men must not stop. The method of organization of the nation should be based on an ethical basis, and the virtues of discipline, excellent moral character, and lifestyle befitting a Brahman should be visible in the leaders. Then only the revolution can happen. The virtues seen in the upper cadre of leadership will automatically descend to lower-level leaders

The Bhagavad-Gita has a profound influence on the spirit of mankind by its devotion to God which is manifested by actions. - Albert Schweizer AKHAND JYOTI

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and then to the masses. This ideal alone can serve the basis of development in today’s circumstances. Lord is very clearly saying that the public follows what the leaders do (lokastadanuvartate), not what they say. Lord is saying in the following ïlokas that He does not exempt himself from this rule. Though nothing remains to be achieved by Him, everything is easily accessible, even then He works continuously. If He neglects His work or stops working, then people will follow Him and, in the process, would get destroyed. Na me P³rthasti kartavya® triÌu lokeÌu kiócana Ð N³nav³ptamav³ptavya® varta eva ca karmañi H (22/3) Meaning: O Arjuna! There is no prescribed duty for me in the three worlds, nor is there anything unattained that should be attained by me; yet I engage Myself in action. Yadi hyaha® na varteya® j³tu karmanyatandrita¡ Ð Mama vartm³nuvatante manuÌy³¡ P³rtha sarvaïa¡ H (23/3) Meaning: Because, O Arjuna! If I would not ever engage Myself in action, unwearied, men would follow My path, in all respects. How clear is the guidance for the prince Arjuna? Lord is saying clearly – ‘I am an Avatar (incarnation of God). I can attain whatever I wish; even then, I engage myself in action.’ When God cannot remain without performing his duties, how can a human being escape from them? He says further – ‘If I do not engage in work thoughtfully, then it will be harmful to society.’ Here we have to realize that the Avatar has to behave like a human being and not like an Avatar. The teacher in the infant class makes the students learn alphabets

by giving demonstrations of objects, like A for Apple, B for Ball, C for Cat, etc. and makes them pronounce again and again. He has to teach them repeatedly. In the same way, Avatar descends to the level of human being and demonstrates how life should be lived. This is lokasangrah – educating the people. He has to live life like an artist and show it to the public. Param Pujya Gurudev showed how to live an ideal life as a Gruhastha (householder). There is no problem if you cannot take Vairagya or Sannyasa, cannot go to the Himalayas, etc. ‘How to engage in social service while living a family life, and how the home can be made a Tapovan (hermitage)? – I will demonstrate through my life an example of this.’ – so said Gurudev and accomplished it. He showed how to live in less money. He established a gigantic ‘Yug Nirman Yojana’ (Plan for ushering in the New Era of peace and harmony) in limited resources. Transforming the minds of millions of people and molding their fortunes in a better direction and living an ideal life for this purpose was a tough task that only Gurudev could accomplish. He knew who he was and why he came on this earth, but he descended to our level and showed how to live the life of a Loksevi (a person truly working for public welfare). Today millions of

The Bhagavad-Gita is a true scripture of the human race a living creation rather than a book, with a new message for every age and a new meaning for every civilization. – Sri Aurobindo

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wise householders are progressing on the path of spirituality. Not only they or their families got benefitted by it, but the good effects could be seen in their workplaces, their resident towns, and the whole society. Is this not a significant achievement? In fact, Avatar, Guru, great men come for demonstration, for teaching the art of living, and for educating people through their lives. That is why it is advised that we should study, contemplate, and imbibe their teaching in our lives. A human being should learn humanity; for this purpose, Avatar does everything that is needed for humans. The next two ïlokas are very important. Lord says in the following ïlokas: Sakt³¡ karmañyavidva®so yath³ kurvanti bh³rata Ð KuryavidvanstathasaktaïcikºrÌurlokasógraham H (25/3) ibheda® janayedajó³n³® karmasaógin³m Ð JoÌayetsarvakarm³ñi vidv³nyukta¡ sam³caran H (26/3) Meaning: O Bharata (Arjuna)! As the ignorant men act from attachment to action, so should the wise act without attachment, wishing the welfare of the world! Let no wise man confuse the minds of ignorant people who are attached to fruitive actions; being unattached, he should perfectly perform all his prescribed activities, keeping them fully engaged. Lord is advising that the tasks related to public welfare should be done with the same spirit as that done for getting the material benefits. Lord is expecting the knowledgeable persons to take up voluntarily the work of social welfare with the same interest as that shown by an ignorant person in satiating his passions. He also says that one should not confuse such people. The knowledgeable should perform his tasks wisely and inspire others to do so. In the opinion

of Lord Shri Krishna, activity/ industriousness is a sacred power. In order to fulfill one’s desire, if a person takes up some activity enthusiastically, then we should not stop him. Once he becomes lethargic, he would stop doing anything, and the darkness of inactivity would engulf him. Knowledgeable persons, with their example, should work selflessly with them and gradually try to mold them towards social service. In both the above ïlokas, the essence of one significant word ‘Jó³nº’ (meaning knowledgeable) person has been appropriately defined. Who is ‘Jó³nº’? One, who knows God, remains engrossed in the Divine, and keeps himself stable there, is ‘Jó³nº.’ He educates the masses through his conduct. He does not see what others are doing; he also does not confuse people regarding their actions. Instead, he always inspires them for noble tasks and helps them elevate to higher dimensions of spiritual life. All of us become a victim of one vice, and that is, when we see others, we start overthinking about them. Instead of focusing on what we are doing, we think what the other person is doing and why he is doing that? A person involved in lokasangrah, educating

The Bhagavad-Gita is the most systematic statement of spiritual evolution of endowing value to mankind. - Aldous Huxley AKHAND JYOTI

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others through his actions, does not get perturbed by the actions of others. All the tasks are superior, whether it is writing for uplifting the masses or delivering a discourse or sweeping the floor or cleaning the utensils or spreading noble thoughts. There was a servant of Ramakrishna Paramhansa, named Rasik Bhangi. He used to clean the premises of the Ashram, including his room. Gradually Thakura immersed in Samadhi. Brahmanandaji was the first president of Ramakrishna Mission and used to live in Bellure Matha. Rasik Bhangi would clean the premises of the Dakshineshwar temple as usual. He became old. At the time of death, he felt that Thakura had come to pick him up in a Ratha (chariot). Saying so, he stood up and walked from the deathbed as if he had really gone in the Ratha. At the same time, Swami Brahmananda, sitting in Bellure Matha on the other side of Ganga, also had a similar experience. He immediately said to the people sitting in front of him – ‘See! Thakura has come, and he is taking Rasik Bhangi in a Ratha.’ How Rasik Bhangi attained the Supreme element? Swamiji explained this mystery – ‘His sadhana had depth. He did his work considering it to be worship, and it took him to perfection.’ When Rasik Bhangi could achieve the Supreme Goal of life by mere sweeping,

Raidasa by repairing the shoes, and Sikh Guru Arjun Dev by cleaning the utensils, then we can also achieve it, provided we consider the tasks given by Gurudev to be our duty and accomplish them faithfully.

There was a parijan in Shantikunj. Every day, since 1978, I could listen to the sound of sweeping him the front portion of Shantikunj Ashram around 2-2:30 AM, and he would accomplish this task before anyone could get up. I asked him why he did that. He replied – ‘Gurudev asked me to sweep this area first thing in the morning daily. Since then, I am doing it.’ This man would have certainly achieved Supreme Truth because he completed daily the task given by Gurudev faithfully. Those, who give long discourses, talk thousand things of Shastras, may have to take several births to attain the ultimate goal of life. [To be continued] [Note: This is the translation of Hindi version of ‘Yug Gita’ (Part 1) by Dr. Pranav Pandya, published by Sri Vedmata Gayatri Trust, Shantikunj, Haridwar (2003)]

I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. It is the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death. - Thomas Paine

In the morning I bathe my intellect in the stupendous and cosmogonal philosophy of the Bhagavad-Gita, in comparison with which our modern world and its literature seems puny and trivial. - Henry David Thoreau

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Peace Pilgrim’s Wisdom - 23

Transforming Our Society

have been asked if I have any ideas for peaceful solutions to some of our world and national problems. For one, I think a very long stride toward world peace would be the establishment of a world language. I first ran into the language barrier in Spanish-speaking, Mexico, where I could speak to people only through my translated message and my smile. Then in the Province of Quebec in Canada, I ran into it again. Canada is a bilingual country. The schools in Quebec are conducted in French, and many of the people in Quebec cannot speak English. I had a translated message, and I was offered food and shelter through sign language. But there the communication just about ended. It made me realize the great need for a world language anew.

single step we could take toward world understanding and a long stride toward world peace. When we can talk together, we will realize that our likenesses are so much greater than our differences, however great our differences may seem.

I think a committee of experts appointed by the United Nations should decide as quickly as possible what language would be best. Once a world language is agreed upon, it can be taught in all the schools along with the national language, so that very soon every literate person in the world can talk to every other literate person in the world. I think this would be the biggest

Where we fall the shortest is in economic democracy. Here we have not too much control and I’m concerned about this. Remember, if we want to set a good example for the world we must improve ourselves. I’ll tell you a sad story:

On Democracy and Society I define democracy as control by the people. Slaves are those who allow others to control their lives. Insofar as people succeed in solving their problems fairly and efficiently at a grassroots level, they retain control over their lives. Insofar as they delegate their problem solving to a higher authority, they lose control over their lives. We have a good amount of individual democracy — for example, the right of a minority of one to continue to speak. And we have a lot of political freedom. We are making progress on social democracy. If we had social democracy every human being would be evaluated according to merit, not according to groups. We’ve legislated in that direction; we need to go a long way still, but we’re getting there.

I was walking through someone’s living room. Two comedians on television were making jokes before a live audience, and one of them said, “I got a medal from my company.” “Why?” “I found a way to make their product wear out quicker!” And everybody in that live audience laughed.

Love is an expression of power. We can use it to transform our world. - Ericka Huggins AKHAND JYOTI

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This is no laughing matter. Raw materials are in short supply; energy is running out. Future generations will look upon us as idiots for manufacturing for obsolescence. Yes, everybody knows what we are doing, and they even laugh about it. This needs to be remedied, obviously. The other thing that needs to be remedied is unemployment. I am terribly concerned about it. Some seven or eight million of our fellow human beings in this country are unemployed. And what does that do to people? They deteriorate psychologically because they are being told by society that they are not needed, that there is no place for them. Unemployment is a terrible thing. We need to remedy this, and we need to remedy it immediately. I would suggest that after a certain length of time, all employable unemployed could apply for community work, funded as welfare is funded. The work wouldn’t even need to be full time, but they would be earning what they received. There is no psychologically well person who does not wish to be meaningfully occupied with something. I understand there are a few psychologically sick people — especially those who have been unemployed for a long time and have terribly deteriorated. But this is not true of most people. Most people would actually jump at the chance to be able to do something. From a spiritual point of view, the best way to cope with anything that is out of harmony, such as communism as it is practiced today, is never to fear it — that gives it power. Bring good influences to bear upon it; make yourself a good example. Never try to overcome it by adopting its false philosophy. For instance, part of the philosophy of communist governments is said to be ‘The end justifies the means’— which is actually the philosophy of all countries that use war as a means. Instead, adopt the spiritual philosophy of ‘The means determine the end,’ and remember only a good means can really attain a good end.

We can only change through example. Therefore, if I had the power to do so in this country, I would set a very gentle, good example. I would establish a Peace Department in our government. It would have very useful work to do. It would research peaceful ways of resolving conflicts, war prevention measures and economic adjustments to peace. It would be established with some fanfare and we would ask every other nation to establish similar departments and come and work with us for peace. I think many nations would be willing to do so. Communication among the Peace Departments would be a step toward peace in our world. During the war in Vietnam, I asked my correspondents from all over the world the same question: “What country do your fellow countrymen consider to be the biggest menace to the peace of the world?” The answer was unanimous. It wasn’t Russia and it wasn’t China. It was us! I asked, “Why?” The answers varied a bit. The Orientals answered, “Because you are the only nation that used the nuclear bomb to kill people, and there is no evidence that you might not do so again.” In South America and Latin America, they tended to say, “It’s Vietnam today—it will be us tomorrow.” In Europe and some other places, the answer tended to be, “Your economy works most smoothly in a

The ultimate end of all revolutionary social change is to establish the sanctity of human life, the dignity of man, the right of every human being to liberty and well-being. - Emma Goldman

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war or war preparation period,” or, “In your country, there is big money to be made on war or war preparation.” I don’t like to report this, it’s a negative thing, but I do think we need to see that the countries of the world do not always see our kind heart when they look across the sea. Instead, they are apprehensive about our actions. I would like to see us not only take all the steps we can in the direction of disarmament and peace in the world, I would also like to see us set a better and better example in the world. Within the last couple of years a number of my foreign friends have said to me, “Russia signed Salt II, why didn’t you sign it? Are you less interested in disarmament than the Russians?” I couldn’t answer them. I wish we had signed it. It was a gentle step, not nearly enough, but we should have signed it, then worked hard for Salt III and every agreement that we could get. On my pilgrimage across Canada, I was invited to speak during the Youth Choir Concert of the Union of Spiritual Communities of Christ, commonly known as Doukhobors, a pacifist group which migrated from Russia in the last century. I said to them, “You have a special message to this world, specifically in Russia. Since many of you speak Russian, why not send a

mission of peace to Russia? This choir, for example? You have a unique opportunity to talk to them in their own language, more so than the usual delegation that often cannot communicate with them. This sort of exchange is necessary in the present historical crisis.” The United Nations needs to be improved. We people of the world need to learn to put the welfare of the whole human family above the welfare of any group. Starvation and suffering need to be alleviated. An extensive exchange of people among the nations of the world would be very helpful. There are some national problems in connection with peace — work needs to be done on peace among groups. Our number one national problem, however, is the adjustment of our economy to a peacetime situation. Community Peace Action In this crisis period, there should be a community peace committee in every town. Such a group can begin with a handful of concerned people. I have been suggesting that Community Peace Fellowships start with a Peace Prayer Group for seeking the way of peace. At the first meeting, consider inner peace. Pray about it and discuss it. If you become aware of some inner block which is hampering your spiritual progress, concentrate between meetings on removing that block. At the second meeting, consider harmony among individuals. If you realize that you are out of harmony with some person, do something between meetings to remedy this. At the third meeting, consider harmony among groups. Between meetings try to do something as a group to show friendliness toward or to help some other group. At the fourth meeting, consider peace among nations. Take action between meetings by commending someone who has done something good for peace. At the next meeting, start all over again.

The first resistance to social change is to say it’s not necessary. - Gloria Steinem AKHAND JYOTI

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In some places, my literature has been used for their prayer groups, since it deals with peace from a spiritual viewpoint. Read a paragraph, dwell on it in receptive silence, then talk about it. Have as many prayer meetings as you need to get through the literature. Anyone who can understand and feel the spiritual truths contained therein is spiritually ready to work for peace. The Peace Study Group needs to get a clear picture of what the present world situation is like and what will be needful to convert it into a peaceful world situation. Certainly all present wars must cease. Obviously we need to find a way to lay down our arms together. We need to set up mechanisms to avoid physical violence in the world where psychological violence still exists. After world problems and steps toward their solution become pretty clear to you, you and your friends are ready to become a Peace Action Group. You can become a Peace Action Group gradually, acting upon any problem that you have learned to understand. Peace action should always take the form of living the way of peace. It can also take the form of letter-writing: to legislators about peace legislation you are interested in, to editors on peace subjects, to friends on what you have learned about peace. It can take the form of public meetings with speakers on peace subjects, distributing peace literature, talking to people about peace, a peace week, a peace fair, a peace walk, a peace parade, or a peace float. It can take the form of voting for those who are committed to the way of peace. You have much more power when you are working for the right thing than when you are working against the wrong thing. And, of course, if the right thing is established, wrong things will fade away of their own accord. Grassroots peace work is vitally important. All who work for peace belong to

a special peace fellowship — whether we work together or apart. Some of the steps toward peace that I talked about when I started out have now been taken or at least begun. An extensive people-to-people approach is well underway, with student exchanges and cultural exchanges. Research on peaceful ways of resolving conflicts is now being done at a number of our colleges, and courses are being also taught by our neighbor, Canada. I believe it is quite possible for us to obtain an outer peace at present. Historically speaking, when human beings are faced with the choice between destruction and change, they are apt to choose change, and it’s about the only thing that will make them choose change. So we have the possibility at the present time to take a different direction in the world—the possibility exists! Little people of the world, let us never feel helpless again. Let us remember that if enough of us ask together even very big things like world disarmament and world peace will be granted. Let’s ask together! [Reproduced with glad consent of the publishers – Friends of Peace Pilgrim]

There is no fundamental social change by being simply of individual and interpersonal actions. You have to have organizations and institutions that make a fundamental difference. - Cornel West

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Odyssey of the Enlightened – 72

Gayatri on the Banks of Yamuna -1 f one walks from Ghiya Mandi, Mathura towards Vrindavan, one finds Gayatri Teela on the way to the left-hand side. When Niranjan mentioned about this place, Shriram’s childhood journey flashed back in his memory. Once, he had come to Mathura in childhood and from there, he had walked on foot to Vrindavan all alone. At that time, he had met one saint-yogi referred by the locals as ‘Booti Siddha Baba.’ The Baba had raised his both the hands to bless child Shriram. That was a wonderful experience. Today he was going to ‘inspect’ the same place as a possible site for the sadhana-center.

“This area would be too small for our center; we need a minimum of two hundred to two hundred fifty square meters. We need to have a temple with space for meditation, a yagya-shala, rooms for the sadhakas, etc.”, Shriram said. With this his mind also created a pleasant image of the center: “The place would be green. It will have a gurukul like ambience. It will be so soothing to see it”, he added.

He returned home with Niranjan after seeing the building in Mandi Ramdas. After completing some work in the press-office, they both went to see the Gayatri Teela. While climbing this 30-35 meter tall ‘hill,’ Shriram took the sample of its soil from three-four spots. The soil was dry and crisp. It appeared as though there was a forest long back and the trees were burnt at large-scale; or, maybe, the trees were charred due to the forest-fire nearby and later on a large amount of their ash mixed with soil was piled here which eventually turned into this tiny hill (teela). At some spots, the soil also appeared to have sand. The hilltop was quite narrow – only about twelve square meters. The temple was standing only on half of this area. Now it was only like the remains of a temple. Even the idol of the deity Gayatri was not there. Nobody took care of it after Booti Siddha Baba. Now it was only like ruins or broken structure and sort of time-being shelter for some beggars or teenager goons of nearby villages.

“Then, we may break this teela and use the space where it stands,” Niranjan suggested. This would require demolishing the teela completely and then flattening the land. “This won’t work, as the soil here is sandy. No construction would be firm on any foundation dug up here”, Shriram made him realize the real problem. They had no choice but to turn down the possibility of selecting this site. They started climbing down. After climbing down, Shriram stood on the Vrindavan road for a few minutes staring at the partly green ground opposite the teela. “What are you thinking? Where do we go now? Return to Ghiya Mandi or walk toward Jaisinhpura (to see some other

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage. - Lao Tzu AKHAND JYOTI

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site!)?” Niranjan seemed to be getting somewhat impatient.

minutes Shriram told him that we would go to Jaisinhpura tomorrow. Right now let us return to Ghiya Mandi.

As soon as they touched the road Shriram felt a flickering pulsation in his left arm; then a Kapila cow went running towards the left. She was running so fast as though she was searching for her calf. But no, they did not notice any calf while getting down. Then why did the cow rush to the ground in front? With this thought he looked in the front. He saw two peacocks dancing at a distance there. They came forward closer to his sight. He felt as if with all this, Nature is trying to attract his thoughts in some direction. “Oh, yeah!” His memory of past twenty-five years refreshed again. He had once stayed in a bagichi (small garden type area with some makeshift shelter) somewhere towards the left, ahead of this large ground. He also recalled that there was a temple of goddess Chamunda in that bagichi.

He was thinking of the bagichi and the Chamunda temple there. Ever since he had moved to Mathura, several times, he had felt like visiting this place but could not make it because of his busy schedule in writing and social service activities. His memory recollected that there was Bhuteshwar temple ahead of the Chanmunda Devi temple. The Bhuteshwar temple enshrines the supreme deity of the ten dikapals of Mathura. The next day Shriram informed Mataji (Bhagvati Devi Sharma) and Taiji about his plans of visiting the bagichi at Vrindavan road. He also told them that his inner mind was suggesting him that this place would be most suitable for establishing the kind of sadhana-center for which he had been motivated by his divine Guru.

For a moment, Shriram thought of going there. But again he paused for a while. Niranjan wanted to ask him “What’s the matter?”, but could not dare looking at the brighter glow on his face, which indicated he was engrossed in some deep thoughts. Watching that Shriram’s face was now turned towards the left. Niranjan thought they were going to Jaisinhpura. But within few

Niranjan Chaubey came to his house as planned last evening. They both were now headed towards Jaisinhpura to visit the bagichi. It was morning time, and they were going to cross the Dwarkadhish temple near his house. So Shriram first went to this temple to pay obeisance to Lord Krishna. Little ahead of the temple premises they heard some noise. Only two-three persons were there, but one of them was speaking very loudly. This was the owner of a sweetshop who was eagerly urging a Sadhu to come to his shop and accept some sweets. The Sadhu simply told him – “So now you have faith that the sweets were taken by Thakurji (Lord Krishna) only!” Phoolchand, the shopkeeper bowed to the Sadhu’s feet and said “I have billion times faith in what you say, your Holiness. Kindly keep your pious feet in my shop again”, he kept repeating his urge. As he was not ready to let the Sadhu go, so the latter told him – “Let me go, don’t waste my time; otherwise, Thakurji will get angry with you”. Hearing this, the shopkeeper was so panicked that he literally fell on the Sadhu’s feet

The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. - Walt Disney Company AKHAND JYOTI

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started praying before him. But the Sadhu did not stop and moved ahead to the entrance of Dwarkadhish temple. When Shriram and Niranjan reached near the shop, Phoolchand was almost in tears. They asked him what was he worrying about? Phoolchand then told his story before them and also narrated his extraordinary experience of last morning. Phoolchand used to work hard to run his small sweet-shop. He used to prepare fresh sweets of milk every day. But unfortunately, he was not able to make enough profit. Many times the sales were so meager that he was not even able to pay the rent. As he was not educated and knew no other skill; this shop was his only source of income. Sweets Taken by Thakurji Yesterday some Vaishnav Sadhu had come to Phoolchand’s shop and asked for some sweets to offer as bhog to Thakurji. Phoolchand had just opened the shop at that time. Thinking that the Sadhu is a beggar he shouted – “As such my shop is running in loss and these beggars come to ride on my head. Just go ahead”. Sadhu said “My child, I am not begging. You give some sweet I will offer it to Thakurji”. He stood there for 5-6 minutes and kept repeating the same. At last irritated Phoolchand gave him 3-4 pieces of pedhas (something like small pieces of milk-cake) in a donaa and asked him to leave immediately. His anger rose up to its peak, seeing that the Sadhu shamelessly ate two pedhas himself right in front of his shop! He further shouted – “This is what you call bhog for Thakurji? Don’t you feel ashamed in begging in the name of God? The fake Sadhus like you have blotted the prestige of our religion”. But the Sadhu was not perturbed. He again told – “Yes, I have offered this to Thakurji only!” Then he took out the remaining pedhas from the doona and gave to Phoolchand

asking him to eat these. Phoolchand thought he is mad. He made faces. “Don’t discard it or hesitate eating it. It is a prasad. Accept it with respect and faith. By His grace your shop will run in profit” — Expressions on Sadhu’s face appeared so assuring when he said this! Mention of ‘profit’ somehow calmed down Phoolchand. He took the pedhas and ate. The Sadhu left uttering some words of blessing. It was a miracle for Phoolchand that the sales rose to almost five times more than the daily average. His net profit of that single day was a hundred and forty rupees whereas it was hardly thirty rupees on other ‘profit-making’ days. Today morning while going to the temple the Sadhu asked Phoolchand how did his sales run yesterday? Phoolchand was so excited with joy that he almost jumped out of the shop and touched the Sadhu’s feet and wanted to offer his services to the Sadhu. The Sadhu told him to serve river Yamuna and do good work honestly to please Thakurji. “What happened after that you have seen sirs!” Phoolchand had finished narrating the entire incidence to Shriram and Niranjan. By the time they could move ahead,

Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.- Robert F. Kennedy AKHAND JYOTI

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they saw the same Sadhu was returning from the temple. As he came closer, Shriram recognized him; he was Sadhu Madhavdas who had visited Shriram a few weeks ago and offered to help him in developing the Gayatri Sadhana center! He greeted the Sadhu with respect. Sadhu Madhavdas also greeted him and asked about the progress on identifying the location of the center. Shriram told him that the search is on for the right kind of site. At present the scheme of implementation is ready, and attempts of japa-tapa have also begun by potential sadhakas. Their collective japa-tapa focused at the aim of energizing the site of the center right now should, I believe, help things move fast in the righteous direction. Responding to the Sadhu’s further query on the duration of this japa etc, Shriram informed that each sadhaka is asked to observe self-restraint as part of tapa; minimal discipline of taking only pure, vegetarian and austere food is compulsory for each sadhaka participating in this experiment. Each of them is also asked to do the japa of Gayatri Mantra for at least one hour every day. Though early morning time is advised, they are given liberty to adjust a regular schedule for this according to their other duties. When we lay the foundation of Tapobhumi

for this Gayatri sadhana-center, all these sadhakas will be invited. When the plan is ready, and all these preparations are on, why there is delay in starting this center, the Sadhu wondered. “We are not getting a suitable place. Some possible sites were short-listed but either the surrounding ambience was not proper, or space was short, etc, so the search is still going on” – Shriram informed. He added that – “One site is now under consideration. I had been there in my teenage. Some invisible force seems to be pulling my mind towards that place since yesterday. I want to visit it today. Niranjan Chaubeyji is also coming.” With this, he introduced the Sadhu and Niranjan to each other. He asked the Sadhu whether the latter would like to accompany them too. The Sadhu agreed happily. The three started walking towards the bagichi soon after Shriram and Niranjan offered prayers in the Dwarkadhish temple. After discussing the structure and meaning of the Gayatri Mantra, Shriram said in a lighter mood Gayatri is tripada as the Gayatri Mantra has three padas (segments); we three are like followers of these three padas. Sadhu Maharaj, you are on the path of Bhakti (devotional worship); Pandit Niranjan is pursuing the path of Gyan (unalloyed knowledge), and I am fit only for the path of Karma (duty-bound actions without attachment of results). This way they traversed the road on foot enjoying thoughtful discussions with some lighter moments in between. Now they had already reached the bagichi. Behind the bagichi nearly 250 meters ahead, there was river Yamuna. Sometimes during the monsoon season when the water level was high after heavy rainfall, it used to flow in the broader area. Then the bagichi appeared almost on the shore of the river. Almost on the opposite side, a narrow bylane used to connect the bagichi to the Chamunda Temple. The temple was small; maximum five to six people could

Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible. - Francis of Assisi AKHAND JYOTI

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stand inside the temple at a time. The bagichi too was not large. Its total area was hardly two to three hundred square yards. There was a nominal fence of barbed metal wires. There was no entrance gate at such. However, the fence was not closed so there was some opening through which one could enter without any problem. On the left of this ‘entrance’ lay a kuinya (small well) and on the right was a broken hall without any door. In the front was a small temple that was about 4-5 ft tall. There was an idol inside this temple about which Kathiya Baba had mentioned (to Shriram when he visited this place earlier) that it was the idol of goddess Gayatri. The historical documents also mention of some yogi-yati’s devout tapa-sadhana at this place about four hundred years ago. However, those days the bagichi was used only rarely, that too by tourists, for some rest before/after bathing in river Yamuna. Shriram and his associates took a round of the bagichi and exchanged the information they had about its history. Closer Inspection of the Bagichi While walking around, Shriram was inspecting everything carefully. He looked at the soil, touched it. He also fetched some water from the kuinya. After finding it drinkable he again fetched some water for Sadhu Madhavdas and Pandit Niranjan Chaubey. They liked its taste. Shriram wanted to test something else too!

He closed his eyes and meditated for a minute while holding some water in the palm folded like a bowl. He then sipped it like offering an oblation to the Omnipotent. His intuitive sense, his awakened acumen could feel that this water was pure both in terms of drinkable quality and intrinsic nature. It was coming directly from a stream emerged from the origin of Yamuna. That means it was directly the sacredwater of the holy tirtha Yamunotri. This stream was flowing underground and was therefore not ‘alloyed’ by the confluence of river Yamuna with other rivers and streams. Shriram reasoned that this stream of water would last at least for fifty to sixty years more. Beyond this, one does not know how the atmospheric environment and the geography were going to change. In his mind, he decided to develop this very place as Gayatri Tapobhumi. He then mentioned to the accompanying persons regarding his future plans. He said that the outline of the sadhana-

Yath³ caturbhi¡ kanaka® parºkÌyate nikarÌañachedanat³pat³danai¡ | Tath³ caturbhi¡ puruÌa¡ parºkÌyate ïrutena ïºlena kulena karmañ³ | | Meaning: Just as the purity of gold is tested by four means, namely, rubbing, cutting, burning and beating; so also man is tested by four means, namely, learning, conduct, pedigree and action.

Iron rusts from disuse; water loses its purity from stagnation... even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind. - Leonardo da Vinci AKHAND JYOTI

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center was already drawn in August 1951. There will be a yagyashala, a Gayatri-temple, a library and also suitable accommodation facilities for the sadhakas here. Later on this work will expand and give rise to a global family like grand organization of those devoted to the upasana-sadhana of Gayatri. The main objective of this socio-spiritual organization would be to spread the light of Indian Culture encoded in the Gayatri Mantra — the mantra of the Adya Shakti. When he was telling this, about eight-ten other persons who were passing from there got attracted by the impressive personalities of these three. They came nearby to listen to what Shriram was telling. Then Shriram suggested that we all may sit under some tree and discuss. Whether it was a mere coincidence or God’s plan, the strangers also knew the Gayatri Mantra and had heard about its importance in Vedic religion and Indian Culture. Most of them even used to do daily japaupasana of the Gayatri Mantra. They were very interested in the sadhanacenter Shriram was talking about. If things were to go in the center as planned for the first phase, the estimated cost was going to be nearly twenty-five thousand rupees. (This amount is equivalent to approximately twenty-five lacs rupees today!). One

Mr. Govind Chandra Mishra from among the new visitors, who hailed from Allahabad, asked — “Are you going to arrange for this amount on your own or will accept people’s donations too?” “I have not finalized anything in this regard. In any case, small donations from a large number of people may be invited to make them part of this future mass-movement” — Shriram said. “In an earlier issue of ‘Akhand Jyoti’ I had published the idea and aims of this center which I want to develop like a Tapobhumi. With this announcement I had also mentioned the significance of more and more people contributing towards this noble cause”. “Similar to the birth (incarnation) of Devi Sita through the collection of punyas of the rishis!” — Sadhu Madhavdas remarked underlining the importance of what Shriram had mentioned. The same evening Shriram brought Taiji and Mataji to show the bagichi. They both also liked the place. Taiji recalled that she had also come to this place in her childhood with her father. That way she used to visit Mathura at least once a year on the occasion of religious festivals like Dolotsava, Ghata, Chhata-utsava, some fair, etc., or for eighty-four Kosa parikrama (pilgrimage trip on foot, covering nearly four hundred kilometers) that used to take place once in three-to-four years. On one such occasion, on the way to Vrindavan from Mathura she had stayed with her family in this very bagichi. She recalled having prayed at the Chamunda Temple also. “Is that temple on the other side of Yamuna still there? That small temple is not ordinary. Experts of tantra used to worship the Goddess Kali there” – She informed. Shriram agreed with her, saying he had also heard that the Chamunda Devi temple was an important center of tantra-sadhana in the past. Three to four centuries ago

Great People talk about ideas, average people talk about events; small people talk about other people. – Anonymous AKHAND JYOTI

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major tantra experiments were conducted there for the protection of the city of Mathura. Taiji, Mataji, and Shriram then went to that temple for darshan of the deity Chamunda. It was pathetic to see the condition of the temple now. Its structure was broken from several places. Hardly any devotee used to come there. It was only at the time of Navratra festivals falling in Chaitra and Ashwin (the first and seven months of Hindu calendar) that some people would come for the darshan of the deity. At that time some panda-pujaris (sort of ‘professional’ priests) used to sit in the temple and conduct ritualistic worship. Feeling sad upon looking at the state of the temple, Taiji said with a sigh — “Let us hope when our Tapobhumi is built and people start coming to our center they would also pay attention to this temple.” They again visited the bagichi and finalized that this is where the Tapobhumi would be established. They returned home talking about the immediate actions that were to be taken for the purchase of the land. On the way, they also told some acquaintances to find the whereabouts of the landlord of the bagichi so that the process could begin early. Shriram was awake till 11 pm that night; that is almost two hours later than his usual time to go to bed. He drew the map of the planned construction himself. He also charted out a draft proposal for establishment of the trust for the temple. He wanted that the trust should start operating since the forthcoming Vasant Panchami Parva in February and also lay the foundation for the building of the Tapobhumi (Gayatri-Center).

[To be continued]

Health through right thinking Professor William James of Harvard University, says – ‘We are just now witnessing very copious unlocking of new ideas through the converts of metaphysical or other forms of spiritual philosophy. The ideas are healthy-minded and optimistic. The power, small or great, comes in various shapes to the individual; power not to ‘mind’ things that used to vex one; power to concentrate one’s mind; good cheer; good temper; a firmer and more elastic tone. The most saintly person I have ever known is a friend now suffering from cancer of the breast. I do not assume to be the judge of the wisdom or unwisdom of her disobedience to the doctors, but cite her case solely as an example of what an idea can do. Her ideas have kept her practically a wellwoman for months after she would otherwise have given up and gone to bed. They have annulled pain and weakness and given her a cheerful, active life, a life unusually beneficent to those around her.’

Thoughts have power, thoughts are energy. You can make your own world or break it by your own thinking – Susan Taylor AKHAND JYOTI

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Youth Column

How to Develop Self-Leadership?

eadership is a virtue that everyone needs some time or the other in one’s life. An opportunity may come in one’s life when one needs to lead a specific group to achieve the desired goal. However, certain traits are required for effective leadership, the most significant among them being ‘self-leadership.’ It awakens positivity and faith in the self and enables the person to lead the team towards its goal. The following are some golden rules for developing self-leadership. 1.

Self-Awareness – One should be aware of one’s strengths and weaknesses. This kind of awareness makes a person realize his present position and develop a program for self-refinement. This program may include identifying the shortcomings and rectifying them and augmenting one’s strengths. Clarity of Life’s Goal– Based on one’s strengths, one should choose an appropriate goal. This will ensure success in one’s endeavors, which, in turn, will

augment self-confidence. The clarity of life’s purpose ascertains the holistic progress of the concerned person. This forms a powerful base for effective leadership. 3.

Positivity– Negative thoughts flood the mind with similar feelings and challenge the quality of leadership; whereas, positive thoughts fill the mind with confidence even with small successes. Incessant efforts in this direction make a person powerhouse of positive energy.

Empathy and Faith in the Divine– These are the central elements of self-leadership. With these qualities, a person walks on the path of truth, and boldly faces the challenges that come on his way. The light of faith shows the right path to self-development as well as social welfare.

Keen Learner and Liberal Thinker– A person who is always enthusiastic about learning from every circumstance augments his knowledge continuously. At the same time, liberal thinking endows one a personality that is acceptable to all. With these qualities, the challenges of life become opportunities for self-growth.

Honesty and Responsibility– These virtues make a person self-disciplined and confident. He is perceived as faithful and authentic. Pujya Gurudev has rightly said –‘An honest person is

The price of greatness is responsibility. - Winston Churchill AKHAND JYOTI

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like a sparkling diamond among the thousand beads.’ Where honesty gives inner peace and soul power, responsibility provides the satisfaction of performing one’s duty righteously. 8.

Courage and Humility– It requires tremendous courage and patience to proceed towards the desired goal despite failure, opposition, and social/familial pressures. These virtues form a strong base for self-leadership. Humility, on the other hand, makes a person realize the ground realities and act accordingly. An impatient person gets puzzled even by small obstacles, and hence he cannot stay confident in odd circumstances.

Grasp on the Subject– In today’s professional world, in order to lead the team, the team leader must be well-versant in his subject and technical skills. In-depth knowledge of the subject makes a person independent and gives a boost to his confidence.

10. Best Utilization of the Present – One must understand that whatever he is today is due to his thoughts and actions of the past. That is, the key to one’s future is in his own hands. All our thoughts, resolutions, and activities are the stepping stones of our future opportunities and successes. Therefore, the best utilization of the present is a significant cause in the development of self-leadership. In conclusion, imbibing the abovementioned virtues and refining the self will help us in developing the quality of self-leadership, which, in turn, will help us in leading the group(s) in achieving specific social as well as global objectives.

In the middle of the night, general of the Corsica army called for a young lieutenant and asked, “If you are sent at this hour to enemy’s camp, what will you call that?” “A great fortune, because there will never be a better time than this to prove my valor.” This young lieutenant was none other than Napoleon Bonaparte who, at the age of 23, was made Brigadier General. During youth courage, strength, bravery, and fitness are at their peak; those who rightfully deploy these reap rich awards at a young age.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. - John Quincy Adams AKHAND JYOTI

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Amrit Vani

Let the Spirit of Spring Permeate and Uplift Your Life - II (Translation of discourse continued from the previous issue) Sisters and Brothers,

n the Vasant Panchami day every year, I keep thinking that all of you present here should also share in my precious fortune and lead your lives to glorious heights; may your noble deeds and names become immortal on the golden pages of the annals of humanity. Your life should rise above its present states of suffering and perversion. You should be able to resolve all your problems yourself and also have the potential to help others get rid of their problems. Then you will not have to come to me and beg –– “Guruji! Kindly save me; remove my sufferings, etc.” Your life should be such that I, the Guru himself, will come to you and ask for assistance, your active collaboration in altruistic world-uplifting efforts. Swami Ramakrishna Paramhamsa himself used to go to Narendra (Vivekananda), seeking his help in the dissemination of devotion and knowledge, in transforming the society. A tongue cannot work like mike, and a mike alone is of no use

without a tongue (voice), a combination of both serves the purpose. The voice (message) of the Guru is spread through the mike (efforts) of the disciples. My Guru is the voice and I am his mike. I want you also to be able to do the same in turn. I would like you to be worthy of spreading the divine message. If you could cultivate this ability, there would be no delay in the working of His grace in your lives. God keeps the boons of ïaktip³ta and kuñÃalinºi ready in His hands to bestow them upon deserving souls. You could also receive them provided you have the desired level of ïraddh³ (inner faith and dedication) and p³trat³ (worthiness). We have taken up the mission of revival of the Vedic knowledge and the rishi traditions of Yagya along with Gayatri Vidya. We have now introduced the medium of “Gyan Rathas” to spread this knowledge through the mission’s publications. You may devote two precious hours per day (or equivalent time per week) for this noble task. This would indeed be more virtuous than singing devotional songs or worshiping divine idols for the same time. My Guru had asked for my time and effort. I dedicated every moment of my life to His work. Well, in return, he bestowed on me so many boons, endowed me with gifts that could not have been attainable by tapa and up³san³ for several lives. This is what I am entreating you to do. Please give me a fraction of your time and effort to disseminate the knowledge and ideals of spirituality. If you expect to gain something, you will also have to give something. Higher attainments demand greater sacrifices.

Life is time; those who love life should not squander it in laziness.- Acharya Shriram Sharma

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The Shastric Scriptures describe “Ekad³ NaimiÌ³rañye” –– referring to the conversation of rishis Shaunak and Suta that focuses on the sagacious discussions of the saints, the thinkers, the Brahmins of that time in the lush forestfields of Naimisharanya. I had also wanted to develop a Naimisharanya for the present Age, where people would live for pure selfless love, enlightenment and high ideals; where they would amicably share each others’ joy and sorrows; where they would happily sacrifice their selfish desires and comforts for the welfare of the world. This is what I expect to happen at Shantikunj in its newer expansion Gayatri Nagar. I inaugurate the Gayatri Nagar with this expectation and with full confidence in my Guru’s assurance that all my aims devoted to the attainment of divine goals would be accomplished gloriously. The Spirit of Spring and Awakening of Kundalini I was referring to the umang – vibrant enthusiasm and ecstatic emotional thrust – generated in the spring. It emerges from within. It can’t be stopped by any attempt. This is what spring brings in Nature. A day of spring had also bestowed a divine umang upon Prince Siddhartha. On one side were his family, the enchanting joys, luxuries, and powers of royal life, and on the other was the Call of Time Spirit, the cries of suffering humanity, agonized by ignorance and eradication of true religious values in the world. The umang of Vasant (spring) awakened in his mind and guided him –– ‘If you want to spend your life blindly chasing happiness in worldly joys and attachments, you will live a meaningless life; anybody can do it; in fact, everybody is doing only that; you should choose the path of awakened awareness.’ This message of spring drove him towards the search for the path of Deliverance from Suffering, and eventually, he succeeded in his quest and became The Buddha – The Awakened One. When umang emerges from within, it erupts like a spark of

fire that rises and expands unhindered. It transforms one’s life in a stormy way. The Appearance of my eternal Guru, on the Vasant Parva in February 1926, was also like a sublime cyclone of this immensity. He flashed before my consciousness my previous lives, and before leaving, he blessed me with what is known as “Ïaktip³ta” and “KuñÃalinº J³garaña.” Supramental spiritual attainments that require grand ascetic endeavors and s³dhan³ for several lifetimes were bestowed upon me in a matter of few moments. Everything within me seemed to have been transformed. I could now visualize the world far beyond and quite differently from what I used to see before. Let me tell you about my KuñÃalinº J³garaña (awakening of KuñÃalinº). What is kuñÃalinº? It is the sublime source of unlimited vital, spiritual energy that remains dormant in most of us. Yoga Shastras talk a great deal about the s³dhan³s of KuñÃalinº J³garaña. Without going into complications of its hidden science, you must know that the most natural expression of the ultimate state of KuñÃalinº J³garaña is –– awakening of divine attributes in the s³dhaka. I, therefore, regard kuñÃalinº as sensitivity and compassion, sagacity, and foresight.

Effective and meaningful sermon is that which is given not by speech but by example. - Acharya Shriram Sharma AKHAND JYOTI

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Compassion is that which makes one cry with others’ sorrow, which drives one to live for others’ welfare. Sagacity is that which guides one to live a dignified life of a noble human being, who engages his talents constructively in worthy pursuits. Look, for example, at Mr. Kagaba – who is honored as the “Gandhi of Japan.” He dedicated all his life in the service of the downtrodden, the helpless, and the patients of leprosy and other dreaded diseases, who are practically abandoned by their families. His karuñ³ (compassion and generosity with saintly love) for them inspired his wife also to join in his altruistic mission. Both of them used to be engaged in this noble mission round the clock without expectation of even gratitude. What enabled this superhuman endeavor? It was the power of karuñ³, which had sprung up in their hearts. This is what I call the expression of kuñÃalinº, which produces a zeal, a pain, a thrust, and pulls the individual consciousness out of the smog of all infirmities and selfish attachments. Whenever the Indwelling Divinity is awakened in an individual, it expresses itself as pain, as sensitivity to share others’ agonies, as unbounded love, as karuñ³. God is not a physical

structure or material creation. It is Brah® – the omnipresent, eternal consciousness force. Consciousness cannot have a material structure or shape. It is most naturally expressed and experienced in pure sensitivity. What is pure sensitivity? Well, in essence, it is that intrinsic spiritual power which gives rise to viveka (enlightened discernment) and karuñ³. If you are sensitive to your duties and have adopted noble moral ideals in your conduct and deeds, your consciousness (being) would work like a sublime magnetic force that would naturally attract spontaneous support from all directions and everyone and will also invite divine grace. This indeed happens in the lives of saints; this is what manifests in the lives of great personalities like Gandhi and Kagaba. The history of Indian rishis is an immortal testimony to this fact that –– the emergence of karuñ³ in the heart eventually leads to sainthood and divinization of the ego-bound human self. The day of Vasant Panchami is full of grand opportunities for noble resolutions and initiatives. This is the day of landmark initiatives for our mission. Each year, this day sparks a new enthusiasm and new courage in me that drive me to elevate and expand my efforts with greater zeal to beautify this world, to work for the welfare of all beings. The milestones of our mission’s achievements towards social awakening and revival of the spiritual-cultural values have all been initiated through resolutions made on this day; new projects have been undertaken on this very day. Now, today, we have to take another leap along our onward journey. We should strive single-pointedly to spread the light of true Theism –– faith in divinity, universal ethics. Disciplines of morality and ethical conduct are integral facets of Theism. Believing in God means - having faith in His eternal omnipresence, believing in His absolute Law of Karma. His

Sin always comes with four accomplices – decline, disgrace, distress and disease. - Acharya Shriram Sharma AKHAND JYOTI

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Law allows us to be the architects of our destinies; His Law is simple –– you reap as you sow. Each one of us could be beatified by His infinite grace, but first, we have to abide by His laws that are essential for the ideal maintenance of His creation. This is what theism teaches us. The religious shrines, the methods of worship and devotion are there to help condition our minds, our inner selves ponder over and experience His cosmic consciousness, to know and link ourselves with the spiritual values. The temples of Gayatri Mata built by us are symbols of the eternal teachings of Gayatri Vidya. Gayatri means ïraddh³, viveka, karuñ³, and pavitrat³ (pavitrat³ means piety of body, mind, and heart). You should keep the holy pictures of Goddess Gayatri, worship it, pray and meditate before Her with heartfelt devotion and faith. This would gradually induce Her grace and virtues in you. We all should adopt theism in practice and also spread it around us. You all may begin with sincere devotional practices before Gayatri Mata’s picture in your own house and also inspire your neighbors to do so. Theism evolves in brahmvarchas. Brahmvarchas includes awakening of the infinite powers hidden or dormant in the inner self by pure ascetic practices (tapa) of self-discipline, self-refinement, and self-transformation. The principles of brahmvarchas incorporate –– self-restraint over the sense organs (by observing austerity, fasting, purity, etc.) at the gross level and control and purification of the thoughts, aspirations, and sentiments of the inner self, on the subtler levels. This is how tapa generates spiritual energy and activates the latent divinity existing in the individual. I had initiated my brahmvarchas on the day of Vasant Panchami. In a word, it is a confluence of theism and tapa. Theism means the adoption of a moral, righteous life, and tapa means voluntary adoption of hardship, penance, austerity for the achievement

of high ideals and altruistic endeavors. Brahmvarchas Sodh Sansthan of our mission is a symbol, a place where I want to demonstrate and teach the super-science of brahmvarchas. I have only two dreams- inculcation of divinity in humans and the creation of divine life on the earth. My supramental attainments of ïaktip³ta and kuñÃalinº are dedicated solely to the materialization of these objectives and nothing else. Blossoming of brahmvarchas in every dimension, every impulse of life – this is the incarnation of divinity in the human self. And what is the descent of heaven on the earth? Well, heaven or paradise is not some God’s capital (VaikuñÚha) in the subtle world. It can very well be created on this earth, in the very world we are living in. The ambiance and circumstances of a paradise are created wherever good people live in moral discipline, with mutual love and cooperation. I wanted to build a model colony, village, or town where elevated personalities could live simple, happy, dignified lives devoted to high ideals; where people could set a living example of what a selfless, purposeful, glorious life engaged in the welfare of all is like? Gayatrinagar, Shantikunj amply demonstrates the realization of this dream.

The identity of a civilized man is his modesty; hard on the self and soft on others. - Acharya Shriram Sharma AKHAND JYOTI

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If you can’t develop sansk³ras (virtuous tendencies) in your children, send them here, send them to me. Why? What will I do? Like Rishi Valmiki, I can transform your children into LavaKush, can make their mother a blessed tapswini like Devi Sita, and endow you with the ideals of RamLakshman. This is why Shantikunj and Brahmvarchas Ashrams were founded on the auspicious parva of Vasant Panchami, as nuclei of our mission of Yug Nirman for worldwide dissemination of the light of knowledge, theism, and divine Vedic cultural values. Brahmvarchas Shodh Sansthan has been established to revive the scientific basis and training practices of elevation of vital energy, hidden talents, and spiritual awakening of consciousness force by tapaïcary³ (tapa). Gayatri Nagar, Shantikunj has been built for the renaissance

of theism by nurturing a community of divine-centered human beings as a model of heavenly ambiance on this earth, manifesting the virtues of selflessness, simplicity, duty, service, endurance, benevolence and co-operation in their day to day lives. Thousands of people come here to receive our love, guidance, and help; they come here to seek the light of knowledge and wisdom and to get inspirations to progress along the righteous path. I want to open my heart before you all on this Parva of Vasant Panchami: to share my loving compassion for humanity; to show you the spring of karuñ³ that has erupted in my inner self; to tell you how much compassion is there in its deep folds to make every life noble; to let you see the indwelling divinity. I want to distribute all these divine attributes among you as well. You look at these, experience and test them and if you have courage and quality, come forward and take these beatitudes from me – your Guru. Take home: some peace, some greatness and everything noble, sublime, and glorious from here. I want to endow you also with the immense powers of ïaktip³ta and kuñÃalinºi that my Guru had blessed me with. May you become worthy of these boons. This is what I wish for you all on this holy day.

||OM SHANTI||

Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble. - Yehuda Berg Man is not the slave of circumstances; he is the creator, controller and master of them. - Acharya Shriram Sharma AKHAND JYOTI

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Holi: The Festival of Colors

oli is a major festival of India and celebrated by playing with colors during the transition from winter to spring. It is celebrated with full enthusiasm by all age groups, all over India. However, the purpose of celebrating Holi is not just to play with colors, but also to nurture our ancient traditions of respecting elders and taking their blessings. Touching the feet of elders and taking blessings is a common practice and tradition of our culture. This is also a way to teach our youngsters to keep our roots and respect elders always. At the same time, elders show their love and affection for youngsters as well and maintain harmony in relationships. Holi is an enchanting and fun-filled festival of small towns of India, which is celebrated with lots of enthusiasm by all Hindus not just in India but all around the world, with the same energy and emotions, like in India. One version of Holi, which is very popular, is known as Lathmar Holi (Holi with sticks), which is mainly played in the historic town of Barsana (in Mathura district of UP state in India). People play with sticks and throw colors on each other. Visitors from all over the world come to Barsana to have a glimpse of Lathmar Holi. Holi is a festival of mind, and when the mind is happy, then every second becomes Falgun (the month of Holi festival), and every day is like celebrating Holi. All the feelings of anger, loneliness, and sadness dissolve like bubbles in water during this festival. The weather becomes very pleasing during the Holi season. The warmth of sunlight, remembrance of Bhakta Prahalad while burning Holika, melodious folk songs, altogether make everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s heart sing. People forget their status and

arrogance and drench others in colors, with love and happiness. Rainbow colors not only make our clothes colorful but touch our hearts and minds as well. We not only share happiness and sweeten relationships during Holi by playing colors but also prepare various kinds of edible sweets and drinks, which make life joyful and full of thrills. People start preparing desserts and making special drinks in advance for the Holi celebration. Everyone gets so much involved in all the preparation that they forget about all the worries, sadness, and revenge, if any, with family, friends or neighbors. They feel so happy that they forget all the enmity and embrace each other on Holi and start a new relationship. They even distribute sweets in friends and family with love and care; specially Gujhia and Thandai are very famous for Holi. They participate in every activity with so much enthusiasm that creates a different kind of joyful world for everyone. The purpose of playing with colors is to understand the hidden meaning behind

Holi is the day to express love with colors. It is a time to show affection. All the colors that are on you are of love! â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Anonymous AKHAND JYOTI

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this tradition. When people color each other, they all look similar and lose their own identity. This teaches us that we all might be from different religions, castes, or creeds, which create discrimination in society, but we all are humans, and there is no difference among any of us in the eyes of God. We all are one. Differences are only in our thoughts, attitudes, views and deeds. If we can refine our thoughts, beliefs and deeds, then we all can be Godly. Colors are always attractive and beautiful, in whatever form they are. They leave a high impact on both the human mind and body. However, if we use chemicals in colors for playing Holi, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not good for our health. They are very harmful to our health because when these colors stick on our nails, skin, mouth, nose, etc. they also enter inside our skin through small pores and leave a harmful effect on the sensitive part of our physical body. On the contrary, if we use natural colors, they will be beneficial for our skin and enhance the joy of Holi. We can prepare our home-made natural colors to play Holi. Mehndi (Henna) powder is used for coloring hair, and it makes hair, healthy and shiny. This can be used for making green color by mixing with flour (used for making

bread) to play dry Holi or can be dissolved in water to make green color for wet Holi. Turmeric and chickpea flour can be used together to make yellow colors. Two parts of flour with 1 part of turmeric will give good yellow color. Turmeric is used to make face pack and it will not harm the skin but make a face glowing after playing Holi. Even Multani soil can be mixed with turmeric and flour to make it slightly brown. Multani soil is considered very good for the face pack. To make the wet yellow color, boil one spoon of turmeric in 1-liter water. Flowers of marigold, Tesu (Butea frondosa), and Amaltas (Indian Laburnum) can also be used to make yellow and red colors. Boiling their petals in water and leaving overnight will give lovely yellow and red colors. Red sandalwood powder and Gudhal (hibiscus) flowers can also be used for making red colors. For the wet red color, boil two spoons of red sandalwood powder in 1-liter water. Similarly, for dark orange color, mix two spoon turmeric and one spoon Kattha (catechu) with few drops of water. Beetroot can also be used to make a pink color. Cut one beetroot into pieces and boil in 1 liter of water. Even kachnar flowers can be used for making natural orange or pink color. To make the blue color, grind beans of blue water lily and boil in water. Similarly, blue gudhal (Chinese hibiscus) can be used for making blue color. In this way, organic colors can be prepared for playing safe and joyful Holi, without the fear of any chemicals harming your skin and health.

A true and caring relation doesn't have to speak loud, a soft message is just enough to express the heartiest feelings. Enjoy the festival of Holi with lot of fun. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;- Anonymous

Holi is a special time of the year to remember those who are close to our hearts with splashing colors! - Anonymous AKHAND JYOTI

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Youths are Ever Ready to Work for the Betterment of Society

ouths are a condensed pool of courage, enthusiasm, and energy. If they want, they can create a new wave and rejuvenate their society and nation. Earlier, social service and trade were considered as two different tasks, but later on, they have merged into one. Consequently, today our younger generation is kick-starting such unique enterprises, which are beneficial not only to them but also to society and the environment. There is no doubt that social entrepreneurs are better than ordinary manufacturers. Their purpose is not limited to pursue business for their own profit but extend it to create a wave of revolution in the entire industry. The renowned American entrepreneur, Bill Drayton, believes that social entrepreneurs are the need of the hour. Clause Swab, founder of the World Economic Forum, finds that startups affiliated with social concerns in India are playing a pivotal role in taking essential services to the needy. The findings of a recent survey by NASSCOM also reaffirm this fact. According to Sangeeta Gupta, Senior Vice President of NASSCOM, there are over four

hundred such social enterprises (startups) active in our nation, which are offering solutions to social problems with the help of technology and are also making profits in this process. Whether it is a metro city or a village, now youths are joining social enterprises everywhere. Our young generation is taking a keen interest in various social initiatives. There was a time when the sole purpose of business ventures was profit. Companies used to spend a part of their gains in social service under 'Corporate Social Responsibility.' But there was hardly any company which was earning through social service. Gradually, the entrepreneurs realized that they could make a profit even by working for the good of society. This is how social entrepreneurship, i.e., social startups, originated. Social entrepreneurship also spread rapidly, just like ordinary entrepreneurship. Social enterprises like Cemex began in Bangladesh, while ventures like ITCE Chaupal and Arvind Eye Care emerged in India. Gradually they grew in number. In the last few years, their number has increased rapidly. Excessive work pressure has deprived many employees a traditional household food. After regularly eating from outside, they indeed forget the taste of home. In such a situation, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Authenticook startupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; has taken the responsibility of bringing traditional cuisines to people and is seeking the help of domestic women in this cause. The women associated with this startup are skilled in making special recipes of their states. This venture not only provides food of a particular state on demand but also follows the serving style of the respective state.

Youth ends when egotism does; maturity begins when one lives for others.- Hermann Hesse AKHAND JYOTI

MARCH-APRIL 2020

Today, the Internet is an everyday necessity, while garbage is a big problem. Prateek Aggarwal and Raj Desai of Mumbai have beautifully conjoined these two aspects to begin a unique startup, in which some dustbins have been placed in cities like Bengaluru, Kolkata and Delhi. Referred to as ‘Wifi Trash Bins,' these dustbins are designed in such a way that as soon as garbage is inserted into them, a unique signal is received, with the help of which we can connect our mobile phone with WiFi. Prateek and Raj got the inspiration of these unique bins from nations like Finland, Denmark, and Singapore. They even raised money for the initiative by themselves. Now Mobile Telesystems (MTS) operators have also come forward to help them. Feasting is an integral part of our culture, but with every feast, big garbage of disposable (single- use) utensils is also generated, which is a big problem to deal with. Keeping this in mind, Lakshmi Shankaran and Rishita Sharma have begun 'Rent a Cutlery' startup, which allows people to rent the cutlery and have an eco-friendly party. Similarly, plastic is a big problem for the environment. Its disposal remains a matter of concern for all governments and companies. Even in our own homes, we are not able to decide as to what should be done with it. But, Paras Saluja from Noida has found a great answer to this challenging question. He collects waste plastic from various houses and builds tiles from it. He is accomplishing this task through his social startup, ‘Shanaya Ecounified.’ In this task, he has also collaborated with the scientists of the National Physical Laboratory. The results of this unique initiative are also quite encouraging. Since the year 2018, he has made around six hundred thousand eco-friendly tiles by collecting two hundred and seventy-five tonnes of plastic. People have well realized the significance of his job and even started using these tiles. His tiles have been

used in the flooring of playgrounds in many residential areas in Delhi-NCR. Flowers used in worship in temples are often thrown away and cause pollution. But, Ankit Agarwal and Karan Rastogi of Kanpur have used these waste flowers as raw material to begin their startup, ‘Help Us Green.’ They use these used flowers in making manure and incense sticks. These products have also been appreciated. Enthused by this, they created Florafoam, the world's first 'non-toxic' thermocol. Now they are involved in making a special kind of leather from flowers. They were in corporate jobs when they initiated this startup in 2015. But they quit their jobs when they began saving seventy-two thousand bucks every month. Today, the duo is producing various products from five tonnes of flowers from about forty temples in Kanpur. Now their work field is not restricted merely to Kanpur. After being selected for an award by UNICEF, they began to expand their network even in Varanasi, Mathura and Vrindavan. If there is enthusiasm in heart and dedication towards work, our youth can accomplish even the impossible. This zeal to work for the society, environment and the nation would definitely inspire others to do something.

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love.- Sophia Loren AKHAND JYOTI

MARCH-APRIL 2020

Akhand Jyoti magazine Mar 2020

Articles inside

How can One Attain Ultimate Goal without Doing Prescribed Work?

The Challenge of Lamp to Darkness

The Zest for Life Keeps a Person Young

Sikha Prevents the Outflow of Sublime Energy

From Chief Editor’s Desk

Akhand Jyoti magazine Mar 2020