||O® bh¿rbhuva¡ sva¡ tatsaviturvareñya® bhargo devasya dhºmahi dhiyo yo na¡ pracoday³t ||

(May Almighty illuminate our intellect and inspire us towards the righteous path)
- Rigveda 3/62/10; Samveda 1462, Yajurveda 3/35, 22/9, 30/2, 36/3
Yajurveda

Volume - 4 Annual Subscription

Issue - 4 India: Rs. 60.00
July-Aug, 2006 Abroad: Rs. 600.00
Date of Publication: 01.07. 2006

Awaken Your Indwelling Divinity

All sub-human life forms are born with specific instincts and usually live
within its confines right till the end. The Creator has endowed only the human
species with the faculty of freewill, based in the shadowy ego-self. Man has
mostly used this freewill for exploitation of other life-forms and disturbance
of the harmonies of Nature, instead of nurturing them, ignoring the nudgings
of his soul, which is latent within him and is a spark of the Supreme Soul. All
the potentialities and all the light of the individual soul are just reflections of
the Supreme Soul.

All the divine powers exist within the Supreme Soul. When Agni Dev gets
awakened hunger is felt, Varun Dev generates thirst for water. To each divine
power, a direction and a task are well assigned. To ensure that these divine
powers do not work at cross-purposes a proper control and balance is
maintained by the Supreme Soul which has merged Itself into the creation in
the form of individualized souls in the evolutionary process of consciousness.
It is thus that the fascinating, extraordinary human life came into existence in
the universe. From then on till date man has been like a living laboratory,
exercising his freewill for ill or good. Whenever he commits mistakes he gets
punished, and when he performs good deeds he is rewarded and given
greater responsibilities. Misdeeds result in sorrow, good deeds like
benevolence and righteousness result in happiness. This is the principle of
‘Karma’ – ‘As you sow so shall you reap.’

July-Aug 2006 3
 Contents

01 Amrit Cintan
Awaken Your Indwelling Divinity......................................................................... 03

02 From Chief Editor’s Desk:

Guru Parva-The Ideal Way To Celebrate............................................................... 05

03 Vedic Solutions to Modern Problems:

Protection of the Ecosystem - II.......................................................................... 07

04 Art of Living – 3
Recognize the Value of Time.................................................................................. 12

05 Early Morning...................................................................................................... 14

06 Youth Column
Self-Expression should be Effective....................................................................... 17

07 The Service of the Saint......................................................................................... 19

08 Health Tips
Treatment and Preventive Care of the Eyes........................................................... 25

09 Science and Spirituality

Human Bioelectricity............................................................................................. 30

10 Companions in Solitude-7
The Hut in Solitude............................................................................................... 35

11 My Life: Its Legacy and Message-20

Visible Attainments of S³dhan³ (Siddhi)............................................................... 39

12 Who can be a True Visionary?............................................................................... 44

13 Amrit V³ñº
The Grandeur and Glory of Guru-Tatva -II........................................................... 46

4 July-Aug 2006
 From Chief Editor's Desk
Guru Parva
The Ideal Way to Celebrate
Dr. Pranav Pandya
It is a rare phenomenon when a apparent life-sketch can be summed up in
revolutionary Spiritual Master (a Sadguru) few words:
incarnates in human form. Blessed is the age
Born on Ashwin Krishna Chaturdashi in 1911;
in which such an illumined soul assumes
given Yagyopveet – Mantra Deeksha at the
human embodiment and blessed are the
tender age of 8 years at Varanasi by
human beings who are privileged to totally
Mahamana Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya; was
offer themselves (soul-mind-body) to be his
revealed the purpose and mission of his
students, servitors and disciples. According
incarnation by his own immortal Gurusatta,
to Sant Kabir a Sadguru appears on the
who appeared in His Body of Light, before
darkened, depressed human scene like a
the 15 year old teenager in his Pooja-room
shaft of light. In our Sanatan- Vedic tradition,
in early hours of Basant Parva – January 18,
Yogeshwar Sri Krishna has been hailed as the
1926.The Divine Teacher also simultaneously
greatest of Sadgurus – ‘Krishnam vande
awakened, through Shaktipat, the young
jagadgurum’ – whose teachings condensed
teenager to his spiritual identity as an
in 700 verses of The Gita have been
Avatar-like emanation with a specific
universally acclaimed as the deepest, loftiest
mission. It is thus that Basant Parva of 1926
and the most integrative spiritual insights
became the foundation day of Gayatri
of all times and are as fresh and relevant for
Mission and Yug Nirman Yojana. On
individual and collective spiritual upliftment
completion of the assigned tasks of the
today as they were 5000 years ago, when
physical sheath, he withdrew into the
originally imparted to Arjuna.
Invisible Realm of Light on Gayatri Jayanti
Our own Gurudev’s life, work, teachings – June 2, 1990, to give manifold momentum
and mission have been in the tradition of to the realization of his Vision on Earth.
divine teachers of yore – Krishna, Buddha,
We the parijans, who are torchbearers of
Adishankar, Kabir, Ramakrishna
Gurusatta’s mission of Era Transformation,
Paramhans, etc. Although during his
have to properly understand and internalize
lifespan of nearly fourscore years he
the real significance of his incarnation. He
performed Avatar-like tasks in terms of
clearly saw and proclaimed that human
laying the foundation of an upward
consciousness was on the verge of an
paradigm shift in human consciousness, his

July-Aug 2006 5
imminent revolutionary transition into a new Sri Aurobindo has defined a Divine Teacher
Era – a paradigm shift from divisive thus in his synthesis of Yoga:
darkness into integrative Radiant Light; and
“Teaching, Example and Influence are the
for this to happen glad and ready
three instruments of the Guru. He will seek
cooperation of core groups of human souls
to awaken much more than Instruct. The
across the globe was essential. Our Gayatri
Example is much more powerful than
Pariwar is one such core group.
instruction. What will most stimulate
During the last two years of his sojourn on aspiration in others is the central fact of the
earth (1988-90) Gurudev had condensed the Realization within him governing his whole
essence of his teachings and mission in about life. Influence is still more important than
20 booklets (each of 32-40 pages) in Hindi. example – the power of his contact, of his
Some of these have since been translated into presence, of the nearness of his soul to the
English also. The main thrust of these soul of another. The greatest Master is much
divinely inspired words is to arouse less a teacher than a Presence, pouring the
‘Bhavsamvedana’ – an intuitive perception of divine consciousness and its constituting
inter-connectedness of all that exists – which light and power and purity and bliss into
in turn will spontaneously fill human hearts all who are receptive around him.”
with feelings of sharing and caring –
Such a Sadguru has been our Gurudev. Let
compassion and loving kindness. Two of
us prove ourselves his worthy children.
these booklets need special mention: ‘Satyug
ki wapsi’ and ‘Parivartan ke mahan kshan’. With Guru Poornima
and Shravani Parva Greetings,
Let us resolve on this Guru Parva to make
Lovingly and Prayerfully
intensive and extensive efforts during one-
month period between Guru Poornima (July
11) and Shravani Parva (August 9) to
distribute these booklets amongst as many
aspiring persons as we can and encourage
them to assimilate the teachings and ‘live
them’. This will be an ideal homage to
Gurudev on this Vyas Poornima.

A true Acharya (a noble teacher) is the one who teaches through his own
³charaña (conduct). It is not just sufficient for the distributor of true
knowledge to be good, he/she also has to be good in the eyes of others.
This authentic greatness of character is the true stamp of the excellence
of the Acharya
6 July-Aug 2006
 Vedic Solutions to Modern Problems:
Protection of Ecosystem -II
T he Vedas preach “Âtmavat Sarva BhuteÌu”
— ‘Regard every being like your own self’.
The key feature of the approach of the Vedic
sages (rishis) in propounding this noble
thought was to implant it in peoples’ hearts
(emotional core) and minds by linking it with
deeper psychology. This, in the Vedic
scriptures like the Smritis, Puranas and other
ancient text is reflected in integrating the civil
and social duties with religious faith.
It is said in “Manusmriti” that – it is sinful to
cut green plants for fuel and the offender
should be punished suitably (in the hell).
Iódhanartham ïuÌkañam drumanamavap³tan³m,
Hinsausadhin³m..., uppataka® |
-Manu Smr.11|63 - 66
Reference to water ponds and plantation of
trees around their embankments is also found
in the scriptures. Dr. Pande[1] cites a wonderful
collection (on ethno-forestry) of excerpts from
the ancient texts in this regard. Some of these
are outlined below.
The Arthashastra of Kautilya refers to the
ownership and management of the village
tanks in the following verses[1]: Waterworks
such as reservoirs, embankments and tanks
can be privately owned and the owner shall
be free to sell or mortgage them (3|9|33). The
ownership of the tanks shall lapse, if they had
July-Aug 2006
not been in use for a period of five years,
excepting in case of distress (3|9|32). Anyone
leasing, hiring, sharing or accepting
waterworks as a pledge, with the right to use
them, shall keep them in good condition
(3|9|36). Owners may give water to others in
return for a share of the produce grown in
the fields, parks or gardens (Arthashastra
3|9|35). In the absence of owners, either
charitable individuals or the people in village
acting together shall maintain waterworks
(3|10|3). No one will sell or mortgage,
directly or indirectly, a pond or embankment
built and long used as a charitable public
undertaking except when it is in ruins or has
been abandoned (3|10|1|2).
The earliest scholar to have commented on the
relationship of water ponds and trees is
Varahamihira who described the detailed
technical instructions for the constructions of
water reservoirs in his famous work
Brahatsamhita (550 AD): Without the shade of
the trees on their sides, water reservoirs are
not strong and attractive; therefore, one ought
to plant the gardens on the banks of the lakes
and ponds (55.1). More specifically the
medicinally and nutritionally beneficial trees
are advised to be planted in these areas for
multiple benefits of the inhabitants in the
surrounding areas; these include Arjun
(Terminalia arjuna), Vata (Banyan, Ficus
benghalensis), Aam (Mangifera indica), Peepal
(Ficus religiosa), Nichul (Nauclea orientalis),
7
Jambu (Syzygium cuminii), Vacha (Sweet Flag;
Acorus calamus), Neep (Mitragyna parvifolia), Tal
(Borassus flabellifer), Ashok (Saraca asoka),
Madhuk (Madhuca indica), and Bakul
(Mimusops elengi).
The centrality of trees to survival and
economic well-being created the need for their
conservation, which was achieved through the
concept of sacredness. In the archaeological
remains of the Harappan culture, it is clear that
even in the third or fourth millennia BC trees
were held in high esteem and were
worshipped.
The Vedic scriptures make explicit references
as to how forests and other natural resources
are to be maintained along with best
utilization. Ecosystem sustainability in
different forms has been an issue of
development since ancient times. The great
tradition of yagya (fire ritual) was adopted as
an integral part of daily chores to purify the
environment, help healthy growth of
vegetation and preserve natural resources[2].
The science of yagya and its relevance and
impact today, will be covered in separate series
of articles in this magazine.
The attitude of respect towards earth as
mother is widespread among the Indian
society because of Vedic teachings. Robust and
pragmatic principles were designed in the
Vedic scriptures as ‘religious norms’ or social
duties[3] in consonance with the psychological
makeup of the Indian masses to ensure
wholehearted participation of the masses in
healthy sustenance of Nature with its rich
biodiversity and majestic beauty. For example,
the following illustrate it in the context of
8 July-Aug 2006
conservation of natural resources and adept
maintenance of the ecosystem:
1. Medicinal plants/trees (vanauÌadhis)
and other vegetation (vanaspatis) are
personified as goddesses and deities and
collectively invoked as the jungle goddess,
‘Arañyani’, in the Vedas. This encourages
caring, nurturing and protection of these trees
and plants as precious entities.
Peepal (Poplar leaved Fig Tree), Tulasi (the holy
basil), Neem (Margosa tree), Vata (Banyan) etc,
have been regarded sacred manifestations of
divine powers in the Vedas and Puranas and
there is a tradition of worshiping them because
of their multiple boons for healthy survival of
the animal kingdom. Peepal is known to absorb
significantly high quantity of CO2 and thus
releases equally high quantity of Oxygen.
Tulasi releases large amounts of oxygen for
most of the day-night; it is therefore also
advocated as a religious custom to plant it in
gardens or in pots inside the house. Its leaves,
seeds, etc all are medicinal and used in the
cure of a large number of illnesses. Neem is
most effective natural disinfectant and anti-
bacterial agent which also keeps the
atmosphere free of germs, insects and toxicity;
other herbs that are praised as worthy of
worship in the scriptures for their enormous
medicinal application and properties of natural
purification of atmosphere are Apamarg
(Prickly Chaff, Achyranthes aspera), Giloya
(Tinospora cordifolia), Jatamansi (Spikenard;
Nardostachys jatamansi) and Nagarmotha
(Nutgrass; Cyperus rotundus).
The scriptures preach that – “one who plants
and looks after at least one of the trees of
Peepal, Neem or Vata, and at least five of the
edible fruit-plants like Orange, Pomegranate,
Mango, etc and plants/creep plants of green
vegetables will never face the hell”; “one who
cuts a green tree/plants is a sinner”; “planting
of trees amounts to being blessed by good
child(ren) in next birth”.
2. The natural element of water is
worshiped as god Varuna and rivers as
manifestations of goddesses. The Smritis and
Puranas further state – “One who gets a well
of water / pond constructed for the use of
many others gets an opportunity to live in the
heavens”; “dirtying the rivers or ponds or
their surroundings is a sin”.
It is notable that the ancient Indian texts also
lay down guidelines for the construction and
management of watersheds and rainwater
harvesting specific to the areas prone to
droughts and to floods. Several methods of
efficient irrigation are also prescribed, which
are most economic and beneficial for the
Indian villages and agriculture even now. Not
only that, the down-to-earth approach of the
Vedic seers and saints suggested such simple
and easy-to-implement modes that make us
wonder at their sagacious farsightedness.
For instance, one discipline stated here as
mandatory for one and all is — “One should
take out five spheres of soil from it,
proportional to the size of one’s body, before
bathing in a pond/water-pit”. This was to
maintain the depth of the latter. From a recent
geological survey, it is estimated that about
16.4 tonnes per hectare of soil is being lost in
India every year; about 21% of this flows into
the seas and 10% gets deposited in the bottom
July-Aug 2006
of water reservoirs like lakes and ponds
because of which the latter are losing their
water carrying capacity by 1 to 2% every year.
Just imagine if every Indian follows this norm
set by the ancestors, there would be multiple
benefits of –– maintaining cleanliness (as now,
along with mud one would also take out some
dirt) and capacity of the ponds; and balancing
the soil availability in the ground. This,
coupled with tree planting and forest-
conservation, will also reduce the amount of
soil-wastage.
3. Animals and birds also play extremely
important role in maintaining desired balance
of the ecosystem. The Vedic sages had given
many of these and tinier creatures an
honorable place; they described many of them
as manifestations of divine incarnations (e.g.
Kachchap-avatar, Varah-avatar, Narshimh-
avatar of Lord Vishnu); many of the animals/
birds and tiny creatures are referred as the
V³hans (mode of conveyance) of divine powers
– e.g. Ox as v³han of Lord Shiva, mouse of
Lord Ganesha, Owl of Goddess Lakshmi, etc.
Likewise the trees and the animals also
contribute to the conservation of natural
resources and also help the humans in several
ways. Cow is the best living example in this
regard. Right from her milk being complete
food, the dung and urine of cow are also found
extremely useful as fuel, fertilizer,
disinfectant, anti-radioactive agent, immuno-
modulator, and/or therapeutic medicine.
Cow is given a sacred place like the holy
Ganga in the Vedic scriptures. It is worshiped
and regarded as mother. This symbolizes the
great culture of gratefulness to the cattle for
all the help and benefits they offer to the
9
humans and also teaches amicable co-existence
of the entire animal kingdom.
In the known history of earth’s existence for
over 4500 million years, the existence of man
has been only for 10 to 15 hundred thousands
years. Plants and trees have existed here much
earlier, since 440 million years and have
rendered great help in generating the
environment for the origin and expansion of
other life forms. Enormous varieties of
creatures have also contributed and continue
to contribute towards maintenance of the cycle
of nature and sustenance of life on the earth.
Most of us recognize and understand the
importance of their well-being for our own.
Still, many of our developmental projects,
technological innovations and industrial
globalization activities have been hazardous
to our ecosystem.
It is the proverbial ‘folly of the wise’ that for
our comforts we have exploited the natural
resources beyond all limits and thus
endangered the survival of our own future
generations. We have chosen to destroy our
environment and have invited toxicity all
around, with risks of dreaded diseases. It is
ironical that we spend huge sums for all these
hazards! Look for example at the cost of
synthetic production of urea as fertilizer which
‘poisons’ the agricultural soil and the crops as
well; and in India alone we burn 5 tonnes of
coal to prepare 1 metric ton of urea. In India,
there were about 15 million bore-well motor
pumps in 1999; the number is increasing at an
average rate of 500 thousands pumps per year.
This is a vicious cycle of high energy
consumption and diminished water stock: it
reduces the water levels in the bore-wells
10
(deep inside the earth); every 1 meter fall in
water level amounts to extra 0.40 KW electrical
power to pump the water. The list of these
‘familiar’ follies can continue to cover several
pages.
So where is the hope? No doubt, the
awareness is there and the issues of far-
sighted, eco-friendly developmental policies
at national and global levels have been
discussed at length over the past decades.
Several laws have also been enacted to ensure
protection of the environment. But unless we
all resolve to do something ourselves no
power of heaven can help us. Small but
determined measures need to be taken to
curtail our own needs that directly or
indirectly consume nature’s resources without
any regeneration and compensation.
The scriptures teach us how to motivate the
masses without whose co-operation and
collective will, no law or policy could be
successful on this front. Most importantly they
guide us how to lead an austere, self-reliant
and fulfilling life with all round progress. It
is high time we stop imitating the prevailing
culture of consumerism and pompous
showoff, refrain from the ‘colonial’ attitude
of grabbing and exploiting nature and adopt
the culture of simpler living. Furniture made
of wrought iron or even plywood and waste
materials should be sufficient for our needs.
Cleanliness and Artistic decoration of a house
can very well be managed by the family
members and local talents instead of
expensive, artificially glittering gadgets. Hard
work and nature-friendly lifestyle is essential
for vigorous and happy life. We should also
contribute to preserving the ecosystem by
July-Aug 2006
participating in the concerned government or
non-governmental projects.
As Dr. Pandey [1] writes – “Since local
knowledge systems in India are still being
practiced among the masses, they can
contribute to address the challenges of forest
management, sustainable water
management, biodiversity conservation, and
mitigation of global climate change.
Ecological consequences of climate change
require that we access all stocks of
knowledge for mitigation strategies”.
Indeed several NGOs are doing excellent
works in this regard. Most successful are those
whose efforts are at grass-root level and
involve the local traditional knowledge and
support; for example the “Tarun Bharat Sangh”
founded by Shri Rajendra Singh whose efforts
of reviving the tradition of earthen water
tanks (johads) have brought greenery in the
deserted parts of Rajasthan. The success of the
“Chipako Andolan” in protecting the forests
in the Tehri region of the Himalayas also
marks the power of common peoples’
collective endeavors. Ancient knowledge and
manpower are the golden keys available in
India, which should be utilized prudently to
annul the environmental threats and also set
an example for the world to follow. The sapt-
krantis (seven-fold reformative and
constructive programmes) of the Gayatri
Pariwar are humble attempts along these lines
with the unique feature of awakening the
masses and motivating collective efforts
through spiritual platform, without any
discrimination of faith, creed, caste or socio-
economic status.
References:
1.Pandey DN (1999): Ethnoforestry – Local
Knowledge for Sustainable Forestry and Livelihood
Security. Online Edition, Asia Forest Network
& Forestry Development Project, Rajasthan.
(www.infinityfoundation.com/mandala/
t_es/t_es_pande_conserve.ht)
2.Saxena Mamta (2005): Air Quality Modelling
and Non-Conventional Solutions to Environmental
Problems With Reference to Vedic Science. Ph. D.
Thesis (under progress), Dev Sanskriti
University, Hardwar.
3.Pandey SK (2003): Ved-Puran: Jagrata
Vaigyanika Gyana Ke Strota. (Compiled articles;
personal communication).

A man asked: “Who are the two gods who embellish life”? “Heart and
tongue”, came the reply. The next question was: “Who are the two
demons who destroy life”? “Heart and tongue”, was the reply again.
The cruelty and tenderness of heart make a person mean or great
respectively. Non-control over tongue leads to loss of health and
cooperation. Sweet and amiable speech, on the other hand, begets for a
man ample love and affection of others.

July-Aug 2006 11
Art of Living – 3
Sam³na urve adhi sangatasa¡ sa® j³nate na yatante
mithaste/
Tedav³na® na minanti vrat³nyamardhanto
vasubhiry³dam³n³¡ //
- Rigveda 7/76/5
They gather at the one place and take decisions
with one mind. They do not act against one
another. Not shirking their duties, and living
in majesty, they do not break the decrees of
gods.
W e should know the value of time and
honour its sanctity. All the secrets of
life are encapsulated in this. Every instant,
every moment is invaluable in itself, because
it brings with it unique opportunities for us.
One moment missed is one opportunity gone.
Whatever that opportunity could have given
us, we are now completely deprived of that.
Every moment is thus priceless, because it has
no equal, no substitute. What it is to bestow
on us can never be given to us again by any
other moment. To grasp the unmatched
importance of time we should always bear in
mind that it was a moment that gave us life.
From that instant of birth till today, we have
drifted in the stream of time formed by
ceaseless drops of moments.
It is another matter that in this drift we
practically remained unconscious and kept
losing many things, missing the unending gifts
of time. If we go into its reasons, the lion’s
share of responsibility may be laid upon our
12
Recognize
the Value of Time
insentience-driven lethargy. The other reason
is our disorderly life-style and its concomitant
bad habits. Caught in this whirl, we have
become a perpetual loser of opportunities in
life. In our dim and dumb stage of mind we
are not even cognizant of this loss, and if, on
being reminded by somebody, we do take
notice, it is of no purpose because by that time
it has become too late. The great poet-saint
Tulsidas very aptly says: “Samaya ch¿ki puni
ka pachhitane, ka varÌa jab k—si sukh³ne”.
Meaning: There is no point in repenting after
the time has passed. Of what use is rain when
the crop has died?
More or less the same is the plight of our lives.
Still we fail to imbibe this truth and do, or rather
do not, as is our wont. Latent urges of the
unconscious, habits and sa®sk³rs have such a spell
over our consciousness that we just do not have
the sense to do the right thing at the right time,
and opportunities keep skipping by us.
If change has to come, sit up right now, even
as you are reading these lines. Come out of
the stupor and wake up because the value
and significance of this moment, is more than
all the past and future moments. It has
arrived bearing for you the golden gift of
awakening. It has come to make you
conscious of the sanctity of time and your
own ordained duty. Do not let this moment
pass in vain; do snatch benefit from it. Be
firmly resolved this moment that you will
July-Aug 2006
swim like a champion swimmer in the
inexorable flow of time. He who determines
the direction of his course, makes his own
paths, and with untiring endeavor break the
hold of the strong current, is ultimately able
to reach the shore.
There is a corpse-like state of existence too.
The corpse, too, drifts with the current, but
being lifeless and senseless, is not in a position
to do anything. The waves toss and fling it
about at will. It has neither any goal nor the
ability to reach it with proper utilization of
time. But then, what can it do after all? A
corpse, that it is! Let us pause and mull over
our situation. If we are being unable to make
right use of time, is the nature of our existence
any better?
Yugrishi Gurudev in his regular addresses to
the parijans frequently emphasized the
importance of time. He would say that the
other name of samaya (time) is K³la (the Law
of Time), which is the controller of life in all
respects and all aspects. He who does not
respect K³la is annihilated by K³la; he, who
follows its rules, has his glory immortalized
by K³la.
The first key to the observance of the rules
of K³la or Time is that we recognize the truth
that our life is floating in the great stream
of time. Only by purposeful use of the
approaching moments and seconds and days
can we actualize life’s potential. The second
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past,
not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live
the present moment wisely and earnestly.
July-Aug 2006
key is that the life is our pious responsibility;
we have to carry it out with full wakefulness.
The third important point is that on every
birthday, when the exact time of our birth
arrives, we should prepare and adopt a
work-plan for the next one year. Ensure that
the plan is framed in a way that it permits
fruitful utilization of every day and every
moment. The fourth point is that this work-
plan should assign due importance, with
proper time allocation, to all the dimensions
of life, viz. the body and health, intellectual
and spiritual pursuits, family responsibilities,
office work, studies, social obligations etc.
Fifthly, this annual plan should have a break-
up of monthly, fortnightly and daily
schedules, too.
The daily schedule would form our daily
routine. The nature of this daily routine should
be that every day could be lived fully and in
its entirety. A rebirth every morning, every
night, death – try to experiment with this
intrinsic feeling every day. Time-wasting bad
habits, like casino, cinema, nightclubs and the
like should be driven out. Start today, this
moment. Do not make excuses for these urges,
and your habitual laziness in the name of
recreation. For recreation, go for good and
healthy pastimes. In this way, only by making
meaningful use of time can we be able to
fashion a positively magnetic personality.
-THE BUDDHA
13

E ven though he had no job to go to, no
children to feed and get off to school, no
external reasons to get up early, it was
Thoreau’s custom, for the time he lived at
Walden, to wake early in the morning and
bathe in the pond at dawn. He did it for inner
reasons, as a spiritual discipline in itself: “It
was a religious exercise, and one of the best
things I did.”
Benjamin Franklin also extolled the virtues of
health, wealth and wisdom obtained from
waking up early in his well-known adage on
the subject. But he didn’t mouth it; he
practiced too.
The virtues of getting up early have nothing to
do with cramming more hours of busyness
and industry into one’s day. Just the opposite.
They stem from the stillness and solitude of
the hour, and the potential to use that time to
expand consciousness, to contemplate, to make
time for being, for purposefully not doing any
thing. The peacefulness, the darkness, the
dawn, the stillness – all contribute to making
early morning a special time for mindfulness
practice.
Waking early has the added value of giving
you a very real head start on the day. If you
can begin your day with a firm foundation in
mindfulness and inner peacefulness, then
when you do have to get going and start doing,
it is much more likely that the doing will flow
14
Early Morning
out of your being. You are more likely to carry
a robust mindfulness, an inner calmness and
balance of mind with you throughout the day,
than had you just jumped out of bed and
started it on the call of demands and
responsibilities, however pressing and
important.
The power of waking up early in the morning
is so great that it can have a profound effect
on a person’s life, even without formal
mindfulness practice. Just witnessing the
dawn each day is a wake-up call in itself.
But I find early morning a wondrous time for formal
meditation. No one else is up. The world’s rush
hasn’t launched itself yet. I get out of bed and
usually devote about an hour to being without
doing anything. After twenty-eight years, it
hasn’t lost its allure. On occasion it is difficult
to wake up and either my mind or my body
resists. But part of the value is in doing it anyway,
even if I don’t feel like it.
One of the principal virtues of a daily discipline
is an acquired transparency toward the
appeals of transitory mood states. A
commitment to getting up early to meditate
becomes independent of wanting or not
wanting to do so on any particular morning.
The practice calls us to a higher standard – that of
remembering the importance of wakefulness and the
ease with which we can slip into a pattern of
automatic living which lacks awareness and
July-Aug 2006
sensitivity. Just waking up early to practice non-
doing is itself a tempering process. It generates
enough heat to rearrange our atoms, gives us a new
and stronger crystal lattice of mind and body, a
lattice that keeps us honest and reminds us that
there is far more to life than getting things done.
Discipline provides constancy, which is
independent of what kind of a day you had
yesterday and what kind of a day you
anticipate today. I especially try to make time
for formal practice, if just for a few minutes,
on days when momentous events happen,
happy or distressing, when my mind and the
circumstances are in turmoil, when there is lots
to be done and feelings are running strong.
In this way, I am less likely to miss the inner
meaning of such moments, and I might even
navigate through a bit better.
By grounding yourself in mindfulness early
in the morning, you are reminding yourself
that things are always changing, that good
and bad things come and go, and that it is
possible to embody a perspective of constancy,
wisdom and inner peace as you face any
conditions that present themselves. Making
the daily choice to wake up early to practice
is an embodiment of this perspective. I
sometimes speak of it as my ‘routine’, but it is
far from routine. Mindfulness is the very
opposite of routine.
If you are reluctant to get up an hour earlier
than you ordinarily might, you can always try
half an hour, or fifteen minutes, or even five
minutes. It’s the spirit that counts. Even five
minutes of mindfulness practice in the
morning can be valuable. And even five
minutes of sacrificed sleep is likely to put you
in touch with just how attached we are to sleep,
and therefore how much discipline and resolve
are required to carve out even that little time
for ourselves to be awake without doing
anything. After all, the thinking mind always
has the very credible sounding excuse that
since you will not be accomplishing anything
and there’s no real pressure to do it this
morning, and perhaps real reasons not to, why
not catch the extra sleep which you know you
need now, and start tomorrow?
To overcome such totally predictable
opposition from other corners of the mind,
you need to decide the night before that you
are going to wake up, no matter what your
thinking comes up with. This is the flavour of
true intentionality and inner discipline. You
do it simply because you committed to
yourself to do it, and do it at the appointed

In truth God is the only reality, there is no other. His name in itself is enough for us, for He is
one without a second. And yet, as within one pomegranate there are countless seeds, so within
the immeasurable reaches of His Being there are countless Saints. When our hearts are filled
with devotion we recognize that they too take a central place in our lives.
For my part, I can make Mirabai’s words my own, for they fit my case exactly:
“On the path to freedom two guides are mine:
The saint to bless without, Ram to dwell within”.
By the grace of God the blessing of the one rests upon my head, the place of the other is in my
heart. - VINOBA JI

July-Aug 2006 15
time, whether part of the mind feels it or not.
After a while, the discipline becomes a part of
you. It is simply the new way you choose to
live. It is not a ‘should’, it doesn’t involve
forcing yourself. Your values and your actions
have simply shifted.
If you are not ready for that yet (or even if
you are), you can always use the very moment
of waking up, no matter what time it comes,
as a moment of mindfulness, the very first of
the new day. Before you even move, try
getting in touch with the fact that your breath
is moving. Feel your body lying in bed;
straighten out. Ask yourself “Am I awake
now? Do I know that the gift of a new day is
being given to me? Will I be awake for it?
What will happen today? Right now I don’t
really know. Even as I think about what I
have to do, can I be open to this not
knowing? Can I see today as an adventure?
Can I see right now as filled with
possibilities?”
Morning is when I am awake and there is a
dawn in me……We must learn to reawaken
and keep ourselves awake, not by mechanical
aids, but by infinite expectation of the dawn,
which does not forsake us in our soundest
sleep. I know of no more encouraging fact than
the unquestionable ability of man to elevate
his life by conscious endeavor. It is something
to be able to paint a particular picture or carve
a statue, and so to make a few objects beautiful;
but it is far more glorious to carve and paint
the very atmosphere and medium through
which we look….. To affect the quality of the
day, that is the highest of arts.
-Dr Joan Kabat-Zinn
[Published with glad permission of the author. Dr. Joan
Kabat-Zinn is the founder Director of the Stress
Education Clinic of the University of Massachusetts.
He is one of the most effective teachers of MIND-BODY
HEALING and MINDFULNESS MEDITATION in
USA. – Editor]

‘Life’ was cruising along its course in the direction of the rising sun. When at
one place she stopped and looked back, she was startled. An ominously dark
and ugly ‘shadow’ was following her silently. ‘Life’ shouted: ‘The cursed one!
Who are you? Why are you following me? Run away, leave me alone”.
‘Shadow’ at first kept mum but when she saw ‘Life’ getting scared, replied:
“Sister, I am your companion. I am walking alongwith you, and in the end
we both have to become one. Why fear me? Do you not know my name?
Well, listen then. I am ‘Death’ “. When ‘Life’ saw ‘Death’ close at her trail,
her fear knew no bounds; she began to tremble and fell unconscious. The inner
self sitting deep inside ‘Life’s’ bosom spoke out assuringly: “ Sister! Does
anyone get afraid of one’s own shadow? Only a thief does so. Are you a thief
that you are terrified so much? Develop your creative potential, think
positively”. Ever since then, the cycle of ‘Life’ and ‘Death’ is continuing
unchangingly. Now ‘Life’, unmindful of ‘Death’, keeps doing her work; she
has no fear.

16 July-Aug 2006
Youth Column
Aïvin³ s³ragheña ma madhun³nkta ïubhaspatº
Yath³ varchasvatº® v³cha® ³vad³ni jan³n anu.
- Atharvaveda 9/1/19
O the gods of light, Ashvini Devas! Endow
me with the honey made by honeybees, so that
I may speak to the people in a sweet and
illuminating tongue.
S peech is the chief medium of expression.
It reveals the inherent qualities of the
personality. Behavioural skill, talent, and
inner strengths – all find expression through
it. But on the obverse side, the blemishes and
weaknesses are also mirrored. For the wise,
even a short conversation is sufficient to assess
the general qualitative level of a person. It
does not take long for the pettiness of the petty
and the goodness of the good to come out
through this medium.
But although the chief medium, speech is not
the only one; there are other agencies too, namely,
facial expressions, eye expressions, modes of
sitting and standing, gestures, and so on. They
are all voices of the personality which many
times are able to communicate it fully even if
the tongue is silent. The buoyancy of self-esteem,
the gleam of self-confidence, the listlessness of
self-contempt and the hesitations of latent
complexes – all these feelings and emotions
reveal themselves this way.
This expression of self is not an entirely
unconscious or involuntary action. It can be
July-Aug 2006
Self -Expression
should be Effective
improved and refined by the use of will power
and by proper training. But for this, we will
have to understand and evaluate ourselves
afresh, watch our conduct, and resolve to root
out the bad habits, which have crept into our
characters. Are we ready for this? Ask this
question of yourself repeatedly. If the answer
is in the affirmative, you can definitely express
yourself so effectively as to impress and even
overwhelm those whom you meet.
For this, you will have first to keep close watch
on the bodily gestures and postures, which
constitute what is called the body language.
How you walk and sit, what is your demeanor
when meeting any person etc. are some such
aspects, which need a fresh look. Walking
with a drag or thump, shaking legs while
sitting and many such common habits make
the personality unattractive or even repulsive.
Some people walk with the head bent down,
some bite nails while sitting or twist fingers,
some keep picking nose. These and other such
bad mannerisms show that the unconscious has
our personality and its expressions under its
thralldom. The sooner this condition is
changed, the better.
When you walk, the gait should reflect
elegance and assurance. Moving with
measured pace and comfortable ease is a sign
of self-confidence. Similarly, while preparing
to sit, it is not proper to drag the chair or seat.
After sitting down, do only that for which you
17
are sitting there in the first place. Do not allow
the involuntary actions of the unconscious to
take a grip over you. Such finer points acquire
greater significance when we go to meet
somebody or present ourselves for interview.
In such cases, permission should be sought
before entering. If called in, you must not
forget the appropriate salutation or greeting.
There should be, on these occasions, a hint of
cheer and natural calmness on your face. A
tense expression shows lack of self-
confidence.
When you meet someone, meet affably and
genially, regardless of the immediate situation
you are in, i.e., even if you are busy or
surrounded by problems. A conscious effort
to generate such emotions within oneself helps
the growth of control over feelings, cool
assertiveness and bold self-confidence in life.
Also keep in mind that a dress mode
appropriate to the occasion enhances the
effectiveness of self-expression.
Now comes the turn of expression by the
tongue. Often the mode of speaking, too,
suffers from many faults of involuntary
mannerisms, e.g. idiosyncratic repetition of
particular words or phrases, speaking either
haltingly or too rapidly, launching into speech
For those who wish to climb the mountain of spiritual awareness, the
path is selfless work. For those who have attained the summit of union
with the Lord, the path is stillness and peace.
18
immediately after taking a seat and without
surveying the situation, or alternatively,
taking so much time to take off that the time
is over. These defects are again the outward
signs of the pressure of the unconscious. We
should free ourselves from its hold.
Whenever we meet somebody or go to a public
gathering, we should speak in a manner which
is in tune with the ambiance. Normal
courtesies towards those present should be
observed. We should speak only when our
turn comes, or after obtaining due permission.
The matter should be presented methodically,
point-wise, and supported by self-explanatory
examples and proofs when required. Every
stage of the speech should reflect our inner
assurance, but not arrogance. When someone
has to be contradicted, it should be done
politely, with due respect to the person
concerned. The speech should be made in a
comprehensible, polite, firm and controlled
tone. Be it speech or conduct, the more it is
made free from the unconscious-driven
reflexes, the better. Only such achievers,
through their impressive personalities, assume
the mantle of true leadership in life and
society.
-SRIMAD BHAGAVAD GITA
July-Aug 2006

The Satyagraha Ashram
D uring my boyhood I had already been
attracted by Bengal and the Himalayas,
and dreamed of going there. On the one hand
I was drawn to Bengal by the revolutionary
spirit of Bande Mataram, while on the other
hand the path of spiritual quest led to the
Himalayas. Kashi was on the way to both
places, and some good Karma had brought me
as far as that. In the event I went neither to
Bengal nor to the Himalayas; I went to
Gandhiji, and found with him both the peace
of the Himalayas and the revolutionary spirit
of Bengal. Peaceful revolution, revolutionary
peace: the two streams united in him in a way
that was altogether new.
When I had reached Kashi the air had been
full of a speech which Bapu had delivered at
the Hindu University there. In it he had said
a great deal about non-violence, his main point
being that there could be no non-violence
without fearlessness. The violence of the
mind, shown in violent attitudes and feelings
was, he said, worse than open, physical
violence. It follows from that that the most
important aspect of non-violence is inward
non-violence, which is not possible without
fearlessness. In the same speech he had
referred critically to those Indian Princes who
had come to the meeting decked out in all
kinds of finery. This had all taken place a
month before I arrived, but it was still the talk
July-Aug 2006
The
Service of the Saint
of the town. I read the speech, and it raised
all kinds of problems in my mind. I wrote to
Bapu with my questions and received a very
good reply, so after some ten or fifteen days I
wrote again, raising some further points. Then
came a postcard. ‘Questions about non-
violence,’ he wrote, ‘cannot be settled by
letters; the touch of life is needed. Come and
stay with me for a few days in the Ashram, so
that we can meet now and again.’ The idea
that doubts could be set at rest by living
rather than by talking was something that
greatly appealed to me.
Along with the postcard came a copy of the
Ashram rules which attracted me still more. I
had never before encountered anything like
them in any institution. ‘The object of this
Ashram, I read, ‘is service of our country in
such ways as are consistent with the welfare
of the world as a whole. We accept the
following vows as needful to attain that
object.’ Then followed the eleven vows: truth,
non-violence, non-stealing, self-control, bodily
labour and so on. This struck me as very
surprising indeed. I had read a great deal of
history, but I had never heard of vows being
regarded as necessary for national freedom.
Such matters, I thought, are found in religious
texts, in the Yoga Shastra, and for the guidance
of devotees; but here is someone who insists
that they are necessary for national service too.
That was what drew me to Bapu. Here was a
man, I felt, who timed at one and the same
19
time at both political freedom and spiritual
development. I was delighted. He had said
‘Come’, and I went.
I alighted at Ahmedabad railway station on
June 7, 1916. I had not much luggage, so I put
it on my head and started out, asking my way
as I went. I crossed Ellis Bridge and reached
the Ashram at Kochrab about eight in the
morning. Bapu was told that a new man had
come, and sent word for me to meet him after
I had taken my bath. I found him busy cutting
vegetables. This too was something new; I had
never heard of any national leader who
occupied himself with such a job, and the sight
of it was a lesson in what was meant by bodily
labour. Bapu put a knife in my hand, and set
me to work at a job I had never done before.
That was my first lesson, my ‘initiation’.
As we sat cutting the vegetables Bapu asked
me some questions, and then said: ‘If you like
this place, and want to spend your life in
service, I should be very glad to have you stay
here.’ Then he went on: ‘But you look very
weak. It is true that those who seek self-
knowledge are not usually physically robust,
but you look ill. Those who attain self-
knowledge never fall ill. That was my second
lesson! I can never forget what Bapu said to
me then.
At twenty-one I was a very raw youth, and as
my friends know, I had very little of what is
called polish or good manners. I hardly talked
to anyone; I busied myself in my work, or was
engrossed in study, meditation or reflection.
I had risen early one morning and was reciting
an Upanishad in my room. Some of the others
heard me, and told Bapu that I knew Sanskrit.
20
He asked me some questions and from that
time he occasionally asked me to say
something during the time of common prayer.
So life went on.
Bapu, it seems, had decided to take me in hand
and get me into shape, and later, when
enquirers visited him at Sevagram, he would
ask: ‘Did you meet Vinoba? If not, you must
certainly do so.’ One of these friends was a
well-known Indian revolutionary. As Bapu
suggested it he walked over to Paunar to see
me. When he arrived, I was digging in the
field. I happened to raise my head, and seeing
him standing there asked why he had come.
‘Simply to have your darshan,’ he replied. What
could I say? He remained there for some time,
but said no more. Later he complained to
Bapu: ‘What kind of a man did you send me
to see? He didn’t even speak to me!’ Bapu had
a shrewd idea of what had happened. ‘What
was he doing?’ he asked. ‘Digging in the field?
Then what is there to be angry about? Vinoba
was working; how could he have talked to
you then? My dear man, don’t, you know that
if you want to meet someone you should first
make an appointment?
That was how Bapu dealt with the visitor, but
the next time saw him he scolded me: ‘My dear
fellow, when someone comes to see you, it’s
part of your Job to meet him and talk with
him. In this way, little by little, Bapu moulded
me into shape; wild creature that I naturally
am, he tamed me, and as I sat at his feet he
transformed me from a barbarian into a
servant of all. It was in his company that I
began to hunger for service, that service which
is now for me an instrument of worship,
seeing the Lord in humanity.
July-Aug 2006
I don’t know whether Bapu ever tested me,
but I certainly tested him, and if he had
seemed to me to fall short in any way I would
not have stayed. He kept me with him, in spite
of all the failings which his scrutiny must have
revealed, but for my part would not have
remained if I had found anything wanting in
his devotion to truth. I have seen reputed
‘Mahatmas’ who regarded themselves as
liberated spirits, perfect beings; none of them
had any attraction for me. But Bapu, who
always considered himself imperfect,
attracted me enormously. ‘I am still very far
from perfect truth,’ he would say, and he had
a far greater influence on me than any of those
who claimed to have attained it.
When I met Bapu, I was enchanted by the unity
in him between the inward and the outward.
It was from him too that I learned the meaning
of Karma-yoga, the path of spiritual action. This
is spoken of in the Gita, of course, but it was
personified in Bapu’s life; in him I saw it in
practical terms. The Gita has a description of
a Sthitaprajna, one who lives in steadfast
wisdom. To meet such time, studying the
Upanishads, the Gita, the Brahma-sutra (with
Shankaracharya’s commentary), and the Yoga
philosophy of Patanjali. I also read the Nyaya-
sutra, the Vaishesik-sutra, and the Smriti of
Yajnavalkya. That satisfied me, for I now felt
that I could go on with my studies, if I so
wished, independently of a teacher.
My other purpose was to improve my health.
The first step was to walk regularly ten or
twelve miles a day. Next, I began to grind six
or eight kilos of grain every morning; and
finally I performed the yoga exercise called
Surya-namaskar (salutation to the sun) three
hundred times a day. These physical activities
restored my health.
I also thought carefully about my food. During
the first six months I took salt, but later gave it
up. I did not use spices at all, and took a vow
never to use them again. I lived for a month on
bananas, limes and milk only, but found that
that reduced my strength. In the end I settled
for about three quarters of a kilo of milk, two
chapatis (pancakes) of millet flour weighing about
a hundred and twenty grams, four or five
bananas and (when it could be had) one lime
fruit. I had no desire to eat anything merely
because it was tasty, but I felt uneasy that this
diet was rather costly. I was spending about
eleven paisa a day, four paisa for the fruit, two
for the flour, five for the milk.

Swami Vivekanand was taking a stroll along the banks of the Ganga near Vellur Matha
one evening. Sister Nivedita, Sharatchandra Chakravarti and a few others were also
accompanying him. While walking, some of them started discussing about the Divine
(Indian) Culture. Swami ji said, “The Divine Culture represents a harmonious blend
of s³dhan³ (purity and strength of character) and samvedan³ (loving, kind and
compassionate emotions). Lack in either of these would strike at the very roots of the
structure and aim of our culture. S³dhan³ without samvedan³ leads to arrogance.
And, samvedan³ sans s³dhan³ proves to be nothing more than sentimental
effervescence. A balanced cultivation of both generates what is essential for the
expression of divinity in humanity.

July-Aug 2006 21
One reason for choosing this diet was to
maintain my health, the other was to keep the
eleven vows. I was away from the Ashram,
but I was nevertheless determined to follow
its way of life. I not only kept the vow about
‘tasty’ food, but also that of ‘non-possession’.
I possessed only a very few things-a wooden
plate, a bowl, an Ashram Lota (brass vessel
used as a mug), a pair of dhotis, a blanket and
a few books. I had taken a vow not to wear a
shirt, cap or coat, and I used only Indian hand-
woven cloth and nothing of foreign make. This
meant that I was also keeping the vow of
swadeshi. I believe that I did also keep the
three vows of truth, non-violence and
brahmacharya, so far as I understand them.
Along with this personal discipline I took up
some public service. I conducted a free class
on the Gita for six students, taught them the
whole text and explained the meaning. Four
other students studied six chapters of
jnaneshwari with me and two more studied
nine of the Upanishads. I myself did not know
Hindi well, but every day I read Hindi
newspapers with my students and so did my
share in popularizing Hindi in the Marathi-
speaking areas of the country.
In Wai I started ‘Vidyarthi Mandal’, a
students’ club, and fifteen of the boys joined
with me in grinding grain, so as to earn some
money to equip a reading room. We charged
people only one paisa for grinding two kilos
of grain and the money so earned went to the
reading room. My fifteen volunteers were all
Brahmin boys in the High School, some of
them very rich. Wai was an old-fashioned
place and people thought we were fools, but
nevertheless we carried on for about two
22
months and the reading room got about four
hundred books out of it.
During that year I also covered about four
hundred miles on foot, visiting four or five
districts of Maharashtra in order to extend my
knowledge. I saw some of the forts renowned
in history, such as Raigarh, Sinhagarh,
Torangarh. I also visited places associated
with the saints, mixed with people and
observed what was going on. I was specially
interested in some of the treasures of
knowledge that were hidden away in people’s
houses, old books and manuscripts and so
forth. I enjoyed historical research, and
especially examining documents of a spiritual
nature. I had a great advantage in being
comparatively unknown. I could do what Saint
Tukaram describes: Center the heart, touch a
man’s feet in humble reverence, and get from
him his hidden treasure.’ Nowadays I get no
chance to bend and touch anyone’s feet!
While on this tour in Maharashtra I used to
give talks on the Gita. I could not be said to
have any real experience; I was only twenty-
three, and only the Lord Krishna knows how
far my understanding went. But I poured out
my inward feelings, becoming totally
absorbed as though in a kind of repetitive
prayer. As water falls drop by drop on to the
Shiva-linga, so do thoughts continually
repeated imprint themselves on the heart. In
that spirit I would give my talks; they were
an expression of my inner devotion to the Gita.
I never stayed more than three days at any
village. The first day I got to know the place
and the people, and then at nine in the evening
I gave my talk, and if interest was shown I
July-Aug 2006
stayed two days more. It usually happened
that on the first evening sixteen or twenty men
and women would assemble, but I addressed
them as if they had been a thousand; the
second day the number increased-two or three
hundred would come.
At Tasgaon village I had to stay for a week; I
was unable to wa1k because of an abscess on
my leg. On the first day, before it could be
lanced, it gave me continuous pain. For those
seven days I sat on a bullock cart to give my
evening talks. I noticed with interest that as
soon as the crowd had gathered and I began
speaking I no longer felt the pain, and only
became conscious of it again when the people
had gone to their homes at the end of the talk.
During that enforced seven-day stay I spent
my time reading, and finished my study of
Shankaracharya’s commentary on the Brahma-
sutras.
In every village I would get in touch with the
young people and invite them for walks. I
would start very early, as soon as 1 had
bathed, and if I had company, as I usually did,
there were vigorous discussions. Occasionally
I was alone, and spent the time in my own
thoughts, returning by eleven or twelve
o’clock. The days passed pleasantly, as I tried
to make known the principles of the
Satyagraha Ashram both by my words and
by my conduct. Waking or sleeping, even in
dreams, one prayer, one refrain, was always
with me: may God accept my service, may this
body be an instrument of His will.
I had told Bapu that I would come back in a
year’s time, and I returned to the Ashram
July-Aug 2006
exactly a year to the day from the time I had
left it.
Bapu: an Abiding Presence
Bapu loved and trusted me very much, and I
for my part had laid my whole being at his
feet; so long as he lived I simply carried on
my work untroubled. Now however I wonder
whether, if I had left the Ashram and joined
in the struggle a few years earlier, I might
perhaps have had the privilege of giving my
life for the cause before he did, even though I
might not have been able to extinguish the fire
which consumed him. After he had been shot,
I had the feeling that at the least, if I had joined
Bapu in his wider field of work when I was
released from jail in 1945, the fatal attack might
have been made on me rather than on him, so
that I might have stopped the bullets with my
own body.
But, by God’s decree, things take their course.
Gandhiji was killed by a man of unbalanced
mind, and I got the bad news at Paunar two
hours later. At first, for a day or two, I
remained calm; I am by nature slow to feel
the impact even of such a blow as this. It came
home to me two or three days later and I broke
down. It was my duty to speak daily at the
evening prayer at Sevagram, and my tears
overflowed as I spoke. ‘What, Vinoba,’ said
one of the brothers present, ‘are you weeping
too?’ ‘Yes, brother,’ I replied. ‘I thank God
that He has given a heart even to me.’
Nevertheless it was not Bapu’s death that set
my tears flowing. He had died, I believe, as it
behoves any great man to die. I was upset
because I could not prevent my brother men
23
from putting their faith in murder. When I
heard of Bapu’s death my immediate reaction
was: now he has become immortal. Time has
only strengthened that conviction. When Bapu
was in the body, it took time to go and meet
him; now it takes no time at all. All I need do
is close my eyes and I am with him. When he
was alive I buried myself in his work, and went
to talk with him only now and then. Now, I
talk with him all the time and feel his presence
near me.
There are sages who strive through birth after
birth,’ wrote Tulsidas’ and yet at the moment
of death they do not have the name of Rama
in mind.’ Not so with Gandhiji; his last words
were ‘He’ Rama; no devotee could have done
more. When the last rites were performed
some of his ashes were immersed in the river
Dham at Paunar. As I stood that day on the
banks of the Dham it was as though I were
witnessing a new birth. What I felt as I recited
the Isopanishad cannot be put into words. The
sages speak to us of the immense range of the
soul, the Self; we reverently accept their
teaching, but only on that day did it come
home to me as a reality .So long as a great
soul lives in the body his power is limited,
but when he is released from the body his
power knows no bounds.
[Published with glad permission of Kalindi
Behan, the original compiler in Hindi (and
translated into English by late Marjorie Sykes)
of Vinobaji’s Memoirs titled ‘MOVED BY
LOVE’ of Brahmavidya Mandir, Pawnar
(Wardha). – Editorial Team]
24
Once a yadava kin asked Sri Krishna
why he called Yudhishthir
“Dharmaraj”. Bhagwan narrated an
anecdote. During the Mahabharat War,
Yudhishthir used to leave for some place
in cognito every evening after the day’s
battle was over. The Pandavas were
curious and followed him one day. They
found that Yudhishthir nursed the
injured soldiers of both sides lying on
the battlefield. The puzzled Pandava
brothers enquired of Yudhisthir why did
he, rather than giving rest to his battle-
weary body, spend the time in serving
the enemy side instead, and that too in
disguise. Yudhishthir explained:
“Among the wounded are both, the
Kauravas and the Pandavas. Both are
human beings. If I had gone under my
real identity the Kauravas would neither
share their pain with me nor allow me
to tend them. The Pandava soldiers, too,
would probably not accept any service
from me. Lest I be deprived of this
privilege of human service, I had to
resort to this camouflage”. Having
recounted this story, Sri Krishna
concluded: “Cultivating the spirit of
selfless service is the mark of true
religion (dharma). He who renders such
service and steadfastly adheres to the
noblest ideals of conduct is called
“Dharmaraj” and is always accorded the
highest place in the annals of nobility.
July-Aug 2006
Health Tips
Treatment and Preventive
E yes are regarded as the most delicate
organs of the human body. Without these
there would be no difference between day and
night; there would be darkness everywhere.
It would be difficult even to move around and
do the routine things without eyesight.
Reading and writing become difficult if the
eyesight is weakened. Thus, clear eyesight is
essential for a happy and progressive life in
general. Negligence of necessary hygiene of
the eyes, over-straining, infection, injuries and
lack of care after minor problems are the
common causes of diseases of eyes, many of
which result in eventual loss of eyesight.
Like several other health hazards, stress and
tensions are found to perturb the normal
functioning of the optical activities of the
nervous system thus hampering the healthy
vision. Anger, mental irritation, tension,
frequent over-working on computers at
continuous stretches of time, watching
television programmes for long hours, reading
despite fatigue in eyes or without proper light,
etc are among the common causes of straining
the optical nerves because of which myopia
(narrow sightedness), or long sightedness and
other kinds of weakening of eyesight occur.
The following shlokas (no. 1|25-27) from the
“Uttar Tantra” section of Vedic Treatise
“Sushrut Samhita” of Ayurveda also cite these
and some other common, but often ignored,
causes of problems of the eyes:
July-Aug 2006
Care of the Eyes
Uìñ³bhitaptasya Jala
DurekÌañ³tswapnaviparyy³cca |
Praveï³d
Prasakta Sanrodan Ïoka Kopa
Kleï³bhigh³t³datimaithun³cca ||
Ïukt³ran³lmakulattham³ÌaniÌevañ³dvegavinigrah³cca |
Swed³drajodharmaniÌevañ³cca
Chardervigh³t³dwaman³tiyog³t ||
V³Ìpagrah³t S¿kÌmanirºkÌañancca Netre|
Vik³r³ójanayanti Do̳¡ ||
Meaning: Immediate use of cold water or
bathing with it after returning from hot sun
or warm environment, excessive sleep in
daytime, lack of sleep in night, constant
attempt of seeing a distant object or similar
straining of eyes to see something blurred or
invisibly tiny, frequent crying, worrying,
having tension, anger, and uncontrolled sex
harm the health of the eyes. Apart from these,
constant use of horse beans, acidic and acerbic
substances like vinegar, etc, restraining the
natural pressure of urination, stools or
vomiting, forced control over tears, excessive
perspiration, excessive vomiting, smoking, etc
increase the doshas of v³ta and give rise to
severe problems of eyesight and eye-sickness.
In the “Vyadhisamuddeshiya” Chapter of
“Sutra Sthanam” sage Sushrut has classified
the etymology and medical nature of ailments
of eyes into seven categories and described
each of them, their causes, symptoms and
therapeutic and preventive measures in detail.
25
Modern science of medicine also specifies
seven major causes or defects and related
kinds of diseases of the eyes. These are – (1)
Hereditary defects such as Albinism and Night
Blindness; (2) Inborn or congenital defects like
– Ptosis (inability to open or hold up the
eyelids), unnatural cataract, absence or
improper development of the starry sphere or
pupil of the eye, or the eyeball; (3) Physical
injuries of the eyes, or of any component of
the optical nervous system, injuries due to
over-straining or extreme climate (e.g. total
or partial blindness, Hypermetropia or
Myopia, are likely if one walks on ice, or on a
snow mountain for long hours without proper
protection); (4) Internal mechanical injuries
or disturbances such as Traumatic Cataract,
displacement of eye-lens etc; (5) Parasitic
Diseases – ailments caused by viral and other
microbe-infections, including conjunctivitis; (6)
(Bio) Chemical aberrations e.g. infection or
mutations amounting to changes in blood
biochemistry that would damage the delicate
tissues or nerves in the eyes or the optical
region and hence cause irreparable damage
and blindness; retinal membrane aberrations
in certain kinds of diabetes fall in this category;
Degenerative changes, e.g. those in the old age
also lead to similar negative effects; (7) New
unnatural growth – e.g. tumors in the eyes or
eyelids, fibrous growth in eye-membranes, etc.
Even if our eyes are free of or protected from
the above kinds of severe ailments, they need
not necessarily be totally healthy. Very few
of us are seen having absolutely healthy eyes,
with sharp and bright eyesight these days.
Significantly large number of adults are seen
wearing spectacles or contact lenses because
of myopia; having the plus numbered glasses
26
to help clear reading or short-range vision is
almost becoming natural in the 40+ age-group
and so is the problem of cataract among the
elderly. What more! Even many of the primary
school children are found having weak
eyesight; they can’t read what the teacher has
written on blackboard in their classrooms.
Malnutrition, wrong eating habits and choice
of food, artificial living style and haphazard
routine stand as principal factors responsible
for this scenario. Air/water pollution adds to
the negative effects of varied severity and
intensity of eyesight problems.
Uncomfortably tight clothing in the name of
fashion-fitness, abnormal control of urination
and stool against the call of nature, sleeping
late in the night and getting up late, having
stressful hectic day, smoking, working under
artificial light, watching television at
continuous stretches, undisciplined sex and
genital infections and similar kinds of self-
adopted follies invite a variety of health
hazards including the untimely weakening of
eyes and ophthalmic ailments. Though rarely,
dental or oral infections and metabolic
disorders also cause or support the latter.
Most of us are aware of the fact that
deficiencies of certain vitamins, especially
those of vitamin A and D are harmful to
healthy eyesight. Some of us are cautious of
eating green leafy vegetables and nourishing
food items rich in these vitamins. However,
few of us might take care to avoid eating stale
food, or so called fast-food, spicy food, acerbic
and sour drinks, which lack in or counter the
essential healthy substances required in the
blood and as a result reduce or suppress
healthy blood supply to the body organs. The
July-Aug 2006
delicate organs like the eyes are more
vulnerable to the ill effects of such unhealthy
habits.
The tiny nerve-network inside the eye needs
regular and balanced supply of essential
(biochemical) and neurotransmission signals.
These also need proper rest and should not
be overstrained. Noting that there are no
physical exercises to counter the strain or
wrong postures and modes of reading, writing
and other works that require constant and
focused use of eyes, precaution and
prevention are the best ways of eye-care and
maintaining the healthy functioning of this
precious sense organ. Apart from being
regular in our eating habits and timings and
taking healthy nourishing and simple food, we
should also pay due attention to the hygiene
of our eyes. Eyes need to be washed and
cleaned properly with slightly cold water.
Yoga exercise of filling the mouth tight with
water to the level of inflating the cheeks and
then sprinkling the water in the open eyes to
wash them – is also very useful. The sprinkling
and washing of the eyes should be continued
without blinking them till the water can be
easily held in the mouth; the water thrown
out after that will be warmer and would have
absorbed the excessive heat inside the eyes.
This exercise should be repeated two-three
times at a stretch in the morning soon after
brushing the teeth. The yoga-practice of jala-
neti along with this exercise also gives a
soothing effect to the eyes apart from cleansing
the nose and the sinus region. We should
also take care not to overstrain our eyes.
July-Aug 2006
King Vikrant once lost his way in a
jungle. A farmer gave him shelter and
treated him most hospitably. He did not
know who his guest was but at the time
of departure the king gave him a token
embossed with royal seal and said:
“Whenever you are in trouble and need
help, come unhesitatingly to the palace
with this”. The farmer was hard
working. He did not need any ex gratia
help, and with the passage of time the
memory of the incident faded away.
Once it so happened that the farmer
came upon bad days. He remembered
the old incident and arrived at the king’s
palace. The royal token was taken by
the guards to the king. The king was at
that time in his worship room. The
farmer was called in there. He saw the
king himself praying to God for some
favour.
Now the farmer’s sense of self-respect
awoke. He thought: “Why ask any
person for help when the help of
omnipotent God is available to all”? He
turned back to go. The king saw him,
recognized him, and expressed his
keenness to help him. The farmer said:
‘O king! I had indeed come to ask for
help, but now I will approach that very
Supreme Authority whom you too
invoke”. We all should always bear in
mind this cardinal truth.
27
In case of weak eyesight without any vision
ailment, infection or biochemical problem,
Ayruveda guidelines advise washing the eyes
in the morning by a triphal³-solution; this
solution is prepared by soaking dry triphala
powder in slightly cold water the night before
and then filtering it with the help of fine cloth.
This simple practice has excellent therapeutic
effects if the triphala powder and its solution
is prepared with fresh herbs under the
guidance of an authentic Ayurvedic expert.
As per its total approach to mind body system,
Ayurveda analyzes the above listed seven
categories of the ailments of eyes together with
several other factors including the neural
network functions, muscles and tissues
associated with visual system and the other
interconnected organs in the vicinity of the
eyes for devising suitable therapeutic
measures that are free of all side-effects and
risks. The Ayurvedic medicinal scriptures on
“Rasa Shastra” by Vagbhattacharya are
notable in this context.
For example, the 23rd Chapter of the volume
titled “Ras-Ratna” presents analysis of five
types of ailments or defects of the eyeball,
thirteen types of those associated with the
white portion, nine of the joints of the eye,
twenty-four of the retina, sixteen of the optical
nerves and twenty seven of the
interconnecting organs that affect the visual
system. Thus ninety-four types of
malfunctions or injuries, aberrations or
diseases are analyzed here. Whatever the
cause may be, to what extent and with what
intensity these would manifest depend, as per
the Ayurvedic concept, upon the level and
state of the three doshas (tridoÌa) – v³ta, pitta
and kapha in an individual.
The “Srushut Samhita” (part 1|28) attributes
ten of the major ailments, defects or disorders
of the eyes or the visual system as a whole to
the v³ta doÌa; ten due to the pitta doÌa; thirteen
due to the kapha doÌa. Apart from these it also
specifies sixteen types as those due to
infections or biochemical aberrations in the
blood, two due to congenital factors and
twenty-five because of the defects, weakness
or disorders of the neuronal network or brain
functions (the latter include paralysis, blood-

In course of their stroll in the garden, King Vikramaditya suddenly remarked to the
great poet Kalidas: “How creative and talented you are! You are a litterateur par
excellence. I wish God had given you a matching and beautiful body”. The satire was
not lost on the wise Kalidas. He did not say anything at that time. On return to the
palace, he ordered for two pots, one of clay and the other of gold. Both were filled with
water. After some time, Kalidas asked the king. “Now tell me sir, which of the two
waters is cooler”? “That of the clay pot”, replied Vikramaditya. A smiling Kalidas
then said: “Just as coolness does not depend on the pot’s outer shell, even so, talent is
unrelated to the physical appearance of the body. O King! One should look at the
inner gift, not the external wrapping. It is the beauty of the soul that is supreme.
Learning and greatness are linked with the soul, not the body”.

28 July-Aug 2006
coagulation, brain hemorrhage, etc). Notably,
the ancient scriptures lay stress upon
improving and maintaining the vitality and
resistance (against diseases) and vigor of the
mind-body system to prevent all diseases and
weaknesses including those of the eyes. Even
in case of accidents or epidemics, those having
healthy immune system and elevated vital
energy show fast recovery. Recent research
studies of modern medical science have also
recognized these facts.
Depending upon the type and severity of the
problem, the modern therapeutic modes for
the eyes range from medicinal eye drops to
major surgeries. According to the scriptural
guidelines of Ayurveda, the following types
of curative measures, if necessary in spite of
sincere attempts by the patients for balancing
the tridoÌa are prescribed: (1) Seka: sprinkle or
drop a thin stream of medicinal water or
melted medicinal ghee (prepared with specific
herbal or plant medicines) on or inside the
eyes. (2) Aïcotana: apply eye drops of specific
herbal/plant medicinal solution or finely
filtered and cooled decoction; fomentation
with lukewarm preparation of herbs/plant
medicines knotted in a clean cloth- piece. (3)
Piñú: Tying on the eyes a bandage containing
finely grinded paste of selected herbs/plant
medicines. (4) Viólaka: Applying the paste or
freshly prepared ointments of prescribed
herbs/plant medicines on the eyelids and
other outer parts of closed eyes. (5) Tarpaña:
Dipping the eyes for few moments in the
especially prepared herbal/plant medicinal
water. (6) PuÚap³ka: Applying the freshly
prepared and cooled gel or syrup-like fine
preparation of prescribed herbs/plant
July-Aug 2006
medicines inside the eyes in a manner similar
to putting collyrium or lamp-black.
In case of blood biochemistry related or
internal ailments, specific Ayurvedic
medicines are also given orally in the form of
dry powder, decoction or tablets. However,
apart from all these, the ancient Ayurvedic
method of yagya-based therapies is said to be
best and it can be used along with using any
of the above mentioned Ayurvedic or modern
medications or modes of treatment. It is also
an easy and least expensive mode of
treatment provided the patient spends some
time (say about forty-minutes or so, on an
aveage).
The advantage of the yagya-based therapy is
that it is a unique kind of effective inhalation
therapy, which, with regular practice of few
weeks, begins to rectify (heal) the defects or
complexities at the level of nerves and neural
functions as well and thus promises cure of
even otherwise intractable diseases caused by
aberrations or malfunctioning of the nervous
system or in some brain-components. The
chanting of distinct mantras (Vedic Hymns) in
special rhythm also has majestic impact on
patients’ psychology, resistance and vitality.
Its promising potential has also been verified
in some research and clinical experiments at
the Yagyopathy Lab of the Brahmavarchas
Research Centre of Shantikunj, Hardwar.
[We are planning to bring out a special series
in this magazine next year on yagyopathy
(yagya-therapy) for different diseases,
including those of the eyes. - Editor]
29
Science and Spirituality
E ach living being has its own specific
bioelectric field (Aura) around the body.
This bioelectric field also exerts its influence
on the environment around the individual.
Experienced yogis can learn much about an
individual by sensing the bioelectric field in
the proximity, without actually meeting the
person. Psychometry is developed as a science
of “divining facts concerning an object or a
person associated with it by contact with or
proximity to the object”. By way of
extrasensory perception of a bioelectric field,
a yogi can tell many secrets and facts without
physically coming in contact of a person, place
or an object.
However, the existence of a bioelectric field
in human body does not necessarily require a
conceptualization, nor does it need scientific
equipments. The experiments given hereunder
will satisfy the curiosity of the reader.
1.Manifestation Against the Backdrop of a
Dark Curtain: This simple experiment would
demonstrate the presence of the invisible
bioelectric field of the body.
Keep one of the chairs facing the least
illuminated wall of the room and cover its back
with the thick black cloth. Place a dimly lighted
wick lamp on the chair. The light should not
be visible on the cloth from behind the chair.
Be seated on the second chair facing the back
of the first chair at a distance of about a foot
30
Human Bioelectricity
from the cloth. Resting elbows on the arms of
chair, keep arms in an upright position with
the palms and fingers pressed together (as in
traditional Indian salutation ‘Namastey). Now
start rubbing both palms together vertically,
slowly in the beginning, then gradually
accelerate.
A close observation will show a fog-like hazy
luminous emission emanating from the palms.
The palms may also appear to glow with a
couple of sparks flying out of them. Edges of
nails would particularly appear luminous.
2. Sensory Perception of Bioelectric
Magnetism: This experiment shows the
bioelectric magnetism present in the body.
Be seated on a non-conducting chair placed
on the insulated floor. Keep body-parts away
from any conducting surface (walls, floor or
any other conducting body likely to leak the
bioelectric charges from the body). Tightly
press fingers of both hands together, leaving
a little space between the palms. For about a
minute keep the hands pressed together in this
position. Now keeping the palms together, try
to pull the fingers apart. The bioelectric
magnetism of the body would resist the effort
to separate them. A vibration will be felt in
the fingers.
3. Changing Taste of Water by Passing
Bioelectric Current: This experiment proves
July-Aug 2006
that bioelectricity flows through material
objects coming in contact of the body,
changing their physical and chemical
properties.
In one of the tumblers, insert the tips of your
fingers for about five minutes. While doing
so conceptualize that that the bioelectric
current of your body is flowing through the
tips of your fingers into water in the tumbler.
Let some intelligent person (who had not been
watching this experiment) closely observe the
color of water in the two tumblers and also
take a sip of water from both. The examiner
would easily find a difference in the water
kept in the two tumblers.
4.Conductivity of Bioelectricity During
Physical Contact Between Animate Beings:
This experiment proves that during physical
contact there is a passage of bioelectricity
between animate beings.
Make the center of a table clearly visible by
making a circular spot on it by the marking
pencil. Let the participants be seated around
the table forming a circular chain by placing
their hands in such a way, that palms and
fingers of each person rest on the back of
those of the persons sitting on either side. Let
each individual concentrate their sight on the
spot in the center of the table. The flow of
bioelectricity through their bodies will be felt
as feeble tremors in their hands and other
parts of the body.
5. Recharging The Bioelectrical Field of An
Inanimate Organic Body by Human
July-Aug 2006
Bioelectricity: The following experiment
shows that by transmitting human
bioelectricity, it is possible to delay the decay
of organic matter after its “death”.
When a living being (animal or plant) “dies”,
it begins to decay on account of gradual
leakage of residual bioelectric charge of its
body into the cosmic reservoir of bioelectricity.
The following experiment will show that it is
possible to replenish this loss of bioelectricity
for some time with the help of human
bioelectric transmission.
Keeping one of the objects selected for the
experiment aside, look at the other intently at
brief intervals with the thought, that it is being
enlivened by your bioenergy flowing into it
through your sight. It will be found that, the
other object kept aside had undergone normal
decay whereas that being subjected to the
experiment is retaining its freshness. (Greater
concentration is likely to dehydrate the object.)
A woman in France had reportedly developed
an unusual bioelectric field in her body. She
could prevent the decay of dead organic
matter simply by looking at it. Besides
observing the effect on plants, flowers and
fruits, scientists verified this phenomenon by
experimenting with various types of other
objects like dead frogs, rabbits, fishes and
pigs. Microscopic examination too confirmed
the absence of bacteria in the experimented
objects for weeks together. Besides, whenever
some decaying organic matter was brought to
this lady, she could destroy the bacteria
responsible for the decay within moments, by
gazing at the object.
31
6.Telekinesis by Bioelectric Transmission: It
is an interesting experiment demonstrating
the effect of bioelectric transmission on
dynamics of material objects. Even children
can carry out this experiment with amusing
results. The effects are startling when there
are a large number of persons performing this
experiment together.
Let the experimenter be seated at a distance
of about three feet from the freely suspended
needle and fix his gaze on the needle. (There
should not be any movement of air in the room
to affect free movement of the needle.) While
concentrating the sight on the needle, let the
participant desire the needle to move
sideways, backwards-forwards, clockwise or
anticlockwise.
After sometime the movements of the needle
will be found ‘obeying‘ the intention of the
participant. This experiment can also be
performed by a large number of participants
holding suspended pendulums steadily in
their hands.
7. Building a Bioelectric Fence: Like an
electric fence constructed for protection, it is
possible for an individual having a strong
bioelectric field to build an invisible bioelectric
fence for safeguard. Such a fence does not
permit an undesirable person to enter the
safeguarded territory.
The following experiment will serve as an
example. The experimenter draws a circle on
the ground with a marker, thinking that a
bioelectric fence is being built around the area.
Ants and similar small worms having weak
bioelectric fields will find this area
32
impenetrable. On coming close to this fence,
these will circumvent it as though it was built
with hot sand.
If such a fence were drawn around a worm, it
would find it difficult to come out of the
confined space. Even if it crosses it at great
risk to its life; it would appear miserable while
moving through the confined space.
In the great epic Ramayana, it is told that
Lakshman had drawn a similar fence (Lakshman
Rekha) around Sita for her safety against the
demon king Ravana. He dared not enter the
fence and abducted her when she crossed the
fence for giving him alms.
8. Scanning a Bioelectric Field: Hands placed
on a sensitive photographic plate in a
photographer’s dark room would produce x-
ray like prints of their bioelectric field. Kirilian
photography has been used to obtain similar
prints from plants.
9. Producing a Bioelectric Shock: The
experimenter stands at a short distance behind
a person engrossed in some work and
concentrates gaze on his spine or on the
exposed part of neck, with the intention to
startle him by giving him a shock; by sending
a bioelectric current through sight. However
deeply engrossed in work, the gaze will
distract the subject. The sight of the onlooker
will create an itching sensation on the part of
the body being looked at and the subject will
turn his head back to look at the experimenter.
10. Telepathy By Sending Bioelectric Thought
Currents: Let a person be seated before you
in comfortably relaxed, in a calm state of mind.
July-Aug 2006
With the mind of the subject before you as
the target, concentrate on the forehead of the
subject with the thoughts desired to be sent
telepathically. The bioelectric waves carrying
the thoughts being projected will enter the
mind of the targeted person producing similar
thoughts there. With a little practice, in most
cases, this experiment produces encouraging
results. However, where the subject has a
vacillating mind or is obstinate by nature, the
thoughts being transmitted may not be
properly received.
Influence of Bioelectricity on Food Products:
Common man is hardly aware of the effect of
“internal purity” of food on mind. In one of
his books, Prof. Leadbeater, the founder
member of Theosophical Society, speaks about
the influence of subtle ingredients of food on
human body. According to him, apart from
the digestive matter, the food matter also
carries with it certain subtle contents and our
bodies absorb these as well. We meticulously
take care of the external, physical cleanliness
of food, overlooking the fact, that its internal
purity is much more necessary than its physical
purity.
Food products subtly absorb thoughts/traits
of persons handling these for long periods.
(Repeated right or wrong thinking becomes a part
of habit, ultimately developing into a trait of the
person.) The imprints of these thoughts/traits
on the edibles created by the bioelectric
transmissions of associated persons are carried
over to the mind of its consumer.
The “internal purity” of food is maximally
affected by the morality and mental state (at
July-Aug 2006
Rajarshi Purusottam Das Tandon
was ill. An old friend of his went to
Prayag (Allahabad) to see him. In
the course of chatting, the Rajarshi
recounted an anecdote: “At one time,
I was engaged in formulating a
model plan for reforming and
guiding the Princes of Native States.
The purpose was to show that the
Indians can administer better than
the English. To execute this plan, I
joined service of Nabha State, but I
could not succeed in my venture”.
“That was a good thing to happen”,
quipped the friend. “That is exactly
what I was going to say”, continued
Rajarshi Tandon, “I failed because
of the English, and so I turned upon
them with a vengeance and applied
myself wholeheartedly to their
expulsion from India. I was filled
with gratitude to God for my failure.
Had I been successful in Nabha, I
would most likely have continued in
a rut. This failure opened for me new
doors to success and sadhana.”
Such a positive and creative attitude
towards both success and failure
marks one worthy of success.
33
the time of cooking) of its cook. Research tells
us that maximum discharge of human
bioelectricity takes place through the tips of
fingers. Foodstuff repeatedly touched by bare
hands and fingers cannot remain unaffected
by the good or bad traits of the cook. It is
true, that that while heating, many such
internal impurities are removed. Nevertheless
heating does not purify the food in totality.
Physical contact is not the only factor
responsible for the internal impurity of food.
Thoughts are waves of bioelectric current. As
such, these are also propagated through sight
while looking at things. (Hypnotists and
mesmerists utilize this property of transmission of
thoughts. The famous saying ‘ Love at first sight‘
too illustrates this phenomenon.)
Food is man’s favorite subject. Food products
easily attract man. When one casts a glance
on the edibles kept on the plate of a neighbor,
the thoughts of the onlooker are also
transmitted to these edibles. Food served
reluctantly or by a person in an unhappy state
of mind would certainly have negative effect
on the eater. The same is true of the foodstuff
forcibly snatched from somebody, or
consumed alone in the company of several
onlookers, and of the food earned by unfair
means.
In market places, sometimes sweets and
cookies and other delicious edibles are
Socyatam Yatyasilena Vidvesenapavitratam |
Intelligence and knowledge, without morality and modesty, get vitiated by jealousy
and hatred, leading to misery.
34
displayed in glass showcases. Many
onlookers feel tempted, but for some reason
or the other, do not, or cannot, purchase
these articles. Little children and
individuals, who cannot afford to buy these,
particularly watch these edibles with a
craving. Bioelectric charges of such
suppressed desires of many persons continue
to accumulate on these food items, making
them unworthy of consumption. Whatever
be their nutritional value, repeated
consumption of commercial products so
displayed makes one sick. For this very
reason a natural food is considered more
beneficial for health than a processed food
handled by many persons and displayed in
a showcase.
Being prepared with loving thoughts and care,
a simple, inexpensive ordinary food prepared
and served by family members is much more
nutritious and satisfying than the cookies and
delicacies acquired from a departmental store.
The great Hindu epics Ramayana and
Mahabharata narrate the incidents of Lord Ram
and Krishna accepting simple edibles offered
by the poor, turning down invitations by
kings. When Ram greatly appreciated the
jungle berries offered by Shabari and Krishna
praised the preparation of leafy- vegetables
served by Vidur, they did not do so merely
to honor their hosts. They knew that the love
and devotion of their hosts had enhanced the
internal purity of the food manifold.
July-Aug 2006
Companions in Solitude – 9
S ilence prevails all around this hut. The
nature is still. Silence of the solitude is
unnerving. The day passed off and the night
arrived. Due to strangeness of the
surroundings, sleep was eluding me. The fear
was not due to ferocious animals, thieves,
snakes or evil spirits, but loneliness. The body
had no work except turning from side to side.
The brain was also idle and devoid of any
work. So the old habit of musing started its
process. Why fear arises in loneliness?
An answer sprouted from within. Man is a
part of Samashti (The totality of universe). It
is Samashti that has nourished him. Like fish
which is blended with the element of water
can survive only in water, man can also be
happy and comfortable only in the society due
to his being the part of Samashti, being a spark
of the vast expanse of consciousness. In
loneliness the connection with the society is
snapped, with the result that his inner growth
is arrested. The uneasiness due to this
deficiency can be the reason for fear.
The imagination went still further. It brought
forth many memories of loneliness and many
instances of having suffered in loneliness.
Those instances had no trace of happiness; it
was simply passing the time somehow in
boredom. The memory of the loneliness in the
condemned prisoner’s dark cell of solitary
confinement where I was put during the days
of freedom struggle surfaced. There was no
July-Aug 2006
The Hut
in Solitude
disturbance in that room, but solitude exerted
pressure on the mind. When I was released
after a month my body was pale like a ripe
mango. I felt dizzy, while standing.
Since solitude was uncomfortable every part
of the brain was engaged in proving the
futility and demerits thereof. In fact brain
works like a loyal servant. According to the
mood of the mind it gathers and presents a
mountain of proofs, evidences, logic, reason,
thoughts and examples. To judge what is right
and what is wrong is the job of the
discriminating mind. The duty of the brain is
only to present necessary materials to justify
the stand taken by the mind.
The brain now began to think like a
philosopher. The selfish people think only of
themselves, only about the profit and loss to
self. They consider none to be their own. So
they remain deprived of the joy of community.
Their conscience is asleep and devoid of any
noble feelings. There arose in my imagination,
the examples of some persons who had
everything by way of riches, wealth and
earthly means of comfort; but due to their self-
centered outlook they had nobody to call their
own. All of them were neurotically unhappy.
The flow of fantasy was going fast in its chosen
direction and it seemed that it was bent upon
proving that solitude was not only futile but
harmful and troublesome, too. Personal
35
inclination would then stress its point i.e. why
to pursue this folly? Why not live among the
society and grab and gain what one could?
The discriminating intelligence sensed the
wayward flow of the mind and said, “If
solitude is that worthless, why would the
Rishis, Sadhaks, devotees, aspirants, thinkers,
and scientists go after it? Why do they seek
it? If solitude has no importance why is it
sought after for attainment of Samadhi (The state
of Super-consciousness -Self realization)? Why
is solitude considered essential for self-study,
introspection, penance, concentration etc.?”
Suddenly the flow of fantasy that was
speeding ahead to prove solitude to be
harmful stopped, as does a horse when the
reins are pulled in. Faith said, “The inspiration
of Sadhana in solitude cannot be misleading”.
Devotion told, “The power that has put me
on this path cannot guide me astray”. The
conscience said, “Soul comes alone, and goes
alone. It weeps, sitting alone in the jail of this
body. Does it feel uneasy in this solitude that
is already destined. Sun moves alone and so
does the moon. The wind flows alone. Do they
feel any discomfort in this?”
Thoughts can be checkmated by counter-
thoughts. This psychological principle was
proved here. The thoughts that seemed to be
strong a little while ago crumbled like a house
of cards. The counter-thoughts defeated them.
Spiritual masters, therefore, teach us the
importance of chasing away evil thoughts by
noble thoughts. Evil thoughts, however strong
they may be, can be nullified by noble counter-
thoughts. I directly experienced in that lonely
night, how a faulty conviction can be
36
transformed into a noble one. Now the brain
began to work in the direction of finding the
utility, necessity and importance of solitude.
Slowly the night began to pass. Getting bored
due to not feeling sleepy I came out of the hut
and saw Ganga, flowing fast as if it was
impatient to meet her beloved, the Sea. Blocks
of stones tried to stop her on the way, but she
crossed the hurdles and went past them.
Though her watery body was getting
wounded all over, she was neither
complaining nor getting disappointed. She
hardly took any note of these obstacles. She
was not at all scared of darkness or loneliness.
Her longing for the Lord of her heart did not
let her worry about all these matters. Deeply
engrossed in the thoughts of the beloved, she
moved on singing the song of love, renouncing
the comfort of sleep and rest.
The moon had reached overhead. Its numerous
reflections were glittering on the waves of
Ganga, as if Brahm (The Almighty) was
revealing the secret of Its Maya in the visible
form by showing one Brahm becoming many
by entering into numerous bodies. The scene
was very fascinating. Coming out of the hut, I
went over to the bank and sat on a block of
rock and began to see the sight attentively.
Within a short while I felt sleepy and slept
there on the rock itself.
It seemed to me, that the course of water got
transformed into a lotus-like beautiful celestial
maiden. In that posture of supernatural
calmness and ocean-like gentleness it seemed
that all the purity of earth had been collected
and filled up in one human body for her to
appear in. Without pausing she came over to
July-Aug 2006
a block of rock nearby. To me it appeared that
it was happening in reality. The divine maiden
began to say something in her sweet voice in
very calm and gentle words. I began to hear
it attentively as if hypnotized. She said, “Oh
Soul in the human body! Don’t consider
yourself alone in this thick forest. With open
eyes, look around and see that it is you
yourself who is living through every thing you
see around. Don’t confine yourself to the
conception that you are limited to the body
of a human being. In this vast creation, man is
not everything. Why feel loneliness where
human companions are not present? Other
living creatures are as dear to The Creator as
man. Then why don’t you consider them your
brothers? Why don’t you establish intimacy
with them? Why don’t you make them your
colleagues? In this solitude there is no human
being, but there are innumerable living
creatures here. Souls in many forms like birds
and animals, flies and insects, plants and trees
live here in this mountain forest. All these
souls have feelings and emotions. If you are
able to develop a sense of kinship between
your soul and that of these supposedly soulless
creatures, you will feel a sense of self-
fulfillment.
The divine maiden of heavenly beauty
continued without pause, “God has given
intelligence to man, but the poor guy could
not make use of it for gaining real happiness.
He misused this divine boon for self-
gratification. He, who deserved to be
acclaimed as the noblest of God’s creation, has
become a creature to be pitied upon instead.
On the other hand other creatures on earth
may have only very little intelligence, but once
you try to emphatically synchronize your
July-Aug 2006
feelings with theirs you will feel that all of
them are your soulkins.”
The sleep was broken as soon as I turned the
side. I got up hurriedly and looked all around.
The divine maiden has vanished into the
invisible. It seemed as if she had merged
herself back in this stream. She might have
been transformed back into the course of
water. The words spoken in human language
were not there to he heard. But the same
message was echoed in the gurgling sound of
water. The physical ears could not hear them,
but the soul was still understanding it,
perceiving it.
Was I awake or in dreams? Was it reality or
an illusion? Were they my own thoughts or a
divine message? I was confused. I opened the
eyes and moved my hands over the head. I
tried to find out that which was seen and
heard a little while ago, but was unable to find
it and was getting no clue either.
By then I saw many reflections of the moon
gliding over the waves that were coming
together from all sides and appeared to be
telling something with a smile. When I tried
to hear their message the tiny child-like
reflections began telling:- “See so many of us
moons are here to play with you, to smile and
laugh with you. Won’t you take us as your
companions? Are we not good pals? Man, you
have come from the selfish world of yours
where only those who would serve your
interests, are dear to you and all others are
aliens. Isn’t it the way of your world? Leave
it and learn the ways of our world here. Here
there is no such complication. There is no
distinction like they and we. There is no
37
selfishness. All are our own. We believe that
our own super-soul dwells in all. You too learn
to feel this way. Then, with so many of us here
you won’t feel alone. You have come to
perform some Sadhana (dedicated spiritual
pursuit) here, isn’t it ? Don’t you see this Ganga
engaged in Sadhana? Engrossed in love how
single-mindedly she is heading forward to
meet her beloved. No hurdles on the way can
stop her. Does she care to look at the darkness
or loneliness? Does she get deflected from her
aim even for a moment? If you want to adopt
the path of Sadhana, then you too have to adopt
this way. When your soul, too, will start moving
fast to get to its own beloved (The Supreme Soul)
like Ganga, how can the crowds of people attract
you, or the solitude frighten you? If you want
to stay on the shores of Ganga, dear Sadhak, you
learn Ganga’s Sadhana of love too.”
Many tiny moons were dancing with the
waves. It seemed like the dance of Krishna
and Gopis said to have taken place at
Vrindavan. The waves were the ‘Gopis’ and
the moon played Krishna’s role - A Krishna
with each Gopi. What a wonderful dance
was being seen by the eyes? Mind was
immersed in joy. The inner conscience was
asking me, “Look, see the glimpse of the
Supreme Beloved. One soul is dancing in
each body like the one moon dancing on all
the waves.
The whole night passed. Reddish radiance
of the dawn began to appear in the eastern
horizon. What was seen was simply
wonderful. The fear of solitude disappeared.
Legs slowly pulled me towards the hut. Now
it was light of loneliness that filled the mind.

Impressed by the renunciation of a saint, a king, too, received dikï³ (spiritual

initiation) from him. Many thousands had already been initiated by the saint.
Seeing their king, too, among the initiates, the subjects went to him and said:
“Great king, now you are our gurubhai; so do not demand tax from us”. Caught
on the horns of a dilemma, the king remitted their tax dues. Consequently, the
treasury began to deplete fast. The whole system went into disorder. People
stopped doing any work and started living off the stored money. The king was
very perturbed at this situation and sought his guru’s advice.
The guru, after hearing the full details of the king’s plight said: “If the spirit of
dikï³ is not implemented in actual conduct, it remains meaningless. Besides
being an initiated disciple and king, you should also be pragmatic. Those whom
you consider your gurubhai are all lazy shirkers. You must run your administration
in accordance with the rules and regulations of good governance, otherwise you,
too, will be a sinner like them and also be guilty of bringing about the impending
anarchy “. The king began to rule with firmness. The new order, with well-oiled
coordination, soon put the wheels of administration back on the rails.

38 July-Aug 2006
My Life: Its Legacy and Message – 20
Visible Attainments of
[Autobiography of P¿ jya Gurudev, continued from the previous issue]
A ccumulation of worldly possessions and
riches is automatically reflected in a
person’s nature, attitude and conduct. A
healthy person looks strong and beautiful.
Affluent persons are full of pomp and show.
Intelligence of a man is reflected in his speech,
conduct and behaviour. In the same way,
when spiritual treasure is amassed, its impact
becomes apparent. S³dhan³ is bound to result
in siddhi, which means extraordinary
achievements. Even ordinary persons attain
success by dint of their industriousness and
resources but the success attained in the
spiritual field is exemplary and unique and it
cannot be attained by solitary efforts of an ego-
centered person.
It is a matter of deep lament that spirituality
has been degenerated to the level of jugglery
by quacks and people mistake mere conjurer’s
tricks as proofs of spiritual attainments. An
acrobat displays his acrobatic feats so that
people may be dazzled, amazed and surprised.
He thus gets tumultuous applause and earns
money. But none of these feats fulfills the
purpose of doing any public good. It is simply
a means to earn a livelihood. There are several
persons amongst the so-called saints who, by
showing such magical stunts, strut about as
persons of great spiritual attainment. Simple
people are often heard having been cheated
by some persons by raising a hand in the air
and producing cardamom, sweetmeats etc., or
professing to possess the power of doubling
July-Aug 2006
SÂDHANÂ (Siddhi
Siddhi)
Siddhi
the currency notes. It is foolish on the part of
the common people that they are unable to
distinguish siddhis of the spiritual plane from
mere jugglery and miraculous stunts. It is
essential to understand the fundamental
difference between the life style, morality and
daily routine of a siddha puruÌa (saint) and those
who are mere jugglers or acrobats.
S³dhan³ which leads to siddhi, means
undertaking specific tasks which are related
to the overall welfare of mankind and which
are so great and extensive that a person cannot
accomplish them single-handedly through his
own strength and efforts. Still, there are
people who have enough courage, who go
ahead and ultimately accomplish aims, which
initially appeared to be unattainable. In due
course they get people’s participation also.
Spiritually awakened souls move ahead even
in the absence of resources and cooperation
and believe in rowing alone their boat across
the river with self-confidence and faith in God.
Ordinary people have a different mentality.
They undertake a work only after they are
convinced of getting resources and others’
cooperation.
Siddha (spiritually evolved) persons engaged
in S³dhan³ have been accomplishing great
tasks. This is the miracle of their siddhi. To
initiate the movement for Independence,
Samarth Guru Ramdas inspired a Maratha boy
and placed him at the forefront. Buddha
39
launched a worldwide ethical awakening
movement to eradicate corruption and spread
it throughout Asia. Saty³graha movement
started by Gandhi with the help of a handful
of persons, by preparing salt at Dhurasana,
spread throughout the country. Everybody
knows how extensive and successful was the
Bh¿d³n movement which was started all alone
by Vinoba. Scouting, Red Cross and similar
other movements were initially started on
small scales and steadily spread worldwide.
Vanasthali Balika Vidyapeeth of Rajasthan,
Baba Amte’s Seva Sadan for persons suffering
from leprosy are shining examples of such
works. There have been several instances
where availability of expertise, resources and
cooperation were almost negligible in the
beginning but, by the sheer strength of will
of the pioneer, the momentum of the
movement was kept up and the work
continued moving forward with whatever
resources and cooperation were available.
Thus, behind the fulfillment of righteous
purposes one can have a glimpse of the process
of attainment of siddhi by s³dhan³.
One will not be disappointed if he wants to
find out siddhis attained by me as a result of
s³dhan³. In the beginning people termed it as
foolhardiness and warned me that I would be
laughed at and ridiculed but I had unflinching
faith in God who had inspired me to take up
that work in hand. Determination to do work
for public good and firm faith that divine help
would back it up provided me the needed
strength of perseverance to carry on in the face
of all obstacles.
When the energy of s³dhan³ was matured in
the form of siddhi it was decided to channelize
40
it in fulfilling timely needs. The work was
started. It appeared as if everything was pre-
planned. Several persons in the beginning
termed it as sheer madness and misadventure
but when all these efforts started bearing fruit
they conceded that it was the siddhi of s³dhan³.
All these ‘acts of madness’ are summed up
below:
1. Taking a pledge at the age of 15 to
perform twenty-four G³yatrº Mah³puraïcarañas
along with several self-imposed restraints for
twenty four years and fulfilling it without
faltering.
2. By way of P¿rñ³huti, a Sahastra-kundº yajóa
was performed at Mathura in 1958 in which
four lakh G³yatrº s³dhaks were invited and all
of them attended. Arrangements were made
for their stay, food etc. for five days free of
charge. A huge yajóaï³l³ stage and pand³l were
erected and seven temporary townships,
within a radius of seven miles, were set up.
Lakhs of rupees were spent without begging
a single paisa and the whole function was
celebrated smoothly without any interruption
or disorder.
3. Ancestral property was sold and a grand
building of G³yatrº Tapobh¿mi was built at
Mathura. Later, it developed into a huge
centre of ethical, moral and spiritual
education of the masses through the help
voluntarily given by the people, for which
no appeal was made.
4. Akhand Jyoti magazine is being published
regularly since 1937 without accepting any
advertisements. The weekly ‘Harijan’
published by Gandhiji had to be discontinued
July-Aug 2006
when it became nonviable. At present∗ one and
half lakh copies of Akhand Jyoti are being
published and each issue is being read by
several persons. Its readers are not less than
a million.
5. Ancient spiritual and religious literature
has been translated into Hindi and
absolutely low-priced books incorporating
spiritual principles applicable in practical life
have been published in large numbers. Some
of them have also been translated into other
Indian languages. These books have
enlightened millions of people who have
read them.
6. G³yatrº Pariw³r has been established which
is spearheading (a) Prajó³ abhiy³n (movement
for refining public mind) and (b) Yug Nirm³n
Yojan³ for the growth of righteous tendencies
and attitudes in the society.
7. Regular training is being imparted
according to prescribed curriculum to Yug-ïilpº
prajó³-putras in regular camps in self-
development and development of the society.
Sadhana camps of ten days each are being held
for G³yatrº s³dhaks, free of cost.
8. Brahmavarchas Research Institute has
been established to conduct research for
integration of science and spirituality. High-
level research on Yagyopathy and the great
power of G³yatrº mantra are being conducted
here. The work of conducting new research
on the ancient science of medicinal herbs
initiated by Charak RiÌi has also been taken
up. The broken links of the ancient
astronomical science are also being discovered
anew.
July-Aug 2006
9. 2,400 Prajó³pºÚhas and 12000 Prajó³
sansth³ns have been established for moral,
intellectual and social rejuvenation and
revitalization. Efforts are being made to spread
yug³ntariya cetn³ amongst migrants of Indian
origin in seventy-five foreign countries.
10. A new centre has been established for the
in-depth study of various languages and
cultures of the world so that the message of
the advent of the New Golden Era could be
brought home to the people of the world at
large. For the present, publicity squads are
being deputed in jeeps to Hindi, Gujarati,
Oriya, and Marathi speaking regions, but they
will soon be sent to all parts of the country to
strengthen the roots of righteousness,
enlightenment and unity.
11. Publicity is being done through the
medium of tape recorders and slide projectors.
It will now be done by video films also.
12. The message of Prajó³ abhiy³n is being
spread through folders in many languages for
creating an awareness of the emerging new
higher consciousness in humanity.
13. Four volumes of Prajó³ Pur³ña have been
published. Efforts are afoot to publish them
in other languages; and its tapes are also being
prepared. Through the medium of stories and
tales in Prajó³ Pur³ña an effort has been made
to provide guidance to the common masses
for meeting the day-to-day challenges and
problems of present day life righteously,
boldly and wisely.
14. Not less than 1000 guests, pilgrims and
trainees are in residence at Shantikunj at one
41
time. They are provided free board and
lodging. They return after taking prasad with
a deepened faith in and respect for the
mission’s activities.
15. Many persons come to G³yatrº Tirtha,
Shantikunj and perform anusthan sadhana. This
has helped them in their inner self-growth, in
getting rid of evil tendencies and moulding
their lives in accordance with perennial
principles of truth. These positive orientations
in their personalities have been scientifically
verified at the Brahmavarchas Research
Institute.
It can be well imagined how much labour,
concentration, manpower and resources
must have been needed to accomplish so
huge a task. The fact is that the invisible
power of only one individual has been in
operation for accomplishment of all these
stupendous tasks. The method of begging
money or raising funds through
contributions was never adopted.
Everybody knows what pressures and
persuasions are required to be used in
collecting money these days. But here,
everything has been done voluntarily on the
basis of cooperation. This is the only mission
which functions on the basis of individual
contribution of ten paisa in jó³n-ghat and a
handful of food grains in dharma-ghat per
day by the devotees. Everybody who
contributes this insignificant amount feels a
sense of belonging to the institution, which
is functioning by his help and cooperation.
The organizers are also ever cautious to
spend every paisa after careful
consideration. Thus, an intimate relationship
of cordiality and of close affinity is
42
established between the members and the
organization. This is the secret behind the
success of this mission.
No other organization has as many selfless,
trusted and contented workers of great
calibre as are found here. Everyone
associated with this organization has tested
it and firmly believes that the soul of a
br³hmaña is luminously at work here.
Millions of people had abandoned their
homes and had become the disciples,
parivr³jaks of Buddha. Those who
participated in Gandhi’s saty³grah did not
ask for any remuneration. Similarly Prajó³
abhiy³n is the rare example of an
organization in which thousands of highly
qualified full-time workers are working for
the mission merely on food and clothes.
It is indeed a unique miracle wrought by the
divine energy of siddhi, through which so
much money, manpower, resources and
spontaneous cooperation of people at large
are flowing to the mission.
I had to go to the Himalayas a number of
times in the past on the direction of my
Gurudev for performing s³dhan³ in solitude.
People link these journeys with something
miraculous. They believe that the Himalayas
are the abode of miracle-performing beings
and realized souls. In fact, I had to go to the
Himalayas to become more introvert. The
exterior life of a person is dominated by outer
events but his inner life is influenced by
feelings and sentiments. An illumined mind
and a loving heart constitute spirituality .The
rat race for gratification of desires and
amassing of material objects is materialism.
July-Aug 2006
Since I have dedicated my whole life to
demonstrate life-affirming spirituality, while
outwardly leading a normal worldly life, it
became essential for me to occasionally retire
into solitude with a view to nullify any
influence of materialism on the exterior life.
An effort was made during my ajó³tv³s
(living in solitude in an unknown place) in
the Himalayas to bring the soul as close to
God as possible. The most important aim was
the cultivation of elevated, sublime feelings
and sentiments, which do not need the
support of persons, resources and favourable
circumstances. In whatever circumstances
one may be placed, the mental make-up has
to be so moulded that it may be possible to
visualize the deeper reality beneath the
facade of superficial phenomenon. It is then
that one feels immense joy and bliss and is
able to see and visualize the presence of God
everywhere.
Those who have an occasion to read my
book ‘Companions in Solitude’ (Suns³n-ke-
Sahacar) must have understood how one can
have the experience of Sat, Cit and Ânanda
by living a divinely inspired life. This is also
a siddhi. I always remain deeply absorbed
in happiness and bliss like God living in
Heaven, although apparently I am leading
an ordinary life of the world. .
(Footnotes)
∗
The year of writing this biography (around
1984)
July-Aug 2006
The monkeys of Kashi are
considered very wicked. There is
an anecdote connected with them
which was often recounted by
Swami Vivekanand. He would
say: “Once I was going to a place
in Kashi. The area on the way was
infested with monkeys who were
quite notorious for tormenting the
passers-by. They behaved in the
same way with me too, as they
presumably, did not like my
intrusion into their territory.
With shrill shrieks they descended
upon me and started biting at my
legs. It seemed impossible to get
rid of them. I fled the place, but
alas! The more I ran, the more the
wicked monkeys would chase and
bite me. Suddenly, an unfamiliar
voice rang in my ears: “Do not
run away, confront. I halted in
my tracks, stood erect resolutely
and uttered a severe scolding. The
monkeys, taken aback, ran away”.
Life has its share of adversities and
challenges. We all have to face
them boldly and squarely.
43

Daivº® dhiya® man³mahe sum—úk³mabhiÌtaye
Varchodh³® yajóav³hasa œ sutºrth³ no asadvaïe.
- Yajurveda 4/11
We aspire for the divine intellect, which gives joyous
illumination and ensures completion of the yajóa.
May that intellect be in our possession!
Who can be a
True Visionary ?
dense rain-bearing clouds. In other words,
only he who can dare to dream of a glorious
future cutting through the forbidding pall of
dense darkness of hopelessness can be a true
visionary. This requires an integration of a
bold and imaginative mind and a subtle
discriminative faculty. Indeed, we all have
an imaginative mind and indulge in fantasies

T o be a visionary is to acquire the ability

to look far ahead into time and glimpse
the future. This ability is a gift of that divine
all the time. Sometimes, in our world of
imaginations we become a billionaire,
sometimes a record breaker in academic
intellect which assesses its potentials and
pursuits, another times a famous scientist or
weaves a dream around it. This very dream
even the Prime Minister of the country. The
is the goal of our life; it charts our paths and
highly fertile mindscape is always a
takes us in the right direction. In those who
kaleidoscope of colourful imaginations.
have this ambition, a unique capability
develops. They are able to perform such
The reason behind such a state of mental
deeds, as others cannot even imagine. Their
jumble is that our imagination is not tempered
vision acquires the power to penetrate the mist
with the subtle power of discrimination. Only
of the present and perceive the future clearly.
when the two faculties are harmonized do
they create a composite and focused dream –
If you feel an urge to become someone like
a dream which is not a vent for repressed and
this, it is just natural. In fact, absence of such
unfulfilled desires but a correct reflection of
a feeling would be a cause of worry because
the dormant divine qualities within. An
that would be a sign of inertness. If there is
illustration of this may be found in the life of
any hint of this inertness, get rid of it, and
the President of India, Dr. A.P.J.Abdul Kalam.
take steps in the direction of becoming a
Once a child enquired of him whether he had
visionary. For this, the first thing to do is to
read the Mahabharat. The President replied in
cherish lofty aims and ideals. What should
the affirmative. The child asked again who
be the type of these ideals may be gleaned
among its many characters appealed to him
from the sayings of Gurudev. According to
the most. Everybody knows that the multi-
him, only he is a believer who can clearly
dimensional characters of the great epic reflect
visualize the dazzling sun of a summer noon
almost the entire spectrum of human nature.
in a dark and stormy night sky filled with
The President, who understood the

44 July-Aug 2006
quintessence of the Mahabharat replied that he
was very much impressed with the character
of Vidur. “Why?” was the next query of the
child. The President explained: “Because
Vidur opposed the wrongs of those in
authority and dared to raise his voice of
dissent when all other stalwarts like Pitamah
Bhisma, Acharya Drona and Karna had
surrendered themselves to the whims of the
persons in power”. This reply of the President
subsumed his own dream, which was the
product of an imaginative mind and subtle
discriminative knowledge – the dream of
sculpting his own character in the mould of
Mahatma Vidur. Let us ask ourselves whether
we can dream such sublime dreams? We must
dream of being the best, the noblest, the most
sublime, and never allow petty thoughts and
ideas to dominate the mind. Whatever we
want to become – a scientist, an officer, or an
artist – we should add one more aspect to that,
and that is cultivation of the noblest character.
To realize this exalted dream, four steps need
be taken. The first is the step of a runner. It
means that you should have the energy and
spirit of a runner who is committed and
determined to show his skill and ability. The
second step is that of a warrior. It is generally
observed that a player feels elated at success,
but failure gives him disappointment. With a
warrior, however, it is not so. His very motto
is “a soldier never quits till death”. Valiant
struggle and super-human bravery in spite of
numerous wounds – this is the message of the
life of a great warrior.
The third step is that of the ruler. This is
the stage when we have realized our vision
of life, have actualized the dream we saw.
All that we had desired, all that we had
cherished is now in the palm of our hand.
Life is at its apogee; now there is only to
savour this experience. But the one
attendant problem, invariably found at this
stage, is that after having reached here
people become egoist. Lest we become one,
there is the fourth and last step – the step of
a great man. Like a true saint, we should
share our glories and accomplishments with
others. We should go to those who need
us. We should reach out to every door and
every home, and help them, too, to realize
their dreams. May their lives, too, be
permeated with fragrance, may spring
breeze come to their lives too – this should
be our prayer of LOVE IN ACTION.

Noted Hindi poet Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’ once cautioned an upcoming scholar
in his field – “Do you know what human life without noble ideals is? It is like a
boat without a boatman or whose boatman is fast asleep. Also remember that the
ocean of life is full of treacherous tides and storms. Thus, devoid of high ideals, the
boat of life is bound to flounder and sink in the turbulent waters of this illusory
world.”

July-Aug 2006 45
Amrit Vani
The Grandeur and Glory of Guru-Tatva -II
(Translation of a discourse in Hindi on “Guru-tatva Kº Mahim³ Aur Garim³” Delivered by Rev. Gurudev
Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya on Guru Purnima, 1981 -Continued from previous issue)
T he history of the world testifies that it is
a handful of eminent personalities who
shaped the fate of any society or nation in a
given period of time. For example, if you
remove the great saints, sages, reformers,
patriotic leaders and other great personalities
from the history of India, what will remain
there?
Our precious heritage and glorious history,
which we feel so proud of, is in fact the history
of the jewels of personalities. They might not
have been learned or talented people, but such
was the radiance of their character, the aura
of their personalities, that mighty crowns and
sparkling treasures and magnificent talents
were voluntarily offered at their feet. Their
nobility could rule over the hearts of the
masses. Our divine culture, our majestic glory,
our crowing history, our lovable nation is a
creation, a gift, of the angelic personalities like
– the Rishis of Vedic Age, Lord Buddha, King
Harishchandra, Adi Shankaracharya, Mahatma
Gandhi, Swami Vivekanand, etc.
I was telling you that ïraddh³ is the source of
inculcation of divine virtues in the personality.
Ïraddh³ means unflinching faith, intrinsic belief
in and devotion for divine ideals and virtues.
The inner force of ïraddh³ makes one so firm
and strong from within that nothing can
perturb him from the chosen path of high
46
ideals. It induces new strength and radiance
in his personality and makes him worthy of
divine grace and virtues. The ïakti of Sri
Ramkrishna Paramhans was bestowed upon
Vivekanand because the latter deserved it; or,
in other words, because his personality had
that magnetism to attract the divine force. The
saints, the siddhas, bless the devotees and
disciples according to their worthiness.
Ïraddh³ – to the extent of total surrender (of
self-identity) before the noble Guru is the main
criteria for the disciple’s spiritual elevation.
The lives of the noble gurus – great rishis, sages
and saints themselves stand as testimonies of
absolute ïraddh³ in divine disciplines and
ideals. My divine Guru (angelic rishi from the
Himalayas) had beatified my life on the
auspicious Vasant Panchami day in 1926. If you
find any siddhi in me, it is all because of my
ïraddh³, my unconditional dedication to the
noble ideals and duties set before me by
him…. Every breath of mine, every moment
of my life is devoted to his work.
If you have come here with an aspiration for
divine blessings or some siddhis, I must tell you
that you first refine your personality, because
this is an essential prerequisite for spiritual
progress. And ïraddh³ gives perennial support,
enlightenment and strength to march along
this path. Ïraddh³ can transform a stone-idol
July-Aug 2006
into a guru, into a manifestation of God. You
must have heard of the story of Ekalavya in
Mahabharat. He had mastered archery under
the ‘guidance’ of the idol of Guru
Dronacharya. It was his ïraddh³ in
Dronacharya that enabled his rigorous
training on his own as perfect as though he
had had live guidance from Guru
Dronacharya, in spite of the fact that they lived
far away from each other…
It was the ïraddh³ of Sri Ramkrishna
Paramhans that invoked the divine power of
Goddess Mahakali in Her idol enshrined in
the Dakshineshwar temple. It was the same
Mahakali Idol before whom Vivekanand used
to forget that he had come to pray for a job,
for the wellbeing of his family and what not;
such was the sublime force of Mahakali
awakened by the ïraddh³ of his guru that all
his worldly worries were wiped out from his
memory and he used to pray only for pure
knowledge and devotion. Uncountable
number of devotees might have worshiped
Lord Krishna, but it was only because of
Mirabai’s absolute ïraddh³ that Sri Krishna had
turned deadly poison into an ineffective drink;
dreaded snake into a flower garland. You
might have seen five idols of Omnipotent
Goddess Gayatri enshrined at the major
centers of our mission. These are not ordinary
idols, which anyone can buy from a good
sculpture. Dedicated s³dhan³s have been
performed here with deep ïraddh³ before the
pr³ña pratiÌÚh³ (spiritual sacrament of
enshrinement).
Needless to say that the real test of one’s
ïraddh³ lies in how readily one sacrifices one’s
worldly interests, comforts, etc, and faces the
July-Aug 2006
challenges, hardships and adversities to
uphold the high ideals, altruistic duties and
virtuous values. This is how ïraddh³ leads to
attainment of supernormal potentials (siddhis).
I have experienced it myself. Let me tell you
humbly that it is the miracle of my ïraddh³ for
divine disciplines and ideals, that no one has
gone back ‘empty-handed’ from here. It is the
power of ïraddh³ that has infused the
beatitudeous light of supreme divine force of
Mother Gayatri in me. My Guru had guided
me to adopt rigorous tapa with devout
disciplines for twenty-four years. Such were
the ascetic disciplines of self-restraint that
looking at my diet, my mother was driven to
tears, she herself did not eat a single morsel
of any sweet during that long duration. It was
my ïraddh³ that provided all the courage and
strength to march ahead along the chosen path
of s³dhan³, despite several adversities,
challenges and testing moments on personal,
familial and social fronts of my life. This is
how my Gayatri Mantra (japa) became so
beatifying and miraculously powerful.
If you want something from me, you will also
have to make some efforts, bear some burden.
I can’t give you anything you don’t deserve,
because it will hamper your own (soul)
elevation. I care for your all-round welfare
and therefore advise and guide you to follow
certain disciplines, earnestly perform your
duties and sincerely adopt the path of s³dhan³.
Samarth Guru Ramdas had tested Shivaji on
several occasions and bestowed on him
enormous power to make this disciple of his a
Maratha King of immortal glory only after he
had passed the tests. Once he asked Shivaji to
get fresh milk of a Lioness. He created a
Lioness in the nearby forest by his spiritual
47
powers. Shivaji was firm in his devotion to
the Guru and unflinching in his obedience; he
put his own life at stake and brought the milk
of this Lioness, which was the only one he
found, feeding her cubs in that forest. Similar
was the case of King Dilip. Guru Vashishtha
appeared before this disciple in the form a
panther and attacked the cows of his Ashram,
which he had asked Dilip to take care of. Dilip
offered himself to the panther to save the
cows. That very moment Guru Vashishtha
appeared in his original form and blessed this
worthy disciple with divine knowledge.
Ïraddh³ cultivates the seeds of devout
dedication and devotion in the disciple. It
means firm establishment in the inner mind
of feeling of sacrifice for great ideals, moral
principles and values. It is said that – “Bh³vo
Hi Vidyate Dev³ Tasm³t Bh³vo Hi K³rañam”;
meaning – God appears in the purity and depth
of the sentiments (of ïraddh³). There is only
one ‘fee’ (essential prerequisite) of finding
God or divine grace and siddhis, and that is –
ïraddh³ for the Guru, for the Inner Light of
the soul. Guru is said to be Brahma; that
implies that our Super Consciousness is our
Guru. My existence is fully devoted to that.
Guru is referred in our scriptures as the trinity
God – Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh; which means
that Guru represents the Light, the divine
force of the Omniscient God. Its light in our
inner self inspires in us every enlightened
sentiment or thought, every noble action, and
condemns every wrongdoing, every vice of
ours. Ïraddh³ is a sublime medium of
awakening this indwelling Guru. To
whomsoever your ïraddh³ is devoted that
person or object is your Guru. Note that, a
48
human being could also have negative
qualities; but ïraddh³ is (or should be, by
definition) focussed upon the positive ones,
on virtuous tendencies only. If your ïraddh³ is
true, your Guru would become a source of
inspiration for your elevation.
If you regard me as your Guru, then sincerely
practice to engage your mind and
consciousness in nurturing thoughts and
feelings of virtuous tendencies, good qualities,
divine sentiments whenever and wherever
you remember me or see my picture. This is
an excellent practice, which would gradually
awaken your Super-Consciousness. My picture
or memory would only be a symbol required
for focussing your ïraddh³.
The action of a disciple devoting his ïraddh³
to the Guru results in corresponding effects
of many-fold grandeur. A disciple had deep
ïraddh³ for his guru. He even used to worship
this guru and collect the water after washing
the latter’s feet. He used to distribute this
oblation water as “prashaad” to the patients
suffering from different kinds of ailments.
Amazingly, people used to get relief from
their pains and sufferings from this ‘magical’
water. Slowly, the news reached the guru
himself; so he began to wash his own feet and
proudly distribute the water to treat the
patients and other aspirants. But the water did
no magic. So, you see! It was not the water,
rather the ‘sublime effect’ of the disciple’s
ïraddh³ that worked in the first case. Whereas
in the second case there was only the water;
how will it have any effect?
Ïraddh³ is the life-force of spirituality; it is the
backbone of spiritual endeavors. Be that
July-Aug 2006
simple devotional practice or a rigorous
s³dhan³, every effort is nothing more than any
other activity if the devotee lacks in ïraddh³.
There is no possibility of spiritual attainments
without ïraddh³. The level, depth and focus of
your ïraddh³ reflect your intrinsic character
and spirituality. If you have respect for your
own being, for your inner self, then you are
indeed what your ïraddh³ is for yourself.
Contrary would be the case if you don’t have
any ïraddh³ for your own being; for your own
life. So you must set some value system for
your self and refine and test yourself for
elevation of your ïraddh³ (for yourself and for
higher ideals). As I have repeatedly told you,
a noble guru will bless his disciple according
to the latter’s ïraddh³ in his own devotion and
for the values and disciplines prescribed by
the guru.
All that I could do – right from completing
the s³dhan³ of Gayatri Mahapurscharans,
translating the entire Vedic Literature, writing
of several thousand books, to the launching
of Yug Nirman Yojna, organization of global
Gayatri Pariwar and the establishment of five
main centers and twenty-four hundred
Shaktipeethas, etc – is because of the grace of
my Guru. It happened because I surrendered
myself to his directions (kariÌye vachana® tava);
to perform the duties and the tasks assigned
by my noble Guru.
I would also like to inform you all that the
dawn of God’s new incarnation is already on
the horizon. As you know, divine incarnations
descend on this earth to eliminate the evils
and adversities of that time and to initiate the
revival of divine order. Their manifestations
occur as per the needs of the times. The first
July-Aug 2006
phase of incarnation for Kaliyug took place
about twenty-five hundred years ago, in the
form of Lord Buddha. Buddha’s incarnation,
as the name indicates, was for enlightenment
of intellect. The successive phases of divine
transformation of this era (Kaliyug) have
resulted in enlightenment of specific realms
of the subtle world to make possible the
complete manifestation in the last phase. This
time the incarnation is not going to be in any
human form. The light of God is going to be
manifested as the grace of Ritambhar³ Pragy³
in the minds and hearts of the people to
remove the “crisis of faith”.
Ritambhar³ Pragy³ (spiritually enlightened
pure intellect endowed with divine ïraddh³)
is the power of Gayatri. That is why I refer
Her as Yug Shakti (the divine force of
transformation of the era). Gayatri is not only
the Goddess worshiped in India. It is a
universal force. Its grace is going to spread
across the globe. Its revolutionary flow has
begun with the Vichar Kranti Abhiyan of our
mission. The microfilm of the new world order
and the brighter era ahead is encoded in the
Gayatri Mantra. This is the mantra for all
human beings. The seed of sublime
transmutation of mind and heart is hidden in
it. If you have faith in this mantra then,
together with doing Gayatri S³dhan³, you
should also march along with me in the Yug
Nirman Yojana to usher in the New Era (Sat
Yug). I can visualize the dawn of the New
Era. In this respect, I call myself a “cock”. The
cocks crow in the early hours of the morning
before sunrise and inform the world about the
advent of dawn. I am also likewise attempting
to awaken you all and the entire world at
these moments of grand transformation.
49
The Brahmvidy³ (the eternal, cosmic
knowledge) of Gayatri is to be disseminated The sage’s hut was on the outskirts
around the world. I need your cooperation in of the village. Almost every
this gigantic task. The Rameshwaram Bridge
was built and the Gowardhan Mountain was evening, the villagers came there
lifted by collective efforts of devoted souls, and listened to the sage’s religious
without any tools or resources. God has
discourse. When the time would
bestowed that opportunity upon all of you.
Divine Will for transformation of the era will come for evening prayers, some
not wait for your cooperation; it will be naughty youngsters from the
accomplished as per the Divine Plan. But, if
you don’t awaken and bear your share of village would descend upon the
responsibilities, there will remain nothing but hut and convert the place into a
repentance for you if you miss the chance. You
noisy chat-house. From time to
may begin with self-refinement and offer your
altruistic contribution in the form of your time they would tease the sage and
efforts, talents, time, labor, or other resources, take pot-shots at him. This routine
as per your capability. Your tiny but
determined and devoted effort in this
continued for some months, but
direction would be your Guru-Dakshina (an not once did the rishi showed
expression of the disciple’s ïraddha for the
anger or irritation. Indeed, he
Guru) today.
would often participate in their
I want you to present your Guru-Dakshina to me tittle-tattle and laugh with them.
by dissemination of the divine knowledge of
Gayatri to every house, every person. I have
When, even after prolonged
the ‘medicine’ to cure the faith-crisis, the vices efforts, the boys failed to make him
and worries; you just become the tools to ‘inject’
angry, they felt remorseful. They
this medicine in people’s minds and hearts. I
have the Light, you become the torch-bearers begged his forgiveness and asked:
to illuminate the world. I hope your ïraddha will “Mahatman (great soul)! We
inspire and enable you to devote yourselves to
this assignment given by the Yug Devata.
deliberately tried to tease and vex
you. But not even once did you
I wish you all the best. May the Almighty bless get annoyed or lose temper”. The
you all with ïraddha that will ensure your
spiritual well-being and elevation. Let us pray sage replied: “Son, if I had got
for the welfare and enlightenment of all angry myself, how could have I
beings.
|| OM SHANTI ||
taught you anything?”

50 July-Aug 2006