Diwali as Celebrated by Pujya Bapuji

‘A true Vaishnava is one whose heart bleeds for others.’
Pujya Bapuji is sympathetic to the poor, grief-stricken, underprivileged and tribal people. His heart melts for such people and Diwali for Him is an occasion to get bhandārās arranged for them. Bapuji Himself conducts many bhandārās. The ashram organized bhandārās at many places but Pujya Bapuji himself was present at Reodar, Distt. Sirohi (Rajasthan), Gogunda, dist. Udaipur and Kotra, dist. Udaipur (Raj.). Thousands of gloomy faces were lit up with gifts of love like every year, brothers and sisters were provided with new clothes, utensils, sweets and cash on the occasion of Diwali. Bapuji’s arribal means it is Diwali… and Diwali means Bapuji has come! ‘Aapna Bapuji, Pyaare pyaare Baapji’ (Our Bapuji, our beloved Bapuji) was seen on the lips of the poor, illiterate and helpless people of this region, who experienced blessedness blessedness in the spontaneous, loving and consoling presence of Bapuji and were imparted with the keys to lead a wise, healthy and happy life. The sdhakas too experienced a sense of satisfaction in serving the poor. They satisfied the hunger of all by distributing food Prasad.
While on the one hand, people were engrossed in celebrating Diwali with their own friends, kith and kin, the compassion incarnate Pujya Bapuji, on other had, was bringing into practice the lofty ideal of ‘Service to man is service to God’ in the midst of poor tribals. How unique a saint is Bapuji! Blessed are such great souls!

Self-realization day at Chandigarh Ashram, 1st October:

Birthdays are celebrated many times for many people, but Self-realization day is celebrated for a rare great soul established in the Absolute, whose erroneous identity with the lower Self has been completely eradicated. The opportunity to have the darshan of one such great soul, Pujya Bapuji, fell into the lap of the people of Chandigarh. As soon as Pujyshree arrived at Chandigarh Ashram, the Ashram premises were swarmed by devotees from Punjab and other adjacent states. Pujya Bapuji enlightened people on the importance of Self-realization, the highest achievement that can ever be had in human life, and with efficacious techniques to attain to it. All present were overjoyed at receiving the gift of darshan and satsang of Pujya Bapuji.

Bareilly (Uttar Pradesh), 5th (evening) and 6th October: On Pujya Bapuji’s first ever visit to Bareilly Ashram, the Ashram was nicely decorated with garlands, festoons of flowers and leaves, and other auspicious objects. The moment Pujya Bapuji set foot in the Ashram permeating the atmosphere with His divine aura, the Ashram was found reverberating with spirited and exuberant hailing chants. A large number of devotees availed themselves of satsang and pious vibrations of the holy saint.

Badaun (Uttar Pradesh), 7th October: Acceding to the request of people of Budaun, Pujyashree gave one stasang session at place. The sādhakas had very little time to publicise the satsang programme; yet the message spread like wild fire and the surging crowds proved the sitting arrangements to be woefully inadequate. Many lovers of God and the Guru imbibed the nectar of Pujya Bapuji’s darshan and satsang in standing position.

Ujhani (Uttar Pradesh), 7th October (11 AM to 1 PM): Pujyashree inaugurated the newly constructed cottage at Ujhani and delivered satsang.

Chandausi (Uttar Pradesh), 7th October (4 PM to 6 PM): Unmindful of physical fatigue, Pujyashree delivered a session of satsang here and gladdened the hearts of people. This was Bapuji’s first ever visit to the newly constructed Ashram at Chandausi.

Pujya Bapuji said, “Mercy is God’s nature. He never espies anybody’s weaknesses or shortcoming. Everybody is his own and He is ever engaged in the good of all. If you get united with God, you will never be wanting in bliss.”

As Bapuji prepared to finish His discourse and gave indications of leaving for Muradabad, the sādhakas pleaded, “A little more Bapu!” but due to paucity of time, Bapuji had to leave putting the congregation on chants of Lord’s name. a mere 45 minutes discourse cast a spell on the people. The Ashram was set up at this place ten years ago and the devotees here had been waiting for Pujya Gurudev’s vist with monumental patience akin to that of Shabari, the queen of devotees. Their takpasyā was rewarded on this pious day.

Moradabad (Uttar Prades), 8th and 9th October: The long cherished wish (murad) of people of Moradabad was fulfilled in the evening of 7th October when Pujyashree arrived at the Ashram at Rasoolpur (Moradabad) and bestowed the gift of darshan and satsang on people.

On 8th October, a huge crowd gathered at Company Bagh here to listen to Pujya Bapuji’
s satsang. Bapuji began the satsang with a question, “what is the strongest thing in the world?” after citing many things to test the people, He gave His answer and said, “The strongest thing is samkalpa (will, volition, thought). And all the power of Samkalpa originates from the Eternal, the Pure Consciousness. Having concentrated his mind on one’s real self, if in addition, one cultivates three things, one will be successful in finding miraculous powers, bliss and in unraveling mysteries. The three things are – Knowledge of, Love for and repose in the Lord.”

Interpreting life as the amalgam of happiness and sorrow, Bapuji laid stress on steering clear of pessimism. ‘Pessimism brings premature old age,’ He said. ‘

Different newspapers of Uttar Pradesh – Amar Ujala, Dainik Jagaran, Rashtriya sahara, aaj, Zed express, Voice of Lucknow, Shah Time etc. – open-heartedly covered Bapuji’s satsang with photographs and with due prominence. In doing this they earned the people’s gratitude.

Shrad Puunima celebrations, Faridabad (Haryana), 12th to 14th October (morning): on the very first day of the two and a half day satsang programme for Sharad Purnima, the giant pandāl at the dussehra Ground here proved too small before the surging crowds of devotees. Elaborating on the importance of Sharad Purnima, Pujyashree said, “The rays of the Moon shower a king of nectarine radiation on the night of Sharad Purnima. Therefore, one should peepare khir and before eating, keeps it exposed to the rays of the Moon for some time. Mixing a particular hearbal medicine in the khir is beneficial to asthma available free of change to asthma patients.” This herbal medicine was made available free of charge to ashmaj patients at the satsang site and Ashrams; and arrangements were also made for administering it properly.

Sharad Purnima celebrations at amdavad Ashram, 14th October (evening): after concluding the satsang programme at Faridabad, Pujya Bapuji arrived at Amdavad ashram, where Poonam Vratadhāris from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan etc. had been eagerly waiting for His darshan. In the evening, Pujyashree bestowed the gift of darshan and satsang to the devotees.

Pujyashree came to the Ashram once again in the night and three arrived the moment, for which everybody had been waiting for so many days – the expansive Sabarmati banks… Moon, the god of the mind, spreading her soft, cool, white and nectarine light… Pujya Bapuji, the presiding deity of sādhakas’ hearts spreading the divine nectar of Grace…the external nectar of nature and the internal nectar of nature and the internal nectar of Knowledge and meditation…… who can forget those moments? Such moments have great meaning and significance and are imprinted in their memory forever.

Sensing the wish of devotees to have a close darshan of Pujya Bapuji, Pujya Bapuji came in the midst of devotees and thus proved by example that the saints are aptly compared to the wish yielding tree.

As these devotees, the darlings of the Lord and the Guru, got up from satsang with their hearts satiated, the ashram sevādārs were waiting for them with the khir nourished by Moon-ryas for satiating their physical needs. It was a rare synthesis of devotion, meditation, Knowledge and karma-yoga for the devotees.

Jagadguru shankaracharya Jayendra Saraswati Maharaj of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetha arrived at amdavad Ashram on the evening of 19th October, in the presence of Pujya Bapuji. His boundless love for Pujya Bapuji pulled him here in spite of His busy schedule. Thousands of sādhakas were blessed to witness those moments of union between the two saints.

Pujya Bajpuji is an idol of love. Shankaracharyaji’s arrival showed the love and respect which all the saint throughout India had for Pujyashree. According a warm welcome to him, Pujyashree said, “This institution belongs to you, and you are welcome to your institution.”

Shankaracharyaji had graced the ashram once even in the absence of Pujya Bapuji; and he was overjoyed by the atmosphere over here. While recollecting that day, Pujyashree further said, “Had you not considered this ashram as your own, you would not have shown the benevolence of visiting it even in my absence.”

While addressing the mammoth gathering in the satsang-pandāl, Shankarachayaji said, “Bapuji is a saint who is a personification of the Brahman, one experiences elevation in life just by His darshan. Bapuji’s teaching have transformed the lives of crores of people in India and abroad and they abroad and they are treading the path of spiritual unfoldment.

The Theory of the Three Humours

‘For good health, it is necessary to take foods that pacify the Dosha dominant in your constitution.’
(Charak Samhita Sutrasthan: 7.4)

Those with Vata constitution, if they continue to take Vāta increasing gods, fall prey to Vāta-born diseases. Similarly, those with Pitta and Kapha constitutions develop Pitta-born and Kapha-born diseases respectively, if they go on taking respectively Pitta and Kapha increasing foods. Therefore one should take foods alleviating the Dosha dominant in one’s constitution.

Vāta increasing foods: barley, great millet, maize, Amaranthus Polygamus, moth ( a kind of pulse), lentils, grams, peas, pigeon gourds, Ribel Luffa, coccinia Granais, cluster beans,, arbi, potatoes, cucumbers, water melons, black berry, guava, water chestnut, pears, sugarcane and honey.

Vāta pacifying foods: saathi rice, wheat, pearl millet, kidney beans, horse gram, seasame seeds, Bathua, Boerhavia diffusa, Trichosanthes Dioica, poi, fresh radish, sweet gourd, horse radish, Leptadenia Reticulate, lady’s fingers, carrots, turnips, walnuts, cashew nuts, almonds, pistachios, chilgoza, Culapa Almonz, raisins (with or without stones), dates, figs, Grewia Asiatica) Aegle Marmelos, mangoes, sweet plums, Melica Limonium, orange, banana, mulberry, grapes, coconut, apples, musk-melons, custard apple, lichi, papaya, tamarind, jack-fruit garlic, onion, ginger, dried ginger asafoetida, kings cumin, aniseed, cumin seeds, pepper, fenugreek, nutmeg, cardamom, cinnamon, , saffron, rose; sesame, mustard and castor oil; milk of cow, buffalo and goat and fresh curd, buttermilk and butter make therefrom.

Pitta increasing foods: Pearl millet, kidney beans, horse gram, sesame, mustard, ripe radish and cucumber, horse radish, amorphophallus, carrots, potatoes, arbi, walnuts, cashew nuts, almonds, pistachios, chilgoza, Cullapa Almonz, Aegle Marmelos, citrus fruits, ginger, kings cumin, aniseed, garlic, onions, pepper, fenugreek, sesame and mustard oil, buttermilk.

Pitta pacifying foods: Rice, barley wheat jwar, maize, green gram, Amaranthus Polygamus, moth, lentils, grams, peas, pigeon pea, Chaulai, bitter gourd, Bathua, Boerhavia diffusa (spreading hogweed), Trichosanthes Dioica, poi, spinach, cabbage, sweet gourd, bottle gourd, Ribbel luffa, cucumbers (with or without stones), dates, figs, Grewia asiatica, indigenous variety of mangoes, black berry, pomegranates, mulberry, grapes, sweet lemon, coconut, apples, water chestnuts, melons, guava, custard apple, jack-fruit, limes, coriander (fresh as well as seeds), cumin seeds, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, poppy seeds, rose, honey, sugarcane, milk, ghee, old jaggery, butter and sugar candy.

Kapha increasing foods: Kidney beans, sesame, mustard, poi, bottle gourd, Ribble luffa, cucumbers, lady’s fingers, walnuts, cashew nuts, almonds, pistachios, chilogoza, Cullapa Almonz, raisins (not seedless variety), bananas, apples water chestnuts, pineapple, guava, custard apple, lichi, Prunus Domestica, jack-fruit, sugarcane, milk of white cow or buffalo, curd if not properly curdled, ghee, butter and sugar candy.

Kapha pacifying foods: saathi rice, barley, jwar, pearl millet, maize, Amaranths polygamous, green gram, moth, horse gram, lentils, grams, peas, pigeon pea, beans, Chaulai, bitter gourd, Bathua, Boerhavia Diffusa, Trichosanthes Dioica, spinach, radish, cauliflower, cabbage, horse radish flower and pods, tinda, brinjal, amorphophallus, carrots, turnips, Leptadenia Reticulata, dates, Eagle Marmelos, black berry, Emblica Officinal is, chebulic myrobalan, sweet grapes and pomegranates, water melons, pappy, ginger, dried ginger, asafetida, kings cumins, aniseed, coriander (fresh as well as seeds) cumin seeds, garlic, black pepper, fenugreek, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom, cinnamon, saffron, poppy seeds, roses, sesame and mustard oil, honey, goat’s milk and curd, buttermilk, cow’s urine, one year old ghee and old jaggery.

The foods increasing the Dosha dominant in your constitution should be taken with restraint and with due consideration of your age, place, season, appetite and other factors.

Notes: 1. Sesame oil is best among Vāta pacifiers, cow’s ghee among Pitta pacifiers and honey among Kapha pacifier.
2. Water boiled and reduced to three fourth is good for pacifying Vāta, reduced to half is good for pacifying Pita and reduced to one fourth is good for pacifying Kapha.
3. Sweet, sour and salty foods pacify Vāta; bitter, astringent and sweet foods pacify Pitta; bitter, astringent and pungent foods pacify Kapha.
4. Rainy season increases Vāta; autumn increases Pitta; and spring increases Kapha. One should take due care accordingly.

‘Emblic myrobalan (Amla) is the best of fruits; amla (or the powder of dried amlas) is recommended for all men to be consumed in the beginning, middle and end of the meals.’

Under Pujya Bapuji’s guidance,
All India Baal Sanskar Kendra Conference
(10th January 2009)

An All India Baal Sanskar Kendra Conference will be held on the occasion of the Uttarayan Shivirfor bitter management and expansion of the Baal Sanskar Kendra drive. All Baal Sandkar Kendra teachers, trainers and office bearers will attend it.

Features:

a) Discussion regarding organization of Baal Sanskar Kendra conferences at regional and state levels.
b) Exchange of ideas on all aspects and activities of student’ development. (Training for Baal Sanskar Kendra and Shivirs).
c) Guidance regarding teachings to be imparted at Vidyarthi Ujjwal Bhavishya Nirman Shivirs and Baal Sanskar Kendras.
d) Selection of Shivir trainers from Baal Sanskar Kendras teachers.
e) Discussion on complaints and suggestion of existing Baal Sanskar Kendras teachers and Shivir trainers.
Fro further information contact:
Baal Sanskar Vibhag, Akhil Bhartiya Shri Yog Vedant Seva Samiti, Sant Shri Asaramji
Ashram, Amdavad.
Phone: (099) 39877749, 66115749.

The Miraculous Effect of Guru’s Grace and of Saraswatya Mantra

I am a physiotherapist by profession. I was not very bright as a student. In the tenth class, I got a mere 35 per cent marks in Maths and 58 per cent marks in Science. The school authorities refused to admit me to the Science group saying I could never become a doctor. Somehow, I cleared twelfth standard exams and got admitted to Bachelor of Physiotherapy (B.P.T.) course. It was a tough task and I found it very difficult to remember medical terms.

In the midst of these happenings, my good fortune took me to Pujya Bapuji’s satsangt in December 2004. I listened to the satsang very attentively and greatly impressed by Pujtyashri’s heart-reaching words, I took Diksha of Saraswatya mantra.

Thereafter, I started doing mantra-japa, meditation and Bharmari Pranayam etc. as directed by Pujya Bapuji. In just a few days, this had a miraculous result and my intellect became sharper and more astute with each passing day.

Even during my studies, I invented two wheel chairs highly useful in physiotherapy. The world-renowned Dr Ruri Cooper, who is known as ‘the father of wheel chair’ praised me heartily in a conference and said, “I too was thinking of doing something on these lines, but you have performed a virtual miracle.”

Of the many awards which I have received, the most important one is the national award from ‘National Research Development Corporation’ of Government of India with a cash prize of one lakh rupees. This is the first time ever that this prize was given to a physiotherapist. I have been heartily praised for this prize also because of the fact that all other awardees were P. H.D. and were highly experienced, whereas I got the award at a very young age. I attribute all these successes to Param Pujya Sant Shri Asaramji Bapu. All this is the miraculous effect of His grace.

Doctor Rahul Katyal Arjuna Nagar, Rohtak (Haryana).

A Beautiful Synthesis of Modern Education and Vedic Knowledge IN the peaceful and Divine Atmosphere of Sant Sri Asaramji Gurukul

Initiated, qualified and experienced candidates for the following posts are required by sant Sri Asaramji Gurukuls that have been established all over the country based on the ancient Gurukul system to impart spiritual and secular education to children: 1. Principals 2.Qualified and experienced teachers for all subjects as per CBSE syllabi in Hindi, English, Gujarati and Marathi medium.3. Wardens for hostels. Salary will be paid according to the candidate’s qualifications. In addition to the above, veteran professionals in the educational field (working or retired) are required to work as advisors. Interested sadhakas may send their applications at the below-mentioned address: Gurukul Central Management Committee,

Aant Shri Asaramji Gurukul, Sant shrui Asaramji Ashram, Sabarmati Amdavad-5

Cry from a Devotee’s Heart

O wretched sinner! O slanderer of the Guru!!
You will never find peace of mind
You will go to lowly forms,
And will suffer for countless births.
Cursed by so many hearts you are,
Indulging in violence and slander.
Bereft of devotion and love divine,
You will get only misery, pain and disquiet.
This Maya and ‘my-ness’ will be of no avail,
Nor will be wealth, fame and cute body.
Oblivious to equanimity,
Knowledge and meditation,
You will stumble at every step in life.
You have yourself opened
all doors of hell for you.
You will never be delivered.
Embellishing malice and ego,
You will always repent.
The life is transient,
Will always respect.
The life is transient,
Will vanish in no time.
Better it is to serve others
And worship the Lord.
If you waste the precious time
you will have to repent in the end.
The Guru is equanimous and a carefree giver,
Showering grace every moment.
Bereft of eternal wealth,
You will waste this life.
- Janaki Chandnani, Ahmedabad


‘Rishi Prasad’ Annual Conference

The annual All India conference of Rishi Prasad sevādārs will be held like every year at Amdavad Ashram after the Uttarayan Shivir i.e. on 16th January 2009. A workshop for sevādārs will also be organized. In the workshop, technical aspects, problems and suggestions will be discussed and information will be exchanged. Therefore, all sevādārs are requested to participate in the conference and provide the necessary cooperation towards more systematic and efficient propagation of Rishi Prasad.

Evil birds like Amrit Vaidya do get Others of the Same Feather to Flock Together

We don’t need to search for the devil, the beast the human and the God; all of them are present within us. We need only to recognize them.

Some people are plagued by the incurable disease of devilishness and beastliness. Such evil elements hurt the felling of devotees by slandering saints, who have attained oneness with God. Thus they continuously push themselves into the pit of degradation. They start believing that what they are doing is the best thing to do. And mired in such mistaken beliefs, they verily invite their downfall.


Such people can never make real spiritual progress in life. Even god cannot help them. For AmritVaidya of Vadodara, it was as if a morsel of food reached his lips but could not eat it. For some years, he had the benefit of the company and grace of Sant Sir Asaramji Bapu, who is as pure as gold and full of compassion for all beings. Yet this unworthy Vaidya gained nothing from this godsend and remained thirsty even though sitting near a pond of clean and sweet water.

He served the Ashram for a few years but this avaricious and lascivious Vaidya repeatedly indulged in acts that blemished his noble profession consequently he was expelled from the Ashram. Even then if Amrit Vaidya had mended his insolent and ignoble way and got busy with his profession, people would have forgotten his past misdeeds. But that was not to be. Birds of a feather flock together. Likeminded meet each other though living hundreds of kilometers away. Amrit Vaidya and his demoniac friends joined together in spitting at the sky. As a result, result, though it didn’t harm even a single hair on Pujya Bapuji’s body, it did vitiate the atmosphere and poison the minds of civilized society for a brief period. What did this Amrit Vaidya achieve other than earning ill fate for himself by making the vain, brazen attempt of biting the hand which held his own in order to elevate his life? There is a saying in Sanskrit meaning, ‘Calumniation of a saint deprives one of all means of wellbeing.’

Amrit Vaidya had come to the Ashram for service which also entitled him to the facilities at the Ashram. The Ashram never entered into any formal agreement with him of paying honorarium. He entered the Ashram in the name of service but he was not really altruistic. Fleecing the people was bad enough but he went further and by indecent behaviour with female patients visiting the Ashram, he disgraced the noble medical profession. He was warned an number of times; many times he expressed regret and sought forgiveness; many times he was given opportunity to mend his ways; but there was no change in his behavior and he didn’t give up wickedness and therefore, he was expelled from the Ashram.

Amrit Vaidya could not check in his avaricious and lascivious tendencies. He fleeced the patients, indecently touched up them… and finally he crossed all limits of meanness, and colluding with unscrupulous elements, leveled all kinds of false and baseless allegations against Pujya Bapuji to reach the zenith of ungratefulness. His wicked deeds naturally evoke the comments, “Dogs are better than this man for they never become unfaithful to one who feds them.”

‘The detractor of Lord Shiva or the Guru becomes a frog. He gets the same frog form for a thousand births.’
(Ram Cahrit Manas)

But God alone knows whether these words of Tulsidasji will have any effect on him.
Or will he get reformed by these words of Guru Arjandev?

‘The slanderer of the Saint is a brutal butcher. The slanderer of the Saint is cursed by the Lord. The hopes of the slanderer of the Saint are never fulfilled. The slanderer of the Saint departs disappointed.’

In case they don’t, such opponents of dharma and culture face the wrath of nature whether here in this life or in the next. Shame on such ungrateful people! Shame on such malicious men!
(Sushant Singh)

Given over to egoism, power, haughtiness, lust and anger, these malicious people hate
Me in their own bodies and those of others.

These cruel haters, the worst among men in the world, -I hurl all these evil-doers for ever into the wombs of demons only.

Entering into demoniacal wombs and deluded birth after birth, not attaining Me, they thus fall, O Arjuna, into a condition still lower than that!

(Srimad Bhagavad Gita-16: 18, 19, 20)

A National Saint, Asaramji Bapu is a Great Father, Guardian and Guide

Pujya Sant Shri Asaramji Bapu is a great personality. He belongs not to any particular place or region but to the country as a whole. He has not merely propagated Sanatana Dharma; he has given the benedictory teachings of peace, sādhanā and goodwill to the whole of mankind.

How can the compassionate saint, who is pained at the troubles of even a stranger, be harsh or uncaring towards children living in his Ashram? Great saints are always contentment incarnate, modesty incarnate and renunciation incarnate; they are mobile pilgrim centers, distributing Knowledge, samskāras and blessedness.

I have myself been to Bapuji’s Ashram at Motera, Amdavad. I have been greatly impressed by the altruistic activities going on there. Propagation and spread of education, protection of and service to cows, economical medical services based on Ayurveda, elaborate residential facilities for sādhakas while a small cottage for Bapuji’s own residence, satsang discourses and publications for spiritual uplift of the people; are some of the activities for general good and for propagation of Sanatana Dharma that the great saint of India and his followers are engaged in carrying on in many cities of the country through the media of Gurukuls and others.

The unfortunate incidents at tow Gurukuls of the revered saint can either be a pure accident or a heinous crime committed by malicious elements. Sant Shri Asaramji Bapu, his son Narayana Swami or any sadhaka of the Ashram has played absolutely no role in these incidents. Connection the incident to them or even suggestion there of is sinful.

Sant Shri Ashramji Bapu is making the country strong and powerful but forces interested in dividing the nation are always on the lookout for opportunities to foment trouble. All patriots should beware of such elements.

Therefore, I appeal to the news media to help maintain peace and stability and to live up to the glory of their prestigious occupation. Sant Shri Asramji Bapu is an of our nation. He is the guide to the country determined on general and the children in particular. Thanks.

Sant Shri Yudhishthir Lalji Head of Pujya Shadani Darbar Tirtha, Raipur (Chhatisgarh.)

Bapuji Was, Is and Will Ever Remain the Crest Jewel Among saints

My heart was pained to know of the vicious propaganda against Param Pujya Sant Shri Asaramji Bapu.

These calumkniators should be ashamed of themselves, maligning as they are a Self realized saint, the most illustrious among saints, the corner stone of Indian culture and its protector. It is a severe attack on our culture.

‘Whoever slanders a saint, invites misery.
Condemned to infernal regions and to the cycle of birth and death, he is never liberated.’

I am sure this vicious campaign will do no harm to the highly revered saint, but God alone knows the fate that awaits these detractors. The language that was used by the media regarding Bapuji was extremely outrageous and heart-rending. People with absolutely no standing started speaking all sort of nonsense and misleading things. But does it affect Bapuji? Does gold know any rusting?

Reverenced all over the world, Bapuji was, is and will ever remain the crest jewel amount satins. This vicious campaign has hurt the sādhakas gravely. There is no doubt that the distress and anguish of sādhakas’ hearts will destroy the detractors completely. The false, frivolous, misleading and malicious tirade launched against the saint, the king of millions of hearts as He is, is an attack on Indian culture. The demoniacal tāmasic men have forgotten that the truth triumphs in the end.

It is imperative for the Government to restrain these recalcitrant slanderers and Indian citizens too should oppose this false and mischievous campaign and save our eternal culture. To become a silent spectator of such things is a kind of cowardice.

We should give fitting reply to each and every attack on our culture so that nobody may dare to play with our culture and saints. Thousands of salutations at the feet of revered sadgurudev once again!

G S Rajpurohit Editor ‘Brahma Sarita’
(Monthly Gindi Magazine) Jaitpur, Distt. Pali (Rajasthan)

Extraordinary Personalities and Scholars Reflect upon Srimad Bhagavad-Gita

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

-Sri Aurobindo

From a clear knowledge of the Bhagavad-Gita all the goals o0f human existence become fulfilled. Bhagavad-Gita is the manifest quintessence of all the teachings of the Vedic scriptures

- Adi Sankara

When I read the Bhagavad-Gita and reflect about how God created this unversed everything else seems so superfluous.

-Albert Einstein

The Bhagavad-Gita calls on humanity to dedicate body, mind and soul to pure duty and not to become mental voluptuaries at the mercy of random desires and undisciplined impulses.

When doubts haunt me, when disappointments stare me in the face, and I see not one ray of hope on the horizon, I turn to Bhagavad-Gita and find a verse to comfort me, and I immediately begin to smile in the midst of overwhelming sorrow. Those who meditate on the Gita will derive fresh joy and new meanings from it every day. The Bhagavad-Gita Gita is my mother.

-Mahatma Gandhi

The reason why Gita is considered to be the supreme scripture of religion is that in it is a logical exposition of all the three yagas –Jnana, Karma and Bhakti. It has no parallel with any other scripture. Such an unprecedented religion and synthesis can be seen only in the Gita. I don’t think anybody at any place or time has done such a wonderful exposition of religion. Nowhere else in the world can one find such great and sublime spirit of devotion?

-Shri Bankimchandra Chattopdhyaya.

The Gita is one of the most authentic scriptures of Hindu philosophy and ethics. Should our youth study and contemplate even some selected verses of it, they would understand the religion of their ancestors. The lofty philosophy, art, literature and civilization inherited by us were developed only on the basis of the religion of our ancestors.

One can of course describe and also prove those subjects which are within the perimeters of human logic but faith and contemplation are required to understand those which transcend the logic of man.

The teaching of Gita is meant for the small and for the big, for people who are very busy and for those who have retired from the struggle of life. Undoubtedly, Gita is meant for all times.

-Shri Rajgopalachari

My heart and mind have both received more nourishment from the Gita than my body has from my mother’s milk. Where the heart is touched, there is no room for argument. Leaving logic behind; I beat the twin wings of faith and practice and to the best of my ability, fly up into the heavens of the Gita. The Gita is my life’s breath. I swim in the sea of the Gita when I speak of it; but when I am alone, I dive to the depths of this ocean of nectar and there rest at ease.

-Sant Vinobaji Bhave

Unfathomable and illimitable is the glory of Srimand Bhagavad Gita. This scripture is meant for the salvation of the whole of mankind. There is such uniqueness in this small-sized work that real seeker of one’s salvation whether he belongs to any varna, ashrama, nation, creed, belief etc., he is at once attracted by mere study of this treatise. If a man reads and grasps even a little from this sacred book, several satisfying disciplines or ways become available to him for his life’s fulfillment. Differently qualified persons are there for the study of respective systems of philosophy, but the unique significance of the Gita is that all the seekers of salvation are eligible to its study.

-Swami Ramasukhadasaji

Even in the moment of apocalypse, when the clouds are thundering fiercely, the oceans are overflowing, all the twelve suns are burning, mountains are colliding with each other still, no sense of duality prevails in the mind of an Enlightened one. For duality does not exist. Duality is perceived only by the ignorant.

Peace can only be attained by accepting the truth. Some people strive to achieve it through their competence. But competence, in itself, doesn’t suffice to bring peace; it can deliver the goods only when utilize properly enough. Many people seek peace through wealth. One cannot buy peace with wealth, but making good use of wealth can bring peace. Similarly, making good use of adversities can lead to peace.

The Cardinal and Supremely Beneficent Teaching

(The Diving Sage Narada’s Precepts to Shukadeva – Continued form issue 189)

One who keeps on trying never comes to grief. It is desirable for man that he should constantly strive for attainment of liberation and save his Self, the dearest one, from the cycle of old age, death, and disease. As the arrows shot by a strong bowman pierce the body of his opponent and cause pain, physical and mental ailments cause pain to living beings. Tormented continually by new desires and wishing for life, disgusting though it is, the hapless Java slides towards ruination and the body is constantly pounded in the process. The flowing stream, carrying with it straws and dry blades of grass, never comes back. In the same way, the flowing stream of time carrying with it the days and nights of lifespan of living beings never comes back.

Dark fortnight and bright fortnight unfailingly follow each other. The process doesn’t stop even for a moment and depletes the life of men moment by moment. The sun rising and setting at regular intervals gives rise to eternal flow of days and nights, which being ageless and deathless itself subjects death. The mighty time causes before our very eyes events, which had never even been imagined earlier the living beings, wealth, and other things, which were befo9re our eyes are nowhere to be seen the yesterdays have taken them along. Had there been no law of karma or fate, man could have done whatever he wanted. Even intelligent, astute, and continent men are seen to meet failures in life that, are miserable and poor. On the other hand, veritable fools, dim-witted men devoid of all virtue and the lowest of the low are found to be full of wealth and happiness though they are disapproved by noble and righteous men. Similarly, a great many people, who are ever engaged in killing animals etc. and in cheating others, such fallen people too pass their lives in peace and happiness. You will find slothful men who don’t make any effort at earning wealth; yet wealth flows to them as if self-propelled. And then there are many other who toil and struggle day and night but fail to attain wealth. Some noble and affluent men try all kind of things to beget offspring so that they have successors to their ligancy, but their wishes are not fulfilled. Their wives fail to conceive. On the other hand there is no dearth of licentious men, who indulge in unbridled sex and shrink from the thought of their paramours becoming pregnant. They fear pregnancy in much the same way as mean fears a snake. Ironically, such people become parents of healthy long-living sons, much against their wishes.

a) The time once lost can never be retrieved. Utilize every moment of your life in pursuit of realizing the Self, attaining God and thereby salvation. We should utilize the senses, mind, intellect, the facilities and conveniences that we have been endowed with to get rid of our desire for sensuous pleasures and nurture love for the Lord. (‘The Blesings’ – A book published by the ashram)

The Greatest Benefactor

(Excerpts from the satsang of Pujya Bapuji)
Maharshi Vasishtha, Guru of Lord Rama said, “Rama! Kingdom and royal riches are attained only when one fights doggedly in the battle and wins. Victory is not attained by uttering the word ‘victory’.”

Can you become a king by repeatedly saying, ‘May I be victorious and become a king’? You can’t. if you want to become a king, you have to wage and win a war. You have to struggle in order to attain royal riches. Same is the case with spiritual riches; you have to struggle in order to attain them. One shouldn’t be chicken-hearted. The weaker you are, the more miserable you become and the more you are troubled. Whatever you want to attain, sincerely endeavor for it. If you want to attain God-realization, make constant endeavors in that direction. If you want to realize God, can you do so by being averse to the scriptures and to the Guru?

Similarly, if you want to attain Knowledge of Brahman, you will succeed only if you make constant endeavors taking on all the difficulties that come your way. I had decided upon a forty-day anushthāna. In between, my relations came and begged me to return home. My mother was in tears and so was her daughter-in-law. The entire village joined in their wailing but my decision was firm. I would not leave before the completion of those forty days. If you have decided on a 100-day anushthāna, why should you reduce it to 99 days? You must carry it on to 100 days. You start doing some devotional practice, abandon it after two days and start another… no, this is not the way. Perseverance is an essential element of devotion.

Maharshi Vasishtha says, “Rama! Neither the father, mother and friends nor pilgrimages, sacrifices and other merits can bring the good which can be brought by frequently reflecting over my teachings.”

Yes, the good that ensues from repeatedly reflecting over the message of scriptures, over the Knowledge of Ultimate Truth can never come from parents, kinsmen, pilgrimages, wealth and power. What can the relatives give? They can at the most give properties, money or some other material benefits and facilities. You may develop attachment towards them leading to agitation and you will in any case remain subjected to the cycle of birth and death. But Self-enquiry brings the good that parents and relatives never can. Therefore, don’t waste time in worthless gossip and start the practice of self-enquiry, japa of Om Kār and reposing in Self.

Who is Sentient?
Once somebody came to Swami Vivekananda and said, “Somebody asked me what is sentient and what is insentient. I told him that solid things like stones and mountains etc. are insentient and living things are sentient. The man was not satisfied with the answer. What do you have to say in the matter?”

Swami Vivekananda replied, “I don’t give much thought to this issue; I would only think that one who loves God is sentient; rest all is insentient.”

Knowledge is Essential

A lame man was sitting on the road to Badrinath and was lamenting, “People are on the pilgrimage to Badrinath. If I had legs, I would have gone to have darshan of Lord Badrinath.” Sitting beside him, was a blind man. As he heard the lame one’s laments, he said, “Friend, I also wanted to have a glimpse of Lord Badrinath. But I am blind. Nevertheless, I have a keen desire to visit the sacred temple, but how can I travel without eyes?”

A seer passed that way he suggested, “One has the power to see, while the other can walk. If both help each other, you will be able to reach Badrinath Dham”.

Similarly, the Knowledge of the essential truth of life is your eye. But if that Knowledge is not translated into action, it remains lame. And you have the power to act but if it is not guided by Knowledge, then such blind powers are misused and life is ruined. The explains why the energy of those who are not blessed with japa, austerity, meditation, Knowledge and the guidance of sri Gurudev, is spent in breeding attachment, hatred vanity, aggression and violence. Vigorousness without Self-knowledge, japa and tapasyā drives man towards corruption, exploitation, thus a happy blend of the power to act and the power to know is of utmost importance.

Till date, no man, no creature has been born who can live without action or karma. So, act you must, but your actions should be guided by Knowledge. Scriptures say that even Self-realized men, well aware of the futility and the transience of the world, engage themselves in actions so that others to should do the same following the course set by them. You embellish the art of Karma such sublimated actions take you to God-realization. It is true that actions can be nullified by actions but only Knowledge driven actions erase the effect of Karmas. Ego-driven actions will develop into wrong actions and wicked actions. There should be a synthesis of action and Knowledge in life. Actions should be associated with Lord Rama and king Janaka had been engaged in actions but their actions were associated with knowledge.

‘The Lord of Raghus would get up early in the morning, and bow his head to his parents and preceptor.’

(Ram Charit Manas Baal Kanda: 204.4)

This is the fruit of Knowledge.
‘The Lord of the universe, the all-wise
Sri Rama, also woke before the guru.’

Ram Charit Manas Baal Kanda: 226)

Lord Rama used to get up early in the morning before Rishi Vishwamitra. Lord Rama used to show reverence and respect to the Gurus for they give Knowledge to the world. So Knowledge is essential in life.

Knowledge gives both bliss and understanding. Say, if a piece of sweetmeat is placed on my tongue when I am fast asleep, I shall not enjoy its sweetness. But as I wake up, my mental mode will get connected to my tongue, I will know and will be able to enjoy the sweetness. Continence is very good; it develops our body, mind and intellect and makes cheerfulness long-lasting. This knowledge one may have but when one becomes covetous of carnal pleasure, continence is broken and one falls for sensual pleasures, even if to repent later. So happiness too is needed along with knowledge.

It is true and you agree also that it is not good to tell lies; that we don’t gain anything by harming anysbody. We all know that we should speak the truth. We do speak the truth but when some misery befalls, we give a go by to truth and speak untruth. Why? To get happiness. Why do we tell lies? to get happiness. Why do we break continence? Because we want happiness. So happiness is your essential requirement. The holy Ganga started its voyage from Gangotri. Singing and waving, it is running towards the Gangasagar (the mouth of holy Ganga). The water of Ganga is heading towards the place from where it had emanated. In the same way, your life aspires to attain your Real Being. You have emanated from the abode of absolute bliss, from God, which is Existence, Bliss and Knowledge Absolute (Sat-Chit-Anand). And that what you call ‘I’ has arisen from God, the abode of Absolute Bliss. That ‘I’ does whatever it does to reach the Absolute Bliss exactly in the same way as all efforts of the holy Ganga are towards reaching the sea, her original source. Out of selfishness, we arrest her flow and make it into a pond. Then it’s sacred water will not reach Gangasagar. Similarly, when we divert the mind to any wrong notion out of ignorance, our life is stunted. Though we make effort to get happiness, our life is obstructed in the pond of desires because we do not know that our own Self is Bliss personified. Thus our life is wasted and we are subjected to various births by the momentum of desires.

We are instructed by the scriptures and accept the rules and moral codes ordained thereby; but we break those rules when we are overcome by fear or tempted by desire for pleasures. And we have a downslide. What should we do in such a situation?

In order to overcome the lure of pleasure and the fear of pain, we need knowledge, whether that knowledge is the knowledge of Self or yogic method t attain Self-bliss. When these methods and Knowledge begin to provide Self-bliss within, we will become fearless. Then our life will be guided by Knowledge and wisdom and we will not stray from the path.

Whatever action one may do, without attaining that Knowledge, it results into problems and miseries. The same actions, when guided by Knowledge take your mind to the state of non-doership i. e. the state where actions don’t produce any bondage of any kind. The knowledge of Vedas and Upanishands is such an art that infuses such skill in actions that one experiences the eternal Brahman even while living in this transient world.

‘Yoga is skill in action’. (Gita: 2.50)
he finds his immortal Self while living in the mortal body. In earthly relationships, he discerns the everlasting relationship. The relationship among co-disciples is impermanent; that even between the Guru and disciples will end one day but if the sādhaka is blessed with Self-knowledge, he will certainly be able to establish relationship with Eternal Brahman at the core of all transient entities. And devoid of Self-knowledge, one will be entrapped in attachment to perishable relationships and will wander from one birth to another for ages to come.

From the Heart of a true Disciple…

1. The Brahmavadins call this world, ‘All this is verily Brahman’ in their theory based on direct realization; devotees call it ‘All this is Vasudev’, materialists call it ‘Nature’, and karana-vadins call it ‘Cause’, Muktananda calls the sentient and insentient world ‘Nityananda’.
2. Even if one is a king, victorious and powerful, served by a number of attendants, having horses and elephants at his palace, if he is deprived of the ecstatic nectarine Love of Guru, he is a living corpse.
3. Even if one knows number of languages, has traveled across nations, has obtained many degrees, is famed all over, yet if he is devoid of Self-Bliss he is a pauper.
4. Just as the goal of Buddhists is Shunya (void); the goal of devotees is Love; the goal of praying persons is their Beloved Deity; the goal of yogis is Nirvikalpa Samadhi; and of seekers of Jnana is Pure Consciousness; the goal of the sadhakas is Satguru-Consciousness.
(Complied from ‘Mukteshwari’)
Kabirji has said:

‘The reflection of the unseen
is visible in the body of a saint.
If you want to see the invisible,
See it in the visible saint.’

v Wise persons are not concerned about worldly affairs, they are always concerned about their salvation. Just the thought of attaining salvation is sufficient to make a person an ascetic, benevolent and devoted to service. All virtues spring from the desire for God realization. All vices stem form the desire for worldly thing.
v If there is no fear in your mind, no external circumstances can harm you. If the mind is filled with fear then you will perceive frightening circumstances all around you, even when there are none. Even a tree trunk world look like a ghost to you.
Excerpts from the book ‘Elixir of Life’

The Key to Become Gread Conquerer

All the vices in the world – from small troubles to the biggest calamities, even the most dreadful one of the tyrannous cycle of birth and death-come to us because of viciousness of the mind. We come to this world again and again; we hang upside down in mothers’ wombs; while in the world, we bear the sufferings of childhood feeling dependence and slavery at every step; desire, anger, attachment, hatred, fear, worry, malice, jealousy and envy get the better of us in youth; diseases seize and flatten us in old age; and in the end, death is waiting to pounce upon us. All of these troubles are born of defects of the mind.

We are miserable and are subjected to the grinding cycle of birth and death not want of wealth nor because we don’t have certificates and degrees nor because we are married or unmarried. We have deprived our mind of the peace of Consciousness. That is why it does external activities I search of happiness and bites at bits of momentary pleasures. Mired in transient pleasures, our mind is always engaged in thoughts like, ‘May this happen… may I get such and such achievement…’ but even if all these wishes are fulfilled, one fails to find absolute contentment because Supreme Self alone is absolute. This sloka is telling us a way to repose our mind in that Supreme self.


‘Satsang, relinquishment of desires, Self enquiry for Knowledge and dissolution of the operating waves of Prāna into their original source – these are the means to conquer the mind.’

Listen to satsang. It eradicates many evils and gives countless benefits but the highest benefit of satsang is Knowledge of, repose in and love for Supreme Self, the absolute truth, the eternal joy. The Truth personified God that existed before the beginning of time, existed at the beginning of aeons, is there now and will continue to be there eternally; that provides all wealthy men with the acumen to earn and retain wealth; that provides all powerful men the ability to attain and hold on to power; that has provided thousands of men and women with handsomeness and beauty; that has provided all wise men with wisdom,. That is called Supermen Self, the Atman. ‘Brahman is Truth, Knowledge, Infinite’. Nothing else exists in reality. By virtue of things borrowed form that Eternal Truth, we become something for a while. But He is the one in whom billions like us come into being and then dissolve in Him. That Brahman, the eternal Truth, Supreme Self is attained through satsang. Therefore, the sloka says, we should have satsang in life.

There are four types of satsang. To get established in the Supreme Self, the Absolute Truth, by making the intellect finer and subtler is the satsang number one. King Janaka, Buddha, Mahavira, Kabir, Adi shankaracharya, Guru Nanak, Jnaneshwar tukaram and many other renowned and unknown saints reposed in the Eternal truth and became one with God. Being established in God in the same way is satsang number one. Listening to such saints directly is satsang number two. Those who read with great reverence and understand the recorded utterances of such saints are doing satsang number three. Those who listen to periodic readings of the spiritual texts composed by such saints, sages, scholars and savants, where the message often gets diluted and becomes more of rhetoric, are having satsang number four known as Kathā.

Satsang helps you in attaining non-attachment. What is non-attachment? It is the eyes that see, but one identifies himself with the eyes and thinks, ‘I am seeing.’ Similar is the case with hearing, tasting and smelling. Again, the mind thinks but one says, ‘I am thinking ‘; the intellect is doing the work of decision making but one says, ‘It is my decision.’ My dear sir! What are you in reality? You have disintegrated and distributed yourself. Satsang will tell you that the senses are doing the job of seeing, smelling etc. not you.

‘All actions are wrought in all cases by the qualities of Nature only. He whose mind is deluded by egoism thinks: ‘I am the doer”.

All these qualities and activities are in the Nature. He, who deluded by egoism thinks himself as the doer, has to undergo the grind of samsāra according to the effects of his actions. But the one who attains Self Knowledge and considers himself to be different from the senses and internal organ is untouched by actions though outwardly engaged in them. He rests in the state of non-doership. So, satsang gives non-attachment. Freedom form attachment allows us to repose in the self which in turn leads to the state of Jivanmukti, liberation while living.

The second means to conquering the mind the by renouncing vāsanās *(desires). Desires too are of two kinds-pure and impure. What are impure desires? They are the impressions (samskāras) accumulated in the course of crores of past lives. Never lose hope; never get frustrated. Never be frightened by your vices and shortcomings into entertaining thoughts like, ‘It is not for me to tread the path of God-realization. I am not capable of attaining God realization. I have this vice, that shortcoming…’ The samaskāras have accumulated over crores of lives. The sheet of your soul has been soiled over billions of lives. It will take time to wash it clean. It will take time to dye it with the colour of devotion. But if you think, ‘I cannot achieve it; it is not possible for me,’ you will dirty the sheet even more. For crores of births, you have been going round in the cycle of birth and death. The samskāras have been imprinted on our mind over crores of births. Dullness of intellect, attachment to sense – enjoyments, stubbornness and fixation to one’s ideas-these habits are formed over crores of births. So the mind will not readily be prepared to acquiesce to the view point of God. The man does not get easily prepared to merge his experience with that of saints. Still there is no cause for worry. It becomes easier one day with constant practice.

The only condition is that you should be earnestly prepared to relinquish impure desires. If you are used to smoking twenty-five bidis or cigarettes everyday; reduce it to twenty-four, twenty-three… if you have been wasting two hours in idle gossip everyday; reduce it to one and half hour, seventy-five minutes and so on. This way, get rid of petty, harmful and vicious desires. You will experience increase in your power.

The third thing is verse – enquiry into Self Knowledge. ‘What am ‘I’? what is ‘this’ (world)? Who is it that feels the pleasure and pain? The sorrows are transient; they come and go; and so is happiness. I am unattached and a witness to these.’ If you want to experience divine peace and bliss within, but at the same time desire transient external-objects as well, you will think external objects even while meditation within. Therefore, reflect on the Ultimate truth. Recall the Knowledge that the external world is but a projection of the Indweller Pure Consciousness, the supreme Lord of the universe. God alone is the truth, the real thing; all else is fictitious. This will develop your inner potency.

The practice of Self-enquiry without renunciation and dispassion does not last longer. As you go on practicing Self-enquiry, you will comprehend the transience of the world and the eternalness of God. The father, mother, brother, friends, house, wealth etc. you had in the previous birth are nowhere to be found but the Lord who was with you in the previous birth continues to be with you even now in this life. The friends and kinsmen of yours in this birth will no more be so with the cruel stroke of death but God was, is and will continue to be yours. Know more and more clearly the Atman that was, is and will continue to be yours even after death.

The scriptures say that one who doesn’t develop dispassion to the filthiness of his body doesn’t deserve to be instructed on further dispassion. One thinks that the nose or sparking teeth of his beloved are beautiful, but, if he lifts its tip he will feel disgusted at the sight of dirty nasal discharge. The teeth are foul smelling due to dead micro, organism, if there is any beauty, effulgence or sweetness in this body, which is the abode of misery; it is that of the Lord. Detached from the Lord, this body is devoid of all worth. You need people to take it to the cremation grounds and money to dispose it of; but every body is good in its own place so long as it is capable of connection itself to the Pure Consciousness. The moment this connection is lost, it is of no use whatsoever. The happiest of men born and brought up amidst mountains of wealth as also the poorest are of worth only so long as they are connected to the Supreme Being, so long as they draw sustenance and motive power from Him. The moment its capacity to draw sustenance and motive power from God is lost, the body becomes helpless and needs people to carry it. Continually reflect over the mortality of the body and the immortality of the Atman.

The fourth measure is verse – suppression of the operative waves of Prāna. We have ten indriyas (the five organs of knowledge and the five organs of action). The mind is the master of these indriyas. And Prāna is the master of the mind. Prānāyāma is a great and powerful force. A few Prānāyāmas regularly done everyday will prevent diseases. All the endeavours of man, all the riches of the world put together cannot give even a fraction of benefit that can be attained by perfection in Prānayāma.

By suppression of Prāna, one conquers the mind and attains bliss and tranquility of mind. The more the Prāna is suppressed or in other words the more in depth the working of Prāna is known, the more accomplished and perfect will one become in due course of time. Sleep gives rest to your body and when you go into Samādhi after doing Prānāyāma, it gives rest to yourself so to say. You attain to your real Being; here vices and imperfections are ineffectual. Thus Prānāyāma is a big boon to your abilities.

The mind is controlled by Prānāyāma etc. When the mind is controlled, there is no need for external worship nor do you even need to seek the Lord. The clinging to the worldly attachment, to the covetousness for sense-enjoyments, to the desire for fruits of actions – these are the obstacles to concentration of mind and keep it always discontented. The control of mind on the other hand gives contentment that makes man perennially contented and blissful.
The Lord says in the Gita:

‘Ever content, steady in meditation, possessed of firm conviction, self-con-trolled with mind and intellect dedicated to Me, he, My devotee, is dear to Me.’

The one, whose Vrittis (the modifications of mind) have thus become powerless, remains perennially contented and blissful. Even if all the pleasures, not only of this world but also of all the celestial regions are given to one man, he cannot be perennially contented and blissful but peace of mind makes him perennially contented and blissful. Therefore this sloka is telling us:

Satsang, relinquishment of desires, Self-enquiry and suppression of the waves of Prana – these are the means to conquer the mind. And buy conquering the mind one becomes a great conquerer.

O How great is Krishna!

The battle of Mahabharata was over. Sri Krishna , who was inclined to give joy and bliss to all, who habitually delighted and attracted others to him, approached t6he blind king Dhritarashtra and the queen Gandhari whose eyes were bound in a napkin in loyal lifelong penance for her husband’s blindness, to console them. Sri Krishna was accompanied by Yudhishthira. As soon as they came near Gandhari, her eyes fell on the toe of Yudhishthira through a little space in the napkin, and at once the toe was charred black. Such was the fire of rage burning within her and such was the power of her penance.

Afterwards, all the Pandavas, Sri Krishna, Dhritarashtra and the women of the Kuru clan went to the battle field of Kurukshethra. There they found the widows of the Kuru clan in deep lamentations. Hearing the wailing, the annoyed Gandhari pronounced- “O Krishna! Listen clearly. Now the anguish in my heart is going to hit you in the form of curse. If you had liked, this battle could have been avoided.

“Now, here comes my curse. I, gandhari, with the might of my penance, curse you, that just as I have to witness the death of all my children, you too Krishna, will witness the destruction of your entire Yadu clan. Just as my sons lost their lives fighting their cousins, so also will your sons die fighting each other. And more, you too shall leave this world due to an ordinary cause. Just as today these women of the Bharata clan are wailing, so also will women of your family cry at the loss of their near and dear ones,”

now just see now astonishing is the equanimity and wisdom of Sri Krishna! With a beautiful smile playing on His luminous face, Sri Krishna said to Gandhari, “O gandhari! May your utterances come true and may it not happen any differently. The people of the Yadu clan so powerful that no human can bring their end. The Devas, asuras, Yakshas, Gandharvas and Kinnaras cannot destroy them either. But death is inevitable for one who is born. The only manner then, in which they can meet their end, is that they fight each other. The inevitable law of nature will be fulfilled only in this manner. You have just declared what was impending. May your words come true? But take this advice Gandhari. You may curse me and my progeny, but pray, be not disturbed. Let your heart no burn in anguish! Calm down and protect your heart. Pray, do not misuse your powers to inflict pain on yourself. It is the divine law that one who is born must die, and it may be due to any cause. I such be the cause for destruction of the Yadu clan, so will it happen. What is overwhelming about this? However, whether one becomes affected by it by being remorseful or not, is in one’s own hands. O Gandhari! Respect your discrimination.”

O how great is Sri Krishna and His respect for discrimination! Pray tell, why will it not make Sri Krishna endearing to me? How wonderful is the beloved Sri Krishna! How even-minded He is! What befitting use of discrimination and strength!

Sri Krishna conquers the Kaliya snake in the river bed of the Yamuna and dances on its hoods. When the heels of Sri Krishna strike the hoods. Some break off and then get replaced by new hoods. All the while Sri Krishna keeps playing his sweets flute. You may think if Sri Krishna has dived into the depths of the Yamuna and is dancing on the hoods of KIaliya – will not water enter into the flute? How will the flute play when Sri Krishna is submerged in deep water?

Let us make use of our discernment here and understand the underlying meaning. The snake Kaliya with its numerous when one desire get fulfilled, another arises, like the hoods symbolizes filled, another arise, like the hoods of Kaliya. The hoods keep breaking and rising, but Sri Krishna is unperturbed. He keeps playing His flute, denoting Wisdom, and arousing the bliss of he self. The wife of Kaliya prays to Sri Krishna, i.e., the desire come back.

Kaliya questions Sri Krishna – “O Lord! You are the creator. You have created venomous snakes like me and also the gods who drink nectar. What is my fault in this? I am poisonous because nature has made me so.” The Srimad Bhagvatam says that Sri Krishna was silent on hearing this. He accepted Kaliya,’ words of discrimination. Sri Krishna is the true embodiment of wisdom. Sri Krishna replied – “Alright, I shall not kill you, but leave this place. You are causing distress to many. My nature is to shower bliss and your acts are an obstruction to that.”

Sri Krishna spares Kaliya’s life. He does not kill him or snatch his venom from him, but asks him to go to another place. In the same way, I do not ask you to eliminate desire, anger, greed and delusion that trouble you, but to change their course. You desire to obtain something or the other. Let this yearning be turned to attain God, to obtain inner peace, to yearn for silence and solitude or if your wish to enter public life, yearn for the welfare of the people. The orientation of your yearning, when changed, can lead you to god. The yearning for Kama will get sublimated into attainment of Rama. In this manner, your wisdom will be put to good use. The same applies for anger. For how long will our try to suppress it? Just re-channelize it in a different direction. If greed overpowers you, then channelize it towards greed for doing more Japa, more meditation, more acts of benevolence and acquiring more divine knowledge. The same goes for other attachments and passions.

Sant Tulsidasji has said – “Develop attachment towards the Lord, and equanimity towards the world so says Tulsi”.

“O Lord, I have experienced these worldly pleasures, now have mercy…” – such a prayer shows your discrimination. However great may be the amount of praise, pleasures and comforts you attain-how long will they last and what will remain in the end? Therefore, yearn for the real joy, the bliss of the Self, the Atman.

Your real self, the Atman, is bliss personified. If there is sorrow, worry or rear, it is due to the lack of discrimination. Keep awakening your discrimination. As you grow in discrimination, you will also grow in dispassion and gain the shat-sampatti, the six spiritual wealths of Shama (control of the senses), Titiksha (forbearance), Shraddha (faith) and Ishwar Pranidhan (concentration of mind on God). Then the yearning for Moksha means liberation from all sorrows forever and attainment of the Supreme Bliss.

To have many gurus is bad.
To deceive and disobey Guru is very, very bad.
To have a Guru is good but to divorce him is very bad.
Swami Sivanada Saraswati

Who is Guilty?

One day, some sadhus came to the house of a Brahmin. The Brahmin was a devotee of the Lord. He said to his servant, “Go and bring a pitcherful of milk from so and so village.”

The servant went to that village and while he was coming back with the pitcher of milk, being tried because of having had to stay awake the previous night, he sat down beneath a tree and went off to sleep. A kite had caught a snake and came to that tree holding it in its beak. As it pecked at the snake, the poison from snake’s fangs fell into the pitcher. The servant was asleep, unaware of this. As he woke up from sleep, he picked up the pitcher and resumed him journey. The Brahmin got his cook prepare the Khir. After eating the Khir, a few sadhus vomited it and four of them, who had poor digestion due to deranged liver function, died.

The case of four homicides came before Yama, the god of death. Yama asked God almighty, “Lord! Whom should I hold responsible for these homicides? The Brahmin is not at fault nor is the servant. The kite too is not guilty for it was doing the legitimate act of satisfying its hunger. The snake too is not responsible for it didn’t willfully throw poison in the milk. None of the people involved – the Brahmin, the servant, the cook-was responsible. But four persons have died. To whose account will the sin go?”

The Lord said, “Charge the sin to those who malign others without any rhyme or reason.”

I request you with folded hands not to lend an ear to any slanderer speaking ill of anybody. If somebody speaks ill of another, tell him, “Brother! I don’t have room for this muck. I don’t take such things.”


The one being maligned is likely to be enjoying life in his own way or if he is an exalted soul, he would be engaged in sadhana and satsang or engrossed in though of the Lord. Why should we ruin ourselves by pouring scorn on somebody or listening to such silly things? We should save our minds from such things.

‘ One should always be engaged in remembering the Lord; let people quarrel with and kill one another and go to infernal regions as a consequence thereof.’

‘This fellow is not go; that one is nasty; this man has done this; that man has done that…’ if somebody would denigrate another before Lord Rama, He would deftly change the topic; or else he would leave that place. You too should do the same. This will fill your heart with Self-Bliss and with the Knowledge of Real Self. Why should one slander somebody or listen to such things?

‘There is no sin equaling criticism of others.’

A girl was married. She had been at the house of her in-law said in the course of a casual discussion, “Bhabhi! You are a newcomer to the house. I want to tell you that my brother has a different nature; he is very irritable.” The second one said, “He has a nasty temper.” The mother-in-law too joined in, “I have given birth to your husband. He is satanic from childhood itself. You are in for a tough time.”

The three of them criticized their brother/son but the newly wed listened all silently. Finally, the sister-in-law said, “Bhabhi! Why is it that you are not saying anything?”

“What should I say? You are a guest; you will go to your own home in a few days. Mother-in-law too is old and, may God give her a long life she is to leave us sooner rather than later. But I have to spend the whole life with my husband. Why should I speak ill of him? He is my husband, my God. The Lord abides in his heart. Why should I offer a willing ear to disparaging remarks about him?”

The sisters-in-law said, “In that case probably you will have a good time with your husband. We, on the other hand, have frequent squabbles in the family and fall out with our husbands.”


The newly wed bride said “When you entertain thoughts of each other’s faults, quarrels are inevitable but if you have your heart full of devotional love and respect for each other, your house will become a satsanga of Bapuji or some any other saint.”

‘Kibir says outright and most earnestly. Happy shall I be to be the dust of the lotus feet of one who is ever busy night and day in never-ceasing satsanga and in kirtan, of one for whom this is the foremost task. He is a saint, of that there is no doubt.’ Should we even become the dust of the holy feet of those saints who are ever engaged in satsang, kirtan, jap, meditation and silence, it is sufficient to emancipate us.

Good Company Redeems, Evil Company Leads to Destruction

As we go through the biographies of great souls, we find that whenever the supremely benevolent saints have incarnated on earth, slanderers have left no stone unturned in maligning them. Not only do these slanderers destroy their family and clan but they also lead seven of their future generations into the pit of depravity. Those who live in the company of and assist such slanderers, also meet with the same fate. Therefore we should always be careful in selection the company we deep.

‘O dear! The intellect becomes mean with the association of people who are inferior to us, it remains stable in the association of equals and becomes superiors with the association of those who are superior to us.’

One does reap the fruits according to the kind of company one keeps. When the moon is in the fifteenth mansion (Swati star), the same raindrop turns into camphor when it comes in contact with a banana plant, poison when it enters the mouth of a snake and a pearl when it falls into a shell.

Long ago, there lived a man named Chanjju Bhakta in Lohore. On day he was sitting on his platform with some other villagers when a fruit vendor down the lane shouted, “Acche san…tare, acche san…tare…(literally buy good oranges,, buy good oranges.).” chajju Bhakta said to his is saying?”

His companions said, “He is selling santaras (oranges) Bhaktaji!”

Bhaktaji said, “Brother! You did not understand. Listen carefully, he is saying. ‘Acche sang…tare(literally good company societal themselves with good people are redeemed, while those who fall into bad company die a terrible death and meet with destruction.”

Bhaktaji then gave an illustration. A crow and a swan had become friends. On day the crow took the swan to its house and made him sit on a dry and wilted Babool tree. The place stank of dugs, flesh, and bones which were scattered all around.

The swan said, “Brother! I can not the stay in such a dirty place, even for a moment. If you know of any pious place, you take me there.”

The crow then took him to the secret grove of the king and made him sit on the tree, and then sat near him. Underneath them both was the king who was taking rest. As the sawn looked down, he saw the king sitting under the with his head exposed to the sum. A swan is kind nature, and out of compassion it spread out its wings to provide shade to the king who felt some relief form the sum. A crow however is wicked by nature. So it dropped its excreta on the king’s head. The king shot an arrow upwards which brought the swan down, while the crow flew off quickly. The swan gave up his life as the said,

‘O King! I am not the crow which had dropped the excreta. I am the swan that lives in pure water, but due to the company of the mean crow, my life has been ruined.’
The noble ones are like the swan while slanderers are like the crow, whose company leads even the noble ones to ruin.

In the ‘Sundar Kand’ Section (54.4) of Sri ramacharitamanasa, Lord Rama says to Vibhishana, ‘May providence keep us from the company of the wicked! It would be better, O respected one, to live in hell.’ (Because the company of the evil leads to the cycle of birth and death and repeated relegation to hells).

‘Evil company destroys good virtues and is feared by Rishi Sanak and others.’

All the scriptures and great souls have taught the jiva with great emphasis to stay clear of bad company. Bad company leads man to degeneration very quickly. For example, one has to make great efforts to climb a tree, but there is no effort required in falling down. Similarly, one has to make great efforts to attain spiritual power and earn the wealthy of sadhana; but all our efforts carried out for over a long period of time will come to naught in a moment by keeping the company of slanderers.

There unlimited strength within you; if you underestimate yourself and think that you are weak and inferior, there is no power in the world that can uplift you. But once you become established in you true self, the Atman, there is no power in all the three worlds that can suppress you. (‘Elixir of Life’, A book published by the ashram)