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September 2019

To strive is given to us; success is always His. So never feel beaten out – STRIVE. – Chinmaya

The above quote summarises the message of the Bhagavad Geeta:

कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन । मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भू: मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि||
(Your right is in action, not in the results. May you not perform actions for the results nor remain actionless.)

Former President of India, Abdul Kalam speaks about his first meeting with Pujya Swami Shivanandji Maharaj of Divine Life Society:

“I want to tell you about an important incident that happened in my life in 1958.
When I was a young boy, I wanted to become a pilot. That was my dream. I applied to the Air Force and was asked to attend an interview with the Air Force Selection Board at Dehradun.
In the interview, after four days of difficult tasks, out of 25 applicants, nine were selected. I was ninth, but they wanted only eight. So I was rejected.

I was very dejected.  While returning, I came to Rishikesh. After bathing in the Ganges, when I was putting on my dhoti, I saw a beautiful building on the other side of the river. It was Swami Shivanandji’s ashram. I went there. Swami Shivananda was sitting on a pedestal giving Satsang to hundreds of people. I sat in the last row.

After his discourse on the Bhagavad Gita, normally he would randomly select two people from the crowd for an interview. I was one of the two selected. I don’t know what made him select me. He called me to his chamber, looked at me and said in Tamil, “What’s your name?” “Abdul Kalam,” I replied. “Why are you sad?“ he asked. This great one, this chosen one, this godly person, knew of my sorrow! I replied, “Swamiji, I am coming after attending an interview conducted by the Air Force. But I was not selected as a pilot.”

Swami Shivananda looked at me. I was such a small fellow in front of him. Then he opened the Bhagavad Gita and said, “When Arjuna tells Krishna that he is afraid of fighting Kurukshetra war, Krishna tells him, ‘Defeat the defeatist tendency.’”

Swami Shivananda asked me to repeat the statement “Defeat the defeatist tendency.” three times. I repeated it three times and I was cheered up. He then gave me twenty of his books published in Tamil and English. It was such a great experience.

So, friends, I will never forget this incident in my life. I am now seventy-one. Swami Shivananda’s mantra: “Defeat the defeatist tendency” is always with me and that great philosophy and advice which Lord Krishna gave to Arjuna always come to me whenever I’m in trouble.”

As it is rightly said, “Do your best and leave the rest.” Let us do what best we can, and let Him decide what we deserve. 

In 1938, Karoly Takacs of the Hungarian Army was the top 25-meter rapid fire pistol shooter in the world.  He was expected to win the gold in the 1940 Olympic games scheduled for Tokyo.  Those expectations vanished one terrible day just months before the Olympics.  While training with his army squad, a faulty hand grenade exploded in Takacs’ right hand, and the shooting hand was badly injured.

Takacs spent a month in the hospital depressed at both the loss of his hand and the end to his Olympic dream.  However, Takacs did the unthinkable – he picked himself up, dusted himself off, and decided to learn how to shoot with his left hand!  His reasoning was simple.  He simply asked himself, “Why not?’’ Instead of focusing on what he didn’t have – a world-class right shooting hand – he decided to focus on what he did have – incredible mental toughness, and a healthy left hand that with time, could be developed to shoot like a champion.

For months Takacs practised by himself.  No one knew what he was doing.  Maybe he didn’t want to subject himself to people who most certainly would have discouraged him from his rekindled dream.  In the spring of 1939, he showed up at the Hungarian National Pistol Shooting Championship. 

Many came to express their sympathy.

 “Our condolences!”, Some said.

Others said, “Thanks a lot for coming all the way here to watch our performance and to cheer us!”

They were surprised when he said, “I have not come to watch; I have come to compete!” 

The competitions began. They were all the more surprised when Takacs won!

The 1940 and 1944 Olympics were cancelled because of World War II.  It looked like Takacs’ Olympic Dream would never have a chance to realize itself.  But Takacs kept training and in 1948 he qualified for the London Olympics.

At the age of 38, Takacs won the Gold Medal by beating the then reigning world champion and setting a new world record.  Four years later, Takacs won the Gold Medal again at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

What is the difference between a winner and a loser?

The winner always has a plan; the loser always has an excuse…    The winner sees a solution for every problem; the loser sees a problem in every solution…    The winner says, “It may be difficult, but it is possible.”; the loser says, “It may be possible, but it is too difficult.”…    Winners trade short-term-pain for the long term gain; the losers trade short-term-gain and get long-term-pain…   Winners stand firm on values but compromise on petty things; the losers stand firm on petty things but compromise on values…   Winners are like thermostats; losers are like thermometers… Losers quit when they fail; winners fail until they succeed.

Lata Khare, a 65-year-old woman, and her husband practically lived below the poverty line in a small village in Maharashtra. After marrying off their three daughters, they worked as farmhands to survive on daily wages. One morning her husband felt uneasy on account of some infection he seemed to have developed. The medical professional in the village referred them to a hospital in the city. Let alone treatment, they had no money to even travel to the location or pay the doctor’s fee. Somehow managing to borrow just enough to scrape through, the worried couple travelled to Baramati to get Lata’s husband checked.

Several hours, some preliminary tests and a few hundred rupees later, finally, when their turn came, the doctor examined the old man as Lata waited outside with bated breath hoping for good news. Much to her dismay though, the doctor recommended a whole lot of new tests costing a few thousand rupees. There was no way they could arrange that sort of money. Teary-eyed, she pleaded for some way out but the hospital or the doctor couldn’t be of more help. It was already late afternoon by now and they had to get back to their village. Dejected and hopeless, they looked at each other, fearing that they might not be together for long. Following brief moments of denial and disbelief, they realized that they hadn’t eaten anything since morning nor had a glass of water.

While walking back to the bus stop, they stopped by a street vendor who was selling samosas. She pulled out a little handkerchief where she had tied some tens of rupees and ordered two samosas. The vendor handed her one on a piece of newspaper. Smeared with oil and sauce, the paper read “Baramati Marathon Tomorrow”. Apparently, a marathon was on the cards just the next day and it carried prize-money of Rs. 5000.

“I’m running this marathon,” she said to her husband.
“Have you gone crazy?” he retorted. “You want to die too?”
“I’m going for it.”

Against everyone’s advice in the village, including her husband’s and daughters’, Lata Khare showed up at the marathon the next day. She was not wearing any sports clothing, T-shirt or trackies, but the only type of dress she owned and had worn all her life – a saree. If this wasn’t a red flag for the organizers, she wasn’t even wearing shoes. She was barefoot. Citing the great risk of injury, she was refused entry by the organizers.

But Lata remained adamant and stubborn and was in no mood to retreat. Ancient texts have pegged the willpower of a woman at the same level as a king’s, calling ‘Stree-hatha’ at par with ‘Raaja-hatha’, that is, when a woman decides to do something, no one can stop her. Lata Khare proved it that day. The organizers listening to her story and plea finally gave in and allowed her participation just to keep her calm.

Many onlookers cheered for her, some out of sarcasm and others more genuinely. “Go, Aunty, go,” they chanted.

Lata Khare hitched her saree to her knees and, against all odds, ran like there was no tomorrow. For the record, 42 kilometres (26 miles) make a marathon and it’s not something you train yourself for overnight. Forget winning, without prior preparation and adequate nutrition, most people can’t even complete it. Besides, just finishing it wouldn’t be good enough, she had to win it to get any prize money.

As far as she was concerned, this was the only way out to keep her husband alive. She wasn’t running for a trophy or fame, she was running for life, literally. If anything, it wasn’t she but her love for her husband that ran on that paved road with no shoes on, with her saree that obstructed her every step. Gravel, pebbles, potholes or just tarred road, onlookers claimed that Lata Khare ran as if she had been possessed.

The question is: did Lata Khare win? An elderly woman running barefoot, competing against those who were physically fitter and better fed and equipped.

Yes, Lata Khare won. She had to. She did.

Let’s try what best we can with full trust in God and His kindness. 

Nothing is impossible for the one blessed by God’s grace!

मूकं करोति वाचालं पङ्गुं लङ्घयते गिरिम् । यत्कृपा तमहं वन्दे परमानन्दमाधवम्||
(My prostrations to that Blissful Lord, by whose grace the dumb becomes eloquent and the lame scales the mountain-peaks.)

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

August 2019

A serene mind is a mountain of strength. – Chinmaya

The above quote is one among the millions of reasons why the mind should be kept serene.

When does the mind become serene?

When we realise that there is an Omniscient Lord at the helm of affairs, and that everything is taken care perfectly, then the mind becomes serene.

When Gandhiji was in prison in the Aga Khan’s palace at Pune in 1943, he went on a 21-day fast protesting against the British Government. As the days progressed, his condition began to deteriorate which caused considerable anxiety throughout the nation. He had collapsed twice and the team of doctors were worried. Surgeon General Candy suggested intravenous administration of glucose.

 Dr Susheela Nayyar, who knew the nature of Gandhiji very well, informed Dr Candy, “Sir! Gandhiji will not agree to take glucose. He will willingly die, but he will resist the administration of glucose.”

General Candy wanted to speak to Gandhiji in private. All others left the room.

He went and sat on a chair near Gandhiji. He could not bring himself to speak. In the end, he mustered courage and said, “Mr Gandhi, as a doctor I should tell you that you have crossed the limit of your strength. Your capacity to fast or to keep alive without some form of nourishment has been exhausted long back…”

General Candy could not speak further. He burst into tears.

Gandhiji consoled him, “Why are you nervous? I am in God’s hands. I have voluntarily put myself in His hands. If He wants to take me away, He will take me away. I am ready to go. If He feels that my work is not over, He will keep me here.”

General wiped his tears and gently walked out of the room.

As per the instructions of the British Government, a pile of sandalwood was kept ready on the campus to cremate Gandhiji’s body if he died. But the miracle happened. He survived the fast.

C.F. Andrews, a British social reformer wrote about Gandhiji thus: 

“There is a ruler of India here, Mahatma Gandhi, whose sway is greater than all imperial power. His name will be remembered and sung by the village people long after the names of the modern Governors in their palaces at New Delhi are forgotten. When all the Government buildings have crumbled into ruins, the name of Mahatma Gandhi will still be taught by mothers to their little children as one of the greatest of Indian saints and saviours.

“For, there is a spiritual palace which Gandhi has built up out of an eternal fabric. Its foundations are deeply and truly laid in the Kingdom of God. No oppression of the poor has gone to build it. Love and devotion and service to the poor are its golden decorations. No military pomp reigns within its borders, but only the peaceful harmony of human souls. No race or colour distinctions have any place in it. No clash of religious controversy mars its silence. Its empire is the heart.”

A heart ruled by God lacks nothing – be it courage, wisdom, peace or strength.

On the 15^{th of} August, 1947, India became free. But Alas! The freedom of India meant partition of the country. At that time Sadhu Vaswani was in Sindh (now Pakistan). The Hindus of the Sindh, leaving their properties and possessions behind, bade farewell to the soil of their birth and sought new homes in India. Sadhu Vaswani continued to stay on. St. Meera Schools started by Vaswani continued to serve the children of those who had newly arrived in Sindh.

There were many God-fearing Muslims – men who loved God and aspired to live in His presence. But the country was over-run by another type of people. In that transition period, utter lawlessness prevailed. Cut-throats and assassins, murderers and mobsters were free to do what they liked.

St. Meera’s High School at that time was one of the few educational institutions which kept aglow the light of the ideals which give meaning and value to life – the ideals of unity and peace, of service and sacrifice, of harmony and brotherhood of all life. A storm of vilification was raised. At the meeting of about thirty thousand persons, the lie was spread, that at the time of Mr Jinnah’s death, halwa (a type of sweetmeat) was distributed at Sadhu Vaswani’s satsang. This incensed the feeling of the Muslim mob, who were not aware of the good work which was being done under Sadhu Vaswani’s leadership and guidance. One of those present at the meeting was reported to have declared, with a pistol in his hand, “Vaswani shall not live!”

The editor of a local daily paper came to the devotees of Vaswani the next day and narrated the whole incident. “It is for me to warn you,” he said, “it is for you to see that Sadhu Vaswani does not move out of the house for a few days.” The devotees were very much worried and became concerned for the safety and protection of their beloved Master.

As usual, Vaswani got ready for his usual evening walk. The devotees gathered around him and related to him the recent developments. “We pray Dada, that you keep indoors for a few days.” they entreated. “The man may be prowling somewhere near, looking for a chance to use his pistol.”

Sadhu Vaswani appeared unconcerned. He smiled and said, “My children! Remember one thing. Life is a gift of God. What He has given, only He can take away. When it is His will, this body will mingle with dust. And when that moment arrives, no power on earth can keep me back. Until the hour has come, no pistol-shot can touch a single hair of my head. Blessed be His name!” So saying, he moved out for his evening walk.

On the way, he said, “If we are awake, we may realise that both birth and death are beautiful, as both day and night are beautiful. The day has the beauty of sunrise and the night has the beauty of the stars. Krishna’s flute is beautiful, but also, the cross of the Christ. Buddha’s meditation is beautiful, so also, the death of Socrates.”

The intuitive feeling of the presence of God makes everything beautiful. He guides; He corrects; He protects; He consoles; He inspires; He enlightens. The one who is tuned to His presence undoubtedly becomes fearless.

Rabia Basri, who was a great and renowned saint, was very beautiful when she was a young girl. Because of her beauty, she was at one time abducted by thieves who sold her to the owner of a house of prostitution.

On the first night in her new surrounding, a man was brought to her room, and she immediately entered into conversation with him.

“It is good to see such a nice young man,” she said. “Please make yourself comfortable in that chair while I pray a little. If you like you may also pray with me.”

The young man was surprised, but he knelt down the floor beside Rabia, and both of them prayed for some time.

After her prayers, Rabia got up and said, “I am sure you will not mind if I remind you that you must die one day. And to be fair to you, it is only right that I tell you that the sin you have in mind will lead you into the fires of hell. Please, for your own sake, consider if you wish to commit the sin and thus jump into the flaming inferno, or if you would prefer to avoid this fate.”

“O good and pious lady, you have opened my eyes,” said the surprised young man, “which always before were closed to the meaning of this sin. I promise earnestly never to visit a house such as this again.”

As the days passed by, many other men were brought to Rabia’s room, and one and all were changed, as she had changed the first.

It was only natural that the ruffian who owned the house soon began to wonder.

“How is it that whoever visits this girl once, never returns?” said the puzzled owner of the brothel to himself. “She is so young and beautiful that the men should hover around her like moths around a flame.”

In order to solve the mystery, the wife of the brothel owner one night hid herself in a place where she could see into Rabia’s apartment and discover how she treated those who were taken into it.

“Good evening friend and welcome!” began Rabia as soon as the man was shown to her room. “Here in this evil house always remember that God is omnipresent. It is an excellent idea. Don’t you agree?”

The man, utterly surprised, was forced to agree with her. “Yes, we are taught that by the priests,” he had to say.

“Here, surrounded by the evil, I never forget that He sees all the evil done and metes out even justice. Oh, how many, who enter this house for a moment of so-called pleasure, go through indescribable agony and suffering in God’s hell because of it. You too may do the same, if you wish to. But friend, the human form was bestowed on us to enable us to meditate and realise God, and not to waste the precious gift in acting even lower than the animals.”

This man, as had so many others, saw at once the truth of Rabia’s words. Realising for the first time the enormity of the sin that he had in mind, he fell prostrate at Rabia’s feet and weeping bitterly, begged for her forgiveness.

Rabia’s words were so sincere and persuasive that even the hardened brothel owner’s wife came out of her hiding place and began to weep for the many sins she had committed.

“O pure and pious girl!” she said, kneeling at Rabia’s feet. “What a harm we had sought to do you! You are truly a saint. Go, and leave this evil house this very moment. As for us, we can now see that we have done a dreadful thing. Our eyes are opened, and our lives will change.”

Our strength is our peace within; and this peace has the strength to transform even the rank criminals and sensualists. Hence let us attempt to bring peace within, before attempting to bring peace without.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

July 2019

Live in love for Him alone. That is the greatest fulfilment of all existence. –Chinmaya

Narada Bhakti Sutra praises devotion thus:

यल्लब्ध्वा पुमान् सिद्धो भवति अमृतो भवति तृप्तो भवति मत्तो भवति स्तब्धो भवति आत्मारामो भवति |
(Gaining which a person becomes perfect, immortal, contented, intoxicated, peaceful, and revels in his own Self.)

Devotion to the Lord gives us the greatest fulfilment in life.

And this fulfilment makes us free from all wants.

One day, after he had gone blind, Rabbi Bunam visited Rabbi Fishel.

Rabbi Fishel was famous throughout the land for his miraculous cures.

“Entrust yourself to my care,” said his host, “I shall restore your light.”

“That is not necessary,” answered Bunam, “I see what I need to see.”

Devotion makes us so utterly fulfilled, that there is nothing to ask.

It is so well said, “When we put our cares in His hands He puts His peace in our hearts.”

How easy is to love God? How easy is to win His Grace?

Bhagavad Geeta says worshipping Him is so easy…

पत्रं पुष्पं फलं तोयं यो मे भक्त्या प्रयच्छति । तदहं भक्त्युपहृतम् अश्नामि प्रयतात्मन: |
(A leaf, a flower, a fruit, or even just water – whoever offers any of these with devotion, I accept it, offered with devotion.)

Leo Tolstoy has written a beautiful story in this regard.

Three men became very famous saints in Russia. The highest priest of the country was very much disturbed because people were not coming to him, people were going to those three saints, and he had not even heard their names. And how could they be saints? – because in Christianity a saint is a saint only when the church recognizes him as a saint.

(The English word ‘saint’ comes from ‘sanction’; when the church sanctions somebody as a saint, then he is a saint.)

The high priest was certainly very angry. He took a boat and crossed the river to meet them. Those three saints were sitting under a tree. They were very simple people, peasants, uneducated. They touched the feet of the highest priest, and the priest was very happy. He thought, “Now I will put them right; these are not very dangerous people. I thought they would be rebels.”

He asked them, “How did you become saints?”

They said, “We don’t know! We don’t even believe that we are saints either. People have started calling us saints and we go on trying to convince them that we are not, that we are very simple people, but they don’t listen. The more we argue that we are not, the more they worship us! And we are not very good at arguing either.”

The priest was very happy. He said, “What is your prayer? Do you know how to pray?” They looked at each other. The first said to the second, “You say.” The second said to the third, “You say, please.”

The priest said, “Say what your prayer is! Are you saying our Lord’s Prayer or not?”

They said, “To be frank with you, we don’t know any prayer. We have invented a prayer of our own and we are very embarrassed — how to say it? But if you ask we have to say it. We have heard that God is a trinity: the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. We are three and he is also three, so we have made a small prayer of our own: ‘You are three, we are three: Have mercy on us!’”

The priest said, “What nonsense! Is this prayer? You fools, I will teach you the right prayer.” And he recited the Lord’s Prayer.

And those three poor people said, “Please repeat it once more, because we are uneducated, we may forget.” He repeated it and they asked, “Once more – we are three, repeat it at least three times.” So he repeated it again, and then very happy, satisfied, he went back in his boat.

Just in the middle of the lake, he was surprised, his boatman was surprised! Those three poor people were coming running on the water! And they said, “Wait! Please one more time – we have forgotten the prayer!”

Now it was the turn of the priest to touch their feet, and he said, “Forget what I have taught you. Your prayer has been heard, my prayer has not been heard yet. You continue with your old prayer. I was utterly wrong to say anything to you. Please forgive me!”

God values not the words, the grammar, or the language, but the feelings, the love, the sincerity, the involvement behind the prayer.

One winter’s day, Shiek Shibli was sitting with his disciples around a fire when a smouldering log of wood caught his attention. As the log was slightly wet, the heat was driving drops of liquid from it at one end. After a moment or two of reflection, Shibli said to his disciples:

“How can you, who profess to have deep love and devotion for the Lord, truly say that you are burning in the pangs of separation from Him? I see no tears of sadness or longing in your eyes. Look at this little log, how it burns and cries. I say to you all, learn a lesson from this humble piece of wood.”

In God’s eyes, a heart-felt prayer is far superior to a lip-born one.

This conversation is reported to have taken place between Lord Guruvayurappan and Narayana Bhattathiri while writing Sri Narayaneeyam.

Bhattathiri :  My Lord! What is your favourite Naivedyam?

Lord: Paayasam (Milk pudding).

Bhattathiri: If I do not have the means to offer you Paayasam?

Lord: I’ll be happy with a little beaten rice and a bit of jaggery.

Bhattathiri: If I cannot offer you even that?

Lord:  Banana, milk, butter, curd… I’ll accept any one of these.

Bhattathiri : My Lord! If I cannot offer even that?

Lord: I’ll gladly accept two leaves of tulasi and a spoon of water!

Bhattathiri: If in case that too becomes impossible, then?

Lord: When you despair that you are unable to offer me anything, don’t worry. In your prayer, if you can bring out a drop of tear in My loving remembrance, I’ll accept that teardrop as the highest offering!

Narayana Bhattathiri wept uncontrollably.

अनत वैकुण्ठ मुकुन्द कृष्ण गोविन्द दामोदर माधवेति | वक्तुं समार्थोऽपि न वक्ति कश्चित् अहो जनानां व्यसनाभिमुख्यम्||
“How easy it is to chant the names of the Lord- Ananta, Vaikuntha, Mukunda, Krishna, Govinda, Damodara, Madhava etc.!

Everyone is capable of taking His names. But nobody chants them. Alas! How deeply we are inclined to the path of evil!” says Kulashekhara Alwar in Mukundamala.

O M   T A T    S A T

June 2019

Vedanta is the answer for the problems of the day; it is the only specific for the malady of the age. – Chinmaya

Vedanta comes from two terms – Veda+ Anta. It means that which comes at the end portion of the Vedas. It is also called as the Jnaana Kaanda portion of the Vedas. Another name of Vedanta is Upanishad.

What is the philosophy of Vedanta?

Vedanta introduces us to our perfect Self. Our true nature is Sat-Chit-Ananda, i.e. Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. There is nothing lacking in us. Perfection is our nature.

But unfortunately, we don’t know our true Self. We have misunderstood ourselves as this finite body. It is this ignorance of the Self which is the source of all sorrows. Hence the solution to all problems is “Know Thyself”, says Vedanta.

Some of the unique features of Vedanta are listed below:

1) Vedanta – The teaching which is very systematic.

In Vedanta, all topics are discussed systematically. The topics include:

i.Jeeva Vichaara; (Here the discussion is about the individual); ii.Jagad Vichaara; (Here the discussion is about the world); iii.Ishwara Vichaara; (Here the questions related to God are taken up); iv.Bandha Vichaara; (Here sufferings and their causes are taken up for discussion); v.Moksha Vichaara; (Here the discussion is about the nature of Liberation/Freedom); vi.Saadhanaa Vichaara; (Here the means of gaining liberation from all miseries are discussed).

2) Vedanta – The teaching which has an answer to all our questions.

It is only in Vedanta that the student is allowed the freedom to ask any question. Hence we often find questions raised by the student in the Upanishads and in the Bhagavad Geeta. In Vedanta, all questions have perfect, convincing and logical answers.

Blind belief is not the Vedantic-way. A questioning with a sincere desire to learn, a questioning with an open mind, a questioning with a reverential attitude towards the scriptures/Gurus is well appreciated and is most welcome in Vedanta.

3) Vedanta – The teaching which can be verified.

Vedanta deals with experiential knowledge, not mere informative knowledge. The proof of knowledge is the direct experience of the Self. Even as a seeker, one gains a healthy state of mind, which can be experienced as peace, cheerfulness, and freedom from delusions. A sincere practitioner gets a clear-cut answer when he asks himself this question – “How was I before getting exposed to Vedanta; and today how am I after years of practising Vedanta.”

4) Vedanta – The teaching which is ever relevant.

Vedantic teaching can never become obsolete or irrelevant. Whether in Satya Yuga or in Kali Yuga, seekers have always sought the supreme Self alone for strength and solace. No wonder why the Vedic teaching has been appropriately named –“Sanaatana Dharma”.

5) Vedanta- The teaching which unites all.

We find in the society that all religions fight with each other saying “My religion alone is right.” Among Hindus, there are fights between Vaishnavites and Shaivites. There are confusions regarding innumerable gods. Among Muslims, Shias and Sunnis fight against each other. Among Christians, fights between Catholics and Protestants are not uncommon.

 Vedanta doesn’t talk of any God in particular. It talks of Pure Consciousness as the only substratum of the world. It gives importance to the imperishable Consciousness, and not to the perishable body. When our attention in us shifts from the BMI (body-mind-intellect) to Consciousness, we find that the very same Consciousness is present in others too. This leads to the wisdom ‘We are all One’. Hence Vedantic knowledge has the potential to put an end to all disputes amongst religions and can weed out all inequalities born of caste, creed, gender or nationality.

6) Vedanta – The teaching which can end all our psychological problems.

Hinduism talks of six major psychological problems- kaama, krodha, lobha, moha, mada and maatsarya. They are desire, anger, greed, delusion, arrogance and jealousy respectively.

Vedanta handles all problems by going to root cause. The root cause of all the above problems is desire. And the root of all desires is ego. Vedanta analyses the nature of the ego and establishes that it is illusory and non-existent. Hence once the ego is eliminated, all the ego-related problems are also eliminated.

7) Vedanta – The teaching which gives us the highest possible goal to strive for.

Vedanta points to us that we are here on this planet to realise our Divine nature. We are all God ignorant of our infinite nature. A life lived without knowing this great truth is indeed wasted, says Vedanta.

8) Vedanta – The teaching which motivates us to be good human beings.

Vedanta points us the inherent Perfection in us. But to gain this knowledge one must have a pure heart. Hence cultivation of noble values becomes a prerequisite for entry into Vedanta.

9) Vedanta- The teaching which is not divorced from the life of activity.

Vedanta does not ask us to renounce the world in order to practice spirituality. In fact, the real test of our spirituality is not in the dense jungles or solitary caves, but in the thick of life’s problems and challenges. That must be the reason why Bhagavad Geeta was given by the Lord not in a remote and peaceful ashram setting, but in the middle of the battlefield!  Vedanta is meant for all, including the householders who are waging the battle of life fulfilling their worldly duties and responsibilities.

10) Vedanta- The teaching which gives Moksha (Freedom) not after death but while living!

Promising liberation after death is not the way of Vedanta. True freedom is the freedom from all wrong notions and confusions of the intellect, from the slavery of the senses, from the negativities of the mind, from addictions and cravings, from I-ness and mine-ness, and from all worries and anxieties. This has to be attained, not through somebody but by one’s own effort, not somewhere but here, not after dying but while living, says Vedanta.

11) Vedanta- The teaching which asks YOU to change, not the world.

 Vedanta doesn’t attempt to change the world. The world is already perfect, well-taken care by the Omniscient Lord. The call of Vedanta is to reform oneself. One’s own faulty vision is the cause of all sorrows. Destroy the problem-creator – the ego, and one finds that there are no problems to solve!

12) Vedanta – The teaching which can be practised by anyone, at all times.

Vedanta asks us to shift the attention from the Body-Mind to the Consciousness within, from the perishable to the Imperishable, from the illusion to the Reality. “Ignore the Lord, and you suffer. Hold on to Him, and you are free.” This is something anyone can practice, irrespective of gender, nationality, caste, creed, or religion.

13) Vedanta- The teaching which is beyond all belief systems, superstitions and imaginations.

Vedanta is not an opinion; it is a science. In science, a thing has to be known AS IT IS. Just like the fire has to be known as ‘that which is hot’. No choice is given to the knower. Our imagination or belief system or our upbringing has no role to play in it. So too, the Self has to be known as Pure Consciousness. If it is known as anything else, then the knowledge is erroneous.

Again, in Vedanta, the analysis is based on our day to day experiences of Waking, Dream and Deep Sleep states. The teaching is related to what we know and what we experience. The teaching is not about some unseen world (like Vaikuntha, Kailasa, Heaven or Hell) with unknown experiences.

Thus Vedanta is free from all ambiguities, assumptions, philosophies and imaginations.

14) Vedanta – The teaching which puts an end to all evils in the society.

Vedanta, with its vision of oneness, preaches the way of love, forgiveness and compassion. How can one hate others when one knows that others are also expressions of the very same Consciousness which is throbbing as life principle in oneself? Thus one learns to love not only human beings but plants, animals, birds and all other expressions of life.

Self-ignorance pollutes the vision; and that in turn pollutes the world. Self-knowledge saves the world from all pollutions, and helps create a beautiful world, clean and orderly, peaceful and harmonious.

15) Vedanta – The teaching which puts an end to Birth-Death cycle.

Vedanta teaches in Being, not Becoming. As long as we want to become someone or the other, there is no end to rebirth. The day the desire ends to become somebody, rebirth also ends. Rebirth is only an opportunity given to us to fulfil our unfulfilled desires. Vedanta makes us desireless, thus making us birthless.

No wonder why the Lord calls this knowledge – ‘the best knowledge amongst all’ – ‘Adhyaatma Vidya Vidyaanaam’. And no wonder why the Lord Himself takes avatar time and again to give this knowledge to mankind.

May we practise Vedanta for one’s own liberation and for the welfare of the world – ‘Atmano mokshaartham jagat hitaaya cha’.

O    M            T    A    T            S    A    T

May 2019

The only way to start a good work is to START. Leave all anxieties about it to Him. His grace will shine out on our work and it will grow and expand. – Chinmaya

Many, fearing failure, never begin.

There is a famous saying: “Don’t be afraid your life will end; be afraid that it will never begin!”

Everywhere in life, the sequence is the same:

1. Make a start, 2. Make mistakes, 3. Learn from the mistakes, and 4. Evolve.

But what about criticisms?

Aristotle says, “There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing!”

Soon after getting freedom from British rule in 1947, the de-facto Prime minister of India, Jawahar Lal Nehru called a meeting of senior Army Officers to select the first General of the Indian army.

Nehru proposed, “I think we should appoint a British officer as a General of the Indian Army, as we don’t have enough experience to lead the same.”

Having learned under the British, only to serve and rarely to lead, all the civilians and men in uniform present nodded their heads in agreement.

However, one senior officer, Nathu Singh Rathore, asked for permission to speak.

Nehru was a bit taken aback by the independent streak of the officer, though, he asked him to speak freely.

Rathore said, “You see, sir, we don’t have enough experience to lead a nation too, so shouldn’t we appoint a British person as the first Prime Minister of India?”

You could hear a pin drop.

After a pregnant pause, Nehru asked Rathore, “Are you ready to be the first General of The Indian Army?”

Rathore declined the offer saying “Sir, we have a very talented army officer, my senior, Lt. Gen. Cariappa, who is the most deserving among us.”

Thus Gen. Cariappa became the first General and Rathore the first ever Lt. General of the Indian Army.

The successful people reach the top not because they are free of limitations, but because they act in spite of their limitations.

It is well said, “Start by doing what is necessary; then do what is possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible!”

A young man in his thirties used to stand on the footpath opposite the famous Tata Cancer Hospital at Mumbai and stare at the crowd in front – fear plainly written upon the faces of the patients standing at death’s door; their  relatives with equally grim faces running around.

These sights disturbed him greatly. Most of the patients were poor people from distant towns. They had no idea whom to meet, or what to do. They had no money for medicines, not even food.

The young man, heavily depressed, would return home. “Something should be done for these people”, he would think. He was haunted by the thought day and night.

At last, he found a way.

He rented out his own hotel that was doing good business and raised some money. From these funds, he started a charitable activity right opposite Tata Cancer Hospital, on the pavement next to Kondaji Building.

The activity consisted of providing free meals for cancer patients and their relatives. Many people in the vicinity approved of this activity. Beginning with fifty, the number of beneficiaries soon rose to a hundred, two hundred, three hundred. As the numbers of patients increased, so did the number of helping hands.

As years rolled by, the activity continued; undeterred by the change of seasons, come winter, summer or even the dreaded monsoon of Mumbai.

Mr Harakhchand Sawla, for that was the name of the pioneer, did not stop here. He started supplying free medicines for the needy. In fact, he started a medicine bank, enlisting voluntary services of three doctors and three pharmacists. A toy bank was opened for kids suffering from cancer. The “Jeevan Jyot” trust founded by Mr Sawla now runs more than 60 humanitarian projects.

Sawla, now 59 years old, works with the same vigour, feeding free lunches to 10 to 12 lakh cancer patients and their relatives.

Let us not worry about the failures. But let us worry about the chances we miss when we don’t even try. We will never know our potentials until we start.

 A businessman was deep in debt and just couldn’t see a way out. His creditors were closing in on him, the phone wouldn’t stop ringing with demands for payment and he couldn’t pay.

One day, he went to the park and sat on a bench, wondering if life was worth living, if he should just give up and declare bankruptcy. That was when an old man with a kind face walked over to him. “Oh my, something is troubling you, isn’t it?” he asked. The businessman, deep in his despair, told the kind old man his troubles.

“I believe I can help you”, said the old man, and he reached into his pocket and dug out a chequebook. He asked the man his name, wrote out a cheque, and put it in his hand. “Take this money and meet me here in exactly one year from today; that is when you can pay it back to me.” He turned and vanished as quickly as he had appeared.

The businessman saw in his hand a cheque for $1,000,000, signed by John D. Rockefeller, who was back then, one of the richest men in the world!

“My problems are over!” cried the businessman in relief. “I can pay my debts!” He kept telling himself he would use the cheque, but instead, he put it in a safe and decided to try and handle his financial problems on his own.

Just knowing that he could always use the cheque gave him the determination to work out a way to save his business. With renewed optimism, he negotiated better deals and extended terms of payment. He closed several big sales. Within a few months, he was out of debt and making money once again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the un-cashed cheque. At the agreed-upon time, the old man appeared. But just as the executive was about to hand back the cheque and share his success story, a nurse came running up and grabbed the old man.

“I’m so glad I caught him!” she cried. “I hope he hasn’t been bothering you. He’s always escaping from the rest home and telling people he is John D. Rockefeller.” And she led the old man away.

The astonished executive just stood there, stunned. All year long he had been wheeling and dealing, buying and selling, convinced he had half a million dollars behind him. Suddenly, he realized that it wasn’t the money, real or imagined, that had turned his life around. It was his newfound self-confidence that gave him the power to achieve anything he went after.

It is rightly said, “What lies behind us and what lies before us are paltry nothing compared to what lies within us.”

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

April 2019

Practical religion consists in living the philosophy one has understood. – Chinmaya

The wisdom of the religion percolates into us in three stages:

In the first stage, we gain information about the right ways of living by listening to scriptural teachings. This stage is called as Shravanam.  

In the second stage, we reflect upon the knowledge gathered from the scriptures. The purpose of reflection is to remove all doubts. With the removal of doubts, the information in us becomes conviction. This process is called Mananam.

In the third stage, we try to live the knowledge. Here we try to break ourselves away from the old habits of thinking and behaving. This process continues until the scriptural ways of thinking and behaving becomes natural in us. This process is called Nididhyaasanam.

When can we say we have become wise?

When we are able to live our convictions, only then can we say the knowledge in us has blossomed into wisdom. 

When we no longer react to situations under the pressure of our worldly vasanas; instead we learn to respond to situations based on the spiritual vasanas, only then can we say knowledge has matured into wisdom.

 When we are no longer under the clutches of the “small i” and when we learn to think and act as the “Great I”, only then can we say that the knowledge has ripened into wisdom.

Only when we ‘walk the noble thoughts and the tall talks’ can we say knowledge has digested into wisdom.

Gandhiji was in the habit of taking a brisk walk every evening. He would walk for three or four miles, covering the distance in about an hour. Accompanying on the walk would be some members of the ashram community, children and some visitors to whom he wanted to talk during the walk, thus saving on the time that he would otherwise have had to find from his heavy schedule of work. The walk was not merely a stint of exercise but also a period of relaxation. Gandhiji would be up to his pranks with children or would be provoking laughter with his playful and friendly exchange of teasing remarks and wit.

 On a cold December day in 1939, as he stepped out of the ashram for his walk, he found a human form with a bundle in his hands about to enter the ashram. On seeing Gandhiji, the visitor halted six steps away, kept his bundle down and did obeisance to Gandhiji.

Gandhiji looked grave; a thick pall of sorrow fell on his face. He recognised the man before him. It was Parchure Shastri, a famous Sanskrit scholar and poet who had been with him in Yervada jail in 1922.

In these years Shastri had contacted a vicious form of leprosy. He had tried treatment at many hospitals and with many doctors. Nothing had helped. He wanted to disappear from view and meet what was in store for him. But before making his final exit, he wanted to have a darshan of Gandhiji.

Gandhiji looked at him with infinite sadness. He wanted to take Shastri to the ashram, but there were many others, including women and children, in the ashram. He was debating in his mind whether it would be proper for him to ask Shastri to live with him in the ashram, knowing well the nature of the disease from which he was suffering.

Shastri realised Gandhiji’s difficulty, and said, “I have had your darshan. This bundle contains the yarn that I spun while at Hardwar, with the hope that I will be able to give it to you someday. My purpose is served. I shall now spend the night under the tree in the distance, and go away in the morning.”

Gandhiji asked him whether he had had a meal. When he learned that Shastri had not eaten, he asked one of the inmates of the ashram to fetch food for him and serve him. Gandhiji then resumed his walk with a face that was overcast with pain and introspection. That evening he was silent during his walk. Others in the entourage too were silent.

He returned to the ashram, and after the evening prayer, went to his bed. But he could not sleep. The picture of Parchure Shastri and the dilemma that he was facing kept sleep away. What was he to do? Could he turn Shastri away? Could he make him reside in the ashram if the other inmates of the ashram resented or panicked? By morning all the aspects of the question have been weighed, and Gandhiji was clear on what he should do.

As soon as the morning-prayer was over, Gandhiji spoke to the inmates of the ashram. He explained the situation and the risks. He expressed his desire to keep Shastri in the ashram and nurse him back to health. But he could do so only if they also welcomed him. He felt that God in the form of Parchure Shastri had come to test his sincerity. To turn Shastri away would be to deny himself and God. But to let him stay would be to expose the ashramites to risk. The members of the ashram too had been entrusted to his charge by God. Would they share the risk with him, and welcome Shastri?

The members of the ashram community were unanimous in declaring that Shastri would be welcome in the ashram.

The next morning, a special hut was set up for Shastri near the hut that Gandhiji occupied.

Every morning Gandhiji would go to him, talk with him and cheer him up for a while. He would then wash and clean the leprous wounds on Shastri’s body. They were days when momentous political decisions were being taken. The ashram was full of leaders of the nation who were there for discussion with Gandhiji. But everyday Gandhiji found time to dress Shastri’s wounds and massage his ailing body. Gandhiji determined the patient’s diet, and the food served to Shastri was taken to Gandhiji for inspection thrice a day.

In a few days, the ashramites took over the task of dressing Shastri’s wounds. But Gandhiji would go to the hut every day in the morning and evening and spend some time talking to Shastri.

Once when he went to see Shastri on his day of silence, Shastri recited Sanskrit poetry and talked animatedly on many issues. But Gandhiji could not talk. After listening to Shastri with a smile, Gandhiji took out a fresh orange from his shawl and offered it to Shastri with a smile. That was his answer. Before he left his hut, he had remembered that it was his day of silence, and therefore had taken an orange along as a token of his love and concern. Shastri’s face reflected the glow of love.

Shastri’s stay in the ashram extended itself to years. The affection and attention that he received from Gandhiji and the ashramites, and the treatment that he followed finally helped him to recover.

If our religion has not taught us how to live in peace and harmony, in sacrifice and service, in loving, caring and sharing, then we have not learnt anything from it at all.

Unfortunately, the modern education system considers religion as non-essential and ‘the opium of the masses’. What happens when religion is taken away from the masses?

This letter is an appeal to the teachers from a school principal who survived Nazi Camp:

“I am a survivor of a concentration camp. My eyes saw what no person should witness. Gas chambers built by learned engineers. Children poisoned by educated physicians. Infants killed by trained nurses. Women and babies shot and killed by high school and college graduates. So I am suspicious of education. My request is to help your students to be human. Your efforts must never produce learned monsters, skilled psychopaths, or educated maniacs. Reading and writing and spelling and history and arithmetic are only important if they serve to make our students more human.”

Only when the eyes behold the world with a vision of oneness… Only when the speech is fragrant with the sweetness of love…  Only when the heart is blossomed with forgiveness and compassion…  Only when the actions are drenched in selfless service… Only when the ego is drowned in the austerity of self-effacement…- 

– Only then can we say we are truly religious.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

March 2019

So long as one remains a slave of one’s senses how can one concentrate the mind on God and serve Him?  –Swami Tapovan Maharaj

The law of life is:

Whatever we love, we will invariably think of it. What we love is what we think, and what we think is what we become. A mind which loves the world becomes a worldly mind; a mind which chooses God becomes a spiritual mind.

What kind of mind do we possess – a worldly mind or a spiritual mind?

Our experience at the seat of our meditation will give us the answer.

A worldly mind is rooted in the world; a spiritual mind is rooted in the Self…   A worldly mind is noisy; a spiritual mind is silent…  A worldly mind wanders; a spiritual mind ponders…   A worldly mind seeks pleasure outside; a spiritual mind finds bliss inside…  A worldly mind is content with nothing; a spiritual mind is content with anything… A worldly mind is extrovert and gross; a spiritual mind is introvert and subtle… A worldly mind carries the burden of worries and anxieties; a spiritual mind is light and carefree…

Meerabai, a princess of Merta, was a disciple of Ravidas, the famous fifteenth-century Indian saint who was a cobbler. Because of her Guru’s low status, many of Meerabai’s friends, and many others as well, spoke of him with contempt and compared his poverty with her great wealth, saying such things as: “Saint Ravidas is scarcely able to make a living by mending shoes; while Meerabai who claims to be his disciple, lives in luxury in her palace.”

It was not long before Meerabai was told of what people were saying and, devoted as she was to her Master, she was touched to the quick. Wondering what to do, she finally decided to take a valuable diamond from her jewel casket and give it to her Guru, so that he could sell it and obtain a large amount of money.

Going to Ravidas with the diamond, she bowed low before him with folded hands and said: “Revered Master, it pains me to see you living in such poverty and want, and at the same time everyone is ridiculing me for being the disciple of a pauper saint. It would please me beyond anything if you would take this diamond and sell it, and build a comfortable home with the proceeds, so that you could live in ease and comfort.”

Ravidas, still bending over his work of mending a pair of shoes, replied: “Dear princess Meerabai, please try to see that whatever I have attained has been achieved through the mending of shoes. If you feel that it is beneath your dignity to come to me, and that people speak ill of you for doing so, you are free to stay away. As regards the diamond, dear Meerabai, I need nothing of this world and am most happy in my seeming poverty.”

Meerabai, however, was determined to give the diamond to Ravidas, and she begged and pleaded with him for a long time. But the saint remained adamant in his refusal.

In the end, Meerabai, disappointed and in great distress, told the Master: “Sir, I am putting the diamond here, in the thatched roof of your hut. Please do as I have begged you, and sell it so you will be well-to-do and comfortable. If you do not need it now, let it stay hidden in the thatch. In case of need at any time, it will be there for you to use.”

Meerabai then returned to her palace, and many months passed by before she was again able to visit her Guru. When she did go to Ravidas, she was surprised to find that he was still working as a cobbler and was still poor as ever. Bowing before him in reverence, she asked: “My beloved master, why are you still in such poverty in spite of the diamond that I left with you? Why haven’t you used the gift that I gave you in all love and sincerity?”

“Ah dear Meerabai, I thank you, but I have no need for your diamond,” said Ravidas. “I already have wealth so great that it could not possibly be calculated. Please take the diamond away with you when you leave here today.”

Searching in the thatch of the roof, Meerabai quickly found the diamond, to which Ravidas had not given a single thought. Humbled, and with her inner understanding immeasurably increased by this demonstration of the vastness of the spiritual treasures within, Meerabai fell at the feet of her beloved Satguru.

A worldly mind values the world; a spiritual mind values the Spirit, the Self.

Our mind basically wants happiness. Addiction to the lower remains as long as the mind is not exposed to the bliss of the Higher.

An ascetic, a true lover of God, who was young and exceptionally handsome, came one day in his wanderings to the house of a lady in a small village. As he was begging for alms, the lady gave him some food and, as she gazed at his beautiful face, fell deeply in love with his eyes.

For several days after that, the ascetic went to the lady’s house. Each day, she gave him food, and each day she fell more deeply in love with the young man’s luminous eyes. One day the ascetic went to the next village to beg for food. When, on the following day, he returned and went once again to the lady’s house, she ran to the door and cried: “Where have you been? I thought you might have left our village forever. I was nearly out of my mind.”

“But why was that?” asked the guileless ascetic. “Have you had a death in your family?”

“Oh, no, no!” said the lady. “It was your eyes. I cannot live without them. Oh, what shall I do when you do leave us and go away, never again to return?”

The poor ascetic, very much surprised, went quietly away. But the next day he went once more to the lady’s house. A bandage was over his eyes, and he felt his way along with the aid of a stick. In his hand, he carried a small bag.

When he reached the lady’s house, she saw his bandaged eyes, and asked in a voice filled with sympathy: “Have you hurt your eyes, poor man? Is there any ointment I could give you, to ease the pain? Ask for anything at all, and I will get it for you.”

The ascetic handed over to her the little bag, saying as he did so: “Mother, here are the eyes with which you fell in love. Pray keep them, for I no longer have any use for them. Do not be distressed, for I could not do anything else. On the path of the devotee, every attachment is forbidden, except for the attachment of love for the Lord.”

For the sake of the Higher, any sacrifice is no sacrifice.

Shankaracharya in Vivekachoodamani says, deer due to its attachment to sound, elephant due to touch, moths due to sight, fish due to taste, bee due to smell – these beings die because of the attachment towards one sense organ. What to talk of human beings who are attached to all of them!

Through our senses, we cannot know the Divine. On the other hand, these sense organs can only help us become an addict to the world of objects. Is there a way to profitably use our senses so that we can evolve spiritually?

Kulashekhara Alwar answers this in Mukundamala says:

जिह्वे कीर्तय केशवं मुररिपुं चेतो भज श्रीधरं पाणिद्वन्द्व समर्चयाच्युतकथा: श्रोत्रद्वय त्वं शृणु |

कृष्णं लोकय लोचनद्वय हरे: गच्छाङ्घ्रि-युग्मालयं जिघ्र घ्राण मुकुन्दपाद तुलसीं मूर्धन् नमाधोक्षजम् ||

O tongue! Sing the glory of Keshava. O mind, think of the enemy of Mura. O two hands, worship the Lord of Wealth. O ears, listen to the story of Achyuta. O eyes, see Krishna. O feet, walk to the temple of Hari. O nose, smell the tulasi leaf offered at the feet of Mukunda. O head, bow down before Lord Adhokshaja!

Become a slave of the senses, and be a slave of the world. Make the senses slaves of God, and be a master of the world. Meditate on the world, and be a slave of the senses. Meditate on God, and be a master of the senses.

The choice is ours.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

February 2019

Love of God is the highest and the best means to a person’s happiness here and hereafter. –Swami Tapovan Maharaj

Why a worldly person can never be happy in this world?

How a spiritual person is ever happy in this world?

The reasons can be many.

1) Complex nature of the world

Everything in this world is complex. The more we enquire into the nature of this world, the more confused we become. Whether it is peeping deep into the atom or exploring far beyond into space, the end result is only confusion. How can a worldly man attain peace in such a mysterious unknowable world?

But a spiritual person has nothing to worry. He is like a child in mother’s lap blissfully unaware of the complications of the world! He knows that he is taken care very well even without his knowledge! A child of God joyously wonders at the omniscience and omnipotence of God. For him, not able to understand God itself is the right understanding of God!!

 2) Impermanent nature of the world

Everything in this world is impermanent – whether it is the body, or the relationships, possessions or positions. This can be a major cause of grief for a person who leans on the worldly crutches for happiness.

But a spiritual person knows the one permanent thing – God. He is our very Self. Thus holding on to the permanent God, a spiritual person lives a life of happiness even in this impermanent world.

3) Uncertain nature of the world

There is no guarantee that we will get what we desire even if we work hard for it. Since the results are uncertain one goes through fear, worry, anxiety and stress.

But a God-lover knows that though things are uncertain here, whatever happens, happens for the good. We are ever under the protective hands of the Lord and He knows what is best for us. God is not our wish-fulfiller, but our well-wisher. Thus even in this uncertain unpredictable world, he remains happy and content.

4) Unending nature of our needs

Our needs are unending whether it be at the physical, emotional, intellectual or spiritual level. But the lover of God knows that the One who has created the needs in us will provide us with the means also. Therefore he is absolutely carefree.

5) Complex nature of our body and the mind

Just like the external world is complex, our internal world constituting our body-mind is also equally complex. How it works, God alone knows!

When a worldly person is not able to understand the head or tail of its functioning, he becomes miserable. He becomes disturbed when there is some health issue or when there are negative mental moods.

A God-dependent person, on the other hand, knows that body-mind equipment works most efficiently when it is surrendered unto God. To follow the instructions of the manufacturer is the best way to use any device efficiently. A surrendered mind is peaceful and cheerful, efficient and obedient.

6) Sense of loneliness

A worldly person, deluded by the sense of ‘I’ and ‘mine’, lives only to take, and not to give. This selfish attitude creates a psychological wall cutting himself off from the rest of the world. In this self-created psychological prison made out of the bricks of selfish acts, the worldly person suffers unbearable pain of loneliness. Even in a crowd, he remains lonely.

But for a spiritual man, his dearest and nearest God Himself has become everything – from the plants and the animals to the stars and the galaxies. How can you be alone when all are you alone!!

7) Confusions regarding the purpose of life

Self-ignorance expresses as all-round confusion – confusion regarding the profession, finance, family etc. A worldly person is confused regarding the very purpose of life. Not knowing what to do with his time, he wastes his life in useless pursuits.

On the contrary, a spiritual man, through the company of the sages, through satsangs and through the study of the scriptures, gains perfect clarity with regard to the purpose of life. Hence he makes use of every situation to evolve spiritually. In every challenge of life, he sees the blessing and guidance of the Lord, and advances towards liberation.

 8) Misery born of comparison

A worldly person cannot but compare himself with other more successful people of greater talents and abilities. This only leads to misery and discontent.  

On the other hand, a spiritual man enjoys total contentment.  He knows that for peace what is needed is not great skills, but the right attitude. Moreover, all skills and abilities belong to God. As no one is superior or inferior, he is able to love all and accept all. 

9) Attachments and addictions

For a worldly person, the world is the source of happiness. Hence he gets attached to the world. Any attachment is slavery.  Through attachment, he loses his freedom.

A spiritual person considers God as the source of his happiness. Hence he never gets attached to the world. For him, attachment to anything other than God is an insult to the love for God. Any other attachment is ignoring God. As he never wants to weaken his relationship with God, he remains unattached to everything other than God. Thus he remains a master of the world, the mind and the senses.

10) Mistaking egoistic joy to be the real joy

For a worldly person, the real joy is of indulgence, of extroverted pleasures, of name and fame, of egoistic satisfaction born out of taking revenge, defeating others etc. But all these joys ultimately end up in pain alone. How many have ended their lives only because their ego could not face defeat, insult, or humiliation?

For a spiritual person, the real joy is born out of egolessness. Ego means the absence of God. Therefore wherever ego is, misery surely is.

11) Craving for respect and love

This is a psychological need. All want to be loved, valued and respected. A worldly person seeks it from the outer world. How many people have lost their lives in trying to get noticed, to be in the limelight? How many have perished in trying to win the attention and admiration of others?

For a spiritual man, this need is fulfilled through the Lord. The Lord gives us the greatest love we can ever think of. This love is unconditional and infinite. He loves us as though we are the only one in this world, says St Augustine!

And when we know that the all-powerful Lord resides in our heart, we are filled with self-respect. We stop craving for respect from others since we know our self-worth.

12) Fear of death

The one thought which bothers a worldly man is the thought of death. This thought remains in him throughout his life as constant background music. Death means forceful separation from his near and dear ones, from his hard-earned money, from his fame, power and position. Death means a travel to the world of unknown. Death means going to a world of uncertainties. Thus it is but natural that one is scared of death and its consequences.

But a spiritual man has no such fear. He knows what death is. It is nothing but the dropping of this physical body. He knows that he continues to exist as the Self and that there can never be a state of non-existence.

To conclude:
No God, no Peace. Know God, know Peace!

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

January 2019

Every event in daily life is a silent proclamation of some profound truth. – Chinmaya

What is the purpose of life?

The purpose of life is to take us from darkness to Light, from illusion to Reality, from ignorance to Knowledge, from inertness to Sentiency, from death to Immortality, from plurality to Unity, from sorrow to Peace, and from the not-self to the supreme Self.

Event by event, birth by birth, this journey of life continues, patiently and perseveringly taking us from the present state of imperfection to the ultimate state of Perfection, the state of no-return.

What are we to learn here?

We have to learn to be the Self, see the Self, and live as the Self. As an expression of this vision, we are expected to rise above our petty ego and selfishness, and learn to love all, serve all, and work for the welfare of all.

How are the lessons taught?

Through the language of peace and pain, He constantly navigates us towards His Kingdom of the Self. He, as the world, becomes the event outside. He, as the Inner-Controller, becomes the guide inside.

Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua, a resident farmer in Kenya, made headlines recently for his effort to save wildlife in the Tsavo West National Park.

Patrick, a local Kenyan pea farmer, was dejected when he discovered that one of his kidneys has failed and that he did not have enough money for treatment. One day, as he was walking past the Tsavo National Park, he saw a healthy elephant dead on the wayside. It was the month of June, the month of intense heat.

His eyes welled up with tears. He thought “I will anyway die due to my disease. But this elephant so healthy; just because it could not satiate its thirst it died. I must do something.”

 In Kenya, from June to December, it is a dry season without a single drop of rain.  Patrick thought maybe God has made him as an instrument in saving these wild animals. He took a vow that no animal will die of thirst any more.

He went to the city and started collecting donation. With the collected money, he got a water tanker for rent and reached the isolated place in the deep jungle after travelling around 70 kilometres for three and a half hours. He dug a pit and then emptied the water from the tanker, around 12,000 litres.

 When the wild animals saw this, they, in hundreds, came running to drink water from this pond. The animals included zebras, antelopes, elephants and buffalos. The grateful animals expressed their gratitude in their own language – by licking Patrick!

This touched his heart. Patrick continued his service, amidst exhausting travel and heat, in spite of his weak health, needing dialysis twice a week. But he forgot his pain when he saw the parched animals coming running towards the truck for water. In relieving the suffering of these animals, Patrick found a new purpose of life.

Patrick’s service was appreciated worldwide and got wide media coverage. Soon the funds and supports started pouring in. Today Patrick has three trucks and he has a team who would supply water in the forest.

When we wipe out the pain of others, a miracle happens – we forget our pain!

Hence the wise say – “We truly live when we live for others.”

The Hindu scriptures say: वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम् – The whole world is one family.

Father Massimo d’ Orlando is a priest ordained in the Roman Catholic Order in Italy. He is the disciple of father Elinjimittam, his revered teacher, who too is an ordained Roman Catholic priest.

Father Massimo arrived at CIF (Chinmaya International Foundation) with his students from Italy and Switzerland, for a spiritual camp on Vivekachoodamani!

But before that who is father Antony Elinjimittam? He is a priest who runs Sacchidananda Mission of Assisi, Italy, and has a story preceding him.

One historical blessed day, some three decades ago, Father Elinjimittam was driving over a bridge in Rome, when in the distance he espied a man standing at the curb, looking down at the river flowing under the bridge. Even from that distance, Fr. Elinjimittam sensed an urgency to stop and ask after this man who appeared to be clad in orange garments.

Now, Fr. Elinjimittam is of Indian origin even if he has been living in Italy for over 40 years. Therefore the orange garments conveyed something. Stopping his car, he got down and nearing the man, his feelings were confirmed.

“Are you Swami Chinmayananda?” he asked. Gurudev affirmed and they greeted each other with the cordiality and respect that people of such elevated spiritual commitments accord one another. And as they talked, Pujya Gurudev talked about his dream to set up a Sanskrit Research Foundation in Velianad, Kerala.

At this point, Fr. Elinjimittam froze. “Where, did you say?”

“Velianad, a small hamlet in Kerala,” explained Gurudev, knowing that nobody would have ever heard of the place. But not for Elinjimittam. “Velianad!” he repeated slowly, relishing the name, and said, “But Swamiji! That’s where I was born!”

The heavens must have smiled deeply that morning as two great men, converged after seeming years of separation. Like the two roads that had parted to accomplish separate tasks and met again with greater purpose, so did Gurudev and Elinjimittam. A significant meeting had been accomplished by time.

Unusual settings and unusual meetings unfold unusual occurrences. So it was that Gurudev invited Fr. Elinjimittam to visit CIF. “You must visit us!” he urged and the good Father accepted graciously.

Two roads met that morning and then diverged… as both went their ways. Some years after that meeting, Fr. Elinjimittam was watching the news on Italian TV one morning in 1993 and heard that India’s revered teacher Swami Chinmayananda has attained Mahasamadhi.

Fr. Elinjimittam, in his next trip to India, visited CIF. Recounting his meeting with Gurudev, Father said, “I want to do something for CIF, as I promised Swamiji…”

The residential block where the Acharyas of CIF live today- called the Scholars Block – was sponsored by Fr. Elinjimittam. He kept his word, but more was to come.

In September 2008, his disciple, the revered Father Massimo d’ Orlando arrived at CIF and threw everyone off their feet as he wanted a Vivekachoodamani camp for his team! He himself gave a talk on Vivekachoodamani in Italian! Next Swami Advayananda and Swamini Niranjanananda addressed them in English, and father Massimo translated it into Italian for the participants. Father Massimo sang many bhajans, chanted Sanskrit verses from Vivekachoodamani – all with the clarity, precision and diction rare even among born Indians.

The visiting seekers were so happy that at the end of the programme, they offered to sponsor the entire Easy Sanskrit Online Course; that is how CIF was able to deliver this course so effectively. The entire cost of building the website, converting the easy Sanskrit Interactive CD into an online course format and making it fully functional, was an offering of love from Fr. Massimo’s team and the Sacchidananda Mission of Assisi. In fact, it is this course that IGNOU (Indira Gandhi National Open University) has adopted as its Certificate Course in Sanskrit.

About three decades ago two great men met without a plan, in the middle of a busy street on top of a bridge, in the holy city of Rome… One mentioned his dream; the other kept his promise.

The profound truth – the Self – proclaims silently – that we are all connected.

The Lord says in Geeta:  मयि सर्वमिदं प्रोतं सुत्रे मणिगणा इव -The whole world is strung in Me like the pearls in the thread.

Abiding peace is only for those who recognise this connection and have risen above all superficial differences of caste, creed, gender, nationality and religion.

And once this lesson is learnt, the purpose of life is over. The external world, which has fulfilled its purpose, fades away to become an illusion. The knower of the Self becomes the Self, and sees nothing but the Self.

Till this profound truth is known, events repeat itself.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

December 2018

Dassehra is the victory over the senses, over the mind, which ends in the disappearance of the dreadful shadow ‘I’, that cauldron of weaknesses, yearnings, slavery and imperfection. – Chinmaya

Dassehra is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu calendar month of Ashvin, which typically falls in the Gregorian months of September and October.

In the northern and western states of India, the festival marks the end of Ramleela with Lord Rama‘s victory over Ravana. On Dassehra, the towering effigies of Ravana symbolizing the evil are burnt with fireworks marking evil’s destruction.

In India, no festival is without a spiritual message.

Dassehra or Dashahara is a Sanskrit term which is Dasha (=ten) + hara (=destruction). The ten-headed monster Ravana was killed by Lord Rama on this day.

Who is Rama?

Rama is the Self in us. The nature of the Self is Existence-Consciousness. The Self is ever with His consort Seeta, representing Bliss, Happiness and Peace.

Who is Ravana?

He is the ego, the impure ‘I’ in us, the cauldron of imperfections. He is called ‘Dashamukha’ and is picturised having ten heads. These ten heads are nothing but our ten organs – five organs of knowledge (eyes, ears, nose, tongue to taste, and skin) and five organs of action (hands, legs, tongue to speak, genital organ and anus). The ego in us is ever in search of happiness in the external world through sense gratification.

Ravana is so powerful that by his sheer might, he brings the three worlds under his control. Whipped by greed, stung by hatred, wounded by revenge, burnt by jealousy and anger, our ego can make us work hard to attain the greatest of material heights.  It can instigate us to acquire anything we want – be it power or position, pleasure or possession.

Ravana lived in Lanka, an isolated island in the ocean. So too, the ego lives in isolation from the rest of the world due to its strong sense of individuality. Ravana’s Lanka was surrounded by fort walls made of gold. “I and mine” becomes the golden wall, where the ego suffers in isolation.

The city of Lanka had everything except one thing – a temple for God.

Likewise, the heart which the ego rules, is a heart devoid of God.

Ravana kidnapped Seeta but he could never possess her. Seeta always belonged to Rama. So too, peace accompanies only the Self, and not the ego. The ego may command material comforts, but never peace. 

Life is miserable as long as Vibheeshana, the jeevatma (the individual self) is living under the tyrannical rule of Ravana, the ego.

It was Vibheeshana’s practice to chant Ram’s name while getting up from bed in the morning. It is this chanting which Hanuman (who was in search of Seeta) hears, and consequently prompts him to seek his company. So too, it is the spiritual samskaras (tendencies) which make a person fit to receive a Guru.

The sufferings of Vibheeshana, the jeeva, come to an end once he meets Hanuman, the Guru.

When the ego rules, the life is miserable. Vibheeshana tells Hanuman, how he lived in Lanka:

सुनहु पवनसुत रहनि हमारी । जिमि दसनन्हि महुँ जीभ बिचारि ||
(O Son of Wind God! Listen. I live here like the poor tongue living amidst teeth!)

The soft and tender tongue has to silently forebear the atrocities of the hard teeth surrounding it. So too, an individual under the rule of his ego is ruthlessly tortured by likes and dislikes, anger and greed, passion and confusion. They are like the attendants ever accompanying the king ego.

Vibheeshana feels that he is unfit for His grace. He says:

तामस तनु कच्छु साधन नाहीं । प्रीति न पद सरोज मन माहीं |
(“Born in the race of demons, no spiritual practice is possible with this tamasic body. How can I, who has no love at the lotus feet of the Lord, ever deem myself fit to receive His grace?”)

In the beginning, no seeker feels confident in the spiritual path. Doubt always lingers whether one is qualified for the spiritual journey.

Hanuman, a perfect teacher, assures him giving his own example:  “O Vibheeshana! Look at me. In what way I – a monkey, an animal, a highly restless being – am superior to anyone? Even then, the Lord showered His infinite grace on this wretched being.” As Hanuman speaks these words, his eyes get filled with tears and voice chokes with emotion.

It is the Guru, who with his own life, inspires the disciple. The Guru, through his own personal example, shows the disciple that a limited individual can indeed transcend all the limitations of matter envelopments, that a mortal can very much attain the state of Immortality.

Hanuman persuades Vibheeshana to surrender unto Lord Rama and seek His protection. So too, it is the Guru who connects the jeeva to Eshwara.

Hanuman successfully returns, burning the Lanka and giving hope to Seeta. Guru’s entry into our life burns away our delusions regarding life and gives us hope of attaining everlasting peace and happiness.  

Vibheeshana tries his level best to persuade Ravana to surrender to Lord Rama, but in vain. On the other hand, Ravana kicks him and says, “Get out from my kingdom, you, a traitor! You eat my salt, but sing the praise of my enemy.”

Vibheeshana leaves Lanka to surrender to Lord Rama.

Ego and God cannot go together. Who should rule us – the ego or the Lord? The choice is ours. Vibheeshana, a true seeker, chooses the Lord.

Vibheeshana introduces himself to Rama and says, “O Lord! I am Ravana’s brother. Having been born in the demon race, my body has the element of tamas (inertia and ignorance) and I have a natural affinity for sins even as an owl is fond of darkness. But I have heard Thy fair renown. Save me! Save me O Lord!!”

Thus saying, Vibheeshana falls flat at the feet of Rama.

The Lord, delighted to listen to these words of utter humility, gets up immediately, runs towards him, lifts him from the ground and embraces him. The Lord makes him sit beside him!

The only thing Lord expects from a jeeva is total surrender. And once this condition is satisfied, the Lord takes the entire responsibility of the jeeva.

The bridge is built. Through surrender, the jeeva allows the Lord to enter into his life.

In the final battle, Rama takes on Ravana. For the heart throne of the jeeva, there is a constant battle between the Divine and the devil. Vibheeshana assists Rama in killing Ravana. The throne is won by the one whom the jeeva assists.

Rama could not kill Ravana even when his heads were chopped off countless times. But when, as suggested by Vibheeshana, Rama’s arrow strikes Ravana’s navel, the monster dies. So too, the ego doesn’t die with japa, austerity, fasting, yajna, charity etc. The root of the problem has to be addressed. Ego’s existence is rooted in Self-ignorance. It dies only with Self-knowledge.

Finally, Ravana is killed by Rama. Ego can be destroyed only by the Lord, not by the jeeva. Hence the Lord says in the Bhagavad Gita:

तेषामेवानुकम्पार्थम् अहमज्ञानजं तम: । नाशयाम्यात्मभावस्थो ज्ञानदीपेन भास्वता ||
(I shower My Grace on My devotees by lighting the lamp of knowledge and destroying the darkness of ignorance residing in their heart.)

The Lord coronates Vibheeshana as the King of Lanka. With the death of the ego, with Self-realisation, one is no more ruled by the BMI (body-mind-intellect), but he becomes the king of BMI.

In the end, Rama rules Ayodhya along with Seeta.

The heart of the devotee, which is ruled by the Self (Rama) and which experiences infinite Bliss (Seeta), becomes verily Ayodhya, i.e. a place free from conflict.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T