Chintana

December 2013

Brood less; smile more. That is the way to live. – Chinmaya

Brooding is thinking a lot about something which ultimately makes one annoyed, anxious or upset.

The Lord has given all of us a powerful faculty – the faculty of imagination. The misuse of this God-given gift is called brooding.

Problems come to all of us. To find a solution, thinking is necessary and unavoidable. But when the thoughts uncontrollably run through the wrong channels, thinking degrades to brooding. A thinking man has control over his thoughts; while a brooding man remains paralyzed, possessed by his own vicious thoughts, his woolgathering mind conceiving imaginary fears and failures.

It is said that chinta (brooding) is worse than chita (funeral pyre). While chita burns down only a dead body, and that too only once, chinta burns the living ones, moment to moment.

While brooding, even our superficial smile disappears from us in a moment’s notice, engulfed by the suppressed fears and tears gurgling from our deep within. This is so because while brooding we focus too much on the negative aspects of life.

A management expert was handling a session on ‘cultivating positive attitude’. He took out his pen, and on a large white sheet of paper, marked a dot at the centre. He then asked the delegates, “What do you see?” Pat came the reply from all “Sir, a black dot”.

“This is the problem with all of us,” said the expert smilingly. “We are quick to notice that black mark; but in the process, miss out the broad white sheet!”

We complain that the rose bush has thorns; Why not rejoice that the thorn bush has roses?

No facial make-ups or cosmetic surgeries can match the beauty of a genuine smile born out of a cheerful heart abiding in peace and joy.

A world-famous beauty product company asked the people in a large city to send pictures along with a brief letter about the most beautiful woman they knew. Within a few weeks, thousands of letters were delivered to the company.

One letter, in particular, caught the attention of the employees. Soon it was handed over to the company president. The letter was written by a young boy who obviously was from a broken home living in a slum.

With spelling correction, an excerpt from his letter read, “A beautiful woman lives in our street. I visit her every day. She makes me feel like the most important kid in the world. She listens to all my problems with great patience. She comforts me in the time of distress and cheers me for every little achievement. She plays with me and loves feeding me. She tells me the stories of the great devotees and instils in me faith and devotion for the Lord.” The boy ended the letter saying “This picture shows that she is the most beautiful woman. I hope I have a wife so pretty as her…”

Intrigued by the letter, the president asked for the woman’s picture. The secretary handed over to him a photograph of a smiling, toothless woman, well advanced in years, sitting on a wheelchair. The sparse grey hair was pulled back in a bun, and the wrinkles that formed deep furrows on her face were somehow diminished by the smile on her face and the twinkle in her eyes.

“We can’t use this woman”, said the president, smiling. “She would show the world that our products aren’t necessary to be truly beautiful!!”

There is a wonderful story about Jimmy Durante, one of the great entertainers a few generations ago. He was asked to be a part of a show for World War II veterans. He told them that his schedule was very busy and he could afford only a few minutes, but if they wouldn’t mind his doing a short monologue and immediately leaving for his next appointment, he would come. Of course, the show’s director agreed happily.

But when Jimmy got on to the stage, something interesting happened. He went through the short monologue and then stayed on. The applause grew louder and louder and he kept performing. He went on and on for 15, 20, and then for 30 minutes! Finally, he took a last bow and left the stage.

At the backstage, someone stopped him and said, “I thought you would go after a few minutes. What happened?”

Jimmy answered, “I did have to go, but I can show you the reason I stayed. You can see for yourself if you’ll look at the front row.”

In the front row were two men, each of whom had lost an arm in the war. One had lost his right arm and the other had lost his left. Together they were able to clap, and that’s exactly what they were doing – loudly and cheerfully!!

An old saying goes thus:

You are as young as your faith; and as old as your doubt. You are as young as your self-confidence; and as old as your fear. You are as young as your hope; and as old as your despair.

How to brood less and smile more?

Focus on the imaginary world of ‘What If ’, and you brood; Focus on the realistic world of ‘What Is’, and you smile.

“This is no world. It is God Himself. In delusion we call it world,” so says Swami Vivekananda.

If this is difficult, then be too busy to brood at day-time; so that you are too sleepy to brood at night!

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

November 2013

Silently hear everyone. Accept what is good. Reject and forget what is not. This is intelligent living. – Chinmaya

“A mixture of opposites is this world;

Therefore, O brethren, may you live in this world;

With the wisdom of a swan bird.”

Thus say the scriptures.

The swan has neera – ksheera viveka. From a mixture of milk and water, it takes only the milk and leaves behind the water content. The above quote asks us to do the same.

Mahatma Gandhi once received an abusing nonsensical letter running into pages. He took out the paper clip and kept it safely for future use. The letter, without a second glance, was thrown into the dust-bin.

Intelligent living demands silent listening. And silent listening demands a silent tongue and a silent mind.

An immature, egoistic, impure mind can never listen. While hearing it is either switched off from within, or it is busy trying to safeguard the ego by framing arguments to defeat the opponent. It sees and hears only what it wants to see and hear.

Such biased, selective listeners remain trapped in the cocoon of their ignorance leaving no scope to learn anything from life.

A true listener listens to learn, to know; not to judge or to win. He takes part in discussions; not in arguments. For him, knowledge is the highest priority; not the ego-satisfaction. He is ready to bow down and to admit his mistakes; he is ever willing to correct himself. The ego, the villain, is never allowed to interfere anywhere, anytime.

Such silent listeners alone can appreciate and imbibe everything good; they alone can detect and reject everything worthless.

As the President of the United States, when Abraham Lincoln was about to give his inaugural address, one man, a rich aristocrat, stood up and said, “Mr Lincoln, you should not forget that your father used to make shoes for my family.”

The whole Senate laughed; they thought they had made a fool of Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln looked at the man and said politely, “Sir, I know that my father used to make shoes in your house for your family, and there will be many others here…. Because the way he made shoes, nobody else can.

He was unique. His shoes were not just shoes; he poured his whole soul in it. I want to ask you, have you any complaint? Because I know how to make shoes myself. If you have any complaint I can make another pair of shoes. But as far as I know, nobody has ever complained about my father’s shoes. He was a genius, a great creator and I am proud of my father.”

The whole Senate was struck dumb.

It is impossible to escape criticisms in this world. Even Sri Rama and Sri Krishna, the incarnations of the Lord, were not spared. But how to react these criticisms is purely left to our choice. The above quote guides us in handling criticisms.

When Rabindranath Tagore, the great poet, was subjected to intense criticism, one of his admirers, Sharat, complained to him, “Sir, I cannot take it anymore. Why don’t you retaliate?”

Tagore smiled and replied calmly, “You already know Sharat that it is not possible for me to get down to the level of those who criticize me or abuse me. I have my own level. I can retaliate only if I come down to their level, and this I can never do. I don’t have time for such petty matters. And if you look at it from my angle, it is not important either.”

There is a saying, “Arguing with a fool only proves that there are two!”

The one who uses every situation to reform oneself alone is considered wise. The rest busy themselves with others’ defects and waste their lives.

Ibrahim, the famous Sufi saint, was travelling once with his followers. One of his opponents, who had climbed a tree, spat on the head of the saint just when he was passing under it. The devotees of the saint became terribly angry and they rushed forward to catch hold of the person. But the saint forbade the followers to take any action.

He told his followers, “His mistake can be corrected with a small piece of cloth. But how will you correct your own mistake of beating him? There is no piece of cloth in the world which can correct such mistakes.”

Always the wrong persons teach the right lessons in life.

Intelligent living is all about making the right choices. Every choice made is an iron blow upon the lump of iron which our bodies are, manufacturing out of it what we want to become.

Sea is common to all; some take pearls; some fishes; some return… just with empty hands and wet legs!

The world is common to all. What we get depends on what we strive for.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

October 2013

The secret vein of energy that runs in every one of us is struck, not through pills and elixirs, but through dedicated actions. – Chinmaya

The modern man appears to live like a breathing corpse, shuttling between home and the office, carrying a face wrinkled with family-worries and work-pressures.

His only relief appears to come from Saturdays, Sundays and holidays – spent leisurely in clubs, pubs and in theatres. Thus drained out totally in health and wealth, through drugs and drinks, the modern man appears to drag his life aimlessly from the womb to the tomb.

This is but natural. For the one without any higher purpose of life, even a hefty pay-scale can act only as a catalyst to hasten him towards disease, decay and death.

But when actions are performed for a noble cause, in a selfless spirit of service, for the welfare of all, without expecting anything in return and without allowing the ego to interfere, one gets infused with a divine power unknown to the self-centred majority. The abundance of energy gushing from one’s own within astounds even its possessor, before dazzling the world in all its brilliance.

The Founder of Chinmaya Mission, Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda, even at the age of seventy-five, with his heart functioning with only 18 per cent efficiency, used to work18 to 20 hours a day.

His day, starting from3:30 am, would be packed with a wide range of activities – answering a heap of letters sent to him from the world over, conducting morning sessions on Upanishads/meditation, writing commentaries on scriptural texts, organizing meetings with committee members, attending interviews, giving management talks in colleges and corporate institutions, survey-visits to the construction sites of the Mission ashrams/vidyalayas/ hospitals/social projects, attending bhikshas, conducting Geeta Jnana Yajnas for an audience ranging in thousands…

Hour by hour, day by day, year by year, Gurudev spent his life serving others for more than 40 years as a worship of the Lord. He used his body like camphor, burning it out till the last breath, without even a trace of ego, giving the light of Self-knowledge and fragrance of divine Love to one and all.

Once a devotee, an army officer, asked Gurudev, “Swamiji, What is the secret of your unending enthusiasm?” Gurudev replied with a smile, “While you take rum, I take Ram”!!

In another instance, one press reporter came to Gurudev and enquired, “Swamiji, are you the head of Chinmaya Mission?” The reply was instant, “No, I am the tail.”

With such a great leader to inspire and with an entire team of selflessly dedicated members to support, no wonder that the Mission has grown in leaps and bounds in the last 60 years after its establishment, with around 300 centres all over the world.

Field Marshall Cariappa, the first Indian Commander-In-Chief of the Indian Forces, was a great devotee of Swami Shivananda. In his study room, he had a picture of Swamiji, his parent’s picture and a statue of an ordinary Indian soldier.

Every day morning, after his bath, he would go to his study room, salute the statue of the soldier saying, “It is you who protect our motherland. That is the highest thing a man can do. I salute you.” Then he would stand before the picture of his parents and pay due reverence saying, “You have given me this body; you have trained me and made me fit to become what I am. I am ever grateful to you.” Then he would bow down before the picture of Swami Shivananda and pray in all humility, “You are a great man. I salute you. Please bless me.”

During the 1965 war, his son Flt. Lt K.C. Cariappa, an Indian Air Force pilot, was shot down over Pakistan. He was captured and imprisoned as a POW (Prisoner of War). Pakistan was then under the military rule of General Ayub Khan, who had worked closely with Field Marshal before the partition, and had high regards for him.

When Gen. Khan offered to release his son immediately, Field Marshal, who was then living a retired life, scoffed at the idea saying, “Every soldier in the Indian Army is my son. So I can’t request special privilege for only one.” the old soldier thundered. “He is the child of this country, a soldier fighting for his motherland like a true patriot. My many thanks for your kind gesture, but I request you to release all or release none. Give him no special treatment.” The Field Marshal is reported to have said.

When actions are performed with a selfless attitude, one experiences a sense of fulfilment within oneself which then becomes the sole motivating factor for all noble undertakings.

Let’s ever remember these electrifying words from Swami Vivekananda, “Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life. Think of it, dream of it. Live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, and every part of your body be full of that idea and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success and this is the way great spiritual giants are produced. Others are mere talking machines.”

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

September 2013

No true seeker has the right to be pessimistic; he should ever be consciously optimistic. – Chinmaya

Pessimism and dejection often visit a spiritual seeker. “Immortal, Infinite; am I?… Taming this terrible mind; can I?…Very very rare few reach God; will I? … But I am a low-caste- born/sinner; how can I?… Giving up the tempting pleasures of the world; why should I?… Realizing God: when will I? … The journey appears unending; where am I? … Better give up; shall I? …”

Pessimism has not spared even the great stalwarts in spirituality. Once Swami Vivekananda was wandering in a thick forest as a mendicant, highly dejected and grieving, “What is the use of living like this – only eating, sleeping and begging food – not attaining the highest goal of life!”

Suddenly he came face to face with a starved lion in search of its prey. “Better sacrifice this life to satiate the hunger of this being than dragging it on and on purposelessly.” Thinking thus, Swamiji offered himself to the wild beast. But the lion stepped back, refusing the offer, and went its way. (Very soon, Swamiji came out of this mood of dejection, and in the depth of his prayer the mission of his life was revealed to him.)

The above quote advises us to be consciously optimistic. It means replacing the negative thought-currents of dejection with the positive thought-currents of devotion, confidence and cheerfulness. This is achieved by exposing oneself to everything positive: by attending satsangs, by reading the scriptures and the life stories of great mahatmas, by seva, by meditation / japa / puja etc.

Food becomes tasty only for the hungry. For the thirsty, water becomes nectar. A true seeker considers the tragedies a necessary appetizer for relishing the Divine.

An interesting incident is narrated by Swami Rama in the book, “Living with the Himalayan Masters”. Once, a railway station master went to a sage and insisted, “Sir, give me something to practice, and I promise I will follow it faithfully.” The Master instructed him, “You are a station master. So be stationed in truth. From this day onwards don’t lie. Practice this faithfully for the next three months.”

Most of the employees of the Railways were dishonest in that area and took bribes. This man decided that he would not take bribes or lie any more.

The very same week a supervisor from the head office came for investigation. The station master’s honest answers led to the prosecution of all the staffs, who in turn joined together and accused the station master of being the only one guilty of taking bribes. All others were released and the station master was put in jail. Soon his wife and children left him. Within a month, his life crumbled like a house of cards.

In the court, the judge looked at him and asked, “Where is your attorney?” The station master boldly replied, “I don’t need one.” The judge said, “But I want someone to help you.”

“No,” said the station-master, “I don’t need an attorney; I want to speak the truth. No matter how many years you put me behind the bars, I won’t lie. I used to share in bribes. Then I met a sage who told me never to lie, no matter what. My wife and children have left me, I have lost my job, I have no money or friends, and I am in jail. All these things have happened in one month. I have to examine the truth for two more months no matter what happens. Sir, put me behind bars; I don’t care.”

The judge called for a break and quietly called the man to his chamber and asked about the sage. Coincidentally the judge happened to be the disciple of the same sage. He acquitted the station master and said, “You are on the right path. Stick on to it. I wish I could do the same…”

On the exact day after the end of three months, that man, having lost everything, was sitting quietly under a tree when he received a telegram saying, “Your father had a huge plot of land that was taken long ago by the government. The government now wants to give you compensation.” They gave him 1 million rupees! This came as a shocking surprise as he had never known about his father’s land, which was in a different province.

He gave the compensation to his wife and children and they happily said, “We want to come back to you.”

“No”, he said, “Until now I have only seen what happens by not lying for three months. I have been rewarded so much. Now I want to find out what will happen if I do not lie for the rest of my life!”

Laws of this universe are ever biased towards the righteous – dharmo rakshati rakshitah. How can a true seeker be ever pessimistic, knowing fully well that the Supreme Lord is in full control of even the minutest, insignificant happenings of the world? Bheeshaasmaat vaatah pavate… (Out of fear of Him the wind blows…) thunders the Upanishad.

Hence, for a true seeker, even the word FEAR means Face Everything And Rise; and NOT Fear Everything And Run!

Never Say Die attitude – Let our nails and hairs teach us this lesson!

In those inauspicious moments when negativities flood our bosom, let us consciously train the mind to seek refuge in Lord, remembering His promises “Na me bhaktah pranashyati…Yoga-kshemam vahaamyaham…Maa shuchaha…”

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

August 2013

The brilliance of the divine Self radiating through each individual is directly proportionate to the degree of surrender at the higher altar within. – Chinmaya

All are essentially divine. If so, why in this world is seen a ‘saint – sinner’ divide? The above quote clears the doubt with a law divine.

The sinner, ignorant of the higher altar within, makes his ego his master; while the saintly one, through surrender and self-effacement, allows the inner Self to guide and rule over.

The life of Girish Chandra Ghosh, one of the foremost devotees of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, is but another example to prove this point.

Born in Calcutta in 1844, Girish grew up as a lively and carefree soul. It was the time when Western education and culture were thrust upon Indian society, challenging the traditional Indian culture and religion. Consequently, the youth of his generation grew up in an atmosphere of doubt, atheism and cultural chaos.

At the threshold of maturity with no one to guide, Girish started drifting into drunkenness, sensuality and obstinacy. He became a regular visitor to the houses of ill-fame.

In 1874, when he was just thirty, his young wife died, leaving behind a son and a daughter. Shortly thereafter, he lost his job. Six months after his second marriage, Girish became ill with deadly cholera, but miraculously survived a sure-death situation.

Disease, death, accidents, poverty, untold sufferings – all these lead to a turning point in his life where, despite his proclaimed atheism, he began to wonder if a greater Reality did exist.

He had read a lot about Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and was curious to know more about this holy man.

In 1884, Girish’s drama on the life of Chaitanya created a sensation in Calcutta, and this brought him closer to Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa.

Sri Ramakrishna’s joyous singing and dancing with the devotees, his childlike attitude, his state of Samadhi, his words of wisdom, his purity and humility…- all these drew his heart towards the Master and soon he became a frequent visitor to Dakshineshwar. He strongly believed that Sri Ramakrishna was an incarnation of God.

Once, Sri Ramakrishna made a remark about Girish to another devotee, “You may wash a thousand times a cup that has held a solution of garlic, but will the smell ever go?”

Girish heard about it and was very much hurt. He went to Ramakrishna and asked, “Will this smell of garlic go?”

The Master replied, “Yes. It will. All smell disappears when the blazing fire is lighted. When heated, the smell goes and it becomes like a new cup.”

Once, in a gush of anger, Girish harshly abused the Master to the utter shock of all the devotees present there. But later he became repentant, and wept profusely, refusing to eat. The Master came to his house and tenderly consoled him, “It’s alright. It is better for these things to come out, like poisoned blood.”

Once, out of total dejection, Girish came to the Master and lamented that he was a rank sinner unfit to do any sadhana. The Master lovingly advised, “All right. Give God your power of attorney. Henceforth He will take full responsibility for you. You don’t have to do anything.” The jubilant disciple’s joy knew no bounds!

Soon one day, Girish remarked in Master’s presence, “I shall do this.”

“No, no”, corrected the Master, “You can’t talk like that anymore. Say I shall do this if God wills.”

Next time if he had to drink, he had to first offer the liquor to Mother Kali and then drink!

Girish began to understand the mystery of the power of attorney. As time passed he began to realize that he could not perform any action out of his own free will.

He couldn’t continue with the habit of drinking. Once, to test the Master’s grace, he went to a brothel to spend the night there, but due to intense prick of conscience, he ran back home. Again, in the Master’s presence, he tried deliberately to think a worldly thought, but he couldn’t.

A great change started happening to Girish. He started considering the Master as his closest relative. The Master’s loving care and concern made Girish understand that he would not be condemned for his shortcomings. Soon, his passionate love for Sri Ramakrishna endowed him with what the Master himself described as “one hundred twenty-five per cent faith”.

In Swami Turianand ji’s words, “Girish was the most religious of us all. He lived, as he had promised, by the promptings of the Indweller.”

After the Master’s passing away, a series of deaths – of his second wife, of his two daughters and of his young son – took place in his family. This initiated a blazing fire of renunciation, burning up all his attachments, desires and impurities. The garlic cup was being heated and the odour was disappearing. His life-style soon underwent a total transformation.

Girish was a prodigious writer and produced during his time 79 works, including dramas, satires and musicals. In addition, he wrote many short stories, articles, poems and songs. His dramas dealt with religious, social, historical, mythological and patriotic subjects. His innovative spirit had a lasting impact on the theatre in Bengal. He became known as the ‘father of Bengal theatre’. Through his contact, the lives of many, including the actors and actresses of the theatre, were transformed.

During his last years, Girish suffered terribly from asthma. But he remained unruffled at all times. In his death bed, he once told a devotee, “Brother, could you beat me with your shoes? I am not joking! I deserve it. The Master is sitting within my heart and is always protecting me. Yet I wonder what will happen to me after death!”

On 1912, he breathed his last, taking the name of the Lord and proclaiming victory unto his Master.

To quote Swami Vivekananda, “In G.C. (Girish) alone I have seen that true resignation – that spirit of the servant of the Lord… I have not met his parallel. From him, I have learnt the lesson of true self-surrender…”

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

July 2013

Prayer, in its truest sense, is an attempt to invoke the mightier potential that is already in us, through mental integration. – Chinmaya

Usually, our prayer (if at all we pray!) is nothing but a mechanical muttering of some meaningless mystical mantras, chanted uninterestingly, and often wrongly, by our careless mind with all its impatience to finish off this futile monotonous routine. And for the vast majority, prayer is but a short cut to fulfil their illegitimate demands through divine intervention, taken to as a last resort once all other worldly fair and foul means have failed!

The intention and purpose of prayer in its truest sense is brought out in the above quote.

The scriptures declare that, like the waves in the ocean, we all are a part of the Infinite and hence all the glories of the Supreme Lord are already ours. To realize this oneness, we are only asked to drop the illusory egoistic self and identify with our real Self. This attempt to tune ourselves to our Creator through humble submission is called prayer.

To the one thus tuned to the Divine, everything that happens – good or bad – is but the sweet leela of the Lord. Such a devotee develops an intuitive eye capable of perceiving the hidden hand of the Almighty everywhere and in everything.

Rabia, one of the greatest woman mystics of Islam was born in the year 717 A.D. The fourth child of her parents, she was born in a poor family. Her mother passed away in her childhood and soon a famine struck their country, and the family members got separated from each other. There seemed to be no end to the tragic tale of this little girl. She was kidnapped and sold as a slave for a paltry sum of six dirhams. To make the matter still worse, her master was cruel beyond words who constantly kept ill-treating her. The girl was made to toil and labour the whole day long. Often she went without food to cope up with the work given to her. But even in those days, she kept awake at night and spent several hours in prayer and meditation.

One night, when her master returned home at a late hour and passed by the little room in which Rabia lived, he heard a murmur, a whispered voice coming from within.

Instantly, he became suspicious. “To whom could my slave be talking to at this late hour of the night?”

He peeped through the window of the room and was amazed by the sight that met his eyes! Rabia was at prayer enveloped in an unearthly light. Like a little angel, she was kneeling down, her eyes closed, her hands folded and out of her lips issued forth the words, “Lord! Please bless my master…”

This master who treated her mercilessly, this master who beat her again and again, this master who was inhumanly cruel – Rabia was actually offering prayer for him!

She was heard saying, “O Lord, please forgive all his faults. Let him prosper, and above all, O Lord, so bless him that he may be drawn closer to Thy Holy Feet, and to Thy Heart which is the heart of love…”

Hearing this prayer, the master was taken aback! He returned to his room but could not sleep. The memory of all his evil deeds haunted him the whole night.

The next day early morning, he came to Rabia’s room and fell down at her feet pleading, “Forgive me. I knew you not, O saint of Allah! I have grievously sinned against you and against Him! I entreat you to continue to stay in my house, not as a slave but as my honoured guest. Permit me the privilege of serving you!”

To err is human; to forgive is divine. The strength to forgive comes only when we are tuned to the Divine.

A true devotee becomes a perfect instrument in the hands of the Lord to express His might and glory. Nothing then becomes impossible for such a man of God.

Guru Arjan Dev is the fifth of the ten Sikh Gurus and the first Sikh martyr. The greatest contribution he made to the Sikh faith was the compilation of the past Gurus’ teachings along with the selected writings of other saints from different backgrounds into one book, known as the holy Guru Granth Sahib.

When Jahangir, the Mughal emperor, demanded Guru Arjan to revise the Holy Granth, removing all references to Islam and Hinduism, the Guru politely refused to do so. Jahangir, who was on his way to Kashmir, asked Murtaza Khan to deal with the Guru. Murtaza Khan immediately jailed the Guru and ordered to torture him to death until he succumbed to pressure.

He was allowed no food, water, or sleep. The next day they immersed him in a large vessel of water with fire underneath and brought it to boil causing his flesh to blister. On the third day, inflicting further torture, they poured burning sand over him, charring his skin. On the fourth day, they forced him to sit on a red hot iron sheet kept over burning charcoal. The Guru bore all those brutalities for five long days with calm serenity. The torturers found the Guru unresponsive and unyielding to their demands. They did not know what to do.

On 1606 May 30th, thinking to torment the Guru’s blistered and burnt body with icy cold water, his captors led him into the nearby river, Ravi. Thousands of followers, dumbstruck, with tears in their eyes, watched the Guru, who could barely walk, make his way to the river, blissfully repeating over and again, “Sweet is Thy Will O Lord. The gift of Thy Name alone I seek…”

Bidding farewell to his followers, the Guru dipped below the surface, disappearing forever from sight. His persecutors could never recover his body.

‘Prayer can work wonders’ is the unanimous declaration of all the great ones of all religions.

Why not give it a try? Why die as a beggar when we are the rightful inheritors of the Infinite Kingdom of the Self?

Abidance in the Self is the highest expression of devotion;

And that itself is the greatest prayer.

Let this sincere heart-felt prayer be our bridge – a bridge to cross over from our present state of finitude to the eternal state of freedom and joy.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

June 2013

Beating one’s own drum is worldly outlook. Beating oneself into shape is spiritual effort. – Chinmaya

The one virtue glorified in all scriptures, in all religions, by all saints and sages of all times, is humility.

The Bible says, “He (The Lord) leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble His way”.

How to practice it?

‘Beat oneself into shape’ is the answer given above. Swami Shivananda Saraswathi, the founder of Divine Life Society, is considered one of the greatest yogis of the 20^thcentury. It is indeed educative to learn how he cultivated this virtue of humility. The following self-instructions were found in one of the diaries of Swamiji:

“Serve the untouchables, the scavengers and the inferiors; eat from the hands of Muslims; clean the clothes of sadhus; do prostrations to all; return good for evil; live on alms bearing abuse, insult and injury; Give up Brahmana- Sannyaasa abhimaan and Vairagya-tyaaga abhimaan.”

Swamiji was very fond of Namaskara Sadhana. He prostrated to men of all kinds; even to birds and animals. He prostrated before his own disciples, to householder devotees and pilgrims who came for his darshan.

Once Maharaja Sahib of Tehri came to the ashram and took the blessings by prostrating to Swamiji. Swamiji, in turn, touched his feet, in front of his own devotees and followers.

Other orthodox ashrams and sannyasis took serious objection to this. But his response was, “I see the Lord in all. Hence I prostrate to all.”

He never allowed others to touch his feet. As one of the devotees puts it, “It was always a race; who ran faster and touched the other’s feet – Swamiji or we!”

Swamiji took great delight in serving the sadhus. He would wash mahatmas’ clothes and fetch water for them from Ganga. When they were ill, he would render them medical aid, massage their feet, attend on them, and bring them their bhiksha.

On special occasions, like Swamiji’s birthday etc., a lot of people would come and garland him with flower, brocade and sandalwood garlands. He would suffer all that to satisfy the devotees. When the whole thing would get over, he would go inside his kutir and sit in a corner of his bathroom. With a pair of old shoes which he had, he would beat his head and thus admonish his mind, “Big teacher! Flower, garlands, adoration. Now take a little sample of this also!”

Every year, an I.C.S officer, Sri Pannalal, used to come to Rishikesh to visit Swami Tapovan Maharaj. On his way back he would visit Swamiji. Once, after the meeting with Swamiji was over, Sri Pannalal stepped out. In those days such a high officer would not stir out without a peon. This peon, who used to assist in putting on his shoes, was somewhere away. The officer looked for him this side and that side. Swamiji immediately sized up the situation, took the shoes and promptly placed them at his feet. The officer’s blushed face was worth watching at that time!

 In 1953, Parliament of World Religions was organized by Divine Life Society. Representatives from various religions came to attend the function. Swamiji spoke in English. In the next session, a sannyasi rose to speak. He was a very stout and aggressive personality. He started roaring in Sanskrit continuously for 10-15 minutes. To make sure that all would understand, he afterwards switched over to Hindi. In his thundering, forceful speech, he outrightly abused Swami Shivanandji left and right, in front of about one thousand distinguished people.

He said, “It was utmost foolishness, a big blemish and an action contrary to Hindu religion and tradition for a sannyasi, staying in Uttarakhand, on the banks of the holy Ganga, to speak in a foreign, alien, polluted language…” He went on with his direct tirade on Swamiji, without speaking on any other subject.

Swami Shivanandji, who was regarded with such high reverence by all, that within a few minutes the whole audience became restless. Words were sent from the audience to stop the speech, to remove the sannyasi from the stage and to cut-off the microphone connection. Though the disciples of Swamiji were also fuming with anger, they dared not do anything for fear of Swamiji’s displeasure.

All through the bitter talk, Swamiji’s face was absolutely calm and serene, without a single ripple or ruffle in his mind. He was seated like a Buddha, completely unperturbed. After the sannyasi had spent all his force panting and fuming, he resumed to sit.

Before anything could be done Swami Shivanandaji immediately got up, went to the microphone and spoke in Hindi, “We are most grateful, most thankful to Swamiji Maharaj for having told us the right thing indeed. Sanskrit is the Devabhasha, and there is no language in the whole world to equal Sanskrit. We congratulate him for his command over the divine language. Hindi, being the national language is next to Devabhasha in importance. His suggestion is indeed very, very correct and timely. We are most grateful to him for giving us this advice.” And he went on praising the sannyasi expressing gratitude and thanks.

The sannyasi felt most uncomfortable. It was as though a fully inflated balloon was pricked by a pin. Like how the speedily charging wrestler coming in full force falls flat when the opponent steps aside! He had expected some applause; some reaction. But nothing came.

Annihilate the ego and awaken to divinity, say the scriptures. According to the famous equation:

God + ego = man; Man – ego = God.

Swamiji used to say, “The complete annihilation of the ego is possible only after a very, very intense and atom-bomb like powerful sadhana. So go to the place where you are not respected, but you are humiliated, abused and insulted. Deliberately go to the place where people are likely to make fun of you. Bear all insults calmly.”

When we beat ourselves to shape, the world beats the drums. But when we beat our drums, the world beats us to shape!

The choice is ours!!

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

May 2013

Temples are the gymnasiums for the mind. – Chinmaya

Local gymnasiums can strengthen and shape only the physical body. But to revive a sick mind from all its negativities, we need a different gymnasium. The temples, the churches, the mosques and other such houses of God fulfil this need.

How do these places of worship help us regain our inner health? The answer is simple.

The moment the mind withdraws from the world and meditates upon God, it is cured of all its illness. Such a God-oriented mind gets filled to the brim with all divine virtues. The arrangements made inside these holy places of worship are such that we cannot but think of God.

Just as each room is designed to serve a particular purpose– bedroom for resting, drawing room for receiving guests, kitchen for cooking etc. – a house of worship is designed for meditation, worship and prayer.

In Hinduism, the outer rituals symbolize the eternal Vedantic messages of the Upanishads.

Every temple is designed similar to a human body. The Lord is seated in the garbha gruha (the sanctum sanctorum, the most sacred place) to indicate that the Lord resides in the heart of every being. Just as the temple gains its sanctity only due to the Lord residing within, the inert body gains its sentience and holiness only because of the presence of the Lord, the Consciousness principle. Normally, the sanctum sanctorum is kept dark, to indicate that the Lord cannot be seen as an object. During the aarati, the idol is seen in the light of the burning camphor, to point out that He can be known only as the subject, the witnessing light of Consciousness, represented by the light of the aarati. Hence we close our eyes during aarati, to seek Him within.

 The camphor burns, leaving no residue, spreading the fragrance everywhere. So too, we are advised to burn away our little egos in the fire of Self-knowledge. Then alone can we become a light unto others wafting the fragrance of universal love to one and all.

As we enter the temple, especially in South India, slippers are kept outside and the gents are asked to remove the upper clothing, to indicate that Lord’s darshan is possible only when we strip ourselves of our egocentric personalities.

The ringing of the bell and the blowing of the conch produce an auspicious sound, Om, the universal name of the Lord. They also help to drown the inauspicious, irrelevant noises and disturbances from outside, and serve as a reminder for the mind to stop all its extroverted preoccupations.

The Namaste posture (where the two palms are placed together in front of the chest) used while praying, indicates that the individual self and Supreme Self are ever together, which is intuitively felt in a purified heart.

The tilak (the sacred mark on the forehead) reminds us of the Lord throughout the day and thus protects us from all evil forces and wrong tendencies.

The food offered to the Lord is called Naivedyam. Everything comes from Him alone– be it the worldly wealth and prosperity or the abilities and talents in each one of us. What belongs to Him is offered to Him.

The very same food comes back after the worship as Prasaadam, which we partake of with cheerful acceptance, without complaining or criticizing, without wasting or rejecting. So too we are advised to maintain this attitude (Prasaada buddhi) of accepting everything that comes to our lives as His Prasaadam.

After offering the prayers, we do the Pradakshina (circumambulation) around the Lord by going around the sanctum sanctorum. The Lord is the centre, source and essence of our lives. Recognizing Him as our focal point, we are advised to go about doing our daily chores.

Also, Pradakshina is done clockwise, so that theLord is always on the right side (and not on the wrong side!). In India, the right side symbolizes dharma/auspiciousness, reminding us to walk the path of righteousness which alone leads to auspiciousness. Pradakshina is done three times or five times, to indicate that the Lord is beyond the three states of experience (waking, dream and deep sleep), and beyond the five sheaths (annamaya, praanamaya, manomaya, vijnaanamaya and aanandamayakoshaas). Again, Pradakshina is done to oneself as well by revolving around, to remind us that the supreme divinity within us is itself idolized as the Lord we worship outside.

By the means of Saashtaanga Pranaama (prostration), we express our meek surrender in obedience, acknowledging the greatness of the Omniscient Lord, by touching our head at His Holy Feet.

Fasting in Indian tradition is called Upavaasa (Upa=near the Lord, vaasa= to stay), so that the time and energy saved from procuring, preparing, cooking, eating and digesting food items can be utilized to think of God.

We find the usage of oil/ghee lamps inside every temple. The oil or ghee in the lamp symbolizes our vasanas or negative tendencies, and the wick- the ego. When lit by spiritual knowledge, the vasanas get slowly exhausted and finally the ego also perishes.

Before leaving the temple, we are supposed to sit in silence for a few minutes experiencing our oneness with Him. Soon the mind is soothed, recharged and revitalized, making it fit to take on the world with all vigour.

Such a strong mind – trained and toughened by the regular ‘work-outs’ in such holy gymnasiums, with its powerful bulging muscles of discrimination, devotion and dispassion – alone can wrestle with the monstrous-world-of-delusions, swirl it and hurl it beyond the frontiers of illusory non-existence.

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

April 2013

Man can change his destiny not by wishing for it, but by working for it. – Chinmaya

Very often we hear people say, “We have no choice but to accept whatever is there in our prarabdha…; Who can change what Vidhaata (the Creator) has written in one’s forehead?…; What can we mortals do when planets/ stars have already decided our fate?…; We are just puppets dancing to the tunes of the master puppeteer (God)…; The whole world is like a drama – the story, the end, the characters, the roles – are all decided. We have just to play our part…”

These statements are made by none other than the spineless weaklings who have not the least guts to take the blame upon themselves for their falls and failures. The plain, bare truth is we alone are responsible for whatever happens to us. Thought by thought, action by action, we alone design and carve out our destiny.

But these escapists of life try to detach from their responsibilities by putting the blame on someone else– the grahas (stars)/ ill-luck/ karma / vaastu /fortune/ destiny/fate/apa-shakuna(ill-omen) / raahu-kaala (inauspicious moment) and hosts of other nonsense!

No doubt, it is our past which has brought us to our present. But let us not forget that the equation of life is:
past’s influence + present efforts = future destiny

Thus we need not be helpless victims of our past misdeeds. The present moment is ever available for necessary alterations. Take care of the present, and the bleak past gets transformed into a brilliant future.

Legend has it that Panini was born a dull child, but as one whose interest in learning knew no bounds. An astrologer who happened to come to his school read Panini’s palm and conveyed to him the sad fate that the child’s palm had no line for learning. The heartbroken boy wanted no impediments to his learning. Soon after, Panini’s guru saw a happy boy whose palm was bleeding. Upon asking, Panini answered that he had drawn the “line of learning” on his palm with a knife! The guru was overjoyed on seeing his interest in learning and vowed to make him a scholar.

Today Panini is known all over the world as the author of Ashtaadhyaayi – the earliest complete grammar of classical Sanskrit, unmatched in its brevity and completeness in any ancient grammar of any language. It is considered as the foundational text on Sanskrit grammar, studied exhaustively by the students and scholars of all times.

Helen Keller, born in Boston, the USA in 1880, lost her eyesight when she was a mere two years old baby. Soon, due to a terrible fever, she lost her power of hearing and also the ability to speak.

The compassionate Lord takes care of all. Divine help came duly in the form of a teacher named Anne Sullivan, who developed a special interest in this utterly helpless, dumb, deaf and blind child. Their relationship lasted for almost 50 years. Anne taught her untiringly, with infinite patience and love, and soon the little girl was able to communicate by writing on the palm with fingers. As the years rolled by, their combined efforts started yielding results.

Mastering the Brail language for the blind, she learnt English, German and French. Joining the college, she became the first deaf-blind person to pass the BA degree, that too with first-class! Her hobbies included horse riding, swimming, rowing, and playing chess and cards!!

She has authored twelve books. Her autobiography ‘My Story of Life’ was translated into fifty languages of the world. Her book “My Inner World” is a treasure to the world literature.

Helen Keller established the “Blind Society” and published many books for the blind in Brail language. She travelled around the world to places like Europe, Canada, Australia, Egypt, India, Japan, South Africa etc., encouraging blind and deaf people all over the world.

Someone asked, “Don’t you feel that God was unjust towards you?”

Her calm reply was, “I believe that God is in me, as the Light in my darkness, as the Voice in my silence… So much has been given to me by Him that I have no time to ponder over what has been denied… I thank God for all my handicaps; for through them, I have found myself, my work and my God…”

She added, “If the blind put their hands in God’s, they find their way more surely than those who see but have no faith or purpose…”

About success, she said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing… No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars or sailed an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit…We can do anything we want as long as we stick to it long enough. There are no shortcuts to any place worth going…The character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.”

Her message to the world is “Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look at the world straight in the eye. Nothing is impossible for you.”

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T

March 2013

Ethics is something we have to cultivate in ourselves. Its expression in the world becomes morality. – Chinmaya

From the above definition, one may say that purity of our thoughts, intentions and motives determines ethics; while the nobility of our actions performed in the outer world determines morality.

Thus, one may be apparently moral but not ethical; and one who is ethical spontaneously becomes moral, as thoughts decide actions.

Hence the above quote says: Be ethical within, and you become moral without.

But why should we be ethical?

The answer to this question can be obtained when we start watching the mind. The following facts are revealed under close observation:

Nobler the thoughts, the quieter the mind.

Subroto Bagchi, the Co-Founder of the IT firm called Mind Tree Ltd., mentions an incident in his book, ‘The Professional’.

In Japan, he had to go to a hotel for a conference. He hired a taxi and upon reaching the destination, paid the money according to the meter reading.

The cab-driver, politely returning a part of the money, said, “Sir, actually there is a shorter route to this place which I came to know just now. Being in this profession, it was my responsibility to take you to the shortest route. Asking you to pay extra due to my ignorance will be absolutely unjust. As for the loss of your time, my sincere apologies.”

Wise men pay great attention in keeping their conscience pure and clean as that alone gives true peace and happiness.

Thoughts that are often repeated become our habit and ultimately decide our personality.

Our mind decides our response to outer situations. And the mind is trained by thought-repetition.

A mind trained in loose living, yielding to every temptation and compromising with all higher values and nobler ideals, crumbles in the wake of any challenge thrown by the world. On the other hand, a positively trained mind faces all the ups and downs of life with a smile of confidence.

A depressed state of mind only means that deep down we are entertaining some negative thoughts which many times we are not aware of. Once the mind is out of these negative thought-whirlpools, it regains its healthy state.

What you sow (as thoughts), so shall you reap (as outer situations).

A student dreams to become an engineer, and soon he is surrounded by eng. books, eng. students, eng. professors, eng. campus, eng. laboratories, eng. devices/circuits and eng. problems!

So too, the good attracts good and the evil attracts evil. Sometimes we hear people say, “I don’t know why, no one likes me; I feel lonely; I am ignored by all…etc.” Today, if we are disliked by others, we alone are to be blamed. Negative thought currents in us, if left undetected, gain root, eventually giving rise to a stinking personality, repelling the world away from us.

Pujya Gurudev used to say, “Some people give happiness wherever they go, some – whenever they go!”

What thoughts to entertain is our choice. The rest is determined by the laws of nature, governed by God.

Even as a child, the famous saint Sadhu Vaswani would go, sit in a corner and pray when he found someone suffering. One day, his mother, Varan Devi, spoke to him of a close relative who had lost his job. He had a wife and children to support and had no savings. The family was passing through a difficult time. The mother lamented, “If only he can get a job with a salary of twenty rupees per month, the family would be able to breathe again…”

At night, the little boy went up to the terrace, closed his eyes and prayed devoutly to God, asking Him to help the afflicted family. He continued to do so for seven days.       

On the seventh day, the mother came and announced that their relative had been given a job with a salary of exactly twenty rupees a month!

“God has heard your prayers,” said the mother to her son. “In future, if I need anything, I will come to you and not approach your father.”           

“No Ma,” said the child, “We both will approach God, Who alone is the source of all and Whose stores are never empty.”

As the famous quote says: Take care of your thoughts, for they become your words; take care of your words, for they become your actions; take care of your actions, for they become your habit; take care of your habit, for they become your character, and ultimately your destiny.

How to cultivate a healthy mind?
Pujya Gurudev gives a 5-point solution: Observe, detect, eliminate, substitute and strengthen.          

Observe the mind; detect the negativities; eliminate them. Substitute with positive thought patterns; through repetition strengthen them.

In the beginning, one has to work hard. The old thought- grooves have to be filled up and new channels have to be cut open. Once healthy thinking becomes a habit, the joys of life are ours forever!!

O   M         T   A   T         S   A   T