How To Keep The Rat In Check

The elephant-headed, pot-bellied Ganesha is a popular God in the Hindu pantheon. Interestingly, the diminutive rat is depicted as his vehicle, at his beck and command, even looking up to him.

As humans, we were are given to exploiting our environment. In the worldly sense, humans are like thieves who take what is not theirs. The rat symbolises the characteristics of a robber, a worldly man.

The rat looks for a safe haven and burrows a hole deep into the earth. Then it moves all over, steals food and stores it in the hole. The snake, representing death, follows the rat into the hole. The snake eats the rat and lives comfortably in the hole, just as death strips us of all possessions, including life.

The elephant accumulates nothing; it freely moves about in the forest and eats only what it needs. The elephant’s trunk reaches high and can sense water at great distances. The elephant is a strong animal and it is believed to have a good memory.

The Ganas are the Indriyas or the five senses and are governed by the mind. The mind is the Lord of the Indriyas as these can be energised only by the mind. Thus, the mind is the Isha of Ganas or Ganesha. So Ganesha is depicted with an elephant head and body of a human being. It is not the material mind but the spiritual mind that is epitomised here. Sarada Devi, spouse of Ramakrishna Paramahansa, used to tell her disciples that unless you get the blessings of your mind, no endeavour will be successful. Hence the tradition among Hindus of offering prayers to Ganesha before embarking on a venture.

We face three kinds of obstacles: doubt or indecision, external factors and the unknown. Therefore, Ganesha is invoked as Vigneshwara, remover of obstacles.

The body of a man represented by the rat, a small mammal, carries a mind represented by a large mammal, the elephant. In the material world, it is always the large which contains the small and not the other way. But in the spiritual sphere, it is the reverse.

For example, the seed of a banyan tree contains the principle that brings forth not only a big banyan tree but also generations of banyan trees. The elephant’s trunk shows the reach of the mind; the head, the intellect, memory power and other sharp senses, and the huge belly, the subconscious mind, the storehouse of all vasanas. Symbolically, this powerful mind is the elephant that is riding on the small body represented by the rat.

A century ago when Lokamanya Tilak popularised the Ganesha festival in Pune, he sought to mobilise people to strive for and achieve swaraj or freedom. The idea is also to reach beyond mere political freedom, to strive to overcome greed and avarice towards living a selfless life. To rise above the mindset of a rat. This is the universal principle, as at present, the whole world is reeling under a rat mentality. Ganesha is not merely a Hindu God, He is the Lord in Every Heart with lofty ideals not only for the mundane but also for the spiritual world!

(Based on a dialogue the writer had two decades ago with Swami Rtananda Puri (1906-2000), former head of Narsinh Mutt of Banares.)

Recognise The Importance Of Interdependence

Acharya Vinoba Bhave would ask, "How many Pandava brothers are there?" Every one would respond, "Five". Vinoba would say, "Wrong, there were six! Karna was the sixth but they forgot all about him and he joined the Kauravas and brought about great destruction in the Mahabharata war. Those who are less fortunate are our brothers and if we forget about them then terrible destruction can come to us all."

Though he demonstrates his prowess at a contest, Karna is ridiculed for having the temerity to compete with princes and kings. It is at this time that Duryodhana, who had been looking for a warrior skilled enough to defeat his enemy Arjuna, makes Karna king of Anga, gaining Karna's eternal gratitude and loyalty. It is Karna’s presence that gives Duryodhana the confidence to take on the Pandavas. A distraught Kunti tells Karna the truth about his birth and pleads with him to join the Pandavas who are his brothers, but he is firm in his refusal as loyalty to his friend, Duryodhana, is paramount to him.

As one who always had a raw deal in life and yet never gave up his principles, be it generosity or loyalty, Karna is perhaps the most tragically heroic character in the Mahabharata. Though he remains entrenched in our memory as a heroic underdog, we often forget that Karna’s metaphor also illustrates how forgetting our links with another can lead to destruction. In other words, his story illustrates the importance of the principle of interdependence.

Interdependence states that we are mutually responsible for each other and it is essential that we share a common set of principles with others. The principle recognises the fact that we are not and can never be completely independent in an interconnected world.

The Qur'an explains this concept in an unusual but beautiful manner. Instead of saying, "Greet each other", it says, "Greet yourself". Instead of saying, "Do not defame each other", it says, "Do not defame yourself". Instead of saying, "Do not kill each other", it says, "Do not kill yourself". The message is clear, whatever is happening to others, is actually happening to your own self.

Pratityasamutpada, the Buddhist doctrine, states that phenomena arise together in a mutually interdependent web of cause and effect. From the Buddhist perspective nothing arises independently. Everything arises from a complex set of interrelated causes. While we may not understand this complex web, it helps us to accept that each of our actions has an effect on the larger world.

The Vedic principle of "Vasudhaiva kutumbakam" - the world is one family - was practised and preached by rishis in recognition of the fact that each person, animal, flora and fauna were connected to the other.

The issue in the human domain has always been about which of our actions create an effect on the larger world and who comprise of our circle or family. The answer to both queries is quite simply "all". All our actions, however small or insignificant, do have an effect on the entire world. Even a single thoughtless comment can cause alienation, such as Karna being humiliated by the princes. As to who comprises our circle, the answer is again all. All literally means all of creation.

Let us then begin viewing the world from the enlightened perspective of interdependence, and move towards the apex of our spiritual journey.

You Cannot Change Nature, Change Your Attitude

A man tried to blow out an electric lamp. When he failed, he was puzzled. Why didn't the 'flame' get extinguished? In spiritual matters we too are like the ignorant man. We are unaware of the process of self-transformation. The aim of Sadhana is to transform the self.

Knowledge is the first prerequisite of this transformation. The second is practice. We know that we inhale and exhale air through each nostril by turns and we have also learnt that in the exercise of controlling breathing the mind goes in and comes out with each breath.

Mere knowledge is not enough. We often commit errors of judgment in the practice of meditation, and our success depends on repeating the process intelligently. Mahavira observed that knowledge combined with practice is the only path leading to deliverance from miseries. Both are inseparable elements of spiritual exertion. Moreover, practice cannot bear fruit without discernment. Only a combination works.

Meditative practice should begin with a correct disposition of the mind that can be strengthened by willpower. Develop the urge to achieve with faith. Be self-critical. The more the disposition develops, the more self-watchful will you become. Remind yourself that your self has to perceive itself.

To develop this disposition change your attitude. A changed attitude brings about a transformation in the very course of your life. Nobody can change nature. What we can and should do is to change our attitude towards it.

A preceptor had two disciples. He asked one of them as to how the latter felt the world to be. The disciple replied that it was a hopeless world. Even the bright day lost its value when he saw that it was preceded and followed by dark nights. The darkness was disgusting. The preceptor put the same question to the second disciple. He replied that it was a wonderful world. How bright the days were! Of course, the nights were dark, but then each night was followed and preceded by a bright day.

The first disciple saw only the nights and their darkness. The second saw only the days and their brightness. It is the attitude which matters. It is the mind which makes a heaven of hell and a hell of heaven.

The Anitya Anupreksha medi-tation is performed in the early hours of the morning. During this meditation we try to feel that the body is transitory. The idea gradually develops into a felt experience. We know that the body undergoes continuous change, affected by heat, cold, wind and atmosphere. It is subject to disease, old age and death. But if we could know the truth about these changes and the body, it will be a happy experience. As soon as we have known the true nature of disease and death, our attitude towards them will certainly change.

Death is a terrible thing no doubt, but one who has known the truth about it will be prepared to welcome it whenever it comes. We can develop this attitude through the Anitya Anupreksha meditation. The greatest punish-ment the state can award is the death sentence. Death appears to be a terrible thing but to the Sadhaka it is no longer so. Sadhana brings about a complete self-transformation. It is also a transvaluation of values. A change in our attitude towards life and death is the prerequisite of Sadhana. It means getting rid of all kinds of predispositions, predilections and preconceived notions.

Many Dimensions Of Heartfelt Satsang

A friend going through depression was advised by her family physician to join satsang. She flared up: "Why satsang?" The physician thought for a moment and said: "Because satsang will give you a community. It will give you a sense of belonging. Two, it will draw you out of your limited self and will help you bond with your higher self".

Satsang helps build up a magnetic centre of spiritual life; from such a centre flows energy which purifies and stabilises our emotions. Traditionally satsang is associated with the singing of Naam kirtan, invoking the Supreme. This is only one aspect. Satsang has many dimen-sions. It may mean a gathering of like-minded people who pray together or discuss and debate issues which are of concern to humanity. Just as any good work is worship, similarly fruitful exchange of ideas which would benefit self and society is also satsang.

In a deeper sense, satsang is fellowship with an evolved person. The presence of a holy person purifies emotions and rejuvenates body, mind and spirit. It spreads 'pure energy' which gives a sense of well-being as it washes away our mundane worries for a while. It is for these reasons that life management courses prescribe satsang, that is, group prayer or singing. Such kirtans divert negative energy, producing circles of positivism which have multiplier and cascading effects. Such gatherings purify the gross physical and help to heal body and mind as well. Little wonder the youth of today find comfort in chanting for peace or good health or just invoke higher energies for themselves.

Satsang of the Naam kirtan type can be a higher mystical and spiritual experience. Recounting his personal experiences Sadhu Vaswani writes, "Our Calcutta Satsang was vibrant. It commenced with recitation of holy verses and readings from scriptures followed by bhajans, and culminating in kirtan. The kirtan awakened the souls of many... Some became ecstatic, others fell into a swoon. This happened so often that my Gurudev had to appoint some of us to pick up those devotees who were in an unconscious state and reach them home safely."

During those times, Calcutta used to have long processions. Devotees of Chaitanya Maha-prabhu, particularly, took out a procession, chanting Haribol, Haribol and in that Masti of Mantra, they went into ecstasy that reached a crescendo of a higher kind. Speaking of his own intoxication, Sadhu Vaswani further says, "On more than one occasion I was so intoxicated with the mantra that I fell in a state of unconscious-ness. Even in that delirious state, I would continue to chant Haribol, and would fall down on the ground. The devotees would pick me up and reach me home. When I woke up, many hours later, I would ask, where am I?"

Such mystical and spiritual experiences are rare. But it goes without saying that satsang relieves us of latent mental burdens; it creates positive patterns; it roots us to our own real self; it takes away our frustrations, it provides a surface for interaction; and above all satsang generates pure energies which purify us. With so many benefits, it is worthwhile to participate in chanting groups, Reiki healing, Gita groups, Interfaith lunches, Peace prayers, and enjoy the vigour, enthusiasm and energy of positive living. By Aruna Jethwani

A guru to provide safe harbour

Prince or commoner, rich or poor, every individual who wishes to get empowered and enlightened benefits greatly from the guidance of an able guru. Even the gods sought out gurus for themselves.

Lord Krishna's guru was Sandipanirishi. Rama and Laxmana along with many other princes learnt all skills from their spiritual master, Guru Vasishtha. When SwamVivekananda first visited Ramakrishna Parama-hansa he asked: "I have read the Bhagavad Gita and other scriptures several times, I lecture and give discourses on the Gita and Ramayana. Do I still need harbour of a saint; do I still need a guru?”

Ramakrishna didn't reply to Vivekananda's question. After a few days Ramakrishna called upon Vivekananda and handed him a parcel to be delivered at a nearby village a few hours away by the sea route.

Early morning the boat and sailor would be ready and all he needed to do was to go to the village and deliver the parcel to the designated person.

Vivekananda agreed and decided to start early. He found the boat and the sailor ready to put out to sea. Suddenly, upon sitting in the boat, Vivekananda realised that he didn't know the road to the village. He inquired of the sailor who had no clue, either. Vivekananda decided to go back to his guru to ask him the shortest way to the village.

Upon this Ramakrishna said, "Narendra, this is my reply to the question you asked me when we met the first time: Today, you have the medium (the boat), you have the resource (the sailor), you have the road (the sea), you know what to do (deliver the parcel) and you also know where to go but you don't know the way. Likewise you have read all the scriptures, and you can conduct wonderful discourses on them. However, to realise the wisdom of scriptures one needs a guru, someone who has already traversed that path so that he can guide you through the journey and encourage you to not give up".

In Sanskrit, 'gu' is one who dispels and 'ru' means darkness. Every individual who wishes to rise above his existing levels needs a lighthouse, a guiding star to guide him on the journey of life who can help by dispelling darkness at every step.

Lord Swaminarayan ordained Sikshapatri, containing 212 conventions of code of conduct for every human being. One of the points reads: "Even the most learned of men will become morally declined if he is not involved in devotion to God and in good acquaintance".

Many seers have made various suggestions on how to embark on the spiritual path according to their perceived wisdom. Is there a universally accepted spiritual definition? How should one lead one's life which balances both the spiritual and the material?

To understand all this and choose the right path for a balanced life of duty, responsibility, love, detachment and striving for higher consciousness, you need the grace and guidance of a spiritual master. As the saying goes "When the disciple is ready the Master arrives".

Like a lone ship sailing in turbulent waters hunts for a safe harbour to anchorage, similarly one needs to constantly endeavour in the journey of life for a true guru, a harbour against all storms.

Rhythm and intonation of sacred chants

Rhythmic chanting is an ancient tradition. With evolution of understanding and abilities, chanting became increasingly scientific and result-oriented.

Self-realised Vedic sages could perceive the forces in the universe and managed to manipulate them through specific sound combinations called Mantras.

Banjamin Lee Whorf, an American scholar and chemical engineer, researched the psychological aspects of language and published his findings.

"The idea, entirely unfamiliar to the modern world, that nature and language are inwardly akin, was for ages well known to various high cultures... In India, one aspect of it has been the idea of the mantram and of a mantric art...

"On the simplest cultural level, a mantram is merely an incantation of primitive magic, such as the crudest cultures have. In high culture it may have a different, intellectual meaning, dealing with the inner affinity of language and the cosmic order. At a still higher level, it becomes Mantra Yoga. Therein the mantram becomes a manifold of conscious patterns, contrived to assist the consciousness into the nominal pattern world, whereupon it is 'in the driver's seat'. It can set the human organism to transmit, control and amplify a thousand-fold forces which that organism normally transmits only at unobservable low intensities".

Somewhat analogously, mathematical formula enables a physicist to configure some coils of wire, plates, diaphragms and other quite inert tools to project music over great distances.

Other formulas make possible the strategic arrangement of magnets and wires in the powerhouse so that, when the magnets — rather the field of subtle forces — are set in motion, force is manifested as electric current. We do not think of designing a radio station or a power plant as a linguistic process, but it is one nonetheless.

The necessary mathematics is linguistic apparatus, and without its correct specification of essential patterning, the assembled gadgets would be disproportionate and inert. But the mathematics used in such a case is a specialised formula-language, contrived for making available a specialised type of force manifestation through metallic bodies only, namely, electricity.

The mantric formula-language is specialised in a different way, in order to make available a different type of force manifestation, by repatterning states in the nervous system and glands. Rather, in the subtle forces in and around those physical bodies. In this way you could link the subtle Eastern ideas of the mantric and yogic use of language with the configurative or pattern aspect which is so basic in language.

The late Paramacharya of Kanchi explained the scientific nature of Mantra: "Although the Vedas contain such noble concepts enshrined in them, the supernal sounds emanating therefrom is no less important. In fact, these sounds by themselves are potent enough; or rather, this divine potency is not confined to the 'Veda Mantras' only, but generally it is equally true of any 'Mantra' as such".

For many Mantras more impor-tance is attached to their sound patterns than to their actual meanings. Each letter and the way in which it should be pronounced is the potent factor behind it.

As You Breathe, So Shall You Live

The simplest way to build a harmonious relationship with life is to develop a loving, joyful and a friendly relationship with your breath. Understand your breath, its ways of working and develop a friendly relationship with it. Breath is the carrier of vital life force within us that makes our body-mind organisation function and survive.

If you look at breath as life itself, your landscape will change. The love, sanctity and value you give to this great spontaneous phenomenon called ‘breathing’ will tend to completely change the way you breathe. Then if you breathe slowly, just 20 times with a smile, your eyes closed, you will experience deep within a feeling of joy in all those organs where you perceive the smooth touch of breath.

When you look at your breath as if it were your constant and unfailing friend, that quality of relationship brings about a profound change in any breathing method you practise. You will soon realise that the way you breathe, is the way you live. This is how complex life turns simple.

Eight factors that change your relationship to life with reference to the way you breathe are: the flow of breath you allow in your body, the pace with which you breathe, the rhythm you follow, the number of times you breathe or frequency of breath, body posture you hold while breathing, vibrations you produce, the attention and serenity with which you breathe, and finally, your sensitivity to experience the touch of breath in every organ it touches as you breathe.

The way you learn to synchronise all these aspects into one compact process of breathing is what will change your relationship with your body and mind. It is simply profound as well as profoundly simple.

You will begin to like yourself as you feel the pleasing, calming sensation deep breath brings about. You will experience a deep sense of undisturbed peace within. When you pay attention to the beauty with which life rests within you, for the first time, you will experience what it is to feel alive.

Our relationship with breath tends to be simple, direct and proportionate. So if you breathe slowly and attentively you feel the touch of breath as you breathe in and out. You will experience a deep sense of peace.

If you breathe with great satisfaction, you will feel the grace of life. When you breathe selectively into each of your organs like kidneys, intestines, heart or head and feel the touch of breath, you will experience great healing. How many times you breathe and how regularly you do it directly decides the proportion of well being you will feel.

If you think of life as a great struggle, or the world as a battlefield where you have to compete with and overcome others, you will turn yourself into a warrior who has no room for peace or reconciliation in life. Then if you seek freedom or happiness, you will look for it beyond this life, not while you are living. The world that appears outside you is in fact a reflection, a mirror image, of how you feel within.

A simple way of changing the way you feel is to learn how to change your relationship with life in your daily half-hour breathing session. You will soon experience that as you breathe, so shall you live.

Yogasanas For Health, Beauty And Wellness

Yoga, the art and science of maintaining physical and mental well-being that has its origin in India, is among the most ancient yet vibrant living traditions that’s getting increasingly popular today. A potent stress-buster, yoga is an instrument to self-evolvement and enlightenment, through physical and mental well-being. Multi-dimensional, it enhances the quality of our lives at so many levels. One aspect of yoga’s benefits is to explore the bond between yoga, health and beauty.

Broadly, the word beauty incorporates physical, mental and spiritual beauty. It is a subtle balance of inner and outer beauty. Yogasanas when performed with perseverance, precision, patience, pleasure and ‘shraddha’, yield highly rewarding results. They promote health and consequently beauty. But to derive maximum benefit one has to embark on this daily practice or rather pilgrimage, with unflagging passion and commitment.

An ardent practitioner of asanas will reflect unusual grace, poise and beauty. Asanas keep the spinal column supple, strong and healthy. This results in a steady and erect posture, boosting self-confidence. During asanas, the alternate stretching and relaxa-tion of muscles facilitates blood circulation and supply of oxygen, rejuvenating every cell of the body.

Various yogic postures gently massage internal vital organs, keeping them in perfect health. Consequently, our various systems function in complete harmony. The endocrine glands are stimulated and work with precision. Cholesterol levels are kept in check and the blood pressure is normalised. This internal harmony cleanses and detoxifies the body and boosts the immune system.

Asanas make the body toned, strong and flexible. Standing asanas like the Tadasana and Trikonasana result in perfectly toned and shapely legs and ankles. Certain inverted postures like the Sarvangasana — the shoulder stand, the 'king of asanas' — results in blood flowing freely and profusely to the neck, face and hair. Facial skin becomes taut and wrinkle-free, attaining a radiant glow. The hair becomes thick and glossy, and the eyes acquire a natural shine.

Asanas speed up metabolism, resulting in a slim figure. There is no accumulation of fat anywhere in the body.

Forward bending like the Paschimottanasana and Uttanasana result in a flab-free abdomen. Naukasana and Aradhamatsendra result in a narrow, small waist. Facial features acquire a chiselled, fat-free look. This natural pampering of the body by asanas also results in slowing down the ageing process, both physical and mental.

A prolific sadhak or practitioner remains youthful, attractive, alert and at peace with himself. Then we are in touch with ourselves and can live life to the fullest. Inner calm and joy are reflected on the face of the yogi.

When the body is so blissfully healthy, the mind reciprocates. Thus, in this happy, healthy body resides an equally joyous and healthy mind, which is balanced and in perfect equilibrium with the body. This in turn leads to

positivism in our thoughts, actions and relationships.

With regular and committed practice, toxins are got rid of. Greed, jealousy, and anger are washed away. The maintenance of the various asanas for a few minutes at a time results in acquiring tenacity and concentration. This inner and outer beauty provides totality to the yogi’s personality. Asanas work both on the body and mind, and elevate and purify our consciousness, resulting in beauty of body, mind and soul.

Sethusamudram And The Hyper-reality Of Ram

Is the Ram of the Ramayan for real? Years after the Ramjanambhoomi controversy reached eruption point with the demolition of the Babri masjid, the 'reality' of Ram is once again the cause of impassioned debate and mass agitations which disrupt public order.

The source of contention is the Sethusamudram project which proposes to dredge an 83-km-long canal through the sea channel separating India and Sri Lanka, thereby facilitating shipping. However, the sangh parivar has contented that the dredging operations would destroy the 'Ram Setu', built by Ram to cross over into Lanka, which would deeply

offend the sensibilities of millions of devotees. The Indian government cited the Archaeological Survey to plead in court that while the Ram legend is an integral part of Indic civilisation and literature, it is not based on 'historical records'. In short, Ram isn't for real.

But of course he isn't, Ram's devotees might well respond. Ram isn't real, he is much more; he's hyper-real. Hyper-reality could be described as that intangible supporting structure that adds significance to our everyday reality which can be weighed and measured and tallied on a balance sheet of profit and loss. Art is an example of hyper-reality

(Hamlet never existed, but he's more 'real' than any person we will ever meet). The love of a mother willing to sacrifice her life for her child is another example of the power of hyper-reality.

As is spiritual belief, in Ram, or Jesus, or Allah. Hyper-reality transforms existence into life. Rubbish, realists would say. Life is about progress, not superstition and mumbo-jumbo. Trouble is, how 'real', or progressive, is progress? Environmentalists have joined forces with the parivar in opposing the Sethusamudram project which the greens fear will wreak ecological havoc.

Is environmentalism, often contrasted with progress, also mumbo-jumbo, along with religious belief? Is global warming as much a myth as Ram? Many proponents of progress might say so. Critics, on the other hand, would say it's becoming increasingly difficult to weigh the benefits of progress as against its costs. Not least because the standard kilogram, devised 118 years ago and hermetically sealed in Paris, is mysteriously losing weight. Not much, just 50 microns (which is about as much as the weight of a fingerprint) over the years. But still, the kg, a foundation stone of

reality as distinct from fiction, myth or hyper-reality, is different from what it was, is changeable, whether it's

because of proton decay or some other 'real' reason no one knows.

So, does today's reality weigh (50 microns) less than yesterday's? A perplexing thought. As much so as thinking what would happen if Ram (or Hamlet) went on a diet. Can a myth shed weight like a real kilo can? Presumably not. In which case is the myth, or hyper-reality, more real, in the sense of being more constant, than reality?

Perhaps the real and the hyper-real are inextricable components of the same merry-go-round. As a modern scientist put it: “Reality is what we take to be true. What we take to be true is what we believe. What we believe is based upon our percepts. What we perceive depends on what we look for. What we look for depends on what we perceive. What we perceive determines what we believe. What we believe determines what we take to be true. What we take to be true is our reality.”

Sethusamudram or Ram Setu? Progress or belief? Take your pick. Only don't do so on the streets, inconveniencing your neighbour. Be it Ram, or anyone else.

Thundering Waterfalls And Puzzled Monks

Two painters each painted a picture to illustrate his conception of rest. The first painted a still, lone lake among the far-off mountains. The second created on canvas a thundering waterfall, with a fragile birch tree bending over the foam; and at the fork of the branch, almost wet with the cataract's spray, sat a robin on its nest. The first was stagnation; the last was rest, writes Drummond. Rest is not a sedative for the sick, but a tonic for the strong. It spells emancipation, illumination and transformation.

Our world is made up of vivid contrasts. There is the arid, barren, desert and there is the luxuriant oasis with waving palms. There are breathtaking mountain heights and there are the monotonous plains. Stagnation is to remain in a place that takes us nowhere. To choose to be like a lone lake is to refuse to grow and to move up to the next level. Mrs Charles Cowman says, when our spiritual garments are threadbare, our existence becomes as fruitless as the desert wastes. We dry up; our wandering is aimless; we live on the margin of life.

To live like the robin on a thundering waterfall, perched on the fork of a bent branch of a tree seems precarious and calculated to make us anxious, restless and fretful. If we image our lives as forever hanging on a precipice, we will remain afraid and unable to move forward. But if we image our nests, which are secure and protected perches we can rest on in the midst of life, we will move with the confidence and assurance that life is safe but it must in the end be all about spiritual growth.

Assurance and confidence can come from learning to give. Often they come from receiving, which is an art. Receiving the limitless grace of God enables us to set our sails by the eternal in what seems to us a mysterious, constantly changing and fathomless sea. It seems life is like a trackless ocean, vast and impersonal, moving on and on. Grace reminds us that the hand of God keeps track of us on trackless paths.

Receiving needs no genius, no goodness, only want. Our real needs and wants are not those that are most apparent to us.

The conditions we believe we need to grow are often not the conditions which promote true growth.

A monk who needed oil planted an olive sapling. Then he prayed for gentle showers for its tender roots, then for the sun to warm it and then for the frost to brace its tissues. He was puzzled to find the tree sparkling with frost but lifeless at the end and unable to supply his needs. In life, too, we lay down so many conditions that we are unable to grow spiritually.

The monk's brother housed in another cell had also planted a tree, but prayed for it to thrive and entrusted it and what it needed to God. The tree thrived because God supplied its needs knowing better than the monk all that it truly needed to survive.

We are painting our life sketches and planting our life trees. Some of us choose stagnation, others growth. If we remain caught up in super-ficialities, we finally stagnate. We have to go beyond and look for the truly abiding hidden in the surface turmoil and cries of the battlefield to discover true rest. We cannot paint both pictures at the same time. We choose either life or death.

Move With The Flow, Learn To Let Go

We tend to cling to every object in our lives. We hold on to our profession, relationship or possession as if our entire world depends on them. We are so busy clinging to our own lives, that we have forgotten to live with the flow. We are afraid to move ahead, afraid to let go.

Life in essence is like an unobstructed, unrestrained, uncontrolled flow of a river. Life flows at its own pace and the ultimate source of all our pain and sufferings is our tendency to cling to and obstruct the flow.

Professional life stagnates, relationships are broken, possessions are lost; all because we refused to let go when we were actually required to let things take their own course. Why do we cling? We cling because change scares us; we cling because we are afraid to face the unknown, to face challenges; we cling because we feel secure if the status quo is maintained; we cling because we refuse to believe that life can never be static; because we refuse to accept the transience of everything; we believe that everything is in our hands.

We do not have enough faith in life and that higher force which is omnipotent and omnipresent. In the chaos of existence, we have lost touch with our higher self. Most of us lead a life which is similar to that of a child who is lost in a crowd, separated from his guardians. He has nobody to place his faith on. He is afraid, insecure, suspicious about everyone and everything. We live under the false illusion of having everything under our control. The spirit of getting things done becomes a problem when we continue to cling on even after we have exhorted all our efforts. We are overwhelmed by a sense of despair and disillusion when things move beyond our control.

It is at this stage we need to learn to let go. Several times relationships are broken just because we tried too hard to make them work. We didn't give the breathing space they required to grow. We didn't let go and let them take their own course. Professionally or personally, once all the efforts are made towards achieving a goal, we must learn to let go and let life take the best course.

It might or might not be of one's choice, but if we have faith, we will realise that it inevitably is the best course. We need to believe that forces above us are far better equipped to make judgments for us. We must learn to have faith in their judgment. Letting go, however, does not mean turning into a fatalist. One cannot sit idle in life and expect life to take care of itself. Karma, the fulfilment of one's duties is the ultimate objective of all human existence and if we fail to fulfil our duties towards life, life inevitably fails us.

When God gives us dreams, He shares them with us. Whatever we consider our dreams, are actually His dreams and He gives us the capability to realise them. The part we are required to play is to ensure the optimum usage of the capabilities bestowed upon us. And once we have played our part with utmost honesty and effort, we need to let go, step aside and let God step in to fulfill our dreams. After all, they are His dreams, too.

Of Memory Templates And Free Will

Thinking seems to be a constant involuntary drone in our waking state. Thinking often is also the root of many psychosomatic ailments. The process of thinking is essentially quasi-voluntary and spiritual seekers aim to reach a state of thoughtlessness.

There is no specific centre in the brain that has been identified as the originator of thoughts. It would be absurd to conclude that thoughts arise empirically and randomly. Logically there has to be some cause-effect basis of thoughts arising.

Perception of the outer world lays the substrate for thoughts, responses and actions. Hence perception and thought initiation must have some source code which is unique for every individual. Since computers closely mimic neural networks, we could analyse their functioning to shed some light on the working of the human brain.

The computer's Read Only Memory or ROM is a preset programme which cannot be modified. ROM has the blueprint of basic operations as well as anagrams for processing data. It ope-rates and controls vital processes. The computer also has a Random Access Memory or RAM, which is a storage device for data that can be erased and modified. Every human being also comes with an inbuilt ROM programme. This is the database of all past karmas and vasanas. Vasana is unmanifest thought; it is the substrate of thought. It pre-empts all thoughts and actions.

Thoughts are constructed on the infrastructure of vasana. This data is not deletable. Every individual is born with a unique ROM that contributes not only to thought initiation, perception but also to programme the responses of the individual. This explains why each individual reacts differently to the same external stimulus. The varying reactions are therefore also a function of the operative system. Every individual is also provided with a RAM, which records all events as they take place. It serves as input for subsequent encryption into ROM. ROM is then subsequently formatted onto the hard disc of the individual in successive births.

Vasanas precede thought and thought precedes action. Action thereafter generates further vasanas and this cause and effect cycle generates karma. So we are now dealing with an operating system that has an inbuilt programme, an encryption of all previous karmas and vasanas. However, we also have free will to ignore this inbuilt programme. We could script a new programme which subsequently gets transferred to the ROM. Free will represents the ability of each one to rebel against the inbuilt programme. Science could determine the past as it may have the ability to access the ROM, but no science can predict what is going to get written in the RAM.

Mind is the effecter of ROM.

It generates all thoughts as a function of the unique source code of ROM. Unbridled execution of ROM results in impulsive actions. But volitional control can help us overcome the diktat of ROM. With intense determination and control, it can be forbidden to enforce the encrypted script. If efforts are not taken to counter this preformed template, life travels along the uncontrolled path determined by the sum total of the past. To script a new ROM is the aim of all sadhana, discipline and meditation. Life vacillates between surrendering to the programme and endeavour to exercise the free will.

The power to recondition responses which otherwise would be just a meek submission to ROM resides in every individual. So does the free will to use this power. The writer is a neurosurgeon.

Relate To A Master, Experience Infinity

A saint in India was wont to say, "I am like a drum: As you beat me, so I sound”. A master is not what he appears to human eyes. Yet his human appearance is an aspect of what he is. But he is infinitely more than what he appears. For those who see in him a great and wise teacher, he is that. Those who see him as a dear friend, he is also that.

A master is like a mirror: Whatever qualities we present to him, he reflects back to us: He is whatever each of us wants him to be; at the same time, he is beyond our mental concepts, unshakably centred in infinite consciousness.

Inevitably a master attracts people to him though his one desire is to draw them to God, not to his humanity. Indeed, it is his magnetism that carries the soul on a magic carpet up to the Infinite Light. The devotion a master receives is directed by him to God alone. And he patiently teaches others to direct their love to God also, viewing him as but a window to infinity.

Disciples often focus their devotion on the master as a catalyst for their love for God. By devotion to him as a conscious instrument of the Divine, they open themselves to the flow of divine love. The magnetic presence of a true master, far from impeding their spiritual progress, greatly accelerates it.

Much grace comes through association with a great master, even for people who are only vaguely aware of the gifts they are receiving. The benefits vary, however, depending on the disciples' understanding and receptivity. The disciples' attention can often be directed so much outwardly that they neglect to develop inward communion with him.

There are many ways of relating to a true master. Even a master's own disciples limit themselves in what they receive, as long as they define his greatness in merely human terms. Those who seek their inspiration outwardly receive what eyes and ears can absorb, but not the deeper understanding craved by the soul. This understanding comes only by deep communion in meditation.

The devotee ought to look not only to the master's physical form, but commune with his soul. To take inside the inspiration one receives from out-ward contact, however, is to discover that which truly expands consciousness.

The guru-disciple relationship is not only of inner communion and of receiving, but of self-giving. Only in a spirit of mutuality can divine love be developed. The way to know God is to still the mind by deep meditation. The way to know Him is to live consciously in His blissful presence. The way to know Him is to commune with Him in inner silence, and to fill the heart, with His love.

Superficial disciples make a show of devotion to the guru, but those who are spiritually deep hold his presence in their hearts, absorb his vibrations silently into their souls, and seek his guidance inwardly rather than outwardly in words.

Let us speak little, then, but love much. And let us ever commune ecstatically with the Lord, as the great masters do, in our souls.

Anger Is Nothing But A Brief Madness

A matchstick has a head made from powdered chemical. Just strike it against the side of the box and the stick bursts into flame. Aren't we, at times, behaving in a similar fashion? Let a small thing go against our wishes and see what happens!

Anger is a brief madness, said someone. Or slow poison. According to experts, anger could adversely affect intellect, veins and intestines, work efficiency, digestive system, cholesterol levels, and cause or compound hypertension, sinus, heart and liver problems, to name a few. In other words, anger has a toxic effect on the mind and body.

Some effective ways to curb anger are:

1. Handle situations maturely: Many a time, we allow things of little importance to over-power us. We very easily lose our temper over insignificant matters. No matter if you overslept, the food tastes awful, the newspaper vendor is late... don't lose your cool. Patience and prudence will help you deal with the situation in a constructive manner.

Socrates was always surrounded by his disciples, and this would be a source of continuous irritation to his wife. One day she called Socrates. She called him twice, thrice but Socrates was completely engrossed in discus-sing a metaphysical subject with his disciples. On this, she ran out of patience. What next? The anger, bottled up for long, just burst. She took a bucket full of water and turned it upside down on Socrates’s head. The disciples became highly agitated.

But do you know what Socrates's reaction was? He smiled and calmly said: "I have come to know only today that thundering clouds sometimes rain as well". With these words, he not only toned down the anger but also made his wife realise her mistake.

2. Self-analysis (introspection): Whenever something angers you, sit by yourself and contemplate. Introspect, find out what made you lose your temper. Recall those circumstances and turn them over in your mind. You would definitely realise your irrational conduct and regret your behaviour. Pythagoras commented, "Anger starts from stupidity and ends at repentance".

3. Delayed response/reaction: Try to stretch, to the extent possible, the time gap before you react. Whenever you get a feeling that the other person's behaviour could ignite anger in you, immediately move out of that place. If that is not possible, then try changing the topic of discussion. Never commit the blunder of reacting immediately.

After some time, when your anger subsides, then respond to the situation. You would then be able to pick apt words to express yourself thereby behaving in a wise manner. Aristotle says: "It is very easy for anybody to get angry. But getting angry at the right time, in right degree, at the right person, for the right reason, and in the right manner is neither easy nor is it in everyone’s scope or frame of capabilities".

To fully control anger, a perfect and unfailing remedy is Know-ledge of Self. When a Satguru bestows upon an individual the Atman Gyan, He reveals to him the technique to contemplate upon the eternal Name (the Primordial Vibration) present within him. This contemplation not only helps in controlling anger, but also serves as the best means to attaining victory over all the vices dwelling inside a human being.

(The writer is founder-head, Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan.)

Sivananda's Do-It-Now Mantra For Karma

At the core of ancient Vedantic thought was that irresistible urge to comprehend the deeper meaning of life. The call has prompted many a seeker to take a leap of faith — from an established career-life to a life of austerities and renunciation — and one such seeker of truth was Sivananda who made the transition from a doctor of medicine to spiritual seeker impelled by the spirit of service.

The simple words: "Serve, love, give, purify, meditate and realise" became the watchwords of Sivananda's Divine Life Society, encapsulating, as it were, the entire corpus of Vedantic tradition. "Meditation will come by itself", he would say. "What is essential is to purify the inner consciousness first, and a prerequisite to that is to first serve". His concept of divine life revolved around a strong ethical base, without which, Sivananda stressed, meditation would be limited to being a superficial exercise.

The emphasis on the development of an ethical culture as an essential stepping stone towards understanding of the inner Self translated itself into committed social service. This, he believed, would ensure a sense of vairagya in the aspirant, awakening him to a different dimension of reality than the one defined by his limited mind, wherein the suffering of the less fortunate would propel him towards his spiritual goals.

Sivananda's commitment to serve manifested itself further in his efforts to disseminate knowledge. He wrote pamphlets, monographs, booklets, letters, books, bhasyas, flowing from his practical and simple approach to life, conveying the great spiritual truths with disarming simplicity. His interpretation of the ancient texts always carried a unique touch, that prod to practice, which alone makes those truths come alive for a sadhaka.

All through his writings, his focus remained the cultivation of a strong ethical character, "...the practice of the moral law and the ethical conduct will pave the way to the maintenance of a sound mind in a sound body...". This base, together with a deep sense of service, Sivananda emphasised, would inevitably lead to the purification of the outer self and set the pace for meditative practice.

The Narayana Bhava towards all is a must to enable the sadhaka to realise the 'Brahmn' state of mind, after overcoming the tricks that the mind-senses vortex plays on one's ego.

Sivananda's teachings were aimed at intense self-effort. His unique DIN (Do It Now) principle exemplified his focused and pragmatic approach to spirituality and life both. "...Never allow things to be undone for one reason or the other", he would say, and this one discipline will carry the seeker forward in his pursuit of truth. Equally unique and simple was his 'doctrine' of Namapathy, the singing of the Lord’s name, which Sivananda resuscitated with a Chaitanya-like fervour. It is the surest cure for all ailments, he would say, exhorting all to understand and express that longing for the Infinite, kept hidden behind layers of the 'rational' mind.

"It is not possible to think of the world, its petty pleasures, material gains, earthly ambitions, fame... in his flaming presence", wrote Swami Chidananda of this Sage of Rishikesh. His stirring life-message of cosmic compassion continues to inspire generations.

Continuation Of Buddha In Those Practising Dharma

I would like to talk to you a little bit about the Buddha, about who he is. First, the Buddha is not a god, he is a human being like us. This is very important to know. The Buddha does not claim to be a god, a creator of the universe. He is a human being like us.

As a young person, the Buddha suffered like us, but because of his practice, he could transform his suffering, he could develop his understanding and his love, and he became a wonderful teacher. The best way to see the Buddha is to see him as a teacher, a big brother. At the age of 80, he died. But that was not the end because he had taught many disciples, monks, nuns and lay friends. These people have also practised like him, they have also been able to transform a lot of their suffering, and cultivated love, and understanding, so they are like the continuation of the Buddha.

We have accepted the Buddha as our teacher, we follow his way of practice, so that we can transform our suffering, cultivate our love, our understanding. So we are also the continuation of the Buddha. I'm proud to be a continuation of the Buddha, because I am doing what he did during his life: transforming suffering, cultivating love and understanding. When you look into me you can see the Buddha in me. But when you look into yourself, you see that you are a continuation of the Buddha also, because you are determined and you have accepted the Buddha as your teacher.

We learn the Buddha's way to transform your suffering, to overcome it, and to cultivate more love, compassion, understanding and insight, so that we become happier, so that we become more capable to help people around us to suffer less and to be happy.

The Buddha never died. He has continued for 2,600 years, and now we are his continuation. Buddha means the one who is awakened, and we are cultivating awakening, so we are the continuation of the Buddha. And we should be proud of this. You can be a continuation of the Buddha even if you are still very young. If you know a little bit about how to transform your suffering, how to be more loving and understanding, you are doing the work of the Buddha.

There are at least two bodies of the Buddha. Recognise the dharma body. The physical body of the Buddha only lasted for 80 years. But his dharma body may last a very long time. It depends on us whether the dharma body lasts long or not.

The way to develop compassion and love, the way to look deeply in order to understand better, deeper, that is the dharma, and the Buddha did not do anything except show the dharma, transfer it to the next generation. It's a very nice thing to do because the dharma helps. And as you receive the dharma body into yourself, the dharma helps you to suffer less, to be happier, to be more compassionate, and then you also have a dharma body, and your dharma body is the continuation of the Buddha's dharma body.

Getting Inspired By Chak De! India

Towards the end of the story in the Bollywood film Chak De! India when the hockey team returns triumphant, ready to relish all the attention, coach Kabir Khan is conspicuous by his absence. He prefers instead to go reclaim a home he had left in disgrace many years earlier. Why does Kabir not wish to bask in his moment of glory, after erasing the stigma that he carried for years?

It took him seven years — after a failure saw him shunned, ostracised and branded a traitor — to gather the strength to redeem himself. Taking up an unlikely challenge, he met with cynicism and indifference. He met further resistance from the very individuals he tried to shape into a team.

His past record, integrity and judgment were all questioned. Even the players who seemingly believed in him succumbed to peer pressure; he saw the team apparently united for only one goal, that of ousting him. Confronted with this, yet refusing to do things differently, he all but walked out. The innuendo and slander continued even after that storm blew over. At many points, the opposing teams were the least of his challenges.

All through this, Kabir did not question his fundamentals or his approach; neither did he become vicious in his responses. Whether officials or players applauded or smirked, he stood his ground. He was no longer concerned about disdain, once he believed in what he was doing. And he was equally unconcerned about gathering adulation after having proved himself.

He had, simply put, outgrown the need for both. Rudyard Kipling wrote of treating triumph and disaster just the same, but that is easier said than done. The moments that test our reactions are when the anchors that hold our sense of self-worth are forced loose. These are moments when we can only look within to know that we are right, while few seem to agree and most are indifferent. Those moments tell us whether our consciousness has grown in strength, or whether the absence of support breaks us.

Explaining verse 38 in the Gita’s second chapter, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan describes the man who has discovered his true end of life: “Though everything else is taken away from him, though he has to walk the streets, cold, hungry and alone, though he may know no human being into whose eyes he can look and find understanding, he shall yet be able to go his way with a smile on his lips, for he has gained inward freedom”.

The strength to know no one in whose eyes he could find understanding, and yet go his way without wavering, is the strength that Kabir Khan displayed. It is the strength we need if we are to live without being at the mercy of world opinion. That strength comes from within, from understanding our real nature.

Rejection and failure can spur us to know ourselves, to go beyond the world’s parameters of praise and criticism. Kabir was unfairly made to bear a cross for seven years. It could happen to any one of us. One of the unfair verdicts ever was given to the man who was literally nailed to a cross. But He faced crucifixion with courage, and He was the one who had the strength to get resurrected. If we know and believe in ourselves even when the rest find it convenient to crucify us, we would have the strength to resurrect ourselves, too.

Valuable Lessons From The Thundercloud

This story from the Upanishads illustrates for me a wonderful model of teaching and learning: In times long ago, there were three kinds of offspring of the great cosmic father Prajapati: the divine beings or gods, humans and demons. They lived with their father in order to learn the lessons they needed to fulfil their roles and destinies.

After finishing their term of studies, it was time for each group to leave, to get on with whatever gods, humans and demons get on with. But, before that, it was time for the final lesson.

The first group was that of the divine beings. Respectfully they asked: "Please teach us". Prajapati simply uttered the syllable "Da". Then he asked them: "Have you understood?" "Yes, Lord, we have. You have told us daamyath, control yourselves". Prajapati was pleased, "Yes, you have understood". Next it was the turn of the humans. They too made the traditional request: "Please teach us". Again Prajapati said just "Da", adding: "Have you understood?" "Indeed, Lord, we have. What you have told us is datha, be charitable". A satisfied Prajapati responded: "You have understood".

At last, it was time for the demons to have their last lesson. They too asked: "Please teach us". They too heard Prajapati utter the sound: "Da". "Have you understood?" "We have, for sure, Lord. You have instructed us: daya-dhvam, be merciful". Prajapati nodded, "Yes, you have understood".

The three groups set out. The thundercloud from time to time repeats his message to all: "Da, Da, Da". Damam, Daanam, Dayaam: self-control, charity, mercy, it teaches. And you take what you need most to learn.

Our schools today, overcrowded as they are, have little space or time for the kind of personalised teaching that allows you to take what you need most to learn.

Torey Hayden's book, Somebody Else's Kids, tells of four "problem children" placed in Torey's class because no one else knew what to do with them. What is heart-wrenching in this story is how parents, schoolteachers, educational officials and even other children seem determined to keep them feeling inadequate.

We are blessed to have among us other Toreys who are the ones who make the difference in these children's lives, giving them a sense of self-esteem and respect for what they can do and achieve.

Michael K Meyerhoff tells of Jennifer, so different from her older sister Jessica, who consistently makes good grades, while Jennifer, though managing to bring home a more than average report card, is repeatedly marked by those daunting words on them: "could do better", "should apply herself more", and "has a tendency to get distracted". I know these words bother me, as my own report cards in school usually had these phrases on them.

Meyerhoff shows the unusual, and to me, truly brilliant way Jennifer's mind works when he tells us of how she rattled her teachers by declaring: "The plural of leaf is 'tree'". He tells us that this genius, this creativity, goes unnoticed or even punished in our quest for 'the one right answer', perhaps because we don't discern that there can be a significant difference between doing well in school and learning. May we learn to celebrate and appreciate the Jennifers as well as the Toreys among us. They know what "Da" stands for. Do we?

Krishna: Expert Dancer, Uninhibited Lover

"I would believe in a God who could dance", said German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. During his time, God was generally portrayed as a frozen perfection, remote, static, and wholly unsociable. No wonder he was disillusioned by this stereotypical idea of God.

Nietzsche would have been pleasantly surprised had he heard of Krishna, who danced expertly on the hood of the venomous serpent Kaliya. He also danced to the tune of his mother just to get butter, and he danced with gopis in celebration of divine love, in rasa-lila. He is Vrindavana-natabara, dancer par excellence in the pastoral paradise of Vrindavana.

All theistic traditions assert that God is great. In Krishna, that greatness is graphically demonstrated. In the Bhagavad Gita, Krishna gives a glimpse of his awe-inspiring greatness through his vishva-rupa darshana, which is one of the greatest mystical visions in world literature. Arjuna saw within the Universal Form - within Krishna - everything and everyone in existence. He saw all the planets, stars and universes as well as all living beings: celestial, terrestrial and subterranean. Krishna also exhibited his omnipotence by effortlessly over- powering numerous demons, who were the scourges of the universe.

Most endearingly, Krishna delights, not in the magnificence of godhood, but in the sweetness of uninhibited love. Krishna expresses his sweetness in His lila as a prankster who steals butter from the homes of elderly gopis. Krishna as God is self-satisfied and doesn't need anything for his enjoyment. Moreover, when everything belongs to him, where is the question of his stealing anything? Yet just to reciprocate love with those devotees who love Him in a parental mood (vatsalya-bhava), Krishna plays the role of their darling child and speaks and behaves mischievously. The disarming hospitality that Krishna extended to Sudama and the subsequent generous benedictions that he bestowed upon his poor gurukula-friend are also eloquent testimony to Krishna's personal warmth and sweetness.

For the demoniac, Krishna's sweetness gives way to his greatness. Krishna went as a shanti-duta (peace messenger) to dissuade Duryodhana from war with sweet words. But when the arrogant prince tried to arrest him instead, Krishna foiled the attempt by manifesting the gigantic universal form. But for devotees, Krishna is sweetness. During the rasa-lila, Krishna disappeared and reappeared as the majestic four-armed Vishnu. When his most beloved consort Radha offered him obeisance and asked him where Krishna had gone, He tried to point in a false direction. But seeing her selfless love and her intense anxiety caused by separation, Krishna could no longer maintain his guise. His two extra hands disappeared and Radha beheld before her the sweet Lord of her heart.

The laws of karma impartially and unerringly deliver everyone of their karmic dues sooner or later. But if we turn to Krishna with devotional love, He manifests his sweetness as a forgiving father: "Abandon all varieties of religion and surrender unto me. I will free you from all sinful reactions. Do not fear".

We can easily surrender to Krishna by chanting his holy names, which manifest both his greatness and sweetness. The holy name has the great power that even nuclear weapons don't have: the power to destroy all our negative habits and tendencies. Janmashtami is a reminder that our right to enjoy divine sweetness is beckoning us. Krishna is ready for us. Are we ready for him?

The writer is a spiritual mentor at ISKCON, Pune.

Krishna the Liberator Lightens Burdens

Who is bhagavan? Anyone who has qualities of aishvarya, virya, yasha, shree, jinanam and vairagya. Who is Purna Bhagavan? Only Krishna or Parthasarathi, Arjuna's charioteer. He is "Krisnastu Bhagavan svayam": God incarnate, Purna Brahmn, Purna Bhagavan.

Arjuna, as per his vow, was to embrace the funeral pyre immediately after sunset if he failed to keep his promise of killing Jayadratha. Suddenly people saw sky darkening; the sun was visible no longer. The sun seemed to have set. Alas, Arjuna would die, honouring his promise.

But it was Krishna who had covered the sun with His Sudarshana Chakra, His special discus, because He willed it so. Jayadratha, who was hiding all day, came out, because now he was safe; Arjuna would have to immolate himself at sunset. Arjuna did his last pranam to Krishna, moving towards the pyre. Krishna said, "Arjuna, you are a Kshatriya, so carry your Gandiva (bow and arrow) even at the time of death". Arjuna did so. When he was to jump, the sun emerged from the clouds.

Krishna asked Arjuna to take aim at Jayadratha. Arjuna was able to keep his promise.

To perform such a miraculous feat by going against the natural order cannot be accomplished by bhagavans. Only Parama Purusha can do this. Dozens of similar stories can be found in the Mahabharata.

Maharshi Garga added:

"Krishna has no parallel". While adoring a baby we say, "How lovely is this child! It is as lovely as the moon". But Krishna's beauty far exceeds that of the moon. About a very intelligent person we say, he is like Veda Vyasa, who compiled the Vedas. By comparison, Krishna was by far the most intelligent personality in existence.

Krishna promised that He would free sinners from sins, so the future of humanity is unmistakably bright. No one should worry about the past. If people constantly think of their Ishta and repeat their Ishta mantra with conceptual understanding, their future is glorious. They will have no cause to lament or cry in sorrow. Only Parama Purusha can state this so emphatically.

Krishna's assertion shows that He is not a god, but God Himself. He is the highest expression of spirituality. If we call Parthasarathi as bhagavan, it will bring Him down to the level of a Mahapurusha. He is Purna Bhagavan, unparalleled. Krishna says in the Gita that all must follow the path shown by Him: "Casting aside all other mental preoccupations accept Me as your last refuge. I will liberate you".

Krishna assures: "I incarnate Myself in this world from age to age for the annihilation of the wicked and the protection of the virtuous". He calls upon people to follow in His footsteps. He gives a clear assurance: "If even wicked persons worship Me with a concentrated mind, I will liberate them from worldly bondages". Krishna says, "If you walk down a road you are bound to get dirty. Those who have abandoned all their previous sins and come to Me, accepting Me as their final refuge, I will free them from the bondage of sin. Their future is glorious". Only Parama Purusha can assure jivas so unequivocally for He is the veritable manifestation of divinity.

"I will take away your sins". No one but Krishna, the Supreme Entity, could say this. No one has ever said this in the past, nor will anyone say it in the future. "I will liberate you from all sins. You have no cause to worry".

Your Body Is The Peel, The Fruit Is Inside

You don't need confidence to do activity; you just need sense. Function according to your capabilities, neither confident nor diffident. Only an ego can feel diffident or confident. What is it you call as 'ego'? Is there a distinction between what you call as 'myself' and what you call as 'my ego'? They are mixed up somewhere; either you have become your ego, or your ego has become you, whichever way. What you are referring to as ego is not something you got because you did something well, not because you became rich, beautiful, or developed muscles. When you started kicking in your mother's womb, the ego was born. The very first time you got identified with your physical body, the ego was born.

The ego is a defence mechanism. You got identified with this little body. You have to survive in vast existence of which you have no perception to even know where it begins and where it ends. Just to survive, you have to project yourself as 'big', so the ego is born. It is false reality. What you are referring to as confidence is false identity you created for the sake of survival.

The ego is like your shadow. The moment you have a physical body, you have a shadow. The shadow itself is neither good nor bad. If the sun is up there, you have a little shadow; if the sun is down there, you have a mile-long shadow. So your shadow depends on the situation outside. So, too, your ego.

You need different kinds of identities to deal with different situations. If you are fluid about it, if you can change from one to another gracefully, then you can play your role to the hilt and still have no problem with it. The problem is you get so identified with it, you start believing you are that. Once you believe 'I am the shadow', what would you do? You would naturally crawl upon the earth. Then, how will life be? If the floor is carpeted, you will crawl in comfort, not in joy. Suppose there are stones, rocks and thorns? Then you will cry. That is how your life is going on right now.

Why i am saying you are crawling upon the earth is because right now your whole experience of life is limited to the physical. Everything that you know through your five sense perceptions is physical, and the physical has no purpose of its own, it is there only as a peel to the fruit. Only as a protective layer to the fruit the peel means something. The body is important because there is something else inside that you have never experienced. If that something else goes away tomorrow morning, nobody wants to touch this body. So today when it is there, we have to take care of it, it is everything.

If we do not transcend the limitations of the physical, life will be a struggle, swinging between confidence and diffidence. If situations go well, you are confident, if not, you are diffident. And you know, any moment, life can just change course.

If everything in the world is going terribly wrong for you, and you can still go through this life untouched, peacefully, joyfully within yourself, then you know life the way it is.

Otherwise you are just a slave of the physical.

Digital McCarthyism

This is an open ed published on Hindu on December 5, 2010 Liked it so much and one of my personal favorite so sharing it here ..

It has been one long battle for WikiLeaks merely to exist on the Internet since it started publishing the U.S. diplomatic cables. The cat-and-mouse game that it has had to play to retain an accessible address in cyberspace is the result of a virulent attack launched by right-wing lawmakers in America and their supporters, and commercial entities such as Amazon, which caved in to the pressure.

But more fundamentally, the WikiLeaks saga represents the acid test for free speech. With each tranche of documents published online, the world is witnessing the total loss of dominance of secretive governments over information. The backlash has come swiftly, with bellicose American Senators engaging in plain intimidation to get commercial entities to stop offering services to WikiLeaks on the ground that it is distributing material it does not own.

Some politicians have made a jingoistic pitch and called for the execution of the source of the leaks. This is nothing but Digital McCarthyism. Were it not for the threat it poses to the free Internet, it would even appear amusing. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama was ‘troubled' by the cyber attacks on Google, which were said to originate in China, and wanted those responsible to face the consequences.

The more freely information flows, the stronger society becomes, he had said during an earlier visit to China. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also strongly critical of Internet restrictions in China. Now the boot is on the other foot. Concern for free speech is nowhere in evidence as extra-legal methods are deployed to deny Americans their First Amendment rights.

The campaign against WikiLeaks is a clear move to censor political material on the Internet and, potentially, on other media. The first moves made by lawmakers such as Senator Joe Lieberman, who chairs the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, have no legal foundation and yet have succeeded with Amazon and PayPal. What has followed is shockingly repressive and obscurantist.

The Library of Congress blocked access to WikiLeaks across its computer systems, including reading rooms, and Columbia University students aspiring for diplomatic careers have been advised not to comment on, or link to, the whistleblower website's revelations. It is doubly tragic that such concerted attacks are securing support from countries with a progressive legacy such as France.

The intolerant response to WikiLeaks is a potential threat to all media and must be fought. Senator Lieberman and other lawmakers have introduced legislation that proposes to make the publication of an intelligence source a federal crime. Already, U.S. law allows the shutting down of some Internet domains managed in that country on grounds of infringement of copyright. The threat to the publication of inconvenient material, even with responsible redactions, is all too real.

It's A Dream-like World That Seems Illusory

At the end of the Mahabharata war Arjuna came to meet his grandfather Bhishma who was lying on a bed of arrows that Arjuna had shot. Bhishma was waiting for an auspicious day to leave his mortal coils. Arjuna asked: “Pitamah, where do you expect me to bury your body after you leave this earthly abode?" Bhishma smilingly said, “Bury my body in a place where i was not buried before". Accordingly, Arjuna selected a place on the banks of the Yamuna river and performed suitable rituals. As he lifted the axe to dig the ground he heard a voice, 'Shatam Bhishma' which meant that Bhishma was buried here over hundred times. This shall mean that everyone of us is born and has died countless times ever since birth and death started happening on this universe.

This is what is called sansar, a word that not only means engaging in worldly life, but also includes birth and death in this world ad infinitum. This sansar is a long unending disease for which the sure and best medicine is true inquiry. Wise men have said that we are not bound by maya or illusion in reality, but we only have the false feeling that we are bound by illusion. This delusion can only be averted by proper inquiry. Once a herd of hundred donkeys was being taken on a hill by the owner of the herd. On the way he had to rest at an inn. He was afraid of his donkeys escaping at night while he would be asleep. But he did not have sufficient length of rope to tie them all; he only had a small length of rope which was hardly sufficient to tie one donkey. So he planned in such a way that he pretended tying the small rope around legs of each of the donkeys. In actual fact he did not tie the rope to any in the herd. Next morning when he pushed each donkey it hardly moved thinking that it was tied by its master. Only when he pretended to untie them did they begin to move.

Similarly, we too are led to think that we are bound by so many of our karmas or past deeds and hence we are made to suffer. We also undertake purification rituals to get over them. But in reality it is realisation that is needed. This realisation cannot happen even by performing hundreds of such rituals. The realisation that this sansar is only dream-like and the truth is beyond it helps one initially pass through the hurdles of life. That is why it is also said, 'Avicharena kritobadhah, vicharena nivartate', which means that we are bound to karmas only because of non-inquiry and the solution to it cannot be rituals but right inquiry to get at the truth. What has come by non-inquiry can only go by right inquiry.

Inquiry allows realisation of the truth; realisation of dream-nature of sansar and true nature of Self (atman). One may defy this dream theory. But to say that this world is created hardly arouses right reasoning for there need to exist a witness to such creation and this witness had to precede Creation. Another reasoning to support the dream nature is that any creation ought to have a stuff for creation and this stuff should have been created earlier.

Free Will, Evolution And Theory Of Chaos

Is everything pre-ordained or are we what we are because of exercise of free will? Ramakrishna narrated the story of a cow tethered to a pole with a long rope. The cow feels she is free to roam anywhere but the perimeter of the area in which she can move is fixed. Ramakrishna said that similarly every human being has a free will but the length of rope is governed by God.

Chaos theory in science shows how life evolves from a seemingly chaotic situation. What happens when there are convection currents in water when it is heated in a utensil? Heat provides energy to each water molecule, which darts around at random chaotically inside the utensil. However, after a certain time a band of convection currents develop in which the heated water molecules rise up and are replaced by cold water molecules. This band is like a tube or a structure through which the water flows. Thus the seemingly chaotic behaviour of water molecules is converted into an orderly structure. If the heat is removed, this structure collapses.

Similarly, life which is an ordered structure evolves from seemingly chaotic molecules inhabiting our world. Each one of us, too, lead separate lives, darting about randomly, depending on the forces acting upon us. Yet, collectively, we go forward in a band which is called human evolution. Thus we have our free will, but are tethered to this band of evolution similar to the cow in Ramakrishna’s example.

Does this mean that whatever we do is meaningless since we will always have to act within this band of evolution which will occur regardless? The answer is ‘no’ and again the example of water convection will help.

The convection currents are dependent on both the quantity of heat and the speed at which it is transferred to the water.

The convection currents do eventually form in heated water but are speeded up by the amount and velocity of heat transfer. Thus the evolution of mankind will take place anyway. However by proper actions we can speed it up.

The earth, our home, could be our hell or heaven. Unless we master the technology to leave this planet’s gravitational field on a large scale, this will be home for generations to come. The sooner we make it sustainable and environmentally pleasing, where everybody is happy and lives a meaningful life, the better it will be for us and future generations. Our free will can speed up this process.

Life and evolution on earth (just like convection currents in water) is governed by energy. All our energies in past, present or future have and will come from the sun. All the biota, and fossil fuels, are solar-derived. Our

fossil fuels are solar energy embedded millions of years ago whereas our green trees and plants are present solar energy.

Hence our evolution is governed by the amount and intensity of sun’s energy. We get about 16,000 times more

energy from the sun than what we presently use. This energy therefore sets the limit on our evolution. The ultimate evolution of mankind will therefore be based on how best we use free will — despite the constraints — to create wonder from chaos; to establish sustainable living for the common good.

Non-action could be as valuable as action

Looking at the tall trees standing in a garden, a visitor remarked: “These trees have grown very tall”. The gardener replied, “They have nothing else to do except to grow tall”.

There is nothing which does not do something. Everything — animate or inanimate, conscious or unconscious — is active. The thought that we are not idle makes us feel good. Society is not prepared to accept idleness as a virtue.

We have become too involved in relentless activity. The important man frets to stay dynamic. Caught in a vicious circle of activity, we think of renunciation as an empty ideal. But blind devotion to activity has destroyed peace of mind. We fail to appreciate non-action, because we stand committed to action.

We need to strike a balance between action and inaction in order to develop a realistic understanding of the philosophy of renunciation. Inaction is not less valuable than action. An appreciation of the value of inaction will enable us to understand the value of action better and avoid its harmful consequences. The Gita says that all our actions produce harmful results in the same way in which fire produces smoke. So learn to compromise.

All our actions spring from the body. In order to be inactive we will have to abandon the body, to render it completely idle, so that our instincts cease to function. This is called Kayotsarga in Jain Yoga, immobilisation of the body. Usually we abandon the body only when we die. Another kind of abandonment is abandoning the body even while we are living.

Gautama asked Mahavira, “What do we achieve by Kayagupti or the abandonment of the body?” The latter replied, “Kayagupti results in Samvara”. In Jain philosophy, Asrava means induction of foreign matter into the soul. The soul by its very nature is pure. It becomes contaminated when foreign matter enters it. Asrava can be stopped. We can preserve the pristine purity of the soul. By plugging off the sources of impurity, we produce a state of Samvara, a state in which nothing enters the soul from outside.

The soul receives foreign matter through the body. Heaps of atoms enter the soul through mental action, speech and breathing. All this infiltration will stop if the body is immobilised. A state of total inactivity of the body is the state of meditation. It is not exclusively a mental state. Jain Yoga has conceived of three kinds

of meditation: of body, word and mind. Meditation is a state of mental and physical equilibrium. It is a state of equipoise.

Meditation literally means contemplation. The meanings of words undergo contractions and extensions in the course of time. The extended meaning of a term is much more than its etymological significance. In the same way the extended meaning of the term meditation is much more than contemplation. It means fixing the body, mind and speech. A fixed mind enters into a state of meditation. Fixed speech becomes word meditation.

Physical meditation is the base of all other meditations. Word meditation must invariably be preceded by physical meditation. Mental meditation comes only after word meditation has been mastered. There can be no breath control without fixing the body, and meditation on the mental plane is impossible until respiration has been controlled. In this way Kayotsarga or Kayagupti is the base of meditation.

Draw Energy From The Power Of The Name

Reciting the name of God, Naam, is a way of thanking and praising the Nami who is the Omnipresent and timeless Creator. When you recite Naam and love God without any motive, He cleanses your mind. There is light in your heart, and the Naam heals your mind, eliminating all negative thoughts; only positive thoughts remain. The hidden joy, love and fearlessness within you will become manifest.

It is not that God wants our praises. The effect of Naam works on us. Our body is just a house where we live. Our life is governed by our karmas, the effects on our life of our sanskaras, our habitual thoughts and actions from this life and from previous births. Our karmas are like great waves that are not under our control. Naam breaks those waves.

As you recite Naam when you are worrying — through word, thought and every breath — those waves start to break up here and there. As you recite Naam there is a small break in that train of thought. You feel, “It will be okay”. But at this stage you are still reciting Naam only with your tongue. Your thoughts and your awareness are not on Naam, and soon your mind returns to its old pattern.

As you go on reciting Naam, you will experience a little light inside, a brief moment of samadhi, a kind of spiritual absorption. But then the mind starts running away again at great speed, and the little bit of light you perceived 'disappears'. Then a longing for God may begin to grow in you, although it is very faint at first. As you are singing or reciting Naam, you may experience a brief communion with the Nami.

To become closer to God, focus your mind on your Isht or that form of God in whom you have faith. At first, your Isht may seem just a faint image in your mind, but gradually its presence becomes a reality. Slowly that Power gives your mind confidence and you begin loving that Isht you are trying to focus your attention on. It takes a long time but gradually you will feel the presence of your Isht within you.

Once you feel your Isht inside you, through the power of Naam, you will begin to see that your Isht is actually controlling everything outside you as well. You will see your Isht is pervading everywhere and everything.

As you keep reciting Naam, whenever you begin to feel anger, greed or ego, the feeling does not last long. It moves aside. Why? Naam is washing away the dirt of your past tendencies; the Light of divine wisdom is burning up your past actions. Gradually, you cease to feel anger or greed and you feel that you are nothing great. You become very humble.

All ignorance ceases as the light of Naam manifests fully. If you reach this stage of enlightenment through continual recitation of Naam and concentration on the Nami, you will see only God everywhere.

Like God, you will feel neither enmity nor fear. You will recognise that the Nami is sustaining and controlling all life. Naam will make your actions bright and will give you clear inner vision, truthfulness, renunciation, the desire to help those in need, and the power to do anything, for the Power of the Nami has manifested in you.

(Excerpted from Loving God. www.gobindsadan.org, info@gobindsadan.org)

Game of Sudoku Mirrors Life

Su means number and Doku means single. The game of Sudoku has many similarities to the game of life. The game consists of a 9x9 grid divided into nine 3x3 boxes in which a few numbers called “given” — the number of givens varies between 17 and 30 for a puzzle to be reasonably viable — are already in place.

In life, too, you start with a given set of vasanas and then work from then on. In Sudoku, you need to follow a set of rules to build up the grid, filling each row, column and box with numbers ranging from one to nine, so much like in life where you have to go your way without antagonising anyone else, maintaining peace and harmony in all relationships. Respect every number (everyone) and things would be just fine. While trial and error may or may not work, the correc technique is in eliminating the numbers that don’t fit in a particular box. In other words, keep eliminating your faults for progress in life. The grid is the same every time, the numbers keep changing. The soul is the same in all, just the bodies are different.

In Sudoku, the arrangement of the given numbers is symmetrical. Even if you rotate the puzzle through 180 degrees the pattern of the filled-in squares remains the same. This is instruc-tive in life, on how to maintain steadfast faith, poise and equanimity despite situations when everything turns topsy-turvy.

Often at first glance when the givens are few, you are numbed into inaction. Realise, the puzzle is there to be solved, so just go ahead and do your duty. Solve a couple of easy ones and sooner or later the ego gets in the way and you are stuck in the next puzzle. Analyse your life, more often than not you’ll clearly see how your ego has been the stumbling block.

While playing, you never think of the end (the result); you just keep working on the numbers and the final result (fruits of action) accrues on its own. Extremely difficult puzzles may take hours. Similarly, to achieve desired results in life may take years. According to the law of karma, fruits of action in some cases might fructify after successive births! Now and then you get attached to a particular number and are hell-bent on fitting it in, in any which way; it seems like big trouble. Just let go of your attachments and things will work out on their own. The game of Sudoku and the game of life are best played in a calm but focused state.

Everything has to go in tandem in a Sudoku grid: the rows, columns and squares. Ditto in life. Your duties towards your family, teachers, society and country all go on simultaneously. Variations in Sudoku include the diagonal, the odd and the even, the extended, overlap, and even the monster. Life too presents complexities in the form of loss, illness, death and failure. Patience, faith and continuous struggle is the key to both.

There could be an underlying subtle difference between Sudoku and life. Make a mistake and you can erase it and begin all over again in Sudoku. Not so in life. You can learn a lesson, though, and avoid making the same mistake in future. Hone your skills. Excel. Realise the singularity for the One and only Truth. For that is the solution, the answer, that arises out of a steady mind.

You Are A Continuous Process, Not Product

In Rabindranath Tagore's poem Upagupta, when the dancing girl invites the ascetic Upagupta to her house, he says: "When time is ripe, I'll come to you". The beautiful young girl is taken aback. What did he mean by saying, "time is not ripe?" For Upagupta, time here is not a material entity of years or months. It is the period of the evolution of consciousness or awareness. But for the dancing girl, it is materialistic. The conversation comes to an end as both speak from two different realms.

Later in the poem, when the girl is banished from the city, denounced, her body full of sores, the ascetic comes to her saying: "The time, at last, has come to visit you, and I'm here". She now realises what he meant by ‘time'. Here time is not linear but cyclic, true to Indian ethos. Communication between the two is smooth now. She who was "drunk with the wine of her youth" is now conscious and awake and has seen the real and eternal. She is sober, and free from delusion, fit for the spiritual path.

Each individual is a process, not a product. The process varies from person to person.

The enlightened one recognises it and so remains compassionate. That is why, we find enlightened souls taking the risk of talking or preaching. To say is to miss the real. To teach is to disturb the process in an individual. We know that the Buddha hardly answered questions put to him often.

Krishna says in the Gita: "All are struggling through paths which in the end lead to Me" (4.11). The pace varies from person to person. Some walk, a few run but all are bent on reaching the destination. The passengers in a bus or train have different speed irrespective of the speed of the vehicle. Some are in a hurry, a few relaxed and some in between. But they all have to reach there and will one day. Give them their time. Don't try to change them.

Swami Vivekanand says, "The child is the father of man. Would it be right for an old man to say that childhood is a sin or youth a sin? It is the necessary stage of life... Man is to become divine by realising the divine. Idols, temples, churches or books are only supports of this spiritual childhood, but on and on he must progress".

If at all the enlightened have ever tried to teach something, it was out of extreme concern for humanity and as a warning knowing that their words alone wouldn't bring any change but can accelerate the process in an individual to a little extent at least.

Imitating the enlightened can mislead us. Our process is quite different, so is our path. Keep asking questions; don't worry about answers. Nobody can give an answer because the answer is within us. It has to be discovered. If we analyse we can see that question emerges from answer and dissolves in it as bubbles appear on water and dissolve in the same. Wait, watch and be alert. God is omnipresent. It is our right to know Him.

The parable of the prodigal son in the Bible is about the same ripening of time. The son had to go after material pleasures, exhaust himself in order to come back home, to his father, God. Till one is fully evolved to consciousness or awareness, one is bound to move in ignorance. There is a time lag between lower truth and higher truth.

Inclusive Nature Of Buddhist Philosophy

When you understand the spirit of Buddhism correctly, you can follow and practise it while living in this workaday world.

In Buddhism, true renunciation doesn’t mean running away from worldly affairs, leaving your family or taking to ochre clothes.

The chief disciple of Buddha, Sariputa, said that you might live in a forest fully devoted to ascetic practices but if your mind is full of impure thoughts and defilements, then you are not practising Buddhism. On the other hand, an ordinary person who is not obser-ving ascetic disciplines but has his mind pure, is practising Buddhism in its true spirit.

A few people may like to lead a lonely life in a quiet place to practise Buddhism, for their own reasons. But it is certainly more praiseworthy and courageous to practise Buddhism living amongst your own people, helping them and to have empathy, mutual love and concern for all. There is nothing wrong if a man spends some time away from the hurly and burly of life as a part of spiritual and intellectual training to come out stronger; such a person would be of greater help to fellow human beings. But if a man lives all his life in solitude without caring for family and community this is not in keeping with Buddha’s teaching which is based on compassion and service.

What then was the objective of Buddha establishing Sangha and monasteries for monks? This was done for those who were willing to devote their entire lives not for their own spiritual and intellectual development but also to serve others. In the course of time, Buddhist monasteries became not only spiritual centres but also centres of learning and service.

An incident in Buddha's life shows how much importance he gave to family life. A young man, Sigala, used to worship six cardinal points of heaven: east, west, north, south, nadir and zenith - as instructed by his religious head. When he met the Buddha to embrace his religious doctrine, Buddha told the young man that in his religious discipline the six directions were: east - parents, west - wife and children, south - teachers, north - friends, relatives and neighbours. At the bottom were others and at the top, seers.

These six family and social groups are treated as sacred in Buddhism and one could worship them only by performing one's duties towards them. Buddhism accords highest place to parents, like other religions. In Hinduism, parents are referred to as Brahma. Second in the order comes Guru, or teacher. Every pupil is expected to respect and obey his teacher. Third is the sacred relationship between wife and husband. Both husband and wife need to respect each other and express their love and regard by caring and sharing. The Buddha didn't forget to mention that a husband could gift clothes and jewellery to his wife - as a way of demonstrating the fact that he cared for her physical well-being, too.

It is clear that in order to practise Buddhism you are not expected to become a monk or retire to a forest or cave. You can practise it even while living with and caring for family and discharging your duties towards family members. Similarly, the caring and sharing is extended to entire society in which you live. It is through compassion that you evolve, and thereby raise your consciousness.

How To Hit A Century In The Game Of Life

The century mark is considered a landmark achievement. Scoring a hundred runs is cause for celebration in the game of cricket just as in life. We are blessed with bountiful nature. We enjoy its fruit almost effortlessly.

Once we analyse the process through which this production crystallises, it is astonishingly intricate. There is essentially something wonderful about what we receive from nature. The human body is like entire creation. It is Brahmand simulated.

The human body is composed of millions of cells, containing the building blocks of life. The tool of knowledge unfolds the complicated and intricate nature of cells. Think of a million groups, each one composed of a million subgroups. Human existence is regulated by minute living organisms and therein lies great philosophy.

The human body is often described as a vessel and it is so if we look at its innumerable contents. Scientists estimate that the number of cells in the human body could tot up to several trillion. Human lifespan depends on the health of these cells.

Medical science makes it clear that longevity can be compromised by tension and stress.

The Ishopanishad in its second shloka enunciates that one can aspire to live for a hundred years if one so desires. But for this, you need to adopt certain practices. It emphasises that right living is the only way to achieve this.

Selfless actions generate healing energy and minimise damage to the cells and in this manner they ensure longevity. When the body is stressed by selfish pursuits, a chain reaction develops that hampers normal functioning of cells. This shortens their lifespan.

The human body is like a supercomputer with bionic chips at work. Overloading the body with selfish pursuits impairs functional efficiency. Too much clutter consumes and diverts valuable life-giving energy and this adversely affects not only the lifespan but also quality of life. Selfless action makes one's life transparent which ensures that we remain free from unnecessary tension and stress.

The Upanishads make it clear that we are evolved, involved and ultimately dissolved by Brahmn. The existence of Brahmn is unitary but its forms are countless. Longevity is ensured if we use the energy available judiciously.

Solar energy is responsible for sustenance of life. Intrinsically, food and oxygen are fuel. Not merely this, even provocative thoughts, strong desires and selfish actions act as fuel that erode the lifespan. Righteous life and transparent living are low-energy fuels but they sustain life in a dignified and durable way. Right living is therefore crucial to achieving a long life.

Irresponsible living is the breeding ground for ego which is high-energy fuel that burns the body rapidly. Yoga can be fruitful only if the body is kept pollution-free. Purity can only be achieved by a transparency which is the product of right living.

The human body has evolved in a manner that equips it for survival. However, the body is highly sensitive and if we treat it carelessly and roughly, we would not only weaken it; we would also be compromising the mind since the welfare of one contributes to the welfare of the other.

We need to treat our bodies with care. You have every chance to hit a century or to achieve Shatayu, the coveted hundred year-mark, provided you live a holistic life of equipoise.