Keeping Good Company

As we go through the biographies of great souls, we find that whenever the supremely benevolent have incarnated on earth, slanderers have left no stone unturned in maligning them.

The intellect becomes mean with the association of slanderers but remains stable in the association of equals and become superior with the association of those who are superior to us. You reap fruits according to the kind of company you keep. Therefore you should always be careful in selecting the company you keep.

Long ago, there lived a man named Chajju Bhakta in Lahore. One day he was down the lane shouted, "Acche san…..tare, acche san… tare… (Buy good oranges)". Chajju Bhakta asked his companions. "Do you hear what that man is saying?" They said: "He is selling santaras (oranges) Bhaktaji"!

Bhaktaji said, "You did not understand. Listen carefully, he is saying. "Acche sang…tare (good company redeems)". He is saying that those who associate themselves with good people are redeemed, while those who fall into bad company meet with destruction."

Bhaktaji told a story to illustrate this: A crow and swan had become friends. One day the crow took the swan to its house and made him sit on   dry and wilted Babool tree. Two places stank of dung, flesh and bones that were scattered all around.

The swan said, "Brother! I cannot stay in such a dirty place, even for a moment. If you know of any pious place, you take me there."

The crow then took him to the secret grooved of the king and made him sit on the tree, and then sat near him. Beneath the tree he was resting. As the swan looked down, he saw the king sitting under the tree with his head exposed to the sun.

A swan is kind by nature, and out of compassion it spread out its wings to provide shade to the king who felt some relief from the sun.

A crow, however, is uncaring by nature. So it dropped its excreta on the king's head. The king shot an arrow upwards which brought the swan does, while the crow flew! I am not the crow that dropped the excreta. I am the swan that lives in pure water, but due to the company of the mean crow, my life has been ruined."

In the Sundara Kandam, section 45.4 of the Sri Ramacharitamanasa, Ram says to Vibhishana, "may providence keep us from the company of the wicked! It would be better; O respected one, to live in hell." (Because the company of the evil leads to the cycle of birth and death and repeated relegation to hells.)

Evil company destroys good virtues and is feared by those who recognize this truth. All scriptures and great souls have taught the jiva with great emphasis on the importance of staying clear of bad company. Bad company leads one to degeneration very quickly.

For example, one has to make great efforts to climb a tree, but there is no effort required in falling down. Similarly, one has to make great effort to attain spiritual power and earn the wealth of sadhana; but all our efforts carried out for over a long period of time will come to naught in a moment by keeping the company slanderers.

Every Step is an Arrival

Why have you used the word seeking and not searching? A young friend helping me proof-read some writing asked. … it's a very current word is it? Her question made me pause and look at these two words more carefully.

Searching has a more solid, practical, action-oriented feel to it. I understand it as referring to things, to ends, to something you imagine you know is somewhere. You may have preconceived notions about what you want to find. And you must have answers. Preferably within a time frame you decide on!

Seeking, while it can be definitely active, has a more receptive, spiritual connotation. While there is a certainly that it exists, expectations could be less precisely or rigidly defined. I really don't know about the form, shape or experience it might take or even when it might show me teach me challenge me. In searching we usually move faster; seeking often requires us to slow down.

We search for ways to end conflict or discord: we seek solitude. We search for like-minded people; we seek relatedness. We search for people to love or for people who will love us; we seek love. We search for answers; we seek meaning.

Searching and seeking need not be considered watertight definitions, rather as interlinked or perhaps sequential processes. In the field of positive psychology, psychologists and coaches are invited to note the distinction between seekers and searchers. Seekers are those who have already set the path themselves. They may need support and encouragement to keep envisioning and acting upon their own chosen path, and there is a desire to stay with the quest even without too much 'hard evidence'. Searchers have to be supported to help find their goals in the first place. Not only do they initially need more help and clarification, they can easily give up unless they see more concrete signs or results. Interestingly, once these things are identified, once some proof is accepted, the searcher very often becomes the seeker.

Spiritual searching manifests for many in the urge to read more spiritual books, engage in more rituals, embark on pilgrimages, go to more retreats and satsangs, find a special teacher - or often to ship for exciting new teachers. In and of itself there is nothing wrong with this; for some this may be just necessary steps on one's was, but for others the means can be confused with the end.

Denise Levertov's poem in which she speaks intriguingly, not of a person, but a dog, teaches me the true spirit of seeking: Let's go - much as that dog goes intently haphazard … dancing edgeways, there's nothing the dog disdains on his way … nevertheless he keeps moving, changing pace and approach - but not direction. Every step an arrival…"

However, not just searching, but even seeking can come to an end.

The early need and impulse to acquire further answers or meanings dissolves. You learn that perhaps in the end, whatever you seek lies within the quest itself. In seeking you learn that there is no final knowing, only an ongoing learning and un-learning process; an unfolding and bringing together of what you discover along the way. The end of seeking is not so much about arriving or achieving, but to use another 'not current' word - it is about dwelling.

Man often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary …… if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.

 

A Life Free of Burden

Why are we not able to progress quickly?

The reason why people do not progress quickly is that they are loaded with a pile of external opinions and thoughts.

If you go for a walk in the morning and someone asks you where you are going, you reply cheerfully that you are taking a walk. How cheerful your face looks!

At 10 or 11 am, if you are going the same route and someone asks you the same question, you answer dispiritedly: "I am going to office/" You no longer exude cheer. Why? Because your mind is full of all kinds of ideas - " I have to do this, I have to do that ……." - you are burdened with the sense of doer-ship. This is not the way. Go to the office or your shop, but plan your day in such a way as if you were a prince at play. You should take all your duties as if they are acts of amusement.

You may think, "If I take my work like pastime, my business will suffer."You're wrong. If you free yourself from anxiety and stress, you will work better. Why should you worry? You have seen the events of the past, you are seeing the present and you will also see what will come to pass in the future. At the most, you will die, and die you must some day or the other. Don't be afraid of death; don't try to save yourself from death, and don't try to escape it either: Invite and welcome troubles with a challenging and playful curiosity. Then they will lose their severity.

Many people are in perpetual fear of being insulted. Insult is far better than the fear of death. Death is preferable to the fear of death. Criticism is better than the fear of criticism. Fear fans the fire of distressing thoughts; it diminishes your energy. So live life free of fear, worry and stress.

Poet Melton's wife would chide him when he set out to walk with the aid of a walking stick. "Every day you go for a walk, but what do you seek to gain from this? You can't even see properly now"

Milton would reply, "Birds sing, winds play about and cress me. In that fresh morning air, when the dawn comes tearing the nocturnal darkness apart, it brings an untold beauty. I go to see that beauty."

His wife would say, "But you don't have vision. How can you see beauty?" Milton would reply: "Beauty is not seen with external eyes. The eyes that see beauty are within us"

Similarly, to analyze our life there is no need of the external eye; we need the internal eye. To see how calm or happy we are, or what is the state of our mind in adverse circumstances, we don't need external vision. We don't require external eyes to see if we behave with equanimity in the face of troubles and insults.

We require the internal eye to respect or we remain untouched by them. This insight to make life joyful and free is available only from satsang and company of saints who have awakened to their real Self; and is perfected through the practice of developing the 'witness' attitude. Therefore, instead of carrying the burden of the sense of doer or enjoyer, one should seek refuge in the enlightened ones and comprehend their witness absolute, eternal, pure, knowledge personified real self free from all bondage.

Spirituality of Married Life

Meaning: according to the line of Rigved 2/35/4 — those young men and young women should marry whose hearts are clean and pure. A man possessing physical strength should brighten his family by getting married.

Message: Born and brought up at two different places in two different families and in different atmospheres, an adult man and woman, although of different nature and different physical forms, fulfill the aim of life by joining in total unity. The real meaning of marriage is to end the separate identity of two different persons and to be dedicated to each other. Only by this dedication and harmony a joint authority develops which can be termed as 'two bodies, but with one soul (or one identity)'.

Marriage means not only a union of two bodies but also a union of two souls. This is a spiritual endeavor. The basis of spiritual progress is love. A man is an ideal man in proportion to the deep and pure love in his heart. Devotion means sentimental love for God and a devotee means a lover of God. The spiritual endeavor of love for God is to make our life full of the divine sentiment of love. Only love is God. The experience of God in a man's heart is expressed as a surge of love. The practical experience of this spiritual grandeur of love learnt in childhood is possible only in the laboratory of marriage life. Unique inseparable belonging and dedication for each other, faith, goodwill, equality and faithfulness makes the life full of love and warmth. A sense of belonging is a unique feeling. The one for whom this feeling develops, becomes very dear to us. The husband and wife do have human weaknesses and faults, but if, by understanding the aim of life, there is a mutual sense of belonging, dedication, unity and warmth, then the householder's life progress with joy. A man will automatically reform personal weaknesses and faults if he thinks 'nothing for me but everything for my life-partner'. Experiencing an inner love, both the husband and the wife, experience goodness at every moment.

To-day the people has forgotten the high aims and ideals of marriage which has now become a certificate for animalism of sex. Boys seek beautiful girls who will excite them so that their lust can become intense. Along with this the girls look for a moneyed boy so that along with sexual gratification, they also get luxury and comforts. People forget that the foundation for success of marriage is the mentality, culture and idealism of the life-partner. The principal aim of marriage is spiritual and with it the marriage life becomes happy and only then happiness, peace, prosperity and bright cheer reign in the family.

This is the spirituality of married life.

The Light of the Sun

Who has time nowadays for reflection? But it is only by devoting a bit of time to this activity can we explore awareness of being, oneness with universal spirit and celebration of a healthy and happy life.

We need light to show us the way that can take us towards the higher Self. What could be a better path-shower than what is referred to as the 'Living God'? The sun? The sun is perceived as the co-creator and sustainer of life on earth.

The sun's rays blend with our aura to enrich receptiveness of cosmic energy and guidance. This universal light force can be used in the ongoing process of cleaning, balancing, healing and evolving. This can create conditions that can enable us to be more positive, aware and sensitive and take initiative while driving away negative emotions.

What needs our attention most, according to Sri Surya Jowel (sooryaji) is the effort to elevate our mind and transform our lifestyle. "For this we require a light and energy source that can reach the dark corners of our mind and reveals to us life in its true perspective. And what could be better than the living energy source of the entire solar system, the sun?

This cosmic energy imbibed through eyes at sunrise (sooryoyog) can heal, elevate and transform us, which in turn can bring about shift in perception for a better world. We create our own surroundings.

Sunlight is nature's gift to mankind. We need the sun to survive and to be healthy in body and mind. The rays of the sun contain seven different colors which correspond to our energy centers or chakras. Unique vibration of each color in the rays of the sun can be used as tools for healing physical, psychological and spiritual ills.

Each of these chakras is related to a basic element. The mooladhar (basic chakra), the earth element, is red. The swadesthan (sex) chakra is orange with water as its element, and fire is associated with the manipura, the solar plexus. The color of anahat or heart chakra relating to air element is blue, the visudhas or throat element is either. The color of the third eye or ajna chakra, the forehead, is indigo - the light element while sahasrar or crown chakra, violet, signifies pure awareness. Thus when we take in sunlight at down, these chakras or subtle energies help to balance and promote healing physical, emotional and spiritual.

The earth receives the highest degree of positive energy at sunrise. At that point of time the human organism is most receptive towards solar energies. In fact, an hour before sunrise, solar energies exert positive psychological influence on the cells of the body, as they refresh and invigorate them. The sun's rays improve digestion and enhance nutrition, quicken blood circulation, facilitate elimination of impurities through skin, and make bone structure stronger. Sunlight lifts one out of depression and thereby helps to elevate the mind.

Sun can bring about transformation in body, mind and spirit that well could be gradual but a fulfilling experience ultimately. "As within, so without" - sooryayog is all about discovering Sakha, your Atma Soorya or the inner sun that could be your best friend.

The Time is Powerful

Meaning: The line of Athervaved 19/53/1 has defined that - the time that lapses today will never come back. The Time is very powerful - knowing this fact, the knowledgeable ones put is to good use

Message: Time is the most valuable wealth in human life. Every type of success can be achieved in the world by the good use of time, and all comforts and luxuries can be purchased. Day, nights, months, and years are passing and time is running on and on. Howsoever much you run after it, the time that has elapsed, can never return.

In the above mantra many qualities of time have been depicted. Just as the sun is bright with the seven colors of light, similarly time also shines. Just as the authority of the sun is the main one in the world. Similarly, the importance of time is also accepted. Time with its hundreds of eyes is continuously observing everyone. In the cycle of days and nights and seasons and years and eras of time, the world is constantly on the move. Time remains uniform throughout and is extremely powerful.

All the works of activities in this world are bond within the boundaries of geography and time. Except for God and the souls, everything else is bound by the shackles of time. Only the knowledgeable, wise and intelligent man controls time, which mans that a person who has a high aim in life, he only can make good use of time and defeat time.

Time is more valuable than money. In everything in this world, the importance of time is supreme, above all. Those who understand the value of time, never waste it. Those who waste it are themselves destroyed by it. Time is a treasure for good life and prosperity. Only by the good use of time man's life becomes good and pure. Just because life is perishable, it does not mean that time should be wasted. On the contrary, from it we should get the inspiration that we should not allow this wealth to go waste and we should achieve the maximum benefit by the good use of time. This secret of success in the life is also that prescribed work should be carried out at the prescribed time. But today, whomsoever you see merely goes on wasting his time. Every work is carried out with the only aim of passing the time. People spend their time in laziness, sleeping and gossiping and claim that they re very busy. Even now if we keep our eyes closed to reality, then time will destroy us.

The Hindi proverb is 'kal kare so aaj kar, aaj kare so ab' which means 'whatever is to be done tomorrow, do it today and whatever is to be done today, do it right now'. We must adopt this view point. Tomorrow, never dawns. It is available every moment in the present time. Therefore only that person, who takes advantage of the present, creates his own future and wins over the time.

The best quality of man's character means making good use of time.

Wicked thinking of the person

Meaning: According to the line of Rigved 8/2/12 — men with wicked thinking drink their favorite liquors and go on fighting within themselves and move naked here and there throughout the night. Therefore, good men should never drink liquor, even by mistake.

Message: One naturally doubts the intelligence of an intelligent man when he eats what should not be eaten and drinks what should not be drunk. Liquor, tobacco, and other poisonous materials when introduced in the body, always produce bad and painful side effects on the body and the person's nature. Based on the knowledge of the effect of these intoxicants, in all the countries, they are considered unnecessary and harmful. By imbibing them, the memory-power is adversely affected and laziness, neglect, impulsiveness, irritability, fear, excitement etc. increase. One, who drinks liquor or takes other intoxicants, will himself experience an increase in these faults within himself.

Intoxication produces a momentary excitement. Just as a horse gets excited with a whiplash, similarly drinking liquor initially excites the energy-reserves and therefore the drinker finds an initial surge of freshness, but in the end the result is fatal. By repeated whipping, the horse runs more than his capacity and gets quickly tired and dies. The same point applies to human body also. With the habit of taking liquor, tobacco etc the energy reserves of the body quickly get exhausted and premature ole age develops in youth itself. The body becomes hollow, lack luster, and becomes a museum of diseases. Because of his continuous bad breath, the people sitting nearby start hating such a person.

Bad habits make a man engaged in sinful acts. The habit of drinking liquor is the cause of bad tendencies and sins. Intoxication perverts the intelligence and an intoxicated man can commit any sin. In the absence of the knowledge of what he should do and should not do, he quarrels with everyone and he does not have any discretion about maintaining respect where due, Neither is he conscious about his mind nor body, nor clothes. Wandering here and there, not only does because his own downfall, but also makes hell like, his own and neighbors' lives.

Every year there is personal and national ruin to the tune of billions of rupees connected with the production of liquor, tobacco etc and their advertisement and sales promotion. If all this wealth is put to good use, then the level of man's health and life will improve and the development of villages and towns also will take place. If this vast capital can be employed in constructive works such as good planning, housing, textile production, animal husbandry etc, there will be no limits to the progress of our country.

All the religious preachers and great men of the world have condemned intoxication in any form and called it a sin. It excites taamasik thinking and also wicked and criminal actions. Intoxicated person do not feel any sense of shame in doing bad acts, and they do not feel ashamed of behaving in the uncontrolled manner. An intoxicated person's spiritual sensitivity diminishes. With all this knowledge, mankind is still keen on indulging in unnatural actions and spreading all round destruction.

Body Mind and Soul

There are three vital areas that could enable us to fulfill the purpose of our lives to become self-realized. The three dharmic obligations are: Bhoutika dharma or worldly obligations that are fulfilled through the body, mano dharma that is fulfilled through the mind and intellect and atma dharma that activates and empower the soul. All you need to do is follow four steps:

1              Value the body: We normally value our body for its beauty, youth, health or usefulness, without realizing that it is a walking miracle. From birth to death, the body carries out innumerable life-sustaining activities. The heart beats 86,400 times and lungs breathe 21,600 times every day. All this is possible due to the inexhaustible power called the soul that is enshrined in the body which is making life throb around it. When we are aware that we constantly carry this sacred energy, we will never misuse it to perform actions which are harmful, demonic, criminal or destructive in nature. We follow a strict regimen; Niyama with a definite schedule of time for food, sleep and regular routing of sadhana. Thus we discipline the body.

2              Process the mind: We should examine every thought and emotion scrupulously to check whether it falls within the framework of righteousness with great objectivity and vitality. Chanting Aum , which is the seed mantra or syllable of the soul, energies the mind and transforms it into an impartial witness. This also churns the mind and draws out all thoughts and emotions hidden in its subconscious layers.

This is symbolically depicted in churning the kshirasagara or ocean of milk to obtain the nectaar of immortality. Here, the mind is the said ocean and the sacred syllable Aum, from which the whole universe emerged, is the churner. Our good thoughts, dharma, represent the gods and bad thoughts, adharma, represent demons. As we begin churning the mind by chanting Aum for at least 30 minutes at a stipulated time every-day, cleansing of the mind begins and the negativity within is thrown out and divinity is retained.

3              Eliminate negativity: As we continue our sadhana by chanting Aum with total faith and belief, Shiva in the form of a guru removes all the negativity as soon as it rises up from within us. All negative thoughts, tendencies and feelings we have accumulated over many lifetimes rise to the surface. This negative energy constricting the mind is eliminated through the grace of the guru and our intellect, concentration and memory become razor sharp. We make quick, accurate decisions and complete our tasks at lightning speed. Everyday expands to give us ample time for further sadhana and we become more and more absorbed in the vibrations of it.

4              Create Wealth: As this point you will begin to create nidhi or treasure. As we immerse completely in sadhana, we transcend our senses and the mind blossoms and the heart expands to embrace all beings. We generate only selfless, dharmic desires which benefit all and are instantaneously fulfilled by Cosmic Will. We develop selflessness which is one of the important characteristics of Self-realization and our atma dharma is there by fulfilled.

Identity of a Man with Character

Meaning: As expressed in the line of Rigved 10/117/8 — "In this world all are not equal in status. All are in ascending order, someone wealthier than the other, someone more learned than the other, and so on. To compare one's own self with someone with more capacity is always painful, therefore whatever we have received should be considered as a favor from God and we should go on ddoing our duty."

Message: 'Gyanmay karma evam karmamay gyan' is a proclaimed truth of Nepalese philosophy which means our deeds should be backed with knowledge and our knowledge should be in action i.e. there is a need for harmony in knowledge and deeds. The goal of all our scriptures and learning is only this that the light of the ultimate knowledge within our hearts should continuously brighten up our path of life.

All are not alike in this world. Not only the birds, animals and insects, but even men differ in their worth and capacities. Each man in not capable of carrying out every task, nor is he capable of every attainment. Mostly men themselves run away from work and keep on carrying for not obtaining various achievements. Most men in this world are unhappy 'why should others be happy'? They themselves do nothing and expect that they should get all the happiness, comforts, money wealth and achievements in the martial world. Such ignorant people who keep building castles in the air create a hell like life for themselves and simultaneously create an anarchic atmosphere in the society. Such distorted thinking only blunts their knowledge. Only their difficulties are visible to them and they always keep on crying. They neither have the time nor the knowledge to understand the sorrow of the millions of people living in want.

When the proper knowledge of the reality enlightens the mind, then accordingly, man decides the actions to be taken. For this harmony, he requires constant practice. To cultivate this habit is at first difficult, even impossible, but gradually by practive it is achieved. The Hindi saying is, 'karat karat abhyaas ke jdmut hote sujaan' i.e. by constant practice even dull persons become knowledgeable. A person, who does not know swimming, becomes mortally afraid when taken into the water, but within the next few days he is able to swim like fish. Similarly, by constant practice the entire life can be made full of knowledge.

A knowledgeable person has a quiet and balanced attitude. He considers all his achievements as a favor from God and remains satisfied. He does not have any emotion of jealousy or malice. He does not have ill-feelings on seeing others' happiness, comforts and progress. Never does he cry or get irritated or angry. He knows the sanctity of deeds and with a broad outlook keeps a compassionate attitude for all animals. With the attitude that all animals possess a soul just like his own, he is not satisfied merely with personal progress, but understands that in the progress of all lies his own progress.

This is the identity of a man with character.

Ekpaadrbhooyo dwipado vi chakrame

dwipaatripaadamabhyeti pashchaat.

chatushpaadeti dwipadaambhisware,

sampashyanpaktirupatishthamaanah .. (Rigved 10/117/8)

Ideal Family

Meaning: According the line of Athervaved 3/30/2 — in an ideal home, children are obedient to their parents. The parents are well-wishers of their children. The husband and wife's mutual relationship is sweet and happy. Only such families always thrive and are happy.

Message: On the basis of the Vedas, the rishis (sages) have divided the human-life into 4 'ashrams'. The four ashrams are - brahmacharya ashram, gruhastha ashram, vanprastha ashram, and sanyas ashram. Considering a life-spam of a hundred years, these ashrams have been specified. Only in the Vedic religion, these ashrams of 25 years each have been categorized and this is the specialty of the Vedic streams of thought. The word brahmacharya is made of two words i.e. 'Brahma' or God and 'aacharan' means conduct. Thus it implies the conduct as followed by God. The second meaning of brahmacharya is celibacy. Thus the combination of two meanings implies the attainment of physical, mental intellectual and spiritual strengths, through celibate living up to attainment of 25 year for a successful material and spiritual life. During gruhastha ashram which means the life of a householder, the above powers are used and the man employs his earnings in deeds connected to a householder's duties and to fulfill to his wife's and children's needs. Then he reinforces his powers in the 3rd phase i.e. vanaprastha ashram through 'brahmacharya' (i.e. celibacy), self-study, japa (i.e. recitations) and tapa (or(austerities). In the sanyas-ashram he distributes to the society his acquired knowledge, wisdom and experience. This organization of a man's life into four ashrams is a very great specialty of Vedic religion.

If brahmacharya ashram is the foundation of life, then gruhastha ashram is a beautiful building constructed on it. Gruhastha ashram has its own importance, usefulness and achievements. In gruhastha ashram, the sentiment of self denial gets strengthened. The family members with love and cooperation for each other are eager to bear hardships for the sake of other members of the family. And in what words to describe the great sacrifice of a woman? She is the very incarnation of self denial. As wife, sister, and daughter or as mother her self denial contributes to the divine joy in the family. A restrained life contributes to excellent health. The householder making a living through pure means maintains sweet relationship with his relatives, associates to get the facilities for making his life happy, peaceful prosperous, and so also the society.

A family is made up of more than one person living together. Thus besides the husband and wife, there are; son, daughter, brother, sister, mother, father, aunt, uncle, grand-father, grand-mother, father-in-law, mother-in-law etc. The sweetness and purity of relationships between them creates an atmosphere of a special cheerfulness, happiness, joy and lively bustle. If there is a closeness of love and trust between the husband and wife, then the feelings of love, affection, faith and service for each other will be created. All will think of the interest of each other and will do beneficial work, and the situation of giving importance to money above everyone else, including family members, will not arise. With a sense of belonging, generosity and cooperation, all will serve each other and there will be joy and happiness in the family.

Only love and friendliness are the foundation of an ideal family.

God has Handed Wife for me.

Meaning: According to the line of Athervaved 14/1/52 —, O wife! God has handed you over to me. The responsibility of maintaining you lies with me. Let us both have children and live up to hundred years.

Message: The responsibility of a happy home-life lies with both husband and wife, although of course, the responsibility of the husband is more because the wife leaves her family to join the husband's family. God the Supreme Father has created the opportunity for the union of two souls and the conduct of both must be excellent. By doing this, happiness in family and good luck are achieved. Good luck of married life does not lie merely in getting married, but there should be loving adjustment between the husband and wife and only by that type of behavior, permanent happiness is achieved. Good luck remains stable where there is mutual sharing of love and happiness or sorrow between the two. To maintain this happiness of married life, it is necessary to maintain this tradition and to have healthy children. In this way both remain happy and achieve longevity with good luck.

For a happy future of the bride-to-be, it becomes necessary to evaluate the qualities of the husband-to-be. A worthy, learned and addiction-free man can carry the burden of a successful and happy family. He should not only be highly knowledgeable and with good qualities, but simultaneously physically strong and free from bad tendencies, bas activities and addictions. Addictions are like poison in a family. A man trapped in liquor, gambling, etc destroys the family's happiness and peace, and gets insults and bad name, and along with him his wife also undergoes mental pain.

From a practical view-point, the wife's area of work is within the home and the husband's area of work is outside the home. His responsibility is to look after the family with a proper display of his worthiness, learning etc. The woman's work area lies in properly organizing the home. It is the woman's duty to make proper use of money earned honestly by the husband to maintain house, cleanliness etc and to feed the family. Both must make proper adjustments in their above duties and make arrangements to run the family satisfactorily within limited means. It is the wife's duty to maintain a cheerful atmosphere within the family even by bearing hardships. A man is not as skilful as a woman in organizing the home. A heavenly atmosphere prevails in a neat home

A man must be prosperous as far as food-grains and other means of comfort are concerned. He should be bright and cheerful. Only such husband can fully satisfy his wife and keep her cheerful.

Gambling is not Good

Meaning: According to the line of Rigved 10/34/10 — the wife of a gambler suffers grave hardships. His mother keeps weeping. He is always sunk under debt and entering other people's homes, steals money from there, Gambling is a very obscene adduction. One must also save himself from it.

Message: Superficially it appears that dishonesty is necessary for earning quickly and more. Most wealthy person seems to be working with dishonesty in their work. Most honest persons appear poor. Therefore, by ordinary understanding it appears that if we also remain honest then we shall become poor. There is tremendous importance of money in the present times and only with money can comforts, facilities, means success and honor be achieved. That is why people are busy in becoming wealthy very quickly through dishonesty or some such means.

But if the situation is studied closely, this distortion in thinking vanishes and we come to know that we made a great mistake in accepting the glory of dishonesty. Wealth cannot be earned in this way and if earned so, then it cannot be maintained steadily. When does not mean that the result will be beneficial only. Daring, hard work, insight and understanding, pleasant talk and organizing ability are the qualities which contribute to earning. The earning with the sweat of one's brow is pure as nectar. Only bad name, non cooperation, distrust, hatred, state punishment, dejection etc, result from money earned through dishonest and improper means. Real earning is made only through good qualities contain the elements of productivity. Big projects, big trades, big plans in this world have been established and succeeded only on the basis of honesty. Not with wealth, but with good intelligence and good activity only progress is achieved. A man of good character (and not a man with wealth) becomes happy.

The addictions of gambling and lottery are also spreading wide on the basis of quick money through any means. Every man wishes to become wealthy by earning the maximum money in the shortest time. This act goes against the tenets of religious book and is a condemnable act. It leads to internal division and leads to quarrel. To bet with one another on the slightest excuse, and speculation and similar act re various forms of gambling only. Its addiction destroys the essential purpose of man's life. He is busy only with one thought that, if not today, certainly tomorrow the number on which he bets, will win and whirling in this vicious circle, he bets more and more. As a result he goes on wasting away his wealth. Whereas he does not get the wealth of a win, he loses whatever he has got. In the ensuing hopelessness man starts sealing his family's ornaments, utensils, and even clothes and puts the money on bets. Becoming poverty stricken, the person even resorts to suicide. In addition, the family undergoes hell.

Because of gambling only, Dharmaraj Yudhishthir along with his brothers had to become a slave of Duryodhan and had to undergo the terrible torture of witnessing the evil Duryodhan trying to disrobe his wife Draupadi. Gambling produces such horrendous results only.

If you wish personal welfare, never gamble in any way. Reject it completely.

Fame Spread in the World

Meaning: According to the line of Athervaved 6/39/3 — may my fame spread in the world, in the same way as the fame of Sun, Moon and Fire. May I be more famous than all persons?

Message: We feel the brightness of some person by the light in his heart. Some person's face shines with the brightness of knowledge and good deeds, whereas the speech of someone is so profound and exciting that it goes straight to the heart of the listener. Some people's walk is such that with their every step, the earth shakes, and some people have such a sharp graze that just by a mere look from them the arrogant enemy's pride is shattered. Only such bright men automatically receive honor, trust, respect, fame and supremacy in this world. Does Sun ever have to give a lecture about his own excellence? Does Moon ever have to declare his cooling pleasantness? Does deity of fire ever have to plead not to be crushed? Does lion, the king of the jungle, ever have to beg for votes to be elected as the undisputed leader of the jungle? They are all famous only because of their qualities. The Sun and the Moon are constantly working for the benefit of the whole world. With brightness, heat and energy, the Sun vitalizes the living beings. Along with it, the Sun also dries up the filth and thereby destroys it. Their only aim is nurturing of good qualities and eradication of bad tendencies and they achieve fame because they are constantly busy in trying to achieve this objective. The same is the objective of human life. Real spirituality lies in working for the welfare of the world till one's last breath.

A spiritual life is extremely necessary and important from the view-point of human glory, bright future, societal organization, spiritual bliss and inner satisfaction. Those who become inspired for and aspire for such a life should be called lucky and far-sighted in real sense. For leading such a divine life, nobody has to wear monk's robes or leave the home, nor beg for food like a monk, nor is it necessary to be involved throughout the day in recitation (of God's name or mantra), austerity, observing vrat (a combination of fasting and worship), ritual baths, visiting temples for bowing down before the icon of God and in singing psalms and hymns. It is enough to do spiritual thinking or self study and worship. But the main point is to implement in our thinking, faith and work-system, the spiritual principles and ideals. Man's life becomes successful only with that.

The meaningfulness of spiritual life lies in putting into conduct the principle of 'simple living and high thinking' and simultaneously observing in the life the principle of every woman is my mother, the wealth of others is for me like dust and that every living being has the soul similar to mine. It is both necessary as well as natural for men of excellence to look with purity of heart upon all women. With the necessity for procreation, there is bound to be sexual desire between husband and wife, but during the ordinary times there is no such thinking for each other, and it helps in maintaining this attitude of purity (i.e. men looking upon other women as their mothers or sisters, women looking upon other men as their brothers). The basis of a healthy society will be created only when men and women maintain this purity of outlook and all citizens have the strength of character. Every woman must be looked upon as mother, sister or daughter depending upon the age.

Glory of the Lady-of-the-house

Meaning: According to the line of Rigved 10/85/46 — O daughter-in-law! Lead you, life in such a way that your mother-in-law all respect and honor you.

Message: After the marriage, the wife leaves behind everything in her father's home and comes to her husband's home. Everything is left behind including her mother, father, brothers, sisters, family home- everything. She leaves behind the entire milieu of love where she was born, spent her childhood, studies and entered her youth and after becoming related to an unknown stranger, goes to his home. Is she at a loss by this renunciation of her previous family? No. In return for her renunciation, her total surrender to her husband's family, she becomes a very important member of her new family. Now that family becomes her own family, where she gets the status of the lady-of-the-house. She becomes the owner of the family and the entire responsibility of the family comes on her head.

In this new family she becomes the Empress over her mother-inn-law, father-in-law, and sister-in-law. Just as an Emperor looking after the happiness, comfort, and maintaining cordial relations among all pays attention to the progress of the kings and their populace under his ruler ship, similarly by becoming the chief member of the family, the new bride has to carry a very big burden of properly organizing the comforts, meals and the family paraphernalia for all the members of the family. It becomes her duty to think of the interests of all the family members, big or small. Because of maintaining all these duties, she is aptly called the owner or the Empress of the family.

The meaning of becoming th4e Empress or owner of the family does not imply that she establish her supremacy over the others. The implied meaning of the above title is that she should fulfill her important responsibilities, deal courteously with all and administer the house with the guidance of the elders by benefiting from their experience. By coming to the new milieu, she should not consider herself as a servant and feel inferior in any way that is why she has been given the glorious status of an Empress. All the members of the family should conduct themselves with love and warmth towards her by giving her proper respect.

But today most men ignore this loving, healthy viewpoint and do not accord the proper status to the new bride. By considering her as a servant, mother-in-law, sister-in-law and others keep on ordering her every moment. They find fault in her proper work. She is ignored,, neglected, beaten and sometimes even killed. Why does this come to pass? It is a matter of great sorrow, grief and worry. There is smoothness in dealings when the parents-in-law consider the daughter-in-law as their own daughter and she also considers them as much more than father and mother. The question is, 'who should make a beginning" Parents-in-law or the daughter-in-law? Being the elders, the parents-in-law should give her the love and warmth which they would accord to their own daughter, so that the void she feels in her heart because of separation from her own parents, is filled up. After that her enthusiasm for looking after the needs and comforts of her empire will automatically double up.

In this only lies the glory of the Lay of the house.

Good Health Comes First

It is easy to get infected with the spirit of the game in a globalize world with its vast media networks that enable people to watch the game even at odd hours. Often such infectious spirit drives us to indulge ourselves on the material plane and remain immersed in superficial aspects of life. Drinking beer and watching football in Germany might have temporarily taken its people away from the humdrum business of life and made them feel elated for some time. But every sphere of life, including the sphere of sports and games, must explore the infinite dimensions which impact human existence and about which we are not adequately aware.

When Swami Vivekananda returned to India in 1897 after his historic trip to America where he addressed the Parliament of the world's Religions in Chicago in 1893, he delivered a series of lectures. In one of them he linked the attainment of spirituality to football. He said to the youth: "You will be nearer to Heaven through football than through the study of the Bhagavad Gita." Good health is the first step to strive for perfection. It involves overcoming weakness and acquiring confidence and spiritual dignity. It means cultivating self esteem.

Scripture reading is not sufficient if we re driven by frailties and temptations. Exercise is the key to achieve higher and finer objectives. Vivekananda was giving precedence to the individual's right to quality health which can provide access to many other wonderful realms. He said that Indians remained lazy because they were deprived of strength and energy. He explained our inability to work in terms of our physical weakness. He even painfully noted that the root cause of selfishness and disunity among Indian was our weakness manifested in fragile body and spirit. He earnestly pleaded for measures to strengthen our physical and mental health.

A scholar saint of worldwide fame, he advocated that health considerations must precede the quest for religion. "Our young men must be strong, religion will come afterwards. You will understand the Upanishads better and the glory of the Atman when your body stands firm upon your feet, and you feel yourselves as men," he said.

Passion for football must promote good health and purity of mind. The pursuit of sports and games will truly help us realize the essence of life which often gets overwhelmed by existential compulsions and loses its meaning and significance. Utkalmni Gopabandhu Das, a close associate of MK Gandhi, had said that mere excellence in the field of football and cricket will not make a nation. He meant that nation building involves building of character and cultivation of values. When Swami Vivekananda linked spirituality with football he was stressing as much on the ability to play that game as the capacity to realize divinity, a far more exalted goal than that of mere nation building. What is required is the balanced blending of physical and spiritual dimensions. It is indeed a coincidence that on the sesquicentennial years of swami Vivekananda's birth the world cup was held in South Africa.

Pleasant Speech

Meaning: The line of Rigvved 7/31/5 instruct us that - "O men! Never speak harsh words to any one, never slander anyone, do not be ungrateful, and keep helping sorrowful people. May each good work of yours be dedicated to God?

Message: Pleasant speech gives happiness to everyone. Everyone gets pleased and satisfied. Whereas bitter speech pierces the heart and causes unbearable pain. Sweet speech fascinated, attracts others to us, and makes them cooperative like a magic mantra. That is why; man must be pleasant in speech. There is an atmosphere of happiness, peace and enthusiasm everywhere by pleasantly dealing with everyone.

Pleasant speech is like "kamadhenu" (the legendary wish fulfilling cow in heaven). It fulfills all the desires and gives name and fame. Howsoever hard-hearted person, he becomes ready to cooperate in every way by listening to a few sweet words. Every type of happiness is obtained by speaking pleasantly. But it does not mean flattery or sycophancy. When presenting one's view firmly, one must never forsake pleasantness. Neither pleasant cool water, not the cool shade of a tree, nor cooling sandalwood paste gives as much happiness and joy as pleasant speech. Therefore one must always speak pleasantly. The Hindi couplet says, 'aisi vani boliye manka aapa khoye, auran ko sheetal kare, aap hoon seetal hoye'. It means 'dissolve your ego and speak such a sweet language, that it pleasantly cools the listener's heart and cools the self also'.

God has given the divine gift of speech as a help and he also does not wish that we should ever utter harsh words. That is why he has not put bones inside the tongue which would have made it angular instead of smooth. With this sweet speech we can make the world our own and like a friend to us. Tulsidasji too has given the same advice "Tulsi meehte vachan se such oopjut chahoon our, vashikaran ek mantra hai, taj de vachan kathor". It means happiness prevails all-round with sweet words; there is only one mantra for making the others our own that is given up harsh words.

Bitter language results in harm only. A man is not hurt as much by a piercing arrow as by piercing words. A wound produced by a weapon fills up and heals, but a wound from bitter speech never heals. Harsh and sharp language pierces man's heart, therefore bitter and harsh language should never be spoken. By describing the handicapped persons like blind, one-eye, limp, and ugly one should neither ridicule them, not hurt their feeling. It is equally hurting others to the heart when they are slandered, when people take joy in being ungrateful to those who have cooperated with them.

If we want God to grace us, then we should always involve ourselves in good deeds, whereas God is destroyer of those who do bad deeds. He is also fatherly guardian for those who do good deeds and also increase their power. HE destroys by His own power those using improper, opposing and bitter speech. Society looks down upon people who find faults with others. Who use discourteous and cunning speech and those who are ungrateful? Their own conduct becomes the cause of their destruction.

Pleasant speech is the best quality of a man's character.

Ma no needay ya

vaktavearyo ranadhirraavne,

tve api kraturmama (Rigved 7/31/5)

Character from Ideal

Meaning: The stanza of Yajurved 18/8 illustrate that — "Let me do such deeds that my truthful belie, faith, friendship, wealth, breadth of mind, play, humors, speech, and good deeds are uplifted".

Message: How lucky we are that we have been granted this invaluable human body and simultaneously what misfortune that we waste it away, in the animal-like activities of filling the belly and procreation. Our biggest and most important difficulty is of the proper, good use of life. Farsightedness lies in finding a solution to this difficulty. Only then will we be able to fulfill our life's objective and also fulfill God's wish.

Is the treasure of the power of knowledge, insight, capacity, worthiness and discretion given to us by God only for maintaining our bodies and families? If we recognize our capacity we will realize that after fulfilling our needs there still remains so much time, money and strength with us, which we do not put to good use and on the contrary, by its misuse, we are heading for the chasm of downfall. In trade or office, man has to spend maximum ten hours only; 6-7 hours are required for sleep and 3-4 hours for daily routine and meals etc. Even then daily four hours remains. We must sometimes think about what use we make of these four hours.

We must pay attention to our spiritual progress also. Believing this world to be a vast manifestation of God, all our remaining capacity must be utilized for making this world more fragrant and more developed. This will be possible only when throw out our faults, bad activities, bad thoughts and bad tendencies and make tremendous efforts for their eradication. Along with it we try to achieve perfection by including to the maximum extent, more qualities, deeds, idealism and naturalness in our character. Let us believe that proper plans for public-welfare are the real worship of God and let us consider as high level austerity the difficulties to be faced for removing the backwardness, ignorance and bad conduct all around us. Our spiritual progress will be in proportion to the attention that we pay to these matters and our willpower will increase accordingly. We should also listen to the voice of God within our conscience and determine our deeds according to its direction. Otherwise the habit of crushing the interests of the soul under our feet and spending all our mental capacities for bodily and worldly actives will prove foolish in the end and willpower costly.

The meaningfulness of life lies, only in employing the self in good deeds. Let us always think, see, speak and do good only through our mind, speech and deeds. Let us create all around us an atmosphere of purity and inspiring all our senses for good deeds, let us go forward on the path of progress.

A man of character receives praise by making such a life his ideal.

Formation of good character - for the upliftment of the soul, the foremost requirement is the excellence of character. Lucid explanation of the mantras highlighting the importance of good qualities in life is essential.

Best Work in Life

Meaning: As the stanza of the Rigved 1/90/7 the meaning can be given like this - "Do such work in the world whereby everyone will enjoy happiness, peace and cheer.

Message: The corner stone of man's stability and progress is his dedication. If we ignore our responsibilities and the prescribed duties, then such obstacles will be created, that life itself will become difficult, let alone progress and achievement. Every achievement in life depends on dedication to work. The stability and safety of every achievement depends only on dedicated faith in work. It is our own responsibility to keep this very valuable body healthy, nourished and long-lived so that we can perform maximum deeds for people's welfare and create an atmosphere of peace, happiness and cheer everywhere. It is our duty to save the mind from worry, sorrow, disappointment, fear, anger, impulsiveness etc, for maintaining mental capacity and excellence. With that only the qualities like joy, enthusiasm, patience, courage, satisfaction, balance, stability, concentration and trust can enter the heart. If the mind is allowed to grow like wild grass, it becomes our own enemy. It is every man's duty to bring his mind under control and make himself cultured.

The joy of family-life is incomparable. But it is possible only when every member of the family carries out his responsibility properly with full involvement, care and honesty for all the needs of every member regarding health, comforts, satisfaction and development. We must also fulfill the responsibility of giving our love, time and cooperation to make the children cultured and organized. Only responsible people are able to get the joy of family-life.

Every member of the society also is burdened with human responsibilities. Every citizen of a cultured society remains awake and alert towards his moral, societal and national responsibility and increases the reputation of the country. It is every man's duty to maintain the purity of thought, atmosphere and ecology in the society. The extent to which a man takes interest in the uplift of the society and personal abnegation for public-welfare, to that extent he is great.

It si necessary that all of us understand very properly our duties so that everywhere in the society, there is an atmosphere of peace and happiness and all can go easily on the path of progress. Let us listen to the voice of our soul and go on striving for making this human life meaningful by fulfilling the tasks decided by the God.

Birth Death and Interval

Disillusionment, disease, debility and death may be the most accursed terms but much of philosophy, medical science and spirituality have evolved and flourished around them. Disillusionment transformed Gautama into Buddha. His father's death led the boy Venkatramana on the path of inquiry, turning him into Ramana Maharshi. An incurable disease propelled Narayana Bhattatiri to repackage the Bhagavatam into an epic poem called Narayaneeyam.

Understanding death is not possible without understanding birth and what caused it. Why are we here? From the darkness of the womb we go unto the womb of darkness called death after traversing a well lit zone called life. People are born to fulfill residual desires and the outstanding obligations of their previous tenure. The earth is karma bhoomi and here alone and nowhere else, human being has a facility to execute their desires and obligations. What is born is not man but a medley of accumulated desires, hatred, anger and frustrations. The physical frame is just a bundle of electrical bulbs through which the cross-currents of emotions express themselves. We are here on our own volition, to undergo pain and pleasure and gain vital knowledge necessary to go beyond pangs of birth.

Seeking an answer to the question: What after death? Is like wanting to know what lies beyond the edge of the universe. No one has gone there on a fact-finding Mission and come back with a status report. However, there have been reports of evidence being available on reincarnation and rebirth. Strangely, while there have been numerous incidents of people remembering their previous births with fair amount of accuracy, three has been no instance of people recalling what transpired in the interval between two births. The plausible explanation for this could be that mind remains in hibernation in the intervening period.

Death is a welcome pause in a long journey of the soul in its evolutionary course. Death is stocktaking time. After assessing the merits and demerits of the previous birth the soul is replenished with newer equipments to resume its journey. There is as much purpose in death as in life.

More often than not, death is dreaded for its timing rather than its occurrence. When a young person dies, we react far more intensely than we do when an elderly person dies. But the difference is only in perception. When the physical body or mind or mind loses its capacity to execute karma or finds no further scope within the existing framework, it contrives to have a tryst with destiny.

Every death is an inconsolable loss for near and dear ones. For the bereaved, death is a source of sorrow but for the deceased it is the cessation of all pain. We weep not because somebody had got relief but for our own sorrow. All considered death is the only viable option for this organic body, which past its prime, tends to degrade even while alive. Today has to vacate its place for tomorrow to come in Ramana Maharshi was once asked by a group of disciples. 'Where do people go after death? He responded: Did you enquire where they came from, to be able to ask this question?

None has escaped the jaws of death but some have escaped the jaws of birth and attained immorality.

Live With Effortless Grace

It was 9:30 in the morning. From my balcony on the eighth floor, I could see below a stream of shining cars crawling on the roads. The traffic seemed chaotic, vehicles trying to get past the other, so much like situations we face in our chaotic lives, driven by competition.

A peaceful life is essentially a simple one and hence effortless. The sheer simplicity of peaceful life is a magnet that attracts, for deep within we identify with it. To be simple is not something external; we have to become simple and natural from within, be open to our own 'internal self' and perform actions knowing where they are leading to. One has to consciously bring bout this change, as Paramhansa Swami Niranjananda Saraswati of the Bihar School of yoga, Munger says, "To change externally is just a cosmetic change, it is feeding the intellect, the real change is internal". Being open to our internal selves connects us to the fantastic inner world wherein in each one of us a 'sage' dwells. Once connected to this sage our decisions are taken from deep within and we no longer need approval of others. We stand tall and empowered, yet simple, natural and in harmony with self and others.

However, being t peace does not guarantee freedom. We all have responsibilities that bind us in many ways, creating a web around us in which we feel enmeshed. So how do we experience freedom? Though it may seem contradictory on the face of it but one who is disciplined is the one who experiences real freedom. Freedom, like peace, is an internal concept; we can experience freedom only when we feel freedom within us. A disciplined man is able to organize his life and take care of his responsibilities with aplomb, and thus he is set free. A disciplined man is able to achieve balance in life.

By virtue of our existence we live in a world of relationships with others. The only constant in life is change and that is true of relationships as well. Only relationship that does not change with time is the one between mother and child, where normally affection is unconditional. If we honestly view our relationships we will find that we are constantly 'performing' with others. We unleash words and thoughts often couched in terms of 'love' while the intent to have control over others. The moment we are able to stop performing, relationship grow within, infuse discipline in our lives and stop enacting dramas in our relationships we are at peace and free. Once at peace and free, happiness happens. Life becomes an expression of divine calmness and flows with effortless grace. One becomes a 'farmer' instead of a 'warrior'. As paramhansa Swami Niranjananda Saraswati says, "in life becomes a farmer instead of a warrior: Learn to nurture and take care and begin the process with yourself with your personality and mind. The victory of a warrior is accompanied by destruction while the victory of a farmer is accompanied by creations".

Sindhu in might surpasses all the rivers that flow… The roar of the river is lifted up to heaven above the earth; it puts forth endless vigor with a flash of light …. Even as cows with milk rush to their calves, so other rivers roar into the Sindhu. As a warrior king leads other warriors, so does Sindhu lead other rivers …….

The shrill note of a motorcar's horn from the street below brought me back from my reverie. I saw a 'warrior' in a huge shining red car weaving his way aggressively through the traffic before I turned and went inside the apartment.

Music of the Soul

Tension is triggered when we stretch ourselves beyond our mental, physical and financial capacities and capabilities. The root cause is our expectations. When what we expect to happen does not happen, frustration lead to tension. This in turn leads to compression of the spiritual heart, which is the foundation of Bhakti or devotion that connects us to our soul.

To overcome stress, we need to release tension and come to enjoy a serene and a tranquil life and for this we need to introduce Bhakti into our lives. You might ask, is devotion different than prayer? Prayer is a concentrated effort from us directed towards God, where in devotion is to acknowledge that energy as God.

Devotion helps to release pressures of unwanted thought. Thinking without incorporating devotion creates jagged thought patterns which strain the mind, creating pressure, leading to more stress and tension. Wherein thinking with devotion - that is, thinking with love creates soft, soothing thought patterns which bring about calmness, serenity and lends that musical resonance to our thoughts without pressure, stress or tension. This kind of devotion was followed by great Bhakti saints like Kabir, Namded, Mirabai, the Namazhwars, Purandaradasa, Kanakadasa, Tyagaraja and Tansen.

Devotion helped Bhakti saints to cultivate an awareness of soul through music. This awareness brought them clarity from the ocean of thoughts that tend to cause storms and imbalances in the mind. Devotion brings about focus and awareness with devotion makes possible the experience of unconditional love. A sincere devotee comes to understand the import of true love and its essence.

Remember here the difference between alertness and awareness. Alertness is focusing our thoughts on a particular task externally through the mind where in awareness is being in focus of our tasks all the time through devotion and love.

Devotion and love lubricate the soul and the absence of any friction makes possible the creation or discovery of the rhythm of the soul that is reflected in the cosmic rhythm. Music loosens the knotted heart knot known as rudragranthi. Seamless and fluid love helps to remove rusty thoughts and rigid mindsets and thus begins the clearing of all doubt. Shruti or rhythm converts itself in a musical form and rhythm converts itself in a musical form and this we call raga.

The rhythm we experience creates in us positive, divine thoughts from within like a series of air bubbles rising up to oxygenate fish in a fish tank. We enjoy these patterns of thoughts which bring about visualization and a state of realization in us.

Raga like Pahaad, Bhoopalim Kalayani and Yemen in classical Hindustani music traditions and Mohana, Ananda Bhairavi, Yemen Kalayani, Hindola and many more in classical Carntic tradition. Bach and Tchaikovsky for instance in classical western tradition or just devotional renderings lead one to experience joy and peace and could well lay the foundation to progress on the path of bliss-attainment.

Therefore, sing, dance and experience joy for life is beautiful.

Material Happiness

Meaning: According to the line of Rigved 10/31/2 — for those wishing material happiness and spiritual salvation, it would be proper to have truthful dealings in mind, speech and deeds and to be partners in good deeds. This is the only means of achieving permanent happiness.

Message: There is a very close relationship of mind, speech and deeds. Whatever thoughts that arise in our minds are expressed through speech and our deeds are in accordance with that. After that we have to bear the result (good or bad) of those deeds. The mind is supreme because it is in contact with the organs of sensation as well as organs of action. No organ can become active in any work without the cooperation of the mind.

Only with firm willpower it is possible to keep the highly mobile mind under control. This mind goes on wandering from moment to moment and the fundamental basis of spiritual life is to keep it ruthlessly at one spot. Concentration in and dedication for any work is not possible at all without keeping the mind under control. Only with the reins of the mind, do the organs come under control and wicked activities do not survive. In this way it becomes easy for men to discard faults and wicked tendencies, he gets saved form sinful acts and gains real spiritual knowledge by self study and 'satsang' (good moral company and study of scriptures) by making good use of time.

This true knowledge remains like an armor over the mind and prevents the entry of sinful tendencies. With the slightest weakness in this amour, sinful tendency enters the mind. With the company of excellent men and by listening to their lectures with respect, we can strengthen this armor and open up the road to success in life.

Tremendous alertness and carefulness is required for saving the mind from sinful tendencies. Man experience sweet thrill in sinful feelings. Those who save themselves from this temptation are saved from destruction.

When man obtains excellent knowledge by controlling his mind, then his speech is truthful and so also are his deeds. With good and truthful conduct only, the works for the welfare of the people are carried out and with that only, is God's grace achieved. to experience God, one's total mind has to be surrendered to God. Spiritual development is not at all possible without constant practice of trying to experience closeness with God and experiencing God's existence during every moment of one's life.

We are able to obtain true knowledge by controlling the mind through satsang, and through self-study as well as worship and spiritual endeavor but very quickly we wander away from our objective, lose whatever has been obtained and become unhappy.

For permanent happiness and salvation it is necessary that, believing in God as our witness, we always keep ourselves away from sinful deeds.

Excellent Moral Character from Religion

Meaning: The line of Athervaved 17/1/29 has described about our deeds, that can be expressed as — "Human life will be safe only with good deeds and religious conduct. Therefore let us be sinless and praise worthy and always go on acquiring higher knowledge".

Message: Religiousness means religious conduct. To respect religion in every field of life to follow the injunctions of religions, is itself called 'dharma-achaaran' (or religious conduct).'Dharma' not only means religion (as regards spiritual science and worship), but it has several other meaning including 'moral duty', but unfortunately politicians and the so-called intellectuals are twisting the interpretation of the word 'dharma' to suit their selfish ends.

In reality religion is beneficial to man in every field. The question of narrowness does not at all arise in religion. In fact religion contributes to a wide and vast viewpoint. Real religion does not talk of putting blindfolds on the eyes, but enjoins us to remove them. No religion produces jealousy, malice and such perversities. Religion in the real moral sense creates an atmosphere of good thinking and love. Religion and humanity are mutually complementary. Man can never remain without religion and religion cannot remain any where except in man.

Religion means a rule for carrying out one's responsibility, in other words, 'self-accepted imposition for achieving excellence'. Every field of activity has its own 'dharma' such as teacher's dharma, student's dharma, people's dharma, leader's dharma, soldier's dharma, servant's dharma, father's dharma, women's dharma etc. Religion does not mean mere worship or rituals. Dharma is a symbol of the entire life, because it pervades every aspect of life.

Dharma is good activities, good deeds and truthful conduct. A dharmik man is a man of good conduct, is satisfied, quiet (at peace), disciplined and restrained. Never does he get angry, has no malice, does not ridicule others, nor disrespect others. His main qualities are mental purity, truthfulness in conduct and excellent sentiments for public-welfare. A religious man does not show off his religion. He is busy in his duties with a quiet and unselfish attitude. He relies upon excellence in thinking and simplicity in life. He always utilizes his total capacity and insight for deeds of public-welfare and removes the obstacles in the path with patience and firmness. A life of simplicity propounded the ideal of high thinking. Prosperity lays in simplicity only and in that only lies one's reputation.

To disrespect religion is like discarding humanness and acknowledging animal-ness. For animals there is no religion except fulfilling the needs of their bodies. If an animal coming in the path creates an obstacle, then to drive it away with its horns, to frighten it or to kill it (i.e. selfish survival) is the only 'dharma' of animals. Animals do not have a sense of respect, sentiments, discretion, tradition, society and culture. These exist for man only and therefore at every step in life he has to conduct himself according to the rules laid down in religion. The essence of religion lies only in obliging or helping others, mutual cooperation, compassion, and living together.

Conduct according to the rules laid down in the religion is the only basis for excellent character.

Everyone Should Purify His Moral Conduct

Meaning: According to the line of Yajurved 35/11 — "The man who purifies his conduct and makes others clean, May we get their nearness so that the mind's dirt and wicked sins get destroyed."

Message: Fire gets lighted with fire, life gets brightened with life, love is enhanced by love and enmity increases with revenge. A chameleon changes colors on seeing another chameleon.

If we want to reform others, then first we will have to bring a revolution in our lives, will have to become a magnet ourselves, and will have to create some specialty in our lives. Only then is the uplift of others possible. One lighted lamp can light a million extinguished lamps but a million snuffed lamps cannot light a single lamp. Similarly a great man with 'jeevan-jyoti' (the light of life), can bring others on the good path and spread brightness in their lives.

One who is not at peace with himself, how can he bring peace to others? How can an ignorant person make others knowledgeable? How can a person teach swimming to others when he himself does not know swimming? A person, who is himself lazy, neglectful, and a chatter-box how can he make others energetic and men of brevity? Before bringing peace to others, we ourselves will have to be peaceful. We ourselves will have to be knowledgeable and good in conduct before making others knowledgeable and men of good conduct. Just like the incarnation of Ram and Krishna, and like the saints Swami Vivekananda and Maharshi Dayananda, let us first become a light house and others will automatically be attracted. When the flowers bloom, the honey-bees automatically come and take away the pollen.

Man must desire to include good qualities in his conduct and make it clean, pure and fragrant. Let us make our lives profound, and giving up laziness and neglect adopt regularity in life. Let us make ourselves centers of attraction by making ourselves shining-bright like the sun by service, good conduct, courtesy and gentlemanliness, and thus become bright, possess sharp faculties and become influential. When others come into contact with such evolved persons, they start treading the path of goodness, their bad tendencies get destroyed and good qualities increase.

Let us first detach ourselves from the bad path, let us first be generous raise our own spiritual level and shine ourselves. Only then will others become bright by our contact just as a lamp gets lighted by another lamp. Only such knowledgeable persons achieve fame in the society and the people coming in their contact get influenced by them. As a result their faults and bad tendencies get removed and cleanliness, refinement and generosity develop in their conduct. A fish can spoil the whole tank, while a saintly person by the influence of his capabilities and personal good conduct has the capacity to change and properly develop an entire society. His brightness and sharp mental faculties provide strength and energy to all.

The contact of men of good conduct becomes helpful in character-formation