|O® bh¿rbhuva¡ sva¡ tatsaviturvareñya® bhargo devasya dhºmahi dhiyo yo na¡ pracoday³t |

(May Almighty illuminate our intellect and inspire us towards the righteous path)
- Rigveda 3/62/10; Samveda 1462, Yajurveda 3/35, 22/9, 30/2, 36/3
Yajurveda

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Date of Publication: 01.03. 2007
Amrit chintan
Evolution
The Inherent Urge of Life
Every living being has a natural urge to find its original source in a higher, evolved and
enlightened state. This subliminal impulse of inner consciousness is what generates the natural
cycle of progressive evolution of consciousness through ascending order of life forms. A seed
grows into a tree which fructifies in the developed state and gives rise to its origin –– the
seed. A child’s inner desire is inclined towards becoming a fully grown up man. The force
of evolution in human life manifests as quest of human mind, through its curiosity to know
and interact with its surroundings, with the systems, and mechanisms of his personal and
social life, and its wonderstruck appreciation of the beauty and mystery of Nature.

The perception of Nature works like a mirror for the human mind. It tries to seek and visualize
its evolved states in the ever-new expressions of Nature. This is how it acquires knowledge
and experience and endeavors for further progress.

Life in the unlimited expansion of the universe manifests itself in progressive and dynamic
states of consciousness. Rigidity, backwardness, complacency and self-centeredness are
against the laws of evolution. Evolution is a perpetually progressive manifestation of Divine
Consciousness. The dimensions of the gradual evolution in human life are much wider and
have their higher horizons rooted in the sublime realms of divine consciousness. These
emanate from the aspiration of the soul to awaken and unite with its Supreme Source.
Spiritual transmutation is a progressive evolution of consciousness towards this ultimate
goal.
–Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya
( c.f. “Rishi Chintan”)

March-April 2007 3
01 Amrit Chintan
Contents
Evolution – The Inherent Urge of Life -------------------------------------------- 03

02 From Chief Editor’s Desk:

Life is Incessant Change -------------------------------------------------------------- 05

03 What is Fate, Who Regulates it? ---------------------------------------------------- 06

04 Health for All

Rejuvenation without Medicines -1 ----------------------------------------------- 14

05 Know the Essence of Tender Emotions ------------------------------------------- 13

06 Siddhi through Sadhana- 2

The Need of Refined Environment for Success of Sadhana ----------------- 16

07 Yagya Therapy –2
Yagya: Medicinal Effects and Therapy for Eyes ------------------------------- 19

08 Art of Living – 7
Develop Self Respect---------------------------------------------------------------------- 24

09 Youth Column
Shantikuj’s Campaign for Awakening of Youth ------------------------------- 26

10 Science and Spirituality

Can Animals Predict weather? ----------------------------------------------------- 29

11 On the Road to Freedom ----------------------------------------------------------------- 33

12 Companions in Solitude-13
The Inner Aspect of My Sadhana of Life -II --------------------------------------- 39

13 My Life: Its Legacy and Message- 24

That which I am Doing at Present -------------------------------------------------------- 43

14 Amrit V³ñº
Four Pillars of Self-Development - II ---------------------------------------------------- 47

15 Shantikunj news ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 50

4 March-April 2007
 From Chief Editor's Desk
Life is Incessant Change
T
he two-month period of March-April is the transitional link when the vibrantly alive and
radiantly fragrant spring peaks out and there are subdued signals of the slow advent of
dry, sunny and scorching summer.

Change is the fundamental law of Nature and Life. Of all the creations on earth only human
beings have been gifted with the free will and wisdom to make choices and yoke the Law of
Change for self-improvement, self-growth and collective well-being. At present, changes are
occurring in nature and humanity at an unprecedented pace; and call for conscious, concentrated
and enlightened efforts by human beings individually as well as collectively to rise out of ego-
encaged, divisive consciousness into the unitive cosmic consciousness. This alone can reverse
the present helpless hurtling down of Earth with all its myriad manifestations of Life (including
human) into the abyss of Doom.

In the modern era it is our Gurudev who had clearly visualized the gravity and grimness of the
situation (mostly brought about through man’s own diabolic exploitation of Nature for self-
aggrandizement) and had outlined a precise plan of action for ushering in an era of peace,
holistic harmony and happiness – ensuring universal well-being – through life-transforming
Gayatri Sadhana. We Gayatri Pariwar Parijans, have therefore to work wholeheartedly and
resolutely towards the fulfillment of our Gurudev’s vision and mission. The coming Chaitra
Navratri (March 19-26) will be a special occasion for us to undertake intensive Gayatri Sadhana
through Laghu Anushthan of 24000 Gayatri Mantra Japa during this holy Parva for self-purification
and spiritual recharging.

19th March (The first day of the Parva) will also mark the beginning of the new Vikram Samvat –
2064, which makes the Navratri Parva all the more auspicious for Sadhana. All Parijans are exhorted
and advised to take up an intensive Laghu Anushthan for their own as well as humanity’s spiritual
well-being.

The annual school examinations in many parts of the country will be held during March. We
send our best wishes to all examinees for excellent performance. Faith-filled Gayatri Japa will be
a source of special inspiration for them.

All worthwhile and purposeful change in human affairs begins through individual self-awakening,
which then spreads as a ripple effect in the society. In this connection, let us as Sadhaks listen to
the clarion call of Swami Vivekanand:

“Arise, awake, sleep no more. Within each of you there is the power to remove all wants and all
miseries. BELIEVE this, and that Power will be manifested….”

With Navratri Parva and Ramnavami Greetings,

-Pranav Pandya

March-April 2007 5
 What is Fate,
Who Regulates it ?
The Indian mythology states that “Chitragupta” maintains the records
of our karma, which shapes our future destiny. But who is Chitragupta?
Is it another name of God? Or, does it refer to a superhuman, angel or is it
simply an allegory?

M ost of us are generally curious to know

our future. As rational beings we feel
that it is by and large determined by our
efforts but still can’t create or predict it. Some
of us may consider the uncertainty to be
governed by some ‘unknown’ random law of
Nature (or Murphy’s Law!). Whatever be the
case, the word “fate” or destiny is very much
a part of our natural inquisitiveness to know
— why different people have different fates,
or why people born in the same family,
brought up in same environment, having the
same qualifications and talents end up getting
drastically different destinies in their
professional and social lives? To a varied
extent, we do feel concerned about ‘our stars’,
horoscope, palm-maps, ‘cards’, etc that are
commonly regarded as ‘indicators’ of fate. So
let us examine what this fate is?
The Indian mythology states that
“Chitragupta” maintains the records of our
karma, which shape our future destiny. But
who is Chitragupta? Is it another name of God?
Or, does it refer to a superhuman, angel or is
it simply an allegory?
The number of human beings inhabiting this
earth itself is in billions. If we take into account
the other living beings of millions of non-
human species, the total number would be
beyond mathematical calculation. It would be
an impossible task for an individual being,
howsoever superbly evolved, to work day and
night without rest for millions of years
maintaining records of each moment of life of
innumerable beings of the cosmos.
Impracticability of maintenance of such a
stupendous record puts a question mark on
the very existence of Chitragupta. Modern
science, however, substantiates the reality
underlying the metaphorical descriptions
given in the scriptures.
Science has now established that all mental,
verbal and physical activities carried out by
an individual having a discriminative mind
leave subtle impressions on the deeper levels
of the psyche. In this way, like the
compressed audio-visual recordings of events
on a microchip of the computer or compact
disc, all good and evil deeds are being
recorded in the hidden chambers of the

6 March-April 2007
subconscious mind. This record, like that of
an ultra compact disk, remains in storage till
it is required to be processed at a desired
moment through an appropriate mechanism.
In Indian science of spirituality, karma stands
for any physical, verbal, mental or social
activity. Because of the evolved state of
human-consciousness, each karma
‘automatically and instantaneously’ generates
a subtle mental imprint. These imprints cannot
be erased before the karma results in the
consequent effect (karmaphal) at the
appropriate time – in this life or in any future
life in any form. The scriptures also describe
that the Supreme Creator (Lord Brahma)
inscribes the destiny on the forehead of a
human being and this Divine Inscription
cannot be erased by anyone. Let us examine
this concept from a scientific point of view.
Studies based on sophisticated mapping of
brain activities by functional MRI etc, show
innumerable furrows in the grey matter all
over the brain. Medical science has not so far
fully deciphered the biological implications of
these indentations. Comparative studies of
different subjects have shown that density of
these crenulations in the grey matter of highly
evolved persons and thinkers is much more,
than in the case of common masses. It shows
that these ‘microscopic’ lines in the grey matter
of the brain are nothing but compact subtle
impressions created by external activities. This
finding supports the possibility of imprints of
mental, vocal and physical actions. The record
of activities (good and evil deeds) on the
neuronal ‘memory chips’ proves the existence
of an adept, intelligent mechanism, which
Hindu Mythology refers to as Chitragupta.
March-April 2007
Linguistically, the Sanskrit word “Chitragupta”
means “a hidden picture”. This refers to our
inner mind, the unconscious mind or more
precisely the “chitta”. [The impressions
recorded on chitta could be understood in
simple terms by automatic backup storage in
the CPU of all the programmes executed on a
computer].
As per the deeper science of spirituality,
human consciousness works at four subtle
‘processors’ or ‘cores’ of consciousness;
namely – mana (conscious mind), buddhi
(intellect), chitta (the subconscious and the
unconscious mind, the core of intrinsic
tendencies) and ahamk³ra (the sense of self-
identity). These collectively define an
individual self (jºv³tm³) and are carried
forward with the subtle body life after life.
The subtle imprints on the ‘hidden register’
of chitta — hence the gupta-Chitta (or
Chitragupta) control the future course of life.
It is a scientifically established fact that the
active part of the human brain, which is only
a tiny fraction of its total capacity (~ 7% in
case of the most trenchant, most intelligent
and most active mind!), itself has an infinite
potential for storage and processing of
information. It has also been affirmed that
the subconscious and the unconscious minds
control the continuous functioning of the
brain. Thus there is no doubt about the
limitless capacities of the unconscious mind.
So the “Chittragupta” referred in the vedic
texts is indeed ageless and limitless Super-
consciousness which continuously maintains
the records of every action, every thought,
every feeling of individual beings.
7
How do Chitragupta’s records account for
fate?
The self-regulated mechanism of the eternal
Consciousness Force keeps a continuous micro-
record of our deeds in a subtle form, as mental
inscriptions. Upon death, these ‘shorthand
notes’ (in the subconscious layers of chitta)
serve the purpose of ‘testimony’ for objective
evaluation of the total span of our present life.
As we all know, the human mind works at
two levels: one external and the other internal.
The outer mind, which we experience all the
time except while in the state of sound sleep,
is analytical. It analyses the pros and cons,
accepts and discards, infers, aspires as per the
urges of the senses and is driven by extrovert
tendencies. It takes decisions with the help of
intellect, but frequently changes its
resolutions. The inner mind, on the other
hand, is like an innocent but resolute child. It
neither accepts nor discards anything, but as
the true faithful representative of the divine,
functions impartially toward divine justice.
The external mind may think of escaping
punishment by suppressing or overlooking the
recordings of the lines of evil deeds and
highlight only the virtuous deeds for reward.
The inner mind (conscience is one of its
constituents), on the other hand, works
differently. It takes decisions like an unbiased
judge of highest integrity, who cannot be
influenced by allurement, fear or any vested
interest. It is said that in each human being
there co-exist a saint and a devil. You may
consider the sublime inner mind as a
representative of divinity and the external
mind, which is ever engaged in reasoning,
8 March-April 2007
rationalizing, deliberating, conspiring and
hypocrisy, as a tool of the devil. The external
mind may deceive the soul by justifying each
and every action of a person. The inner-mind,
on the contrary, is the flame of the soul and a
projection of the Absolute Truth. It is,
therefore, incapable of conceit and deceit and
is innately calm and detached. That is why
God has entrusted it with such crucial
responsibility. For the common man, it is the
deity Chitragupta. Being absolutely impartial, this
deity has been given the high seat of Divine
Judge. Like a secret service agent, this deity is
all the time vigilantly shadowing a person and
recording his actions in its secret diary.
In human society, there are two departments
for punishing the violators of law- namely the
police and the judiciary. The police arrests the
accused, collects the evidence and presents
these before the judicial court. Thereafter the
process of justice takes over. The judge
delivers the judgment after considering all
aspects of the offence and related
circumstances. Depending on the
circumstantial evidence, individuals are
handed down varied sentences for the same
type of offence.
Let us consider an example. Three persons are
accused of killing a person. Because of
different circumstances associated with the
crime, one is set free, the second person is
sentenced to five years of imprisonment and
the third is sent to the electric chair. The
person, who was released, was a mason. While
working at an elevated level, he had
accidentally dropped a brick, which killed a
passerby. The presiding judge found that the
brick was dropped accidentally and
unintentionally, without an ulterior motive.
Hence the accused was released without
punishment. The second accused was a farmer.
Finding a thief stealing his crop, he had given
him a fatal blow, killing the offender. Taking
into consideration the circumstances, which
prompted the offence, the judge surmised that
though it was natural for the farmer to show
his anger towards someone stealing his
property, nevertheless, since he had over-
reacted to a small offence, a sentence of five
years imprisonment was appropriate. The
third person was a notorious robber who had
robbed a rich man and intentionally killed him
in the process. In this way the worldly court
of justice pronounces judgment after minutely
examining all circumstantial evidences.
In the inner-mind the ‘coded’ notes of
Chitragupta discharge the dual responsibility
of God’s police and court of justice. In the
material world, if the prosecutor presents
inadequate or false evidence, the judgment of
the court is likely to be flawed, but in the inner
occult world there is absolutely no possibility
of such miscarriage of justice. The inmost
mind, being the direct and transparent witness
to all physical as well as mental activities of a
person, is fully aware of the intentions,
motives and circumstances of each and every
action. Being fully aware, it does not require
the testimony of the external mind or intellect
to arrive at a conclusion. In Divine Justice the
gravity of a sin (vice) or merit of a virtue is
decided on the basis of the motive and degree
of emotional involvement with the deed.
Whereas in the material world objects are
measured materially on the basis of their
mundane worth, this measure is irrelevant for
dispensing Divine Justice. The material world
March-April 2007
may ignore a poor donor of ten cents and
admire a person donating ten thousand
dollars, but in Divine Jurisprudence the worth
of such acts of altruism will not be assessed
on this gross physical basis.
Let us take an example. In a remote,
undeveloped tribal area, one may barter a
kilogram of food grains for sugar, but in a
developed country one has to pay in hard
currency. In the material world, people do
earn fame and name by making large
contributions to charity, helping in popular
welfare activities, joining religious or
charitable institutions, delivering or listening
to sermons and participating in pilgrimages;
but the “Domain of Chitragupta” does not
accept this currency. The ledgers of this
domain record only debits and credits of
motives and emotional involvements in the
performance of deeds and convert these into
virtues and sins accordingly.
Upon being exhorted by his Divine Teacher
Lord Krishna, Arjuna got millions killed in
the war of Mahabharata. This great
Armageddon, during which the entire
battlefield became littered with corpses,
took place because Arjun agreed to take part
in the war. In this way, Arjuna could have
been considered a great sinner, but
Chitragupta gave credit to his motive for
waging the Mahabharata war. Arjuna’s
intentions were pious. He had fought only
to re-establish the ‘Supreme Moral Order’
(dharma sth³pan³). Chitragupta’s ‘ledger’ did
not take into account the slain bodies of the
soldiers. Physical objects have no relevance
in the invisible realm. Chitragupta simply
9
ignored the number of toys of flesh and bones
destroyed during the war.
Does a king bother about the number of toys
broken or the number of grains spilled? In this
world billionaires are held in high regard but
in the realm of God they are paupers and non-
entities. On the other hand a poor man of this
world, if he is kind hearted, could be counted
in His realm amongst the king of kings.
Whatever a man does, only his motives - good
or bad - are recorded in the corresponding
account of Chitragupta. A public executioner,
who, in course of duty, hangs a person
condemned to death without any malice, could
be considered a virtuous person by Chitragupta,
whereas a priest, who meticulously follows the
rituals, but is secretly engaged in corrupt
practices, will be labeled as a sinner.
In the realm of the Lord of Divine Law
(Dharmaraj), the decorations of the exterior
world have no values. There only the interior
worth is evaluated. It hardly matters whether
externally an action of a person appears good
or bad. The determining factor is the interior
or emotional input. The roots of vices and
virtues unquestionably lie in the intentions, in
the nature and intensity of the intrinsic
tendencies, the motives, the desires, and not
in the external deeds.
To understand that the type and intensity of
motive is directly proportional to the gravity
or greatness of the sin or virtue respectively,
take the example of two individuals nursing a
sick person. Apparently both are engaged in
the same service, but whereas one is doing it
indifferently, the other serves with tenderness,
sympathy, large-heartedness and love. Here,
10
in spite of apparently identical service, the
measure of virtue will depend on the quality
of emotional involvement and love. Similarly,
amongst two thieves, one of which is
compelled to steal because of starvation and
the other steals for acquiring drugs, the sin
will undoubtedly be considered greater in the
latter case.
In the foregoing paragraphs we have
discussed how Chitragupta, a component of our
own inner self, impartially records our good
and bad deeds on the sub-microscopic
elements of our inner conscience and that this
subtle recording is popularly known as the
“Lines of Fate” (Karma Rekha). We have also
understood that the process of divine justice
does not regard an act as sinful or virtuous
by the external appearance of the activity but
on the basis of the quality of the motive of the
doer. In God’s jurisprudence, there is
significant clause for treating each individual
independently according to the state of purity
of the soul. The laws of Spirit hold that each
soul is perpetually in the process of
progressive evolution i.e. purification through
the course of successive cycles of birth and
death. That is, at each successive stage the soul
acquires greater purity and is given a body in
the species of higher consciousness (wisdom).
Being born as a human being is regarded as
the most precious gift of conscious evolution,
as this is the only life form where the
individual self gets a chance with full liberty
to do good or bad karmas and accordingly
write his/her destiny. Human life alone offers
the chance for liberation from the cycles of
birth and death. It is up to us how we, the
architects of our own destinies, make use of
this invaluable opportunity.
March-April 2007
Health for All
Rejuvenation
without Medicines -1
Nature has innately gifted all living creatures with vibrant health. Every creature is born with natural
resources to be able to lead a healthy and happy life. It is only at the level of human species that one
observes a vast majority suffering from some or other kind of illness, affliction or weakness. When
all other creatures, in spite of having nominal intelligence, keep themselves healthy, it is surprising
indeed that human beings, claiming themselves to be intelligent, should be suffering from all kinds
of diseases?
In this serial we bring to our readers, in abridged form, Poojya Gurudev’s practical suggestions for
improving health and vigour and attaining longevity (from his popular booklet in Hindi titled “Bina
aushadhiyon ke kayakalpa” meaning ‘Rejuvenation without medicines’). We begin with: What causes
weakness and disease?

What causes weakness and disease? laps. Patients suffering from tuberculosis are

T
he root causes of both the weakness
and the disease are same. When
adequate life force is not generated for
normal functioning of body, it is called
‘weakness’; and when this condition
deteriorates further and creates a problem for
a specific body part or the entire body, it is
called a ‘disease’.
There is a half-baked theory that diseases are
spread by viruses. This creates a false
impression that diseases come from outside;
if one protects oneself from viruses, there will
be no disease. To a large extent, this is not
true. In a healthy body, there is so much acid,
alkali and heat that any external germs or
viruses are easily destroyed; external
infections get shelter only in a weak body
with low vitality. During the spread of highly
infectious diseases like plague, cholera,
smallpox, etc healthy volunteers serve the
patients and also cremate the dead but nothing
happens to them. The mothers keep their
children infected with smallpox tucked in their
also nursed by their relatives but it has been
observed that nothing happens to the persons
attending to them. The sweepers, whose only
job is to clean the dirt, are seen to be much
healthier than the people who are all the time
afraid of germs/viruses.
It has also been observed that in the so called
‘high class families’, where every care is taken
to keep the homes clean and disinfected,
residents suffer from many incurable diseases.
When so much care is taken to protect the
environment, how are the germs or viruses of
diseases able to attack the residents? Even if
we assume that the disease comes from
outside, then also we will have to accept the
fact that disease-causing germs/viruses are
able to make their homes only in weak bodies.
If they enter a healthy and strong body, then
the life force will immediately eliminate them.
Normally the root cause of weakness and
disease lies in the stomach. When the food
intake is not properly digested, it does not

March-April 2007 11
produce healthy blood in sufficient amount,
resulting in low production of life energy.
Therefore, people with disordered digestive
system suffer from low vitality. This results
in the weakness of inner as well as outer body
parts giving rise to many ailments like
constipation, acidity, burning sensation,
headache, stiffness, pain, laziness, etc. Thus
the weakness in itself is a kind of disease.
The disturbed digestive process results in
rotting of food in the stomach. Suppose wheat
flour mixed with water is kept in a pot in a
warm place. Soon it will rot and produce a
foul smell; the mixture will become toxic and
germs will be produced. Likewise, the
undigested food in the stomach becomes toxic
and these toxins spread over all parts of the
body. Wherever they accumulate, they create
trouble or inharmony there. Such troubles or
inharmonies are called diseases.
A healthy body removes toxins and unused
matter daily from the body through excretion.
Excrement, urine, sweat, mucous, ear wax, etc
are manifestations of the removal of toxins.
But the body with low vitality cannot do this
cleaning efficiently and hence the toxins go on
accumulating in it. When this condition is
aggravated, it is manifested in the form of
different diseases.
The white blood cells (WBC) in the blood are
like soldiers of the defense system of the body.
As soon as they find foreign invaders in the
form of toxins, germs or viruses, they gather
and start a counterattack and fight till the
invaders are eliminated. This process
produces heat and swelling in the affected
body part. If this battle field is spread over
12
A young aspirant went to a rishi to attain supreme
knowledge. After initial testing of his sincerity,
the latter accepted him as a disciple. At the
completion of a particular phase of learning, the
disciple wanted to offer gurudakïiñ³ as a mark
of gratitude. The guru perplexed him by asking
for ‘something that was totally useless’. The
disciple went in search of such a thing. Considering
the soil beneath his feet as a waste, he bent down
to collect it, when he ‘heard’ itscreaming – “Hay!
What are you doing? You regard me, the soil, as
useless? Don’t you know that all the boons of
mother earthare born through my womb? In fact,
it is my attribute, which accounts for the shape,
taste and smell of everything”
After searching for a long time, the young
aspirant found a stinking heap of rubbish; he
just couldn’t stand there. Suddenly he thought that
this abominable stuff was really useless. He
thought of collecting it to fulfill the peculiar
demand his guru. But the next instant he ‘heard’
the response from the garbage heap: “Will you
find a better source of fertilization than me? All
thecrops find the essential nourishment from me.
All the food grains and fruits grow because of
me. Stillyouregard me as useless!”
Suddenly the truth dawned upon the aspirant. He
understood that, if soil and garbage could be so
valuable, then nothing could be without worth in
this world and that even the tiniest particle of
Nature has its own importance. Useless and
valueless is one who regards others as inferior.
Yes! Ego or arrogance is such a discardable non-
entity. He went back to his master and implored
that he would offer nothing but his own ego, as
the gurudakïiñ³ at the latter’s feet. The guru
hugged him affectionately and blessed him saying
“Now you have completed the course of
instruction. Indeed, acquisition of knowledge
becomes meaningful and beneficial only after the
complete elimination of ego.”
March-April 2007
the entire body, the whole body will be
heated. This is called fever. The body removes
toxins in different forms; for example, phlegm,
vomiting, loose motions, mucous, sweat, etc.
When these symptoms appear, one should be
neither perturbed nor should these be
suppressed; rather they should be allowed to
run their course slowly so that the task of
cleaning is done properly. If the symptoms are
suppressed, the toxins will remain in the
body; and upon getting a chance, will again
strike in some or other form of illness.
What is pain? It is nothing but the effect of a
tussle between the life force and toxic elements.
In this struggle, if WBC win, then disease will
be cured; and if toxic elements win, then they
harm the body. A poisonous abscess can
emaciate even the adjacent bone; a very high
fever can cause death; aggravated diarrhoea
may cause excessive weakness; etc. These are
examples of the victory of toxins. Defeating
the foreign invaders/toxins and helping the
army of WBC in keeping the body healthy is
the objective of therapy. It should be the duty
of a therapist not to suppress the symptoms
of the disease but help strengthen the immune
system of the body so that it becomes capable
of fighting the foreign elements.
Unfortunately, the modern methods of
treatment aim at demonstrating the miracles
of medicines by suppressing the disease. It is
true that the patient feels some immediate
relief by this method but he is not cured
completely. Strong medicines, especially
antibiotics, accomplish the task of destruction.
They destroy both the viruses as well as
healthy cells, leaving the side effects that
continue for weeks and sometimes even for
months. Supposing our army is fighting that
of the enemy; and a poisonous gas is spread
so that both the armies die and then rejoice
the end of war. Indeed the war ended but our
army also vanished along with the enemy’s.
It would have been praiseworthy had the army
of the enemy died and no harm had been done
to our side. Medical treatment must be done.
However, it should be such that it neutralizes
the body poisons and protects the health
preserving cells, even though it may take
some time.
Please remember! Weakness and disease, both,
are one and the same thing. Improving the
digestive system is the basic treatment for all
the diseases. By this method, the weakness as
well as the disease both are removed and the
patient acquires good health. In the
subsequent issues we will discuss the
principles and practices of strengthening the
digestive system, the techniques of
rejuvenating the weak, infected and diseased
parts of the body, and finally the method of
achieving Kayakalp (rejuvenation).
(To be continued)

Physical fitness depends on the balanced state of mind. No illness is as painful

as the illness of mind. A vulture feeds only on dead flesh. Similarly, illness seeks
shelter in the body of a person who is mentally dejected and depressed. No
medicine has been manufactured so far which can cure a person when he
himself keeps his mind preoccupied with negativity.

March-April 2007 13
 Know the Essence of
Tender Emotions
The aspiring minds may want to know how to create tender emotions in life, how to feel
emotional contentment? The answer is very simple. The flow of tender emotions increases
by expression, but dries up by suppression.
Aha® tasÚeva vandhura® paryach³mi h—d³ origin of all psychological ailments lies in
mati®. Kuvitomasy³p³miti. hidden, crushed, betrayed and tormented
- Rigveda 10/119/5 emotions.

Meaning: As the carpenter mends the sitting
arena of the chariot, so do I refine my intellect
with my (pure) heart. Have I, indeed,
consumed soma?
Tender emotions are the pivot of jivana
sadhana. All the virtues in life flow from and
revolve around them. It is emotions that give
the sense of contentment in life. Whatever
new heights of development and progress are
scaled in disregard of emotions will leave a
nagging feeling of emptiness and vacuity. All
the acquisitions of wealth, power, respect and
honour fail to give inner satisfaction; the
interior always feels thirsty for something else.
The lack of emotional warmth makes one feel
penurious in the midst of opulence. This is
intensely felt by those who have seen their
sentiments being crushed to pieces, whose
trusts have been betrayed in life, who have
longed for some warmth and got none, and
who have suffered in silence the agony of
repeated emotional blows. Their vacant eyes
and throbbing hearts are pointers to the fact
that emotional pains dissolve like a slow
poison in life. From this poisonous admixture
spring innumerable mental disorders. The
On the other hand, if there is a proper
sprouting of emotions in life and they are
nurtured with care and love, miraculous
changes are inevitable. Such persons become
masters of innumerable virtues and the
fragrance of their personalities permeates the
whole surrounding. Not only they themselves
feel contented but even those in their contact
and vicinity find their lives becoming
meaningful and joyous. This is so because it
is the golden truth of life that where the
magnetic force of emotional sensitivity is very
intense, there is a continual and proportionate
generation of virtues. Contrariwise, wherever
insensitivity grows, there is a matching
upsurge of vices and evil tendencies all
around.
The aspiring minds may want to know how
to create tender emotions in life, how to feel
emotional contentment? The answer is very
simple. The flow of tender emotions increases
by expression, but dries up by suppressing.
It is a type of wealth which the more you
spread around, the richer you become, but a
niggardly attitude leaves you a destitute.
Hence the seekers of emotional fulfillment are

14 March-April 2007
advised that rather than trying to get the
warmth of someone else’s emotions, they give
out their own warm emotions to the needy
and the sufferers. The result of this pious and
selfless action will be, in all circumstances,
highly satisfying.
The words of a holy seer in the spiritual life
of India, Swami Ramtirtha, are very
enlightening in this context. Those days he
was in America. His personality, a
confluence of tapa, wisdom and love, had
acquired a divine magnetism. Countless
number of people rushed to him in distress
and returned with a smile. One day a
woman came to him, she was a picture of
gloom and despondence. Someone had sent
her to Swami Ramtirtha. Come she had
somehow, but was unable to speak anything.
Deep depression had made her tongue-tied.
For a long moment she remained sitting
statue-like, saying nothing. Swami
Ramtirtha, too, said nothing to her, only kept
gazing at her with compassion in his eyes.
This silent shower of compassion and
empathy melted the ice of accumulated pain,
and it began to pour out of her eyes. She
kept weeping and weeping and Ramtirtha
kept looking at her with affection. The
panacea of love and understanding
gradually enabled her to regain her voice.
With tears in her eyes and throat, she
narrated her story. Its gist was that after
sacrificing everything – money, body, mind,
life, she had been betrayed and had got only
dejection in return.
After patiently listening to her, Ramtirtha
spoke somberly: “Sister, everyone in this
world behaves according to the level of his
March-April 2007
capability. One’s physical, mental, intellectual
and emotional capacities bound and
circumscribe him and limit his conduct to the
available measure. Those whose emotions are
soiled in selfishness and venality are only
worthy of forgiveness. They should be
forgiven with a loving heart. Very helpless
are these poor souls”. “Is it impossible, in that
case, to get true love in life”? The woman
asked. “No, it is not so, “Swami Ramtirtha
replied, “true love comes, but only to those
who know how to love truly”. “My love was
also true”, the visitor remonstrated. “No
sister, your love had expectation. Also, there
was a poisonous element of lust dissolved in
it, whereas true love appears only in the form
of selfless service, compassion and reverential
faith.”
The woman realized the essence of Ramtirtha’s
words. She now knew that love is only given;
it does not demand anything. Love is the
name of unconditional giving. It is the name
of emotions that are free of lust, longing and
egoity. Having assimilated this wisdom, she
joined a hospital as a nurse. Her emotions
found an outlet in selfless service. When, after
a long time, she met Swami Ramtirtha again,
she was a transformed person. Her
personality radiated a unique glow, the glow
of contentment. At the same time, she was
getting the goodwill of many without asking.
The taste of pure love had blessed and satiated
her. Really, only they who simply give, and
not demand, know the essence of tender
emotions. Under the soothing comfort of this
effusion grow various qualities of the
personality, among which is included
enhancement of intellectual capability too.
15
Siddhi through Sadhana-2

The Need of Refined Environment

for Success of Sadhana
A sadhak (devotee) should be considered fortunate, if he gets an opportunity to do sadhana
under the shade of Himalayas, in the lap of Ganga, in a devotion-filled environment and
under powerful protection and guidance.

T
he paramount importance of Sadhana –
Upasana is repeatedly stressed in the
Indian Philosophy and the scriptures of
Yoga. In spite of this, it has been observed that
sometimes people following all the prescribed
rules and rituals do not get the benefits of
Sadhana – Upasana, which have been
mentioned in the scriptures. This is due to the
negative effects of the environment. It is true
that some Siddha ascetics change the
environment with their will power and Tapa
Sadhana (penance). But it is also true that the
effect of environment is quite significant in the
development of human beings. As Sadhana –
Upasana is related to one’s traits and each
environment has its own good or bad aspects,
the quality of place and environment becomes
all the more important for higher level
Sadhanas. Many positive and negative
examples illustrating the forceful effects of
environment may be found in history as well
as in daily life.
There is a famous story of Mahabharat. In
order to select the place for the great war
between Kaurvas and Pandavas, Lord Krishna
appointed a special adept in the subject. He
searched for a suitable battle-field around
Hastinapur which had strong vibrations of
fratricidal conflict. Upon returning he narrated
one incident in which he saw two real brothers
fighting in Kurukshetra. Lord Krishna chose
this very place for the war, because he had a
doubt that Arjun, being very sentimental,
might refuse to fight with his own kith and
kin. Similar incident is narrated about Shravan
Kumar. When he was taking his parents in a
Kanwar on a holy pilgrimage, he came to a place
where he not only threw down the Kanwar but
also abused his parents. After crossing that
region, he felt deeply remorseful for his
unbecoming behaviour. His father consoled
him and told him that it was none of his fault.
That place once belonged to a demon – Maya,
who imprisoned his parents and then killed
them there. It is a fact that the land too has its
subtle vibrations and they can be felt by
visiting sacred tanks, temples or graveyards.
The soil of Kullu is famous for apples. Such
apples cannot be grown elsewhere even by
providing best manure, water and
conditioning. The oranges of Nagpur and the
bananas of Bhusaval are not available
elsewhere. Whereas Muzaffarpur is famous for
lychees, Lucknow is famous for muskmelon.

16 March-April 2007
The tasty mangoes that are grown in
Malihabad and Banaras, are rarely found
elsewhere. Sandalwood trees grown in the
forests of Mysore have their own special
fragrance. A vast difference in the quality of
grains is observed due to the variation of
environment. The wheat of Punjab is much
better as compared to the wheat grown in
other parts of India. Cows, giving milk, can
be found in the entire country; but there is no
match for the cows of Haryana. It is the
Azerbaijan region of Russia that is famous for
centenarians. Death before 100 years there is
considered untimely. These are all the effects
and qualities of environment. One cannot
remain unaffected by them.
The same principle applies to the vegetation.
The herbs are the same, but when they are
grown in different regions, their qualities vary.
A significant difference is observed in the
properties of Brahmi (a medicinal herb) grown
on the bank of the Ganga in the Himalayan
region and that grown on the banks of rivers
in the plains. The same rule applies to other
herbs too.
According to the regional peculiarites, the
difference is found not only in the human
configuration but also in the behaviour.
Although, a human being is free and, in
principle, he is fully capable of transforming
all the traditional pressures with his own will
power; but on the practical plain, it has been
observed that the regional environment goes
on moulding the residents. In spite of giving
recognition to originality of a person, it has
to be accepted that the majority of the people
in society does not live thoughtfully but it lives
under the influence of environment. The castes
March-April 2007
and families too have their own peculiarties.
The religiousness in Brahmans, bravery in
Kshatriyas, economic shrewdness in Vaishyas,
artistic skills in sculptors, etc. are more
pronounced as compared to others. Some
tribes have the habit of theft and pilferage as
their inherent traits. Some classes are
notorious for cowardice and foolishness. When
we search for the causes of these behavioural
differences, only one prominent cause that is
encountered is that when a person lives in a
particular societal environment, he develops
the virtues or the vices accordingly.
Any normal work can be done in the normal
environment, but if it is desirable to do some
extraordinary work, then an appropriate
environment has to be searched. From this
point of view, India’s Himalayan region has
earned the unique distinction of being the
most suitable place for doing high level
spiritual sadhana. This region has been praised
as the land of gods (devabhoomi). Important
experiments on Ayurveda, chemistry, literature
and Yoga have been conducted from time-to-
time in the extensive laboratory of Himalayan
region. This has been the land of action of Sapta
Rishis (seven seers), great ascetics and divine
personages. Gurukuls for students and Aranyaks
for persons involved in righteous deeds and
conducts used to be run here. Tapasthalis (places
or regions where an ascetics do their penance)
of persons like Vashishtha – a religious leader
and a spiritual guide of Suryavanshi monarchs
and Vishwamitra – an ascetic and visionary
of Gayatri Vidya were located on this very soil.
Persons with divine vision say that the cosmic
spiritual consciousness has been descending
on earth specifically in this region. Scientists
consider Polar regions to be the centres where
17
the physical cosmic vibrations descend on
earth. The same recognition is accorded to
Himalayas in the field of spirituality. This
region is a descending point for vibrations of
universal divine consciousness where the
sincere devotees, through hard penances,
acquire divine qualities. This cold region is
uniquely suitable for Sadhana. It is believed
that the water of Ganga is a mixture of divine
herbs.
Due to the hard penances done by Yogis and
ascetics in this region, the environment here
is filled with special spiritual vibrations. On
entering this environment, noble thoughts and
sacred emotions start flooding the
consciousness spontaneously. It seems this
region is still largely untouched by the polluted
environment engulfing every corner of the
earth.
A sadhak (devotee) should be considered
fortunate, if he gets an opportunity to do
Sadhana under the shade of Himalayas, in the
lap of Ganga, in a devotion-filled environment
and under powerful protection and guidance.
The aim of establishing Gayatri Teerth,
Shantikunj at Hardwar in Uttarakhand State
of India, is to provide such an environment to
those who are desirous of doing higher level
Gayatri – Sadhana. Through the seer-vision of
its founder, the seer-savant-scholar par
excellence, Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya,
Shantikunj has grown into a unique
fountainhead of moral, ethical and spiritual
awakening of the masses in India and abroad,
with its message of universal love, peace,
harmony and unity-in-diversity. In order to
integrate science and spirituality, Acharyasri
18
also established Brahamvarchas Reseach
Institute near Shantikunj Ashram. In the
laboratories of this Institute are scientifically
analyzed the effects of spiritual sadhana,
rhythmic chanting of mantras, music, treatment
by medicinal herbs and Ayurvedic
preparations, and yagyopathy. The Institute is
equipped with state-of-the-art apparatus and
equipments. Hundreds of thousands of
analyses done by the Institute so far
unequivocally prove the scientific veracity of
spiritual search and sadhana. Participants of
nine-day Sanjeevani sadhana camps and one-
month Yug-shilpi camps are regularly
examined in the Institute before the start and
after the completion of their training.
Thousands of persons who stay at or visit
Shantikunj daily are deeply impressed and
inspired by the refreshingly different model
of human life, lived in the light of a practical,
ever-progressive spiritual vision embodying
the perennial truth of Vedic
Heritage.Everyone, whether a visitor or a
participant in the various training
programmes, is provided free boarding and
lodging. Shantikunj is truly the abode of peace.
Whosoever enters into the orbit of its aura feels
the sublimating, rejuvenating, revitalizing
peace-inducing vibrations of this Haven of
Peace.
[For further details please contact: Shantikunj,
Haridwar , Uttarakhand, India 249411 ;
Website: www.awgp.org]
March-April 2007
Yagya Therapy-2

Yagya
Medicinal Effects & Therapy for Eyes
The technique of yagya for the treatment of physical and mental diseases does not comprise
only of the decomposition and transformation into vapor phase and release of medicinal
phytochemicals from the herbal medicinal preparation; medicinal samidh³s (wood pieces)
and healthy nutritional substances offered in the fire of yagya are also processed to help in
inducing increased vigor and immunity

Y
agyopathy or yagya-therapy incorporates
pulmonary drug-administration by
inhalation and infusion through skin
pores during yagya (agnihotra, homam)
conducted with selected herbal (plant
medicinal) preparations that are offered in fire
along with chanting of specific Vedic hymns
(mantras). The types and quantities of herbs
used in the preparation of the material (havan
samagri) for oblation in the fire of yagya, the
type of medicinal woods used in the fire, the
selection of mantras to be chanted during the
herbal-oblations, the timings of yagya etc are
specific for specific effects. Typically, the
material (clay or metal) and design of the agni-
kuñÃa (fire-pit) is also chosen as per the Vedic
scriptural prescriptions for desired effects.
The medicinal firewood (samidh³) used in
yagya are cellulose-rich and have less calorific
value, the arrangement of selected firewood
to control the air-supply and temperature
variation are also optimized so that the fire
breaks up molecule-to-molecule bonds of the
sacrificed substances causing them to
sublimate or vaporize, rather than triggering
their independent combustion process[1].
The technique of yagya for the treatment of
physical and mental diseases does not
comprise only of the decomposition and
transformation into vapor phase and release
of medicinal phytochemicals from the herbal
medicinal preparation; medicinal samidh³s
(wood pieces) and healthy nutritional
substances offered in the fire of yagya are also
processed to help inducing increased vigor
and immunity[2].
The medicinal and nourishing output of the
yagya are naturally inhaled through the nose
(via deep breathing) and mouth (via rhythmic
chanting of mantras). Moreover, because of
being spread in the surrounding air the
vaporized substances also enter the body
through the skin pores. Doing yagya in the
early morning (few hours around the sunrise
time) at a neat place is most effective as the
atmosphere is relatively clear and air is fresh
(free of pollutants). If yagya is performed

March-April 2007 19
regularly at the same place, after several days
the surrounding environments would become
purer and remain so almost the entire day.
Still, early morning time gives the best effects
in terms of cleanliness of our skin (soon after
bathing), metabolic state of our body, best
impact of sunlight, etc.
People have a common belief that the smoke
produced during this fire-ritual kills the
bacteria so the effect of yagya is nothing but
what could be achieved by burning the wood
or dry cow dung. However, scientific
experiments[1, 4] conducted to study the effects
of – (a) proper yagya, (b) burning wood or cow
dung, (c) control (no treatment) upon samples
of same bacterial culture, incubated in
identical conditions, show significant
difference. The effect of yagya was found
consistent and remarkably better (about 75%
bacterial growth reduction, on an average)
better than the controls while that of (b) was
inconsistent; on some samples, it showed slight
reduction (at the most 15%) as compared to
the controls.
The duration of yagya, the selection of mantras
and the type of herbal/plant medicinal
preparation (havan s³magrº) to be used in it
depend upon the nature and extent of the
disease. As per the sagacious guidance of
Vedmurti Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya, the
thorough studies on Ayurvedic Medicines at
Shantikunj, Hardwar and the research
experiments and clinical trials in the yagyopathy
lab of its research wing – Brahmvarchas Shodh
Sansthan, Hardwar, has pioneered scientific
revival of this ancient inhalation therapy. This
series on yagya-therapy (yagyopathy) will
highlight these aspects for treatment against
20
Takshashila was a prosperous princely state
of northern India when Alexander The Great
had marched into the Indian borders in
pursuit of his mission of world conquest. The
then king of Takshashila was a religious man
who used to spend major portion of the royal
income for the welfare activities of his
subjects and for the running of the world-
renowned University of Takshila. Only a
small fraction of the resources was used for
the defense budget of the small army of his
state.
Alexander attacked this state without much
planning because defeating a handful of
soldiers was quite easy for his heavily armed
and battle – tested warriors. The King of
Tashshila tackled the situation with immense
patience and wisdom. He applied a
thoughtful diplomatic policy of friendly
discussions before launching a counter -
offensive. He met Alexander with some gifts
and arranged for a royal guest-like welcome
for him. He talked about the global repute
and unique structure of the University of the
Divine Culture and showed how much of
his state’s resources were used for the
purpose of spreading the light of knowledge
across the world.
Alexander was quite impressed by the King’s
plans. He offered many times more wealth
to the King than what was gifted to him as a
gesture of friendship for furtherance of the
noble aims of Takshila University. He
admired the ideals and activities of the
University for which the King had generously
donated his resources. Alexander’s
admiration for the noble values of the Divine
Vedic Culture had further increased after this
historic incident.
March-April 2007
some major and/or common diseases (health
problems).
Here we present the method and materials of
yagya-therapy prescribed to cure the diseases
of eyes. It can be practiced along with oral or
intravenous intake of modern and/or
Ayurvedic medicines. Yagya also serves as an
excellent mode of preventive medicine. It is
an easy and least expensive mode of
treatment provided the patient spends some
time (say about 30-40 minutes or so, on an
average). It is often called havana or homa®
while performed at a small scale, say, everyday
at home. The readers who are not familiar
with the procedure of doing yagya or who have
never participated in any, are advised to attend
some of the yagyas organized by Gayatri
Pariwar in their city/locality and are also
welcome to visit Shantikunj, Hardwar for this
purpose. The books listed in the references
give necessary introduction [5] and details [6]
together with syllabic structure and meaning
of relevant mantras (hymns) chanted during
yagya.
Yagya to Heal Eye-Ailments: Usually by
disease of eyes one thinks of infections like
conjunctivitis; by eye-problems one thinks of
weakness of eyesight, Hypermetropia or
Myopia, cataract, partial or total blindness, etc.
Except perhaps in the case of infections, it is
difficult to see what role medicines, other than
eye-drops or ointment would have. More so
what the inhalation through yagya would do
in case of eye-problems? It should be noted
that the functioning of the optical nerves and
related system of eyes, its retinal membrane
and tissues, etc are sensitive to changes in
blood biochemistry and blood flow rate and
March-April 2007
pressures, resulting in varieties of problems
ranging from irritation in eyes, weak eyesight,
partial blindness, fibrous growth or tumors
in the eye-region.
Pulmonary administration of effective
medicines, which do not have any side-effects,
is therefore effective in most diseases or
problems of eyes. Hence the importance of
yagya, as the specific plant medicinal
preparation (havan s³magrº) used for this
purpose consists of good combination of
effective medicines, natural disinfectants and
healthy substances that cause no risk of side-
effects and are naturally soothing. The
preparation and mode of use is as follows.
The special havan s³magrº for eyes is prepared
using equal proportions of dry coarse powder
for the following plant medicines/herbs:
camphor, clove, turmeric, l³la chandana, d³ru
haldi, rasauta, laudhra, mulaiÚhº, nºma leafs,
devad³ra, bacha, dham³s³, gorakhamunú, bab¿la
leafs, kachura, and lotus. [Botanical and
available English names of all plants/herbs are
given in the Table underneath]. Yagya is
performed using this special havan s³magrº
mixed with the common havan s³magrº in 1:1
proportions.
Common havan s³magrº is used for general
purpose (in daily yagya for normal sustenance
of vigor and healthy atmospheric
environment). It consists of agar, tagar, devad³ra,
giloya, l³la chandana, aïwagandh³, guggala,
cloves, J³yaphala and sandalwood powder in
equal proportions. Substances with healthy
constituents like ghee (clarified butter) of cow’s
milk, Hordeum Valgar (Barley), Sesamum
indicum (tila), together with sugar and Vitis
21
Vinifera (big resins or dried grapes) small
quantities (~ 1% of total quantity of the havan
s³magrº) are added to common havan s³magrº.
Oblations (³hutis) of this preparation are made
in the yagya-fire with rhythmic loud chanting
of the Surya-Gayatri Mantra. On an average,
the ³hutis (made with the sound of “sw³h³” at
the end of the mantra) should continue for 20-
25 minutes every day; or, at least 24 ³hutis
should be offered.
The Surya Gayatri Mantra: Om Bhur Buva¡
Swa¡, Bh³skar³ya Vidmahe, Diw³kar³ya Dhºmahi|
Tanna¡ Surya¡ Prachoday³t|| Sw³h³|| After
offering each ³huti, one should say “Ida®
S¿ry³ya, Ida® Na Mam” – implying an altruistic
feeling that it is for the benefit of the world
(through yagya) and not for my selfish benefits.
The problems of eyes including weak eyesight
are also caused by severe tension or physical
stress. Yagya induces soothing effects of
calming mind and thus offers added benefits
in such cases as well.
For rapid healing, a decoction of the following
Ayurvedic prescription should also be taken.
Make fine powder of equal quantities of
turmeric, l³la chandana, giloya, d³ru haldi, kutakº,
chir³yat³, saunÚha, nºma bark-skin, chitraka, v³sa
root, patola leafs, anval³, haraÃa, baheó,
n³garmoth³, k¿taja bark-skin, barley,
gorakhamunú, ïat³vara, s³riv³. The powder
should be kept in airtight container and every
day about 50gm of this powder should be
boiled in half-liter water. Keep the decoction
Distributing your joy and sharing in other’s grief is true Yagya.
22
continuously boiling (on mild flame) till only
100 ml is left. Let it cool. Filter it using fine,
neat cloth and drink it fresh in the morning.
References:
1. Raghuvanshi M. (2006): Some
Investigations into the Chemical and
pharmaceutical Aspects of Yagyopathy.
PhD Thesis, Dev Sanskriti Univ., Hardwar
(India).
2. Raghuvanshi M., Pandya P. and Joshi R.
R. (2004): Yagyopathic Herbal Treatment
of Pulmonary Tuberculosis Symptoms –
A Clinical Trial. Alter. & Compl. Therapies.
V 10 (2), pp. 101-105.
3. Saxena M. (2006): Air Quality modeling
and Non-Conventional Solutions to the
Environmental Pollution Problems with
Reference to the Vedic Sciences. PhD
Thesis, Dev Sanskriti Univ., Hardwar
(India).
4. Acharya Shrama S. (2005) Saral aur
Sankïipta Gayatri Havan Vidhi. 24th Print.
Yug Nirman Yojna, Mathura. (English
Translation by S.Potdar: “The Procedure
of Yagya” 1st ed. 2004. Yug Nirman Yojna,
Mathura.)
5. Acharya Shrama S. (1995): Yagya – Ek
Smagra upchar Prakriya. Pt. Shriram Sharma
Acharya Samagra Vangmaya Vol. 26
Akhand Jyoti Sansthan, Mathura; UP,
India.
March-April 2007
 Table: List of Herbs/Plant Medicines cited above
Indian Name Common English Name Botanical Name
Agar Aquilaria Agallocha
Aïwagandh³ Rap-seed plant, Winter cherry Withania Somnifera Dunal
Ânval³ Emblic Myrobalan Emblica officinalis Geartn
Bab¿la Indian Gum Tree Acacia nilotica
Bacha, Sweet flag Acorus calamus
Baheó Beleric Myrobalans, Beddanut Terminali belrica
Chitraka White leadwort Plumbago zeylanica
Chir³yat³ Chireta Swertia chirayata
D³ru haldi Indian Berberry Berberis aristata
Devad³ra Himalayan cedar Cedrus deodara
Dham³s³ Fangonia arabica
Giloya Tinospora, Guduchi Tinospora Cordifolia
Gorakhamunú Monkey bread tree, Baobab Adansonia digitata
Guggala Indian Bedellium tree Commiphora Mukul
HaraÃa Chabulic Myrobalans Terminalia chebula
J³yaphala Nutmeg Myristica fragrans Houtt.
Kachura Zedoary Curcuma Zedoaria
Kutakº Black Hellebore Picrorrhiza Kurroa Royle ex benth.
Kutaja Tellicherry Bark Holarrhena antidysenterica
Laudhra Symplocos bark Symplocos resemosa
L³la Chandan Red Sounders Pterocarpus Santalinus
MulaiÚhº Liquoric Root Glycyrrhixaglabra Bois
N³garmoth³ Nutgrass Cyperus rotundus
Nºma Margosa tree Azadirachta indica
Patola Sespadula Trichosanthes dioca
Rasauta Extract of Indian Berberies Extractum Berbris
SaunÚha Dry ginger Zingiber officinale Roscoe
S³riv³ Indian sarsaparilla Hemidesmus indicus
Ïat³vara Asparagus Asparagus racemosus
Tagar Moonbeam, East Ind.Rose berry Ervatamia coronaria
V³s³ Malabarnut Adhatoda vasica

March-April 2007 23
Art of Living - 7
Sa® chedhyasv³gne pra cha vardhayema®
uchcha tiÌtha mahate saubhag³ya
M³te riÌannupasatt³ro agne
brahm³ñaste yaïaÌa¡ santu m³nye
- Atharvaveda 2/6/2
O Fire-God Agni! You are resplendent. Make
this sacrificer (me) prosperous. Rise for
bestowing great fortune. O Agni! May your
worshippers never perish. May the singers of
your glory be honoured.
T
he meaning of self-respect is inherent
in self-dignity. It is experienced only
by those who are conscious of their
virtue-based dignity and never deviate from
it. Those who care a fig for their dignity and
readily stoop low for the slightest gain are
always deprived of it. Self-respect is never
given by others; it is self-earned. It is not the
name of some civic honour, or columns of
praise in newspapers. It is a very private
experience which takes place in our inner
consciousness. The experiencers of this feeling
remain happy and contented irrespective of
whether or not they are getting worldly
laurels. Those bereft of this feeling always
suffer from an undefined emptiness and
dissatisfaction within inspite of getting all the
worldly honours and praises.
To emerge out of this dissatisfaction, the only
way is to re-invent self-dignity and redefine
self-respect, because the outer identity, of
24
Develop
Self-Respect
which people are normally aware, is in no way
conducive to the process of jivana sadhana.
Normally, respect for the ego or I-sense is
taken to be self-respect. Even the smallest
slight to the ego is deemed a blow to self-
respect. This being so, it is but natural for a
‘self-respecting’ person to avoid any such
activity as will hurt his ego. This erroneous
identification has made the society’s elite shun
physical labour, because this is supposed to
be a domain of the downtrodden and the
lowly placed; how can the so-called
‘respectable’ people do it!
From the overlap of ego and self-respect have
sprung many evil practices in the realms of
individual and social lives. Man is so deeply
immersed in false sense of ego regarding caste,
clan and lineage that he has detached himself
from normal human values and behaviour. In
trifling matters his ego gets hurt, and he is
bent upon punishing the offender. Of late,
new lows have been reached and even killings
are being done in the name of protecting the
honour of caste and family.
To reverse this perverse trend, it is
necessary to redefine a noble emotion like
self-respect. Self-respect is the ineffaceable
line of normative bounds which must not be
violated in any condition. Right conduct and
March-April 2007
righteous qualities define our self-respect.
Noble sentiments and sublime values of life
are its symbols. Their correct awareness,
unshakable faith in them, and full alertness
about the inviolability of their norms
exemplify our self-respect. If we act
accordingly, we feel honoured in ourselves
and experience an exhilarating pride within,
while a converse behaviour drags us into the
gloom of self-pity and remorse.
There are many events in the life of Yugrishi
Poojya Gurudev which make the essential
meaning of this truth evident. The incident
being mentioned here is of his Mathura days.
Gayatri Tapobhumi had come into existence.
Gurudev alongwith Vandaniya Mataji regularly
participated in the morning yajóa. That day
also when he reached for yajóa at the
appointed time, his eyes fell on dog’s excreta
lying near the Tapobhumi gate. The passers-
by were making their way around it.
He observed this proceeding silently for a few
minutes. Then without saying anything to
anybody he moved towards the gate and
before others could react, he had cleaned the
excreta and washed the place thoroughly.
After this, he went for bath and having made
himself clean and pure again returned to the
yajóashala.
Those who were witness to all this felt
awkward. Why did Gurudev have to do this
work himself? He could have told a cleaning
staff or some worker. Such thoughts arose in
many minds but none was bold enough to
mention this to him. Gurudev, of course, in his
inner vision was aware of these thoughts
passing through their minds. After purñ³huti
(concluding offering of oblation) he addressed
them: “Gayatri Tapobhumi is the holy peeth
(seat) of Mother Gayatri. It is home to all of
us. Its cleanliness is also the duty of us all.
Live we will in it but clean it somebody else -
what could be more shameful than this?”
Having said this Gurudev looked at those
present and continued: “To clean excreta is a
matter of self-respect for me. Loss in self-
respect comes from tolerating filth and looking
up to others for its removal”. He warned on
this occasion that self-respect increases by
inculcation of the attributes required, for self-
development. By neglecting these attributes,
we can only become hypocrytic egoists. The
sense of self-respect comes to those who serve
the needy, give comfort to others and whose
hearts are brimming with noble sentiments.
Ask yourself daily how much you have moved
forward in this direction today. This
continued introspection and self-evaluation vis-
à-vis inner qualities will lead to the emergence
of true self-respect

Air, water and food are essential for the nourishment of the physical
body of a living being. Similarly knowledge that leads to integrated
refinement, development and activation of the potentialities of the
heart, head and hands is true nourishment of the soul.

March-April 2007 25
Youth Column
Shantikunj’s Campaign for
A Creative Movement for Moral, Intellectual and Cultural
Awakening of the Future Leaders of the Nation.
Introduction
A
s spring is the most vibrant and
verdant amongst the seasons, so is
youth in the changing phases of life -
a fountainhead of joy, enthusiasm, valour and
courage. Self-disciplined youth committed to
noble ideals are a source of infinite energy
leading to ever higher progress and
prosperity. History bears testimony to the fact
that youth have always established new
benchmarks with their wisdom, courage,
indomitable energy and strong willpower - be
it the domain of materialism or spirituality.
Indeed, whatever bright chapters are found
in the history of the world, they have been
written by the youth.
It is the youthful divine urge of Ekoham
bahusyam that created the whole cosmos. The
youthfulness of Nature is expressed in the
form of its beauty. The youth, Ram, painfully
moved by the cultural degradation of his time
vowed–‘Nishichar heen karahu mahi’ (meaning:
I vow to eliminate all evil traits from the face
of the earth). When the youthful message of
the Geeta aroused from within the
26
Awakening of Youth
youthfulness of Partha, the latter won the
great war of Mahabharat. The youthfulness
of human compassion transformed prince
Siddhartha into The Buddha. The youthfulness
of Guru Gobind Singh became a challenge for
the tyrants. When youth get surcharged by
Tapa (penance), they become Bhagwan
Mahavir, Swami Dayanand, Swami
Vivekanand, Swami Ramteerth, etc. It is the
youthfulness of the martyrs which broke the
chains of slavery of Mother India. The
youthfulness of Param Poojya Gurudev Pandit
Shriram Sharma Acharya and Vandaniya
Mataji laid the foundation of Gayatri Mission
– committed to ushering of the New Golden
Era. Youth is the passionate urge to grow both
in matters mundane as well as spiritual.
Unfortunately, at present we are passing
through a dark period of cultural debauchery.
Materialistic consumerism and self-indulgence
are on their climax; and directionlessness, evil
tendencies and lack of creativity are making
our young generation hollow from within.
Over and above that unemployment, drug
abuse, and western style of living are draining
March-April 2007
off their energies. In such a dismal situation,
it becomes essential to acquaint the youth of
our nation with our cultural heritage and make
them realize the true purpose of their lives.
What is needed for a bright future in the
twenty-first century – is the total
transformation of the present way of life –
from crass materialism to life – affirming
spirituality.
In order to organize the youth into the nation’s
enlightened power, Shantikunj has initiated a
nation-wide ‘Youth Movement’.
Four–fold Concept of Youth Movement
1. Serene Youth – Superior Nation
„ Protecting the youth from the ill-effects of
consumeristic culture and acquaint them
with our glorious cultural heritage
„ Cultivation of virtues like humility,
cooperation, industriousness, self-
discipline, etc; amonst the youth
2. Devoted Youth – Happy Nation
„ Development of compassion, sensitivity,
devotion to social service and related
qualities in the youth
„ Utilization of time, effort, resources and
talents of youth in creative work
3. Healthy Youth – Powerful Nation
„ Motivation of youth for achieving holistic
physical, mental and spiritual health
March-April 2007
„ Cultivation of a superior art of living
through Pragya Yoga and self-discipline
„ Protecting the youth from the vices of
addiction / drug abuse and engaging them
in creative work
4. Self-reliant Youth – Prosperous Nation
„ Awakening of self-respect through self-
reliance
„ Eradication of unemployment
„ Self-reliance through self-employment
„ Awakening of an attitude of dignity
towards work
Seven Steps of Youth Movement
1. Sadhana
2. Education
3. Health
4. Self-reliance
5. Environmental protection
6. Women’s empowerment and awakening
7. Deliverance from addictions; and
Eradication of evil customs.
Nature of Organization
In order to solve the present – day problems
and lead this process of transformation, the
27
nation is seeking the support of youth. In fact
the future of the nation lies in the hands of its
youth. Thus, there is a dire need of organizing
the youth and properly utilizing their talents
and potentialities.
The progress of any nation does not depend
on its vast majority of unorganized masses but
on its energetic, service-oriented young
leaders. True leaders are those who could
solve their own problems and utilize the
remaining energy in the upliftment of others.
Only such leaders will inspire the masses to
follow them.
„ Develop positive personality traits in the
youth
„ Cultivate the virtues of self-discipline,
leadership, compassion and courage in
the youth
„ Properly utilize the talents and energies
of youth in creative tasks
„ Awaken self-esteem through self-reliance
„ Develop the spirit of cooperation with
society amongst the youth

Therefore, under the aegis of Global Gayatri
Pariwar, with its headquarters at Shantikunj
Hardwar, a ‘Youth Cell’ has been established
under the dynamic leadership of Revered Dr.
Pranav Pandya and Shail Jiji. This cell is
striving to organize dedicated and energetic
young men and women from all walks of life,
ready to participate enthusiastically in the
making of the nation. This cell will work at
ascending levels starting from village/town
to the state. The aims and objectives of the
‘Youth Cell’ are as follows.
„ Prepare prudent, honest, responsible and
brave young men and women
An Apeal
We appeal to all our fellow citizens to
cooperate with us in this campaign of
awakening of the youth so that this vibrant,
energetic and dynamic force could be utilized
for the development of the Nation and the
welfare of the world at large

For details contact:

Youth Cell, Vichar Kranti Abhiyan, Shantikunj, Haridwar, Uttarakhand 249411 (India)
Phone: 91-1334-260602, 261328, 260403 Fax: 260866 Email: email@awgp.org Website: www.awgp.org

Ambitious Joshua Levmann designed several strategies for future and went
to scholarly Yukatchi to ask how he should plan to fulfill those. Yakutchi
went through the list thoroughly and said, “My child, among all these
policies you have not mentioned the very first strategy without which all
your plans are worthless.” Shockingly Joshua asked, “What should that
planning be?” He replied, “Building of your temperament and character,
without which one can neither rise nor accomplish bigger goals.”

28 March-April 2007
Science and Spirituality

Can Animals Predict Weather?

Inspite of all the expertise deployed in data-collection, modeling and inference in which a
large number of talented, skilled and well trained brains are employed for doing the job
with high-tech communication and computational instruments and networking, it is
amazing to look at the natural capabilities of several species of birds and animals in sensing
the future weather and geo-events far more precisely than by the well-known experts
using high-tech instruments.

M
eteorology departments or weather
bureaus in most parts of the world
are now well equipped with
sophisticated satellite based data collection
devices, geo-information systems and remote
sensing devices to continuously record the
signals and signs of the variations deep under
the sea, beneath the earth and far away in the
space. However, the multiple dimensions of
parameters, random nature and complexity of
the data make the analysis difficult and so
precise and reliable inference models and
accurate predictions continue to elude from
their sight. Perhaps this is the reason people
often joke that – “If the weather bureau
predicts heavy rains, one should better not
bother to take any umbrella or raincoat with
him, because the atmosphere is known to not
only ‘disobey’ but also ‘contradict’ their
estimates”.
Electronic media keeps spreading the
‘predictions’ of the local and global weather
departments throughout the day so there is
no dearth of information. But the question is
how reliable that information is? No doubt,
the accuracy of predictive methods has
improved significantly over the past two
decades, still the lack of precision and time-
lapses witnessed in the tragic occurrences of
the recent calamities of earthquakes in Gujarat,
Indonesia, Tsunami at south-eastern Indian
coast, Katrina in the USA, necessitates the need
for further advancement of science and
technology to face Nature’s challenges with
timely preparations.
The present trends indicate that the
predictions using modern technological
gadgets are correct on an average scale for
more-or-less periodic events. For example, the
overall nature of monsoon in a given year
generally is in good agreement with what has
been inferred a month or fortnight before its
onset. Prominent among the geological events
that are prone to bring a drastic environmental
shift for South Asia are – El Nino (associated
with the temperature of the Pacific ocean in
regions towards coasts of Peru, Latin
America) and the pressure belt from Darwin
(Australia) to Argentina.
Correct inference of monsoon plays a key role
in national and global economy. It is more
important for countries like India, where the
state of agricultural production controls the

March-April 2007 29
gross economic growth and this crucial sector
largely depends upon monsoons for irrigation.
In terms of the best-validated models so far,
the inference of monsoon status is made based
on estimation of sixteen parameters. Six of
these deal with temperature variation pattern,
two with snowfall, two with the speeds and
directions of winds and five with the
patterns of atmospheric pressure in specific
regions. Estimators of these based on the
current season and previous few years’ data
are analyzed to assess the ‘state of monsoon’
in general. Thousands of scientists and data
processors are required to work hard for
several months, using high-performance
computers with specialized statistical and
mathematical software for this analysis.
In broad terms, if the model fitting and
simulation shows indices based on all of these
parameters as satisfactory then the monsoon
is predicted as “average”. Similar criteria
satisfied by ten to twelve of these indicate
above average rainfall during the monsoon.
More that twelve of these being favorable
implies very good monsoon. The statistics of
the Meteorological Department of India
support the validity of these criteria. In the
year 1988, fourteen of these indices were
found favorable. The monsoon that year
proved the simulations right, as the rainfall
was higher than the record of past fifty years.
The scenario was the contrary in the previous
year (1987) when only five indices were
estimated as above threshold. Most part of our
country suffered a drought that year. Similar
was the case in 1979 when only two indices
had passed the test. Though the data collection
devices, simulation technology and methods
of modeling were inferior at that time, no
30
index was found satisfactory and the country
faced acute drought and almost a famine in
many parts.
In case of extraordinary variations in global
geological and weather changes, e.g. the
likelihood of Al-nino, etc, the up-to-date data
and results of global information systems are
also required for adept analysis. This
demands on-line communications and
Internet processing. The tasks of predicting
the likelihood of storms, cyclones,
hurricanes, etc, demand dedicated research
by large number of teams of specialists in
different centers across the globe. Some of
the data-collecting centers for such
predictions are placed in the high-risk zones
on the coasts and on high-altitudes with
extremely tough weather conditions. Indeed
their job is creditable, as their efforts of
accurate predictions well in advance amount
to saving lives of millions of people and
property worth several billions.
The important sectors like fisheries, tourism,
aviation, naval and air force services, armed
forces posted on the arduous mountain heights
also highly depend on the predictions of the
weather bureaus. On regular basis, they issue
two to three bulletins each for the farmers and
fishermen. Separate bulletins are issued
through wireless communications for the
Navy and similarly for the Air Force and
Military officials posted in remote regions. In
case of the possibility of some abnormality
they even release six to ten bulletins giving
updated information. Usually, the warning
about a likely cyclone in the sea or a
snowstorm on the mountains is now given 48
to 72 hours in advance.
March-April 2007
The civil aviation units also need updated
information on the pattern of weather
conditions esp. fog, thick clouds, darkness due
to heavy rainfall, or clear sky etc, for the next
twelve hours. This information is desired at
least a day in advance to (re)schedule the
international and domestic flights accordingly.
For example some white clouds are thick up
to 14 to 18 km and the surface of such a cloud
circumvents an average area of about a circle
of diameter 5 to 15 km. It can produce static
electrical potential of the order of thousands
volts and thus char the aircrafts passing
through it into ashes in no time.
Be that organization of mega global events like
the Olympics, World Cup tournaments,
international conferences, national or state
level events of sports, meetings, rallies, etc,
or the out-door planning of an industrial
project, a film-shooting or a family picnic/
outing, the information on the whether (of the
next month week or day!) is desired
everywhere for better planning and
preparation.
Inspite of all the expertise deployed in data-
collection, modeling and inference in which a
large number of talented, skilled and well
trained brains are employed for doing the job
with high-tech communication and
computational instruments and networking, it
is amazing to look at the natural capabilities
of several species of birds and animals in
sensing the future weather and geo-events far
more precisely than by the well-known
experts using high-tech instruments.
If black ants suddenly appear in large numbers
even in the forests, it is a definite sign of rise
March-April 2007
in temperature in the coming days. If they
queue up and are seen moving in a haste
holding their tiny white eggs, there will be
rainfall in a day or two. Wild elephants give
prior warning of heavy rains by running in
groups in a peculiar manner – keeping their
trunks raised towards the sky. A fish found
in Japan can naturally change its colors like a
chameleon. When it appears in red color, then
there is a strong possibility of rains; its green
color corresponds to fall in the temperature.
It adopts white color before the onset of
summer or rise in temperature. Many people
in Japan keep it at home in small aquariums
or specially designed jars as a weather
forecaster.
White pigeons are also experts in weather
prediction. They fly much higher than usual
and in a queue a few days before off-season
rains. A wild spider called “Leha” is found in
the thick forests of Latin America. If all of a
sudden it furiously breaks its huge web then
one should take note that there would be
heavy rains with stormy winds in next 24
hours. Several birds are also gifted with the
expertise to predict cyclonic rains and
hurricanes. Saras in the hills of Tibet and
Darjiling are famous as most advanced sensors
of thunder- showers or heavy rains. Days
before, when even the radars of weather
departments don’t capture the clouds, these
are seen shifting with their ‘families’ to the
caves or similar protective grooves between
huge rocks. Local residents get alerted by this
warning and plan their activities with due
protection and safety.
Several birds found in the gigantic mountains
in the Northern hemisphere, amaze the
31
researchers, as these birds sense snowfall
almost a month in advance and fly away to
safer and warmer places. It is really stunning
that even the high-tech instruments of today
are able to make predictions of such
phenomena only 24 hours in advance, that too
only with some probability!
Most importantly, many animals sense the
seismographic vibrations more accurately from
a longer distance and much in advance as
compared to any of the seismograph
developed so far. Moreover their sensors
don’t miss it for reasons like weak signals or
noise. Most of the wild animals sense the
occurrence of earthquake or eruption of
volcano from a long distance few days before
and behave unusually; they often run away
fast in a panic. The pets are also not deprived
of this potential. A study in China has affirmed
that dogs tied inside the house hurriedly and
aggressively attempt breaking their chains
and running away more than 24 hours before
an earthquake in the surrounding region. Even
if not tied they behave unusually a couple of
days before an earthquake strikes their or in
the neighboring areas a few kilometers away;
they stop barking and fighting and also hug
each other, as though a mark of ‘goodbye’
before the final journey. Similar behavior is
observed in rats, cats and some other pets.
The ‘Chibie’ birds of Japan fly away to far
distant places a day before the eruption of an
earthquake.
Golden era is certain but its descent will rest on the
shoulders of ascetics and not garrulous people
32
Many a fish lay their eggs on the seashore only
when there is no chance of any wave reaching
up to that spot. Just imagine if they would
have relied on our high-tech devices and
simulations which can never be precise, even
in predicting the normal course of high and
low tides, beyond a range of several hundred
meters (of the size and range of strike of the
waves) and an hour or so (of the instance of
high or low tide). A mistake of even half a
minutes and a foot in the ‘calculations’ of the
fish would risk its eggs being swept away by
the waves. But see! These marine creatures
never miss it, as though the ocean itself adjusts
its waves with due care for their safety.
Many examples of this kind make us pause and
feel humble and small before the wonder-
filled wisdom of Nature at so-called sub-
human levels. How and why Nature has gifted
the tiny creatures with such marvelous sensors
and processors? Is it only to remind man not
to boast of his technological and innovative
achievements and desist from ruling over the
entire animal kingdom? Or is it to offer a
natural help to mankind to be alert and
protected from calamities? As stressed by
noted scientist Dr. Bill Schul in his interesting
book “The Psychic Power of Animals”, we
should respect the existence of animals and
birds and attempt to know and modify our
predictions about the happenings in Nature
with their help.
March-April 2007
 On the
Road to Freedom
This idea of kshetra-sanyasa, of confining oneself to one single place, is certainly an old
one. People practiced it for the sake of meditation and the welfare of the soul. My purpose
however is not that; I seek to realize a deeper inward power for the sake of the welfare of
society. This welfare cannot be achieved by outward activities alone. The more deeply
inward the action becomes, the more is achieved.

I
came to Brahmavidya Mandir, Paunar in
1970, and I spent a lot of time here in
cleaning my surroundings. People ask me
why I give so much time to this work, and I
tell them what Saint Jnaneshwar said: ‘He who
stands one moment at the door of the Lord
attains four kinds of freedom.’ The Lord Rama
(in the form of the statue of Bharata..Rama)
has come to our courtyard; while cleaning it I
feel the joy of His presence, and at the same
time I have got the four kinds of freedom.
The first is freedom from outward activity.
After being occupied in works of service from
1916 to 1966 I entered on the inward path,
and from then on I am in fact free from
outward action. It is true that for three or four
years I had to give some attention to the great
work of Bihar-Dan, which involved some
outward activity, but by now (October 1970)
that too has come to an end. The second is
freedom from books. From now on I shall do
no more book-writing. The third is freedom
from study. What do I read? Nothing! The
fourth is freedom from teaching. I began
teaching in 1911, teaching my school friends
and class-mates. Later on I taught the people
in the Ashram. I have been teaching for about
sixty years, but now that also is finished.
As for my continued cleaning work, there was
an additional reason: I looked to it as a way
of meditation. If instead of a broom I had
picked up a rosary and started telling my
beads, no one would have said that I was
wasting my time! Picking up rubbish acts for
me like a rosary - with every straw picked up
there is a remembrance of the Name. There is
no thinking involved, it is pure
contem-plation. A man who cannot tolerate
rubbish around him will not tolerate rubbish
inside him either, and will feel a strong urge
to get rid of it. That is a spiritual urge. Very
soon however I shall take leave even of this
work.
In the same way, (in July 1972) I stopped
signing copies of Gita-Pravachan (‘Talks on the
Gita’) and other books. I have been
popularizing it for forty years-1932-72-and I
have now no wish to go on doing so. In
addition, (in 1976) I took some further steps,
which I announced on the holy Christmas Day
December 25. ‘From: today on,” I said, I will

March-April 2007 33
not share in the management of any
institution, nor act as adviser to party, even
to those which I myself have founded. The
second thing is that whatever talks I have will
be ‘with individuals at an individual level, and
I have already said what subjects I am ‘ready
to discuss - science and spiri-tuality. Science
is going ahead by leaps and bounds, and I no
longer try to, keep up with it except as it
relates to physical health. As for spirituality, I
do not mean by this any philosophical analysis
of such terms as Brahma (the Supreme), maya
(illusion) or jiva (individual soul); I mean that
which can loosen the tangled knots in the mind
and make it pure. Anyone who wishes to
exchange thoughts on these two subjects may
come. And just one thing more, these talks will
not be held in private.
Kshetra-Sanyasa (Renunciation of Travel)
On November 2, 1969 I came from my travels
through my homeland (India), to my special
home in Wardha, and spent seven days in
Sevagram. I decided to plan ahead for seven
days only, not more. The idea was to keep
my mind fresh, and at the same time alert.
And who knows, by planning for seven days
at a time I might well stay in the same place
for a whole year!
So from Sevagram I moved on to Gopuri, and
then on June 7, 1970 I came to Brahmavidya
Mandir. On that date, four years earlier, I had
laid all my work of service at Bapu’s feet,
obtained my ‘discharge’, and entered upon the
path of inwardness. On that day therefore I
decided to go to the Brahmavidya Mandir. ‘I
don’t wish to tie myself down’ I said to the
sisters. ‘Over in Bihar the Naxalites are
34
uttering threats against the Sarvodaya. Workers,
and Jayaprakashji has therefore given up the
few days’ rest which he had planned to take,
and is going from village to village to help
them. It is impossible for me to close my mind
to these things.
But although I kept an open mind, I remained
where I was. I was ready to consider leaving
if some happening somewhere in India should
demand it, but otherwise I felt strongly that I
should stay, and concentrate on
strength-ening Brahmavidya Mandir. The
work of the Mandir was being carried on by
mutual consultation and agreement among all
its members, and so it would continue. Apart
from that, I thought, I would be ready to answer
those who came to me individually with their
questions and opened their hearts to me.
A month or two later (on October 6, 1970) I
announced that I was going to become a
sthanakavasi, a dweller in one place only. This
sthanakavas is a practice among the Jains. Just
as they renounce possessions, so also they
renounce place. I proposed to begin it on the
following day, October 7. One should
certainly regard every day as holy, but
October 7 has a special importance for me, for
it was on that date forty years ago that I began
to write the Gitai. On that date therefore I
entered my ‘detention camp’. The Jains call it
sthanakavas, the Hindus call it kshetra-sanyasa,
the modem word is ‘detention camp’. When a
man halts in one place like this, it makes it
easy for everyone to find him. This is not my
own decision; it is an inward call which I
regard as a command. I hope that my friends
will come to see me sometimes, for
friendship’s sake or even for a game!
March-April 2007
Entering More Deeply into the Inward Life
This idea of kshetra-sanyasa, of confining
oneself to one single place, is certainly an old
one. People practiced it for the sake of
meditation and the welfare of the soul. My
purpose however is not that; I seek to realize
a deeper inward power for the sake of the
welfare of society. This welfare cannot be
achieved by outward activities alone. The
more deeply inward the action becomes, the
more is achieved. Now the time has come to
practice this deeper inward action. I entered
on this inward path five years ago, but
circumstances then compelled me to use the
outward path also; it was needful to carry
forward the work of Bihar-dan to a certain
point. Now that the local people have taken it
up, and Jayaprakashji has staked his life on it;
I have settled down here in the middle of
India.
This deeper inwardness means that one
contemplates this whole created universe and
sees in it the image of the divine. It means to
stand face to face with humanity and lose
oneself in the soul within. The individual who
enters on this path will be reduced to nothing,
to less than nothing; that is the test. It is
inwardly experienced, and bears fruit in the
individual life. For society it means the release
of a power which, like the power of the atom,
is inward and hidden, but whose effect is far
greater than that of outward force. This
inward energy is just as great as that of the
atom, but it cannot be described in material
terms.
The work which our friends have done
recently, the collection of a Gram-Swaraj
March-April 2007
Fund” has, I think, been done very well. Years
ago a Swaraj Fund was collected in the name
of Lokmanya Tilak when he was at the peak
of his fame. That is not the case with me; my
reputation is now at the lowest ebb! There
must be many people in the country who feel
affection for me, but who regard my gramdan
work as bogus. That is only what I expected.
I said in Bihar that bhoodan is a cash transaction,
something definite, so much received, so much
given away. But gramdan work is not like that;
as I said, it could have infinite results, or none
whatever; there is no middle way. Today it
looks like a zero. Jayaprakashji and others are
trying to turn the zero into infinity, and I
believe they will succeed, because that is the
demand of the age.
But having settled down in one place I find
that my mind is inclined towards silence. My
body also has become very weak. People ask
what I am thinking about nowadays, and I
answer that I am not thinking at all, it is as if
I had no mind at all. I take a morning walk
and see the planet Venus shining before me,
and the people going to and fro, and the trees.
I am conscious of nothing, for much of the
time, but a ‘mindless’ bliss. When I talk with
people my intellect comes into play, but not
my surface mind.
I have stopped thinking about the state of the
country, and leave it in the hands of God. Nor
do I keep particular individuals in mind; my
thoughts are only of the Lord. But I do read
the newspapers, and so have some idea of
what is going on, especially just now (1971)
the happenings in East Bengal. Apart from that
I just sit here like a reference book, ready for
any who may wish to consult me.
35
People ask me what I am planning to do next,
and I tell them that today I have been engaged
in meditation, but as for tomorrow, who can
say? There was one thing I never accepted
from Gandhiji, the writing of a daily diary. In
this I had the blessing of the ancients; their
words, ‘abandon all attachment to the past,
all anxiety for the future,’ had a great influence
on me; I neither remember the past nor trouble
about the future. People tell me that I ought
to write my autobiography. (The Hindi word
is atma-katha, ‘Story of the Self’.) But if I did,
it would be only the story of the body, for it
is not possible to write the story of the Self.
In the preface I should have to say that there
is no guarantee that what is written here is
true, because I am ‘Vinoba the Forgetful’. I
have forgotten a great deal and I go on
forgetting. I don’t allow the past to become a
burden on me.
I am however engaged in one experiment, and
it has two sides; on the one hand to keep the
world in my remembrance, on the other to
send out my blessings by the channels of
thought. Remembrance of the world implies
remembrance of oneself. This is the basis of
my experiment in abhidhyana, ‘specific’
meditation. I ask everyone of our workers to
write to me once a month, but I do not answer
their letters in writing. I read them, I reflect
on them, I seek to unite the power of my own
thought with whatever is good in them and
so to strengthen it.
This intensive reflection, this meditation on
specific people and their endeavours, bears fruit
only if two con-ditions are fulfilled. On my part
there should be complete freedom from egoism.
On the part of my correspondent there should
36
be, as it were, a radio receiving set, an open
mind. Then the results will appear.
I am practicing this intensive meditation on
five specific themes, following the pattern of
fivefold worship which Shankaracharya
began, and which is called Shan-na-ra-ga--de.
‘Shan’ stands for Shankar, ‘na’ for Narayan,
‘Ra’ for Ravi, the Sun, ‘Ga’ for Ganapati or
Ganesh, ‘De’ for Devi, Goddess. What then is
my fivefold Shan-na-ra-ga-de? My Shankar,
who watches’ over the welfare of all, is
Brahmavidya, for without that knowledge of
the Supreme we shall never obtain our true
welfare. Those who regard our movement as
merely economic and social are taking a
completely one-sided view and have not
understood it at all. The movement is spiritual,
and founded on Brahmavidya. Spiritual
disciplines such as meditation, prayer, self-
examination and striving for inward purity
must always be a vital part of it. Then comes
Narayan, the god of human society; Narayan
stands for gram-swarajya, village self-
government, and that is my second theme. The
Sun is the Shanti-sena, the Peace Army, my third
theme. The sunbeams shine upon all, so let our
Shanti-sena shed its light upon the whole of
India. The fourth, Ganapati, is the god of
Knowledge, so the Acharya-kul is a theme of
my meditation. And the fifth, the Devi, is the
Devanagari script. I am very deeply interested
in what my fellow-workers have done and are
doing about these five matters, and what their
difficulties are.
The Gift of Fasting
These days (December 1973) I have started
fasting for a half day on the 11th of the month
March-April 2007
and for a half day on the 25th. These dates
have meaning for me; the 11th is my birthday,
the 25th the day on which I left home. Both
days are good for reflection, and the two
together make up a full day’s fast with no bad
effect on health.
My food costs about three rupees a day, so in
this way I save three rupees a month, thirty-
six rupees a year. I thought I would give this
amount to the work of the Sarva Seva Sangh.
It seemed to me that it would be a very big
thing if every one of the workers,
sympathizers and supporters of Sarvodaya
ideas would fast once a month and give the
amount saved each year to the Sarva Seva
Sangh. Up to now we have been accepting all
kinds of gifts for our work, and in that way
we have worshipped the Sarva Brahma, the
Supreme in all. Now let us worship the Vimala
Brahma, the pure Supreme, with a pure
offering. Fasting purifies; a gift derived from
fasting is a pure gift.
One Year of Silence
(In December 1974) my mind was full of the
idea of keeping silence for a time. The 25th
was approaching. It was the holy eleventh day
of the half-month of Magh in the Hindu
calendar, the ‘birthday’ of the Gita, and also
Christmas; I decided that beginning on that
auspicious day I would keep silence for one
year.
But should I not then complete the work which
I had already planned? A spiritual decision
does in fact entail breaking such commitments,
it cannot wait until some work or other has
been finished. To accept sanyasa means that
March-April 2007
such ties have to be broken, otherwise nothing
is gained. So from December 25 I kept silence
for a year.
Before entering the silence I told people that
in one sense I had been observing silence even
while speaking, and that now I should go on
speaking even in my silence! Silence is an active
power. The Sun shines outside the door, but
if the door is closed, the sunlight does not
push its way in. This silence is not like that, it
pushes, it presses forward.
This silence means not only no speaking, but
also no writing. I shall write nothing but Rama-
Hari, the Name of God. Even after I took
kshetra-sannyasa I was involved in a few
outward matters and in discussions about
them, for these too seemed to me to be in the
natural course of things. Then I began to think
that though there was nothing wrong with
these natural activities, the power of intensive
inward meditation could only be released by
entering more deeply into the inward life. So
I decided that I should stop speaking and
writing.
God had already stopped my ears. I was sent
two or three hearing aids, and I put them on
and tried them, and found I could hear well. I
used the hearing aid for ten or twelve days,
but then I gave it up. Why should I use an aid
to get back what God in his grace has taken
from me? By God’s grace I have already
become one of those three (Chinese) monkeys,
the one who is stopping his ears. Now I am
going to become the second monkey who
keeps his mouth shut. But I am not going to
be the third monkey and keep my eyes closed,
instead of that I shall stop using my hand, that
37
is to say I shall do no more writing. I shall
keep the use of my eyes, in order to read the
letters of all those friends and fellow-workers
who write to me regularly, and of those who
write occasionally as they feel the need. I want
to go on reading these letters and to give
myself to intensive meditation about each one
separately. The inward thoughts which the
letters reveal can be influenced, the knotty
problems loosened, by the power of this
intense meditation. When I stop speaking,
even those who do not have ‘receiv-ing sets’
will be reached by this power. The silence will
be aggressive; it will push its way into the
heart of the one who wrote.
Some will ask, why one year only of silence?
Why not more? The answer is that in such
difficult spiritual matters one must be guided
by experience. This is a small first step, a year
only. I have not thought any further ahead.
Experience will decide.
(Vinoba then remained silent until December 25,
1975)
- Sant Vinoba Bhave
[From his Memoirs ‘Moved By Love’ – with glad
permission of the compiler – Kalindi Behan of
Brahma Vidya Mandir]
38
China’s emperor Mao was then a small
child. His grandmother fell ill and hence
unable to move. She gave her grandson the
responsibility to take care of her small
garden. The grandson assured her that he
will not let the garden dry off.
After a month the old lady recovered and
went to garden only to find most of the
plants withered. A few had even wilted
completely.
The grandmother called the child and said,
“Mao, you have not kept your words. You
had promised to keep this garden fresh and
blooming.”
Tears rolled down the child’s eyes. He said,
“Grandmother, I wiped the leaves daily,
loved them, and kept bits of my bread in
their roots. Even then they dried. Where did
I go wrong?”
Seeing the nervous boy, the grandmother
said gently, “Child, you should have
irrigated their roots. They are strong enough
to extract their nutrition from earth for
survival, if kept moist.”
The child sank deep into thoughts and asked
the grandmother, “Then where are the roots
of man?”
“They lie in his courage and his arms. If
these are not nourished no man can prosper
and flourish,” she replied.
The grandmother died but Mao Tse Tung
caught hold of her words. To keep people
prosperous and flourishing, he always kept
on doing the same and became the
sovereign leader of China.
March-April 2007
Companions in Solitude – 13
My conclusion from personal experience is that there is more loss than gain in the pursuit
of a greedy and lustful life. What I had to lose is inconsequential but what has been gained
is so rich and great that I wish to request everyone to adopt ideal and sublime tradition of
living a life of spiritual pursuit.
W
hen I began to feel myself as an
immortal soul – a spark of The
Divine - and my conscience to be
the sacred seat of God, orientation of the mind
became inward. My only concern was to keep
the flame of the soul ever alight and effulgent
and to be guided by its light. The path was
clear and sunlit. Live only a sublime life and
adopt idealistic methods of work. Those who
are not familiar with this path are scared that
this way of life entails a lot of problems and
difficulties and that poverty, want, abuse and
hazards will have to be faced. Friends will
turn foes, and relatives will oppose. It
happened in my case too in the beginning. At
the beginning I also had to endure ridicule
and reproach. It is the people at home and
close relatives who opposed most
vehemently. They felt that they would lose
the benefit which they expected to get through
me. So they declared me foolish on account
of their possible loss. But it did not last long.
Goodness by itself is wealth that takes its own
care and remains steady under all
circumstances. Opponents and accusers realize
their mistake after a little while and offer co-
operation instead of placing hurdles in the
way. The higher the faith and firmness, the
sooner do hatred and misunderstandings
March-April 2007
The Inner Aspect of
My Sadhna of Life -2
- Gurudev Pt. Shriram Sharma Acharya
disappear. Opposition at home did not last
long. As soon as they realized the truth, their
apprehensions and misgivings were removed.
In fact there is no loss in spiritual ‘commerce’.
Though externally appearing poor, such a
person remains happy due to inner peace and
contentment. This happiness and contentment
influence others and prove helpful in
converting opponents into collaborators. My
problems too were solved in this way.
When the chain of lust, desire and greed for
high position, pelf, power, fame and applause
was broken, I felt a sense of liberation from
worldly bondages. The persons who are
fastened by these chains are dragged along
the miserable and rough path of mundane
existence and keep bemoaning their perpetual
state of discontent and distress. Once the
futility and insubstantial nature of these three
bonds are realized and the attitude of getting
and grabbing is converted into one of sharing
and caring, one may be assured of attaining
salvation while living in the mortal state itself.
As goes the saying, “As you believe so you
see”; with the dawn of the self-knowledge,
the darkness of misconceptions vanishes. After
such a concrete experience of my identity,
neither want nor discontent remained. After
39
fixing up the minimum requirement for
sustenance of the body and maintenance of
the family, arrangements were made to meet
these requirements. When the roots of greed
and lust were pulled out of the psyche,
immense amount of energy and enthusiasm
filled the heart. Anyone can test and
experience it on oneself. But people want to
extinguish fire with oil. People want to satisfy
greed with wealth and satiate lust with
sensual enjoyment. Who will make them
realize that these efforts will only ignite the
wild fire more fiercely? Those who tread such
a path will be wandering in wilderness. Like
the evil spirits and devils of the graveyard,
they will remain restless and disgruntled and
can do only evil things. How can anyone teach
them?
Majority of the so-called seekers and teachers
now-a-days are both making the mockery of
spiritual sadhana. I have attended several
Satsangs and discourses, but did not find any
one who had dived deep into spirituality and
who could inspire others into it. When the
discoursers’ doings were delved into, the dirt
and rubbish in them were found to be much
more than in those whom they were
addressing. So I was disgusted. Great
discourses and communions were taking place,
but I found none of them interesting and
capable of delivering the desired results.
When enlightenment occurred it was from the
Self within. Only when I valiantly snapped the
bondages, mustering the courage from within
the soul, did the aim get fulfilled. Had I waited
for and relied upon others to do it for me I
too might have become hoax, pretending to
possess knowledge. I now feel convinced that
if any one gets enlightenment, it happens only
40
from within. In my case this is the proven fact.
If one wants to tread the path of spirituality,
the huge mountains of obstacles cannot be
crossed over and one cannot reach the top,
without an unshakable faith, indomitable
courage and a highly charged spirit of
adventure. The courage worked in my case
too. When I stood firm, help also came by.
From Gurudev to God everyone came forward
to help me at every step of the path. Slowly
but firmly I marched forward. This is how
things have got on so far.
People say that spiritual life is difficult. But
my experience is to the contrary. In fact life
fraught with greed and lust is very difficult
and complicated. Compared to the amount of
efforts being made, worries being carried,
pain being endured and the complications
being put up with by people of lustful and
greedy nature, the inconveniences in spiritual
life can be considered insignificant. So much
labour, so much thinking and planning, so
much worry; and yet not a moment’s peace!
Before the efforts to fulfill the earlier need
are completed, scores of further needs crop
up due to which man remains unsatisfied and
discontented. Though it is difficult to fulfill
even small needs, he takes upon himself the
responsibility to meet larger and larger needs
which call for ten times harder work. Along
with accelerated speed, more problems arise
and create complications. Mind and soul get
tired in trying to find solutions to these
problems. Ordinary physical and mental
efforts cannot meet the requirements that go
on widening their jaws endlessly. So, immoral
and undesirable means are required to be
resorted to. Despite carrying on with flagrant
sinful activities, the desires do not get fulfilled.
March-April 2007
Considering the damage caused by the
constant anxiety and the dark future, the
attainments can be said to be insignificant. In
general, people, instead of living the life, carry
it like a corpse - weeping, lamenting, cursing
and complaining. In fact these people should
be called ‘saints’. Had they taken as much
trouble, endured as many hardships, gone
through as much worries and anxieties and
suffered as much for the sake of spiritual
progress, these very people would have risen
to the state of a Yogi, a Siddha Purush
(enlightened soul), a Mahamanav (great man)
and Devata. In fact, real renunciates, self-
sacrificers and martyrs are these folks who did
all sort of adventures and misadventures for
acquisition of worldly pelf and possessions
and then distributing all the gains among the
offsprings, and relatives, and remaining empty
handed in the end. To my mind these people
who suffer so much for the sake of others are
great men and philanthropists in the real sense,
even though they consider themselves to be
greedy, fallen and degraded!
When I look at the internal and external life
system of innumerable people and the
repercussions and results of their life style, I
feel that I lived a far more happy and
comfortable life than they did. The worst
disadvantage, if at all, has been that I lived
with less wealth and luxury; I commanded less
respect and was looked upon as a poor man.
Being not wealthy, the world considered me
to be a small fellow and had little regard for
me. But these so called shortcomings did not
affect me any way. While others were eating
spicy foods, I lived on barley and gram. The
pleasure of taste leads people to sufferings,
pain and agony. My cheap food was easily
March-April 2007
digested and kept me healthy. What did I lose?
Instead of catering to the fleeting pleasure of
taste buds, I stuck to the theory that hunger
is the best spice and proved its veracity. As
for the enjoyment of taste my coarse bread
was more delicious than that of the luxurious
people. People in the pursuit of wealth, in
order to cater to their ego, endeavoured to
impress others by show of costly clothes,
beautiful mansions and catchy decorations.
Though I could not put up any matching show
with my limited resources, the happiness and
contentment I enjoy are not any less. Albeit,
silly hollow-minded people may have thought
it childish and ridiculous, people of eminence
who possessed the ability to perceive the
substance and penetrate below the surface
commended the greatness concealed behind
the simple looking exterior and bowed in
reverence. On subjecting myself to severe tests,
it can be confidently said that I have physically
and mentally been not only more happy
despite less labour, less risk and less
responsibility but the respect showered on me
has also been of a nobler measure. I do not
least mind in not being respected or
appreciated by the deluded ones. I have no
regrets or sense of remorse for shunning the
worldly ways. Right from the Soul to the
Supreme Soul and from gentlemen to prophets
everyone appreciated the plan and mode of
my working. Less risk, and yet more profit!
For carrying the load of expensive, greedy,
luxurious and pompous life, one needs a cart
with the wheels of sin and downfall. In my
case the luggage was so light that I could carry
it myself and walk on without fatigue or
worry. My own experience is that the ideal
life is simple. There may be apprehension of
getting harmed by evil people. But there is a
41
far greater fear in the lives of those who live
sinful and detestable lives. Materialistic people Late in the evening, it was a cloudy day.
have to face greater risk of competition, Drizzling had started. Air had grown
jealousy, revenge etc. These days we hear colder. Those at work had returned home
daily of killings, loot, accidents, and such after completing their tasks. It was
horrible news. In these incidents the victims slippery on the way making it difficult for
are mostly those whose orientation is anyone to pass through. At that moment
materialistic. Had such people voluntarily an attractive teenaged boy was running
come forward to sacrifice their lives and to behind a cart and uttering, “Stop the cart,
part with their wealth for noble causes they stop the cart.” The gentle man sitting
would have become great saints indeed. Saints inside the cart heard the voice and asked
like Jesus, Socrates, Gandhi and others of that the driver to stop the cart.
orientation had made the supreme sacrifices
to uphold righteousness. The number of When the boy came near, he asked, “Tell
unethical and immoral people who are me, what the matter is?”
murdered is thousand times more. People like
Bhama Shah, who donated all the wealth for The boy said, “Three days back, your
the noble cause are very few; but rich people driver bought from me a matchbox worth
who become paupers due to fraud, loot, a paisa to light the lamp in the cart.
burglary, litigation, illness etc. can be counted Instead of a paisa you had given me fifty
in lakhs these days. The danger of loot and
paisa. I could not see then because of
attack is less in spiritual field, but many times
darkness but now you please take back
more in materialistic field. If this truth were
your fifty paisa and give me a paisa of
realized, people might not have been scared
my matchbox.”
to adopt ideal life and would not have
committed the folly of plunging into the vortex
Surprised at the child’s words, the
of materialistic lust and greed. My conclusion
gentleman said, “Fifty paisa must have
done some good to you. Why are you
from personal experience is that there is more
returning it back?” “Why should I keep
loss than gain in the pursuit of greedy and
the fifty paisa which is not mine?
lustful life. What I had to lose is
Whatever I earn in a days work is
inconsequential but what is gained is so rich
sufficient for me,” replied the boy.
and great that I wish to appeal to everyone to
adopt ideal and sublime tradition of living a
The gentleman again said, “But you had
spiritual way of life. But it is not easy. Citing
not stolen the fifty paisa.”
my own personal experience, I have long been
appealing to people at the top of my voice to
The boy now replied, “To make out from
adopt the noble way of life; but how many
the others’ possession this way is also a
have cared to listen to me and among those
thievery. One should always believe in
who listened, how many have cared to practice
one’s own earnings.”
it?

42 March-April 2007
My Life: Its Legacy and Message – 24

That Which I am doing at Present

[Autobiography of P¿
¿ jya Gurudev, continued from the previous issue]

There are even today several geniuses who will be able to do comparatively
much more important work than they are doing now now,, if their minds are
diverted to higher ideals. For this a mighty power is required. This work
will be done by my five Vºrbhadras and the transformation in human thinking
will be miraculous
miraculous.

G
urudev is always with me, he is within
me and he satisfies all my curiosities
and queries. Right from the
translation of ancient scriptures to the writing
of Prajó³ Pur³ña he has been guiding me like a
teacher. My tongue repeats his teachings. I
have been acting like a horse who changes his
direction and speed on signals given by its
rider. When he calls me to the Himalayas to
recharge my battery he does so without saying
anything special. My achievements are similar
to those of a weak person who improves his
health by living in a sanatorium.
purpose according to the instructions of
Gurudev. I have also got the answer as to the
work that would have to be entrusted to these
five Vºrbhadras and how they would function.
There are even today several geniuses who
will be able to do comparatively much more
important work than they are doing now, if
their minds are diverted to higher ideals. For
this a mighty power is required. This work
will be done by my five Vºrbhadras and the
transformation in human thinking will be
miraculous.

This time, I thoroughly understood the process
of s¿kÌmºkaraña. Just as Kunti had given birth
to divine progeny, I will have to transform
my Annamaya, Pr³ñmaya, Manomaya, Vijó³nmaya
and Ânandamaya koÌas present within my
physical body into five Vºrbhadras. I have
understood the process of this s³dhan³. I have
been asked to remain in Shantikunj, transfer
all my responsibilities to others and retain this
physical body as a nest of these five Vºrbhadras
till they become fully powerful. The process
of S³vitrº S³dhan³ has also been started for this
Narada changed the course of lives of Parvati,
Dhruva, Prahlad, Valmiki, Savitri etc. who
abandoned their past activities, took to
righteous paths and set examples worth
emulation by others. Bhagvan Buddha
changed the hearts of Anand, Kumar Jeev,
Angulimal, Ambapali, Ashok, Harshvardhan,
Sanghmitra; and they dedicated themselves to
the path of spirituality shown by the
Enlightened One, and became renowned
throughout the world. Vishwamitra made
Harishchandra so great that simply by seeing

March-April 2007 43
a drama based on his life, Gandhi became
venerable for the entire world. Bhamashah, a
great miser, donated all his treasure to
Maharana Pratap, having been inspired by
saint Vithoba. Adya Shankaracharya inspired
Mandhata to build MaÚhs in all the four dh³ms.
Ahilyabai, inspired by a saint, renovated
several temples and gh³ts and built up new
temples at several places which were
inaccessible and far beyond the reach of the
people. Hardly could have Shivaji played so
historic a role if he had not been inspired by
Samarth Guru Ramdas. It was Ramakrishna
Paramhansa who pursued Narendra and
metamorphosed him into a Vivekananda. The
credit for diverting the mind of Raja
Gopichand towards renunciation goes to saint
Bhartahari. History is full of such examples of
transformation through the inspiration of
illumined souls.
This has happened in my case also. If Gurudev
had not inspired and metamorphosed me, I
would have also been following the profession
of a pandit (priest) or some other activity like
other members of my family and would not
have attained the present position. Persons,
who are geniuses in their fields, are needed
to facilitate the change of the era. Learned
people are needed, who may, by their logic,
facts and figures, provide a new way of
thinking to the people. Artists are needed who
may inspire people to imbibe the teachings and
lives of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, Meera, Soor,
Kabir. Affluent persons are needed who may,
instead of squandering away their money in
luxurious living, give away their all to fulfill
the noble aims of the Time Spirit. Statesmen
are needed who may, like Gandhi, Rousseau,
Karl Marx, Lenin etc. guide people to follow
44
new, revolutionary ways of reassuring
equality, fraternity and freedom for all. What
to speak of illumined souls, saints, sages,
savants and seers? They have totally
transformed persons who came in their
contact, just as a P³ras stone, by a simple
touch, converts iron into gold.
My Vºrbhadras will do all this. I have also done
the same. I have radically changed the
thoughts and activities of millions of people
and prepared them like saty³grahºs of Gandhi,
bh¿d³nºs of Vinoba, parivr³jaks of Buddha, to
sacrifice everything for the sake of a noble
cause. The army of Prajó³-putras are playing
the role of monkeys of Hanuman. When
miracles have been played by my direct
physical activities there is no reason why these
Vºrbhadras, who are part and parcel of my soul,
will not be able to persuade and inspire
innumerable persons to turn towards nobility
and sublimity of soul.
It will be necessary in the near future to
eradicate several evil tendencies. For this,
persons like Arjun will be needed who may
defeat and decimate akÌauhiñº (well-equipped)
army of the Kauravas. Hanumans will be
needed who may by setting fire to their tails
burn Lanka, the fortress of Evil, and turn it to
ashes. Such changes are possible by changing
the inner consciousness of human beings.
Abraham Lincoln and George Washington of
America were born in very ordinary families
but they changed the course of their lives and
became the Presidents of America.
Leaving apart vicious persons who apply their
intellect in acts like theft, dacoity, cheating etc.
persons full of noble emotions and sentiments
March-April 2007
can do a lot in changing the era by their heroic
efforts, courage and industriousness. Swami
Dayananda, Sharddhananda, Ramteerth etc.
were capable of changing the course of life of
innumerable persons. These days intelligent
persons are engrossed in luxuriousness,
accumulation of wealth and satisfaction of
their ego and thus all their powers and
resources are being frittered away. If only a
few of them are able to turn around towards
fulfilling noble and high aims, they can do such
marvelous and exemplary work as was done
by Jaidayal Goenka of Geeta Press,
Gorakhpur.
Which intelligent person has to be changed?
How he has to be changed? What work has
to be taken from him? These are matters
which are decided at the higher level. Those
who are at present thinking in terms of a
world war causing utter devastation will, on
getting their minds changed, think in terms
of utilizing their intellect, power and
resources for creative purposes. This will
bring salutary changes in the environment.
When tendencies and directions of the minds
have changed, actions and activities of such
persons will also be completely changed.
Persons going ahead on the path of
righteousness are bound to get divine help.
They can then do miracles like Baba Amte,
Hiralal Shastri, Laxmibai etc.
Perversion of intellect has made all human
activities vicious, sinful and of criminal nature.
Whatever is earned is squandered immediately
in undesirable acts. If someone is able to
change the thoughts, ways, attitudes and
tendencies of such persons they can become
so great that millions of people may consider
themselves fortunate by following in their
footprints.
As a result of my S³vitrº S³dhan³, which is
going on at present, invisible Mah³balis are
being prepared who will slowly and silently
enter into the inner consciousness of
innumerable persons and will not rest
contented until immorality has not been
completely banished from human scene. This
will result in the creation of human gems and
rubies who will make the task of changing of
the era, which appears to be very difficult at
present, much easier.

A king was going alone through a forest. On the way came a hamlet of intruders. While
he was passing, a parrot in the village shouted, “Grab him, hit, run. He has ornaments
with him.” Hearing the parrot’s voice, the robbers followed him but could not get hold
of the king.

Next on the way was a hermitage of saints. As he stepped inside a gurukul, a parrot
sitting on the tree started saying, “Come King! A guest has arrived. Please bring a carpet.”

While talking to the saint, the king wondered about the difference in character of the
two birds of same species. And the saint resolved the dilemma with a single word
‘companionship’.

March-April 2007 45
Amrit Vani
Four Pillars of Self-Development –2
(Translation of a discourse by Poojya Gurudev Pandit Shriram Sharma Acharya on
“Atmonnati Ke Char Adhara “ delivered in 1980 - Continued from the previous issue)
S
w³dhay³ means study of and
contemplation over the elevated
thoughts of enlightened personalities.
You should examine your convictions, your
prejudices, blind beliefs and illusions in the
light of discerning wisdom and guidance of
the thoughts and works of those who have
lived glorious and purposeful lives. Many of
the great personalities, saints and sages may
not be living anymore in the physical bodies;
many of them might be living far away.
Moreover, even if some sagacious personality
is staying near your place, it won’t be possible
for him or her to give precious time to you, as
per your convenience; he/she will have so
many things to do, will have so many seekers
like you who would be waiting to meet him/
her. Thus, having a satsang with the great
persons in their physical being is indeed a rare
opportunity. But you can always communicate
with them, have their guidance and experience
the benefits of their company by having
proximity with their thoughts through their
books, compilations of their speeches, writings
on their lives and works, etc. Reading good
literature and pondering over it is essential
for wholesome nurturing of human intellect.
The intellectuals or educated ones among you
must be aware of the significance of good
books (reading material). Anyone who wants
to prevent mental degeneration must read and
think. If reading is a problem, one may listen
to what is written in a book. But, in either
case, our reading should not be confined only
46
to university texts or worldly knowledge.
What is underlined in sw³dhy³ya is pondering
over good thoughts that link our minds with
the radiance of the sagacious wisdom and
saintly inspirations and thus illuminating and
re-orientating our own thinking accordingly.
In order to engage the mind in sw³dhy³ya
singing devotional songs, mental engrossment
in spiritual music, listening to recordings of
enlightening discourses may also be
incorporated in it, along with studying the
thoughts of elevated souls.
However, adoption of the teachings of great
souls is not so easy! Sw³dhy³ya gives you the
direction and inspiration but it is only you who
has to make a resolute attempt towards
changing your deep rooted animal tendencies
and your old habits and remold your ‘nature’
by inculcating the values inspired by
sw³dhy³ya. In short, the purpose of sw³dhy³ya
is fulfilled only by s³dhan³.
(iii) S³dhan³
S³dhan³:
The third important discipline for ascent of
human self is s³dhan³ – devout endeavor of
self-refinement and improvement. It includes
up³san³ and tapa. Most of us understand
up³san³ as some kind of devotional practice
such as – worshiping a deity, praying before
it, chanting a mantra, meditating on divine
attributes, etc. Well, these are certainly the
steps or methods to attain the real purpose of
up³san³. But we should also know its real meaning.
March-April 2007
Up³san³ of God means faith in divine values,
sitting near divine realms, invocating divinity.
If we sit near fire, we feel the heat and our
clothing and body parts also get warmer.
Sitting near a rock of ice similarly generates a
cooling effect around us. The area
surrounding a sandalwood tree is also
permeated with the fragrance of sandalwood.
The soothing fragrance also makes the nearby
plants fragrant. So you see the effect of
proximity! Up³san³ is a process of mental and
emotional proximity with the Almighty. With
enhanced purity of our inner self, our sincerity
in the devotional practices, and depth of our
faith, up³san³ gradually connects our
“individual self” with the Supreme Self.
Inculcation of divine virtues, awakening of our
indwelling divinity is a natural consequence
of devout up³san³.
Up³san³ and s³dhan³ go hand in hand. Either
is incomplete without the other. Up³san³
induces the inspiration and strength required
for s³dhan³ and the latter is vital for the
purification and inner engrossment required
for thorough up³san³. The word “s³dhan³”
means to perfect. It includes excellence of
qualities, deeds and behavior, eminence of
personality. Uprooting the vices, evil
tendencies, bad habits, etc and cultivation of
virtuous tendencies, good conduct and
attitude is s³dhan³. The wild animals are
trained in circus to perform skilled feats some
of which are difficult even for humans.
S³dhan³ is also an arduous training of the mind.
It is two-folded: refinement by tapa, that is by
ascetic disciplines, penance etc and
improvement by encouraging, inspiring and
engaging the mind in illuminating benefits of
virtuous qualities and activities. Eminent
March-April 2007
transmutation of personality by s³dhan³ is like
the tedious process of clearing the wild shrubs
from a field and making beautiful garden
thereon; converting raw metal into shining
gold by processing it in fire; or the Herculean
task of ploughing a barren rocky land and
harvesting healthy food grains from it.
A little pondering will make you aware that
sa®yam is necessary for the reforming process
of s³dhan³ and sw³dhy³ya (+ satsang) for the
transmuting phase. It is a time-testing process
that requires patience and unflinching faith
together with the zeal for enlightened
progress. For this, up³san³ lends the desired
support. You also need to be introspective
and should analyze yourself everyday by a
quick but sincere review of what you did
wrong and what right and good during the
day. Convince your mind, pledge and strive
for not repeating the wrong, overcoming the
shortcomings and encouraging the good the
next day. At least few minutes before sleep
should be kept for daily exercise of
introspection and self-analysis. A few minutes
before getting up every day should be kept
for self-planning. Regard every new day as a
new birth by which God has given you an
opportunity to rectify the past errors and
make a new, better and brighter beginning.
You are taught here to practice pavitrºkaraña,
pr³ñ³y³ma and dhyana (meditation) while doing
up³san³. During this you should also attempt
to feel that you are surrounded by the radiant
aura of divine protection; that you have
surrendered yourself to this beatifying
protection of the Almighty, which expels all
negative effects, guards against their re-entry
and also removes your inner blemishes and
47
weaknesses. But, when you practice self-
analysis you have to be strict and scrupulous
like an esteemed judge and find out all your
flaws and infirmities. Be firm and fair in
scrutinizing your good and bad tendencies,
your wrongs and rights. Don’t let your mind
drive you away with deluding excuses.
You are an intelligent being, a devotee of the
Omniscient! Let your discerning intellect take
charge of your mind. This will not be difficult
if you are truly motivated for self-
improvement and sincere in meditation and
sw³dhy³ya. Infinite force of the Almighty is
hidden within each one of you. If you are
determined and have faith in your divine
origin, you will surely reach great heights on
the excelsior of life. S³dhan³ will illuminate you
and bestow great benefits on the worldly as
well as spiritual domains of your life.
(iv) Sev³
Sev³:
Man is a social being. He is indebted to the
society in several ways. The food he eats,
clothes he wears, house he lives in, etc -
everything is available to him because several
people have contributed to making them
usable. Whatever he has achieved in life is
because of the direct or indirect cooperation
of so many others. God has bestowed human
life upon him so that he would offer his
services for beautifying the world-garden, for
making this world a better place to live. You
as a human being have this responsibility of
offering your altruistic services to the society,
to the world. You are supposed to help
maintain Nature’s ecosystem, you are
supposed to contribute your level best to the
healthy survival and happy growth of all its
animate and inanimate components. How else
48
can you thank Mother Nature for the
enormous boons She has blessed you with?
How would you be the crown prince of God
if you do not discharge your duties towards
His creation?
All of you should remember time and again
that you are not born only to live a materialist
life. We are humans. Our life should not be
confined to earning and enjoying sensual
pleasures. We should also be living a noble
and altruistic life. Our abilities and potentials
should also be used for welfare and upliftment
of others.
Your tapa-s³dhan³ is incomplete without sev³.
You must offer your sev³ – voluntary altruistic
service for the welfare of others. Your wealth,
your talents, your intellect, nothing is of any
use if even a fraction of it cannot help uplifting
someone else. Even in worldly terms, just
imagine, how happy a self-centered affluent
person could be if all others around him are
poor, downtrodden and agonized? You
cannot enjoy your success and happiness
unless you share your joys with others. You
cannot expect love, cooperation and respect
from anyone unless you learn to care and
share. Every religion of the world, every
spiritual school enjoins giving in charity for
the welfare of the needy. You may not be
rich, but just think, there must be someone in
the society who is more deprived. Try to do
what best you can to alleviate the pain and
sufferings of others. More than material help
it is your compassion, your cooperation, your
time that counts more in sev³. Selfless service
is said to be the noblest deed of human life.
Sev³ of the world is said to be the true ar³dhan³
(devotional service) of its Creator. You may
March-April 2007
offer your alms and worldly services to the
society in several ways depending upon what
is needed to allay the sufferings and pains of
others to some extent, or to uplift the
conditions of the deprived ones around you.
But one service, which is universally required
and which is regarded as the supreme
donation, is – the gy³na yagya, dissemination
of knowledge. The best service of human
religion, culture, nation and society today is
to give righteous direction to people’s
thoughts. Imparting positive thoughts and
encouraging guidance to a depressed or
depraved person is the biggest and most useful
help one could offer, as it would not only save
his life but would also mold him into a
progressive and happier person.
Gy³na – pure knowledge – is a source of
power, it enlightens one’s thoughts and
emotions with the pristine radiance of
spirituality. That is why donation (d³na) of
gy³na is revered in the scriptures as Brahmd³na,
most precious religious duty. If you could
distribute it among the masses today,
humanity will be grateful to you, because it
will be the best means of their welfare. Gy³na
pulls one out of the dark den of ignorance,
lifts one from slippery lane of decline, gives
one the direction and courage for removing
the evils, blemishes and follies and for
adopting the values and directions that would
make one a human being in the true sense.
Saints and sages of all ages are revered because
their lives were dedicated to attainment and
dissemination of gy³na. While accelerating
your endeavors of attaining gy³na by sa®yam,
sw³dhy³ya and s³dhan³, you should also donate
some fraction of your time (samayad³na) and
March-April 2007
resources (anïad³na) for gy³na-yagya. Easiest
way to do this is to purchase some Vichar-
Kranti (thought-revolution) books of our
mission and read them.; This way you yourself
will be doing anïad³na as well as sw³dhy³ya.
Devote your time to circulate the Vichar Kranti
literature to as many persons as you can and
motivate them to read and then continue the
cycle. This will be your ideal samayad³na and
sev³. Try to donate your one hour of time
and 50 paise of money per day on an average
towards this noble cause of gy³na-yagya.
Thus, by adopting four foundational principles
of self-transformation you can elevate your
lives to glorious heights and also help the
wellbeing and upliftment of the society as a
whole. If we reform and refine ourselves,
transformation of the people worldwide will
proceed gradually, like the harmonious
progression of currents in a sea. Yug Nirman
(creation of an evolved era) will emerge from
evolution of the individuals, families and the
entire human society.
I have initiated this epochal experiment in the
tiny laboratory of our mission and I request
all those who visit here and all those who are
associated with our Gayatri Pariwar to help
expand it. So if you want to be a part of Yug
Nirman project, start the experiment of self-
transmutation on yourself by adopting sa®yam,
sw³dhy³ya, s³dhan³ and sev³ from today itself.
Maybe at a minuscule level in the beginning,
these should certainly be integral parts of your
life from now on. Wish you all the best for
eminent success.
|| OM SHANTI ||
49
Shantikunj
Diary
AMU-DSVV COLLABORATION:
21 postgraduate students from
Aligarh Muslim University
(AMU) visited Dev Sanskriti
Vishwa Vidyalaya (DSVV) and
took membership as volunteers of
‘Khushi Foundation’ established
under the aegis of Divine India
Youth Association (DIYA) for
diagnosis and healing of mental
tension and disorders. The AMU
students also attended a three-day
workshop on the aims and objects
of Khushi Foundation. The
participants were visibly touched
by the inclusive and integrative
process of education at DSVV –
inculcating virtues of universal
harmony and understanding –
cutting across artificial divisions
of creeds, castes, races, etc.
VICHAR KRANTI ONLINE:
Gayatri Pariwar centres at Delhi
Palam, Meerut, Pune, Bangalore,
Mumbai and that in USA are
making full use of Internet for
dissemination of Gurudev’s life-
transforming teachings. The Delhi
branch has developed a database
and software through which they
transmit thoughts of Gurudev to
thousands of people through e-
mail daily. You can also become a
mail recipient. To become a
member please email to
atmiyabandhu@gmail.com . In the
subject line type subscribe. You are
also welcome to become a member
of following yahoo group:
groups.yahoo.com/group/
gayatri_parivar.
50
Hindu Pilgrims from Pakistan Visit
Shantikunj:
A group of Hindus, who had come
on pilgrimage to Haridwar for
Ganga-Snan also visited
Shantikunj Ashram and DSVV.
They were deeply moved by the
Gayatri Pariwar’s work towards
interfaith harmony and
understanding and wished that
their children had ana
opportunity to study at DSVV.
They also met revered Dr. Pranav
Pandya and Shail Jiji and had
their blessings.Guddorani of
Rawalpindi, who hails from a
well-to-do family had visited
Shantikunj last year and has been
disseminating the message of
Gurudev amongst Hindu
Community in her area.
Pranic Healing Workshop for Iranian
Delegation:
A special workshop on ‘Pranic
Healing’ which was conduced for
a 26-member delegation from Iran
concluded on January 19, 2007 at
DSVV. The delegation was led by
Professor Nazarghai Farshad
who is Vice-President of Iran
Yoga Society and Head of
Research and Educational
Institute for Mind and Body
Purification. At the valedictory
function of this workshop Dr
Pranav Pandya, Chancellor of
DSVV, announced that DSVV
proposes to hold a ‘Pranic
Healing and Meditation
workshop’ in Iran in the near
future in which he himself will be
one of the faculty.
A Two-member Delegation of DSVV
visits China
A two-member delegation (Dr
Suresh Varnawal and Sri
Shailendra Kumar Dube) of DSVV
paid a one-week visit to a number
of reputed yoga, martial arts/
sports institutions in China
during December 2006 and had
wide-ranging discussions with
the authorities of these
institutions for collaboration in
areas of mutual interest. They also
helped the Director and faculty of
Chan Tzu Yoga Institute in
drawing up a three-month yoga
instruction course/curriculum.
Dr Suresh and Sri Shailendra
Kumar were invited to be visiting
faculty of the Institute.
A Novel way of Disseminating
Gurudev’s literature:
A parijan, Sri Vinay Chauhan, has
set up a purely vegetarian hotel-
cum-restaurant facility on
Haridwar-Bijnaur road, named
“Vyanjan Vatika”. The enterprise
has become popular and
successful beyond expectation. At
one time Sri Chauhan had become
a broke and had gone into a long
period of deep depression. He
believes he owes his bouncing
back to a state of self-reliance and
success in his enterprise due to
Gurusatta’s blessings. As a token
of his gratitude he has hit upon a
novel way of sharing Gurudev’s
teachings. With the cash memo he
has started giving, free of cost,
packets of Gurudev’s literature to
his customers. He has gifted
literature worth amount Rs.
10,000/- during the past two
months. It is an example worth
emulation – we can serve the
cause in whatever way we can
naturally do –whatever our
vocation. Our paeans of praise for
Sri Chauhan.
March-April 2007