Attachment And Detachment By: Kishor Kulkarni

Have you observed a balloon seller?. He inflates a few balloons, ties a thread around each one and wraps those threads around his fingers. When someone comes to buy a balloon, he removes one from one of his fingers and gives it away. Then he inflates another balloon and ties it to his finger again.

Our mind is like the balloon seller. Myriad different objects in the world entice us like balloons and our desires are like the threads that keep our mind attached to the objects.  The moment one desired object is acquired, it gets detached from our mind. But our mind immediately inflates another one and promptly gets attached to it!

Now, when does the balloon seller stop this repeated activity of detaching and reattaching balloons to his fingers? Possibly, at the end of his work day when he thinks he must go home now. Then he disposes off his last balloon and does not inflate any more balloons. So, now he becomes detached from the balloons, but only temporarily. Again, the next morning, he is out to repeat the cycle of inflating, attaching and detaching balloons. Likewise, we also take a temporary respite when our life ends, but only to restart the repetitive cycle of desires all over again in the next life.

Is there a final end to this cycle? When the balloon seller becomes old, he may finally decide that he can no longer continue going out and selling balloons. So, he will then hang up his boots and be free from the repetitive inflate-attach-detach cycle. Similarly, we have to develop a lasting vairagya bhav – cultivate a strong determination -- that makes us lose all interest in worldly pursuits driven otherwise by unending desires. That is when we will be released from the repetitive cycle of birth and death.

It is said that a sincere spiritual seeker should cultivate true detachment. So then, he would tell himself that he should reduce his attachment, for example, to smoking. He may manage it with considerable effort after some time. But that is only one attachment gone and we tend to have so many of them! We can imagine the plight of someone trying to detach himself from good food, sports, entertainment, hobbies, spouse, children, grand children, friends and so on. It is like the balloon seller having too many balloons tied around his fingers and their threads getting entangled with each other, complicating the process of detachment.

How does one manage to get detached from the whole of samsara without having to go on trying infinitely to painfully detach from many objects one by one? As we can see, there are so many different objects at the far end of our attachments. Trying to get rid of those objects one by one is indeed extremely difficult. However, at the near end, there is just a single entity involved in all these attachments. That single entity is your limited bodily identity or ego. That is the driver behind the various attachments forming. So, if this single entity is removed, all the many objects at the far end will be instantly detached.  Thus, it should be relatively easier to detach yourself from samsara if you can manage to get rid of your ego.

It is by our Sadguru’s grace that we can manage to rid ourselves of our ego and develop a durable vairagya bhav that alone can lead us to moksha or liberation.

Those Innocent Days Of Our Life : 

Once Choosing Colour Of Sketch Pen Was A Tough Process. 

Catching The Seat Near The Window In A Bus Was Called Obsession. 

Gettng A Toffee As A Birthday Treat From Friends Made Our Day. 

Being The 1st To Finish Copying From The Blackboard Was The Moment Of Pride. 

Hiding Your Answer From Your Partner Was Not Called Selfishness. 

When Homework Was The Last Torture & You Thought All Elders Are Ideal. 

Sleeping Early Was A Routine. Owning A Cycle Was Like Owning Everything. 

To Look Pretty Was To Put Loads Of Powder And A Neat Comb. 

Awesome Were Those Childhood Days :) ♥ 

I Miss Them X) ! ♥

Is God playing games with us By: Swami Sukhabodhananda

Why is God playing cruel games with us? – is an attempt at explaining what is essentially inexplicable. For, God is playing a game is the allegation that God is light-hearted, not serious, in His dealings with us. Thus, the asking of the question is not a very satisfactory approach to understanding.
We can give explanations, but explanations need not be answers.
Let me add a few more words on life and death as these are terms you have employed in framing your question. You are looking at death as an opposite of life. In fact all of us perceive the phenomenon of death as opposing to the phenomenon of life. So, our encounter with death is conditioned by our definition of death as opposed to life. Change this definition, and death is no longer what we have felt it to be. In fact, death is one of the forms of expression of life. Life scientists declare that death is the most critical defining feature of life. Please understand that all and only living things die. When you die, you are making the ultimate undeniable assertion that you have been alive. In fact, at a certain level of analysis, death is even a precondition to life. The Holy Bible says, “Unless a seed falls into earth and dies, it cannot produce any grains”. That is, a seed has to cease to be itself in order to be a source of life to several others like it.
Rabindranath Tagore gives another beautiful example of the inseparability of life and death. You were in your mother’s womb. The most comfortable place for you is to be in your mother’s womb. In fact, when you were born you search for that experience which you had when you were in your mother’s womb. You search for that comfort. That is why in Hindu temple, the sanctum sanctorum is called garbhagudi – representing a mother’s womb. It is not foolish to speculate that our pursuit of wordly comforts is an attempt to recreate the prenatal pleasantness of the womb. At the time of delivery, the body of the mother pushes the child out. When it is pushed out, every child goes through what is called birth trauma. When we are pushed out, we experience a form of death. Tagore asks, “Is it death or is it life?” What do we experience? Birth – exit from the womb where life originated and was sustained for about nine months into the world outside – is a form of death that leads to life although in different environments. Similarly, death – exit from the world – can be a door to some other form of life or life at yet another plane.
The way an old dress is removed and a new one is worn, so, as the body becomes old, it is given up, and a new one is born. Death is only a change of the perishable. Much of our post-traumatic stress, of which grief over someone’s death is psychological. Probably only about 5% of what we consider suffering is purely physiological. Once a 45-year old man asked me how he could manage old age. He said he was mortally afraid of old age. And he was only halfway to real old age! Now this man offers a good example of purely psychological suffering.
With the great dotcom bust of the post-millennium years, a lot of people went through depression all over the world, but especially in California. Let us think of what really happened. Nothing more than the fact that what had been hyped sky-high was brought down to earth. The same thing had happened in Bangalore real estate. It happens cyclically in stock markets across the globe. You build the bubble, and, when the bubble breaks, you feel depressed. Those who know that the rise is artificial make all the profit while gullible believers in the longevity of the bubble lose everything.
The value we attach to objects of speculation like stocks, shares, land, and commodities is purely psychological, i.e., illusory or insubstantial. Likewise all sorrows are chiefly mind-made. You invest 10 million rupees on a piece of land expecting to make a profit of 10 million, but the profit is only notional in the sense that it is based on your expectation that the value of your purchase will double within the time frame of your expectation. It your expectations are defeated, you start suffering, naturally isn’t it your mind?
Therefore the trauma that you feel at events like accident or death is also mainly psychological, and thus something you can overcome through spiritual discipline.

INNER ENERGY

SCHOLARS WHO INCESSANTLY CONTEMPLATE ON ACQUIRING STRENGTH AND KNOWLEDGE SHOULD ALSO CONSIDER IT THEIR MORAL DUTY TO IMPART KNOWLEDGE TO THE IGNORANT, SO THAT THEY CAN DEVELOP THEIR MENTAL FACULTIES. THIS WOULD AUTOMATICALLY LEAD TO THE LATTER"S SELF DEVELOPMENT AND SPIRITUAL PROGRESS.

THE SUN, SYMBOLIZING WISDOM, DIVINE KNOWLEDGE AND SPIRITUAL LIGHT,WHICH RECEDED FROM YOU WHEN YOU REVEL LED IN THE DARKNESS OF IGNORANCE,DELUSION AND SENSUALITY,NOW JOYOUSLY TURNS ON ITS NORTHWARD COURSE AND MOVES TOWARDS YOU TO SHED ITS LIGHT AND WARMTH IN GREATER ABUNDANCE,AND TO INFUSE INTO YOU MORE LIFE AND ENERGY.

ONE DIMENSION OF ENERGY IS MOTIVATED,AND THE GOAL IS OUT THERE...ANOTHER DIMENSION IS UNMOTIVATED CELEBRATION.THE GOAL IS HERE,NOW,YOU ARE THE GOAL.

THE ENERGY OF THE MIND IS THE ESSENCE OF LIFE.

How To Rise Above Chronic Fatigue By: Swami Kriyananda

Chronic fatigue is not due to overwork -- we do not work nearly so hard as our ancestors did -- but rather due to a scattering of our forces.

Ours is not a “focused” age. Countless influences pull us in conflicting directions. We find ourselves trying to do a hundred things hastily, rather than one thing at a time carefully and well.

We measure achievement by numbers rather than by excellence. A result is the exhaustion one finds written on the faces of so many in our bustling cities, where strangers pass one another with never a smile or even a glance of greeting.

Fatigue is also a direct result of a loss of interest. Our energy supply depends not primarily upon food and other external causes, but our capacity for smiles, for enthusiasm. People lead “one-horsepower lives” when they forget how to smile, when they over-complicate their daily routine, and clutter their minds with the debris of useless desires and preoccupations.

The person who can simplify his life and marshal his energies to do a few things well, instead of scattering his forces restlessly, will find that he has more than enough strength for whatever he has to do.

Be willing in everything you do, for willingness begets energy. My guru Paramhansa Yogananda used to say, “The greater the will, the greater the flow of energy.”

“Will” in this context means willingness – not physical or mental strain, but a pleasant, steadily increasing focus of our whole attention upon a goal.

A good technique for drawing energy into the body is to stand facing the sun. Raise your hands above your head. Feel the warmth of the sun striking your forehead at the point between the eyebrows, and the palms of your hands. Feel that you are drawing warmth and energy into your body through those “windows.” After some time, turn your back to the sun, and feel its warmth upon the area of the medulla oblongata at the base of the brain. Keep your hands raised above the head. Again, draw the sun’s rays into your body.

The next time you feel fatigue, do some deep breathing. Then fill your mind with the sense of wonder that a child feels who sees this world with a fresh outlook.

Fatigue, finally, is a symptom of self-centeredness. One who can forget himself in helping others and in giving strength to them will find himself rarely exhausted.

Foods, too, can strongly affect our energy. The stimulation one receives from some foods is due not to the energy they give us, but only to their irritating influence upon the body. Loud noise, similarly, may seem to give us energy, but in fact it only whips up the nervous system into a frenzy.

Coffee is a well-known example of a stimulating food. While its immediate effect is sometimes uplifting, its long-range effect is depressing. Caffeine has been said to kill Vitamin B in the body. People who drink too much coffee find that their own natural supply of energy is, if anything, lessened. They require more and more coffee to get the “lift” they seek. The same may be said of tea, tobacco, and other stimulants.

In yoga teachings, much emphasis is placed on a harmonious, rather than a stimulating, diet. If the inner Self is allowed to work through a relaxed and peaceful nervous system, it will be able to fill the body with energy and strength. External stimuli prevent this harmonious expression from within. Dietary stimulants are therefore self-defeating.

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.” - Plato


“बुद्धिमान व्यक्ति बोलते हैं क्योंकि उनके पास बोलने के लिए कुछ होता है, मूर्ख व्यक्ति बोलते हैं क्योंकि उन्हें कुछ बोलना होता है।” - प्लैटो


“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” - Charles Darwin


“ऐसा व्यक्ति जो एक घंटे का समय बरबाद करता है, उसने जीवन के मूल्य को समझा ही नहीं है।” - चार्ल्स डारविन

“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” 

- E E Cummings

“हंसी के क्षणों के बिना बीता दिन सबसे खराब दिन है।” -

 ई ई कम्मिंग्स

proof of god

WHO KNOWS THIS TRULY, AND WHO WILL NOW DECLARE IT, WHAT PATHS LEAD TOGETHER TO THE GODS? ONLY THEIR LOWEST ASPECTS OF EXISTENCE ARE SEEN, WHO EXITS ON SUPREME, MYSTICAL PLANES.

FOR WHAT CAN BE KNOWN ABOUT GOD IS PLAIN TO ALL, BECAUSE GOD HAS SHOWN IT TO THEM. EVER SINCE CREATION OF THE WORLD HIS INVISIBLE NATURE, NAMELY, HIS ETERNAL POWER HAS BEEN CLEARLY PERCEIVED IN THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE.

IT IS DIFFICULT TO DISCUSS THE BEGINNING OF THE UNIVERSE WITHOUT MENTIONING THE CONCEPT OF GOD. IT IS QUITE POSSIBLE THAT GOD ACTS IN WAYS THAT CANNOT BE DESCRIBED BY SCIENTIFIC LAWS. BUT IN THAT CASE ONE WOULD JUST HAVE TO GO BY PERSONAL BELIEF.

DO YOU NEED PROOF OF GOD? DOES ONE LIGHT A TORCH TO SEE THE SUN?.

Be An Arrow of Attention By: K M Gupta

When the Kurukshetra war was all set to begin, Krishna converts interspace into a classroom. To set Arjuna to proper action, Krishna has to put him on the right approach that comes from right attitude which in turn comes from proper understanding and that, from proper knowledge. So midfield has to turn into a classroom.

Life is a classroom and you never cease to be a student. The moment you cease to be a student you become deadwood. So the first lesson for all students of life is how to be a good student. And that is the first lesson to be taught to all students from Kindergarten.

How can a student be a good or even best student? Look at the knowledge-understanding-attitude-approach chain. Knowledge comes first. Gaining knowledge is the primary aim of education. Knowledge metamorphoses into wisdom in the form of understanding-attitude-approach. So go get knowledge first.

But knowledge doesn’t favour all. It comes only to those who have curiosity which is the mother of knowledge. It is the greatest virtue. What do all science, discovery and invention owe their origin to? Curiosity. What made Albert Einstein the greatest of all scientists? Curiosity. Those without curiosity are ‘knowledge-challenged’. So cultivate curiosity, for curiosity cultivates knowledge.

I have one thing in common with Isaac Asimov, the renowned science fiction writer. He said, “My father taught me all that I have today. How? He taught me curiosity, and with that I learned all I have.” Once the Head Teacher of my son’s school summoned me and gave me a dressing down: “Your son has fared awfully badly in maths this time!” I taught my son maths at home. Not for long, only for a short while. Next time he became topper and also, maths became his first love. What was the magic? I taught him maths. But not just maths but curiosity as well, which I learned from my father.

In the present system of education students can’t expect curiosity to be taught. So students must teach themselves curiosity. Don’t just cram lessons. Cultivate curiosity towards what you learn. Anything can be the subject of your curiousity — grammar, maths, even morals. Convert everything into curiosity. What is it about? What is it for? How does it work? How does it fit in with life? If you have curiosity, nothing is dull or tough. Mathematics is usually the bête-noir for average students. But mathematics is the most interesting of all subjects in the world — if only you are curious. If you are dull in mathematics, it means your teacher has failed in cultivating curiosity in you. Don’t wait for the teacher. Teach yourself curiosity. Start looking at things with curious eyes. Sit for a while in the class of the greatest of all teachers of all times and listen: ‘Shraddhavan labhate jnanam.’

Attention is the sharp edge of curiosity. In the Upanishad the guru tells his student, ‘sharavat thanmayo bhavet’ — be like an arrow set on its aim. To be an arrow set on its aim, you should have no diversions. And to have no diversions you should have your senses in control. So Krishana adds: ‘Tatparah samyatendriyah.’ Have no diversions and have your senses in control. Curiosity can lead to bad things also. So Krishna asks you to know what is day and what is night, in which to wake up and in which to sleep, when to open your eyes at and when to shut them. The Gita is a guide on how to be an Arrow of Attention.

Your Body Is God’s Palace By: Swami Sivananda

Creation has many aspects and among the various beautiful creations of God, the human body stands out prominently as His most wonderful creation. Swami Sivananda calls the body a mysterious moving palace within which God dwells. Buddhi or intellect is His prime minister; mind is the commander; the 10 indriyas or senses are soldiers; the eyes are the windows of the palace; and the devatas who preside over the indriyas — eyes, nose, ears, for example — are the gatekeepers.

The human body is therefore without doubt a work of art. Observing the artistic manner in which all the muscles are attached to the bones by tendons, joints balanced with the help of ligaments, fat deposited in a manner that imparts good shape to the limbs, trunk and abdomen; the skin pigment that makes the body look attractive — looking at all of these, one cannot help marvelling at God's creative output.

God makes use of the five elements of nature while creating the body: bone is nothing but earth or clay; blood is water; the radiance of skin and eyes is fire; and the prana or breath that moves through the nostrils and lungs is nothing but air which derives its support from ether. The four elements — air, fire, water and earth have all emanated from ether.

Swami Sivananda says that after demise of the body, all the elements get dissolved. What happens is that the bones merge with the earth and by doing so they go back to their source. When the body is placed on the funeral pyre, mantras are chanted with the purpose of invoking the blessings of the Lord so as to ensure that the body gets dissolved with its five material components of earth, water, fire, air and ether from where it originally emanated. The body is then offered to the fire.

It is rather ironical that despite the Lord dwelling right within the innermost chambers of one's heart, people remain unaware of His presence throughout their lives. Under the influence of maya or illusion, the power that deludes, people tend to cling to the perishable body even though it is filled with impurities like urine, faecal matter, pus and so on and they get trapped in the vicious circle of the unending process of transmigration.

Coaxing aspirants to become aware of the transitory nature of life, Swami Sivananda urges them to wake up from their slumber. Use the present time and devote the precious moments of your lives to the practice of meditation in order that the Eternal Lord — who provides support to all the pranas, mind, intellect, senses and the body — could be realised. He says that when the body is free from disease and decrepitude, when old age is still far off, when the powers of the senses are not affected and life is not decaying, the person of discrimination ought to constantly endeavour to attain Self-realisation through meditation. It is useless to dig a well when the house is on fire.

We may conclude with the following words of Swamiji: "O friends, wake up, sleep no more. Meditate. Open the gate of the temple of the Lord in your heart with the key of love. Hear the music of the soul. Melt your mind in His contemplation. Unite with Him. Immerse yourself in the ocean of Love and Bliss".

Swami Sivananda entered mahasamadhi on July 14, 1963.

SELF EXAMINATION

WHEN MIND AND BODY ARE TOGETHER, AT THE SAME PLACE, AT THE SAME TIME, THERE BEGINS AWARENESS OF THE SELF.

WHEN YOU MEET SOMEONE BETTER THAN YOUR SELF,TURN YOUR THOUGHTS TO BECOMING HIS EQUAL. WHEN YOU MEET SOMEONE NOT AS GOOD AS YOU ARE, LOOK
WITHIN AND EXAMINE YOURSELF.

IF I TRY TO BE LIKE HIM, WHO WILL BE LIKE ME?.

ONLY BY MUCH SEARCHING AND MINING ARE GOLD AND DIAMONDS OBTAINED, AND MAN CAN FIND EVERY TRUTH CONNECTED WITH HIS BEING IF HE WILL DIG DEEP INTO THE MINE OF HIS SOUL.

EVERYTHING THAT IRRITATES US ABOUT OTHERS CAN LEAD US TO AN UNDERSTANDING OF OURSELVES.

AT THE CENTER OF YOUR BEING YOU HAVE THE ANSWER YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE AND YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT.

sri sri ravishankar

Our human body is made to bring heaven on this earth, meant to bring sweetness into this world, not spill venom. It is easy to put down anybody but it takes some guts, some intelligence and courage to uplift people, to bring out the divine quality in others around. By bringing out divine qualities in others, you will be able to see Divinity deep inside yourself.

Looking For God In The Lab

God is not proved objectively. What is proved objectively -- the electron, neutron or proton? Nobody has yet seen electrons, neutrons, protons, but the scientists say they are. If nobody has seen them why do you say they are? Scientists say, "Because though we cannot see them, we can see their effect." The mystics say the same thing: "God is not observed objectively, but we can see the effect."

Can't you see the universe running so intelligently? Can't you see tremendous intelligence permeating the whole?

It is not only the mystics who say the universe is full of intelligence. Albert Einstein' said, "The scientist's religious feeling takes the form of a rapturous amazement at harmony of natural law which reveals an intelligence of such superiority that compared with it, all the systematic thinking and acting of human beings is an utterly insignificant reflection."

Listen, this is not Bohme, Ramakrishna, or Rajneesh. This is Einstein saying that it is not a dead universe, that it is not a "stupid" universe, that it is intelligent.

Physics has become metaphysics again. Physicists even talk about atoms having free will. Einstein said no event can be postulated without the presence of a witness, an observer.

Molecular biology has conclusively proved that the "matter" of organic life, our very flesh, really is mind-stuff. What is the purpose of this intelligent universe? Scientist David Foster says: "To become more intelligent." I love this answer. This is what the mystics have always been propounding. From unawareness to awareness... from unintelligence to intelligence... there is the way and there is the goal. The Upanishads say: "tamsoma jyotingamay" -- "O Master of the Universe, take me from darkness to light."

What do we mean when we say "God is"? We only mean that the world is intelligent, nothing else. God cannot be proved objectively, that's true. Nobody is trying to prove him objectively. In fact, if God is proved objectively, he will be no longer God. Then he will become a thing. Then you can dissect God in your lab, you can analyse; then it will not be God at all.

I have again and again said that Creation is the Creator, that the world is God; that there is no separation; that it is not like a painter and the painting -- in fact it is like a dancer and the dance. God is existence. There is no separation. Not that God has created it; God has become it. You cannot find God anywhere else other than in his existence, and you cannot separate them.

Can you find the dance when the dancer has gone? Or can you call a person a "dancer" when he is not dancing? They are always together; the dance and the dancer are together. They are two aspects of One energy. Creation and Creator are together.

In fact, my own choice is that I don't like calling God "Creator". I call God "creativity".  It is an ongoing process. Not that one day God created the world. Creation continues. It is moment to moment, moving, it is a process, it is dynamic, it is river-like. And God is not separate. Through meditation you come to your innermost core of intelligence. Through meditation you become so silent that your own intelligence is revealed to you. In that very revelation, God is revealed.

Mind's Tricks

The mind is the instrument,the flywheel, and the thickest comrade of man.Through it,one can ruin oneself.Regulated and controlled, channelled properly it can liberate;wayward  and let loose, it can entangle and blind fast.

To enjoy good health,to bring true happiness to one's family,to bring peace to all,one must first discipline and control one's own mind.If a man can control his mind he can find the way to enlightment,and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.

Mind is consciousness,which has limitations.We are orignally unlimited and perfect.Later on we take on limitations and become the mind...There is no mind to control if you realise the self. The mind having vanished,the self shines forth.

If we can become aware of the mind's despective play to deceive us, we can take steps to overcome its tricks.

Divine Nature Of Silence

Silence is God’s nature. In His formless state in the beyond, silence is absolute and eternal. Silence represents Oneness. Sound represents duality. Sound needs a source and the receiver. As the urge to know – Koham – was latent in the beyond state, the Word was. As the original urge flowed to the beyond state to manifest, Word was also transmitted and manifested along with the urge. As it manifested, it produced sound. Sound then expanded over all creation and permeated through God’s journey of evolution from Infinite Unconsciousness to Infinite Consciousness. Sound is the nature of maya. We stay with the sound as long as we are overwhelmed by duality. We resolve back to silence once we experience unity.

Word and sound are signs of unfulfilment; a cry of desires and craving. When an individual  is at peace with himself and content within, he finds words irrelevant. Silence signifies completion – perfection. Sound denotes incompletion – imperfection. Our journey began with the sound and will end in silence. Sound is not separate from silence. While silence is the nature of God, sound is quest for Self-knowledge. Silence includes sound. Sound, in its diverse expression and effect, was not intended to create chaos. God takes human form to bridge the gulf between silence and sound, activating the immense possibility of silence to bear upon the movement of sound, and restores lost harmony of thought, words and deeds amongst people.

There is fundamentally no antagonism between silence and the Word. The origin and invariable end of all words is silence. From silence, we come. To silence, we go. The interregnum is Word.

Sound originates from and is dependent on silence though it is allowed autonomy for certain time when it enjoys freedom and a sense of illusory detachment from silence. It traverses through the extremes of opposites such as sorrow and happiness, pain and pleasure until it loses control. Harmony gives way to cacophony and sound degenerates to noise. Ignoring the pure inspiration of his conscience, man uses sound to further impulses of selfish motives, causing commotion and confusion.

Thus, sound loses its moorings. It is not able to withdraw; nor can it absorb itself. Unable to restore harmony in life, it becomes like a faulty siren that goes on and on, causing unbearable irritation.

So, we ignore the silence of God which has been communing with us deep within, everlastingly; and get entangled in the uncontrolled, unguided sound. Being tired of this commotion, man’s heart instinctively aches for peace and craves for silence but cannot shut the sound off.

At such times, Avatar, the God-man, descends to bring back harmony in the world, giving sound a new meaning, life and orientation.

To remain silent is to poignantly bring out the meaninglessness of words. Through the power of silence, you can counterbalance sound forces. Avatar is stationed at the fulcrum of the universe. His actions create ripples across levels in creation. Such silence reverberates through the breadth, length and depth of the universe. Unique silence of an avatar is distinct from that of spiritual seekers, yogis or mahatmas.

(On this day, 87 years ago, Avatar Meher Baba commenced his silence and maintained it for 44 years, until he breathed his last. The distinctive nature of Baba’s silence is not its duration but the fact that Baba chose to adopt silence to carry out his avataric mission.)

Ten Characteristics of Dharma By: Shri Anandamurthi

Those who follow the path of dharma should cultivate ten characteristics of dharma within. The first one is dharti or patience. In the spiritual sphere, if someone expects immediate results after starting the practice of Tantra, that would not be realistic. Therefore, be patient. Thus, dhrti is the first characteristic of dharma.

The second characteristic of dharma is kshama or forgiveness. Each and every action produces an equal and opposite reaction provided the three relative factors remain unchanged. But these three factors often change – because of transformation from one state to another. Suppose someone has started doing some mischief by hitting you: this action will certainly have a reaction. When the time comes for you to take revenge, you should not express any reaction yourself. In this way you will break the continuity of the chain. The point at which the cycle of action and reaction stops, due to your initiative, is called forgiveness. This is the second characteristic of dharma.

The third aspect of dharma is damah or control. Damana is the state of achieving control over internal enemies – that is, debasing propensities. The fourth is asteya. Asteya literally means not to steal anything physically or mentally. The fifth characteristic of dharma is shaocha and this is of two types: external and internal cleanliness. External cleanliness refers to body, clothes and surroundings. Internal cleanliness is that of mind.

The sixth feature of dharma is indriyanigraha. In Sanskrit Indra means ‘controller’, ‘headman’ or ‘patriarch’. There are ten indriyas or organs: five sensory and five motor. As they exercise control over the physical activities, they are called ‘indra’, meaning “dominating entity”. The subtler mind or atman is superior to these organs. The indriyas are to be kept in check with your mental and spiritual power. This is why in dharmic life the control of organs is considered imperative. In the spiritual sphere one will have to exercise control over the sensory and motor organs.

The seventh characteristic of dharma is dhi which means ‘benevolent intellect’. If human intellect is not channelised well it becomes destructive; it corrupts and exploits society. It may even become a demonic force. Dhi means intellect that helps regenerate society, which can benefit not only human beings but all beings.

The eighth characteristic of dharma is vidya meaning ’internal assimilation of external objectivities’. It is of two types: vidya and avidya. Avidya is mainly concerned with external life whereas vidya is concerned with internal life. According to Ananda Marga philosophy, we cannot afford to ignore the external world, and thus ours is a subjective approach through objective adjustment. Avidya means ‘modern science’. You should not ignore modern science because whle avidya helps us develop in the physical sphere, vidya, helps one strive to attain liberation. Vidya and avidya will help human beings achieve success in material and spiritual spheres.

The ninth characteristic of dharma is satyam or truth and it is to be observed in your individual and collective lives. The tenth and final characteristic is akrodha or non-anger, a very subtle propensity. You should not be misguided or swayed by krodha or anger. Anger means to remain under the influence of nerve cells and fibres instead of being influenced by subtler layers of mind. It is therefore very dangerous. You may show anger to stop unholy activities of sinful people in society. This is called “sentient anger”. These are the ten characteristics of dharma.

The First Guru is Born By: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

On days when the moon is full, its vibration, its feel, is very different than on other days. For a spiritual seeker, this day is like a boon from nature. Earlier, Guru Pournami was among the most important festive occasions in the country. Over time, it got relegated to the background due to ignorance and so fewer people were aware of its great significance. However, it is now coming back slowly into prominence with more seekers looking for spiritual guidance.

Guru Pournami is the day the first guru was born. Once upon a time, Shiva attained and went into intense ecstatic dance on the Himalayas. When we say Shiva, in the yogic culture, we do not refer to him as a god. He is seen as the Adiyogi, or the first yogi. When his ecstasy became beyond movement, he became still. When it allowed him some movement, he danced wildly. People saw that he was experiencing something that they were unable to fathom. They came, waited and left because Shiva was oblivious of other people’s presence.

Seven people hung on. These seven people were insistent that they must learn from him. Shiva ignored them. They pleaded, “We want to know what you know.” Shiva dismissed them, “The way you are, you are not going to know, ever. You need to prepare. Tremendous amount of preparation is needed for this. This is not entertainment.” 

So they started preparing -- for days, weeks, months and years… Shiva chose to ignore them. One full moon day, after 84 years of sadhana, when the sun was shifting from the northern to southern run – which in this tradition is known as Dakshinayana – Adiyogi looked at these seven people. They had become shining receptacles of knowing. They were absolutely ripe to receive. 

Shiva could no longer ignore them. They grabbed his attention. He watched them closely for the next 28 days. When the next full moon arose, he decided to become a guru. Adiyogi transformed himself into Adi Guru. He turned south to shed his grace upon their race and the transmission of yogic science started. Because he turned south, when Shiva or the Adiyogi sits as a teacher, we call him Dakshinamurthy. The first guru was born on that day. That day is referred to as Guru Pournami.

Guru Pournami specifically is a day where there is a possibility to be receptive to the particular dimension which we refer to as the Guru -- not that it is not available on other days; the guru’s grace always is.

You don’t seek a guru first of all. You create a deep longing to know – a guru will happen to you. You don’t seek, going about choosing who is a better guru. You just create a deep longing. What you call as guru will happen to you because guru is not a person. A guru is a certain space, a certain energy. It can only happen to you. It is not somebody you meet. It is not somebody that you shake hands with. It is not somebody that you bow down to. It is not somebody to whom you go and beg for this or that. That space, that energy which you refer to as guru will happen to you. It will overwhelm you. It will destroy you the way you are so that you will become unbound – the way the Creator intended you to be.