Right on God

The concept of God is perhaps as ancient as human existence. At all times, God has been conceived in numerous ways. Some consider Him to be a very benevolent entity that can be easily pleased by prayers both genuine and not so genuine while others consider Him to be a tough ruler of the Universe who can inflict any punishment on anyone in anger. Thus, all try to please Him in their own ways. Yet it is difficult to say as to how many trust Him, forget how many think about what is right on God’s part. 

I have contemplated a lot on the subject of God and this has been possible on account of the blessings of many enlightened saints. What I learnt from all of them is that God is the name given to the power of Nature, which is manifested in all its creations both sentient as well as insentient. This way, we all are essentially divine but unaware of it. The purpose of life is to seek divinity within us so that we regard ourselves as a part of God or in other words, children of God. Once we realise this, all our misgivings about God disappear and we lead a carefree life, like a child in the company of her mother. We can also have a rightful claim on Him provided we obey Him and live in accordance with His laws. 

I have an interesting experience to narrate which reinforced my faith in God. As commissioner of Lucknow, a great responsibility was entrusted upon me and my team for arranging unemployment allowance distribution to more than fifty thousand youths coming from different parts of the division. It was a huge task with no previous experience of its kind. It included huge tents, transport arrangement, food arrangements and many other logistics. The time given for all this arrangement was very short. The Chief Minister was personally interested in perfecting the programme and was monitoring it closely. The programme was to be held in the mid of June when there is a good likelihood of rain. 

Given the context, we all set ourselves to make the arrangements. One problem after the other was coming before us but with a strong team spirit and support from the higher officials, they were also being sorted out. Within a few days we became confident that the programme would be successful. The only missing thing was that a rainproof tent could not be arranged for the whole area. The contractor could provide that only for the VIP area. It was his physical limitation and no amount of temptation or threat was of any help. 

When the final review of the arrangements was done at the Chief Secretary’s level, this point also came up for discussion. While the Chief Secretary was convinced that nothing could be done at that point of time and it should be left to chance only, the Home Secretary took a rigid stand and insisted on the rainproof tent to cover the entire area. He also proposed that if it was not possible, the CM should be advised to change the date. The Chief Secretary, though not convinced by his proposal, kept silent. However, I took a firm stand. I said that we also have some right on God and it was time to exercise that right.

Immediately, we took the CM into confidence, who understood our limitations and asked us to go ahead with the arrangements. Eventually, it turned out to be a memorable occasion with everything going the perfect way. The Chief Minister was extremely pleased and praised the whole administration. The fact that it did not rain and nor was it so sunny, was certainly a blessing of God. 

Rakesh Mittal I A S

Emergence of Islam as One Power

Mohammed left Jiran for Mecca in order to perform Umra. After performance of Umra Mohammed appointed Aftab Ibn Muad as Governor of Mecca. For teaching Quran and impart religious instructions, Mohammed appointed Muaad Ibn Jabal. Thereafter Mohammed returned to Medina along with Mohajids.

After the surrender of Mecca and siege of Thaif there was no power in Arabia capable of any confrontation with Mohammed. The victory of Mohammed built a great impact on the Arab tribes. After Mohammed left Thaif, Dubair Ibn Suhair wrote to his brother Kaa Ibn Suhair that it should not be better for him to go to Medina to appear before Mohammed repenting in his rash conduct in making a poem defaming Mohammed or otherwise he will have to go to a far off place for his safety. On receipt of this message Kaa Ibn Suhair went to Mohammed and recited his poem. Mohammed accepted his repentance. Thereafter he lived as a good Muslim. 

The leaders of many tribes began to approach Mohammed declaring their loyalty to Mohammed. The delegation of Thwayy tribe under the leadership of Saibul Quil approached Mohammed. Mohammed received them warmly. They had discussion and Mohammed was pleased with the leader of Saibul tribe and he renamed him as Saidul Qair. The entire tribe embraced Islam in the presence of Mohammed.

Aby Iy Ibn Hathil was a Christian who did not like Mohammed. Finding the impact created among other tribes, after the victory of Mohammed in Mecca and Thaib, he along with family members left for Syria. His sister became a prisoner. When she saw Mohammed she said, “Oh prophet of God, my father died and brother left for Syria and so mercy towards me.” Mohammed traced her father’s details and made a gesture to set her free. Mohammed gave a gift of valuable cloths and some money and sent her to Syria along with the caravan headed to Syria. She joined them and explained to her brother the special charity extended to her by Mohammed. On hearing this he came to Median and embraced Islam in the presence of Mohammed. Similarly many tribes and individuals came to Mohammed and declared their loyalty and embraced Islam. However Mohammed did not have enough peace of mind as his daughter Sainaba fell seriously ill. She had to undergo persecution and torture from Huail and Habbar all the time. She migrated from Mecca to Medina.  At last she fell ill and died. With her death only Fathima was alive among the children of Mohammed. 

Justice P K Shamsuddin

The World as I See

I have been continuously reflecting on my life trying to figure out the essentials of life. When I left home and my native land at the age of 17 to join the Jesuits, I thought my life was safe and secure. In my mind I received through the Jesuits the best religious and secular training and education that the world could offer. I also thought that after many years of extensive and intensive training and formation I received the best job that the Jesuits could give, that is training selected men (young Jesuits and others) in Jnana Deep Vidyapeeth (Institute of Philosphy and Religion), Pune, India, who would devote their lives to spread the teaching and good news of Christ to establish the Kingdom of God. As I progressed I became restless and I realized that the serious questions that were cropping up in my mind did not have satisfactory answers. I gradually began to develop difficulty in reconciling myself theologically and spiritually with the great importance given to chastity/celibacy and unconditional obedience to the pope, and the medieval, hierarchical, autocratic power structure in the Catholic Church. I became aware that that kind of curtailing of freedom of individuals was unnecessary and even harmful for spiritual life. I left the Jesuits at the age of 42, keeping with me the very best they gave, to continue my search for truth and answers to questions related to purpose of life in this world.

Where am I now at the age of 73? How do I see this world? This world is a beautiful place created for all. Every human is created in God’s image. I respect and revere every human. This beautiful world has taken a wrong turn that led to the strangle-hold of consumerism, greed, exhibitionism, vain glory, and domination by a select, powerful, and privileged but misguided few. A world of solid values and virtues seems to be in the grip of demonic forces. These demons, no doubt, are within us. We can exorcise them if we dare to. Unfortunately we humans as co-creators have failed. Religions have so far failed to deliver their promises. However, finally truth will triumph. Light will not be overcome by darkness. The teachings of Christ and Buddha, and the message given in the person of Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita, and the life of truth and non-violence modeled by Mahatma Gandhi in his practical life are eternal, and will provide guidance for all. There are other seers and luminaries illuminating our path. No doctrine or dogma can satisfy. Finally it is a question of faith in God or the person who reveals God. Even here any scripture or any divine being can be only a pointer to the Ultimate. But one thing we can be sure of. Love of God can happen only through love of humanity. God can be worshiped only in spirit, truth, and love. No one who loves his or her fellow human being, including the least one, will be lost. It is only difficult because of the bad programming we have received during our formative years, and because of the garbage we have collected in our mind over the years, and the baggage we carry that slows us down.

  

Swami Snehananda Jyoti 

Want, Desire, Satisfaction ……

This is the live story of a girl named Jessica, from Sierra Vista, Arizona, USA, who was born without hands. Jessica slowly learned to live her life with her feet. With the support of her parents and family, Jessica became confident in herself as an adult and continued to explore the world with her feet. As a child, Jessica had studied dance and she continued dancing for 14 years. At the age of 14, Jessica earned her first Black Belt in the International Taekwondo Federation. After graduating from high school, Jessica attended the University of Arizona where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Jessica’s most famous accomplishment was learning how to fly. She received the Guinness World Record for being the first person certified to fly an airplane with only their feet. Jessica now works as a motivational speaker. She travels all over the world sharing her story and encouraging people to be creative and innovative with the mantra, ‘Think outside the shoe.’ 

When similar stunning heroic stories of success pass by, I ask myself, ‘what are success and satisfaction? How is pain and suffering related?’ Satisfaction is defined as pleasure obtained from getting what you want and success is the achievement of something that you planned to do or attempted to do. However, I may not agree with the explanation on satisfaction, unless the word want is redefined, because wants need not go hand in hand with satisfaction. If the teachings of Siddhartha Buddha can be summarized into one sentence, it could be that desire is the cause of all miseries and desire simply means strong feeling of wanting something. 

The truth that satisfaction is not proportional to the quantity we want/earn underlines the fact that satisfaction of being a king for the noble and having a simple own house for the poor could be the same by degrees. None of the congenital problems that Jessica had could hurt her. Sufferings were not pains to her. Finally, I came to the conclusion that if Jessica could be unhappy, it means that Nature has with it a rule of balance to help all sorts of people from all corners of the globe reach satisfaction. Wherever there is some imbalance as we see it, there definitely is the necessary balancing power hid behind. That should be the reason why Jessica says that the Great Universe is always merciful.

Joseph Mattappally

Be Optimistic

Give your mind positive thoughts to chew on but keep them realistic. You can control your thoughts, and your thoughts control your life - Dora Albert.

‘Optimism is believing in favourable events and visualizing nice things ahead irrespective of adverse circumstances’. Thinking only of the best, working only for the best, expect only the best and manifest the best of yourself. Do not worry about the unknown; it’s as likely to be good or bad. Never lose your hope, even if you lose all else. The key to optimism is to maximize your successes and minimize your failures. Optimist always have better health, wealth and career opportunities in life. Act and feel cheerful. Being always joyful and euphoric is the fastest way to be optimistic. Optimist has  positive attitudes, focuses on solutions, dwells on strengths and thinks about achieving prosperity.

There are some ants called ‘bridge makers’ who show wonderful intelligence. In order to ford a river they link themselves together into a continuous chain ever so light. Nothing contributes more to cheerfulness than the habit of looking at the bright side of things. The good side is God’s side of them. The lesson which life repeats and constantly enforces, ‘look underfoot’. You are always nearer the divine and the true sources of your power than you think. The great opportunity is where you are.

Some parents were at their wit’s end over their twin boys - one an eternal optimist, the other a hopeless pessimist. Finally they went to a psychiatrist who devised what he thought would be a sure-fire remedy. The doctor placed the optimist in a room filled with manure and told him to dig, figuring this would cure him of his joyful nature. He put the pessimist in a room filled with toys and told him to play. This was bound to cheer the sad-faced boy. 

But when the doctor returned with the parents some hours later, he was flabbergasted at the results. The little pessimist was bawling, complaining that he would hurt himself if he played with the  toys. The little optimist on the other hand was furiously digging in the mannure. When his mother asked what he was doing, the boy joyfully exclaimed, ”With all this mannure, there must be a pony around somewhere.”

“All things work together for good, when there is good will”- James Alberione

Sr. (Dr) Lilly Thokkanattu SJL

Arbindo & Gita Contd.

0..0

We can divide the religions of the world into two groups. One group believes in the theory of creation with a beginning and an end, and the other believes in an existence that has no beginning and no end. Hinduism, Christianity and Mohammedanism believe in creation; they believe that God created the universe. The other group of religions like Jainism and Buddhism deny the theory of creation; according to them, that which is, is beginning less. It was never created. All those who believe in creation cannot accept the theory of evolution. If they accept it, it would mean God created an incomplete world which developed gradually to its present state. But how can God create imperfect world? Evolution means that the world grows gradually, and creation means that the whole world comes into being altogether. 

It is significant that the word Shristi, meaning creation, belonged to the Hindus, and prakriti, meaning pre-creation, belonged to Jainas, Buddhists and Sankhyaites. In the course of time, however, they got mixed up. But the Hindus cannot accept the word prakriti, which means that which is there from the time before creation, that which is uncreated, which is eternal. Creation means something which was not always there and which was created and which can be terminated. The concept of pre-created, the uncreated, of prakriti, belongs to an altogether different school which does not believe in creation. Sankhyaites, Jainas and Buddhists don’t have the concept of creator because when nothing is created, the question of creator does not arise. So God disappeared, he has no place in the philosophies. God is needed only in form of a creator, and so those who rejected creation also rejected God. God as creator belongs only to those who accept the idea of creation. 

And when it comes to Man reaching God, there are two theories; one says God will descend on man. The other says man has to ascend to God. In a way this is also two sides of a coin. The truth happens to be exactly in the middle. This meeting always happens in the midway. The old idea emphasized man’s efforts and not without a reason. As far as God is concerned, he is always there for who seek. So God cannot be left out of consideration. But it is not certain if man will make a move to make a move to meet God. So it mostly depends on man and his journey towards God, his efforts. Too much emphasis on God moving towards man is going to weaken his efforts. Divine energy descends on those who prepare themselves for it, who deserve it. And man has to go all alone; there is no collective or a society thing to happen like a revolution. 

Wishing you all good health and happiness,

Dr.Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people

It is Quite Sufficient, Sir

Contentment is a great virtue. Though it appears to be a simple word, its understanding and more so living with contentment is one of the most difficult things. The paradox is that the more we acquire, lesser seems to be the level of contentment. India is fortunate in the sense that majority of its people are still content. These are not the people from the higher strata of society but those whom we consider poor. I have had the privilege of travelling widely in India and have come across a large number of people. I have experienced the richness of its poor people closely, which certainly makes me feel proud of my country. Here, I shall share one of my personal experiences in this regard. 

I had gone to Mumbai in December 2006 to attend the Global Meet of IITians. I was to stay in the guest house of a public sector undertaking, which was located just adjacent to the airport. The undertaking had made my local travel arrangements also. I reached Mumbai in the forenoon by a morning flight from Bangalore. After check-in at the guest house, I left for the meet. In the evening I was planning to have a quiet dinner at the guest house but a friend of mine insisted on dining out along with another friend. Thus, the three of us went to a famous restaurant of Mumbai. I was told that the restaurant was a favourite place of film stars. Though I was not feeling very comfortable with this programme, yet reluctantly I agreed. 

It was already ten in the night when the menu card came before us. Firstly, it was difficult to identify the items as their names were so unfamiliar and secondly, the prices were beyond my imagination. Somehow, we arrived at an agreed list of items to be ordered and this took another half an hour. By the time we finished our dinner it was well past eleven. The food didn’t give any of us much satisfaction though the total bill touched almost a whopping eight thousand rupees. Apart from indicating the level of restaurant, it was also an indication of the income levels in Mumbai. By the time I reached the guest house, the date had changed.

The next thing I suffered was a disturbed sleep after having a late dinner. In the morning, the room-bearer brought me a cup of tea and appeared to be a good person by his manners as well as disposition. This was a welcome change and I started talking to him. Apart from many general points, I enquired about his family and salary also. His name was Chougale and he belonged to the Dharwar district of Karnataka where his family lived. He lived alone in Mumbai working in the guest house as a contract employee. He was above forty and appeared quite happy. When asked about salary, he told me that it was two thousand and six hundred rupees per month, which was almost equal to the price of one meal we had paid for the last night. I couldn’t believe it and when asked how he could manage himself and his family that was five hundred miles away, he very innocently said, “It is quite sufficient, sir” and went further to explain the break-up. He used to send one thousand rupees to his family, paid six hundred for shelter, three hundred for subsidised food, two hundred for toilet and kept five hundred as pocket money. 

To him, all this appeared to be very simple. Silently, I saluted this person and gave him a Hindi book of mine as a memento. The next morning he appeared again with a one-page compliment about the book, which is still one of my valued possessions. He also gave me a writing pad for my use as a memento. I was left with no doubt that this person was richer than many wealthy persons living in the financial capital of India. 

Rakesh Mittal I A S

A short Break

In that situation the siege had to be extended. The circumstances in which war was prohibited also were put to discussions. Mohammed finally decided to return to Mecca with the idea of performing Umrah. He declared that after the holy month the Muslims will again march to the enemy on hide.

On the way back to Mecca Mohammed and his companions came to Jirah. A delegation of Hayasin tribe approached Mohammed. They discussed with Mohammed. One of them addressed Mohammed thus, “Oh! Prophet of God, These prisoners of war are your relation. They are either your father’s, sister’s or mother’s and those nursed you during your childhood. It is not necessary to remind you about this. You are so kind and generous.”  The story of their relationship, which they told Mohammed was true. There was one old lady among the prisoners. The Muslim army behaved to her rudely. She raised her voice and said, “You should understand that I am a close relative of your leader.“ They could not believe it. They brought her to Mohammed. He recognized her as Shaima, the daughter of Haris Ibn Abdul Ussa. Mohammed spread his shawl on the floor and asked her to sit on it. Mohammed asked her whether she wanted to stay with him or go to her relatives. She liked to go with her relatives. Mohammed gave her permission to go to her relatives. 

Mohammed then turned to other members of Havisan tribe and asked them whether they liked to have their women and children or their wealth. They answered, “They only wanted their women and children.“ Mohammed gave his share of booty and the share of the tribe of Abdul Muthalib. Mohammed said that his share of booty and that of the tribe of Abdul Muthalib will be returned to them. Mohammed set free their women and children. Later Malik Ibn Ous came to Mohammed and he embraced Islam. Mohammed returned to him their relatives, besides hundred camels. 

Justice P K Shamsuddin

Rajayogic Meditation for Relationships – 2

This raja-yogic pranayamic (rajayoga = royal union; pranayama = extension of breath or life force) meditation fosters union or relationships among individual beings. The meditation having a horizontal dimension also has the four stages of 1.relaxation, 2. purification, 3. surrendering, and 4. union. Holy Scriptures very strongly warn that it is impossible to love God who is invisible without loving humans who are visible in our day to day life. Service of God is done only through service of humanity. We need to love even those we dislike, even our enemies.

The first two stages of relaxation and purification during rhythmic breathing are the same as in the previous meditation for developing union between oneself and the Supreme Being. In the third stage the surrendering is to the divine aspect in every person. This surrendering and letting go to the divine in each person facilitates the unity of humanity, marks our human solidarity, and highlights our common destiny, no matter how different we are.

Stage 4: Union. While on-going breathing in and out in the context of relaxation, purification, and surrendering we can visualize vividly all the persons in the world with whom we have relationship problems slowly and one at a time. These persons are our relationship targets. Then we need to make in our imagination packages of our subtle psycho-spiritual-social energies, and direct these energy packages to the targets. Experience these packages moving in terms of powerful vibrations of peace and love. While some are ready and disposed to receive your vibrations, others are not. From those who are not yet ready to receive the vibrations of peace and love you sent, your vibrations will return to you. You do not like it. You are not in this universe to react out of your frustrations but to respond out of your endless love. You do not allow to be conditioned by them. So keep on sending your vibrations regardless.  You are not in this universe for the results you want. You are here to surrender to the Divine who alone knows what is best for all.

Those who are ready for the encounter will receive your vibrations whole-heartedly. See your vibrations enveloping and embracing them. Your vibrations in turn generate reciprocal vibrations in them so that they can surrender to all that is best - the divine – in you. Here your vibrations are in phase with theirs. Experience communion, communication, and transformation taking place in the selfless, non-exploitative surrendering and merging with each one’s pure and egoless being.  Here there is no settling of scores, no justifications, no  pompousness, and  no claims. Here there are only two sparks of divine consciousness that engage each other in gratitude, compassion, and love to make this world a better place for all.

With those you want to develop a relationship with, bombard them with your vibrations of peace and love. When they are ready, they will respond. Meanwhile be aware that only unconditional acceptance and selfless and compassionate love for all can generate effortless and non-ending bliss and pure joy.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti

Pope for a Chauffeur!

Pope Francis is on St. Peters throne and the world believes that he is different or a little more close to Jesus and His ways. Strange stories fly all over. Just see if this also fits.

A Pope was going to a store in Rome. He spoke to the driver. “You know” he said, “I have never driven a limousine. Would you mind if I drove it for a while?” The driver said, “No problem. Have at it.” The Pope gets into the driver's seat and they head off down the highway. A short distance away the pope crossed his first speed trap and was caught. The long black limo was flying down at 110 in a 90 km/h road. The young trooper walked up to the driver's door and when the glass was rolled down, he was surprised to see who was driving. He immediately excused himself and went back to his car and called his supervisor. “I know we are supposed to enforce the law.... but I also know that important people are given certain courtesies. I need to know what I should do because I have stopped a very important person.” The supervisor asked, “Is it the governor?” The young trooper said, “No, he's more important than that.” The supervisor said, “Oh, so it's the president.”  The young trooper said, “No, he's even more Important than that.” After a moment, the supervisor finally asked, “Well then, who is it?” The young trooper said, “I think it's Jesus, because he's got the Pope for a chauffeur!” 

The story however carries a great moral. People expect from a Christian, some of the good qualities that Jesus has suggested, from a Bishop, perhaps all the qualities. The world expects from each religionist, strict disciplines envisioned by their Scriptures. So far, there is a big gap between the limousine drivers of the day and the value they carries. Quite recently I came across another interesting creation. Here it is:

“Prisoner at the bar,” said the Grand Inquisitor, “you are charged with encouraging people to break the laws, traditions and customs of our holy religion. How do you plead?” “Guilty, Your Honour.” “And with frequenting the company of heretics, prostitutes, public sinners, the extortionist tax-collectors, the colonial conquerors of our nation-in short, the excommunicated. How do you plead?” “Guilty, Your Honour.” “Finally, you are charged with revising, correcting, calling into question the sacred tenets of our faith. How do you plead?” “Guilty, Your Honour.” “What is your name, prisoner?” “Jesus Christ, Your Honour.”

Joseph Mattappally

Honesty is still the best policy

True honesty takes into account the claims of God as well as those of man, it renders to God the things that are God’s as well as to man the things that are man’s- C. Simmons

Honesty is an attitude of accepting the reality as it is. It demands the acceptance of one’s own goodness as simultaneously God’s gift and one’s own responsibility. Honesty appreciates  the  value and ability of others. It accepts others for their own value and is willing to contribute to the growth and development of those with whom one lives.

Doing the right thing doesn’t come naturally to any of us. As America’s first President, George Washington said, “Few men have virtue enough to withstand the highest bidder”. Yet that is what we must do to develop the kind of character that will sustain us. Moliere commented “Men are alike in their promises. It is only in their  deeds they differ. The difference in their deeds is simple: People of character do what is right regardless of the situation”. If you do the right thing and keep doing it even if it doesn’t help you move ahead with your talent in the short  term, it will protect you and serve you in the long term. Character builds- and it builds you. Or as Dr. Dale Bronner, a board member of a non- profit organization EQUIP puts it,” Honesty is not something you do, honesty is who you are”.

Once a general manager wanted to test his people, about their values of life. He announced that  in  their seminar folder, there was a PVC pouch and in it a seed and that they need to plant it in a pot and look after it well. He would hold a competition at the next year’s seminar and the best plants would be awarded suitably. A year passed quickly. And next year in a big hall, a great scene! There were hundreds of pots and great variety of plants-all except one. In this one pot was soil but no plant! The owner of the pot was standing quietly and seemingly ashamed of himself. 

The general manager called him on the stage. He asked him what happened and he told him the truth. He planted the seed, which he was given and did what was to be done- but nothing happened. The general manager declared him the winner! Everyone was shocked. “Gentlemen! The seeds I gave you were boiled seeds. You planted them and nothing happened! You acted smartly and used some other seeds. This man was honest to his work and therefore, he did not cheat me or himself”.

Sr. (Dr) Lilly Thokkanattu SJL

Arbindo & Gita

Arbindo, a monk, philosopher and freedom fighter of the 20^th century was from Bengal and lived his spiritual life at Pondicherry, a French territory of pre-independent India. Arbindo’s perception on Gita talks of supra-consciousness and the supramental. It is within the confines of rational mind. He is always within the reason. Even in his talks on transcendence of reason, he uses rationalistic concepts. Arbindo was a rationalist. There is a great consistency in the words of Arbindo, which is not there in the statements of supra-rationalism. We cannot find the same logical consistency in the words of many mystics. A mystic speaks in terms of contradictions and paradoxes. Mystic says one word and soon contradicts his own. Usually mystics are self contradictory but not Arbindo.

Arbindo was a great system-maker and could never be a supra-rational. Supra- rational people are always unsystematic. System is integral to logic; and which is illogical cannot follow a methodology or order. The unthinkable cannot be systematized. All the thinkers of this century who have crossed the threshold of reason are fragmentary in their statements. Wittgenstein, Husserl, Heidegger, Marlo Ponti and the rest of them, have made fragmentary statements. J Krishnamurti belongs to the same category which denies the system, order. Their statements are atomic and self contradictory. Arbindo’s case is different. The truth is, after Shankara there has been no greater system builder in India than Arbindo.

The East has no logical system. All its profound insights transcend logic and thought; they cannot be achieved through thinking. Eastern experiences go beyond the known, the knower and the knowledge itself. These all belong to the unknown and the unknowable- what we call mystery. Curiously though, Arbindo creates concepts out of things that have never been conceptualized. He creates categories and concepts and fit them into logic and reason. And he does it without inhibitions. This borders him to mystics!

Down the centuries we have believed that man has to rise and ascend to God, it is always an upward journey. Arbindo thinks the other way. He thinks that God will descend and meet man. To understand the concept, contradiction and reality we must know the difference between the religions, thinking and the theology behind the same. Two ways of thinking are found in religions, one type thinks in creation of world by God. The other type thinks there is no beginning and no end. Now, we must see the concepts in depth. Certainly evolution is unacceptable for most religions! Why is it so?

Let us analyse them all in the coming weeks… “Let us understand Krishna to understand Gita!”

Wishing you all good health and happiness,

Dr.Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people

Not by Default

We all remain happy and motivated in good times. But no one can say when we may have to face bad times. In fact, life is a series of good and bad times and in a meaningful life they both have to be faced with equanimity. While it is easier to face good times with calmness, it is not so in bad times. The real test of our inner growth is in bad times only. But if we believe that bad times help us to grow internally, we can not only face them with calm, we can also win over them. I have a very glaring example of this fact, which I am narrating here. I had a friend who was a member of an important central service and we were together in the training course at Mussorie in the mid-seventies. Our friendship continued thereafter also and we remained in touch with each other. 

I found him a very smart, competent and good person. He had a very co-operative wife and two bright sons. His life was going on smoothly when bad times shrouded him all of a sudden. Firstly, he contracted a nerve disease, which made him almost immobile as well as speechless. While this disease was in progress his elder son got murdered. The family was contesting this case with a lot of courage but during the course of trial, my friend also passed away. This left his wife alone with her younger son. 

One can imagine the severity of the situation for the lady. I visited her one evening at her residence when she shared with me the challenge she was facing. I had always admired the courage she had shown till then, but that day she was somewhat nervous. When I was about to leave, she said that at times she feels that she is on the verge of breaking down and wants to give up the fight in the face of adverse circumstances. While a normal person would have done that much earlier, doing so after having gone so far in her fight against adversity did not appear appropriate to me. I also knew that it was only a transient phenomenon and a proper encouragement or support at that stage would give her the strength to fight her full battle. Suddenly, an idea came to my mind which I shared with her. The idea was that adversity should not be allowed to win by default and it should be given a full fight even if we don’t feel strong enough to face it. Hearing these words she seemed to have regained her will power and determination to fight the battle till the end. This was amply reflected in her body language also. 

Few days later, she told me over phone about the positive impact these words had on her. I was extremely gratified to receive this response. Thereafter, I kept full track of the events which followed in the whole struggle and how boldly and wisely she fought with the negative forces of the system. The final outcome was uncertain till at last the whole nation celebrated the day when she came out as a winner. Certainly, she rose above her adversity and defeated it with her firm resolve. 

It will not be correct to presume that merely my words were a source of strength to her. Many help a courageous person and the maximum help comes from Nature. Perhaps, in her case, she refused to give a walkover to her adversity and fought with it till the last. The outcome was mainly on account of that fight. 

Rakesh Mittal I A S

Fate of the Great Garden

 The defeat of the Meccans in Humain marked the complete devastation of the Meccans. The price that the Muslims had to pay for this victory was heavy. The army of the enemy was lead by Malik Bin Auf. After the defeat he escaped along with the tribe with him. Mohammed ordered to march towards them and attack the tribe under the leadership of Malik Bin Auf. Malik was in a safe place well protected by force. The men of Malik was quite familiar with this kind of warfare. 

The Muslims marched towards them and crossed Liyy. There was a fort belonging to Malik Bin Auf. The Muslims demolished the fort. They also demolished a building belonging to this tribe. They camped in a place nearby. Mohammed discussed with his companions regarding the future courses of action. The enemy tribe was watching the movement of the Muslims army from the top of their forts. They started aiming the Muslims and sending arrows. It was not easy for the Muslim army to attack the force which was well secured and protected. This necessitated some innovative techniques  to win over the Meccans and to protect themselves from the attack of the Meccans with the arrows. The Muslims had to move to a safe place. Some Muslims lost their lives and some including the son of Abu Bekker got injured. Muslims started to attack them with cling.

A section of the Muslim army moved forward to attack all of the force. The enemy tribesmen were very closer and they started throwing at Muslims. Muslims started to retreat without waiting. Utilizing this opportunity the tribe of Haquib started to aim arms and in this process a few more Mulims lost their lives. The attempt of the Muslims to capture the forts was foiled. The only option open to Muslims was to attack and destroy those great gardens which were guarded. Those great gardens were famous in Arabia. The Muslims started to destroy the garden.  Finding this  the tribe leader sent a messenger to Mohammed with a message that it was open to Mohammed to take this great garden or to save them considering the blood relationship between them. Thereupon Mohammed commanded the army to stop destruction of this great garden. He declared that those who surrendered to him can except good treatment from him. Mohammed understood that they had preserved food for sufficiently long time. 

Justice P K Shamsuddin

Yogic Meditation for Relationships – 1

Raja yoga means royal union; pranayama means extension of breath or life force. This rajayogic-pranayamic meditation for developing union with one’s self and the Supreme Being having a vertical dimension has four stages of relaxation, purification, surrendering, and union.

1. Relaxation. Calmness, peacefulness, and relaxation are necessary for growth and development. Nothing can grow in a climate of disturbance, tension, and stress. The best way to relax is to regulate our breathing in a setting where external and internal stimulations are controlled. Often we do not have situations of our choice where we can control the external stimulations. In such settings we can control the stimulations by not controlling them or actively accepting those stimulations that we cannot eliminate. We can maximize elimination of internal stimulations by carefully chosen postures. To begin the meditation,  sit comfortably insukhasana (easy posture) or siddhasana or padmasana or on a chair with a straight back support. Direct the eyes down towards the floor. Close them letting the upper eye-lid gently sliding over the lower one.  This will help quieten the brain and minimize external stimulation. Similarly gently close the lips. You must be sitting in a comfortable pose without undue stress or tension with your head and spinal cord straight. Keeping the spinal cord erect helps one to be alert.  One does not want to go to sleep. Breathe in and out in a slow, continuous flow without stops and jerks. Let smooth, deep inhalation and complete exhalation go on and on throughout this exercise. Think of lungs as two good balloons getting slowly and completely inflated and deflated with air. Fresh air with plenty of oxygen carried by blood vessels into every cell comes in during inhalation; used-up air that contains carbon-dioxide exits from the lungs. Be aware of any aversive stimulus such as unwanted noise in the environment. Acknowledge such stimulus and let it be. Take a brief systematic survey of your body going slowly from one part of the body to another. Be aware of any itching, twitching, tightness, throbbing, tension, and stress. Acknowledge any uncomfortable sensation, and let it be to be worked on later. During the process of rhythmic inhalation and exhalation, be aware of the deep relaxation that is taking place. Experience waves and waves of relaxation enveloping and enwrapping, carrying and floating you in enjoyable, deep relaxation. You can also imagine to be in a beautiful, scenic view of your choice.

2. Purification.  During inhalation think of every cell and fiber of your being refreshed, strengthened, and cleansed by oxygen carried by your blood streams. Likewise carbon-dioxide and other impurities in your bloodare exhaled out of your system. During this special awareness of breathing in and breathing out, the process of on-going purification taking place. We need to add mental healing and hygiene to the bodily cleansing.During inhalation everything that is desirable such as truth, justice, fairness, goodness, beauty, compassion, kindness, and awareness, or any other value is breathed in. During exhalation everything that is undesirable –lust and desire (kama), anger and hatred (krodha), greed and miserliness (lobha), delusion and attachment (moha), ego and pride (mada or ahankar), envy and jealousy (maatsarya) – are breathed out.  This is a very relentless, dynamic, and life-long process.

3. Surrendering: During inhalation one breathes in cosmic consciousness, vital energy, and fullness of spirit-life. During exhalation one surrenders completely to the Supreme Being, and puts oneself at the disposal of thatDivine Spirit to be molded and shaped as a lump of clay is worked on by a potter. We are works in progress. Our complete surrendering makes sure that we do not put any obstacle in the way of our becoming and being who we need to be.

4. Union and Communion: Here the stage is set in our innermost being for the all important and climatic union of the individual consciousness with the Universal Consciousness. We are minute sparks that are parts of the One Blazing Cosmic Spark. Here the mutuality of communication is going on even as the yogic-pranayamic meditation is going on. For a person who has been through years of sadhana (asceticism), the jeevatma(individual soul) in this ecstatic union with the parmatma (Supreme Soul) is in communion beyond communication. Here only what matters is that the individual spirit wills what the Supreme Spirit wills.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti  

The Last Thing to Think About

                Keanu Charles Reeves is a popular American-Canadian actor, who is noted for his discipline and range. Recently, Keanu Reeves has shown his generosity by giving away £50 million of his earnings from the Matrix sequels for the unsung heroes of the sci-fi blockbusters - the costume and special effects teams. When asked about this prodigious act of generosity, the actor said that he already has enough cash. "Money is the last thing I think about. I could live on what I have already made for the next few centuries," he declared. There are stories of many such individuals and organizations who believe that money and matter are not everything.

Our anxiety to be always an inch ahead of the nearest is perhaps the basic reason for our mad race to hoard the maximum, much more than what one really needs. This is exactly for which we spend those fruitful years in our life. We have to admit that we live in a pathologically dissatisfied world, always comparing ourselves with others. What others have has become the deciding unit of our needs and wants. Here is what an anonymous person wrote on this, ‘Filipinos want to be fair-complexioned like Westerners, and so buy bleaching stuff. Westerners want to own bronzed bodies like ours, and so purchase tanning lotions. Those with moles have them removed, while those who don’t strategically implant beauty spots. Some people want to shed a few pounds, while others want to gain some baby fat’. I remember the story of a man who lost a precious jewel worth a few millions. He continued sobbing and weeping until he read the news of another burglary in which his friend lost jewelry worth many more millions. Compare and accept has become the key not only in social affairs but also in family relationships. Thank God, animals don’t have this problem.

There are no two absolutely identical stars in this universe, no two trees, no two leaves or two drops even. Diversity is the very nature of the universe and absolute similarity is almost impossible here. I assure that living as oneself and being natural are the easiest to do and happiest to experience. Avoid comparing and contrasting not only because they generate negative passions like jealousy and hatred but also because it is strategically the most practical approach to a life dipped in happiness and joy. 

Joseph Mattappally

Silence

The practice of silence is more soothing and healing than most medicines. Pascal, the great scientist, said, “After observing humankind over a long period of years, I came to the conclusion that one of man’s greatest troubles is his inability to be still”. In the silence of our hearts, God speaks and from the fullness of our hearts we speak. There are three kinds of silence. Silence from words is good, because inordinate speaking tends to evil. Silence or rest from desires and passions is still better, because it promotes quietness of spirit. But the best of all is silence from unnecessary and wandering thoughts, because that is essential to internal recollection; and because it lays a foundation for a proper reputation and for silence in other respects. Silence is at the root of our union with God and with one another.

When Thomas Alva Edison received an offer from the Western Union Company for the ticker he had invented, he was undecided what price to ask and requested for a couple of days time to think about it. During that time Edison and his wife talked it over thoroughly, and Mrs. Edison suggested that he ask for eight lakhs. Edison thought it an exorbitant figure, but at the appointed time he returned to the Office prepared to ask for that amount.  “Well, now, Mr. Edison, the Official said after  he had greeted him. How much do you want? Edison tried to say eight lakhs, but the words stuck in his mouth. He hesitated and stood speechless for quite some time. The official waited restlessly for a while  and  then impatiently said to Edison,” How about forty five lakhs?”. Clearly it was Edison who benefited from that SILENCE. The Western Union Company lost, because its representative lacked the control to listen to silence.

We tend to say what we want to say without waiting patiently and listening to the person we are dealing with. Listening in silence takes some control. Many of us simply cannot stand being quiet, waiting patiently, and  tolerating the silence long enough for the results that will inevitably take place.

Sr. (Dr) Lilly Thokkanattu SJL

Shankara & Tilak 2

We all wish to combine Shankara’s supra activism and Tilak’s activism approach on Gita and Karma. And we do hope to complete Krishna’s vision that way. But it will not be a complete picture that way. The basic reason is that we cannot make something whole by putting together its parts. It is like we breakup a person’s body into pieces and then put the parts together to make a whole person again. It is simply impossible. Parts put together cannot make a whole; it is a different thing; however, a whole consists of many parts. Our vision of Krishna takes both Shankara and Tilak, but just mixture of their view points will not make a complete philosophy of Krishna. There are thousands of views about Krishna; Shankara and Tilak present only two views. Even a combination of thousand views cannot make a complete Krishna. 

For example, if we make a list of ingredients that make up a human body- like iron, copper, sodium, aluminium, phosphorous etc., they will be worth four to five hundred rupees, not more, nine tenths of human body is water, which does not cost anything much at the moment. And the rest of these things are available in the market. If however we put them all together in the right proportions they cannot create a live human body. A live body is much more than the sum total of its parts, although it cannot be without these parts. An organic unity exists in Krishna’s philosophy of life, although it has a thousand different parts. And every part has been interpreted differently by various people. Ramanuja, Shankara, Nimbark, Tilak, Aravind, Gandhi and Vinoba Bhave all have their own different voices. And if we collect all these views on Krishna, they cannot recreate the organic unity that Krishna is. We will not find Krishna in this amalgamation. And it is also true that in Krishna all these are present and many things more also are present. The amalgam will be a mechanical dead unity. It will be nothing more than an arithmetical addition. 

What we have been seeing is not commentary on Krishna; we are not interpreting him. We have very little to do with these commentaries. We are unveiling Krishna before us. We are not trying to impose ourselves on Krishna, we are unravelling him exactly as he is; right and wrong, moral and immoral, rational, irrational, and even trans-rational. As Krishna himself is choiceless, neither do we pick and choose anything from his life. For thousands of years people have been struggling to interpret Krishna and what Krishna said in Gita. This is unveiling Krishna in his entirety without caring for inconsistencies and contradictions inherent in his life and teachings. I want to see Krishna as whole and in one piece. I also believe that it is the only way to understand Gita better.

Let us understand Krishna, more, to understand Gita well! 

Wishing you good health and happiness,

Dr. Dwarakanath, Director, Mitran foundation- the stress management people 

Cent Percent Negative

Once I was speaking on the subject of ‘Stress Management’ at Hardoi. The talk was well-received and there was a delightful interaction session at the end of it. The essence of my address was that each one of us is a mixture of positive and negative traits. Our effort should be to increase the positive and the negative will reduce on its own. This is what we call positive attitude or positive thinking. To do so is possible for all of us provided we make an effort. This way the journey of our life would be from darkness to light. 

During the interaction, one elderly person rose up and said that he was a cent percent negative person. He wanted to know whether it was possible for him to become positive. For the first time, I had come across a person who considered himself to be cent percent negative. I responded by saying that according to me no living person can be cent percent negative. If so, either he was not alive or he had some element of positivity. He seemed to agree with this statement. Then I gave him two examples: one of a terminally sick person and the second of a nearly dead plant. In both cases, I said, there are chances of survival and no good doctor or gardener will declare them dead as long as there is even a trace of life left in them. They would certainly try to revive them, though they may ultimately fail. Their approach would be to improve the situation bit by bit. 

For example, if there is a plant most of the leaves of which have dried up but one or two leaves are still green, it will not be called a dead plant. A good gardener will nurture it with a lot of care and hope and if he does so, there are chances that more new green leaves will grow. The same is true with man also. As long as there is some breath present, there is every chance of recovery. What is required is to have faith in the laws of Nature. The law of Nature is that it does not disappoint us beyond the point of no return. Even the seeming disappointments of life are for our welfare provided we understand this secret or conspiracy of Nature. There is a silver lining in every disappointment. The need is to identify that silver lining and build upon that bit by bit like a good gardener in the case of plant and like a doctor in the case of man. This way, we are our own gardener and our mind is a plant, which has to be nurtured with care. 

Certainly there can be no magic in recovery. It has to be a natural process and the fact is that only natural recovery is sustainable. Motivation or positivity, which comes in a shortcut manner, is equally short-lived. What is necessary is to know the principles of our life, to understand them and gradually, let them reflect in our lives. Once on this path, our negativity disappears on its own and we become more and more positive. This is the only way of turning cent percent negative into cent percent positive. However, both the extremes are only an imagination and we must strive to remain as close as possible to cent percent positivity. The elderly gentleman took my counsel soberly and promised to follow. 

Rakesh Mittal I A S

Blessed Again

Hearing the oath of Usman his brother said, “Stop talking! By God, I would prefer being put in prison by the Qureshis rather than the tribe of Havasi capture as prisoner.” This dialogue occurred when the Muslim army was getting shattered. Mohammed stood firm. A group of Mohajids and other relations created a circle around him. Addressing the members of the army, who were running away from the field, he asked, “Where are you running?“ He commanded to reinforce the army. That was not heeded to by the army. The tribe of Havasi came down into the position they were holding. Their commander was a person who was with a red camel. He was sitting on that camel while others started attacking the members of the Muslim army. The tribes of Havasin and Saqeb were also doing the same thing. Abbas shouted in loud voice “Oh Ansas who has given refuge and protection to Muslims were Mohajids who have taken oath to obey Mohammed rush for life?” 

They repeated this and this made a surprising turn. They remembered the solemn oath that they had taken. They thought of their own reputation. They also saw Mohammed standing firm in the field, undisturbed by this attack. They returned to the battle field with renewed vigor, enthusiasm and courage. A terrible fight followed. Finally, the Muslim army shattered the line of enemies. Mohammed glorified God and said, “It is only now the war began. God will not violate the promise God has given to his prophet.” Finding that they were incapable of defeating the Muslim army, a few tribes started running away from the battle field leaving behind their women, children, animals and everything they had brought into the battle field. Around 6,000 persons were captured by the Muslim army, besides 20,000 camels and 40,000 sheep and 4,000 ounces of silver which the enemy left. 

Justice P K Shamsuddin

Love Your Enemies

In the serene Shantisadan Siddhashram (Abode of Peace Center for Realization) where I live, generally peace reigns. Seven paid helpers of the ashram appeared to work cooperatively and harmoniously for years. However, some recent events that had their origin when I was away marred the ashram atmosphere. One of the workers quit after getting another job. After about 10 days a police officer arrived at the ashram door to inquire about a complaint against an important ashram member. The complaint resulted from a false accusation. Soon the ashram atmosphere became saturated with vicious toxicity. I was also reminded of the false accusation years ago in the USA that could have dragged my name in the dirt. At that time I was a very responsible and prominent psychologist doctor on the staff of a children’s psychiatric hospital. As I was not arrested after the complaint and inquiry, I asked the police detective why I was not arrested, his spontaneous but simple response was that he did not believe the story of the complainant. 

The question really is how to forgive the unforgivable. How does one forgive those who out of some kind of vindictiveness attempt to ruin others’ reputation or assassinate their characters? In short, how does one love one’s enemies? This was the question put to me in last night’s satsang (gathering of saints) in the ashram.  In a world of the law of talion (“an eye for an eye”), forgiveness is not in vogue. I tried to look into the teachings of the World’s Best Masters. The truly satisfying spiritual answer that came to me was from the teaching of Christ. “But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6: 27-28).  Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad  Gita also  exhorts us who are on the path of liberation to go beyond hatred and revenge. Because those who hurt us are not different from us. They are really us. When Christ tells us to love our enemies, I do not interpret it to mean that we like them. Liking comes from our feelings. Loving is a commitment that comes from our will. That kind of loving is in our control while liking is not. So we can love someone we dislike. Eventually we get consciously into the habit of loving everyone. 

Loving everyone also paves the way to the unity of humanity that is so necessary in a world of fragmentation and divisiveness. Moreover, we do not make others’ problems our problems. The energy we spend in hating others will eventually destroy us as we do not have that energy for our own development. Thus not hating or taking revenge is in our own enlightened self-interest in the long run. I do not by any means suggest that we suppress or repress our legitimate emotions coming out of our hurts, that can harm us. We definitely need to vent those feelings in appropriate settings to be emotionally healthy.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti 

The Mystery of Success

All are born naked but some departs dressed in praise. In October 2011, we read the obituary reports of two middle aged Americans, Steve Jobs and Dennis Richie. Dennis Ritchie was a computer scientist. He began his career at the famous Bell Labs in the United States. By 1973 he developed the C programming language for use with the then-fledgling Unix operating system. Without Dennis Richie there would not have been any Windows, any Unix, any C, any Generic text languages and we would not have read in Binary. Steve Jobs was co-founder of Apple, who later influenced modern technology with undisputed status marks. Interestingly, Jobs was neither a computer scientist nor an engineer.

While Dennis Richie worked hard with dedication utilizing all his expertise, Jobs was focusing on expertise he could mobilize from outside. Once when Jobs was working at Atari, Atari gave Jobs the task of designing a simpler circuit board for its Breakout game, offering him a bonus of $100 for every chip he could eliminate from the design. Jobs’ took the work to a long-time friend and electronics hacker Steve Wozniak, offering to split the $100-per-chip bounty with him. Woz is reported to have cut more than four dozen chips from the board. Jobs recognized opportunities, then got the best people he could find to work on them. That’s why Jobs could grow to a charismatic showman. Without Jobs’ there would not have been any iProducts.

Who among them was more important to technology? Certainly it was Dennis Richie. I don’t think that we require a long analysis to ascertain why Steve Jobs is more honoured. The difference is simple: Jobs was an organizer and a leader who democratized technology while Richie was a lone flower in Bell gardens. The adage says that it is how much we are shared that counts. 

Joseph Mattappally