LPG and CNG

Before you start thinking that what are these fuel names doing here, I will expand these terms right away. LPG for me stands for Love, Passion and Grace and CNG stands for Care, Nurture and Giving. One can definitely fuel his life well with the help of these attributes. Some time back, I used to visit a mechanic in front of my office, for repair of my scooter. This repair shop was quite old and three generations of people in the family were engaged in the repair business. One fine day, the delivery of my vehicle after servicing got late and I had to sit at the shop for quite some time. Late in the evening when most of the service work was complete, the staff started cleaning a particular area inside the shop. Here the grandfather in the family sat on a stool. Some ladies from nearby localities gathered around this old gentleman. In a rather feeble voice, these ladies started asking few questions to this person, calling him ‘Dada Ji’. The old person seemed to oblige by saying few words to each of them and the process continued. I was watching all this from a little distance. Out of curiosity I asked the person who was attending to my vehicle, about what is going on. 

The person explained to me about the qualities of Dada Ji in Urdu words that translated to “with a lot of passion and grace, Dada Ji showers his love over these women”. And, before your fertile mind takes some other track, let me tell you that Dada Ji was actually a passionate fortune-teller. Whatever he tells to these women becomes true. He also used to advise solutions to the problems faced in their families, particularly related to illness, education or financial needs. Due to the environment around me, while sitting at a vehicle repair shop the acronym to these attributes that came to mind was LPG, Love, Passion and Grace. Surely expanding the term ‘Petrol’ or ‘Diesel’ was too difficult, so my brain settled down with LPG. Later my brain kept on working and it spelled out another expansion for CNG as Care, Nurture and Giving. With the fuel named LPG an old scooter mechanic became a crowd puller fortune teller, with fuel of CNG a person can become a great service provider and friends I am sure if you apply your brain a little more than me, then probably you will also be able to expand ‘Petrol’ and ‘Diesel’ as more fuels of life. So folks! I wish you a lot of happy and creative thoughts. 

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

The Four Dimensions

The Baba was silent for some time. Then he said:

“Much of the problems of humankind arise when those four yearnings are not satisfied in the individual or collective lives of people.” 

*Ref: GV 11 - four yearnings -the yearning for love, the yearning for acceptance, the yearning for dignity and the yearning for equality.

“A family, a society, an economic system, a political order, a religion, a nation… all need to satisfy these deepest yearnings of the human heart if we are to find lasting peace and happiness in this world. Does Capitalism, Communism or Socialism satisfy these yearnings of the human hearts?” The Baba asked his disciple.

“No, not at all guruji.” The attentive disciple answered. 

“So do you realize why our ‘revolutions’ fail?”

“Yes guruji… Our revolutions do not take into account these basic yearnings of all human hearts. We focus merely on economic equality and political power”, Atma Prakash replied.

“Love, acceptance, dignity and equality are attributes of a unitive divine consciousness. Such a consciousness will automatically transform us to be persons of love who will unconditionally accept ourselves and others…. 

“We will then be able to respect the dignity and uniqueness, not only of all human beings, but also of all living beings…. 

“We will also be able to treat others as our equals in the human family….

“When there is within us a unitive divine consciousness, we will learn to treat all human beings as our brothers and sisters….

“We are all children of God who is our eternally loving parent,” the Baba told his disciple.

 “We shall also discuss about the four dimensions of human personality today”, the Baba went on: 

“We all want to develop our personalities. ‘Personality’ has four important dimensions….. Hence, in order to develop an integrated personality we need to understand these various dimensions of human personality...

“The first dimension of one’s personality is ‘physical’. It relates mostly to one’s body, health and appearance. The shape, size and colour of our body are mostly determined by our genes. We only need to maintain our bodies well in order to remain healthy... 

“A healthy body can be developed and maintained only through self-discipline in our habits. With good habits, the body becomes healthy. It will be an asset to us in our life-mission. A simple life in harmony with nature, eating simple and nourishing vegetarian food, getting up early, going to bed early, regular exercises and cleanliness are habits necessary to keep our bodies healthy and efficient. A healthy body is necessary for a healthy mind. If the body is sick and unhealthy, it will be difficult for us to concentrate our minds on anything. A healthy body is a prerequisite for the development of the other three dimensions of one’s personality….

“The second dimension of one’s personality is 'mental'. The mind is superior to the body. It is the mind which controls the sense organs. ‘We are what we think’ said the Greek philosopher, Aristotle. The mind makes our sense organs indulge in right or wrong activities. A proper development of the mind is very important for using the powers of the physical body for higher purposes. It is the mind which makes or breaks our lives. It makes us educated, cultured, happy, peaceful and fruitful….

“Correct application of the mind is the basis of success and fruitfulness in our lives. People become engineers, managers, doctors, businessmen, industrialists, administrators etc. based on their mental makeup. The mental dimension enables us to take care of our physical dimension and needs….

“The third dimension is ‘Intellectual’. The mind, though superior to the senses, is capable of misleading us if not controlled by a higher power. This higher power is the ‘Intellect’. The “Intellect’ gives us the power of discrimination. It enables us to discriminate between good and evil. This ability of discrimination leads us to wisdom. A person with wisdom has a much better personality compared to a person with great knowledge but without the power of discrimination….

“The fourth dimension of the personality is the ‘Spiritual’. This is the highest dimension in our personalities. It integrates the other three and gives them wholeness and leads them to holiness. The ‘Spiritual’ dimension has an eternal significance. It does not die with the body. It does not fade with the mind and intellect… It remains beyond time and space limitations. It ‘connects’ us to the eternal. It leads us to ‘moksha’, God-realization, that is the goal and purpose of life in this world…..

“A unitive divine consciousness can dawn upon only on an integrated personality… Such an integrated personalities are essential for building a new Integrated World Order without which global peace will ever remain a mirage…..”

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

A DECAYING CULTURE

BS 271 240915 A DECAYING CULTURE

Apart from a few months’ absence, I lived in the USA from 1974 till 2006. From 2006 onwards I live about 10 months of a year in India, and about 2 months in the USA. Currently I am in my yearly visit to the USA. I was struck by the awareness of the vast changes that have taken place from 1974 to 2015. 1974 in a way was a defining year for the cultural decline. That is not to say that the strands of decline were not there long before. In 1974 President Richard Nixon who had won a landslide victory resigned as the President of the USA as he was certain to be impeached for lying to the nation instead of upholding the US constitution. 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s were, perhaps, the peak of American prosperity and dream. The first computer that I had in mid-80’s did only very convenient word processing. The unimaginable revolution in internet and world-wide-web (www) began in early 90’s. The rest is history.

There was a sea change in social, moral, cultural, and economic spheres. Evils of racism were out-lawed, at least legally. Awareness of equality of races and sexes and all kinds of abuses and, especially, human rights began to dawn. A culture of affluence, excess, and waste stared at the degrading and pathetic poverty in the poor nations of the world. The moral confusion that began mainly with legalized abortion goes on unabated with the recent legalization of same-sex marriage. Transgender operations to find new physical sexual identity has only added to the confusion. How are individual rights limited by community needs and common well-being? Is individual freedom unlimited? Is one’s freedom limited by another’s freedom? These are questions that we need to answer for ourselves satisfactorily.

Since my living in the USA, many good things happened. Also some very bad things. With lying by government leaders and politicians, cheating by so-called reputed companies and financial managers, that had very destructive national and global consequences, and grievous abuse by clergy have all undermined the basic trust of common people. There is no family, perhaps, that has not been affected by the nightmare of alcoholism or the pervasive drug culture. The drug culture typically characterized by the hard drugs of heroin, cocaine, and crystal meth (amphetamine) has created an irresponsible group of people who lie, steal, attack or do anything to have their fix. Their casual and very irresponsible sexual behavior produce children whom they are not able to take care of. The unbridled capitalism with the consumer culture maintained by deceptive advertisements immensely contribute to the decaying culture. It may be interesting to note a few scandals recently in the news. Volkswgen, the number one auto-maker in the world, admitted that 11 million cars world-wide were equipped with devices to cheat emission test. The price of a life-saving medicine was increased overnight from $ 13.50 to $700. U. S. soldiers were reportedly told to ignore allied Afghan officers’ wide-spread sexual abuse of boys whom they keep as part of their social status.

There is greed for wealth and betrayal of trust everywhere. Truth and integrity have become casualties of the so-called good and prosperous life. Political grid-lock has become common everywhere. Healthy compromise is in very short supply.  The me-generation still seems to hold sway. Religious hypocrisy and lack of compassion for the down-trodden are wide-spread. I see this decaying culture spreading fast in India. What can we do? We, each one of us, need to develop a set of principles based on truth, integrity, fairness, and compassion. In conclusion, I want to state that the US is very advanced in identifying human rights and attempting to enforce them. In India we need to begin conscientizing about human rights. Everywhere we need to tackle the culture of confusion and destruction armed with a solid value system.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti

Messengers of God

A white colour Toyota Innova vehicle stops near a tree on the roadside on a highway. A man in his forties comes out with a packet wrapped in a white cloth. He quickly puts this packet under the tree, gets inside the vehicle and drives away. Few villagers see this happening from a distance and they run towards the packet. And, as they doubted in their mind, it was an infant child. Villagers knew it well, how such things take place. They went to their village head, who called the nearby police station. Policemen came, took the child in their custody and called this NGO in Lucknow, which is about 100 kilometers from the site of this incident. Finally this child lands up with this NGO.

This NGO is run by a husband and wife in their late sixties. A man retired from his engineering career and a wife still serving as a doctor. In terms of finances these people are quite low on their finances. Whatever they had earned, they have spent on upbringing of infants thrown on streets or put inside the garbage bins. They are doing it from past two decades. When such children grow a little bit, may be of around two-three years of age, childless couples come to him for adoption. Local administration has well recognized these people and whenever any infant on street is found, they contact this NGO. If the child is not adopted by anyone due to some ailment or due to some other reason, they keep them at their house and arrange for their education. For young children at their home a seventy year old man is PAPA and a sixty five year old lady is MUMMY. The environment at their house is magical. It is amazing to see an old man changing spoiled clothes of a six months old baby, not once in day, but many times for many children. Mummy cooking food, preparing milk and also controlling oxygen of the incubator is another interesting thing that keeps happening all day long all along the year. The sounds of rattles and lullabies’ can also be heard at different moments. The couple says that in return, the biggest gift they get is the smiles and sweet voices of these young souls. For them, God has given them the opportunity to serve him is this form. In my view these people are the true “Messengers of God” for these young children. 

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg

Deepest of Yearnings

GV 12 180915 Deepest of Yearnings

“What do you feel is the deepest yearning of every human heart, my son?” 

The Baba began the day’s discussion with this question after a short prayer. 

“I feel it is the yearning for love, Guruji. All of us want love. We want to be loved, and we also want to love others.” Atma Prakash replied.

“Yes, you are quite right, my son. The deepest yearning of every human heart is for love. It begins with the mother’s love that nurtures us from birth. Without love we cannot really grow and blossom to our full potentials. Without love we also cannot be really happy and healthy. Love sustains us. Love nourishes us. It is the source of life and existence. That is why religions and spiritual masters refer to God as ‘Love Infinite’…. The greatest hunger in the world today is not for food, but for love..

“Then comes the yearning for acceptance. The yearning for dignity and the yearning for equality follow… These are the four deepest yearnings of the human heart as I have discovered over the years. Modern psychology affirms this discovery of mine.” The Baba looked at Atma Prakash.

“Can you please explain these yearnings of the human heart for acceptance, dignity and equality a bit more, Guruji?” Atma Prakash asked the Baba.

The Baba responded: “All of us want to be accepted as we are. We have our positive and negative dimensions. We have our strengths and weaknesses. We may not be good looking and smart. We also have our own potentialities and limitations. But each one of us is unique... ‘God never repeats… His every creation is unique….

“Every human person is unique with a unique task to perform in this world which no one else can perform. No one else is created like the other… God never repeats…

“When we really love a person we will have to accept that person in totality, not in parts. All of us need this kind of total acceptance. Without this total acceptance, we cannot be really happy…

“Acceptance also implies accepting ourselves and our limitations and potentialities. Many of us are not able to accept ourselves. We do not understand our true self…. We are often unhappy with the way we are….

“There is an old prayer: ‘Lord, give me the courage to change things that I can, the humility to accept the things that I cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference….

“All of us also desire to be respected. We need others to respect the dignity of our being..

“We want others to respect us for what we are, not for what we have. But today we respect others for what they have; for their wealth, power, looks or influence. When these things are not there, we tend to lose our respect for them…..

“We need to respect people for their integrity, character and values. Our dignity as human persons is based not on material things but on our very being and our value system. We are created in the image and likeness of God. God is the Supreme Spirit and we are spiritual beings in physical bodies. All of us are children of God. This truth is the basis of our dignity; not the wealth, power or influence that we have…..

“Then comes the yearning for equality. Equality does not imply here the equality of material things; or the equality of height, weight and measurements. It implies equality as children of God and as citizens of India, and as members of the human family….

“Indian society is highly caste-ridden. Members of a ‘low caste’ are never treated as equals by the members of a ‘high caste’. There still exists ‘untouchability’ in our country. 

“We still have ‘reservations’ based on caste and class dinstinctions. Caste and class discriminations, and the ‘vote bank’ politics in India have become curses befallen our country…..

“Guru Nanak, the saintly founder of Sikhism, started the ‘Guru Ka Langar’ as a community meal for all to share as equals. You must study the history of Sikhism and understand how through this simple system of community meal the great guru was able to demolish the discriminative caste system… He was able to uphold the equality of all human beings as children of God and as brothers and sisters to one another through the institution of ‘Guru Ka Langar’…. 

“If you go to the Golden Temple at Amristar in Punjab today you can see this miracle at work at its best. Presidents and plumbers, peons and prime ministers, men and women, old and young,…..all sit together and eat the same meal…This is equality in practice….

“These four yearnings; the yearning for love, the yearning for acceptance, the yearning for dignity and the yearning for equality; are common to all human beings: old or young, man or woman, Indian or Indonesian, African or American, Hindu or Muslim, black or white, poor or rich……all alike. 

“We cannot be happy in our lives if these deepest common yearnings of our hearts are not satisfied… Do these ideas make sense to you, my son?’, the Baba asked Atma Prakash.

“Yes, of course, guruji. What you are saying seems to me as absolute truth.’ Atma Prakash replied.

Excerpts from ‘Integral Revolution’: Swami Sachidananda Bharati 

PRACTICAL LIVING IN THE ASHRAM

BS 270 170915 PRACTICAL LIVING IN THE ASHRAM

After over thirty years of very busy living (studies and work) in the USA, I returned to India in 2006 to live in an ashram in Kerala for the last and the most important lap of my life’s journey. I was returning to Kerala to stay after about 50 years since I left it at the age of 17. Persons off and on ask me if I am living a retired life. I tell them that I have a busy schedule, and work as hard as ever, and that the only difference now is that I do not get paid for my work. Most persons want to know about my day-to-day life in the ashram.  After experimenting with several models over many years, I adopted a model that I find very useful.

The important features of that model are: I get up in the morning with an attitude of surrendering to God, humanity, and the universe. The unity of humanity has become a passion for me. The thought not to hurt anyone or diminish humanity in anyway is constantly on my mind. I chant silently prayers like The Our Father, Om Brahmanandam (God-Bliss), The Peace Prayer of Francis of Assissi, Asatoma Satgamaya (Lead me from Un-truth to Truth), and Nirvana Shatakam (Six Verses of Salvation). After purificatory rites (hygiene), I start silent meditation to become aware of all that within me and around me. In a dispassionate and non-clinging or detached mode, I let everything flow through me without wanting anything to stay with me or leave me. I look for any uneasiness or discomfort, tension, vibration, numbness, twitching, tinkling, heaviness, and anything disturbing as I breathe slowly and rhythmically. I acknowledge any sensations and movements and let them go for the moment. I take note of things, especially any unfinished business of yesterdays, that I need to work on later on.

After my meditation, I glance at a Malayalam and English newspaper for major state, national, and international events. I have some porridge of raagi (finger millet) or oats and tea. I welcome and greet the ashram workers (helpers) around 8 am to begin work in a positive, spiritual note. As a Bhoomiputran (son of the earth) I join them to model work for them. Generally I try to do at least two hours of manual work everyday landscaping, building stone or mud retaining walls and check dams, planting flower gardens, vegetables or trees, and preventing land erosion. These are also special times for union with God and nature. I visit work-sites and give my suggestions or directions. I am especially fond of visiting the site of sculptures through which I am conveying my message in a non-verbal way. The artist is a spiritual person very committed to presenting my message to humanity.  With this in mind we discuss thoroughly every aspect, pose, and look to convey the intended message.

In the ashram we have common vegetarian meals. The ashram dog, Tantran, is full of love. He expresses his love in a very rough and rambunctious way. He wines and complaints a lot when he does not get enough attention. Rasan, the cat, is very self-centered, responds only when he is called for food. He comes to sit on the lap when he feels like it. He takes a bold stand against a stray cat that comes to attack him, and gets bitten badly. I think he is masochistic in that he does not have good strategies to stay away from the cruel, vile cat. The ashram cows, Nalini, Malini, Ramani, and Manjula, and a male calf, Chandu, are very happy to see me. I caress them and thank especially Nalini and Malini for the milk that they give. I also clean the stable whenever I can so they have a nice place to lie down. After supper we have satsang (coming together of holy people) and prayerful reflection and sharing before we retire for the night.

I have brief, periodic examinations of conscience throughout the day to see where I am and how I am doing. I may or may not have the mobile (cell) phone with me. I tend to manage phone calls or other events rather than they manage me. Generally I reply to e-mails and missed calls. I tend to avoid toxic persons unless I see them in counseling or psychotherapy. I take rest when I need. I find time to read, write, and think issues through. My policy is to state what I need to say, and do what I need to do. I very strongly believe that everything finally works out well for those who love and serve humanity in the service of God.

Swami Snehananda Jyoti  

Free Will

I am connected to an online community where people keep asking and replying different kinds of questions and answers to each other. Recently I came across the painful agony of a person who was very disturbed as he was driving a bike along with his friend on his back seat and in a tragic accident his friend lost his life. He was asking people on the forum to help him get rid of the guilt of not taking enough care while driving the bike. I was also one of the respondents to this question and I tried to console the person by telling him the theory of pre-programmed world, as propounded by Sri Bhagvad Gita. I got many further responses asking me regarding why we are asked to act, if everything is already destined to happen, the way it has been conceived by our creator. The philosophical aspects of this debate lead me to learn few things regarding a philosophy called “Free Will”. I thought that it is worthwhile sharing it with you. The concept of “Free Will” talks about asking some basic questions. First one, Do we have the power to act without any constraint of need or fate. The second one, Do we owe the moral responsibility of all our actions, if its results were already pre-destined. Yes/Yes, Yes/No, No/Yes, No/No could be the answers. Some answers may add, things like perhaps, may be etc. Instead of getting into what should be right answers to these questions I shall add these thoughts. 

Our creator made us with our own power of thoughts. We are like a computer program which can create its own programs. I am sure that our race will also create some other world like our own that will have creatures who can create many more things further. This way the system continues. This is happening at multiple places in this cosmos. This continuation may break at some places, but there would be many other places where it will keep happening. The reason why we train our off springs to take our legacy is exactly this one. We also tell them to be a action oriented person, so that this link continues. A wish to continue is something inherent to this kind of programming paradigm that includes 

living as well as non living subsystems. You have the complete “Free Will” to accept or reject these ideas, but I am sure you will also train someone in your lifetime to carry your baton of thoughts and deeds further. 

Dr. Sunil Ji Garg