A Father's Eyes

Jonathan's mother died when he was very young and his father brought him up. Both of them shared a very special relationship. Jonathan loved to play football and his father made sure that he was always there to cheer his son at every match, even if Jonathan wasn't a part of the playing team. Jonathan being small sized, wasn't allowed to play in the main team. Nevertheless, he continued with his practice with full determination. Everyone thought that Jonathan would never be able to make it into the team, though somehow, his determination carried him through. The coach seeing his diligence and dedication decided to keep him on the roster.

One day during practice, the coach met him with a telegram. Jonathan was shocked to read the message contained in it. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, "My father died this morning. Will it be all right if I miss practice today?" The coach gently put his arm around his shoulder and said, "Take the rest of the week off, son, and don't even plan to come to the game on Saturday." On the day of the game, Jonathan's college team was losing badly to the rival team. The coach and the players had all lost hope when they saw Jonathan coming towards them. Jonathan ran up to the coach and pleaded him to allow him to play this match. At first, the coach wouldn't allow him to play. However after a lot of persuasion, the coach gave in. No sooner Jonathan joined the team in the field, their scores started to improve before both the teams were on a tie.

However, the real cheer came during the crucial closing seconds when he intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. His team members were ecstatic. The crowd came running towards him to celebrate the win. After the match, the coach went up to Jonathan, who was seated alone in the corner of the locker room and asked, "Kid, I can't believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me what got into you? How did you do it?" He looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, "Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?" The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, "Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it!"

It is always encouraging to experience God presence every moment of life. It provides a celestial flavour to everything we cook.

Indian Thoughts Archives

Dharma Rajya

The Baba began the day’s discussion.

‘The inclusive vision is that of a ‘Dharma Rajya’ of love, unity, peace and joy on earth, and the shared mission is that of ‘New World Order’ that can usher in a culture of peace on earth. The action plan consists of two programmes, a spiritual revitalisation programme termed ‘Tyagarchana’ and a moral regeneration programme termed ‘Pancha Sutra’. I shall briefly explain these one by one, my son. For details you can refer to Part-2 of the book titled ‘The Second Freedom Struggle of India – An Integral Revolution for a Hunger-free, Caste-free and Corruption-free India’ and to the book titled ‘Tyagarchana Shanti Mission’. Both are in the library, shelf no.1’ the Baba told his disciple.

After a pause, the Baba continued:

‘You have a good knowledge of Sanskrit. The word ‘Dharma’, as you may know, comes from the Sanskrit root ‘dhr’. It means to hold together, to integrate, to unite. Love is the basis of this togetherness, this integration, this unity. Peace is its fruit. When there is love, unity and peace, there is bound to be joy. Hence, ‘Dharma’ is an integral concept implying love, unity, peace and joy..… 

‘We can also see ‘Dharma’ as a tree. Love is its roots. Unity is its trunk. Peace and joy are its flowers and fruits….

‘The vision of ‘Dharma Rajya’ is thus the vision of a nation or world of love, unity, peace and joy. This is a vision that integrates into itself the vision of ‘Rama Rajya’ of the Hindus, the vision ‘Khuda Raj’ or ‘Paradise’ of the Muslims, the vision of the ‘Kingdom of God’ of the Christians and the vision of the ‘Dhamma Rajya’ of the Buddhists. It is an inclusive vision large enough to include the whole of humankind and all living beings inhabiting this planet. The great saints and sages of ancient India had also referred to such an inclusive vision as ‘Vasudhaivakutumbakam’….

‘Dharma Rajya’ is the physical expression of the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’ on earth preached by Sadguru Jesus Christ. To work tirelessly, fearlessly and selflessly to realize the vision of the Dharma Rajya, Kingdom of God, is the goal and purpose of every human life, of every religion of humankind…….

‘The concepts of Dharma, Dharma Rajya, Dharma Raja, Dharma Yudh etc. have deep roots in the collective psyche of India. They are understood by all Indians irrespective of the differences in their religious, cultural and linguistic backgrounds…

‘A Dharma Rajya, Kingdom of God, established in India can be specifically termed ‘Bharatiya Dharma Rajya’. We can also refer to this ‘Bharatiya Dharma Rajya’ as ‘Dharma Bharathi’ with love and devotion….

‘Dharma Bharathi’ will be a mother of love and princess of peace in the world family of nations. She will be blessed among the nations of the world as a ‘disciple nation’ of God…..

‘The Fundamental Duties of Indian citizens given under Article: 51-A of the Indian Constitution include within themselves many of the spiritual and moral values promoted by religions in India. Together these Fundamental Duties constitute what can be termed ‘Bharatiya Dharma’. There are today eleven Fundamental Duties of Indian citizens constituting the ‘Bharatiya Dharma’... 

‘The ‘Bharatiya Dharma’ can provide a strong Constitutional foundation for the ‘Bharatiya Dharma Rajya’ or ‘Dharma Bharathi’ of our vision. It can also provide a ‘common meeting point’ for religions in India to join hands in a great nation-building mission…..

‘A tree can stand tall and strong only if its roots have gone deep into the soil where it is planted…. 

‘A nation can grow to greater heights of endeavor and achievement only if it is rooted deep in the best of its own spiritual, cultural and historical traditions. This is what the vision of ‘Bharatiya Dharma Rajya’ will help us to achieve. 

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

A Great Shock

The Smith's were proud of their family tradition. Their ancestors had come to America on the Mayflower. They had included Senators and Wall Street wizards. 

They decided to compile a family history, a legacy for their children and grandchildren. They hired a fine author. Only one problem arose - how to handle that great-uncle George, who was executed in the electric chair. 

The author said he could handle the story tactfully. 

The book appeared. It said, "Great-uncle George occupied a chair of applied electronics at an important government institution, was attached to his position by the strongest of ties, and his death came as a great shock."

Indian Thoughts Archives

Dallas or Bust!

There's a blonde sitting on an airplane when a gentleman walks up and says "Excuse me, miss, but you are sitting in my seat." 

The blonde responds, "I'm blond, I'm beautiful and I'm going to Dallas!" and remains seated. 

The guy says, "But you are sitting in MY seat.  You need to find your seat." 

She once again says, "I'm blond, I'm beautiful and I'm going to Dallas!" and doesn't budge. 

The man is perturbed and calls the flight attendant who also tries to persuade the stubborn passenger to move to her own seat but to no avail.  The flight attendant summons the pilot. 

The pilot walks over and whispers something in the blonde's ear.

Immediately, she jumps up and rushes to the other side of the plane.The man and the flight attendant are amazed! The attendant says to the pilot, "What did you say to her?  How did you get her to move?"

The pilot responded, "I simply told her that this side of the plane wasn't going to Dallas!"

Indian Thoughts Archives

Our Mission

‘Can you please tell me guruji how can we bring about the much-needed spiritual awakening and moral regeneration of humankind that can usher in a new Word Order and transform the world into a new creation?’ Atma Prakash asked the Baba. 

The Baba was silent for few minutes. Then he said: 

‘Please remember, my son, our mission is to work for a culture of peace on earth with the wisdom and power of the Lord of light and love. This will in turn usher in a new creation, the ‘Kingdom of God’ on earth. It implies a global family built on the corner stones of love, unity, peace and joy. This will require a return to the grace and truth of God, which in turn will enable us to be deeply rooted in these eternal values of love, unity, peace and joy. In other words, we have to become the new creation ourselves first.…

‘Religions are meant to be the custodians and promoters of spiritual principles and moral values that can lead us to a new creation, the Kingdom of God, individually and collectively….

‘Spiritual and moral decay in a society, in a nation, and in the world, set in when the religions lose their spiritual vitality and moral strength…. 

‘A spiritual awakening and moral regeneration of religions in the world are very essential in the mission of transforming the world into a new creation of love, unity, peace and joy. This mission has to begin with and from India..….

‘India is called to be a ‘disciple nation’ of God. She has to become a land and light of truth and non-violence on earth. Only then will she be able to fulfill her destined divine mission in the world family of nations…..

‘India is a deeply religious country. Art and architecture, music and dance… everything in India has religion as its basis. All major religions of the world have their living presence in India. Nothing in India grows unless it touches the religious sense of the Indian people. This was a truth pointed out by Swami Vivekananda, the great patriot-saint of India. This was also the truth applied effectively by Mahatma Gandhi in India’s struggle for political freedom…

‘In the multi-religious context of India and the world, my son, no mission for a culture of peace can ever succeed without inter-religious cooperation…..

‘A spiritual awakening and moral regeneration of India is not only essential for ushering a new creation of love, unity, peace and joy on earth, but also for the very survival of this nation as a living force….

‘The spiritual awakening and moral regeneration that we speak about is also a prerequisite for any great nation-building mission in India. But this is not a task for political parties and governmental agencies. It is a religious mission, an inter-religious mission to be specific. Religions in India will have to join hands in this great nation-building mission of the third millennium….

‘Today most of our religions have lost their spiritual vitality and moral strength. Hence, religions as they are today cannot help us to bring about the much-needed spiritual awakening and moral regeneration of India….

‘Our mission cannot be accomplished by the pujaris, moulavis, priests and grandhis and such other religious leaders who normally depend on their religions for their livelihood. They will not think or act against their own vested interests. They also will not think above the interests of their own religions. In fact, many of the conflicts and tensions among religions are created by them.… 

‘Religions exist just one step ahead of the divisive individual ego consciousness. They exist at the level of collective or sectarian consciousness. They also often struggle against, oppose and try to prevent the evolutionary growth of human consciousness to higher universal and divine levels. That is why prophets are persecuted….. That was why Christ was crucified… That was why Gandhi was shot.…

‘Let us remember that, as Dr. Albert Einstein had said, the solution for a problem cannot be found at the same level of thinking that had created the problem in the first place… This fact calls us to raise our level of thinking from the sectarian religiosity to a spirituality of inter-religious unity and harmony… to raise our consciousness from the divisive to the unitive, from the sectarian to the universal….

‘We will also require a new kind of leadership for this inter-religious spiritual mission. It is here that we find the great relevance and urgent need of ‘sovereign spiritual persons’ who can transcend the barriers and limitations of their own religions, and see the whole world as one large family bound with a common destiny. We have to begin our mission with our own motherland..’ 

The Baba stopped for a while and looked at Atma Prakash.

 ‘Are you with me, my son?’ he asked

‘Yes, of course guruji. You make things quite clear’ answered Atma Prakash.

The Baba continued… ‘This will also mean that the much-needed spiritual awakening and moral regeneration of India has to begin with a spiritual wakening and moral regeneration of religions in India’… the Baba said and looked at his disciple.

‘But how can we help religions in this process?’ asked Atma Prakash.

‘I have given a considerable amount of thought on this most important task of the era…

‘Bringing the religions together on a common nation-building platform is the first step….

‘As we had seen, the late Philosopher-President of our country, Dr. Sarveppalli Radhakrishnan, after a deep study of religions, had pointed out that religions cannot come together based on a common code, creed or cult. He was convinced that they can only come together based on an inclusive vision and a shared mission with a comprehensive action plan. I fully agree with this view of Dr. Radhakrishnan….

‘I have over the years developed an inclusive vision and a shared mission for bringing together the religions in India for a spiritual awakening and moral regeneration of themselves and the nation. I have also developed a comprehensive action plan consisting of two simple programmes for helping them to realize their common vision and mission. I do not claim that I have anything perfect to offer. But I do claim that I have something to offer that works well in the present context of our country.’ The Baba said.

Excerpts from Integral Revolution

The Power of the Saw

Every Saturday morning seems to be the time to check out the latest fix-up list posted on the household refrigerator door, which usually leads to a trip to the local hardware store.  Once a do-it-yourselfer went into a hardware store and asked about a new saw for cutting firewood.  The salesman took a chain saw from the shelf and told him it was the newest model, with the latest in technology, guaranteed to cut ten cords of wood a day.  The customer thought that sounded great, so he bought it on the spot.

The next day the customer returned, looking somewhat exhausted.

“Something must be wrong with this saw,” he moaned.

“I worked as hard as I could and only managed to cut five cords of firewood.  I used to cut seven with my old saw.”

Confused, the salesman said, “Here, let me try it out back on some wood we keep there.”  They went to the woodpile, the salesman pulled the starter cord, and as the motor went Vvrrooomm, the customer jumped back shouting, “What is that noise?”

(The customer trying to saw wood without the electric power turned on to help him is very much like the believer who attempts to live his religious life without the daily Divine empowerment.

Story and Comment, curtsy – Kaimlet)

Indian Thoughts Archives

What is under Your Feet?

One day in the hot Arizona desert, when a lonely miner’s burro ran off, he thought the world had come to an end for him.  In a fit of anger, he reached down and picked up a rock to hurl after the fleeing animal. Feeling the weight of the rock, he knew he’d found gold and struck it rich.

The miner found what turned out to be one of the richest gold mines in what was then Arizona Territory. Would he have found the gold if the burro had not run off?  May be, and then may be not. 

“Sweet are the uses of adversity.” It opens our eyes to the opportunities ahead. But for the misfortune, we would probably be stuck for ever in the rut we have created.

Indian Thoughts Archives