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

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

Volume - 4 Annual Subscription

Issue -2 India: Rs. 60.00
March-April, 2006 Abroad: Rs. 600.00
Date of Publication: 01.03. 2006

success
The key to
& self-fulfillment
Satv³nur¿p³ sarvasya ïraddh³ bhavati Bh³rat |
Ïraddh³mayoaya® puruÌo yo yacchraddha¡ sa eva sa¡ ||

Meaning: O Arjun! The faith of each man takes the shape given to it by his staff of being – his soul. This soul
is made up of faith; and whatever is that faith in him, he is that and that is he.

-Ïrºmad Bhagvatgºt³ XVII-3

Thus the key to a person’s success and fulfillment in life is the intensity and focus of his will and
faith in his ability to manifest his indwelling divine potentialities. He works with the available
resources and gets results according to the circumstances created by his deeds. One may call it
destiny, fortune or the result of karma, but by and large it is the outcome of one’s own will and
faith. That is why it has been said that a man is the maker of his own destiny. Whosoever has
achieved success and fulfillment in this world has worked whole-heartedly to achieve his set
goal. Such people have been ever active, with unwavering will, to achieve their aims. This strong
will enabled them to overcome all the obstacles, keep hope and faith alive in the hour of failure
and make fresh attempts, leading to ultimate success. Therefore, in one word, a strong will
alone may be called the real basis of success.

March-April 2006 3
1. Amrit Cintan: Contents
The Key to Success and Fulfillment..............................................................03

2. From Chief Editor’s Desk:

Let Thou Be a Divine Miracle in Our World............................................ 05

3. Wherever you Go, There you are.................................................................. 07

4. Vedic Solutions to Modern Problems – II

Protection of Soil and Water........................................................................ 10

5. Art of Living – 1
Hitbhuk, Mitbhuk and Ritbhuk................................................................... 15

6. The Trees Who Pray and Bathe!................................................................... 18

7. Youth Column:
Thought, Character and Conduct - The Triad of Personality....................... 20

8. Health Tips:
Some Remedial Tips Against Dental and Oral Diseases - I......................... 22

9. Science and Spirituality

Some Elements of the Science of Vowels.................................................... 27

10. Companions in Solitude-7

Apple of the Forest...................................................................................... 31

11. My Life: Its Legacy and Message-18

Mind of a Br³hmaña – Actions of a RiÌi -I ................................................ 35

12. The Science of Sleep.................................................................................... 39

13. My Grandfather.......................................................................................... 43

14. Amrit V³ñº

The Real Art of Human Alchemy - II ......................................................... 45

15. Leadership.................................................................................................. 50

4 March-April 2006
 From Chief Editor's Desk

Let Thou Be a Divine Miracle

in Our World
Dr. Pranav Pandya

I n the Nature’s cycles of change, the two-month period of March and April marks an almost
imperceptible transition from an exuberant, multihued bursting forth of vibrant-fragrant life
into the advent of a long scorching summer. This law of change, ups - and -downs, also operates
in the cycles of human life. But human beings have been gifted with divine capacity to consciously
uplift themselves into a state of everlasting spring of life, love, light and joy – individually as
well as collectively. Such collective transformations and revolutions have been occurring in human
history when myriads of human souls have unreservedly responded to the wake-up calls of
Avatars, saviors and saints like Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Adi Shankar, Nanak, Kabir,
Samarth Ramadas, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, etc. Our own Gurudev Pandit Sriram Sharma,
Acharya, has been the latest in this ever- lengthening line of divine manifestations. We, the
Gayatri parijans are the torchbearers and implementers of his vision and message of Hope,
Faith. Love and Unity for all mankind.

Gayatri Pariwar has resolved on the occasion of the just celebrated Basant Parva (Feb 02, 2006)
to concentratedly work towards the implementation of well-defined goals over the six-year
period (from 2006 to 2012); and then celebrate the successful completion of the set targets during
Gurudev’s centenary year – 2011- 2012. We, the Gayatri Pariwar parijans, have been bequeathed
by him the legacy to lay a firm foundation for making manifest his divine vision. Thus we
pledge and propose to accomplish over the next six years. This is an extremely crucial transitional
period for humanity. It has been termed as the Hour of God by the seers. We the Gayatri
parijans have our own humble contribution to make for actualization of the Spirit’s Design for
humanity and Mother Earth, as consecrated and conscious instruments of Its workings.

Like the steps of Vaman Avatar, Gurudev’s life span has three prominent landmarks: (i) his
birth in 1911, (ii) his spiritual initiation on Basant Parva of 1926 by his divine Teacher; and (iii)
the founding of Gayatri Pariwar on Basant Parva of 1940 with the start of its mouthpiece – Hindi
Akhand Jyoti, which has been the messenger of his vision during the past 66 years and is also
now being published in Gujarati, Oriya, Marathi, Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and English.

March-April 2006 5
During this six-year period, Gayatri Teerth, Shantikunj, Haridwar has resolved to execute a
three-point program: (i) To publish 80 volumes of Gurudev’s works dealing with Gayatri Sadhana
and social transformation in major regional languages of India; (ii) To further energize and
activate Shaktipeethas and Pragya Sansthans spread all over India and in many countries abroad
so that they become vibrant centers for intensive and extensive spread of the Mission’s aims and
objects amongst the masses at grassroots level; and (iii) to bring out non-sectarian text books of
universal appeal on moral, ethical and spiritual topics, which could be welcomed and adopted as
part of the formal educational process for inculcation of basic human values in budding minds.
Similarly Gayatri Teerth’s Dev Sanskriti Vishwa Vidyalaya (DSVV) proposes (i) to start its
extension centers in India from April 2007; (ii) take up applied research in the fields of alternative
therapies (including yoga, naturopathy and herbal medication) and (iii) to develop modern
management methods based on time-tested value system of Dev Sanskriti which could be a
model of value-based management for the whole world.

Let us have full faith in our Gurusatta and firmly believe that we can make all the difference in
this world; that our presence here at this crucial juncture is a divine necessity – perfect and
purposeful. Let the Silent, Invisible Spirit within be our Guide so that through us a Divine
Miracle is brought. Let us whole-heartedly pray with the seers of yore: Lead us from the
Falsehood to Truth; from Darkness to Light; and from Death to Immortality.

Ever Prayerfully and Lovingly

-Pranav Pandya

A rich person once came to the famous Gayatri devotee and Arya Samaj leader Mahatma
Anand Swami. He owned many factories and business concerns. All his sons were well
settled. His wife had passed away long time back. He was immersed in great prosperity but still
felt great emptiness within. He had lost his appetite as well as sleep. He shared his mental and
spiritual agony with Swamiji. Anand Swami said: “You have given too much importance to
mechanical work and material possessions, ignoring warm feelings of the heart. Satsang and
religious discourses at best provide comfort to your mind. To end inner drabness and loneliness,
you should now start sharing your love, wealth and labour with the needy. Expand the horizons
of your self. Give affection to all. Go among the orphans and destitutes, and help them stand
on their feet. Put in physical labour in this pious work as much as your body allows. Keep the
daily routine regulated. Then you will find that your appetite has returned and you will get
sound sleep daily. Your general health, too, will improve.” The man did as advised and before
long a qualitative and miraculous transformation took place in his life. He began to enjoy a
level of health, peace and happiness, which he had never experienced before. Indeed, benevolent
feelings and tender emotions should be accorded the highest importance in the scheme of life.

6 March-April 2006

H ave you ever noticed that there is no
running away from anything? That,
sooner or later, the things that you don’t want
to deal with and try to escape from, or paper
over and pretend aren’t there, catch up with
you – especially if they have to do with old
patterns and fears? The romantic notion is that
if it’s no good over here, you have only to go
over there and things will be different. If this
job is no good, change jobs. If this wife is no
good, change wives. If this town is no good,
change towns. If these children are a problem,
leave them for other people to look after. The
underlying thinking is that the reason for your
trouble is outside of you – in the location, in
others, in the circumstances. Change the
location, change the circumstances, and
everything will fall into place; you can start
over, have a new beginning.
The trouble with this way of seeing is that it
conveniently ignores the fact that you carry
your head and your heart, and what some
would call your “karma,” around with you.
You cannot escape yourself try as you might.
And what reason, other than pure wishful
thinking, would you have to suspect that
things would be different or better somewhere
else anyway? Sooner or later, the same
problems would arise if in fact they stem in
large part from your patterns of seeing,
thinking, and behaving. Too often, our lives
cease working because we cease working at
life, because we are unwilling to take
March-April 2006
Wherever You Go,
There You are
responsibility for things as they are, and to
work with our difficulties. We don’t
understand that it is actually possible to attain
clarity, understanding, and transformation
right in the middle of what is here and now,
however problematic it may be. But it is easier
and less threatening to our sense of self to
project our involvement in our problems onto
other people and environment.
It is so much easier to find fault, to blame, to
believe that what is needed is a change on the
outside, an escape from the forces that are
holding you back, preventing you from
growing, from finding happiness. You can even
blame yourself for it all and, in the ultimate
escape from responsibility, run away feeling
that you have made a hopeless mess of things,
or that you are damaged beyond repair. In
either case, you believe that you are incapable
of true change or growth, and that you need
to spare others any more pain by removing
yourself from the scene.
The casualties of this way of looking at things
are all over the place. Look virtually anywhere
and you will find broken relationships, broken
families, broken people – wanderers with no
roots, lost, going from this place to that, this
job to that, this relationship to that, this idea
of salvation to that, in the desperate hope that
the right person, the right job, the right place,
the right book will make it all better. Or
feeling isolated, unlovable, and in despair,
7
having given up looking and even making any
attempt, however misguided, to find peace of
mind.
By itself, meditation does not confer immunity
from this pattern of looking elsewhere for
answers and solutions to one’s problems.
Sometimes people chronically go from one
technique to another, or from one teacher to
another teacher, or one tradition to another
tradition, looking for that special something,
that special teaching, that special relationship,
that momentary “high” which will open the
door to self-understanding and liberation. But
this can turn into serious delusion, an unending
quest to escape looking at what is closest to
home and perhaps most painful. Out of fear
and yearning for someone special to help them
to see clearly, people sometimes fall into
unhealthy dependency relationships with
meditation teachers, forgetting that no matter
how good the teacher, ultimately you have to
live the inner work yourself and that work
always comes from the cloth of your own life.
Some people even wind up misusing teacher-
led meditation retreats as a way to keep
afloat in their lives rather than as an
extended opportunity to look deeply into
themselves. On retreat, in a certain way
everything is easy. The bare necessities of
living are taken care of. The world makes
sense. All I have to do is sit and walk, be
mindful, stay in the present, be cooked for
and fed by a caring staff, listen to the great
wisdom that is being put out by people who
have worked deeply on themselves and have
attained considerable understanding and
harmony in their lives, and I will be
transformed, inspired to live more fully
8 March-April 2006
myself, know how to be in the world, have
a better perspective on my own problems.
To a large extent, this is all true. Good teachers
and long periods of isolated meditation on
retreat can be profoundly valuable and
healing, if one is willing to look at everything
that comes up during a retreat. But there is
also the danger, which needs to be looked out
for, that retreats can become a retreat from
life in the world, and that one’s
“transformation” will, in the end, be only skin
deep. Perhaps it will last a few days, weeks,
or months after the retreat ends, then it’s back
to the same old pattern and lack of clarity in
relationships, and looking forward to the next
retreat, or the next great teacher, or a
pilgrimage to Asia, or some other romantic
fantasy in which things will deepen or become
clearer and you will be a better person.
This way of thinking and seeing is an all-too-
prevalent trap. There is no successful escaping
from yourself in the long run, only
transformation. It doesn’t matter whether you
are using drugs or meditation, alcohol or Club
Med, divorce or quitting your job. There can
be no resolution leading to growth until the
present situation has been faced completely
and you have opened to it with mindfulness,
allowing the roughness of the situation itself
to sand down your own rough edges. In other
words, you must be willing to let life itself
become your teacher.
This is the path of working where you find
yourself, with what is found here and now.
This, then, really is it … this place, this
relationship, this dilemma, this job. The
challenge of mindfulness is to work with the
very circumstances that you find yourself in –
no matter how unpleasant, how discouraging,
how limited, how unending and stuck they
may appear to be – and to make sure that you
have done everything in your power to use
their energies to transform yourself before
you decide to cut your losses and move on. It
is right here that the real work needs to
happen.
So, if you think your meditation practice is
dull, or no good, or that the conditions aren’t
right where you find yourself, and you think
that if only you were in a cave in the
Himalayas, or at an Asian monastery, or on a
beach in the tropics, or at a retreat in some
natural setting, things would be better, your
meditation stronger … think again. When you
got to your cave or your beach or your retreat,
there you would be, with the same mind, the
same body, the very same breath that you
already have here. After fifteen minutes or so
in the cave, you might get lonely, or want
more light, or the roof might drip water on
you. If you were on the beach, it might be
raining or cold. If you were on retreat, you
might not like the teachers, or the food, or
your room. There is always something to
dislike. So why not let go and admit that you
might as well be at home wherever you are?
Right in that moment, you touch the core of
your being and invite mindfulness to enter and
heal. If you understand this, then and only
then will the cave, the monastery, the beach,
the retreat center, offer up their true richness
to you. But so will all other moments and
places.
- Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn
[From the author’s best selling book of the
same title published with glad permission of
the author. Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn is the founder
Director of the Stress Education Clinic of the
University of Massachusetts. He is one of the
most effective teachers of MIND-BODY
HEALING and MINDFULNESS
MEDITATION in USA. – Editor]

There were two brothers of the names of ‘Truth’ and ‘Falsehood’. Truth was
handsome and clean while Falsehood was dirty and distasteful. So wherever the latter
would go he would be unwelcome. Out of jealousy, he decided to take revenge on Truth.
Once both embarked on a pilgrimage. As usual people responded to them
differently everywhere they went – Truth with respect; and Falsehood with disdain.
In course of their pilgrimage they reached Badrinath. Both entered a pond for
bath. While Truth was engrossed in cleaning his body thoroughly, Falsehood slyly
wore the clothes of Truth and ran away. When Truth came out of the pond, he had no
choice but to put on the left-behind clothes of Falsehood. From that time onwards both
are ever moving and meeting people. But now the situation is reversed. Falsehood is
respected and honoured because he has the clean mask of Truth on him. Truth, on the
other hand, is wandering from door to door fruitlessly, wearing the black mask of
Falsehood.

March-April 2006 9
 Vedic Solutions to Modern Problems – II
Protection of Soil & Water
I n the previous issue we had looked at the
threats of environmental pollution and had
highlighted the relevance of Vedic approach
to meet the challenges in an eco-friendly
manner, with special focus on purification of
air. Another dreaded challenge faced by the
world today is that posed by – (i) toxication
and destruction of agricultural land; and (ii)
diminishing and polluting of natural water
resources.
As per the data presented in “Beyond
Malthus” – a report published by the World
Watch Center, Washington in 1998, there
would be a drastic fall in the water reserves
by the middle of the 21st century. Because of
consumption of water at a rate much higher
than its recharge, the level of underground
water is going down by 1 to 3 meters per year,
with an increasing trend of negative gradient
every year. This also has adverse effect on
availability of food, as on an average 40% of
the global food production depends upon
irrigation. The scenario is worst for
agriculture-based economies like India. As
per the estimates projected in this report, if
the trend remains the same, by 2050, the food
grain production in India would reduce by
25%.
The International Peace Research Institute,
Norway, gave similar forewarnings in
February 1999. The report focused on ‘Role
of Agricultural Development in Global Peace’.
10
The data presented therein about deaths due
to malnutrition and starvation are horrific. The
major cause of violent struggles within and
between many of the poor countries in Africa
and some other parts of the world is not
political or ethnic, as it might appear to be;
the roots of the problem lie in scarcity of food.
As per the report, over four hundred
thousands men, women and children have lost
their lives in a century due to hunger and
malnutrition or due to related armed conflicts.
The uncontrolled growth of population
(especially in countries like China and India)
and accumulation of excessive industrial waste
in the blind race of technological advancement
and economic strength (especially in the
developed and fast developing nations) have
brought down the availability of agricultural
land and water to an alarmingly low level.
More and more land is being grabbed by
builders and developers. Use of chemically
synthesized fertilizers and pesticides for faster
and higher production has poisoned significant
proportion of agricultural soil. Moreover,
prolonged use of genetically engineered seeds
is reported to negatively affect the fertility of
the cultivable land.
The hazardous fertilizers, together with
polluted water, are poisoning the soil.
Compounding effect is there in the reverse
direction too! Rainwater absorbed through
March-April 2006
toxic particles in the soil is spoiling the
underground water reserves. Further, with
mega-cities constructed on seashores, over
one-third of world’s population is residing
within 50 kilometer range of seashores. (For
example, nearly 330 million people are living
within the 100 km strip around the 5500 km
long sea-line of India between Pakistan and
Bangladesh). With significant rise in water
supply through bore-wells in these regions,
and with depleting level of water in the ponds
and tube-wells, there is an increasing risk of
undercurrents of seawater flowing towards
these water sources. This is another danger
of non-availability of underground water for
drinking and irrigation. .
The hidden and visible resources of water
available on the earth, like any other natural
resources, are similar to cash in a saving
account – we would be able to draw and enjoy
as much of it as we have deposited.
Toxic industrial waste has polluted drinking
water in many developing and developed
countries, which are not gifted with
abundance of rivers and springs. India,
despite having the great gift of largest
number of Himalayan rivers and higher
proportions of natural water resources per
unit area as compared to the global
measures, is also facing acute water
problems. Apart from the industrial
pollution, lack of adequate sewerage
facilities for the huge population, human and
animal wastes, blind customs of ‘sacrificing’
huge quantities of ritualistic substances —
biodegradable and non-degradable — in the
rivers, has dirtied the rivers and other water
resources to the extent that at many places
March-April 2006
sacred rivers like Yamuna have become
virtual gutters.
Rainfall is also going down with the depletion
of forests. Three-fourth of the India is prone
to the threats of drought almost every year.
Though the nation has so far managed to keep
its agricultural growth profile upwards, the
scarcity of water is among the biggest
challenges it has to overcome. Global warming
effect has threatened fast melting of the
Himalayan glaciers that happen to be the
origins of the grand rivers like the holy
Ganges. The situation is equally grim in other
parts of the world as well. Will there be wars
and ‘cold’ wars for water (as is the case with
oil at present)? Will our green planet be
converted into a wasteland desert or a gigantic
graveyard without food and water?
Guidelines from the Vedas:
The Vedas consider – “Vasudhaiv KuÚumbka®”
(the entire world, every thing on the earth, is
one family). Every component of Nature is
revered here as a manifestation of the
Supreme Creator and hence has its unique
significance and place in the intricate web of
life with its myriad forms.
The Vedas, being primordial sources of
knowledge, do also provide clear guidelines
for the welfare of all in all ages. As per the
teaching of the rishis, performing yagya for the
balance of natural cycles and for mutually
beneficial growth of natural resources was an
integral part of peoples’ life in the Indian
society in the Vedic and post-Vedic times of
yore. With regard to environment for
sustenance of healthy life they have laid stress
11
on maintenance of harmonious balance
between the constituents of the eco-system;
viz. - air, water, soil, forests, vegetation,
animals, the space around the earth, the solar
system; and in particular the mutual bonding
(of giving and receiving) between the Sun and
the earth. This fact is clearly reflected in the
principal mantra of the yagya for vigor and
protection and of the environment
(pary³varaña); which appears in Yajur Veda
(22|29) –
O® Prathivyai Sw³h³ || O® Antarik̳ya Sw³h³
|| O® S¿ry³ya Sw³h³ ||
O® Candr³ya Sw³h³ || O® NakÌatrebhya¡
Sw³h³ || O® Abhdaya¡ Sw³h³ ||
O® Auïadhºbhya¡ Sw³h³ || O® Vanspatibhya¡
Sw³h³ || O® Car³carebhya¡ Sw³h³ ||
O® Sarºsarpebya¡ Sw³h³ || Ida® Pary³varaña
Sanïodhan³ya, Ida® Na Mama ||
There are also several mantras, which seem
to be there, keeping in mind the humanity
of Kaliyuga. For example there are mantras
that highlight protection of the purity of air,
water, earth (soil), space surrounding it the
Sun and also the solar system, as religious
duties. Some other hymns warn against
every act of polluting or otherwise harming
these, as these are termed as sinful acts. Let
us look at some of these (as cited in [1]) and
put their teachings into practice.
The following mantra cautions us that the
earth and the space around it are instinct
with life and are our nourishers and
protectors. If they are harmed (through
pollution), it will amount to invitation for
global disaster.
12
Dyauïca na¡ p—athvi ca prachetasa¡ rakÌatam |
M³ durvid³tra nirritirña ºï³ta ||
– Rig Veda 10.36.2
A mantra of the Atharva Veda states that if
we are digging the earth, we must also fill it
up. We should not harm the soft and sensitive
parts of the (mother) earth (for extraction of
minerals, etc) for it may lead to imbalance of
earth’s equilibrium and may cause natural
calamities like earthquakes, depression of
land, drying of water resources etc. This
Mantra is also reported1 to have been quoted
by Late Smt. Indira Gandhi in a Global
Environmental Pollution Conference.
Yatte bh¿me vikhañ³mi, kÌipra® tadapi rohatu |
M³ te marm vimrikharº, m³ te hraday³® arpipa®||
–Athar.Veda 12.1.35
In yet another mantra it has been said that we
have a relationship with the earth and Sun,
which is reciprocal. If we take care of them
and preserve them, they in turn shall do the
same. This essentially means that if we
cooperate with mother earth and the space
surrounding it and do not pollute them, they
shall, in turn, provide us with good products
that will keep us happy. If we disturb them
they will also disturb us. That is why it has
been said in Yajur Veda that you should not
destroy (pollute) the earth, space or plants.
M³ dyava p—athvº abhiïoci¡, m³ antarikÌa®, m³
vanaspatin. –Yajur.V. 11.45
Water has been described as an important
constituent for human life and much light has
been thrown on its usefulness and importance.
Water is referred in the Veda and Vedic
March-April 2006
scriptures as the elixir of life, and as a
medicine, which is curative and aphrodisiac.
Polluting any water resource is termed as a
sin. It is said that water possesses medicinal
properties and so it has the curative powers.
Water has been considered as equivalent to
nectar. It gives vital energy to man. It acts as
a tonic.
Âpasu antarviïw³ni bhaiÌaja|Âpaïca
viswabhaiÌji¡|
Âpasw³ntaramrita® ³pasu bhaiÌaja® | Âpa¡
prinati bheshajam | –RigVeda 1|23|19-21
While describing [in Rig Veda 7|17|4] the
rivers and sea as rejuvenating and comfort
giving to mankind, it is also recognized (e.g.
in Rig Veda 10|64|9) that the rivers provide
us with good and pure water, which is as
nutritious as ghee. It is said [e.g. in Rig Veda
9.17.44] that sea is the source of precious stones
(like coral etc) and wealth (minerals like
petroleum etc) and it is also the basis of rain.
Sea is also a source for generating energy.
Likewise the following mantra of Yajur Veda,
several mantras warn against polluting water
and destroying trees/plants
M³ ³po hinsi¡, m³ auÌadhirhinsi¡ |
–Yajur Veda 6|22
Water management and associated tree
planting has been the subject of the Shastric
texts. Ponds and tanks have been the most
important source of irrigation in India. Some
tanks date as far back as the Rig Vedic period.
The Rig Veda (hymn no. 5|78|7) refers to
lotus ponds, ponds that give life to frogs (hymn
no. 7|103|2) and ponds of varying depths for
bathing (hymn no. 10|71|7).
The Vedic Scriptures give more detailed
guidelines for day-to-day life to the masses
on what is religious (righteous duties) for
humans and what is not. There also we find
excellent modes of preventing environmental
pollution and practical ways of maintaining the
ecological balance with no cost. For example,

In the year 1885, the New English High School, Pune was celebrating a big
function. A volunteer had been deputed at the gate to allow admittance to the
invitation card holders only. The chief guest of the function was the then Chief
Justice Mahadev Govind Ranade. When Ranade arrived at the venue he was
stopped by the volunteer who requested for the invitation card. “My boy, I do not
have any such card with me,” Ranade said. “In that case, Sir, you cannot go
inside” was the volunteer’s polite answer. Seeing the chief guest held up at the
gate many members of the reception committee rushed over there and tried to
escort him inside. But the volunteer protested: “Gentlemen, how can I perform
my duty sincerely if reception committee members themselves interfere in my
work? Whoever the guest be, he is supposed to carry the invitation card with him.
I can not be partial”. This same volunteer later rose to fame as the great Gopal
Krishna Gokhale and rendered great service to the nation. Gandhiji considered
him his political guru.

March-April 2006 13
verses 8–13 of chapter 8 of “Kriyayoga Sar”,
which is part of “Padma Purana”, offer some
important rules to be observed by the pilgrims
when they are on pilgrimage. These rules
convey that – it is sinful to spit, urinate, throw
garbage arbitrarily (i.e. care should be taken
to do so at fixed places with proper sanitation
arrangements). Likewise dirtying the water
or surroundings of the rivers is also termed
in these shlokas as a sinful act.
Recognizing that big factories generate
pollution, establishing them, without any
check or regulation, is also a sinful act,
deserving Nature’s wrath. Rather than
indulging in dissecting the words of ‘socio-
religious doctrines’ and arguing to prove
things one or the other, we should attempt to
grasping the essence of these teachings and
try to maintain harmony between ‘industrial
progress’ and the ecosystem.
The earth is honored in the Vedic Scriptures
as mother and all the rivers and ponds are
worshipped as sacred gifts of the Almighty
or as manifestations of divine powers in
Nature. This approach of describing these
duties (towards purification and protection of
environment) as worthy of ‘rewards of
heavens’ and denigrating the irresponsible,
uncivilized, harmful (to the environment)
activities as ‘openings to the hell’ had beneficial
impact on human psychology, especially in
positively motivating the masses.
The rewarding acts mentioned in the Vedas
and the Vedic scriptures include those of soil
and water conservation, such as – digging
wells, making ponds, planting special trees,
performing yagyas. What is remarkable here
is that special designs and modes of
maintenance of the wells/ponds suitable for
regions prone to floods or droughts, etc,
special types of trees as per the type of the
soil and climate, etc are described in the
scriptures that provide added socio-economic
benefits together with maintaining the balance
between the five basic elements of Nature.
These aspects will be discussed further in the
successive articles of this series on “Vedic
Solutions to Modern Problems”.

A rich Muslim went to the mosque after a party and had to take off
his expensive shoes and leave them outside the mosque. When he came
out after prayer, the shoes were gone.

“How thoughtless of me,” he said to himself. “By foolishly leaving

those shoes here I was the occasion for someone to steal them. I would
have gladly given them to him. Now I am responsible for creating a
thief.”

14 March-April 2006
 Art of Living : 1

Hitbhuk, Mitbhuk, Ritbhuk

This is the first of a series of articles under the main theme – ART OF LIVING. In this series
we propose to publish practical tips for leading a healthy, vibrant, enlightened, happy and
balanced life. We hope that these articles will receive a hearty welcome from our readers
and they will be able to adopt the guidelines and thus uplift themselves to a nobler and
higher level of purposeful life.

Na m³ tamanna ïramannota tandranna voch³ma of them have direct or indirect connection

m³ sunoteti soma® |
Yo me p—n³dyo dadadyo nibodh³dyo m³
sunvantamupa gobhir³yat||
- Rigveda 2/30/7
‘O men! Only those food articles are fit for
consumption that make the body energetic and
contented, that provide glow and comfort, and
that make the organs strong and fit for the
performance of yajóa. Do not ever stock and
consume those herbs / food materials that sap
the body’s strength and produce lethargy and
intoxication.’
with food. The fashionable fast food, packed
food or junk food of today also fall in the same
category. This new style of eating, widely
prevalent these days, has given many a body-
blow to the quality of human life.
Food is a basic necessity of life. Everybody
knows this, but few have an idea of what to
eat, when to eat, and how to eat. Let’s first
take the “what to eat?” aspect. The only
proper and right answer to this question is
that we should eat only what provides
nourishment to the body. It is important to
remember that we eat to live and do not live

T he effect of food on the body is
comprehensive. Be it physical health or
mental well-being, both are intrinsically linked
with food, and keeps taking up and down
swings depending on changes in it. It is a
matter of common experience. Bad and
irregular dietary habits make the body sick
and the mind restless.
to eat. So, if the right kind of food is to be
selected out of a long list of eatables, we will
have to give preference to only those items
that have nutritional value and are beneficial
for health. Such articles can very easily be
identified. Everybody is aware, for example,
of the value of fresh fruits, vegetables, pulses,
cereals etc.

If we were to enumerate the ill effects of rich, Many cooking ingredients like pungent spices,
pungent, spicy and fried food, we will have appetizers, pickles etc. lack any nutritive value
to list practically all the diseases, because all and are manifestly harmful to health; and so

March-April 2006 15
are the processes of frying, stewing etc. These
render even healthy food useless and
deleterious. Materials inimical to health are
found not only in the kitchen but also outside;
e. g. liquor and intoxicants of various kinds,
betel, tobacco, zarda, gutka and so many other
such things have acquired the status of food
supplements and are used in a routine way.
The situation has become so alarming that
even the food habits of the elite of society make
one wonder why these educated and well-
informed persons have lost their sense of wise
discrimination. There are some exceptions, of
course, in this class but their number is
negligible.
Now, “when to eat”? Again, the answer is
only one viz. twice a day at the most, and that
too, when the appetite has built up sufficiently.
Eating randomly, or taking frequent snacks
and breakfast in addition to regular meals is
going to do no good. Dietary habits, these
days, have so much deteriorated that
biologists and psychologists have made this
matter a subject of their research. They classify
hunger in different types, for example, (i)
strong craving to eat at the sight of others’
eating (ii) frequent urge to eat during
moments of tension (iii) fixed-time-appetite in
accordance with the biological clock, etc. The
experts consider the former two types wrong
and only the third type right.
Now having known that one should eat only
when there is real appetite for it, there follows
the next question “how to eat”? The answer
“Do not treat others, as you would not like to be treated.”
16
is that food should be taken in a quiet and
restful manner, with humble remembrance of
God as His prasada (grace). If food is seen as
God’s prasada, even the simple ‘chapati’
(unleavened bread) proves nourishing. On the
contrary, sweetmeats, multi-course dishes and
dry fruits, if taken hurriedly and in fretful
mood, impair health and produce ailments.
The right food taken in the right manner is
the key to sound health.
The Ayurveda (ancient healing therapy) has
an interesting and instructive story. Once
it occurred to Maharishi Charaka, the great
pioneer of Ayurveda, that he should test
whether his pupils understood correctly his
teachings. He metamorphosed into a pigeon
and sat on a tree, through under which many
vaidyas (healers) were passing by. The
pigeon called out: “Ko ruk, ko ruk, ko ruk”?
(Who is healthy, who is healthy, who is
healthy?) . The vaidyas paid no heed to
pigeon’s words. The Maharishi thought that
either they did not comprehend what the
tiny bird was saying, or they were ignoring
him. He flew from there and chose another
tree. Incidentally, the great scholar
Vagbhatta was passing that way. He heard
the query of Maharishi and replied repeatedly
thrice: “Hitbhuk, hitbhuk, hitbhuk”, i.e.
healthy is one who eats the right type of
food. Charaka-turned-pigeon asked again,
“Ko ruk, Ko ruk, Ko ruk”? Vagdatta answered:
“Mitbhuk, mitbhuk, mitbhuk” i.e. the one who
eats in moderation. The ‘bird’ repeated the
question a third time. Vagbhatta’s response
March-April 2006
this time was: “Ritbhuk, ritbhuk, ritbhuk” i.e.
one who eats according to season; and what
he has earned through righteous means. The
bird flew away satisfied, as his question had
been answered correctly.
Three words or stipulations may be laid down
about diet- hit, mit and rit. Hitbhoji is one who
consumes only those materials that are useful
and beneficial for health. Such a person eats
for health, not taste. Mitbhoji is that who eats
in moderation. Gluttons cannot do any kind
of sadhana. They remain pre-occupied with
finding digestive powders and tablets after
meals.
The third and most important stipulation about
food is rit. It implies piety and purity of
thought and what is suitable in a particular
season. The meaning of rit inheres in the inner
attitude with which the food is prepared and
taken. What are the feelings of the person
preparing the food? Whether or not the eaters
are dutiful and conscientious? Rit food can
be prepared only by one who is full of loving
kindness, who is suffused with motherly
affection. And then the means by which we
earn our livelihood must also be righteous and
honest. Remember, the more we extend our
goodwill to others, the more our inner strength
increases. If the food that goes into our
stomach is sullied with others’ feelings of deep
hurt, it will corrupt our feelings too.
The truth is, an evolution of the food habit is
an evolution of consciousness. The nature of
our consciousness is refined or perverted
depending upon the nature of the food we
consume. This very refinement, or perversion
is reflected in our style of living too.
March-April 2006
A king once lost his way and in
course of his wanderings reached a
village. Inspite of his being unknown and
unrecognized, the villagers received him
well and attended to his comforts. Their
innate goodness deeply impressed the
king and he wanted to reciprocate their
gesture by providing them with some
needed amenity, which the king
identified as the medical facility. So a
well-equipped hospital was established
in the village with a competent doctor
as in-charge of the facility.
One year passed. The doctor came
to the king’s court and said: “I remain
without work there. In the last one year,
no patient has turned up. All the
medicines, too, are lying unutilized”.
The curious king himself went to the
village and enquired of the villagers the
reason for their apathy to avail of the
medical facilities. The villagers replied:
“We observe dietary discipline and do
hard labor. Our food items are nature-
products and pure. Our daily routine is
also well regulated with hard physical
exertion as its main constituent. All this
wards off diseases, and if per chance, an
illness occurs, it soon gets expelled from
the system through the mechanism of
sweating”. The king realized the great
importance of food and hard work. The
doctor was shifted from there to a more
appropriate place.
17

I t is now a scientifically established fact that
plants and trees too have life. They feel and
breathe like other animals and also feel
pleasure and pain. Long back, the pioneering
experiments of the Indian scientist Prof. J.C.
Basu had conclusively proved as much. But
although living entities, the life cycles of plants
have certain inherent limitations. They cannot
move from one place to another, and have to
carry out all their vital activities standing at
one place during their life-cycle. Occasionally,
however, some trees do defy these limitations
and indulge in activities, which are extremely
unusual and are still beyond the ambit of
scientific comprehension. Such phenomena go
to reassert that nature hides within its bosom
umpteen layers of mystery.
Sir J.C. Basu has enumerated many instances
of highly extraordinary and awe-inspiring
behavior of trees in his book ‘Plant autographs
and their revelation’. One such tree mentioned
is a palm tree in Faridpur in West Bengal
(India). The tree, like all others of its ilk,
remained erect throughout the day time, its
leaves swaying and rustling with every breeze
- all very normal activities. But when the
evening set in and the temples resounded with
the uplifting sound of gongs and bells, this
tree prostrated itself on the ground in the
manner of offering prayer to God-knows-
whom. A huge crowd would gather there
every evening to witness this spectacular sport
of nature. It was commonly believed that this
18
The Trees Who
Pray & Bathe!
tree fulfilled one’s wishes and cured physical
and mental ailments. But how? This still
remains a mystery.
Apart from offering prayers, trees have been
known to take bath too! This sounds incredible,
but Sir J.C. Basu has recorded many such
phenomena of bathing trees. There was one
such tree in Faridpur. It stood on the bank of
a pond. It remained calm and straight for the
whole day, but with the onset of evening, it
used to exhibit signs of growing restlessness
as if to take a dip in the pond. Ultimately, after
many visible attempts, it would gather the
leaves and branches around, bend, and
submerge itself in the water of the pond. After
remaining in that underwater position for a
while, it would again gradually raise itself and
revert to its normal posture, calm and cool.
People had nicknamed it ‘the bathing palm
tree’. No one knew the reason behind this
mysterious propensity of the tree to bathe.
Such strange occurrences of tree-behavior,
which pose a challenge to human knowledge
and understanding, have been found outside
India too. In many countries, there are reports
of the existence of ‘praying’ and ‘religious’
trees, which draw people from far and wide
to witness their unusual behavior patterns.
About one particular tree in Liverpool,
England, J.C. Basu writes that it offered prayer
in a distinctive manner. It was a thick willow
tree by the side of a small stream. Unlike other
March-April 2006
praying trees, it prayed only occasionally.
Then it would lie completely flat on the
ground, and after completion of the prayer,
raise itself erect. It prayed only in the morning
and during this time, remained completely
still, with no trace of any activity.
In this community of peculiar trees, the case
of the worshipping palm trees of South Africa
is well known. These palm trees standing in a
farmer’s field once happened to bend under
the impact of a hurricane. From then onwards,
a strange change occurred in their behavior;
every evening, they would routinely bend or
bow in worshipping posture. It is quite
possible, and as their owners believed, that
these trees might be praying to Mother Nature
to protect them from the onslaught of any
future calamity. In any case, their new routine
of evening prayers continued uninterrupted.
In the coastal region of Florida, USA, there is
a Rhizophora tree, which had also earned some
renown for its display of peculiar traits. It is
said that in times of tide, when the seawater
advanced towards the tree, its branches and
leaves begin to exhibit unusual commotion.
The branches would repeatedly bend and
straighten as if trying to touch the water
below. This laborious effort continues until the
branches are able to touch the water. What
else could it be, if not a kind of desire to bathe?
All these instances of mysterious behavior
make it sufficiently clear that not only the
subtle impulses of life are felt by the trees and
plants too, but sometimes they even overtly
try to make these impulses manifest. It is
another matter that their flora-specific
limitations do not allow full expression of the
flow of life current within. Scientists are
engaged in further researches, and some
success, too, has come their way. If this
mystery is explained scientifically, we may be
able to find the missing link between the flora
and the fauna, between the humans and the
trees. The discovery of this link would enable
us to better comprehend the path of
evolutionary progress of consciousness in
human beings.

The great philosopher-saint Ramanujacharya was physically weak. He would

walk to the river for bath with the aid of other persons. Interestingly, the helping
shoulder would be of a brahmin’s for the riverward journey and that of a shudra on
return.
People were surprised and asked, “Bhagwan, a shudra’s touch makes you impure
again. So what is the sense in bathing then”?
Acharyaji smiled and said, “A bath cleanses my body only. The impurity of
mind is the ‘ego’ feeling of high and low. As long as this ego feeling remains, a person
remains impure. Mere bathing is useless. By touching a shudra, I cleanse my heart of
this impurity. I am superior to none. All are superior to me. A shudra, too, is superior
to me. It is to internalize this feeling that I take the help of a shudra while returning.
One should endeavor to cleanse not only the body but also the mind and heart.

March-April 2006 19
Youth Column
Thought, Character & Conduct
Sa® va¡ p—chyant³® tanva¡ sa® man³®si
samuvrrat³ Sa® vo’ya® brahmanaspatirbharga¡
sa® vo ajigamat. - Atharvaveda: 6/74/1
“May your body, mind (thought), dharma
(character) and action (conduct) be in synergy.
May God, the Lord of knowledge, harmonize
you, and the Lord of splendour integrate
you.”
U nderstanding the different dimensions of
personality and a proper synthesis
between them provides energy for jivana
sadhana. It is absolutely essential for such a
sadhaka to become fully familiar with his own
personality and know which are the aspects,
that express his inner consciousness.
‘Personality’ is a widely used term. It is used
in different meanings and connotations in
psychology. Psychologists have written much
about it. But still most of the people remain
ignorant of the essence or real meaning of the
term. The depths of personality yet remain
unfathomed.
In the beginning, the psychologists may have
understood the word ‘personality’ simply as
a derivative of the Latin ‘persona’, meaning a
mask or facade or outer covering. But now it
is commonly accepted that the real reasons
behind human behavior remain hidden in the
depths of his interior. If we are to reach at
the root of a man’s conduct, we will have to
dig through the layers of his character and
20
The Traid of Personality
mind. Without properly knowing these
entities an objective explanation of his conduct
will be impossible.
A meaningful definition of personality may be
given as the aggregate of a person’s
characteristic features and qualities. These
features and qualities are manifested in his
external conduct but their origins go far
deeper and remain hidden in his thoughts and
sa®sk³rs (persistent mental impressions). This
is also spoken of by the rishis – “yanmanas³
dhy³yati tadv³cha vadati; yadv³cha vadati,
tatkarmañ³ karoti; yat karmaña karoti,
tadbhisa®padyate”. Meaning: As a man thinks
in his mind, so is his speech; as he speaks, so
does he conduct himself; as is his conduct, so
does he become.
Thought, character and conduct - these form
the three-dimensional identity of personality.
Between these three, the first dimension is of
thought. It consists of that which we think
and keeps cropping up and circulating in our
ideas and imaginations. The continuity and
intensity of this thought shapes our character.
The process of this character building is very
gradual, because the underlying basis of
character is the sa®sk³rs or innate dispositions
which lie dormant in the depths of the
unconscious mind. As long as the intensity of
thought does not reach the stage where it can
refine the sa®sk³rs, the character remains
totally unaffected. This very composite of
March-April 2006
thought and character is reflected in the
conduct. So, if the personality is to be refined
and developed to its fullest potential, and along
the right path, it would be imperative to mould
its three-dimensional nature afresh.
There is an instructive anecdote about
moulding the personality in this way. In South
India there was a very learned and tapasvi
sage, Sadashiva Brahmendra Swami. Those
days he was studying vedanta in his guru’s
ashrama. His whole time was spent in study,
contemplation and tapa. Once a renowned
scholar, Pandit Mahashaya, visited the ashrama.
It so happened that soon he and Sadashiva
Swami were locked in a debate. In no time,
Sadashiva Swami, with his dazzling
scholarship, tore all his adversary’s arguments
to shreds and reduced him to a position where
the Pandit Mahashaya had to apologize and
retreat.
Feeling exultant at his victory, Sadashiva
Swami narrated the incident to his gurudev
expecting probably a pat on the back. But
quite the opposite happened. Gurudev severely
reprimanded him. He said: “Sadashiva! Noble
thought is worthwhile only when it builds a
noble character, and a noble character is
meaningful only when it is translated into
noble conduct. You studied and contemplated
on vedanta, but were unable to sculpt the
character of a truth seeking sadhaka, nor were
you able to train your conduct accordingly.
For this reason, your whole effort thus far at
study and contemplation can only be worthy
of condemnation.
These words of his guru burst Sadashiva
Swami’s bloated sense of ego. Very humbly
he asked: “Gurudev! How should we sculpt
March-April 2006
noble character”? Gurudev replied: “Son! To
sculpt the personality afresh, one should have,
first of all, its clear outline in the mind. For
example, for formation of the personality of a
truth seeking sadhaka, it would be essential that
every moment of the sadhaka’s thinking is
imbued with his jóana sadhana. The second
important point is that no idea or element of
thought contrary to the main purpose is
allowed to enter the mind. Thirdly, the
intensity of purposeful thinking is maintained
continuously. Reflection and contemplation
must continue ceaselessly. By such deep
thought the suitable personality is formed.”
“But remember”, gurudev warned,
“contemplation is meant to shape one’s own
personality and not to score debating points
over others and satisfy one’s ego.
Unnecessary argumentation is a hindrance to
the process, and only by avoiding this can a
new character be sculpted - a character, which
purifies and illumines even the nature and
attributes of the body and the sense-organs.
It is for this reason that the vedic rishis have
included the body and the sense-organs within
the definition of character.”
“As for conduct”, gurudev continued, “it
should be wholly transparent and guileless
like the character, no matter how much trials
and suffering one has to undergo. It is through
the conduct that deeper layers of a man’s
personality find expression. So it must be
commensurate with the dignity and honour
of one’s jivana sadhana”. Sadashiva Swami
imbibed deeply these words of his guru and
advanced on the path of his jivana sadhana. For
those who wish to tread this path in a similar
way it will also be essential that they find a
noble and lofty goal for themselves.
21
Health Tips
Some Remedial Tips
Against Dental & Oral Diseases - I
T he Vedic scriptures describe seven major
components of the oral or mouth system
and total sixty-seven types of ailments likely
to afflict this system. For example refer the
following shlokas of the 66th Chapter titled
“Mukharogadhikar” in the diagnostics section
of the Ayurvedic scripture “Bhavaprakash”.
OÌÚhau Ca Dantm¿l³ni Dant³ijhve Ca T³lu
Ca |
Galo Mukh³ni Sakala® Sapt³óga
Mukhamucyate ||
Meaning: The roots of the teeth – the gums,
the teeth, the tongue, palate, throat, and the
portion from vocal cord to the opening of
mouth (inclusive), these seven components
constitute the mukha (mouth) system.
The next shlokas highlights the number of
principal types of diseases associated with
these seven components.
SyuraÌÚ³voÌÚhayordantam¿le Tu DaÌa ßaÚ
Tath³ |
DanteÌvaÌÚau Ca Jihvay³® Pancasyurnava
T³luni ||
KanÚhe TwaÌÚ³daïa Prokt³straya¡ SarveÌu Ca
Sm—at³¡ |
Eva® Mukh³may³¡ Sarve SaptaÌaÌÚirmat³
Bhudhai¡ ||
22
Meaning: Eight types of major ailments are
likely to afflict the lips, sixteen the gums or
roots of the teeth, eight the teeth, five the
tongue, nine the palate, eighteen the throat
and three the mouth. This way there are a total
of sixty-seven types of diseases of the oral
(mouth) system.
Clean and healthy mouth (teeth, tongue etc)
is the first test of vigorous health. Without it,
one can’t be regarded as totally healthy. Smile
of the shining stout teeth adds to one’s beauty.
Bleeding gums and dirty or weakened teeth
on the contrary make one sick; apart from
suffering the pains, one has to also face
people’s scorn at times, as people prefer
keeping a distance while talking to those
having stinking mouths. It is said that mouth
is the door for the entrance of diseases. This
sounds scientifically logical, as whatever good
or bad we eat and drink, first comes in contact
with our mouth – the tongue, teeth, throat etc.
If there is some infection here, it will get
spread in the whole body via blood circulation.
Further, if even a tiny part of what is eaten
remains stuck in any component of the mouth,
it will soon decompose and give rise to a
variety of bacterial diseases. The roots of the
teeth and the gums are most vulnerable to such
infections. This is why people with dental
problems often suffer from gum problems as
March-April 2006
well. The palate cavity is often neglected while
cleaning the mouth. Illness of any component
of the mouth system means inviting illness for
the whole body system in one form or the
other because these components are like
sentinels of the body.
Clinical surveys show that over 90% of the
dental ailments occur due to unhygienic eating
habits and inadequate cleaning of the teeth.
Rotten particles stuck in the teeth give rise of
bacteria, which eat away important nourishing
elements for the teeth including Enamel and
Dentine. The growing bacteria populations
also attack the delicate veins and nerves in the
pulp cavity and the soft insides of the gums.
Consequently there are problems like cavities
in the teeth, weakening of the teeth, swelling
and bleeding of gums, pyorrhea, tooth decay,
etc. The saliva of mouth and other stuff eaten
or drunk carries the bacterial infections inside
the GI track and then to the blood and thus
cause various diseases.
Although sixteen types of ailments of the
mouth system and their remedies are
described in the Ayurvedic scriptures, we shall
focus here only on the twelve prominent
diseases of the gums and teeth that are quite
frequently observed in the present times.
These are – (i) Dantashula (Toothache/
Odontalgia); (ii) Dantaksharan or Dantkrami
(Dental Caries); (iii) Dantakampa or Loosening
of Teeth (Odontoseisis); (iv) Dantarakta
(Bleeding/Spongy Gums); (v) Danta-shitad
Roga (Enamel Deficiency); (vi) Danta krami
(Dental Cavity) (vii) Dantamula Vidradhi or
Masudhon Ka Phoda (Gum Boil); (viii) Dantamula
Shotha (Gingivitis); (ix) Dantapuya or
Dantveshtaka (Pyorrhea); (x) Dantavidradhi

Here is the story a master told his disciples to show what damage a single trifling
attachment can do to those who have become rich in spiritual gifts:
A villager was once riding past a cave in a mountain at the precise moment when it
made one of its rare magical appearances to all who wished to enrich themselves from
its treasures. He marched into the cave and found whole mountains of jewels and
precious stones that he hurriedly stuffed into the saddlebags of his mule, for he knew
the legend according to which the cave would be open for only a very limited period of
time so its treasures had to be taken in haste.

The donkey was fully loaded and he set off rejoicing at his good fortune, when he
suddenly remembered he had left his stick in the cave. He turned back and rushed into
the cave. But the time for the cave to disappear had arrived and so he disappeared
with it and was never seen again. After waiting for him a year or two, the villagers
sold the treasure they found on the donkey and became the beneficiaries of the
unfortunate man’s good luck.

When the sparrow builds its next in the forest, it occupies but a single branch. When
the deer slakes its thirst at the river, it drinks no more than its belly can hold.
We collect things because our hearts are empty.

March-April 2006 23
(Dental Alveolar Abscess); (xi) Danta
Raktabisaran or excessive bleeding from the
teeth-roots (Odontorrhagia); (xii) Trench
Mouth (Vincent Infection).
We shall first describe them in brief then
consider the herbal/remedies and modes of
treatments prescribed in Ayurveda.
(i) Dantashula (Toothache/Odontalgia):
This is perhaps the most common complaint
among people of all age groups and life-
styles. There does not seem to be a single
cause of this problem. For example, starting
or aggravated stage of dental cavity, tooth
decay, breaking of tooth, loosening or
weakening of tooth, calcium deficiency,
aging, etc would also cause toothache of
varied intensity. Deposition of dirt (due to
decomposition of stuck up food grains, for
example) or tarter near the root of a tooth
causes acute pain when the bacteria grown
there begin to damage the delicate muscles
and soft tissues in that region. Pyorrhea also
leads to weakening of teeth and sever pain.
Many people feel pain in the teeth upon
eating or drinking very cold, sour or very
hot stuff. Most prominent cause of all these
problems and hence of toothache is
inadequate cleaning of the teeth.
(ii) Dantaksharan or Dantkrami (Dental
Caries): The dirt, bacterial growth and
infections in the teeth-roots and gums lead to
further decay of the teeth. Pyorrhea also gives
rise to this problem. Other causes of this
disease are the deficiencies of Vitamins A, D,
Phosphorus or Calcium. Teeth are broken into
small pieces and gums secrete excessive fluids
and begin to almost dissolve
24
(iii) Dantakampa or Loosening of Teeth
(Odontoseisis): It is an offshoot of excessive
weakening of the teeth or swelling or
loosening of the gums, mostly due to
pyorrhea. At times toxic effects of mercury or
some chemically synthesized medicines also
cause this problem. Chewing becomes painful
and difficult for those suffering from
Odontoseisis. They often wound their cheeks
and tongue in this attempt.
(iv) Dantarakta (Bleeding/Spongy Gums):
This is also a common ailment in which with
little pressure, or even while brushing or
cleaning the mouth, the gums start bleeding.
The main cause of this is the dirt between the
teeth accumulated due to carelessness in
cleaning the teeth. The layer of tarter
deposited on the gums also causes this ailment.
One must clean them by brush, using
toothpaste or toothpowder or by dataun of
Neem tree sticks in the morning and after each
meal. The mouth should be cleaned by
thorough gargling after eating.
(v) Danta-shitad Roga (Enamel Deficiency):
Weakening of the protective layer of enamel
on the teeth makes the teeth very sensitive;
drinking or eating anything cold or warm
causes pain in the teeth and the gums. If left
untreated, even the touch of a breeze or
putting the upper layer of teeth on the lower
one becomes unbearable. Deficiency of
enamel is an indication of further ailments;
especially it is a forewarning of beginning
of pyorrhea. It occurs because of infections
in the teeth due to unhygienic conditions of
the teeth, gums and mouth in general,
improper cleaning; or use of toothpastes/
powders containing corrosive chemicals.
March-April 2006
(vi) Danta krami (Dental Cavity): As stated
earlier, the damaging of teeth and gums
usually occurs due to the bacterial infection
consequent to decomposition of accumulated
food particles etc. The cavity (hole) in a
tooth is dangerous as it spreads up to the
root of the tooth and destroys it. Moreover,
whenever the patient eats anything, some
particles get stuck inside the cavity and are
difficult to be taken out. This means terrible
toothache and risk of further infection and
diseases. People often get their cavities
filled or replace the tooth by some gold
coated or artificial tooth made of some
biocompatible substance.
(vii) Masudhon Ka Phoda (Gum Boil): This
is due to infected (or septic) gums. The
infected gum becomes red and inflated. It feels
flabby by touch and pains unbearably. In
aggravated stage one can even see septic boils
on it.
(viii) Dantamula Shotha (Gingivitis): This is
a kind of swelling of the gums because of injury
or bacterial infection. The initial symptoms are
mild pain in the teeth and in the gums. In the
extreme stage, even the cheeks pain and
appear reddish from inside. If no remedial
steps are taken, gradually there would be
formation of pus inside the gums which is
awfully painful and dangerous, as it may lead
to cancer and other diseases of the mouth.
(ix) Dantapuya or Dantveshtaka (Pyorrhea):
It is also called Paridar and Puyasrawa in
Ayurveda in view of its multiple symptoms
and consequences. Pyorrhea is perhaps the
most dreaded disease of the teeth; next to
oral cancer. In spite of amazing advancement
March-April 2006
in Dental Care, there is no assured treatment
of this disease after a certain stage. The
patient has to remove the rotten teeth,
undergo the treatment of the gums and if
the latter are still having the strength and
grip, use artificial denture. It is caused by
the bacteria growing in the putrid food
particles and filth inside the mouth,
especially near the roots of the teeth. It
happens only to those who keep munching
or hogging something or the other all the
time and those who don’t care for hygiene
of the mouth and teeth (especially the jaws).
Pyorrhea manifests in full swing after several
years of its attack. As the accumulation of
germs that leads to its spread continues to go
in the systemic circulation, there are bound to
be several other health hazards. Frequent
among these are –– appetite loss, indigestion,
liver infections, fever, ailments of the eyes,
arthritis, etc. The infections carried inside the
body of the patients of Pyorrhea could be
more severe, giving rise to cardiac problems
and cancers.
Children who eat ice creams, chocolates,
chewing gum, candy, and other sweets and
sleep without cleaning (brushing) their teeth
are vulnerable to this disease. If not cleaned
properly, some amount of the sticky
substances (like chocolate) remains in the
teeth, however small this deposition is, its
gradual decomposition and accumulation for
a few days results in bacterial growth. This is
a slow process initially but spreads
uncontrollably after a certain stage. One learns
about the problem only when the toothache
aggravates and other kinds of ailments,
especially bleeding of gums manifest.
25
The habits of drinking very cold or hot water,
tea or coffee, keeping ice-cubes in mouth,
having bed tea without brushing, sleeping
after drinking milk without cleaning the
mouth, etc are very harmful for dental health.
Malnutrition, deficiency of vitamin B-complex
and vitamin C also add to the risk of Pyorrhea.
Persistence of constipation and gastric
problems also result in accumulation of
undigested filth in the body, which hosts a
variety of bacteria leading to several ailments,
including Pyorrhea.
The remaining three other diseases are:
Dental Alveolar Abscess: In this case an
abscess is formed in the periapical tissues; the
symptoms of this ailment are characterized by
acute inflammation and suppuration.
Odontorrhagia: Profuse bleeding from the
socket (in the gum) after removal of a tooth is
termed Odontorrhagia. This problem of
excessive bleeding from the tooth socket may
occur due to germs or specific disorders of
the teeth and supporting structures.
Vincent Infection: This is an acute and painful
infection of the gums, not contagious, with a
stinking odor and painful bleeding of the
mouth and gums. It is a kind of Necrotizing
Ulcerative Gingivitis.
In the next article we shall look into the
herbal/plant medicines against the common
ailments of mouth (esp. the dental region) and
the methods of their preparation and use as
prescribed in ancient texts of Ayurveda and
reinvestigated in the modern laboratories of
Brahmvarchas Reseach Centre, Shantikunj,
Hardwar.
One thing that we all can do from this very
moment is to take preventive care. Most
important preventive treatment of the
common diseases of the mouth is thorough
cleansing of the teeth, gum, palate and the
tongue. Often people use expensive
toothpastes and brush their teeth twice. But
they don’t know which toothpaste and what
type of brush is good for their dental health.
The exact method of cleaning; extra care
needs to be taken for the jaws; also different
types of tooth brushes are required that suit
the teeth that are not in line; are uneven in
size, tilted, or placed one above the other.
Natural herbal brushes ( d³tuna ) and
toothpastes are easiest to use and most
suited for every kind of teeth. We shall look
into these and their therapeutic applications
in the next issue. (To be continued…)

Sri Ramkrishna Paramhansa was suffering from painful cancer of the

throat. Once some disciples suggested: “Bhagwan, you have relieved hundreds
of persons of pain by your spiritual power – why don’t you use this power for
your own healing?” Paramhansa replied: “Son! Whatever I have been given
by Maa Kali, I know precisely why it has been given. Utilization of the power
meant for others’ benefit for my personal benefit will make me undeserving of
the Divine Gift. This, I would not do”.

26 March-April 2006
Science and Spirituality
T he science of mantras was derived from
the eternity and omnipresence of
primordial sound, as realized by the rishis
(sages) of Vedic times in the state of deep
trance. The specific structure or configurations
of syllables in the scriptural representation of
mantras in ancient Sanskrit can be viewed as a
coded compilation, the rhythmic chanting of
which with mental concentration (and hence
at a consistent pace) generates distinct flow
of the specific currents of Ïabda Brah®1 and
hence induce distinct impact on the mental and
emotional state of the devotee.
Before venturing into the deeper science of
mantras we should first understand the sonic
power of some basic vowels used in the
Sanskrit and Devanagari scripts. Whatever be
the type of our language, we do come across
a large number of such accents (and their
phonemes) or various combinations of these
in our day-to-day communications. Because of
the special sonic effects, the proper use of the
basic vowels and syllables of the ancient
Sanskrit language can also be regarded as an
elementary exercise in Ïabda Yoga.
The properties of some of these basic vowels
are as follows:
—• (a): Pronunciation of this vowel has a
direct, though subtle, impact on the heart.
The pumping action of the heart – especially
its operation of pumping out pure blood – is
March-April 2006
Some Elements of the
Science of Vowels
supported by this accent. Repeated loud
enunciation of this vowel at constant
amplitude helps regulate the supply of pure
blood from the heart to various part of the
body. In mantra vijó³na this vowel is regarded
to possess creative power.
— •Ê (³): The sound of this vowel affects the
chest and the upper parts of the lungs. Its
impact strengthens the upper ribs, helps clean
the digestive canal and also energizes the mind.
Controlled and repeated enunciation of this
vowel would be very useful towards the cure
of asthma and chronic cough.
ß — ߸ (i - º): Stretched pronunciation of these
has a direct positive effect on the throat and
its connections with the brain. This activates
upper chamber of the heart. Cleansing of the
respiratory tract and the intestines is
performed by regular stimulation by the
continuous sound of these sharp vowels.
People suffering from chronic headaches or
cardiac ailments should benefit from
consistently exercising the repeated ‘chanting’
of these vowels. Short-tempered or mentally
depressed persons are also advised to follow
the practice of rhythmic recitation of these
accents.
© — ™§ (u - ¿): Pronunciation of these vowels
has direct positive impact on the organs in the
middle and the lower parts of the body –
namely, the liver, stomach and the lower
27
intestine. It reduces the weight of the belly.
Constipation can be cured by regular recitation
of these vowels over a continuous stretch of
time. Women suffering from diseases of the
abdomen would also benefit from such
exercises.
∞ - ∞ (e - ai): The sound of these vowels has
an impact on the kidneys and also on the
junction of the throat and the respiratory tract.
Repeated pronunciation of these vowels helps
cure of renal (urinary) diseases. Rhythmic
enunciation of these strengthens the soft
membranes inside the vocal cord and hence it
is very useful for the singers or teachers who
have to sing/speak, at a constant pace, for
relatively longer periods of time.
•Ê - •ÊÒ (o - au): The natural functioning of
genital organs and the muscles and veins of
its peripherals are strengthened by the sound
of these vowels. The regular practice of
chanting these vowels also stimulates the
central part of the chest and is useful in
supporting the cure of pneumonia and
pleurisy.
•¢ (a®): Inhaling of oxygen with the humming
sound of this vowel indeed helps increase
one’s vital energy. It also activates healthy
increase in the RBCs and purifies the blood.
The practice of pr³ñ³y³ma is an integral part
of all yoga exercises; prolonged
pronunciation of ‘a®’ is the root of perfection
in the former. While pronouncing the ‘a’ part
of this vowel our lips and mouth are kept
open and the lips are closed at the time of
‘®’.... This should be practised with a feeling
that – all our evils have gone out in the first
phase and we have closed their re-entry in
28
the second phase. Regular practice of this
simple exercise is very beneficial for
psychological uplifting too.
•— (a¡): Its pronunciation titillates the
tongue and the upper frontal part of the
palate and creates useful conduction effects
in the brain. Recitation of this vowel, under
deep meditation, stimulates the secretion of
specific hormones that regulate the
harmonious functioning of all components/
organs of the body. Open laughter also
serves repeated enunciation of this vowel.
This is the secret of the “laughing exercise”
being so effective a remedy against stress
and depression.
Apart from inducing positive effects on the
body and the mind, specific practices of
chanting these basic vowels (accents) help
spiritual growth as well. These aspects are
covered in the context of N³da Yoga and
Music.
Relation of Vocal Sound with the Panca
Tatvas2:
Prof. Dobson and some other linguists have
hypothesized that the primary speech of
human race must have originated in the form
of a verse because rhythm and accent of the
vocal presentations seem to be universal vis-
à-vis their implications in any language.
Prof. Dobson had got this idea after
observing that – if he would recite a French
poem before his German students and
German poem in front of French-speaking
students, both the groups of students were
able to get the central idea and feel of the
poems. Whereas the prose pieces in the same
March-April 2006
foreign languages were non-comprehensible
to these students.
That phonemes (and sound in general) would
have a relation with matter (which belongs
to the p—athvº tatva) is obvious from the fact
that when any kind of material form is beaten
it produces vibrations. The type of
vibrations (and hence the quality of sound
generated by them…) produced by the same
impact of beating would be different for
different types and shapes of matter. For
example, the sound produced by a thin wire
of sit³ra is different from that of the leather-
sheet of a dholaka, etc.
The role of air (which belongs to the v³yu tatva
in the group of the five basic elements) as a
medium for the realization and propagation
of sound is well known. The controlling effect
of air in maintaining the quality and type of
sound is also obvious – as seen in whistling or
in playing of the musical instruments like flute.
The use of water as a medium for
communication by several marine species and
also in some musical instruments (like the jal
taranga) similarly explains the relationship of
sound with the jal tatva.
The relationship of sound with heat and light
– constituents of the agni tatva, can be seen
/ measured with the help of the scientific
instruments like the thermometer,
spectrometer and the tonometer. The
implications of their subtle relationship are
well experienced by most of us in our day-
to-day life; for example, ‘the heated
exchange of words in quarreling’ or ‘the
enlightenment of mind by an inspiring
lecture’, etc.
March-April 2006
That sound reflected in the form of music
affects our sentiments – is an evidence of its
relationship with the subtlest, the cosmic
element – ³k³ïa tatva.
This world is like a small child that is born
from the womb of the gigantic cosmos and is
playing in the lap of its unlimited space – the
Âk³ïa. The entire ensemble of stars, planets,
galaxies, all the animate and inanimate
creations of the universe are surviving under
the shelter of Âk³ïa. Before the creation of
the universe and manifestation of Nature,
there was nothing but the Âk³ïa. The specific
vibrations of the energy of Ïabda pervading
in the Âk³ïa gave birth to the creation of the
five basic elements – the Panca Tatvas of Nature
and the five fundamental forms of vital energy
– the Panca Pr³ñas.
Different combinations of the Panca Tatvas
resulted in the formation of innumerable kinds
of material substances and those of the Panca
Pr³ñas3 got manifested into different living
forms (creatures). This concept of the origin
of Nature as deciphered by the spiritual
scientists of yore is also acceptable (with an
obvious difference of terminology) vis-à-vis
the latest theories of creation propounded by
modern science.
Ïabda is supposed to be the mode of perception
of the Âk³ïa Tatva. The physical manifestation
of this tatva is defined as ether and that is
expressed as the gigantic ocean of sound
waves. All electromagnetic energy waves –
light, electricity etc, are generated from the
vibrations of this primordial sound. Sound is
also known in the physical sciences as the first
source of energy; its combination with light
29
lies at the root of the generation of different
types of energy-currents and particles of
matter.
As the physical existence of the universe in
general, and the individual being – i.e., the
body, mind and the manifestation of
consciousness in it, in particular, is constituted
by the panca tatvas (the five basic elements),
its perennial connection with sound is quite
natural.
In fact, our body as a whole and especially
the vocal cord is like a sophisticated musical
instrument. Its thin muscles, membranes and
other particles get vibrations from the apatatva;
when we speak, the currents of apatatva are
received from the omnipresent sonic power
of N³da around us. When we think, this
sublime element is generated by the Ïabda,
which is indwelling the conscious core of our
mind. This is the reason why our mind talks
to itself while in the thought process.
The infinite dimensional apatatva is immanent
in the ³k³ïa tatva. This is also regarded as the
source of the physical existence of sound in
our space. However, the presence of other four
basic tatvas affects its realization in the eternal
form. The human mind has so far experienced
/ recognized about forty-nine different kinds
of natural phonemes swaras (notes) – seven of
which are regarded as the basic vowels and
the others are komal (soft) and tºvra (high)
configurations of them. Various combinations
of these swaras have been compiled into eight
basic r³gas (classical tunes of shastriya music)
and so on. The gamut of phonemes and
varieties of sounds (musical or otherwise)
have been generated thereby.
30
The panca tatvas existing in these varieties of
sound do affect our body and mind according
to their own natural properties. Excessive
presence of agni tatva in the sound heard or
produced by us enlightens our pr³ña by a
subtle red color and gives physical effects like
that of the thermal energy and the
psychological stimulation. Similarly, the jal and
the v³yu tatva offer blue and white colors of
pr³ña, p—athvº tatva induces yellow color and
the ³k³ïa tatva absolute black. Each generates
associated impulses in the physical and
emotional environments.
What is important for us to grasp from the
above descriptions is – the significance of the
immense hidden power of sound and its
intimate eternal relationship with our life.
With this, we must begin to make our speech
and thoughts as pure and true as possible. This
would be our first step towards the realization
of the paramount significance of sound as a
manifestation of Ïabda.
Notes:
1. Ïabda Brah®: The primordial, cosmic sound
of the sublime vibrations of the omnipresent
consciousness force.
2. Pancha Tatvas: The five basic elements of
the gross manifestation of the world are called
Panca Tatvas. Namely, p—aithvº (solid matter on
or inside the earth), jala (water, liquids and
fluids), v³y¿ (air), agni (source of fire and
energy) and ³k³ïa (the subliminal etheric
expansion and medium of mental and
emotional perceptions).
3. Pancha Pr³ñas: The five extrasensory
currents of vital energy indwelling the human
body are called Panca Pr³ñas.
March-April 2006
Companions in Solitude – 7
[P¿jya Gurudev’s Travelogue of the Pilgrimage to the Him³layas - Continued]
I n today’s journey I had many co-pilgrims.
Among them there were a few women, too.
Along the way there were Binni trees laden
with ripening and attractive fruits. The ladies
began to debate amongst themselves as to
which kind of fruits they were. Someone from
amongst them said that these were forest
apples. It was therefore concluded that those
were apples of the forest anyway. Fruits were
in abundance, and wore a mixed colour of red
and yellow, which imparted the impression
of their being ripe.
The group of ladies stood back. A grownup
girl climbed up the tree. It seemed that she
must have had the practice of climbing up
trees in her village. She shook down about
40 to 50 fruits. The ladies standing on the
ground picked them up, scrambling. Some
smart ones could pick up more than the
others. Those who got less started
quarrelling with those who got more. While
quarrelling, a lady who had got less started
accusing that the other woman blocked her
way and picked up more. The woman who
picked up more retorted that she picked up
more because of her agility and her ability
to move fast. She reasoned that those who
moved fast are bound to be the gainers. If
you had been more agile than me you could
have outdone me and collected more.
March-April 2006
Apple of the
Forest
They decided to eat them at the camp along
with the food. The fruits, they opined, were
sweet and beautiful and would taste well with
the food. Putting the fruits in their apron, they
began moving happily, for having collected so
many of these costly fruits so easily. Though
the quarrelling ceased after sometime, the
mutual illwill of collecting less and more
continued. They were angrily ogling at each
other.
The camp was reached. Everyone sat down.
Food was prepared. Fruits too were taken out
and served. And lo! Those who hastily put it
in the mouth began to spit out. The fruits were
bitter. The beautiful fruits, for collecting which
they quarreled and laboured a lot, have turned
out to be bitter.
They were greatly disappointed. The native
porter standing beside was greatly amused
and started laughing. He said, “These are
fruits of Binni tree. They are not eatable. The
seeds are used for extracting oil.” The ladies
felt ashamed for having collected and carried
the fruits without knowing the truth about
them.
I too was there and was a witness to the entire
episode from beginning to end. The ladies
now started laughing over the fruit episode.
31
They got a chance to make fun. It is common
that people feel happy on laughing over
others’ mistakes and faults. Their mistake was
that they assumed the fruits to be sweet and
tasty because of their attractive shape and
colour. How can everything that appears
attractive be sweet? They should have known
it. The ignorance caused them to be ashamed
of themselves. Moreover, they quarreled for
a worthless cause.
I ponder as to why these ladies alone be
laughed at, while nobody laughs at the whole
society which is crazy after attractive
appearances, like moths dying over the flame.
In the world of appearances, god of beauty is
worshipped; pomp and show attract everyone;
and due to the temptation people madly fall
for worthless things. They waste their lives
chasing shadows of happiness and fulfillment
and in the end repent over the futility of their
pursuits, like the ladies who were repenting
here due to having collected the bitter fruits
of Binni trees mistaking them for forest apples.
People who go after appearances would do
well to cultivate a deeper vision to be able to
realize the inner worth rather than the form.
But it is possible only when one is wise enough
to discern the pitfalls of attractive appearances
and be able to keep away from them.
None could eat the Binny fruits. They had to be
thrown away. Those were not eatable at all.
Riches and wealth, beauty and youth, merriment
and fun, sex and infatuation, enjoyment and
easygoing lifestyle and the like are some of the
many vices, which disturb and pollute the mind.
But most of the glittering things in the world
are such that their acquisition ultimately causes
only deep remorse and disgust.
32
MULES THAT WALK CAREFULLY
In mountainous regions, sheep and mules are
used as beasts of burden. They are the only
means available for transport too. Like we see
carts, tangas, rickshaw, etc on our roads of the
plains, mostly mules are seen moving safely
on the difficult paths of the mountainous
regions.
We walk with great caution on such perilous
mountain footpaths, taking proper care to
avoid hitting the foot against stones. The
mules also walk likewise. Our head is so
positioned on the body that we can see where
we are putting our next step and can thus
avoid danger. But it is not so with the mules.
With their type of movement of the neck and
position of their eyes, they can see ahead, but
cannot see where the legs are being placed.
Yet every step of the mule is always carefully
placed at the right spot. Else the slightest slip
would cause it fall down and end up its life
like the cow calf we saw yesterday lying dead
on the way to Gangotri due to falling from a
height of about 80 feet. The poor thing lost its
balance due to keeping one of the legs on the
wrong spot. Such happenings are rare even in
case of mountain cows. But in the case of mules
such instances are never heard of.
The man incharge of the mules told us that
these animals were extremely careful and were
wise in treading the way. They walk fast, yet
every step is kept carefully. When they
apprehend any dangerous spot they suddenly
control themselves, take the step back and
search out the safe spot with the leg and then
go forward. While walking, its attention is
concentrated on the balance between the foot
March-April 2006
and the ground. Had it not been so they would
not have been so useful on this difficult terrain.
The wisdom of mules is commendable. While
man repeatedly takes wrong steps without
caring a bit and consequently suffers without
growing wiser, the mules make no mistake in
finding the balance of their feet. If we too
learn to carefully put our steps on the uneven
and perilous path of life, our conduct would
also become commendable like that of the
mountain mules.
SIGHT OF GOMUKH (The origin of Ganga)
Today my long cherished desire of seeing the
origin of Mother Ganga got fulfilled. The
journey of 18 miles from Gangotri to Gomukh
is fraught with far greater difficulties than those
faced in the journey upto Gangotri. When the
road to Gangotri gets cut off or blocked, the
Government officials of the Public Works
Department arrange for its quick repair. But this
route to Gomukh mostly remains neglected and
unrepaired. The mountain roads get damaged
every year and if they are not repaired for a
year or two the paths become very hazardous.
In some places the paths were cut off in such a
way that to pass by it was nothing short of
gambling with life. A slight slip of step and there
ends your life.
The glacier, from which Ganga originates, is
of blue colour. This place of origin of Mother
Ganga looks uniquely magnificent by the
presence of snow-clad mountain peaks all
around. The course of water appears like an
ordinary fountain. Though the course is thin
its velocity is tremendous. It is said that this
course of Ganga comes from Kailash - Shiva’s
March-April 2006
matted hair. From Kailash to Gomukh Ganga
is said to travel underground. The
tremendous speed of Ganga at this visible
origin is attributed to her having endured the
weight of millions of tonnes of glacier for over
hundreds of miles. Whatever that be, for
imaginative minds, it is milk coming from
mother’s breast. A pious urge surges within
to drink it and to get immersed in it like it
happened with the writer of ‘Ganga Lahari’
(Waves of Ganga) a composition of poems
written in praise of Ganga by Shri Jagannath
Mishra, who went on reciting his own
composition, putting one step ahead with the
chanting of each stanza and at the end of the
last stanza plunged into Ganga in a fit of
heightened emotion and accepted the watery
grave (Jal Samadhi).
I satisfied my urge by taking a sip and a dip
in the Ganga. Throughout the way my
imagination and emotions were billowing like
the waves of the Ganga. Many thoughts
appeared and disappeared. At this time I
cannot restrain the urge to write down an
important thought that has just surfaced in the
mind. So here I put it.
Here at Gomukh, Ganga is only a thin tiny
course. On the way hundreds and thousands
of fountains, streams and rivers join it. Some
of them are many times bigger than the
original Ganga at its source. It is only due to
all those rivers and streams and fountains
joining her that Ganga has become so large
and wide as seen at Haridwar, Kanpur, Prayag
etc. Big canals are dug to carry water from
the Ganga for irrigation. The water from
Gomukh will not suffice for even a single
canal. If no other stream or river had joined
33
the Ganga its water would have been absorbed
by the soil within a few miles of its origin,
and it would have vanished, thereby millions
of human beings would have lost the
opportunity to be nourished by its life-giving
waters. Ganga is great, certainly great, for it
has bound myriads of streams and rivers in
the bond of love. She threw open her arms of
magnanimity and embraced them to her heart.
Taking no notice of their virtues and faults,
she assimilated them all in her fold. How can
one whose heart is full of feelings of boundless
love, intimacy and oneness be short of water?
When the lamp burns, moths also get ready
to burn themselves over it. When Ganga has
set out on the path of public welfare by
spreading life-giving nourishment, why should
not the rivers and streams come forward to
sacrifice themselves in it. We can see for
ourselves that innumerable souls have merged
themselves in the large-hearted soul of
Gandhi, Buddha, Jesus and the like.
Ganga’s bed level is the lowest. This has
enabled the streams and rivers to fall into
it. On the contrary if Ganga had, instead of
keeping herself low and humble, held her
level high feeling proud of her qualities,
other streams, though not much worthy
would not have tolerated her conceit and
would have turned away from her, feeling
rather jealous of her. The magnanimity of
the streams is truly great and their sacrifice
is also praiseworthy, yet it is the humility
of Ganga in presenting herself as humble
that has given the opportunity to the streams
to make their existence fruitful. Ganga has
many other great attributes but this one
virtue of humility alone is so great that
words fail to admire her.
34
The farsightedness of the streams and rivers
in renouncing their own ambition of attaining
fame, keeping their separate identity and
importance is also highly appreciable. They
enrich the capacity and greatness of Ganga by
losing themselves. They realized the
importance of unity and co-operative working.
So they deserve unbound appreciation. They
did not preach nor discoursed on the strength
of unity but showed it practically by their
deed. This is called courage of conviction. This
unique example of renouncing one’s identity
is not only great but instinct with
foresightedness too. Had they insisted on
perpetuating their separate identity and
sought to themselves the credit of their
performance, they could surely have had their
own name and fame, but that would not have
been considered of much value. In that
condition, no one would have considered their
water to be holy nor worth using for
sanctifying body and soul.
The sacred Gomukh that I saw and bathed in
today is only the origin of Mother Ganga. The
complete Ganga is formed by the collective
effort of thousands of streams and rivers.
Gangasagar has welcomed it. The entire world
worships it. Only a few like me go in search
of Gomukh and reach it.
I wish that a sacred united angelic and divine
force may emerge in human consciousness to
eradicate sin and promote universal welfare.
If only our leaders and their followers could
pick up this example of collaborative working
like that of Ganga and her tributaries?
“As worm eats up the cloth, so does
jealousy a human being.”
March-April 2006
My Life: Its Legacy and Message – 18
Mind of a br³hmaña
Actions of a —iÌi - 1
[Autobiography of P¿jya Gurudev continued from the previous issue]
A s soon as attributes of a br³hmaña awaken
in the inner-self of an individual,
saintliness is effortlessly expressed in his
actions. A br³hmaña means a person who
possesses the moral strength to overcome
allurements and greed. He resists temptations
and is happily contented in leading the life of
an average citizen. I received guidance from
Gurudev in the early days of my life how to
cultivate these attributes of a br³hmaña. Thus,
I was truly reborn as a br³hmaña; my physical
birth from br³hmaña parents was of no
significance. I might have assumed and shed
human bodies carrying an animal-like soul
during many lives in the past. I have no
recollection how many times during this
immortal and eternal journey, I had led sinful,
animal-like lives, heavy-laden with sin and
consequent suffering. But I feel blessed and
blissful with the achievements of this life,
which can be truly called of a br³hmaña. It is
in this very birth that I have had the rare
opportunity and joy of transforming myself
into a divinized man in an animal body. A
br³hmaña has a huge fund of surplus energy at
his disposal, as he spends only a small fraction
of it to satisfy his personal and family needs.
Elephants, camels, buffaloes, have big
stomachs. One can understand why they
spend so much time in filling up their stomachs.
March-April 2006
A man with two dexterous and skillful hands,
a mind capable of finding out thousand ways
and means to earn necessary resources and
cooperation of family and friends, should be
able to earn his livelihood easily. Man has a
very small stomach. Even peacocks, pigeons
and sparrows earn enough to meet their daily
needs. There is thus no problem, as such, for
man to earn his livelihood. It can be done
within a few hours, leaving many spare hours
for altruistic efforts. Persons in whom
saintliness awakens think only as to how best
and where to utilize their spare time, labour,
resources and talents.
It does not need much time to find a reply to
this question. The lives of illumined
personalities provide us the demonstrations
in this respect. One is free to accept any of
these divinized personages as his role model.
Only demons have unrestrained and insatiable
cravings and desires. It is they who plan to
amass unlimited wealth and resources and to
enjoy them without restraint; but none, right
from Hiranayaksha to Sikandar, was able to
fulfill such a desire.
Divine man, Dev-m³nav, emerges at the
meeting point between the soul and God. He
has several other names like a great man, a
35
saint, a reformer, a martyr, etc. In ancient days
such persons were known as —Ìis whose needs
were the minimum and who applied the
savings of their resources, money, etc. in
tasks, which were essential to fulfill the needs
of the Time Spirit. They helped in enhancing
righteous tendencies. They did not allow the
evil designs of those who were bent upon
causing destruction to succeed. The —Ìis
mobilized all their efforts directly or indirectly
in this direction. They did immense work by
moving ahead in positive pursuits step by step
and by accumulating a reservoir of excellence,
drop by drop.
I fail to appreciate that devotion (bhaktî) in
which there is emotional effervescence,
without any moral restraint. I found the —Ìi
path of life worth emulation and tried to
mobilize all my time and resources in the
revival of these traditions. Those engaged in
constant single-pointed effort are able to amass
huge wealth through small earnings over a
time. A bird collects straws one by one and
prepares a beautiful nest. It was my good
fortune that I got an opportunity to revive —Ìi
traditions and it has shown good results.
Different —Ìis had undertaken different
assignments in the ancient times and have
accomplished them satisfactorily. They had
sufficient leisure and opportunities to do so.
But in these days of emergency several things
are to be done simultaneously with great
speed. If a house is on fire, the work of
rescuing children and valuable goods has to
be done at the same time. I am facing a similar
situation and different tasks which different —
Ìis had entrusted to me were to be
accomplished simultaneously. I have received
36
inspiration, guidance and help from my great
Gurudev and I have done whatever I was
required to do with utmost willingness. The
ancient story of Shri Krishna acting as
charioteer and Arjun handling the Gandiva
bow seems to have been repeated in my case.
A momentous task like transforming of an
epoch is accomplished by the will, plan and
power of God but the credit for it is given to
liberated —Ìi-kalpa souls. This alone is the best
reward for their s³dhan³, their competence. I
also got the opportunity of getting this credit
and I feel blessed and fulfilled. As I am able
to clearly foresee even at this moment the
events that are to happen in the distant future,
I have no hesitation in making this statement.
None of the ancient —Ìis have their physical
bodies now although their individual
consciousnesses still persist in appropriate
planes of manifestation. I was introduced to
all of them and was asked to follow in their
footprints, establish an Âïram at Shantikunj,
Haridwar as a symbol of Dev³tm³ Him³laya and
execute the programme of revival of —Ìi
traditions in such a way that the transition to
the new era may be as smooth as possible.
The —Ìis, great men with awakened souls, who
had once lived physically in the Him³layas and
about whom Gurudev had referred in my third
pilgrimage to the Him³layas, were Bhagirath
(Gangotri); Parashuram (Yamunotri); Charak
(Kedarnath); Vyas (Badrinath); Yagyavalkya
(Triyugi-Narayan); Narad (Gupta Kashi);
Adya Shankaracharya (Jyotirmath); Jamdagni
(Uttrakashi); Vashistha (Dev Prayag);
Pippalada, Soot-Shounik, Lakshman, Bharat
and Shastrughna (Rishikesh); and Daksha
March-April 2006
Prajapati, Kanada, Sapt-Risis including
Vishvamitra (Haridwar). I was given glimpses
of the lives and works of Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu, Sant Gyaneshwar and Tulsidas
and was directed to spread the parivr³jak
dharmacakra (reawakening movement) of
Bhagv³n Buddha throughout the world in the
light of present circumstances through the
medium of music, sankirtan and discourses of
Pragy³ Pur³ña and thus enable Pragy³vat³r to
fulfill the latter half of the mission of
Buddh³vat³r. Gurudev had already given a hint
during my pilgrimage to the Him³layas that
just as gymnasiums, Mahaveer temples were
got established by me, in one of my earlier
births as Samartha Ramdas, I have to give them
new forms as Pragy³ sansth³ns, Pragy³pºthas,
CarañapºÚhas, Gy³nmandirs, Sv³dhy³ya mandals
etc.
The direction of transforming Shantikunj as a
symbolic representative of Dev³tm³ Him³laya
was not an easy task. It needed labour, money
and cooperation of the colleagues. The souls
of —Ìis residing in the Him³laya in astral bodies
had to be summoned, invoked and installed
here. Temples of various gods have been built
at various places but living installation of the
souls of all the —Ìis at one place cannot be found
elsewhere. It is still more important to know
that not only mere idols of —Ìis have been
installed here for symbolic worship but
anyone sufficiently purified and fine-tuned can
feel the strong vibrations of their particular
energies. Thus, Shantikunj and Brahmavarchas
represent the energies of all the —Ìis.
To commemorate His victory over Lanka and
establish Ram-rajya, Bhagvan Ram had built the
temple of Rameshwaram and installed the idol
March-April 2006
of Shiva. It is my good fortune that I had got
an opportunity to build a temple and install
the living soul of Dev³tm³ Him³laya in
Shantikunj as a living symbol of my single-
pointed pursuit (param puru̳rtha) towards the
ushering in of the new era. The grand temple
of Dev³tm³ Him³laya can be seen here along
with five Prayags, five Kashis, five sacred rivers,
five sacred lakes as well as the respective
places of tapasy³ of the —Ìis. This is thus a unique
temple. Those who have not visited the
difficult regions of the higher Him³laya can
have the satisfaction of having a view of
Dev³tm³ Him³laya in miniature at Shantikunj.
Jamdagni’s son, Parashuram, had beheaded
several tyrants by his paraÌu (battle-axe). This
can be taken as a symbolic description also.
He had performed tapascary³ in Yamnotri and
had started a campaign for creative
transformation. He destroyed evil tendencies
of persons who were engrossed in immorality
and were acting as impediments in the
transformation of the society. He was engaged
in the heroic task of rooting out viciousness
and corruption prevalent in the minds of the
people of his time. For this Bhagvan Shiva gifted
him a paraÌu. In his latter half of life he had
discarded the axe and had taken a spade in
his hands, which outwardly was symbolic of
tree plantation but actually meant sowing the
seeds of righteousness and creativity. The
written and spoken words emanating from
Shantikunj have played the role of paraÌu in
radically transforming the beliefs, feelings,
thoughts and activities of innumerable
persons.
Bhagirath had performed rigorous tapascary³
to bring the Ganga from heavens to earth for
37
removing water scarcity. Bhagirath Shila is scriptures that Charak —Ìi used to have
situated near Gangotri. Ganga descended as conversations with such herbs and enquired
a result of his tapascary³ and heroic from them about their healing characteristics
industriousness and was, therefore, named as and qualities. He used to collect them at the
Bhagirathi. Bhagirath was put through a tough appropriate time and conducted research on
test; he successfully passed the test and earned them. Several medicines which help in the
the grace of Bhagvan Shiva. Today, there is an growth of the life-forces, in pacifying emotions
all-pervading drought of faith, which can only and mental derangements and which possess
be removed by Gy³n Gang³, the divine flow the qualities of bringing about positive changes
of knowledge. The present drought in the in attitudes, actions and nature of man are
realms of feelings and thoughts can be contributions of his research. Ancient Ayurveda
removed by the cleansing stream of has been revived here and research on finding
knowledge which is flowing constantly from out rare medicines and testing their
Shantikunj and it is hoped that goodwill and ingredients and qualities, with the help of
righteousness will soon be established modern scientific equipments, is being done
throughout the world. at Shantikunj. How the use of only one
appropriate medicine at a time can promote
Charak —Ìi had undertaken thorough research longevity is one of the researches, which are
of the inaccessible region of Kedarnath in the being conducted here in accordance with —Ìi
Him³layas to find out rare medicinal herbs, traditions of Charak.
which helped in healing. It is described in the
[To be continued]
Once the creator sent angels to the earth with instruction to help
humans achieve their desires. The angels set to work accordingly.
Countless number of persons had their wishes granted but still their
caviling and lamenting did not stop. No one felt free from crises and
suffering. This situation was a cause of displeasure to all the three – the
humans, the angels and the creator. Enquiry revealed that by and large
humans are beset with the malaise of acute avarice and greed. Whatever
they get and grab, they abuse it and utilize it in wrongdoings.
Consequently, there is no end to their miseries and sufferings.
The Creator called back the angels and modified His instructions.
They were now to serve only those who had regulated and refined the
course of their lives with tapa and vrata. Ever since then only the virtuous
receive divine succor and help; the prayers of the evil-doers go unheard.

38 March-April 2006

S leep is a biological need of man. It is
essential for the smooth running of life.
Like hunger and thirst, it too comes at fixed
cyclic intervals. It energizes the body and
freshens the mind. Lapsing into sound sleep
is an art; it is not something haphazard. Those
who are skilled in this art are able to put it to
optimum advantage.
Ayurveda gives very deep analysis of sleep.
It classifies sleep into six kinds: (i) sleep
generated by physical exhaustion, (ii) caused
by mental fatigue, (iii) post-ailment sleep,
(iv) sleep induced by some bodily hurt, (v)
that brought about by increase in cough, and
(vi) tamoguni sleep. This last kind fills the
body and mind with ‘tamas’ or darkness
instead of freshness and vigor. Death is
known as the mahatamoguni sleep. The
physical death of yogis, however, is called
‘divine sleep’.
Modern psychology divides sleep into three
phase-types: light sleep, deep sleep and the
dreaming phase. These phases come in
succession. In the deep sleep state, a person
becomes completely oblivious of his
surroundings and remains totally unaffected
by them. Scientists believe that it is this
phase which is the real sleep time. It takes
away all mental and physical tiredness and
fills a person with energy and vitality.
March-April 2006
The Science
of
Sleep
In the third phase of dreaming, the conscious
mind takes a back seat and the unconscious
mind becomes active. It is this mind, which
‘sees’ dreams. The psychologists are still not
able to fully grasp the mechanism and meaning
of dreams. But the yogi understands this
phenomenon in its totality. Through various
yogic techniques he refines and purifies his
unconscious mind to the extent where it
becomes non-existent. The yogi acquires full
control over sleep. He does not dream; rather
he illumines this dream phase with the bright
rainbow-like lights of a Deepawali.
An ordinary person requires sleep because his
unconscious has a vast ocean-like expanse. But
how much sleep is really needed?
Psychologists opine that the required quantum
of sleep varies from person to person. It
depends on many factors – physical and
psychological state of a person as well as on
his social and material environs. A child who
sleeps for 15 hours can hardly manage a sleep
of even 4-5 hours in old age. The thumb rule
is that only that much sleep is required as
fulfills the requirements of the body and mind.
Napoleon slept for only 3 hours while Einstein
for 10. On an average, a person sleeps for 5 –
7 hours.
In this wonderful creation of God there are
many creatures who do not sleep at all and
39
yet remain healthy and happy, and are able to
perform all their activities perfectly well. Ants
do not sleep; nor do blackbucks, and
antelopes. Horses take their nap in standing
postures. There have been some humans too
who did not sleep in their entire lives. There
is a case of one particular lawyer who never
slept right from his childhood to death.
Contrariwise, there is a ‘Kumbhakarni sleep.’
Kumbhakaran, a character in the Ramayan,
used to sleep for six months at a stretch. These
are some of the puzzling aspects of sleep which
yet remain unsolved.
The yogic concept is that sleep undergoes a
transformation at the apex level of Samadhi.
Here occurs the final resolution of sleep, which
comes as a climax of the yogic progression.
But where is its starting point? Which are the
factors which hamper sleep, and which ones
are helpful? Modern psychologists are making
inroads into the hidden layers of sleep and
have come out with interesting results.
According to them excessive brooding is
inimical to sleep, and so is negative thinking.
Lack of sleep is extremely injurious to mental
and physical health. Statistics reveal that one
sleepless night reduces work efficiency by the
same extent as is caused by high level of
alcohol in blood. Lack of sleep disturbs the
rhythm of internal biological cycle and the
body consequently is restricted to utilize only
60 – 75% of its capacity. One sleepless night
can bring about a reduction of up to 30% in
our thinking capacity. Inability to take a
correct decision, irritability, uncontrolled
anger, temporary lapses of memory – all these
are some other ill-effects of insomnia.
40
There was an old Zen master
called Nonoko who lived alone in a hut
at the foot of a mountain one night while
Nonoko was sitting in meditation, a
stranger broke into the hut and
brandishing a sword demanded
Nonoko’s money. Nonoko did not
interrupt his meditation while he
addressed the man, “All my money is in
a bowl on the shelf up there. Take all you
need but leave me five yen. I have to pay
my taxes next week”.
The stranger emptied the bowl of
all the money it held and threw five yen
back into it. He also helped himself to a
precious vase he found on the shelf.
“Carry that vase with care,”said
Nomoko. “It will crack easily”.
The stranger looked around the
small barren room once more and was
going to leave.“You haven’t said thank
you, “ said Nonoko.The man said thank
you and left.
The next day the whole village
was in turmoil. Many people claimed
they had been robbed. Someone noticed
the vase missing from the shelf in
Nonoko’s hut and asked if he, too, had
been the victim of the burglar. “Oh, no,”
said Nonoko. “I gave the vase to a
stranger, along with some money. He
thanked me and left. He was a pleasant
enough sort of fellow but a bit careless
with his sword!”
March-April 2006
Prolonged lack of sleep has a direct bearing
on diseases like heart aliment, hypertension,
diabetes etc. In extreme cases, even sudden
cardiac arrest may occur. Lack of sleep means
metabolic and hormonal imbalance. It results
in obesity, acidity and even ulcers. The
immune system is weakened, and the body
falls prey to many kinds of viral and other
infections. According to doctors, pain below
the waist and headache are a result of
insufficient sleep. It slows down the reaction
to situations of depression, frustration and
anxiety. Continued lack of sleep puts the
nervous system in a high state of agitation. It
hampers the functioning of neurotransmitters
and thereby starts a cycle of multiple nervous
and mental disorders with serious
complications. Not only the lack but also the
excess of sleep is harmful. Studies show that
women who oversleep damage the functioning
of their hearts. During sleep, the coronary
veins shrink and its excess may invite cardiac
arrest.
Researchers of the Harvard Medical School
claim to have identified the precise link in the
chemical chain that regulates the sleep cycle
of the body. This is the T.G.F. Alpha chemical
found in either side of the brain. The leader
of this research team says that the sensors in
hypothalamus catch signals from not only the
brain but also retina of the eyes. This is because
T.G.F. Alpha is formed in the retina too. Its
implication is that the quantum of light that
enters the eye, and its duration both affect the
biological clock of the body. For this reason
the sleeping-waking pattern keeps changing
with the gradual change in seasons.
We can rid ourselves of the problem of
insomnia by a proper understanding of the art
of living. If the life style is orderly, food and
diet is satwik, and thinking is positive there
will not be any problem of sleep. What is more,
with the help of various techniques of yoga
sleep can even be mastered and harnessed into
some extraordinary uses.

World of smiles
About ten years ago when I was an undergraduate in college, I was working as an intern
at my University’s Museum of Natural History. One day while working at the cash register in
the gift shop, I saw an elderly couple come in with a little girl in a wheelchair.
As I looked closer at this girl, I saw that she was kind of perched on her chair. I then realized she
had no arms or legs, just a head, neck and torso. She was wearing a little white dress with red
polka dots.
As the couple wheeled her up to me I was looking down at the register. I turned my head
toward the girl and gave her a wink. As I took the money from her grandparents, I looked back
at the girl, who was giving me the cutest, largest smile I have ever seen. All of a sudden her
handicap was gone and all I saw was this beautiful girl, whose smile just melted me and almost
instantly gave me a completely new sense of what life is all about. She took me from a poor,
unhappy college student and brought me into her world; a world of smiles, love and warmth.
That was ten year ago, I’m a successful businessperson now and whenever I get down and think
about the troubles of the world, I think about that little girl and the remarkable lesson about life
that she taught me.

March-April 2006 41

M y Grandfather Shambhurao Bhave was
very devout. Every morning he would
spend hours in the ritual of worship offering
puja to Lord Shiva. We children would get up
early and bring flowers and leaves from the
courtyard for his offerings. Grandfather
would get me to prepare sandalwood paste
for the worship, and then to sit by his side
while he recited the sacred mantras. Sometimes
while the recitation was going on people such
as the village Patel would come to see him.
Grandfather would break off his chanting and
talk with them, and take up the recital again
after they had left. Sometimes he would forget
what point he had reached, and he would turn
to me: ‘Now then Vinya, how far had I got?’
If I remembered I would tell him, but if I had
also forgotten the mantras had to be recited
again from the beginning. Sometimes it might
be a couple of hours before the recitation was
finished.
One morning when I was seven or eight
years old, Grandfather had seated himself
as usual to begin his worship, when we
noticed that a scorpion had settled upon the
sacred image. Every one began to shout
‘Scorpion! Scorpion! Kill it!’ Grandfather
checked them and then began to intone
solemnly: ‘The scorpion has taken refuge
with the Lord. He is in sanctuary, let no one
touch him.’ The words sounded like a verse
from Upanishads! Then Grandfather went
on with his puja, offering the flowers,
42
My Grandfather
sandalwood and water, and completing the
whole ritual, while the scorpion remained
motionless throughout. Only when it was all
over did he climb down and walk away. The
incident made a deep impression on me; one
who takes sanctuary with the Lord is to be
treated with respect, no matter who he may
be.
I remember another thing. A boy who was
living with us had helped himself to some gur
(jaggery). Granny caught him and complained
to Grandpa about him calling him a thief. ‘No’
said Grandpa ‘he is not a thief. What if he did
take gur without asking us? This is his home
no less than ours, and the gur is also his gur. If
he had asked us he would have got it. Now
he has got it without asking, but that should
not be called a theft.’ Then Grandpa sent for
the boy and said to him: ‘ look here, laddie,
when you want a bit of gur just ask, and you
will certainly get it. But there is another thing,
when you took that gur, did you wash your
hands?’ ‘ No, I didn’t,’ said the boy. ‘Then in
future’ said Grandpa ‘first wash your hands,
then ask, then take what gur you want’. From
that time the boy was able little by little to
overcome his habit of petty thieving.
In later years we had to deal with a lad in our
Ashram who used to smoke bidi’s on the sly.
He had acquired the habit in a students’ hostel
where he had lived previously, though he did
his work in the Ashram very well. One day
March-April 2006
one of the Ashram brothers caught him
smoking and brought him to me. I could see
that the poor lad was in a terrible fright.
‘Come’ I said, ‘don’t be afraid. After all, many
great men smoke, there is nothing wrong in
that. What is wrong is to try to hide it. So I
am going to give you a little room where you
can smoke openly, and every week a bundle
of bidi’s.’
Some of the brothers in the Ashram didn’t like
this at all and I had to explain myself to them.
‘ Smoking is a bad habit, no doubt about it’, I
said. ‘ We don’t smoke here and the boy
knows it but he has fallen into the habit and
he has also got into the habit of trying to hide
it, which is worse. So it is our duty to give
him the chance to break himself of those habits
by his own efforts. That is Ahimsa – Non-
violence. Non- violence is very patient and
long suffering. We should not make an issue
of every little thing.’
One day as Grandfather was seated for puja
he began to shiver and feel cold; he was in
fact feverish. He was not prepared to allow
this discomfort to interfere with this worship
during the next two hours or more so when
the shivering fit started he went straight to
the well and jumped in. Granny was startled;
the sudden movement took her by surprise.
Grandfather, who was a good swimmer,
swam around in the well for about five
minutes; then he climbed out, dried himself
and went on with his puja. I saw this with my
own eyes and later I too found, during my
walking pilgrimages that no harm comes of
“The secret of longevity is not to eat until one is really hungry.”
March-April 2006
getting wet through. Water is a complete
medicine in itself, which is why the Vedas have
entitled it ‘ the universal medicine’.
For the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi, we
installed an image of Ganapati in our home.
Grandfather used to make it himself with the
help of us children. We would prepare
sandalwood paste and he would use it to make
the image. After it was installed there was puja
and arti (the offering of lights), and for the
next ten or twelve days the house had a festive
air. But then on the fourteenth day the image
was taken and immersed in water. When I was
a child this used to make me very sad; we had
worked so hard to make it, we had
worshipped and honored it for so many days,
and then we not only got rid of it, we even
celebrated its disappearance as a festival, with
songs, drums and music! It was only later that
I came to understand the significance of this
custom. Hindu teaching links together the
worship of the image and the ultimate
unimportance of the image. It is not to be
smashed violently, but to be relinquished
reverently. The practice of invocation-
immersion is a symbol of great beauty. We
must seek the detachment which will enable
us to relinquish when the time comes, our own
best creations.
Grandfather observed regular vows and fasts,
one of which was Chandrayan in the honour of
moon. On the first day of the moon only one
mouthful of food is taken, on the second day
two mouthfuls and so on, the amount
increasing as the moon waxes, until on the full
43
moon day fifteen mouthfuls are taken. Then
as the moon wanes the number of mouthfuls
decreases one by one until on the day of no
moon a complete fast is observed. When
Grandfather kept Chandrayan he would offer
puja to the moon each day after moonrise and
after completing the rites he would eat
whatever amount of food was prescribed for
that day. But moonrise varies from day to day;
it may happen in the evening or at midnight
or in the small hours of the morning when I
was fast asleep. Grandfather would ask mother
to waken me, and she would get me out of
bed to sit with Grandfather at his puja. I would
be half asleep, but all the same as soon as
Grandfather’s puja was finished my hand
would be held out for prasad. And Grandfather
would put into the outstretched hand a little
portion of his own quota for that day.
It is my Grandfather I have to thank for
whatever purity of spirit I may possess; that
was his greatest bequest to me. He must
certainly have shown me all the ordinary
kindnesses, given me sweets and so on, but
what I can never forget is the inward prasad I
received, the impression made on my mind as
he kept watch at midnight for a darshan of the
Lord. That was his greatest gift to me.
- Acharya Vinoba Bhave
[Published with glad permission of Kalindi
Behan, the original compiler in Hindi (and
translated into English by late Marjorie Sykes)
of Vinobaji’s Memoirs titled ‘MOVED BY
LOVE’ of Brahmavidya Mandir, Pawnar
(Wardha). – Editorial Team]
44
The glory of king Nripendra of
Mahismati had spread far and wide like
the scattered glow of the full moon. The
treasury, army, power and beauty -
everything was in plentiful abundance.
King Nripendra was just and benevolent
towards his subjects who, in turn, held
him in great adoration.
Time passed. Old age began to
creep in and with this gradually
increased the king’s inner disquiet and
dissatisfaction. He withdrew into a shell
of silence and stopped seeing anybody.
Restless and sad, the king was always
seen immersed in brooding.
One day, very early in the
morning, the king strolled over to the
palace garden. Sitting on a sphatik rock,
and facing east, he got engrossed in deep
self-introspection. Slowly the Sun rose
over the horizon. Its warm and brilliant
rays fell upon the pond and stirred the
‘thousand petalled’ lotuses. The flowers
were soon in full bloom and began
spreading their beauty and fragrance all
over.
The divine inner voice spoke:
“Can you still not grasp the mystery of
the Sun’s splendour? From where does
its brilliance come? Is not the radiating
light the Sun’s own inner pulsation?
The fragrance of the lotus comes from
within. This whole pageant of life you
see everywhere has sprouted forth from
within the cosmic spirit. The source of
delight is hidden inside you. You will
have to awaken to its presence. For this,
you have do jivana sadhana. Soon
thereafter the king handed over the
reigns of the kingdom to his heir (son)
and retired to the forest in search of the
Truth of his Being.
March-April 2006
 The Real Art of
Human Alchemy - II
(Translation of a discourse of P¿jya Gurudev on
“Mah³k³la Kº Puk³ra Ansuni Na Kareó”: Continued from the previous issue)

G od, the Almighty creator and ruler of the

universe, the Omnipresent Supreme
power, doesn’t need your worship, offerings
or paeans and prayers. Then why are you
supposed to worship (p¿j³) the deity and chant
HIS names and hymns of HIS praise? Well,
the practices of ÌaÚkarma, p¿j³, and japa, prayer
etc are part of the purification process before
real Up³san³2.
Your rituals of worship are simply to
condition your mind, to control its constant
flickering, to engage it in something sacred
and serene, to remind it of the divine presence.
Your japa1 is meant to purify and immerse your
mind in the beatifying thoughts and feelings
of divinity. It is like washing a cloth before
dyeing it. If you try to color a dirty cloth, it
won’t absorb the dye, whatever its color be.
You need to use a clean piece. Have you seen
a farmer’s hard labor in the fields? Before
sowing the seeds he has to plough it
thoroughly, clear off all the shrubs, wild
growth and useless vegetation, etc. How will
the crop grow if the soil is full of stones and
other things? It can’t. So you see the
painstaking labor of cleaning, ploughing,
making the fields suitable for sowing the seed
is unavoidable. Harvesting the crop or
enjoying the fruits of up³san³ – s³dhan³3 are
far more difficult. Sustained efforts of self-
purification are prerequisite to these spiritual
tasks.
Digging and laying stout foundation is
essential before constructing a building. Have
you seen any house without a foundation? The
practices of pancakarma we are taught in
Gayatri sandhy³ followed by mantra-japa are
initial steps of up³san³. These are like laying
the foundation for our spiritual ascent.
As part of the rituals of worship, we offer
oblation (water) to the Sun God. This way we
pay our reverence to the divine powers. More
importantly, with the chanting of the
‘s¿ry³rghya’ mantra at this time, we are
supposed to dedicate our ego, our false self-
identity. As the small amount of water offered
before the Sun evaporates and gets spread in
the space, our selfishness, petty desires, tiny
existence should also transform into
selflessness, altruistic love and all-inclusive
awareness. If we only perform the physical
activity associated with a ritual without
cultivating the feeling associated with it, the
ritual would be nothing more than a child’s
play. No matter how much water one pours
as oblation before the deity, for how many
days, there would be no effect if the ritual

March-April 2006 45
remains a mere physical activity. If you don’t
attempt to identify your selfish tendencies and
try to control them, you are making a mockery
of this devotional practice. Don’t be a
hypocritic ‘devotee’. This way you will shake
others’ faith in up³san³. It is better to do
nothing than such superficial, hypocritical
rituals.
Dedication to the deity, to the divine focus
(iÌÚa devat³) of devotion, means the devotee
follows HIS disciplines, sacrifices his egotist
ambitions and selfish desires to adopt the
virtuous ideals that the godhead represents.
Invocation and related rituals of enshrinement
of God are not confined to mere uttering of
some hymns and respectfully putting the idols
or pictures of the deity at the place of worship.
Inherent in these are the teaching of setting
noble goals of life concordant with the divine
qualities symbolized by the idol. The presence
of God hidden in your inner self should be
invoked. Divinity should be enshrined in your
heart, your mind, and your conduct.
Shiva means absolute auspicious welfare, so
if Shiva is your iÌÚa devat³, your life should be
dedicated to ensure the welfare of the soul,
salvation. If Gayatri is your iÌÚa devat³ then
your devotion to HER should mean that the
goal of your life is to attain –– illumined
wisdom, saintly sensitivity and purity. Indeed
your up³san³ of Gayatri should bestow these
spiritual virtues upon you. This means
enlightenment of your intellect and chiseled
refinement of your personality and moral
eminence of your conduct in every dimension
of your life. This would brighten, elevate and
glorify your worldly life as well.
46
There is only one meaning of spiritual devotion
–– dissolution of the ego, our false self-
identity in the infinite glow of the iÌÚa devat³,
transformation and expansion of selfishness
and attachment into selflessness, altruistic
compassion; unification of the individual self
with the Supreme Divine-Self. Up³san³ is
supposed to initiate this preeminent
transmutation.
The rituals of worship associated with up³san³
were devised by our great rishis (seers and
sages of the Vedic Age), considering the agile
and adaptive nature of the human mind. Every
action of the rituals of worship, or any
sacrament for that matter, is there to teach us
something, to inspire us towards betterment.
For example, using water as a means of
purification also teaches us to be cool and
flowing; that is to be calm, modest and
cooperating. Offering flowers to the deity is
a symbol of paying reverence. But it also
teaches us that our life should also be soft,
beautiful and full of soothing fragrance. That
means, we should live a happy and loving life
with its natural grace, full of good qualities, if
it were to receive the honor of being at the
feet of the Almighty. Have you ever seen
anybody offering dry leafs or hard branches
in worship? No. Because it is the flower that
has all the natural qualities which, if adopted
by you, would beautify your lives too and fill
them with the heavenly fragrance of goodness.
Your life would flourish with joy, if it is soft
and blooming (kind, generous and joyous) like
a fresh flower.
Along with flowers, some rice grains,
sandalwood powder, etc are also used in
worshiping the deities. These are not to
March-April 2006
decorate the idols or anything, though you
definitely feel nice to look at the idols after
worship because of all these sacred items put
on it artistically. The main purpose behind
these is that you should learnt to donate, to
sacrifice, a fraction of your earning for the
welfare of the needy.
Some other common practices of worship
include – lightening dh¿pa or agarbatti (scent
sticks) and dºpa (lamp of ghee or oil) and
offering some sweets (naivadya), etc. Well, as
you might have experienced, the dh¿pa spreads
natural fragrance of flowers. It rejuvenates the
mind. Also, it teaches one to disseminate the
good qualities without any discrimination or
constraint. And why do you light the dºpa? Is
to illuminate the shrine of the deity? God is
the origin of light, of all the powers of Nature.
The whole world is HIS shrine. Haven’t you
seen HIS uncountable dºpas shining in the sky
as the Sun, Moon and the stars? Why would
HE need your help in getting light? Are you
going to show him the path in the darkness?
That preeminent source of absolute
knowledge is Omniscient. Who are you to
show HIM light?
We the mortal beings live in the dark mist
of confusions, illusions and ignorance. The
dºpa symbolizes the spark of knowledge that
is required to lighten up our lives. It teaches
us that our life should be upward and bright
like its flame. It inspires us that we should
acquire the light of knowledge from all
directions and enlighten ourselves. Its flame
burns out all impurity. Similar should be the
‘fire’ of our awakened, trenchant intellect;
it should destroy all vices and delusions of
our thinking.
March-April 2006
Okay! What about the naivaidya? Many so-
called ‘devotees’ participate in a p¿j³ only to
get the naivaidya-sweets distributed as praï³da
in the end. So it’s clear, who eats it!
Obviously, the Lord of the Universe is not
waiting for your naivaidya; divine powers are
not like ants or somebody who would swarm
towards sugar. Well this item of worship is
there to teach you to have sweetness in your
life and distribute it among others around.
Your tongue, your behavior with others
should be humble, pleasant and benevolent.
Thus, every ritual, every action associated
with worship, as the first phase of up³san³, is
to induce the feeling of self-refinement, self-
training. These aim at “tamaso ma jyotirgamaya”
–– may we all be liberated from darkness,
ignorance and be guided, towards light,
knowledge.
However, if you don’t care to adopt these
teachings and don’t even remember the
implications of the rituals, your worship will
be no better than a child’s act. You may
remain engaged in taking care of how many
flowers are to be used, how and when to
kindle the dºpa and what not. Your prayers
to see God would be like that of the thief who
used to live in a forest. Once upon a time, a
saint came there; he used to preach the
devotees in the nearby village. This thief also
listened to him occasionally. He was curious
to know God, who bestows lots of wealth.
One day he went to the saint and prayed that
he would also like to see God, if the saint has
seen HIM. The saint asked him to come the
next day early morning. The thief promptly
reached there on time and asked – so now
47
please show me God. The saint smiled and
said, we will have to climb the hill to get a
sight of the Almighty from its top. Well, both
of them began to climb up. After a few steps,
the saint told him to pick up four heavy stones,
as it was essential as part of some ‘rituals’.
The thief did not wait. He happily picked up
four quite big and heavy stones and kept them
on his head. Then what? He could not climb
beyond a few steps, carrying so much weight.
He was tired and pleaded with the saint to
stop or show him some shortcut. “There is no
shortcut to God” – said the saint. But the thief
was exhausted, he said – “but, Swamiji, I can’t
climb up with so much of weight. Will I never
be able to see God?” The saint told him to
throw away one stone. Now the thief was
slightly relieved. But again as they climbed a
little higher he found it impossible to go
ahead. Then, as per the Swami’s advice he
threw away the second stone.
The journey continued for a few minutes, as
there were only two stones now on the thief’s
head. But this burden too was heavy for
climbing the steeper heights of the hill.
Successively he was left with one stone. But
by now his neck was paining. The top of the
hill was still far away. So he begged –– “Swami
ji, I tried to do what you told me. But now
the burden of even this single stone appears
unbearable to me. Could I please throw this
too?” The swami gave him a kind look and
said fine! The thief felt so light! He could now
climb up to the hill along with the saint. After
reaching the top, the saint told him – “When
there was burden of four stones on your head,
you could not climb up even a few steps on
our upward journey towards God. As you
threw them away one-by-one, gradually it
48
became easier. Now you have reached the goal
I set for you – the top of the hill. Now, I will
guide you in your up³san³, s³dhan³, so you will
easily find God one day”.
The ‘four stones’ that make it impossible for
you to march towards God are – k³ma (sensual
lust), krodha (anger), mada (ego, arrogance) and
lobha (avarice). Not only these, we have tied
two more heavy ‘stones’ on your head, moha
(selfish attachment) and matsar (jealousy and
hatred). This burden makes one crazy and he
goes on accumulating more of these. So first
get rid of these heaps of filth. This is what the
rituals of uapasana teach you. Every corner of
the house is cleaned on the occasion of Diwali
– the festival of Goddess Lakshmi, the deity
of prosperity. Cleaning and decoration of the
venue are also integral parts of big functions
and celebrations, to welcome the guests, who
would not like to sit at a dirty, stinking,
suffocating place. Then how do you expect
God to come near you unless you purify
yourself? So if you want to sit near God, you
must adopt the disciplines, the teachings
associated with up³san³.
I should now make it clear to you that the
scriptural descriptions of the methods of
worship are not mere fanciful flights of
primitive brains, nor are they ornamentally
gorgeous celebrations in the name of religion.
Rather, they are excellent modes of s³dhan³
devised after deeper understanding of human
psychology. Moreover, the rituals of ÌaÚkarmas,
invocations, p¿ja, and japa are effective means
to pacify all your tensions. Regular practice of
these would save you from many of your time-
consuming, expensive exercises of ‘stress
management’.
March-April 2006
If you continue your honest efforts in
observing moral values, self-restraint and
follow these practices sincerely with mental
engrossment in the associated feelings, you
would grasp the secret of up³san³ through
the heart. These simple practices would then
gradually transform your attitude and
tendencies and elevate these to the level of
spiritual enlightenment. Deeper practices of
japa and meditation thus serve the real
purpose of up³san³. This is when the real
alchemy of your being – spiritual awakening
and expansion of your consciousness begins.
Notes:
1.Japa: Repeated enunciation or mental
chanting of a mantra or devotional hymn with
deep mental engrossment.
2.Up³san³: Devout worship or devotional
practice to enable the devotee recall and
experience thy-presence within and around
him. The word meaning of “up³san³” is ‘to sit
near’. In simple terms, it is a devotional
practice of sitting near God, i.e., having an
emotional proximity with divinity that induces
awakening of divine qualities hidden in the
devotee.
3.S³dhan³: Devout spiritual endeavor for self-
transmutation.
4.S³dhaka: One who is dedicated to s³dhan³.
|| OM SHANTI ||
March-April 2006
“Knowledge cannot be attained by
physical penance in this remote forest.
For this you have to go to Sadguru’s
refuge and follow his directions humbly
and steadily. The path you have chosen
is not to attain knowledge but to strip
off the imperfections of soul such as
attachment, malice, anger and greed”
said Lord Indra in a Brahman’s outfit
to Yavakrit, who was doing penance in
a remote forest. A few moments later
Yavakrit saw the same Brahman taking
handfuls of sand and leaving in the flow
of river. He went to the Brahman and
asked, “Great Brahman! Why are you
wasting your time this way? What are
you trying to do? Nobody knows where
a handful of sand goes with the flow of
the river.”
“I want to make a bridge to cross the
river and therefore trying to level the
river,” replied the Brahman.Yavakrit
laughed and said, “Are you sure you
can construct a bridge by dispersing
handfuls of sand in the river?” Then
the Brahman appeared in his original
form and said, “If I can’t construct a
bridge by dispersing handfuls of sand,
you too can’t attain knowledge by this
solitary penance. You should go to your
scholarly father and concentrate all
your endeavors to gain knowledge. My
blessings are with you. You will gain
knowledge soon.”
49
 Leadership
A True Leader is one who:
1. Has the confidence of his people.

2. Has a loving and compassionate heart, and is ready to help.

3. Has a high ideal and a strong faith and has the capacity to carry with him all
those who depend on him.

4. Is easily approachable and has an amiable disposition.

5. Looks after the material and spiritual needs of his dependents.

6. Can infuse confidence, enthusiasm, hope and will to progress in his comrades.

7. Has wisdom, farsight and foresight to deal with any situation.

8. Is poised, courageous, determined and enduring in the midst of the toughest

battles.

9. Is simple, frank, upright, straightforward and honest.

10. Is resourceful in different situations.

11. Is strict and at the same time considerate in dealing with people.

12. Is loved, revered and respected by the populace.

13. Is a visionary with an open mind and has a broad consciousness to embrace
everybody in his fold, having professional competence in his field.

14. Has no self-interest and gives himself – just for service.

15. Is always ready to sacrifice himself and all his belongings for the good of
others.

16. And has the grace of God.

-Sri Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya

(From his book – By The Way, Vol. I with kind permission of Pranab da- Editor)

50 March-April 2006